Wordless Wednesday

I Said No

Yesterday I spent the day organizing and rearranging items in the clinic while a team from Indiana did construction work on the camp. There were several Haitians in and out of the clinic for dressing changes, stitches and various requests. Usual day.

Until Manuela walked in. Manuela is 17 and has a 9 month old baby boy. She recently went back to high school and her mom is watching the baby while she is in school. Manuela was in the first Mother/Infant nutrition class I taught in Peredo. Then, the baby was a newborn and Manuela was a hard-headed first time mother who did NOT buy into the "breast-feeding is best" motto. The other moms did a great job encouraging her. Boy did this girl try my patience.

Everytime I see Manuela she is alone or hanging out with friends. Never once have I seen her with her son. Never.

She comes around the clinic now and then and asks for formula, baby bottles, baby clothes, money.

Yesterday was one of those days.

But yesterday she asked for formula, baby bottles, clothes, AND money.

And she needed them quick because her boyfriend was waiting for her outside.

I stood there. Looking at this 17 yr old mother.

I didn't lecture her. I didn't roll my eyes-even though I BADLY wanted to.

I just said, "No."

It came out so easy but, last night, when I was laying in bed, I was running it through my mind again and again.

Did I do the right thing? I came here to help. Churches and individuals support me to help the Haitian people.

But yesterday I said no.

Somehow I think that helped more than a baby bottle or clothes.

But it doesn't feel as good.

Odessa and friends eating Cheetos after church

A few weeks ago a little baby was brought into the clinic by her mother who said she wasn't eating well. The doctors here quickly noticed that the right side of her face was paralyzed therefore making it difficult for her to eat. I did some teaching with the mother on how to feed her and she was not very patient with her and said it would take too much time to do that and she did not have the time as she had multiple children already. When we unwrapped her from the blanket her little, pencil thin legs did not extend all the way out flat. Her muscles were tight from being wrapped up in a blanket all the time.

Women from the team held the baby and oogled over her. She really is very cute-but very small for her age. She obviously needed someone with time to help her learn to take a bottle. Her mother said she just didn't have the time to do this and asked if someone would take her. I tried to encourage the mother and ask her about family support she had. She insisted she did not want the baby.

I contacted Damou Christian Mission (www.damouhaiti.org) to help get baby girl "beefed up" and learn how to eat. This mission has Haitian nannies who have helped other severely malnourished infants. The mission came out and spoke with the mother and father that day and accepted to take the baby to help her.

This was 3 weeks ago and Baby Girl is now Annabelle and doing very well. She is sucking from a bottle but still takes a long time to eat. She is more alert, looking around, watching the other children play. I took this picture 2 weeks ago when she was sitting in her bouncy chair. A baby who was on the fast track to dying of malnutrition is now thriving.

Who knows that plans God has for her in her future. How exciting to think of what she could do for the Lord one day!

Another great medical team just left today. We spent the week seeing patients, suturing wounds, removing cysts and praying with patients. Sometimes it takes an "outsider" to remind you how important praying with the Haitian people is. I think I get so caught up in the work and all the needs that I don't take the time at that exact moment to stop and pray with them. Meanwhile (while I am frantically running around trying to solve the world's problems) the Lord is watching and waiting for me to remember who is really doing the solving around here.

One of the women on the team asked me, "When did Haiti start feeling normal to you?"

I was confused.

She continued, "You seem so at home and you know what you are doing in this chaos. You take all the weird and different things here in stride and keep going about your day. I am so shocked at a lot of what I see I can think clearly. And while I am trying to process one thing I see 3 more things that throw me off."

Things still catch me off guard-like the 11 yr old boy who came into the clinic with an old dog bite. Mom tried to heal him using Voodoo. The witchdoctor told his mom to go find the dog that bit him and pull out some of it's fur and stuff it in the wound.

When we opened the wound-sure enough-lots of dog hair.

I have to say that threw me for a loop.

The doctors from Southeast Christian Church didn't miss a beat and prayed over the boy for THE LORD to heal him and to guide them in treating him.

Threw me for another loop. I was so focused on the wound and all the infection that I forgot to stop and pray.

We, Christians, have the chance to be the shining light -an example- in this world. Haiti is a dark place.

God has called me to shine the Light in a little village in Haiti. But sometimes does my nursing ministry tool to overshadow the Light? Dim it?

Sometimes the abnormal, chaotic, busyness makes us run around but we should remember who is really solving the world's problems.

Where has God called you?

Are you shining the light?