And we begin....

Say "hi" to our friend Clark

Our wonderful first medical team!

So much has happened since my last blog one month ago that it is hard to know where to begin.  My initial trip to Our House of Hope last month was one of the hardest things I have ever experienced, both physically and emotionally.  I have never been a camper, so living in such extreme circumstances without electricity or running water for so long was a real challenge.  Our small team worked nonstop to prepare the house for our first medical team that was to arrive October 1, 2012.   Beyond all odds, this amazing team of talented people caulked, painted, wired and plumbed almost the entire second floor of the house. Four bedrooms, one being mine,  were outfitted complete with beds, running toilets, sinks and working showers. The second floor is now wired for electricity, but the Haitian electric company cuts the power on and off at will.  We loose power 3 or 4 times a day for several hours (yesterday it was off for 12 hours) so we are praying for funds for a good generator or inverter to provide the basic need for lights, refrigeration, and fans. We purchased a six burner gas stove that we hook up to a can of propane gas to ensure we can still cook when electricity goes out.  Did I mention that I was "fired" from the painting crew early in the week and found my place of service in the kitchen in charge of meals, market, dish washing and hospitality.

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Pulling lumber up to 2nd floor

A large crowd awaits our first medical clinic

I came home the end of September  for a short visit to honor speaking engagements, attend a family wedding and celebrate my son and daughter's birthdays.  I had initially questioned the validity of having to return to the states several times during these first few months in order to honor already scheduled speaking commitments, but as always, the Lord knew exactly what I needed before I did.  My exhausted body and spirit needed to step away from the shock of this extreme lifestyle in Haiti for a bit and refill so that I would be fresh and ready to serve with love again. While home, I was able to hold my grandbabies close and spend a little time with precious family and friends.  It was very strange not to have a home of my own to return to where I could withdraw and re-center; I literally lived out of suitcases in my car and played guest at the homes of my mom, sister, daughter, and two treasured friends. They laughingly reminded me that Jesus was also 'homeless".  lol  On October 1st we returned with great enthusiasm and nine 70 pound suitcases filled with much needed supplies including power tools, pots and pans, cooking utensils, battery operated fans, roach and rat killer, sheets, tablecloths, a projector and food. We once again arrived late at night to a dark house with no electricity, but this time we were equipped with the right resources.

Debbie loving on Wainee

Our beautiful rooftop view

We rose early Tuesday morning (with the many roosters outside my window who begin crowing at 5:00 a.m.) and immediately borrowed a generator from a fellow missionary for this trip to ensure basic electricity needs could be met once it was wired to the house.  We made up the bunk beds and prepared the guestrooms for the medical team that would arrive later that morning.  Next we finalized our menu for the week  and went shopping for the required food.  Dr Karen McCarthy and her beautiful team of nurses and volunteers arrived at lunchtime on Tuesday and immediately began their first clinic of the week.   I stand in awe at their tireless dedication, healing hands and joyful spirits.  I rose each morning at 4:30 a.m. to start the coffee pot so that it would be ready for them at 5:00 a.m. as they headed to the rooftop for personal devotions. Deb and I had breakfast ready for the team each morning at 6:00 a.m. and they were out the door at 6:30 a.m. each day to set up their various medical clinics. Dinner was served every evening between 6:30 and 7:00 p.m. followed by a sweet time of devotions and sharing on the rooftop before bed. Most of the team chose to sleep on the rooftop on air mattresses and hammocks rather than in their hot rooms.  What a blessing this rooftop is - both as a sanctuary and a beautiful "room with a view".  

A "bad toothache"

It was an emotional week as we shared our individual "God Moments"  each evening.  Here in Haiti, you are stripped of all diversions and it is so much easier to see God's mighty hand at work touching lives.  Dr Karen was especially touched by a lady who came to a clinic the first day of the week complaining of a "bad toothache". Her face was extremely disfigured and swollen with an abscessed tooth and you could smell the stench of the poison in her body as soon as she entered the room.  Dr. Karen made incisions and drained the nasty fluids as much as possible that day. Every day she returned to Our House of Hope around dinner time for additional draining and fresh wraps. By Saturday, her face appeared almost normal.  A fellow missionary, Karen B. took her to a dental clinic where she will hopefully be able to have the tooth surgically removed soon, but the day she smiled and hugged each of us will stay in our hearts for a long time.

Jim and precious Ms Elizabeth 

Jim's "God Moment" was often his daily visit to our neighbor Elizabeth who is dying of cancer.  She lays in a small hot concrete room with a tin roof, her open sores oozing and exposed.  She loves the Lord and is waiting to die.  Jim faithfully returns each day we are here to pray with her, sing to her, and love on her.  The rest of us take turns going with him.  We join him in his tears and prayers.                            

Our happy 99 year old patient

Precious baby with spinal meningitis

I constantly ask God not let me grow hard to the great needs here in Haiti, but I was still taken off guard when I broke down emotionally Saturday afternoon while we held our medical clinic here at Our House of Hope.  People packed the street fighting to get in the gates to see the doctor and her staff.  With only one doctor and a team of 5 nurses, I couldn't imagine how they were all going to be seen.  Everyone, over 320 people, was seen and treated with love that day! A 99 year old lady left walking proud with her new glasses and sunhat after her visit with the doctor.  The medical issues were varied and great, including spinal meningitis, measles, flu, cuts, stomach aches, abscessed teeth, etc.  My personal "God Moment"
occurred when a nurse came to get me to ask me to pray with Dr. Karen over a baby.  I entered the room to see the rigid baby jerking with a spasm and arched back.  Dr Karen said she believed the baby had spinal meningitis and we had to get the baby to a hospital immediately.  The problem here in Haiti is that there is no guarantee that a hospital will see these babies once they get there....it would break your heart to see the "hospitals" here in Haiti.  We laid hands on the mom and baby and thanked God that the baby was brought to our attention that day. We prayed for healing and that God would go before us to make a way to get the baby to a hospital for treatment.  The mom waited for several hours with her baby while transportation and arrangements were made. I took her food and water several times as she waited and tried to nurse her sick child.  I thought of my own grandchildren and how we rush them to the emergency room at the slightest sign of a sore throat or pain, confident that they will be seen and receive professional help to make them better.  This young mother held her dying baby in her arms with very little hope of future treatment or restoration of health.  My heart broke and I retreated to my room and crumbled in tears and prayers.

I feel so small here as I see the great needs, and I am reminded again that I must keep my eyes and heart on Jesus and His great love and power, not on the circumstances around me that can distract me.  I have committed to live as a servant of God here, and I will continue to be His hands and feet and walk in faith. I must lose my need to control and/or fix the circumstances.  I will do what I can. I know that I can give love and respect to each person. We will continue to preach the gospel of Christ and salvation as people wait for the much needed medical attention.  We will plant the seeds and trust the harvest and healing to God.

Time to lick the chocolate bowl!

lunch guests

Magic moments abound here in Haiti when you stop to enjoy the simplest pleasures.  I made a German Chocolate Cake and had all three of our "house children" sit down to enjoy their first "spoon licking".  They were so cute cleaning out that bowl!  On two different days we had unexpected groups drop by around lunch time, one day 16 people and the next day 19 people.  They did not come expecting to eat but only to see our place and pray with us while they were in Port au Prince; however we saw it as an opportunity to share hospitality and love and we prepared a lunch for each group. With a little pasta salad, chicken salad, tossed salad and sweet tea, we watched as God continuously performed a miracle of abundance and provided more than enough to satisfy each guest.

Carpenters at work

Our pharmacy

One of the things I loved the most about this precious team was their ability to create spontaneous moments of joy throughout the tiring day. We joined rooftop neighbors with morning exercise, laughed at practical jokes, danced with elderly patients, rode motorcycles, ran prayer laps around an empty cracked pool, and played jacks with the children. Our guest carpenter of the week, Carl, took time out to make wooden cars for the children to play with, replacing their 3 wheeled cut off clorox bottle tied to a string.  Carl built us a beautiful large medicine cabinet for the medical supplies in the clinic, a new storage cabinet for Deb and Jim's bath to hold linens and towels, a desk for their office, and a beautiful bookcase for my room!  Blessings abound!

Allison dancing with the stars

Rooftop morning aerobics

   

Carl's wooden cars

Karen and her amazing team saw over 1300 patients this week and treated each one with great dignity and love.  We were able to offer the team a sanctuary to return to each day where they could get a cold shower, a good meal, devotions, and appreciation. This week we saw the dream of Our House of Hope manifested. We housed our first guests, held our first medical clinic, and hosted our first church service. On Saturday, I led our first Women's Small Group for American missionaries. This week we shared the entire video training series of The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson as we encouraged our visitors to join us in circling our big dreams as we claim the power of prayer. The love of God and the message of salvation were shared constantly.  Souls were won. Relationships were built. God was honored. That is our continuing prayer.

1st Community Women's Small Group

I sincerely ask for your committed prayers for us as we work here in Haiti.  Our power is in your prayers. Please pray that we will have renewed energy, the wisdom of Solomon,  discernment, health, a joyous and grateful spirit, and the financial resources to stay and serve here in Haiti.  I am walking in faith that God will touch the hearts of my friends and family to provide the monthly financial support for me to continue to follow His call to Haiti missions. Please pray about sending a tax deductible donation online @ http://www.utwwk.com/give/ or mail a check made out to Donna Tyson/Until the Whole World Knows to  Until the Whole World Knows, Inc. , 731 Duval Station Road, Suite 107-281, Jacksonville, FL 32218.  Even a dollar a day from each of you would make a world of difference.  

Dr Karen bringing joy

I will be traveling between Haiti and the U.S. for a few days in October, November and December and will then be here in Haiti for several months before returning to the United States again.  I would love to come share with your church and/or organization about our work here in Haiti.  Please message me at donna@utwwk.com if you would like a presentation in exchange for a love offering for my ministry. Thank you again for your continued love, prayers and support.  You are truly the wind beneath my wings. May God continue to be glorified and honored in all we say and do.  

Our first Sunday worship service