Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Haiti...We are BACK!

I am so glad to be back at the "house" with you!

Haiti was amazing.....that may sound odd but it really was! God held us in His hands thru-out this trip and may you get touched by a photograph, a word, a thought.....

Can you help every person?

NO....

Can you change a life?

YES....even your own!

How do you feel?

Grateful, overwhelmed, in awe

Just to keep this short, some of you know I have been before and I can truly say that these people are healthier than in years past. That YOU can make a difference. We didn't see as many infections, we didn't see as much typhod fever or malaria that we had in the past. We saw ALOT of allergies (humm sound familiar) We didn't see the malnutrition or as much scabies........things CAN get better....it's just going to take a lot of time,money,education and servants.

We saw over 2100 patients in 4 1/2 days of clinic. Everyone got things we take for granted here i.e tylenol, tums. Everyone got de-wormed, everyone got a loving hand and simply an ear to listen to them and for them to know "WE SEE YOU"! The medical mission trip saw it's UPS and DOWNS...and sometimes REALLY REALLY HIGH and then at times REALLY REALLY LOW. We had a mom from Port Au Prince who lost her twins at 21 weeks, God put Lori on our team who has been an OB nurse for 25 years that could ease her pain and hold her hand. We helped with burial, dressed her wounds, gave her a loving hand and fed her. Then we were able to send 12 people to a hospital about 2 hours away, where earlier in the week we met a team of SURGEONS that just happened to be there that week. They were able to do 10 of these surgeries (and only cost $600!) We gave away hundreds of jars of peanut butter to feed their family and can't tell you how many toys we gave away (I have a great video of that but have no idea how to post)We put several on high blood pressure meds and have a nurse and clinic in the village for their follow up. Dr Joe took off skin tags and removed extra digits. We rubbed countless babies down for scabies and tons of other things!

Could have we done more....I don't know? We saw as many as we could AND then some.

Are their lives changed? Today anyway.

We have a long way to go! Be grateful for what you have, but on that same note, don't feel sorry for these people..... meaning it's the "Haitian way" that is how one of our interpreters put it. When we were devastated for the young mom who lost her twins, he try to ease our sadness by telling us God takes care of them, and it all happens exactly how it is suppose to. We can't let OUR way of life be THEIR way of life, it's not. They are so proud, they are so grateful, they are some of the kindest people you will ever find.

I have posted a "slideshow" on the blog. I will have more pictures later, these were just the ones on my phone.

Thank you so much for your prayers and patience while I was away, I couldn't have served the village of Petit Bourge without a "family" like you! I am truly blessed and grateful for each of you!

Friday, April 9, 2010

Lead with your Heart

Aligning Anahata


In every yoga pose, when there is a bend at the hips, the instruction is to "lead with the heart." It's a measure that physically insures the spine stays aligned and the neck muscles are not over-exerted. But it's also a life-lesson, one that underpins all yoga philosophy.

In yoga anatomy, the heart chakra balances the three chakras below and three above it in union. Also called the Anahata chakra, which translates to "untouched" or "unstruck," the implication is that the heart remains pure no matter what you encounter. It can be challenging to accept this as true. But when you become aware that the mind influences how you see things, a space opens that allows you to recognize the heart's purity. You also align yourself to the precise reason for letting the heart lead the way. The ancient yogis knew that every one of us has the capability to be holy. All it takes is a willingness to listen to your heart.