A Pangman woman, Ruth Bartlett, just returned from spending six days in Haiti with a medical team, and said the country still has many desperate needs more than a year after their devastating earthquake.
A Pangman woman, Ruth Bartlett, just returned from spending six days in Haiti with a medical team, and said the country still has many desperate needs more than a year after their devastating earthquake.
The team Bartlett was part of included a doctor, nine nurses, two handymen and a receptionist; they went with the goal to see and treat 600 people with six days of a medical clinic.
In the end, they saw 842 people, "and felt that in a small way we were able to touch and minister to their physical needs. We also took time to minister to their emotional and spiritual needs, of which there are many," said Bartlett, going on to describe the devastation and conditions they found there.
"We saw numerous tent cities enroute to our base, two hours from the capital of Port au Prince. The devastating effects of the January 2010 earthquake were still evident, with piles of rubble where once buildings had stood. Tremors are still happening at least weekly, and sometimes more often."
Bartlett described one incident where they came to the clinic and there was a mass exodus of Haitians from the waiting room.
"Upon inquiring the reason, we were told, 'earthquake - didn't you feel it?' No we hadn't We had just heard a distant rumble of thunder - but that rumble was not thunder, it was the sound of a tremor," she said.
"The team brought over a large supply of medications, bars of soap, sunglasses, reading glasses and other medical equipment, much of which was donated by people here at home. What we didn't use was left there for future medical teams to use," added Bartlett.
When the team arrived, they set up a make-shift clinic and pharmacy, and before leaving this was dismantled with an inventory taken of the medical supplies. At the mission compound where the team worked, there is a project underway to build a medical clinic.
She also noted they had a Haitian driver who was familiar with how to drive in that country.
In addition to the medical clinic, the team also set up an area under a mango tree to do counselling and praying with anyone who needed or wanted it.
"It was so rewarding to see the change in the countenance of some who, so distraught and downcast prior to being prayed for left with a smile and hope in their hearts to face another day," said Bartlett.
A week after they arrived they had their first chance to relax, and they went to a beach on the Caribbean about a 20-25 minute walk or drive from their compound.
One of the highlights of the trip for Bartlett was in how they were able to help an elderly lady who was left with the responsibility of caring for her grandson, who was less than a year old. The mother had abandoned the child, and the grandmother was in frail health besides suffering from dire poverty, and was unable to properly care for the grandson.
One of the nurses on the medical team "adopted" the baby by setting aside some money for his support, and by buying three female goats, one of which was given to the grandmother. This goat turned out to be pregnant, so it will provide milk and some extra income for the family.
"This mission has made a lasting impression on my mind and heart. I am so glad to have been a part of it," said Bartlett.
