But he's got some sort of cold-bug (which isn't uncommong for being surrounded by a number of kids for a week) and is pretty close to exhausted, but he's in one piece and full-up from his experiences in Haiti. So much so, that he's already plotting out a way for me to get there later this spring if possible.
I will say, it is good to have him back.
I will also say, both our hearts still feel very deeply for the work that is and needs to be done in all parts of Haiti - not just in Ounaminthe with the orphans.
My hope is to convince Cliff to share with you some of his own reflections fromt he trip, as well as some of the pictures/videos he took during his time there in the coming days. We appreciate so much your faithfulness to give, to pray, and to support both Cliff in his going and me in my being home. It has meant so much to us!
Got a quick call from Cliff tonight who was checking in briefly after what he called "a pretty full day" there in Ouanaminthe. They continued working with the children and welcomed in a few new children who were flown in from Port au Prince. These children had pretty significant physical trauma from the earthquake, one with a full arm amputation and others with casts placed on limbs without the bones reset and no x-rays.
Cliff shared that he has been working with a couple of people on the rehabilitation for a little boy named Johnny. Johnny's femur was broken and repaired by a surgeon in Port au Prince. A quick Google search and I found some more info as well as an image of the x-ray and a brief appearance by Johnny in a Anderson Cooper video... it's all so heartbreaking.
On Jan. 21 - "Johnny is a five year-old boydiscovered by Danita and Britanny in a clinic in Port-au-Prince yesterday (Jan 21). He was naked, with a broken leg, and wounds on his head and back from having a wall collapse on him. He has the number 36 written in faint faded ink on his arm. He’d been in the clinic for ten days, alone, on the same mattress, with no family. And yesterday he became the first of many new kids taken in by Danita’s Children."
"Johnny was in the is condition for many days, with no medications and with a cast on his ankle. Evidently no one had noticed that his femur was broken."
On Jan. 24 - ”Johnny’s surgery went amazingly well. Thank you to everyone who prayed for him. I can’t even describe what it is like in the hospitals here- there are no words to describe the devastation. Haitian people are so resilient- you walk by a tent of children in full body casts who have just had limbs amputated and they’re smiling.”
And now, walking, after being at the Hope for Haiti Center.
And just think, that is one child's story of coming from a place of total ruin and devastation to a place of hope. I will say this has all made this very real for me again. The images, stories, hearing Cliff. As an emotional being, my heart breaks for these lives. And yet it finds small places of hope and joy for the lives being saved. For the stories of people being found buried alive ELEVEN DAYS after such a devastating thing. It is just unreal. And it's sad to think, already, that there are people that live mindless to this sort of thing day in and day out. And I'm not saying we all have to every minute of everyday, but open your eyes and see and serve when and however you are able. Please.
In the end, after all of my internet wandering, I came upon this image in a gallery posted on Facebook by another team member in Ounaminthe (Christa Hahn) and my heart will go to bed lifted and joyful. And I am thankful for that.
Heard from Cliff this morning! Bright and early I got a call from an "Unavailable" number and jumped to answer (though I normally do not) in hopes that it would be him, and sure enough, it was! He had just finished pulling an all-night watch of that church I shared the video of yesterday where the children are staying. He was on duty to stay up and make sure that the children were sleeping, not horsing around, could find their way to the restroom, and so on. He sounded tired but happy, and I'm thankful for that - because even he said the stories he's been hearing from people there in Ouanaminthe about their time in and around Port au Prince has been so very sad.
Apparently the children they have taken in are slowly getting accustomed to their new home, though there will be much time for that. More will come in soon and more time will be spent helping them transition and heal, both physically and emotionally. Cliff shared that Danita was headed back to Port au Prince today to gather some more orphans and that a few with recent surgeries should be coming by plane here within a day or so.
He said that today was the first day they'd work with the children with more of a structured schedule, and Amanda's update shared that they spent time with the children having them create cute and colorful nametags for them to wear. Most of these children do not know English and so even to just have their name recognized has been a delight for them. Both Amanda and Cliff have shared that while shaken in many ways, there are many children still very joyful and childlike after everything they have been through. That just amazes me.
And so I sit here in our quiet home watching the snow fall, trying to decide if I wish more to be there to share that with him or for him to be here to share this with me. But the decision doesn't matter, ultimately, because we are where we are. And I am so thankful for the example my husband is for me in every way and for a God who moves people to act in whatever way they can.
One of the biggest things Cliff and I remember wondering about his trip and the orphans was: where are they going to sleep? When they already provide space for 75, to accomodate so many more has with it some logistical issues. He had heard on Friday at a conference call that it was likely the nearby church would give up its space to house the children.
They have made it to Ouanaminthe - here is an update from Amanda, Cliff's team leader...
"It was quite a journey crossing the border between Haiti and Dominican Republic. You aren't allowed to cross by car or a vehicle unless you have a special government permit, so we were dropped off by bus about 3 blocks away and all our luggage was placed in carts and we walked through. There was a very hard line of demarcation that you could see between the living standards in the D.R. and in Haiti. Literally, shacks and dozens of people just bathing and washing in the river, next to nice large Mexican style building on the D.R. side.
Then, it was just a small walk to Danita's Children's orphanage. She brought in 28 new children at 2 AM last night. The day before 3 children had arrived by a charter plane. One that I mentioned in my earlier post, Joselyn, a boy actually who had his leg amputated and another young girl who has lost her arm and her whole family. Then, another young boy arrive with a broken femur. He too lost his parents in the earthquake. The 28 new kids are displaced from different orphanages, except a small handful that Danita picked up from the street.
I spent the day with the two doctors helping with the check ups for the kids. I was fun playing the nurse! I weighed them and helped with medication. The rest of the team helped with getting the kids their showers."
Apparently, we learn something new everyday in this whole Haiti adventure.
If you compare the last map to this one, you'll notice the airplane has moved and that's because the team flew in not to Santo Domingo but to Santiago, Dominican Republic. It appears the difference got lost in translation when the itinerary made its way to me.
And Santiago is where Cliff finds himself as I write this.
Just heard from him on a who-knows-how-expensive-and-who-really-cares 3:05 minute phone call from the Dominican Republic. Apparently they are staying the night at a hotel in DR that's just absurdly "swanky" in comparison to what you would expect and to what the next week of accommodations will have in store for them.
He's had a long day of travel and meeting his teammates, but sounds hopeful for tomorrow's journey to Ouanaminthe (which, I have learned, is pronounced wanna-mint... no really, it is). They will head out at 9:30 AM tomorrow morning (that is 7:30 AM here) on a bus to cross the border into Haiti. I do know they have plans on the way to stop at a medical supply store to buy a set of crutches for a little girl named Jocelyn, one of the orphans who has been relocated, and who recently went through an amputation due to the earthquake.
And that's just one life of many Cliff will encounter in the coming days... not sure when or how I will hear from him again, but I will try to keep you posted as I do. Thank you for your prayers and support!
As the last day has progressed, we've gotten more details on what lies ahead and what exactly Cliff's trip to Haiti entails. After a phone call yesterday regarding the possibility of postponing the trip by a week, we've pretty much left all of this open to change. Fortunately for Dave Ramsey's generosity of a mission week for all employees and Cliff's boss's flexibility with his schedule, that is perfectly alright. Both with them, with him, and with me.
Cliff was on a conference call today with 35 other individuals across the country who will be involved in a three-part effort to help Danita's Children, a non-profit run by an American woman in Haiti, take in nearly 200 orphans relocated from Port au Prince. Danita's Children currently operates an orphanage called the Hope for Haiti Children's Center which is home to 75 orphans already. With this increase in little hearts, feet, bodies, and mouths - the organization is greatly in need of helping hands, for which Cliff will be one.
To the best of our knowledge, the relocation of the orphans from Port au Prince is incomplete, and will not likely be so until Thursday of next week. They are being brought north in segments because of transportation issues, thus the three waves of help being sent from a couple of partner churches and organizations across the country. Cliff will be in what is being considered the second wave and will now leave Nashville on Tuesday for Haiti.
A CEO of a medical supply company in the area has generously donated a number of items for the team to bring with them to the orphanage. It is our understanding that this is greatly needed, as a number of the children being moved from Port au Prince are in various stages of physical well-being. Cliff said that many of the children being transported have not yet received medical attention and will once arriving at the orphanage. Medical supplies, as well as clothing and additional food and bedding supplies are greatly needed as well, and for which support is being raised.
Below is a map to give you an idea of where Cliff will be working.
The airplane is just above Santa Domingo, where he will be flying into the Dominican Republic. The exclamation point, of course, is located near Port au Prince - the largest city nearest the epicenter. Finally, the house symbol is located in the area where the orphanage is located - which is evidently a nine-hour drive from Port au Prince on a good day.
I know none of you reading this are a stranger to the devastation in Haiti. It's hard not to be confronted everyday with the disparity and sadness and loss of a country ruined by natural disaster when already so in need of help.
Cliff, as you may or may not know, has a heart for relief work. In 2005 - wow, that was five years ago - a tsunami turned Indonesia upside down and Cliff? he managed to find himself on a team of ten going with a church he'd only been visiting for just a few months to the heart of a devastated island to help. To build shelter and school for a people who had lost everything.
And now, five years later... I shouldn't be surprised that that same guy - the one who went to Indonesia, and who, when asked for his countries of preference when selecting where to go with his Samaritan's Purse internship, chose Sudan or Afghanistan (I mean, REALLY?) - has found a way to get to Haiti to serve - in only a matter of 24 hours, mind you.
On Sunday, Cliff will head out of Nashville to Miami and then to the Dominican Republic and then finally to Haiti where he will be working with a team of five people to help with an effort which has rescued over 200 orphans from Port au Prince to another part of the country. Gosh, I wish I could go. But nonetheless, that's about all I know right now.
I will keep you all updated on as much as possible, and know that we would love love love your prayers. And if you are at all inclined to donate or sponsor support right now, just touch base with us and we'll let you know how. Otherwise, please just continue to pray for the country and if you think of it, for Cliff's team and their trip.
