Obedience

Four years ago today we left our home at 5.30 in the morning with Sam who was 2 and Joel, just a baby at 4 months old to move to Haiti.

The past four years have been extremely challenging, unbelievably tiring and very stretching.

I could write about some of the challenges and things that have just been really hard about living in Haiti but over the past few weeks through reading other missionary stories, through His word and in particular a podcast I've been listening to the Lord has been changing my perspective. 

I've decided to leave out the hard bits and just share with you some of my highlights from the past four years.

First is Yvelinda.  I have always wanted to work in paediatrics but with the way things have turned out I've never got the opportunity or the training I really need so I feel very out of my depth when I am treating any kids at bethesda (plug if you are a paeds PT or OT I would love you to come and visit one day and teach me, Altidor & Echebert everything you know!).  Yvelinda was one of my very first paediatric patients in January 2017 with cerebral palsy.  On her first appointment she was unable to hold her head up, she was unresponsive, her fists were clenched and her mum has been to a lot of clinics and each time was not given any appropriate treatment. I gave her mum some simple advice and told her to come back in a month.  Yvelinda has been coming ever since and its been lovely to watch her develop. 

Today she can hold her head up, sit up on her own, she uses both hands to play, she is starting to say some words and she is working on standing up.  Two of the best moments happened during two different PT teams.  In Dec 2018 she received a wheelchair and she loved it! Actually she cried when we took her out of it!  Secondly was when we put her in the standing frame for the first time.  This photo says it all.

Second is Altidor and Echebert.  When I first started working I was on my own, two days a week in a very small not really good for therapy room. In January 2018 Altidor joined me in a new purpose built therapy room.  I had met her at some other physio meetings and what stood out to me about her was her commitment.  I recommended her to Dr Rodney not knowing that he knew her family and had already thought of asking her to join the team.  She worked for months voluntarily before we were able to pay her.

Then a year later we need another PT, we advertised and interviewed and Echebert joined our team.  I couldn't ask for better people.  They are both extremely dedicated to what they do, willing to learn, going above and beyond what is required of them and our patients love them. They are both studying psychology at the weekends so they can help their patients better and learning English so they can communicate and learn from our PT teams.  In October of last year bethesda was in a very poor financial position and Dr Rodney had been explaining to our staff the situation.  After the meeting Altidor and Echebert both told me they would be willing to work without any pay until bethesda was in a better financial position.  I am so thankful to God for sending Altidor and Echebert not only to work with me but as friends.  They help me learn so much about language particularly technical medical language, culture which goes so deep and show me a different side of  the people of Haiti.

In December the PT team presented them with an ipad to help with their learning, so they can keep in contact and take photos and videos of patients who they are having difficulties with.  To say they were shocked is an understatement!

Third is the southwest baptist university.  Three years ago I had no idea that university even existed.  I had been communicating with one of their teachers Bev for about a year before I met her when she brought the first SBU team to Bethesda in January 2018.  After 18 months of working alone in a hot, dark room to having a team of physio's including two specialists with bags and bags of equipment in a brand new room was amazing.  Each morning they treated patients and I tried to learn as much as I could from Sarah the paediatric physio, then in the afternoons they ran education courses for 20 Haitian PTs.  I cried everyday I drove home that week, I was so overwhelmed at their commitment to what I was doing alone and it felt like they had come just for me. 

They then sent another team in December 2018 and December 2019, everytime they bring in all our equipment and supplies which we can't get in Haiti. I literally cannot put into words how helpful and encouraging these teams have been.  Their support to me, Altidor & Echebert has been wonderful not only when they are with us in Haiti but anytime we have questions we just send some photos and videos and have a team of people ready and willing to respond.  They also work alongside our staff, patients and translators.  On the teams last day one of our translators told them  that he had translated for many medical teams and had never  been treated so well and felt like this team treated him like family. That is a testimony to their humility and willingness to serve.  SBU have committed to sending PT teams at least once a year and it is them who are really training Altidor and Echebert.

Fourth is the things our boys get to experience that so many kids will never get to do.  These boys have been on so many long haul flights it's ridiculous, they have flown in a 9 seater plane, they have met people from all over the world, they get to play outside barefoot everyday, they get to swim at a Caribbean beach, they get to go on a wooden boat, they get to see and experience a different culture, they get to travel and best of all they get to see what is really important in life and what really counts and that is being obedient to God and going where he asks you to go.  There are many times when they miss their cousins or want to go back to Bangor but they know God has asked us to live in Haiti right now so that's where we are. 

I could keep going and talk about a  mobile clinic to Roque, giving Yverose a job, watching a stroke patient move her hand for the first time in years, seeing the malnourished twins now thrive and doing home visits but this post is already too long!

Despite all the challenges, which aren't really challenges compared to many other missionary experiences, our decision to be in Haiti for right now (or when we are able to return I should say!) is about being obedient to what we believe God has asked us to do. And as a result of that obedience this is just a little glimpse of what we get to be involved in and how we get to see God work first hand in our lives and in other lives and we would not change it.  Everyday in Haiti has its challenges and its a struggle but I love being part of something that is changing people's lives.

 That is a privilege. 

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning, 

great is your faithfulness. 

Lamentations 3 v 22-23 

Praying

I've learnt a lot about praying this past year, sometimes circumstances put you in the position where you have no other choice but to pray and its good for your faith. Here are just a few examples of God answering prayers for me over this past 9 months.

When Haiti was going through the long period of political unrest from September to December, Bethesda never once closed.  All of our staff were going through road blocks, getting rocks and bottles thrown at them and going in public transport (which was twice the price) to get there.  If they were making that kind of effort then it was important that I, in my own car, should also make the effort to go.  On my work days I would wait for Junel (who works at Emmaus and comes from Vaudrieul where the clinic is) to see how the roads were then drive to the clinic.  Thankfully there was never any trouble on the drive from Emmaus to Bethesda.

A section of my daily drive to work or school

I always made sure I was able to leave before 3, as usually the roadblocks would be later in the day but there was no one to ask about the way home so I got in the car, prayed and drove home.  Emmaus is kind of out in the country and there is one stretch of the road where there is no one about, the road is terrible so you need to drive slow and the area has a bad reputation. So I would pray a little harder.  Everytime I drove around that stretch of road I would ask for God's protection.  Then later when the boy's school opened and many other schools were still shut,  I would be driving home alone with the boys and I would do the same thing, pray for our safety the whole way home.  And the Lord answered.  We always made it home safely.

Around mid October Bethesda had finally found a piece of property after more than 6 months of searching but there was  one  pretty big problem.  We had no money to buy it and the property cost $220,000 (US) which by the way,  is very reasonable for its location, land in Haiti is crazy expensive. We had a $50,000 loan from a donor which we were able to use as a down payment, a payment plan was agreed on with the owner and the final payment was due in May 2020.

The new property

I felt the Lord telling me to ask for the money for the property to come in by the end of the year.  I shared this with our board and our supporters and we started praying.  I am sure many people thought there was no way we would be able to raise this much money in such a short period of time. All throughout December funds came in and kept coming and by early January once everything was counted up we had the full $220K to pay off the property.  The Lord had answered our prayer.   Not only did he answer our prayer for funds but He also put together a design / construction team filled with highly skilled people.

A render of what a new Bethesda may look like

Have you every tried travelling on a 9 hour flight, with less than 24 hours notice that you have to leave, in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, with 3 small kids who normally don't stay still long enough to even sit and eat their dinner? Then connect to another flight for another couple of hours when your body clock is telling you it’s the middle of the night.  It should be awful, there should be tears and tantrums and screaming and very stressed out parents.  The 9 hour flight actually turned into on the plane for 11 hours because it sat on the runway for 2 hours before we took off.  We don't normally go through an 11 hour time period in our house without someone crying or melting down (usually its Bill!!!😃).....anyone with toddlers & young children understands how that is.  But we did, we traveled for a long time,  about 40 hours I think and not one of the boys had a single meltdown, there were a few tears and the parents were a little stressed but given the circumstances it really did all go well. I really think this is because of the prayers of God's people calming our kids for that time.

We said goodbye to Miss Pam in Paris as she got her connection to Manchester.

While living in Haiti over the past four years there are so many things which happen where I wish I could help, where I wish I could fix the situation but I can't.  All I can do is pray and its probably the best thing I can do.  I have one friend who always tells me, 'Julie I can't do anything for you to say thank you, I can't give you anything but what I can do is pray and I pray for you everyday.'  In fact even now, she is very worried about us because she hears how bad things are in Europe.  How ironic, she is sitting in her house, most days with no idea what she is going to give her 3 children to eat, never mind how they will ever afford to send them to school when it opens and she is praying for me because of our difficult situation. That is the best gift she could give me.

Before I had kids I was much better at praying, I was able to set time aside to pray with no interruptions or without falling asleep!  Now I have learnt to pray when things come to mind rather than waiting until my quiet time.  I think it was Spurgeon who said I rarely pray longer than 15 minutes but I rarely go 15 minutes without praying.  That may not be the exact quote but you get the idea.

I am so thankful for the many people praying for us especially those OMS prayer warriors who spend hours everyday praying for missionaries.  A friend recently told me of her granny who has a pile of prayer letters and prayer cards and prays through them everyday! How humbling to think of how faithful these people are.

So please keep praying for us.  We really have no idea when we will get back to Haiti, somedays I read the news and it feels like its going to be a really long time before we can but we take comfort in the fact that God knows.

It is also really hard to be here and not be able to see our family and friends.  I know everyone is struggling with that so you can identify with how we feel.  The boys are mostly doing ok, they often ask when we are going back to Haiti, or when they can go to grannys house or when they can play with their friends.

Please keep praying for Haiti too, while reported numbers of coronavirus are still low there are many other problems which have been been there for a long time but are getting worse because of the pandemic.

Pray for Emmaus, they are using whatsapp to finish the semester which isn't ideal but the only possible way right now.  Our neighbours, the Ayars, have moved to Jackson Mississippi where Matt has taken the job of president of Wesley Biblical Seminary.  Pray for Emmaus board as they search for a new president.  Pray also for the Ayars, this is a massive change after 12 years in Haiti and they also had to leave with less than 24 hours notice so had no opportunity to see anyone or say goodbye.

Pray for Bethesda, clinics all across Haiti are struggling.  People are so scared to go incase they get coronavirus but many people are suffering from all sorts of other illnesses.  Bethesda moved its staff to a 50% work schedule which was an extremely difficult decision for Dr Rodney and the board to make given the circumstances.  To pray more specifically for Bethesda, tomorrow is our monthly half day of prayer and you can join us in praying here.  You can also download the May prayer guide here.

I guess what I have been learning is already written and promised in God's word, its just a matter of having the faith to believe it.

Matthew 21 v 22 

And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive , if you have faith. 

Mark 11 v 24

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours. 

John 15 v 16 

You did not choose me, but I choose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give it to you. 

Ephesians 6 v 18 

praying at all times in the Spirit with all prayer and supplication for all the saints 

Colossians 4 v 2 

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 

What's going on in Haiti?

We have been trying to stay in touch with friends in Haiti as much as we can so we can see how things are.

As of today there have been 40 confirmed case of coronavirus and 3 deaths with the majority of these cases being in Port au Prince. I know it doesn't sound like a lot at all when we compare to how things are in other parts of the world but only 439 tests have been done out of a population of 11 million people.  It is highly likely the cases are much higher than will ever be reported.

The big concern for Haiti is that there are more than likely no hospitals prepared for this pandemic if things were to get much worse. It is estimated there are less than 50 ventilators in the whole country and some of these probably do not work.

Government advice is to stay home, wash your hands, if you need to go out stay 2m away from other people.  Gatherings of more than 10 people are prohibited and like many of us schools, universities and churches are all closed.  Haiti's president has said these measures we will be in place until the end of June.

But, it is almost impossible to social distance, to bulk buy, to stay home when the only way you can survive is to buy the little food you need for each day, everyday.

It is impossible to wash you hands every time you touch something or someone when you don't have running water at home or maybe even can't afford to have everyone in your house to be using up the soap so quickly.

Needless to say the damage coronavirus could do to an already very damaged Haiti doesn't bear thinking about.

Here are the measures Bethesda has put in place to protect our staff and patients and try to stop the spread of the virus.

• A hand washing station has been set up at the gate
• A triage unit has been set up at the gate
• A barrier has been put in place and the physio room will be used as a isolation room.
• Markers have been put on the ground to ensure social distancing 
• Extra chairs have been set out for social distancing 
• Staff devotions have been split into 4 groups
• Patient devotions have been split into groups
• Extra cleaning materials have been bought
• Dr Rodney is  looking for PPE for our staff
• All patients are educated on a daily basis as to how they have protect themselves

Today we are having our monthly day of prayer where we are encouraging anyone who wants to join us in praying for Haiti and for Bethesda to sign up for a 30 minute slot so we can have the whole day covered in prayer.  We still have a few slots left and if are able to commit to praying please click here and sign your name up.

You can also download our April prayer guide  which will give you some guidance on what to pray for.  

Emmaus has obviously been closed since the first two cases were announced as Haiti closed all its schools and universities. Emmaus administration has been meeting regularly to discuss how to move forward.  With most, if not all of our students having no electricity or internet at home it is impossible to use zoom for online classes.  There are just 5 weeks left of the semester and the administration would love to be able to have those completed before the new semester is supposed to start at the end of August.  Please pray for wisdom for the administration, pray for protection for our students and staff who are in Haiti.  

There are also lots or rumours going round about coronavirus, some people believe it doesn't even exist and the government has made it up to try to get money.  Other rumours include if you drink bleach water  or take choloroquine (a malaria medicine) you will be protected from the virus. 

Some in Haiti are preparing as best as they can, some are waiting and some are carrying on life as normal because they feel they have no other choice. 

Be thankful

We are getting used to be in another house ( the 5th house we have lived in the past 4 years) but not really getting used to the cold weather!  It's a hard time, not just for us, but for everyone.  Instead of complaining or losing perspective I've been trying to focus my mind on the many things I have to be thankful for.

I am thankful for being back in NI where if any of us needed medical care we would have it.
I am thankful for safe travels and for kids who travelled for 48 hours without one single meltdown.
I am thankful for a place to stay, a whole house with a garden for the boys to run about.

I am thankful for whatsapp which allowed us to stay in touch while travelling and for now which allows us to talk to our friends in Haiti and America and Canada.

I am thankful that we have done a lot of staying home over the last 18 months which means this is not a big adjustment for the boys.  Due to many periods of political instability school was cancelled and we didn’t leave the Emmaus campus for weeks at a time. So we are used to staying home and have already figured out what works (and what doesn’t) for our family.

I am thankful for the family of Christ.  We still cannot believe how many people were praying for us over this past week. How great it is to be united in Christ.  On the plane from Paris to Dublin we met an Irish guy (he was one of the 6 other people on the flight), of course he asked where we were travelling from and right away we told him we were missionaries in Haiti.  Turns out he was working in Paris but his reason for going was to be a missionary and share the gospel.  We chatted the whole way back to Dublin and it was just great to be able to talk to and share with something who has some of the same experiences as you.

I am thankful Carol was able to bring me in a new phone (my phone had broke a couple of weeks before that) just two weeks before we left Haiti.  Little did we know at that time how much we would need a good phone, with data and a good battery!  Otherwise I would not have been able to be in touch with the British embassy or stay in touch with my family the whole way home.

Don't be deceived by the sun...its freezing!

I am thankful to be able to make sandwiches with bread that I didn’t have to make myself, and buy ham and not have to ration cheese!

I am thankful for all those who left toys, clothes, colouring stuff and food for us.

I am thankful for my family who organised everything in the house for us and keep bringing us food as we are in quarantine.

I am thankful to be able to make dinner in 30 minutes and put the laundry away at the same time...who knew that was possible.

I am thankful that our boys are coping incredibly well considering we just dragged them half way across the world and can't tell them when they can see their family or friends or when we will be going back to our Haiti home.

I am thankful for running water, soap, electricity, the internet, central heating and the privilege to be able to stay home....almost all of our friends in Haiti cannot do this.

Our handwashing station at the entrance to Bethesda. 

I am thankful for Altidor and Echebert still working in the physiotherapy department and sending me photos and information I need to keep the facebook page up to date.

I am thankful for Yverose who will be checking our house a couple of times a week and feeding Bello, Bello (our cat!).

With so many unknowns about the future and no way to plan anything I am thankful that God is in control and all we need to do is trust and obey him and take it one day at a time.

Do not be anxious about anything, 

but in every situation,

 by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, 

present your requests to God. 

Phillippians 4 v 6 

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, 

for tomorrow will worry about itself.

 Each day has enough trouble of its own. 

Matthew 6 v 34 

Rejoice always,
pray continually,
give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5 v 16-18

Home and some other thoughts

We made it....its been a surreal few days! I want to share our journey with you and  share God's faithfulness and goodness.

On our way home from the airport on Wednesday (which now feels like a week ago) the British embassy contacted us to say the French embassy were putting on a flight from Port au Prince to Paris on Friday morning for french and EU citizens.  Thankfully, in terms of travel the UK is still considered under the EU until the end of the year.

We needed to tell the lady at the Embassy if we wanted to be on the list by 4pm, this was at 2pm and we got home at 3pm and started trying to figure out how we were going to get to Port, and if Jacob, who is only a Canadian citizen, would be allowed on.  So we told her to put our names down and we would figure out the rest of the details.

We contacted MAF to see if they could fly us to Port au Prince and checked to make sure if we were still able to enter France.   We also phoned the French embassy and some other important people (I have no idea who, Bill did it) to make sure Jacob would definitely be able to travel with us.....we did not want a repeat of Wednesday.  Everyone we talked to said there would be no reason why Jacob could not travel with us.

Honestly by the time we got to bed I did not want to try again, I was so tired and just wanted to stay in our Haiti home where we have everything we need.

Anyway on Thursday morning we confirmed everything, did some shuffling of our bags as the weight allowance is only 15 kg, packed some more snacks and headed to the airport....again.

We even got to stop by Bethesda to say goodbye to Altidor, Echebert, Dr Rodney and some other staff.  MAF flew us from Cap to Port on a 9 seater plane which the boys thought was the best thing ever.  When we landed Joel shouted ' That was some great flying!'

We stayed in a basic guesthouse right beside the airport and arrived at the airport at 7.  It felt very surreal, almost like we were in a movie, many people were wearing facemasks and gloves and there were a lot of policemen there.   The mood was very somber.  We had to queue up outside as they were checking everyone's names  off the list on the way in.  It was such a relief to get checked off and be able to enter the airport.  We had 5 suitcases and 5 pieces of carry on and a buggy so it was quite helpful it was a slow moving queue because there were no airport trolleys. So every time we moved forward, Bill had to do two runs to go and get our suitcases!After some more waiting we got checked in and were glad to get rid of our suitcases!Again it was relief that we were actually on the flight. 

Around 11am we got on the plane, it was the biggest plane we have ever been on, must have been 400 people on board.  We sat and sat and sat on the runway after about an hour the captain told us someone had been feeling ill and they took them off the plane, then had to take almost all the luggage out to find their luggage.  We sat for another hour and finally the captain told us to sit down we were leaving....everyone cheered!It was an 8 hour flight and after sitting for 2 hours already we must have been on there for at least 10 hours.  Now the boys, especially Sam and Jacob usually cannot even sit still to eat their dinner every night but for some reason on a plane they will sit for hours! I am sure it is because of people praying.....maybe you should start praying for them to be calm at dinner time aswell!!

We left Pam in Paris for her to get her connection to England.

We landed in Paris about 3am Paris time, hung around a very empty, cold airport until our next flight to Dublin at 11.30am.  By this time the boys had only slept about 3 hours on the Paris flight and were still going strong,  I can't say Bill and I felt the same.  Our flight to Dublin had about 12 people on it! Sam is still convinced we didn't actually fly because he fell asleep the second he sat down and woke up after we landed.  The airport was empty, no problems at immigration even with Jacob's Canadian passport, got our stuff and were ready to go.

These boys know how to travel!

My sister Leah and brother in law, Robert drove down two cars to come and get us and we drove  home.  Thankfully I am still on my mums insurance from last summer.  We called by my mum and dads to talk out the car window so they could see we arrived and then did the same for my sister and her boys. 

We are staying in the same house which we stayed in last summer so that has been really helpful to bring the boys somewhere they have been before.  I want to say a special thank you to my sisters who got the house ready for us.  It was so overwhelming to walk into a house full of food, toiletries (even toilet roll) toys, books, colouring stuff, clothes, shoes, socks, coats especially as we have to quarantine for the next two weeks and have no idea how long we are going to be here, we are assuming it is going to be months and the heat was on which you know is important for us!!


A huge thank you to anyone who sent clothes, food, books and anything else for us, the support we have had has been amazing and such a blessing.  The last few days have been a whirlwind and to walk into a house which has everything we need is really amazing, especially for me.  Everyone looks to mummy when they need a drink, something to eat, socks to wear, a book to read, a coat and shoes and a million other things so to be able to just give them what they need and want for this next two weeks especially, is such a big weight lifted off my shoulders.  So often I have to say we can't get that in Haiti, or we can't do that in Haiti or there is no where to buy that in Haiti and now on our first night home I can give Sam blueberries and raspberries in the middle of a pandemic when everyone is telling me its really hard to get fruit but someone (my sister I think) thought to get that for us. Thank you doesn't seem like enough.

Its pretty cold!

Bill jumped straight in the shower....it had been a few days! and I got everyone's airport clothes straight in the wash.  We unpacked our pjs and left everything else and ordered something for dinner which again I can never do in Haiti.  I am sure the food really wasn't that great but after eating mostly snacks since Wednesday (everything in the airports was closed!) having a hot dinner was amazing!!

We are so thankful to be home safely but our hearts are heavy for Haiti.  Its hard to leave especially in the middle of a crisis.  Its feels like you are abandoning your friends and like your health is more important than theirs. It is so hard to tell your friends, the people who look after your kids and the people you work with that you are leaving knowing one of the reason is because Haiti does not have any good hospitals.  We know we did the right thing and God very clearly provided a way home but we will still wrestle with those feelings of leaving.

Thank you so much to anyone who prayed for us, it has been overwhelming (again) to look at facebook and see people from the UK, Canada, the US and Haiti praying for us, friends of friends who we have never met or maybe had no idea who we were before Wednesday.  So now we are home safely I am going to ask all who prayed for us to start to pray for Haiti.  Coronavirus could be utterly devastating in Haiti and it would only be by a miracle of God that it won't be.  Like everywhere there is some good advice out there in Haiti, wash your hands and stay at home but there is also a lot of false information.  When we drove to the airport in Cap Haitian Haiti just looked like any other normal day, so not many people are following the advice.  As of today Haiti has 15 confirmed cases out of 105 tests.   We know testing will not be easily available so looking at statistics will not give us a clear picture of what is going on.  Please pray with us:

- Pray that people will follow the advice given.
-We know it is impossible for people to stay home in Haiti, most people have no electricity or       running water pray that those who can especially older people, vulnerable people and those with pre   existing conditions will be able to stay home.
-Pray for God's protection over Haiti.
-Pray for doctors and nurses all over the country, they do not have the supplies necessary to protect   themselves or treat patients. 
-Pray, somehow supplies will be sent to Haiti.
-Pray, that is the midst of yet another crisis in Haiti, that many would turn to Jesus.

Thank you again....we hope to see you sometime.... there is a lot more on my mind but that will have to wait for another time....now I had better go wake everyone else up!