home sweet "home"

No, Scott is not home in Seattle, but he and the team have left Jimani and are back in Barahona. As you know this is where we lived while we were in the DR and also where our COTN offices and clinic are located.

Scott was excited he finally got a shower after going without for almost 3 days as there was no running water at the clinic in Jimani. He is exhausted and is looking forward to a little more sleep tonight and maybe even a siesta tomorrow.

I didn't get to talk to him for long, so beside knowing he is in Barahona I am not sure what he or the medical teams will do now. When I hear more information I will let you know.

As for myself, I want to say thanks to all of you for calling and emailing to check up on me. The baby and I are doing well and eating too much :) Unfortunately for Scott I have quickly gotten used to a bed all to myself, so I am not sure where he is going to sleep when he comes home.

Until tomorrow....

Kelly and baby "it"

how long?

How long will they grieve the loss of those they love? How long will they search? How long will it take to find their spouse after they separated to find medical treatment? How long will they fear the aftershocks? How long will they go without food or safe water? How long will it take to heal their wounds? How long until the images of buildings crumbling and death on the streets don't haunt them?

How long.....

I ask these questions to myself not wanting a numerical answer, but rather to help myself understand and to not forget. As I hear stories of hope, my soul feels encouraged and my heart almost stops breaking for them. I forget the reality and find myself only wanting to live in the hope. I have to stop and ask myself these questions so I can remember that their journey ahead is long. I often find myself putting an "I" in the questions instead of a "they" and I am positive you have too. It brings me to my knees to pray because I am not sure how I would survive if the "they" turned into an "I".  May it bring you to your knees...

Scott continues to be busy at work keeping the medical teams running. Some of his daily activities include: helping to coordinate interpreters, making sure the doctors eat, bringing them buckets of water to shower, finding blankets for patients, communicating with the international office in Silverdale, taking the night shift to be with the doctors, and eating cans of spaghetti-o's at least once a day.

They have been feeling aftershocks since yesterday. All are safe and non have been strong enough to damage anything. However, given the magnitude of the 7.0 earthquake any shake sends fear into the Haitians. Yesterday they had an aftershock and all the patients ran out of the building causing complete chaos. They ended up sleeping outside the building and spending all of today there as well not wanting to go back in. How long...

Reasons to give thanks:
Lives are being saved. Health is returning. Smiles are returning. MANY supplies are being donated. People are ready to help and give.  They have access to a helicopter to transport patients.

Reasons to pray:
Sleep for the teams. Organization amongst chaos. Wisdom for the doctors. Safety as they travel into Haiti to get more patients. Their running water stopped working yesterday. Pray they can figure out the problem soon.

More reasons to pray:
How long?...

Kel

a mansion, 35 doctors, and 3 hours

First and most importantly, everyone is safe in Jimani after the 6.0 aftershock this morning. They didn't feel it and operations at the clinic are still heavily underway.

Only ten minutes after they arrived at the clinic this morning they found housing for the 35 doctors who arrive in Barahona tonight.  Praise God! A newly build mansion next to the clinic was sitting empty and the owners agreed to house international doctors. Our team has the master suit and while that sounds lush they will pack all 35 people plus other staff into that room with one bathroom.

I had a good laugh over Scott's job for the night. When I called at 10pm their time he told me he had been sitting in this mansion room for 3 hours holding it for our team so no one else would claim it. In fact he set up his bed near the door so if anyone came in they would have to step over him first. Don't mess with Martin. ;)

The doctors arrived to Barahona tonight and will drive to Jimani in the morning to start their rounds.  The injured are still coming and helicopters are still bringing people. In fact, today they airlifted a 4 or 5 year old boy who was rescued today from under a building. The aftershock had moved the ruble enough that they could get him out. Amazing!

Prayers for today -

1)  Doctors - As the doctors arrive at the clinic tomorrow pray for flexiblity and that they could find a good rhythm as at team.

2) Logistics - continued coordination of logistics as they try to stay ahead of the needs

3) Dr. Vicki Sakata- Vicki went down with Scott and has been instrumental in the work that is happening at the clinic in Jimani. She has taken on a high positoin of leadership there. Pray for wisdom as more patients and doctors arrive.

4) PRAISE - After 7 days they are still finding people alive.

More tomorrow...

Love,
Kelly

you don't happen to have a helicopeter sitting around....do you?

ahhhhh....the sounds of organization amongst chaos. I use that word loosely as I am sure no one in Haiti nor anyone helping actually feels organized. However, there was the sounds of relief in their voices today as plans have started to come together.

Scott spent the day traveling around Barahona searching for medical supplies and gathering equipment from our COTN clinic in preparation for the team of doctors who will be arriving tomorrow. They drove to the clinic in Jimani to drop these supplies off and search for a place to house 35-50 doctors, anesthesiologists, nurses, interpreters, and other staff members. It is 1:30am there time and they just arrived back to Barahona to sleep for the night.  

Here is what you can specifically pray for today:

1) Housing - Tomorrow they need to lock down a place for all these doctors. A church would be ideal as they could all be together!

2) Travels - The road to Jimani is long, curvy, and very dark at night. There are people going to Santo Domingo (3 hours the other direction) to pick up teams tomorrow. Pray for safety, no flat tires, and working vehicles.

3) The people needing medical attention - Check out an article written by one of our COTN staff that is down there. It is heart breaking. Little orphaned children are arriving...alone.  Article

4) You thought I was joking about a helicopter. Read below just in case your helicopter is just sitting around in your back yard ;) This is from the COTN prayer update:
"we desperately need a helicopter or prop plane that can deliver staff, patients, and supplies from key locations to our sites of needs. Contact info@cotni.org for more information."

Love,
Kel

P.S. Jimani is pronounced HE-MA-KNEE

Back in the Dominican

Scott never thought he would be back this soon, but his heart couldn't keep him away. After news of the earthquake in Haiti, he felt compelled to go. The mission in the Dominican is only 3 hours away from the Haitian border and although they weren't effected by the shake, their hearts were torn out from the loss and devastation.

We found out Friday morning that a team of COTN staff (stateside) were going down to survey the needs and quickly put teams together to help. By lunch Scott had a plane ticket and by Saturday night he was on a plane with Brandon our brother-in-law and 4 other amazing people.

Many of you have been calling and emailing asking for an update, so I thought I would reinstate the blog to keep you all informed.

First Scott is safe and is so glad to be down there serving in such a time of need. Today the team drove to the Haitian border to a town called Jimani to make connections with a clinic where they could send   teams of doctors who are coming this week.  Scott said the clinics were so full of people you could hardly walk through them. Praise God for medical personal who are giving their time to come save lives. Once they made arrangements with the clinic they headed back to Barahona to the mission house where they are staying for now to continue making preparations for the teams.

Scott asked that you pray specifically for:
1) Interpreters who speak Creole - language is a huge barrier
2) Medicine - every clinic is full, every clinic needs medicine, and there just isn't enough to go around
3) Connection - they are still searching out ways non-medical teams can help.
4) Safety as they travel

As I watch news reports and see videos, I admit that I have struggled to find a list of ways to praise our God who is supposed to be merciful. If I learned anything from Dominicans though, it is that you praise God in ALL times. Even Death. Before the DR I often wondered how to do this. Then I heard the cries of their hearts and the gratitude for a God that is present. A God that is loving. A God that is the king of kings and the lord of lords. So tonight I will try and be like my Dominican and Haitian friends.
I will praise him for who HE is and let him do the work. 

Cheers,
Kelly

http://www.cotni.org/news/296-cotn-responds-to-haiti-earthquake-disaster