Pray for Haiti

I had the opportunity to go on a medical/dental mission trip to Haiti this past spring break. I learned so much, and got to assist with so many procedures including helping to drain a ganglion cyst, prepatellar bursa, and right facial abscess, as well as helping with patient intake.  But it's funny how the seemingly small things that I experienced on this trip touched my heart the most.

While I was helping with taking patient vitals, I got to serve a lady who was not much older than me.  She was wearing long sleeves and pants, sunglasses, and a hat, even in the 90+ degree weather.  All this to protect her skin as best she could, because she was albino.  Her chief complaint was a large mass on her neck, and an even larger one on her back.  But she was covered with cracks in her skin and suffered much from UV light exposure.  I asked her if she used sunscreen, and my translator looked at me in a quandary.  He did not know what sunscreen was.  So, I wrote down her reasons for wanting to see the doctor, took her blood pressure, and had a look at her neck and back.  There was still a very long line to see one of the doctors, so I asked her if she knew Jesus.  She did, and I told her that I was so glad that she is my sister in Christ.  She smiled, and even with her numerous skin lesions, she was so beautiful.  I later learned from the doctors that she most likely had some type of skin cancer, and there wasn't much that we could do for her medically.  Although her time on earth for this season may be shorter than that of many others, I look forward to the day that we meet again in the presence of God.

Later, I got to shadow one of the doctors, Dr. Tom, while he served the wife of one of the pastors.  She came in and told us that she had diabetes, and to my surprise, Dr. Tom asked her if we could wash her feet.  He took out two disinfectant wipes and together we washed this woman's feet and checked for fungus.  When we found some between her toes, we applied some of the anti-fungal cream and gave her the rest of the tube.  I felt so honored to serve her in this way, washing her feet as Jesus washed his disciples' feet (John 13).

If there is one thing that I have learned from this trip to Haiti, it is the joy of serving the Lord by serving others.  I loved getting to share the gospel with the people there, and to see the joy they had when they heard the Good News of Jesus Christ crucified, dead, buried, resurrected, and taken up to heaven, making the way for our sins to be forgiven so that we can be in a loving relationship with God.  Amidst all of the poverty, illness, destruction from the earthquake, there is so much hope for Haiti because of Jesus.  Please continue to pray for the people Haiti, that they would find hope in Christ and that God would continue to strengthen them and be their all in all.  Thanks!