Thinking back to Haiti 2015 (Part 1)

Elizabeth and I traveled together to Haiti in 2015 to work with International Healthcare Mnistries and the Baptist Haiti Mission Hospital to share the love of Jesus with rural Haitians through medicine and friendship.

It was, as all of these medical mission trips are, life changing for so many people. I would just like to share some of the photos from the journey again.

I'll start with photos from our first two days in Haiti. The first village we set up our clinic in was a tiny stone and mortar school that was a long 3 hour or so drive down rocky mountain roads in the back of a large flat bed pick-up.

Standing in the back of the flat bed is a surprisingly exhausting way to travel. (and not easy on a guy who just had back surgery less than a month prior)

A view from the road of a typical rural home and garden with banana trees and leftover USAID tarps from the earthquake recovery covering roofs.

one of the most beautiful roads in Haiti. We were about to drive probably close to a blistering 20mph at this point of the trip.

Arriving at our first clinic day began with school being dismissed early and a lot of interest from the kids. 

This was a normal routine in the morning, I think we only did this once or twice. This is a local preacher leading a morning Bible study on the Baptist Haiti Mission Hospital Grounds.

Yep. That's what a mobile pharmacy looks like. Abbey (the one on the right) did an excellent job running unquestionably the most delicate, challenging and detail-oriented departments of the mission.

Local translators get a medical history from the patients, then tell them "the doctor will see you and will help you because we love you in the name of Jesus, Would you like to hear more about Jesus?"
The patients are all assured that their medical complaints will be heard and treated without regard to their religious convictions.

Waiting to be seen.

I'm such an amazing photographer.

View from the school house looking over the mountainous terrain surrounding us on all sides in Chofa.

Even Haiti has some rich folks.

Day 2, we opted out of putting 15 people in the back of a flat bed and instead packed up Toyota Landcruiser and two ATVs. A much better way to travel.

This is a typical little roadside market where anything from chewing gum to charcoal is normally sold. These dot the highways and rural roads of back country Haiti.

I would always ask patients if they would like to pray about anything after I had finished seeing them for their medical complaints. I had to deliver quite a bit of bad news from time to time, because there were thins that I was simply unable to treat. We made as many referrals to the BHM hospital, which I'm positive many people took to heart. Still, there were other cases that I just knew even the Hospital wouldn't have the resources to treat. Living in a developing country is a tough life, somehow though, with everything Haitians have been through over the last 2 centuries, this nation is filled with some of the most indomitably joyful, wise, caring and generous people I've ever met.

The next blog post with show days 3 and 4 of our May 2015 Medical Mission Trip to Haiti.