February 28th
Dear Friends,
Friday was an incredible day! Early in the morning we heard a group of people singing and the sound came closer and closer. Soon a huge truck with seventy people on the back pulled in the yard of the orphanage. Paulius had sent the truck to pick up elderly and blind persons from the villages around us. Since we had an eye doctor, Ivan, on the team we wanted to take advantage of his skills. The scene that unfolded is hard to describe. I have never in my life seen so many helpless people gathered together. Many of them could hardly move around because of their general state of weakness. Most of them were severely dehydrated. When Paulius spoke to the group and told them the need to keep drinking they responded that they could not drink much because their stomachs were empty all the time and drinking water makes the hunger feeling worse. What a hopeless statement! Their bodies need the water because they have so many ailments caused by the lack of it. But what do you say when they have no food?
We were able to help many of them with their complaints and Ivan has a good idea of how useful it would be for him to come back another time to do cataract surgery on many of them.
Some gut wrenching moments. A little girl was brought to us whose whole body was deformed as a result of severe malnutrition in her early years. She was ten years old and so tiny. Her spine had curves in it that made me think of the s-trap you find under a sink. It was curved in both directions. Her little hands were hanging limp and a big knot was at each arm where the wrist was supposed to be. All we could do is give her vitamins and I just had to hold her for a while to hide my tears and pray for her. Things like that make you humble.
All day long these people sat in the courtyard patiently waiting for their turn. We were able to give them cassava bread and peanut butter to eat and water to drink. For most of them that was the first food in a while. I hope you get an idea of the pain I feel even when writing this down.
At the end of the day they left the same way they came, on the truck. Still blind or not able to walk, but with hope in their hearts. They left singing again! What an example to us.
Ski and Mark worked hard on getting the light system installed. They got most of it in and we hope that today we can turn the light on. No more mattress fires from fallen candles. Lauren -civil engineer- looked at the water works and will start calculating the details for a new irrigation canal serving several farmers and our land at the river.
Saturday brought more action on the clinic front. Of and on we had people walk in all day, many from Port au Prince who had been displaced. Ivan, Kyle and Lauren were busy with it while Ski finished up the light system. Just to jump ahead we tested Sunday morning and turned it on. We have light!
Mark and I took a long motorcycle ride to Ranquit where we signed the land papers. We own the land now and we are going to start the project. Tonight we’ll have the first meeting with a group of people who are going to select the people who will be eligible for a house and garden.
Saturday night the staff and the children threw a party for Ivan’s birthday. You should have seen his face! There was a small mountain of rice and beans and some macaroni salads. It was a feast and the children and staff filled up on it. These are things they talk about for a while. It was also the last night by candle light and it gave some special atmosphere.
We have had our share of travel problems with Spirit Airlines canceling one flight after another. Ivan left this morning via Santa Domingo, the capital of the DR. It will take him until tomorrow morning to get there. The rest of the team will have to gamble on Port au Prince as their departure city. Things look good as I type this up but you’ll never know. Waiting is such a big part of life in Haiti because nothing comes easy. No tools, no skills, no food, no money, no healthcare, no infrastructure….but lots of time.
This morning in church, the little girl who had seizures in January, looked from across the room and smiled at me. Then she pushed through the crowd of people until she reached me and crawled in my lap. I wonder if she remembers something from the time that we were holding her in our arms trying to save her life. It just felt so good and I can’t wait to have our first grandchild in my arms. (Lord willing this September!!-els)
This week pray for us when we are doing a clinic in Fontaine, a very poor area.
Well, like always I wish I could show you in person what goes on. Many people in this area are working hard to get food to the more than 1500 refugees that have been added to the population. The world food organization donated 22,000 lbs of rice and 4400 lbs of beans to be distributed to the needy. We just brought in 4000lbs ourselves and are doing the same thing. But the needs are much bigger and more structural and that’s why we are doing the building project. We need to get from relief to rebuilding as soon as possible.
Thanks for your support as always. Consider ways to help this country get back on its feet. A house with a garden in our project will cost only $2500,-. That is a lot of money for me but maybe it becomes a realistic goal for some others or groups of others.
In Christ
Hein Vingerling
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HeinVingerling Mark Hopkins
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Warne, NC 28909 Vestavia Hills, AL 35216
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