We are brothers in the road.
(The Servant Song by Richard Gillard)
March
29 - April 5, 2012 mission trip to Trouin, Haiti
Sponsored by Haitian Hope, St. Francis
Episcopal Church, Macon, GA.
By Gail Moulton
March 29, 2012, Thursday: Ranny
and I headed to First Presbyterian Day School to pick up Irene Marxsen at 3:30,
then off to Carolyn LaBorde’s…6 suitcases plus backpacks …we were ready to
reunite Caroline and me with our Trouin friends and introduce Irene to
beautiful Haiti.
We had to
pay $40.00 extra for the second suitcase, but we were happy to get going.
Getting that glass of wine with our supper and boarding by 7:00 PM to Miami
felt great. Preston Aldridge had gotten
us a suite at Comfort Suites with points...a blessing.
March 30, 2012, Friday: Up at
4:30 AM ready to go even though we had not slept well. Talked with Ranny around
6:00 AM, just before we left USA.
We
are here to help each other,
Walk the mile and bear the load.
Oh my, HOT HOT HOT !!!!!!! as we debarked around 10:30 AM in PAP….This
was going to be a long day, I could tell. We got through the airport surprising
well, just a porter inside and a porter outside. Pere Michaud was there, we were so glad to
see him and get through the red jackets.
10:30-4:20
in and round PAP: Traffic was the worst I had seen in awhile, but noticed
many cleaned up areas and with some tent cities gone. Went to the Episcopal Office...no Ajax, no
salaries check, no Bishop. Temperature 112...had to stop for radiator water 3 times, air
in the tires 1 time (the way PM checks for air is to yell out to passersby,”how are
the tires?”), plus gas for $30.00.
Getting bottles of water, who should appear at the gas station but Wilson, who had driven
for us, amazing.
Lunch stop
at Sweet Redevour , in Du’Canape Vert, a gas station eatery . I had
spaghetti with ketcup, Irene and Pere M had a hamburger and fries, and Caroline
was just surviving…..medicine did not seem to be working. She had been sick
before leaving, but thought antibiotics would do the trick. Her doctor said it
should be ok. She had also started her Malaria pills the week before, which we all
had done.
Picked up a
student who needed a ride to Carrefour, sooooooo finally we headed to the
mountains where the temperature began to drop.
Brother, let me be your servant,
Let me be as
Christ to you.
Trouin, beautiful Trouin, and
our friends: We got Caroline settled in with Georgette under a canopy of
mosquito netting fit for a queen. (Caroline forgot her Deets last fall and had
a terrible time with those buzzing creatures)
Georgette’s apartment within her house is downstairs now. There are 2 bedrooms, a large dining room and
porch, looking through a decorative grill to an open space before the compound
wall. Georgette has a nice living room also. Irene and I climbed the uneven
staircase that is a challenge every foot of the way to the upstairs apartment
occupied by Pere Michaud and Mme Pere Kercia (that is what they call his
Kercia) who rent from Georgette. Georgette’s old space, where Gary Hayes, Hawk
and I stayed last year is now like an elder hostel with beds, sitting area and
a lovely tiled bath. The kitchen is now in a separate building near the ERD
house and Georgette’s old stairs. Smoke fills the room while women cook and
prepare. I wish the ladies had some kind of venting and/or an open window. We
met the kitchen staff supervised by Mme Pere Kercia and Georgette: Marie Ange,
Katiana, Violette, Sonel (young boy who
has helped before) and Vanessa (Georgette’s niece). They do such a lovely job
giving of themselves on our behalf.
We settled in the room, unpacked, got our flashlights and walked to the
school, passing the Canadian Medical Clinic. Irene and I ate late, a nice meal
of rice, beans and fruit with Pere Michaud….then settled in.
March 31, 2012, Saturday: Irene and I had a cool night, just 1 mosquito bussing around. We were up at 6:30AM for Morning Prayer with 29 people. Getting ready for Palm Sunday required lots of extra announcements and rehearsal times. DOK (Daughters of the King) had to meet at 4:00 in the new school building since many DOK members could not get to the earlier meeting because of the rain or crop planting. |
Living Waters and Solar Under the Sun have a real presence in front of the temporary church where people can get clean water. Salien, school principal, shared that ALL the school children in ALL the schools get clean water to drink. BLESSINGS
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We learned that Pere Michaud had a seminarian, Moise by name, working with him and was expected shortly. What good training he will get with this mountain church community.
Stopped by the clinic, met Nicole, the weekend nurse…did not know how important she would become on our journey. A street vendor had set up his wares. This was the first time I’d seen this in Trouin, a real entrepreneur. Americans = $$
Lunch of plantain, beans, potatoes, mangos, chicken, goat, cabbage slaw, (a very famous Georgette recipe), drinks and water. Salien joined us and I gave him $50.00 for the generator fuel to finish the roof screws. He said he knew what to do and would do them this week (4/9-13). Also had pictures from Karen Draper visit to give out. Diocese of Maine partners with Duny, a village with a church and school that PM serves.
Lunch of plantain, beans, potatoes, mangos, chicken, goat, cabbage slaw, (a very famous Georgette recipe), drinks and water. Salien joined us and I gave him $50.00 for the generator fuel to finish the roof screws. He said he knew what to do and would do them this week (4/9-13). Also had pictures from Karen Draper visit to give out. Diocese of Maine partners with Duny, a village with a church and school that PM serves.
Caroline was back in bed, thought we had turned the corner during the shelving of books, but not true. Nicole, the nurse did a house call and wanted her to get as much fluid as possible.
When we sing to God in heaven,
Irene and I went off with Georgette for children and youth choir practice. Everyone was getting ready for Palm Sunday.
We shall find such harmony.
4:00 Daughters
of the King(DOK) Our St, Francis,
St. Clare chapter has been working with St. Marguarite’s chapter. I am the
contact person. They have been wanting a project for the group so they could
have money for group ministry. Irene had
brought a suitcase of soap, 50 pounds. Each bar had a French Bible verse that her
students had put on them. We worked with them about group goals and group
responsibilities. Once they found out
how much money they could make for the group, they were excited. The ladies divided the soap into piles and
each decided how much they could take and sell. Berta, the secretary, wrote
everyone’s name down and how many bars of soap each was taking…..NO CASH..NO
SOAP….Pere Michaud tested Georgette on this statement.
The DOK in Trouin and in Cheridant are both interested in goat projects. There is a goat
training program through Global Health Action in Darbonne , near
Leogane, that might be supportive. I will follow up on this. The group wants the President of
Haiti DOK, Judith Joseph, to come and install the 8 ladies who have finished
the study. St. Mathias chapter in
Cheridant also has ladies to install.
Dinner was soup with rice and fruit…Checked on Caroline, she had hardly kept any fluids down …a concerning thought.
9:30 PM: I had just fallen asleep when suddenly a band led by horns marched by. (Vuvuzela horn…traditionally made and inspired from a kudu horn, the vuvuzela was used to summon distant villagers to attend community gatherings. The vuvuzela is most used at football matches in South Africa,[5] and it has become a symbol of South African football as the stadiums are filled with its loud noise.) I jumped up to see them go by….No one raced outside to check it out, but I thought it was strange...
Around midnight, Irene and I bolted out of the bed, dashed down the
uneven stairs to be with Caroline. Caroline
was in trouble. Georgette raced to get
Nicole, the nurse. Options...wait until Monday
for the doctor or go to Leogane at 12:00AM Palm Sunday morning….we could not put off…Irene and I grabbed a few things,
thinking we would be back, got Caroline
in the car with Georgette, Nicole and with Pere Michaud driving. Down the
mountain we went as carefully as possible. Pere Michaud did such a good job.
I will hold the Christ-light for you
In the night time of your fear.
1:00 AM, Sunday: Yea Leogane…turning the bend we came to a dead stop
surrounded by a mass of people who were being pulled by the Vuvuzela horns.
Dancing, merry making with new and old friends seems to create the massive
street party. Here we were..3 girls from
Macon, the nurse from Trouin, Georgette and Pere Michaud caught in a colossal
sea of humanity. I never heard Pere
Michaud say HOPITAL, but somehow, boys seem to know that we needed to get
through…waving arms and giving shouts, we inched our way around and through wheel
barrows full of food and drink and people of all shapes and sizes. James, was our Good Samaritan! (got a little
tip also) St Croix, an Episcopal hospital plus a guest house for
visiting mission and medical teams was within sight. Hoping for a medical team,
I woke the managers up only to find out that they had a group of dentists
working this week. They suggested Medecins Sans Frontieres, (MSF)
hospital up a few blocks. They had
emergency equipment. Getting back in the van, finding an exit without a marching
band was exhausting for us and for Caroline. Our nerves were getting to the
breaking point.
April
1, 2012 Palm Sunday, early morning:
Oh Lord, hear our prayer,
Do you really know how important hugs are? Hugs for hope, hugs for strength, hugs for friendship, hugs for love and hugs with tears. Irene and I shared these hugs through the ups and downs of this God journey we had not planned on…
come and listen to me...”
The entrance room for the
MSF was a multipurpose room for every activity related to emergencies from
check-in to actual minor surgery with thin curtains screening you from real
life’s pain. The doctors got Caroline
hooked up for IV’s to tackle dehydration, headache, got blood, did chest x-ray
and sonogram to see what was going on. 4:10 AM, Pere Michaud had headed back
with Nicole to get ready for Palm Sunday services, just a few hours away. Georgette stayed with us. We were able to walk around, sit in chairs or
on the bed waiting for the drip to react, Caroline to improve, and us to return
to Trouin. We had planned a busy trip of teaching the teachers how to use the
new library. Irene was going to do some
teacher training with some of the books her students had made. This was her
first experience in Haiti and we wanted it to be special. First Presbyterian
Day School French students do fund-raising for St. Marc’s, a real blessing.
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| Dr. LaBorde (from France) meets Caroline LaBorde |
Pray that I might have the grace, to let you
be my servant, too.
We finally got admitted
because they could not get the temp down and would not send
her back with this
problem. We moved to a room that
included 8 beds, a round table in
the middle for the doctors or
nurses to chat or write follow ups. A
rack for the charts wason the table. The head nurse ran a tight ship…how many visitors, what you did and did not do. My legs were swelling, so I hid them under Caroline’s sheet so I would not get in trouble.
In this kind of hospital patients and their family do all the
personal care. They provide the sheets which can be washed
and hung on the community clothes line, towels, foods (pots and pans if they had
to cook), bathroom items, bedpan/puke bucket..
Of course, we had nothing but wipes, fruit bars and a bottle of water
each plus the famous bucket……
Irene and I had existed on fruit bars and water until Georgette, who had run out sometime
during the day, brought food plus we had the wonderful cheese grits with sauce from
Mme Pere Kercia. We ate late in a UNICEF tent and found a space to lay a
blanket down to sleep. Irene and I took turns being with Caroline while Georgette tried to cat nap. Many Haitians slept under the bed so they could help
their family member. This was very humbling and Christian love at its core.
I
will hold my hand out for you;
 |
| UNICEF tent |
WAITING FOR A FEVER BREAK.
Amos, Moise, and Pere
Michaud appeared with coffee…that wonderful sweet Haitian coffee…. bananas,
mangos, and bread. We took turns grabbing a bite. During my watch I observed a
mother praying and moving around the empty bed that her daughter was to
have. I wondered if she was doing a
Voodoo chant.
Speak the peace you long to hear.
3:00…Dr. consultation…still
had ALL the symptoms ….more tests
needed and we would have to go to PAP. Trying to stay with God and not get into
a human thought of PAP, we said, ok, now what.
Pere Michaud said he would go to the
St. Croix hospital , get a driver and the ambulance. The doctors said
there were 2 hospitals they would recommend in PAP.
While we waited…….Reports
were written for us to take, blanket roll and other items packed, and said good
bye to our new friends. They told us a hospital in PAP would be closer to US
soil and we might have a small window of time that we could fly back with
Caroline. We sent Georgette off on a scooter to Trouin, she would organize with
Mme Pere Kercia packing our things and
Pere Michaud would bring them to us plus food on Tuesday evening. So many people had crossed our path and
given us love and support. Cost for this
care….$00.00. Please consider a donation honoring the care of Caroline La Borde
to DWB/Medecins Sans Frontieres.
I will hold my hand
out to you;
What could have happened to
Pere Michaud? Could he find a driver? 6:00 PM: Caroline crawled onto a mat on
the bottom of the ambulance, Irene and I sat on the sides fanning trying to keep her cool. She was burning up. It was so hot in the ambulance.. no air. Pulling to the side the driver, Jean Claude, fixed the side door to stay open, we got 5 cold water bottles packed them around Caroline and headed for PAP.
Speak the peace you long to hear.
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I have taken this trip in
the dark before and I held on tight holding hands with Irene as we prayed. We had the ambulance lights
on, that helped. It was cooler, a
blessing. Coming up on Carrefour, a suburb of PAP, the back
tire went……hell.….where is that peace we longed to
hear? There we were 3 girls from
Macon, one very sick, a driver who had to get the tire fixed and Pere Michaud.
PM said, we had some choices…
1. Get the tire fixed
2. Get a small tap tap bus
I am looking into the pitch black dark, thinking, where oh where is the tire repair shop. The driver said it would not take long, just down the street. We needed the ambulance lights to get through PAP and to keep the traffic from hitting us, so we said, we would wait. Irene said there was a man standing by the ambulance waving a small bush to get drivers attention while we were on the side of the road. This was our Palm Sunday into the city. Besides, can you imagine the condition of the tap tap at its best?
Of course, when there is an accident or an ambulance on the side of the road, everyone wants to know what is going on…..I would pantomime fever and prayers, Irene prayed and PM talked with the lookers. Caroline’s fever was way up there…we have to get ice packets. Vendors sell small packets of ice and/or water along the streets. PM called out for ice and a vendor (God’s angel) appeared and we had 10 packets spread all over her. How much longer? Seemed hours, but the driver appeared ( 45 min.+) , reset the tire and off we went with lights flashing moving through the city.
I WILL WEEP WHEN YOU
ARE WEEPING
10:00 PM - Monday night: First hospital, CDIT, was longer in service. Second one, Hopital Du
Canape Vert did not take emergencies. Irene and PM did have a trouble with them
accepting the MSF papers, but they finally did. Irene used her credit card for
some upfront money that would act as a debit card. First room was small, but
fine. I wondered how the rest of us might fare, I did not see anyone sleeping
on the floor or in the halls. Irene
returned the second time with news that Caroline could upgrade for $$ with an
air conditioned room plus space for 1 parent and 3 visitors. PM got a chuckle about the parent...that will
be me, he said. Caroline’s room had a pull out chair, sink and bath with a
front gathering room with a large closet space, 3 chairs, and a
refrigerator…we were in 7th heaven.
The nurses in their starched white uniforms, white stockings, caps
representing their nursing school clipped in and out hooking Caroline up with
fluids, meds for the head ache, and took more blood. We settled down with
leftover vegetable soup and mangos. Irene took the foldout chair, Jean Claude,
driver, slept over the 3 chairs, Pere Michaud and I had spread out the blanket
on the floor. (Caroline needed a full blast of air conditioning, which I do not
like.)
April 3, 2012,
Tuesday….. Pere Michaud
talked with Dr. Sam who would see Caroline shortly, we hoped. PM and Jean
Claude took the Ambulance back to Leogane then PM headed to Trouin for our
things, do his pastoral needs and then be back with us. Pere Michaud has been a
wonderful shepherd. The 24/7 care from St. Marc’s has been a true servant song.
We started recording the temps, up and down…..Headache on a scale of 1-10 was 12. The nurse came with a prescription for us to fill because the hospital pharmacy did not have it. We were not going outside the compound by ourselves and walk in unknown territory. We would just have to wait for Pere Michaud no matter what. My legs were swelling, had a blister, but I did not dare take my shoes off. Oh for the suitcases with chargers, Haiti phone numbers, and clean clothes (we had been in the same things since Saturday).
Irene has been a gem and a sister in the
true sense. As she told Marcia Aldridge, I don’t think I want to speak French
again...translating French, listening to the Creole and English…going back and
forth was exhausting but Caroline and I were much indebted to her for the great
support.
Angela Galbreath, a true angel, appeared
once we had the numbers of the Partnership and Diocesan Office, “I’ll be right there,” she said.
Till we’ve seen this journey through
Things happened..the Bishop was called,
the State Department was called, we started looking
at flight changes, Angela hopped the taxi scooter back home for her car, got
the prescription needed, and picked up a few food items. Cell phones were charged, we pooled all our money to see what we had to deal with and finished the airplane snacks. Dr. Sam wanted a Communicable Disease specialist on the case, Dr. Elsie joined the team to get Caroline well.
We settled in with food from Trouin, floor and chair sleeping. Junior, a friend from Trouin had joined PM. This time we had sheets and towels from Mme Pere Kercia.
..Life is good…..I had had 2 cups of Haitian coffee in the afternoon. I was set….reorganized the bags for flying and some to be returned to Trouin. We had a baby blanket from the St. Francis Shawl Ministry, Ellen Parrish the knitter, and baby blocks designed by Mary Hinson, all for Salien’s new baby.
2:45 am, Wednesday April 4, 2012 …fever broke!!!!!!
Caroline and I celebrated….Praise God.
Caroline shared that she had been saying a mantra:
I am healthy,
I am strong,
I am complete,
I am loved
I am in the circle of Christ.  I joined her in that prayer for the rest of the night changing I to we and adding,” Lord hear our prayer”.
That morning Caroline’s temperature was close to normal, she got a bath, hair washed and drank a little pear juice plus a spoon of herbal soup. Angela arrived with breakfast, the specialist arrived with more drugs and Angela and Irene headed off to tour PAP and see Haiti from Angela’s eyes. I was so happy that Irene was going to see another side of Haiti. Dr. Sam arrived with his little black bag and said he would confer with Dr. Elsie. She had a Louis Vuiton doctor’s bag. We talked with the Haitian Hope team tracking our events to say we would be set to leave Thursday, regular flight. Pere Michaud led us in noonday prayers for healing and read:
Matthew 8:14-17 (Isaiah 53:4) Jesus heals Many
When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in the bed with a fever. He touched her head and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him. When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “ He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.”
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Junior, Caroline’s Haitian friend from the fall was given a deck of cards, so we played fish, which he loved to play. Happy time! Dr. Sam had ordered more tests and another chest x-ray. Conferring with Dr. Elsie we were told they wanted to bring in another specialist, bone type. When he came by and heard we were planning on leaving in the morning, he suggested we follow up in the States.
The blood count was not holding and releasing her for the long flight and then a drive to Macon was looking slim. Caroline might be in danger of hemorrhaging….I was not willing to take the risk. Our hearts sank.
Repeating……..
We are here to help each other
Walk the mile and bear the load.
I will hold my hand out to you
Speak the peace you long to hear.
The thoughts of leaving were quickly going away. We called all our Macon support team to let them know what was happening and to please check from the US side what was possible to help us. Bishop Duracin, Bishop of Haiti, called as did the American Embassy letting us know they were with us and would help in any way possible. Jerry Degraff, air ambulance talked with us and said for the tune of $22,800, Caroline could be flown out to Atlanta and for just $14,160 she could get to Miami. Jesus where are you?
April 4, Wednesday evening… The doctors said they would do another chest x-ray and blood test and let us know later. Irene and I were not going to leave Caroline, something positive had to happen, we just did not know it at that time. I went off with Angela to get pizza. It was a very upscale shop on the second level overlooking a cleared intersection void of trash. Angela said there was nightly pickup in Petionville and weekly in PAP.
The president, Mickey Martelly, is trying to spread the government agencies out across the country. He is working on the 3 major roads, repairing all the airports so that foreign investors will want to develop in Haiti. Angela also writes for a magazine that sells Haiti to tourists.
As we talked over a glass of wine waiting for our pizza, I thought this could be downtown Atlanta.
We ate good pizza, visited and prayed that the results of the blood work would be positive. The doctors came by again to say that things were holding and if they continued we could leave in the morning on our scheduled flight. Fingers crossed we prepared for a morning leave.
April 5, 2012 Going Home
We were ready. Caroline was given an IV of vitamin C and another dose of meds. Time was ticking. We got the ok, but had to wait for all the papers to be signed, Irene, Angela and Pere Michaud would handle the finances…3 doctors = $750, the room = $900….they were going to have to owe Irene money. Miracles !!!
Dr. Sam had to get involved as the clock ticked...again we said our goodbyes and many thanks, hugged Angela many times and got in the car...wet cloths for Caroline's head and a famous bucket, a smaller variety this time. Drove through parts of PAP I had never been through. Vendors filling every space selling wares. It was a beautiful day.
Born of all we’ve known together
Of Christ’s love and agony.
Having a wheelchair has advantages. We wheeled through the PAP lines to the front, got all our bags checked through except one small one for necessities. Our seats were not together on any of the return flights, but again, Good Samaritans allowed us to be together. Caroline’s temp was coming back and getting enough fluids was a struggle.
MIAMI: We had another fabulous porter who raced us through customs, rechecking our bags and out to our gate (an angel).
ATLANTA, April 5, 2012 around 7:30 PM…One bag had missed the plane but would be delivered the next day. We wheeled Caroline outside and there was David Stevens to pick us up. YEA! We called Ranny, Roger and Marcia and word got out that we were back! Caroline is working on getting stronger, Irene and I are catching up on sleep. Thank you for the love, support and prayers.
This trip gave me a chance to see Christ in action in so many ways. It was not the trip we had planned, but we became sisters in Christ humbled by the love that was shown to us by our beautiful Haitian friends. Some we knew and others are our new friends. AMEN.
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