Our day began with a tour of Papillion Enterprises – the commercial
business arm of the Apparent Project.
These people reach out to the community by training people to make
jewelry and sculpture and providing day care for their children while they work
and learn skills to become employable in other capacities as well. Only five years old, they already have
product placed all over the United States and are improving the lives of
hundreds of families with livable wage jobs here in Port-au-Prince.
We then proceeded to the PAP General
Hospital pediatric ward – a free medical care facility for city residents. However, “free” means the doctors will see
you, but you need to buy your own medicines and get your own tests done
separately – something most of the people we visited could not afford to
complete. However, healing takes place
there to the degree the resources allow for.
We brought care packages of soap, washcloths, toothpaste, toothbrush and
applesauce in the bags sewn by our church members plus some cold water to refresh
the parents of the children in the wards.
We also spoke with many parents, held many children undergoing treatment
and prayed over them for strength and healing to take place over the many weeks
that they spend there.
One special little baby we named
Belle, a two day old unnamed orphan baby with severe birth defects. She was completely alone in the world as well
as within the ward and it would appear that her prospects were indeed
grim. She was held and prayed for and
her little heart raced in response to having someone actually touch her and
love her!
We also visited the Home for Sick
and Dying Children near our Guesthouse in Haiti. The nuns and the workers there bless these
children with their selfless care. They
treat many diseases as well as a great number of malnutrition cases. We assisted the workers with diapers and
feeding time, giving us a chance to help love them up and comfort them as well
as easing the workload of these wonderful people.
A small portion of our group also went
downtown with the nuns to the Wound Clinic (conducted right in the streets of
the city) and treated many people with chronic open wounds that are in constant
need of cleaning and treating.
All of these medical encounters were
such a blessing to us – a chance to let God use us to help with the healing
process while He guarded and protected us in very difficult circumstances. Indeed a day of healing!
Tom
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