Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken." Isaiah 54:10
Relief Effort: Praises Amidst the Suffering
Three MedSend grant recipients — Alison Brown, APRN, Meredith Jones, RN, and Rebecca Brown, RN — were part of a team that went to Haiti from Honduras after the earthquake to provide medical relief. The three grant recipients serve with Mission Lazarus, a ministry started in response to the devastation in Honduras after Hurricane Mitch in 1998. The ministry plans to draw on their extensive experience to help with rebuilding Haiti. Meredith and Allison related their experiences as follows.
Meredith Jones: “Let me tell you: Haiti is poor… Yet in a country with such devastation and loss… homes lost, money lost, food lost, water lost, family members lost, limbs lost, I found great hope. Haitians are a beautiful people, both inside and out. Whenever I thought things couldn’t get worse, I would turn around and someone would be singing. And not just singing, but singing whole-hearted praises to God.” Press the play icon to watch Meredith’s video of Haitian patients singing.
Allison Brown: “As I cut through the dressing as gently as I could, I could see Jaune wincing. Despite Jaune’s discomfort, she never cried out or asked me to stop. She resolutely accepted what had to be done. After washing and applying triple antibiotic ointment to the wound and pins sticking out of her leg, Jaune helped raise her leg as I wrapped the final dressing around it. As I gathered all my supplies and stood up, Jaune blew me a kiss. This is the people of Haiti. Strong, resilient, beautiful, thankful.”
Dr. Kelly Crowdis is a veterinarian and MedSend grant recipient serving in Haiti. Dr. Crowdis was driving in Port-au-Prince with one of her trainees when the earthquake struck. Here is her account of what followed:
"At dawn I had the truck loaded with medical supplies to treat the wounds of my co-worker’s family. When I finished them, people just kept coming and I just kept working… We were sewing up wounds and splinting broken limbs with anything we could find. One girl was scalped, another had her ear hanging by a thread. They were both sewn back in place and the girls are doing OK… I have no idea how many people we have treated this past week but I would say at least 400… Everyday has been the same: dawn to dark treating wounds."
Dr. Ryan Price is an optometrist and MedSend grant recipient serving in Christianville, Haiti. Along with his wife Teresa, a physician assistant, and others, he runs a Christian eye clinic. Here is his initial account of the earthquake aftermath.
"For some some reason none of us understood that the first injured person that showed up at the gate was just the beginning of steady stream... We found a gas generator and powered two large fluorescent floodlights to illuminate our makeshift OR. We started cleaning, suturing and splinting and didn't stop until 5:30 in the morning when we all lay down under the stars for the briefest of naps. Young and old were injured from head-to-toe and two dead were delivered to our gate. I held one lady’s head as she delivered her baby at our gate. Teresa and Amy massaged the little boy into life." Click to read more.
Dr. Kerry Reeves: Hope in Jesus
Dr. Kerry Reeves is an optometrist and MedSend grant recipient serving in Haiti. He and his wife Joy and their seven children live on the grounds of an orphanage two hours north of Port-au-Prince. In addition to running a program that feeds over 1,000 Haitian schoolchildren, the Reeves are establishing an eye clinic that will be the only source of eye care for the area’s population of 200,000. Below is his initial account of the earthquake aftermath.
"We picked up a 12-year-old boy name Nesley. He was being carried down the road by his parents and friends who were using a door as a stretcher. They needed a ride to the hospital. While in the back of the truck we tried to help him but he had a major head injury and crushed shoulder. Philip was so broken as he wept over the little guy. He felt so burdened that we must talk to Nesley about his faith before he died. We got down on our knees as he looked at us through swollen eyes. Nesley gave a testimony of loving Jesus and believing that God was waiting for him if he was to die. We prayed and wept with him. We dropped him off at the hospital and left not knowing his fate. Please keep Nesley and his family in your prayers. Click to read more.
Additional MedSend Grant Recipients Serving in Haiti:
James Courter, PT, and his wife Rachael, a physician assistant, are organizing mobile clinics, health education, children’s ministry and ministry to the “unchurched” in their region of Haiti. Through their ministry, the Courters seek to build a bridge to the community to share the Gospel and demonstrate the compassion and power of Christ.
Cheron Hardy, FNP, provides healthcare for and oversight of about fifty children in an orphanage for critically ill and abandoned children. She also provides healthcare to surrounding communities through mobile health clinics.
Dr. Ryan Price is an optometrist and MedSend grant recipient serving in Christianville, Haiti. Along with his wife Teresa, a physician assistant, and others, he runs a Christian eye clinic. Here is his initial account of the earthquake aftermath.
Dr. Kerry Reeves is an optometrist and MedSend grant recipient serving in Haiti. He and his wife Joy and their seven children live on the grounds of an orphanage two hours north of Port-au-Prince. In addition to running a program that feeds over 1,000 Haitian schoolchildren, the Reeves are establishing an eye clinic that will be the only source of eye care for the area’s population of 200,000. Below is his initial account of the earthquake aftermath.
Cheron Hardy, FNP, provides healthcare for and oversight of about fifty children in an orphanage for critically ill and abandoned children. She also provides healthcare to surrounding communities through mobile health clinics.