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Well, we find ourselves in time of transition on a number of fronts.
The Hansens have signed a purchase agreement on a house in the neighborhood and will be moving about 4 blocks away in mid-May. Here are Emily and Julia on Valentines Day.
The Walkers are experiencing a job change (that is a huge transition, don’t you think?). Here is little Lily Marie, already 5 months old!
Julia seems to be transitioning into the “terrible threes” if that’s really a something. You can’t tell from this cute pic!
And, we’re looking for some way to transition from more than a month of blogging about Dads trip to Haiti to a new focus. We know that a seamless transition, one without seeming insensitive or forgetful will be impossible, so forgive us and join us as we attempt to move forward.
The “Three Bad Sisters” now have a total of 6 children. Check in with us frequently as we document our attempt to bring more of the wide world into the everyday lives of our littles. That, my friends, is our new focus here: raising up happy, healthy, curious, socially-concious kids. Stay tuned….
The following blog entry was written by Mark Marshall.
All of the most spiritual things I have seen in my life I saw in my first days in Haiti. These Haitian people are the strongest, most spiritual, most amazing people I have ever known. Faced with poverty, abuse and indifference – and now the most devastating human tragedy the earth has to offer – they sing and pray and give thanks. They smile and laugh and look forward to each new day.
I have seen miracles happen each day. I have seen babies die from malnutrition. I have seen injuries that defy human endurance. I have seen mothers starving in order to feed their babies.
These people in Haiti ask for nothing and expect nothing. They are gracious and grateful for any small gifts of time or touch or medical care. They give more than they receive, and all of us who have visited their world for a day or a month or a year are far richer for the experience.
There will be great need in Haiti for a long time – for a lifetime. I have been truly blessed to have spent a moment of my life in this place. Please remember these people in your thoughts, in your prayers, in your daily life. Thank you to everyone for the prayers and the positive energy sent my way in this greatest adventure of my life.
Photo by Tim Freccia.
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Dad traveled across the border into the Dominican Republic yesterday without incident. That is a relief as he was worried about crossing after hearing of incidents of corrupt border guards. He visite
d the hospital in Jimani where he started and then took a taxi the 3 hours into Santo Domingo where he had a nice meal and “a couple” of bottles of beer. How many is “a couple”, really?? Then he slept in a bed for the first time in awhile. He was at the SD airport 3 hours before his flight this morning. I’m thinking he’s anxious to get home, maybe?!?!
What a journey….he lands in Philadelphia at about 1PM Central Time then on to MN landing at about 8PM. Then Dad has tomorrow to eat and eat and eat and then he works 12 on, 12 off, 24 on and then a few more days to rest. We’ll try to get him to do a post in his own words one day next week.
Here is a pic of the 3 of us (from a few years ago) saying thank you for everything. Thanks for everything folks, really….
Veteran freelance videographer and photojournalist Tim Freccia snapped a pic of dad at the Love a Child camp a couple of weeks ago. You can see the pic on Tim’s site. Dad is pic 47 of 50. The pictures taken in Port Au Prince are beyond description. Dad looks thin-he said that the first 2 weeks he was there he had virtually nothing to eat and that he’s lost so much weight his jeans fall to his ankles. Guess who’s getting a belt for Fathers Day???
We talked to dad a lot over the weekend. He has been worried about who would take over his clinic after he returns home and I think he finally has that burden lifted. He found a doctor, well a group of doctors really, who are working with him today and tomorrow and who will take over starting on Wednesday. The Haitians who have been helping with his transportation and security indicated their intent to close the clinic after Dad left due to lack of medical staffing.
Interestingly, Dad has been told by several organizations that his facility is giving the most immunizations per day in Haiti than any other relief group. Though he realizes the impact of giving 100+ daily MMR vaccines, Dad hopes the statistics are wrong. He hopes that there are big clinics down there who are administering thousands of vaccines round the clock! I’m glad he has big hopes!
Dad will work today and tomorrow and will head back to Santo Domingo on Wednesday to ensure he can make his Thursday morning flight. He has expressed concerns of making it safely back across the Dominican border which of course makes us worry. He isn’t planning to take anything back home with him; he traveled to Haiti with a backpack and a tent, and intends to leave what little he has for the locals. Send some good karma, a little prayer, or whatever juju you have to spare for his safe travels! Also, if you read this, please leave us a comment today!
Well, the countdown has begun. Dad has only a week or so left in Haiti and I have to say, I think he’s ready to come home.
There are staff meetings at 7AM and 7PM. In between, he schleps supplies to his truck until it’s filled to bursting, has a couple of big Haitian guys guard the truck while he drives 45 minutes to his clinic, sees a couple hundred patients at his little clinic, distributes food, water and tents and drives the 45 minutes back to his base. After 7PM, it’s dark and there is virtually nothing to do. Anyone who knows him should give him a call between the hours of 6PM and 9PM Central time (8PM-11PM in Haiti) to keep him company.
I think the contrast between the super-hectic days and the super-boring nights is too much.
The great success of the trip so far is the establishment of the clinic and the GREAT number of people they are able to help every day. It’s amazing! Now, if only my dad wasn’t worried about losing his digital camera, he would have taken it with him and we’d have photos! Alas, he’s a pretty good story-teller, so we’ll settle for that!
Please remember to make donations to Haiti on an ongoing basis. They’ll need it for a LONG time and it really does help!
I had a great visit with Dad today. Yesterday he checked out a potential site for a new clinic. It’s in another part of Port Au Prince. He is excited about the site and he thinks it would easily be able to accommodate 500 or more patients a day with adequate staffing. Staffing is the challenge, unfortunately. The new site is really too far away for dad to commute to each day. He also feels that the best use of the time he has left in Haiti is to continue working in his current clinic, rather than taking the time to get things set up at a new location. He sees great potential for the new location, however, and is looking for a team to get things up and running there.
Dad said that he was able to see 228 patients today – amazing! He has seen well over 2000 patients during his time at the clinic in Port Au Prince. He ha been bringing new medical volunteers to the clinic as often as he can. Many of those volunteers have been returning to help regularly.
Dad with little HoJo
Please continue to keep the volunteers in your thoughts and prayers. They are working so hard to make a difference for the people of Haiti. The volunteers make sure the people they are taking care of have water and food before they do. Speaking of food, a group of volunteers from New York left the camp over the weekend and left dad with a nice supply of their left over MREs, tuna fish and peanut butter! Dad was extremely excited about the peanut butter and said he had been eating it with a spoon out of the jar! Thank goodness for small comforts!
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This last week, communication with Dad has been minimal. Finally, Friday, Jennie was able to connect with him for about 45 minutes on her drive home from work! It was a great chance to catch up and also find out exactly what he’s up to. We have posted the link to Love A Child, which is where dad is sleeping at night. It is a very safe compound and is very well managed. They have a working well for drinking water and also the opportunity for “bucket showers!”
The place he is working, however, is in another location. The clinic that he established is about 45 minutes from the Love a Child facility. He described the property as a beautiful 8-bedroom private residence that was severely damaged during the earthquake. It was only about 1 year old, so was really beautiful, but the structure is no longer inhabitable. The clinic is set up is behind the house, in a lovely courtyard about half the size of a football field. He said there are beautiful trees, flowers, bushes, and of course the lovely blue tarps they have strung up to block the sun and give relief from the heat.
Today, Sunday, his clinic is closed because the group that supplies him is deeply religious, so they close on Sunday. He has been asked to help start up a second clinic location for the group he has been working with in Port Au Prince. He plans to check out a possible site today. Interestingly, he will be setting it up with the help of some Cuban medical personnel (he even had a spot on a Cuban TV news station!). He will be visiting with the Cubans today and making the trip to the new proposed site. Stay tuned folks! [Here's a pic of dad with Claire at the State Fair when she was a baby.]
We got a chance to visit with Dad last night for just a few minutes. He’s impossible to reach during the day (either the call doesn’t go through or he’s too busy to answer), but we were able to reach him last evening. All is well and there is nothing really new or interesting to report. I’m taking that as a “no news is good news” situation. Jennie asked him if he has enough to eat and he said “not really”, but this is coming from someone like us, who can eat and snack at will under normal circumstances. His situation is like being on a diet and not having any way to cheat! In any case, I’m trying to see if there is ANY WAY to get a care package to him. It’s seemed really impossible though. We can send to the hotel where he stayed a couple of times in the Dominican, but its $500 round trip for him to go there, so not really worth it for some protein bars. Keep doing what you can (praying and remembering) and we’ll do the same. Thats all for today, folks!
Love A Child is a non-profit, Christian organization and their stated mission is to “Reduce the Poverty in Haiti”. We’ve been a little hesitant to include a link to this site because it’s home to an evangelist couple…begging for donations…for their livelihood, it seems.
In any case, they have allowed the use of their land for the medical treatment for those who need it and this is where dad is working. I’m including it today because of the great pictures they have posted. This gives a real sense of the setting. Thanks for all who continue to support this mission!
