Arrival

We come from 2 states and 3 churches.  We have 3 mother/daughter pairs and we're composed of multiple generations.  Many of us are strangers, yet we'll soon be family. We come from different walks life, yet we are united in our purpose.  We are all tired from our travel day, yet we are energized with what lies ahead. I think I speak for everyone in saying that there is no place we'd rather be and nothing else we'd rather be doing.

Leaving in 11 hours!!!

Getting ready to leave tomorrow for our trip to Haiti!  Bags packed and lists checked off.
Now let's see if we can get any sleep before our 3:15 am ride to the airport!  Praying for God to grip my heart with what grips His.  Break my heart with what breaks His.  And heal my heart from the self centeredness that clings so closely to my soul.  Lord show me what is really important in life on this trip.  And if in some small way I can encourage and bless others, move through me to do just that.

Haiti Seen Differently

Here is another side of Haiti.

Kalli Flaherty- Day 3

Me again!

We just finished our 3rd day in Haiti and our 2nd day of dentistry. Today was a very full day and lots got done!! We did cleanings, fillings, extractions and root canals!! Everyone is always busy doing something or helping someone else accomplish something, feels nice to be productive! There are three of us including Dr. Z that came down last year to Haiti (another assistant and I), and this year another doctor, two assistants and one hygienist from other offices joined our team! It is so amazing to see everyone in their dental element. We are all from different types of offices, coming together and making things run smoothly. Everyone has their own strengths and we've really been working great together as a team.

Every day around lunch time we take a break, have some snacks and rest our feet for a while. Today we walked down to a nearby orphanage. The founder/owner of this orphanage told us the story of how he started the orphanage and a little background about his life. He explained to us that he grew up poor, and his parents passed away when he was really young. So he was an orphan himself, which made his passion for helping others ignite. Him and his brother pay out of their own pockets to feed, clothe, give shelter and guidance to these young orphans. They have a small school connected also where 525 neighboring children along with the orphans who stay there get an education. I was surprised at how small the classrooms seemed, but they sure make it work. We got to play and hang out  with the orphans for about an hour. We brought jump ropes, soccer balls, footballs, hair ties, nail polish and some food for these orphans. They were all very polite, respectful and grateful for our presence and for the things we brought them. It is so inspiring to see these young children with not much of anything, still thriving and enjoying life. Last year we didn't get to visit this orphanage, but I am so thankful for the opportunity this year. It was so moving to see a man so selfless, devoting his whole life helping children who didn't have the mean to fend for themselves. His attitude towards everything was so positive, and asking nothing in return for all the good he's done. We need more people like this in the world, thinking not about themselves, but others.

Tomorrow we are working in the morning and in the afternoon are taking a trip to the beach! We are all very excited to have some relaxing time and also go out to eat!

Thanks for listening, until next time!!

XOXO
Kalli Kay Flaherty

Kalli Flaherty- Grace Village: Day 1 & Day 2

Hello Everyone!!

This is my second trip down to Haiti, and I already am so happy that I decided to come back! Last year we stayed at a Guest House in Port au Prince and this year we are staying at the site of an Orphanage called Grace Village in Titanyen. We are staying at an apartment below the dental clinic.. YES, THIS YEAR WE HAVE A DENTAL CLINIC!! Last year we worked outside, with no shelter from the sun, using lawn chairs and make-shift dental units to accomplish our dental work. This year a dental and medical clinic was built with two working dental units, a sterilizer, an xray sensor, lights and working chairs. This clinic has made everything so much more efficient and effective for us and our patients.

Today was our first full day of dentistry and we have accomplished almost as much as we did last year in one day! It feels so nice to be able to help all of these Haitians knowing that they would never get this help otherwise. There is a language barrier, but we have picked up a few words in Creole like open, close and good. Just the body language and expressions on these little Haitian faces are priceless. Especially when they climb into your chair scared and apprehensive, and they leave with a smile and a "thank you".

This opportunity once again is humbling me, and making me realize all the things that I was blessed with. The Haitian community may not have everything, but they make the best of what they have. Being away for a whole year memories fade, but coming back here.. it feels like I never left. I am so excited for  what else this week will bring, and what  other experiences I can overcome and share with these Haitians and our dental team.

Until next time, xoxo
Kalli Kay Flaherty

Grace Village Clinic & Tour day #1

Today our team had our first experience with the Grace Village children. They brought kids over to the clinic by classroom where we completed cleanings, fluoride, and restorations (fillings). They children were well behaved & appreciated our efforts! We accomplished 55 children today already!

To break up our trip we traveled to the nearby town of Titanyen today to walk through and get a first hand view of how some of the people of Haiti live. When we left Grace Village we traveled down a steep, dirt/rock road which led to their very rocky roads/streets. People are scattered everywhere selling anything from a broken gadgets to fruit. 10,000 people live in this small town, and everything is cramped. Buildings/houses are bricks/rocks stacked on top of another with cement placed in between but most buildings only half the structure is remaining. Most of the homes we visited appeared to have no ceilings or tarp ceilings with rock/ dirt floor. No beds or furniture were present. There is about 80% unemployment rate so a lot of people just standing or sitting in the heat. We saw children who wore shoes, but they didn't fit and we're too small to even place their heels properly in, and some children with no clothes at all.

It was hard to quite wrap my head around how people in the city live their daily lives. There is a couple central stations where people pump water in what appears to be a dirty bucket or jug for their family. The children would all wave and yell "hey you!" Whenever we passed by.
It was very humbling to see how little they have, yet they still manage to survive with a smile on their faces.

Tomorrow we are seeing elderly patients and visiting another orphanage which is not anywhere near as nice as Grace Village. We will be giving the children jump ropes, soccer balls, and some snacks to have! This first day was a whirlwind, but I am excited to see the sites and things to come.

With Love, Cassie F

Even Our Smallest Actions------

My wife is in India working on a focus group project . Yesterday, she relayed this story.  She was in a small room monitoring the discussion of some young moms and how the facilitator interacted with them.  While she couldn’t understand what was being spoken, she certainly could read the body language and the emotion being poured out.  A young mom (about 20) was telling her story.  She was a child bride  (married at age 12).  She had her first child at age 13 and the next at 14.  Her husband was an abusive alcoholic who would often beat her. One day, he pushed her off the second floor and crushed one of her legs.  She now walks with great difficulty.  When the session was over, she came over to my wife and uncontrollably sobbed and clung to her.  Between her sobs, she kept telling my wife something that she couldn’t understand.  After a long time, she finally composed herself and left.  Through a translator, my wife found out that the young woman was thanking her for caring enough to listen.  For all these years, she thought that she was nothing and that nobody would listen or care to hear anything she had to say.  Through her tears, she was thanking my wife for traveling thousands of miles to hear her and that maybe her life did matter.  After years of abuse and hardship, she felt that someone finally cared about “her”.

As we prepare for our upcoming trip to Haiti, we cannot overlook the impact that even our smallest actions might have on others.  Something as simple as listening could have a much greater impact than we would normally expect and it might just be the something that brings hope and happiness to someone else.

“ Even the smallest act of caring for another person is like a drop of water--- it will make ripples throughout the entire pond”

Jessy and Bryan Matteo