Some of the team was leaving today so they took the morning off to site see. The other group of us went to the Cite Soleil clinic to work. There was a very long line of patients waiting in line for our arrival. Since the group was smaller it impacted flow. There were other volunteers there from the group Samaritans Purse which is an nongovernmental organization (NGO) which owns the clinic we were working in, it was nice to have other volunteers. We had to be very patient with everything taking longer with fewer providers. I was disappointed that we had to end the clinic early that day as we had to transport the other team to the airport. At the airport, Jackson, my friend who helped me translate, helped me go to customs to try and get medications out. Without the paperwork they required from the Ministry of Health saying it was okay to use the meds in country, it was too difficult to get them out of customs. By now, I had contacted Americares the company who donated the $49,000 worth of medications and even the U.S. Embassy for assistance to help get the medications out of customs. I had no idea how complicated it would be to get the medications out of customs and I would have just bought the medications in the country if I knew it would be so difficult. Mike from the US Embassy was helpful as he gave me a contact at the Ministry of Health to let them know I was coming to the office. Part of the Canadian volunteer group actually rode downtown with me to the Ministry of Health (MSPP). Enroute we saw many of the buildings damaged in the earthquake including the Palace as we drove through some of the very unsafe and impoverished areas including the Belair neighborhood where I previously worked in a clinic within the Nazarene church. Surrounding the areas around the Palace were areas with tents with people residing in them. We drove by the Cathedral which is always interesting to see how the Crucifix appears unscathed from a distance while the Cathedral itself is extensively damaged. It is a testament to me, to the Great Lord’s omnipresence. We eventually got through the area and made it to the Ministry of Health which is right by General Hospital. After going through security we eventually got to the pharmacy within MSPP where the contact was located. I was so disappointed when I finally got to that point and learned he was gone for the day, I notified Americares again and they agreed to follow-up. It was another test of my faith, knowing God’s in control and the medications will end up where he wills in His time. It was a lesson learned about the need to get approval for meds before bringing them in country and navigating through a complex system to do so. At least after this trip I’d have contacts for names and numbers. We went driving after to Vista Lodge which was an elaborate hotel with a classy outdoor dining restaurant overlooking a pool and large hill with a view of parts of the city. We decided to stay for dinner. I had tasty drinks with vegetarian selections of pizza, picklies and some plantains. Dinner was delicious and a nice way to spend the other teams last night.

I later learned that long term volunteer Americans was accosted by armed men on their way out of the same region I was working in within Cite Soleil while they were in a truck just a few days after the team I worked with left, although no one was injured and no shots were fired. I reflected, thankful for the Lord’s hedge of protection over me, keeping me from unforeseen harm and having to encounter such an incident. It could have been a traumatizing experience possibly tainting my visions for service in Haiti. I also learned in a different section of Cite Soleil there were 3 homicides, reportedly of a school director, reporter and another person that next week after we left out. It occurred the same morning that a youth group staying at the guest house I was at went to go visit a school in the area. I was first upset when the Haiti outreach ministries organization that I volunteered with that first week told me I could not work with a team there the next week as they have a policy where they do not mix teams. I was initially told it would be okay to volunteer the next week with the oncoming team. This news of the change in plans came to me through word of mouth from the US based office through someone in Port au Prince. I accepted it as God’s will and went ahead and proceeded with other plans to work with a different team in another location at the Hope Alive clinic in Mariani. In retrospect, you never know what you are being protected against and I am so thankful looking back that I did work in a different location for that second week.