Bonjou, koman ou ye? Hello, how are you? (In Creole, the Hatian language).
- View from the roof of the Myan Orphanage
It’s been a few months since my wife and I returned from our amazing stay in Haiti. In short…. hot, no A/C, beautiful smiles, going back.
A few more details….
Thanks to many of the generous offerings and out pouring of support, we were able to take many essential items, including dental supplies. For that, from the deepest of my heart, thank you. Simple necessities like toilet paper, toothpaste and diapers are a luxury to one of the poorest countries in the world. Your generosity impacted these lives from across the globe.
We were able to spend about 6 days in Haiti, most of it in Gonaives, a city along Haiti’s northern coast . Prior to heading to Gonaives, we spent some time in Port-au-Prince where Coreluv assists another orphanage with its operations. This orphanage, known as Ms. Dorothy’s, has primarily very young or sick children (HIV, mental retardation, physical handicaps, etc.). We were only there for a short period but I was able to see most of the children and do dental screenings. We were also able to visit the mass grave from the 2010 earthquake.
Our time in Gonaives was packed. We were greeted by Jake, Coreluv’s full time missionary living there, as well as several summer interns (mostly college age). All of these wonderful people have committed to live in Haiti (some part time, some full time) to love and share the gospel of Jesus with the precious children in the Coreluv orphanage.
In addition to lots of hugs and playing tag, we were able to visit the construction site of the new Coreluv orphanage in Myan. The Myan Orphanage is located about 30 minutes away from Gonaives near a small, remote village. When completed, it will be able to house 80 orphans initially with a 2nd phase to add 80 more spots. This new orphanage is scheduled to open very soon, see the link at the bottom of this post for more information on how you can be a part of completing the project and providing a home for orphans.
In Gonaives, I was able to complete a dental screening on all of the children and do some work on a few others. Believe it or not, cavities are not a large problem for these children. Why? Diet, primarily. Their diet consists primarily of rice, chicken and fruit. They eat very little, if any, processed food and sweets are just not an option. Another surprising finding: an orthodontist would go out of business quickly in Haiti. Their teeth, in general, have very few orthodontic problems……next time you see me ask and I’ll give you my theory to why that is.
Our time in Haiti was brief, but I know it has had a profound impact on both my and my wife’s life. We look forward to returning to the country in 2014 and continuing the work alongside Coreluv. Below is a link to the current project to complete the orphanage in Myan entitled the “Nehemiah Project”.
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