Hi Everyone ! This is my first trip to Haiti and I am so excited to see what God has In store for me and the team. Today was our first full day here. We arrived at the guesthouse yesterday around 3 something , quickly stored our checked bags in a space under the stairs where they will stay until the days that we need it, since it is filled with the donations that we are taking to each place we visit. We ate dinner around 4. We had taco salad which was pretty good. I was hesitant to eat the lettuce since I wasn’t sure if it had been rinsed in the water or not but I did anyways, and I am feeling fine today. We wash our hands  A LOT. We wash with soap and water (from the faucet) and then have to sanitize since that water is not clean. After dinner we kind of just did our own thing. Me and Jen took a walk inside of the gate (we aren’t allowed outside of the gate without a Haitian  ) I pet the dirty guard dogs while Jen watched in disgust haha The dogs names are Princess, Bacon, and Bitsy. Jen and I plan on bathing them at some point this week because they need some loving too. The team congregated in the living room a little later to do our nightly devotional. Everyone was pretty hesitant to answer any group questions. I am not sure if that was due to people just being uncomfortable or tired. For me, It was a little of both. One of the questions would of needed an explanation far too personal for me to share, at least the first night. We chatted for awhile, listened to a song, and then prayed. After that we were on our own until we wanted to go to sleep.   

From the balcony on the second level you can see a lot of the city. All brick buildings, most of which are crumbling. You can see goats, some roaming and some tied up, lots of garbage, women doing laundry in buckets behind their homes, and kids playing on the streets and on roof tops. At night you can see a few lights, some people sitting outside of their homes and the glow of a couple fires. I am assuming the fire is burning trash. You can hear the children playing in the streets, goats “screaming”, horns honking, and dogs barking.  One of our team members, Todd, brought his guitar and he was kind enough to play a few songs for us that he wrote while we sat outside around the table on the porch of the guesthouse. 

I slept great last night, fell asleep right away and didn’t wake up until my alarm starting going off at 2 am because I forgot to shut it off from the other night. I had some really crazy dreams though. People say they are from taking to malaria pills. I remember waking up at some point and hearing the rain and thinking of how wonderful it sounded, I am assuming I woke because the power went out and the sound of the humming, white noise from our air conditioner in our room shut off.  I woke up again around 6 and tried to make coffee but I didn’t want to break the coffee maker so I just waited for someone else to get up and make it for me. Once I had my coffee in hand I sat outside at the table on the porch because there is somewhat of a breeze out there and it felt lovely. Also, it is the only place my internet worked and I wanted to skype my daughter. It was surprisingly quite except for some birds chirping, and a few dogs barking. We ate bananas, pineapple, pancakes, eggs and oatmeal for breakfast.

 Since home for sick and dying babies only allows ten people there at a time and we have a team of 16 we had to split the team. Half of us went to home for sick and dying babies and half went to the home for sick and dying adults and then we swapped in the afternoon. Home for sick and dying babies was really emotional. When we arrived there was people waiting at the door to bring their sick babies in to get medicine or to drop them off to stay there to be taken care of. Before I was even off of the tap tap I was teary eyed. I could tell that the small frame of the child one of the women was holding was at least 2 years old. To see the women desperately holding their sick, frail, children in their arms waiting for either medication or to drop them off there to be cared for was heartbreaking. I instantly imaged myself holding my 2 ½ year old in my arms, looking in to her eyes while she is sick or dying and knowing that there is nothing I can do to help her but stand outside this door and wait for anything I can get with no promise of knowing that she will get better. The babies were all so sweet. It was hard to put any of them back in their cribs. Adoption has always been an option in my mind but nothing could have made it more heavy on my heart than this day. 

We had a small break between the time we went to the home for sick and dying babies and Sick and dying adult. The majority of us took that time to head to the pool down the street. Some of us just relaxed, dipped our feet in the pool and had a pop. Some of the guys swam.  

On our way to home for sick and dying adults I was…..I don’t even have an emotion for everything I saw and I can’t explain it. It was hard to take it all in. The trash is everywhere, people are selling (what seems to be whatever they can find) off of stands that they have set up right off the street, a few coming up to the tap tap asking us if we want to buy a pop, and the large amount of tents that people live in. The driving was pretty scary, I am surprised we didn’t see any accidents but I guess they are used to it. They do have rules but from what I heard, when one Haitian was asked about driving rules, they responded with “we have rules we just don’t follow them” . The whole thing seemed Surreal. 

When we arrived at home for sick and dying adults church was being held and from the rooms we were in we could hear them singing. At some points during our visit the women would start singing along. We painted their nails and rubbed lotion on them. They were so grateful to have us there and I felt so blessed to have met all of them. In the second room there were adults and children. One of our translators brought in his guitar so he was able to play for them. Three young adults in particular were laying and sitting in their beds, eyes closed, arms raised, and worshipping the Lord. The smaller girls were so excited to have us there with them. They were quick to touch and hug you as soon as you walked in the room, showing you their hands wanting them to be painted while others stood behind you and brushed and played with your hair. 

This whole day has been so amazing and humbling. I feel so incredibly blessed to be a part of this. I know this wont be my Only trip to Haiti. 

Thank You to everyone who is praying for us and the people of Haiti. Thank you for your love and your support. 

-Amanda Jean 

Calm

Arriving in Haiti

The team all arrived in Haiti today safe and sound.  We all got picked up at the airport by The Healing Haiti Haitian staff and were taken to the house where we stay.  It was very hot and a different environment from what I/we are use to back in the States.  At the guesthouse we saw kids just running around with smiles on their faces.  When we were out on a small tour a young boy came up and gave me a big hug and we just walked around together talking.  He just put a smile on my face.  The entire team had dinner together and just enjoyed each others company.  

Kids from the walk

After dinner we all got together and discussed the day.  During discussion each of us picked a word to describe the day.  My word was calm.  I felt like the flight here was very smooth and the Haitians at the airport, as well as the ones who drove us here, could not have been nicer.  That experience was very calming.  In America we are always on the go.  Today I took everything I experienced in and realized how simple life is when you stop and see what God is doing around you.

Kelsey

OUR TEAM!!

The End Game

As the afternoon wore on, I looked over to where our patients were quietly sitting and waiting.  A lady I had spoken to had been sitting there for hours. Our priority was to see as many children as we could and she never complained when one was placed in the dental chair ahead of her.  I never saw a look of disappointment, anger or frustration.  She sat there for hours.  For her, it was worth the waiting to get a chance to be seen by our dental team.  At the end, it was her turn and I remember her smile.

I couldn't be more proud of this team from Advance Family Dental.  They worked for hours in the hot sun and many would not take the time for a break.  I'm sure that they would have worked well into the night if they could.  They showed great compassion to all and really cared for their patients.  Even after a long week, they were happy and upbeat and reflected on how the operation could be improved and when they could return to Haiti.

We were only here for a week and I'm sure we could have worked for many months. The people here are in such a great need for dental care and many are extremely grateful for a chance to be seen. I know this trip was a challenge to the team, but they embraced it with enthusiasm which only grew as the week progressed.  They were the right team at the right time and I know there are a lot of people thanking God that this team came into their lives this week.

Day 4 Dental Team

Well.....

We are a little slow at publishing because we were so tired after a full day of dentistry in the heat and sun.

We got our equipment semi-working.  Limping along with less than ideal but far better than most Haitian dentists use.  It is obvious that the usual dental treatment has been extraction and everyone is happy that we have repair options.

The pattern of dental disease is quite different from our patient group in Minnesota.  Lots of calculous (tarter) on young kids age 5.  We usually only see this at age 30 and above.  Decay on the chewing surfaces of teeth are the main problem and when caught early it is a simple fix and the tooth can be perfect for decades without much further care.

The improved diet in Grace Village appears to be making a big difference for tooth health.  Many serious decay area seem to have stopped and "healed" to some extent because the sugary meals they had been eating have been shifted to fruits and vegetables.  They all seem so vibrant too.

So many of the kids are interested in watching us do our work.   I'm sure we have some future dentists in the group.

We have seen the potential to train some individuals in simple dentistry so when we are gone, some abilities remain with the people.  Troy Livesay, resident in Haiti has been training with us and will take some of our equipment and be able to do some basic things.   We will see how that goes.  He is eager learner and has gotten some great experience.

All of our patients are so grateful for our care.  Some haven't had good experience with the dentist in the past, so it takes some coaxing to get them to cooperate.  Smiles after for all!

While exhausting, we drop at the end of the day grateful for the chance to serve.  For many of us, this kind of service is new.  We are talking about "when we come next time" so everyone is excited about continuing our service into the future.

We all fall in love with the Haitian people.  You cannot help but love all the fun smiles and personalities.

We are off for our final push.  We are committed to doing our best and "leaving it all on the court" because we know that they will have limited care in our absence.  Any time lost means we leave some needed care undone.

We have only 3 more children on the must see list but hundreds left that could have some trouble.  We cannot yet do it all but we do what we can and are grateful for the chance.

Dr. Z

Day 3 in Haiti

Day 3- Healing Haiti

Well its day 3 now, we have experienced so much it is difficult to put it all into words. From the moment we got to Haiti it has been so much more eye opening then any of us anticipated. The Haitians live their lives unlike any other lifestyle we’ve seen thus far. They don’t have all the “necessities” that we think we need, and they survive just fine. They find things fun, interesting, and amusing that we completely take for granted. For example, today we delivered water to a village in City Soleil, one of the poorest places in Haiti. We brought along a jump rope for the children to play with, and before we knew it, they were fighting over who got to use and keep it. It’s these little things that they cherish, that we completely overlook.

Today, tomorrow and Friday we will be working in a place called Grace Village on various patients’ dental needs (orphans, staff members, and the elderly). We have gotten the opportunity to see first-hand how fortunate we are to have regular dental visits. Some of the patients we worked with have never seen a dentist at all, or can’t remember the last time it was. Majority of them were so willing to sit in our chair and get the chance to get their teeth looked at, it was humbling. Others were a little apprehensive, but once the translator let them know that we were there to help, not hurt, there defiance was turned around. Knowing you can help someone, who would probably never get the chance otherwise, is a miracle in itself.

This experience is incredible, and I feel so blessed to be a part of it.

Kalli Flaherty

A Single Tear

"I am only one, but I am one.  I cannot do everything, but I can do something.  And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do."  Edward Everett Hale

The little boy was first to be seen today.  He looked a little scared and his body tensed as he was brought to the examination chair.  He timidly smiled as our team talked with him to make him feel at ease.  Several people surrounded his chair, holding his hand and encouraging him to be brave.  I can't imagine what he must have felt being the only child there at the time surrounded by strangers with weird looking glasses and masks.  Yet he sat there and never complained.  All I saw was a single tear roll down his cheek that was quickly patted away by one of those around him.

Another boy stood ramrod straight with his arms crossed.  There was no way he was going to be persuaded to sit in that chair.  For 5 minutes we talked with him to try to convince him that we were there to help and feel better.  After quite a while, he finally relented and he was treated.  Later in the afternoon, I saw him return and sit in the examination chair for fun.  The transformation was astounding and heartwarming.

From seeing the kids with previously identified issues to treating the staff of Healing Haiti, the dental team from Advance Family Dental worked tirelessly and obviously loved what they were doing.  They worked with precision and constantly strove to perfect the mobile dental clinic they had set up in the courtyard of the boys dorm.  From the look on the faces of the kids and the staff they treated, I would say there efforts were greatly appreciated.

Haiti Day 2

Today we woke up and had a wonderful breakfast. Fresh fruit,  eggs, pancakes etc.. I guess I should back up a few steps and discuss our night last night after the blog. There's no hot water here at all, we are all becoming very used to cold showers. By cold showers I do not mean luke- warm, I mean COLD. After a long day it is energizing, exhilarating, and leaves you feeling just slightly frozen.  We are all sleeping in bunk beds. They are cozy. During the day the electricity of the guest house is completely off so they kick on the air conditioner at night time. Unfortunately the power goes out often so for a small phase of the night instead of hearing the humming of fans, we heard barking watch dogs and cock-a doodling- do roosters from all over. It was surreal.

After breakfast we got dressed up to go to the home of sick and dying babies/toddlers/children. We took a 10 minute bumpy ride just a few blocks away. We waited at the gate for some time along with a few mothers waiting to visit their sick children. After some more time we discovered the home was too busy and that we will have to come back at a later time..

From there we went back to the guest house, changed and headed up to Grace Village. It is at a much higher elevation than the guesthouse allowing us to overlook the ocean and surrounding land. The whole trip there was eye opening. The things we saw still blow my mind. Mothers carrying buckets that must way over 60 lbs on their heads,  skinny horses with wooden saddles, and thousands of children roaming the streets without parents. I will have pictures to follow.

We arrived at Grace Village which is a home for orphans. We  got a tour from Jessica. She showed us all the school children in class, swing sets, lunch halls etc.. Then we saw the children. Or should I say...the children saw us?!  It was only a matter of seconds before we had all been ridden of our  headbands, sunglasses, and cell phones. Children were literally leaping into our arms begging us to hold and carry them. They would say things like " You are beautiful! "  "What languages do you speak?", and "Are those lashes real? ". It was so funny because we didn't know what they were saying until we asked the interpreter. The interpreters would Laugh out loud and  then tell us what the children were asking. It was always a surprise what would come out next.

At grace Village the kids were dressed beautifully. Hair was braided and perfectly, girls were in dresses and boys were in dress shirts. Tomorrow we are going somewhere where the orphaned children will not be as dressed or not dressed at all. From what I hear they will be even more eager to see, touch, and be held by us.

When we were finished playing with the kids we thought it might be time to begin some dentistry. We set up 4 units and elderly workers began to line up. We saw a total of 11 patients in the few hours we were there. Tomorrow we plan on seeing more because we will have more time. It was a wonderful day and we will be sleeping well tonight.

I will continue to keep you all updated.

Annie