Today is my birthday and I give the Lord thanks for letting me serve Him here in Haiti. Thank you to all who have helped support the work of Coram Deo here in Haiti. I look forward to serving Him here another year in whatever challenges that are put before me.
This video is for "Georgina Bushette" who is the anonymous author of some hate mail. May the Lord touch your heart.
Please follow the link to:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzK4iXV_5Vk&feature=related
Blessings,
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo
Friday, May 29, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
photos - kenscoff clinic - part 1
When we got to the clinic site it was foggy and cloudy.
There were a lot of people waiting for our arrival.
Everything was unpacked and set up before the clinic opened. It was a challenging hike up to the clinic site!
The team came with lots of medicine. This was a real blessing!
Pastor Pierre helped to control access to the building.photos - kenscoff clinic - part 2
These women all live in the area of the "olld church" and traveled for 2 days to get to the clinic. They slept overnight at the site of the newer church which is half way between the old church and the clinic site.
This is the registration station where patients entrance information was obtained.
One of the haitian doctors is getting ready to examine this patient in the consultation room.
In total there were 3 doctors at the clinic. The next table was shared by 2 doctors. The doctors worked quickly to process the patients.
After seeing the doctor the patient went to the pharmacy room.photos - kenscoff clinic - part 3
Some members of Pastor Pierre's church helped in carrying supplies up and down the mountain. This man was helping with security.
Pastor Odvin works with the mission team from Kentucky. He took a spill in the mud coming down the mountain. Pray his sprained wrist heals quickly.
Some of the team members prayed with each patient as they waited to register.
This woman is very active in Pastor Pierre's church. She helped to carry things up and down the mountain as well.
She also gave some of the people peanut butter sandwiches.photos - kenscoff clinic - part 4
While people were waiting outside to get into the clinic building Lukner handed out evangelical bible tracts that were written in creole.
The children were entertained with balloons.
Both adults and children enjoyed the bubble blowing!
This vendor was prepared for the rainy day. He set up his stand on the muddy road.
Here are some of the people who participated in the clinicphotos - kenscoff clinic - part 5
This boy lives below the building where the clinic was held.
This is Pastor Pierre's son. He is mentally handicapped and has epilepsy. It was in search of medical care for his son that I first met Pastor Pierre. Since then he has been involved with Coram Deo.
After one of the rain showers this man came by riding his horse. He has a sore leg and has been using crutches when he is walking.
These are some more people from the community.
This is a back yard view from one of the windows in the building where the clinic was held.photos - kenscoff clinic - part 6
This little girl lives near the clinic site.
It was cooler up on the mountain and comfortable.
These 2 boys were some of the children who were treated at the clinic.
There were some babies there too. This mother had her baby wrapped up nice and warm.
These were some of the curious bystanders.haiti update - may 24, 2009
“For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.” Psalm 72:12
Hi! This week was a busy one with the medical program. We held our first medical clinic in the mountains of Kenscoff on Saturday! Pastor Pierre has a couple of churches that are far in the mountains. Because of the distance we are not able to bring a large group of people and supplies to their area. These people do not have access to medical care and the only solution that we could come up with was to set up a clinic and have them come to us. Pastor Pierre visited the outlying areas ahead of time to invite people to the clinic. Some made the journey over 2 days. Pastor Pierre is responsible for 2 churches. The first one we know of as the far church and the other one as the new church, which is closer to the Kenscoff area. The people from the community of the far church traveled on Friday and slept overnight at the new church location. Pastor Pierre slept there overnight with them and at 5:00am he started the journey with around 50 people from the new church site to the clinic site. The trip for the medical team to the clinic site was also a challenge. It was a rainy week in Haiti with a storm system hanging around. I was praying that we wouldn’t have bad weather for the clinic. Saturday morning there was a blue sky in Port-au-Prince and this encouraged everyone. The medical team members all come from the Kentucky area. There were also Haitian doctors, translators and helpers as well. The team loaded the supplies onto the school bus and we started heading up the mountain. The school bus went ahead up the mountain road and had trouble a couple of times overheating. We drove in Kimosabee and he had no problem going up the mountain road. We waited at the Baptist Mission in Fermathe for the school bus to catch up with us and when we heard that the bus overheated again I sent Lukner to check up on things and told Pastor Pierre to wait by the road and call me on the cell phone when he saw the school bus. I figured there was just enough time to run inside the restaurant there and enjoy a strawberry sundae. I don’t get the chance to enjoy that treat here in Port-au-Prince and it sure tasted good!
Pastor Pierre beeped me just as I finished the last spoonful and I ran back to the pickup truck. We then made it as far as the bus and Kimosabee could go. All the boxes of medical supplies, tables and chairs were unloaded and everybody started to carry the stuff. It was about a 1 km hike uphill and was very challenging but everyone was enthusiastic and determined to make it up to the clinic site. When people needed to catch their breath they stopped and when they had their wind back continued on the upward journey. Pastor Pierre had people from his church come down to help with the carrying of the supplies. We reached the site and everything was unpacked and the tables and chairs were set up for the different stations – patient registration, consultation, and pharmacy. We opened with prayer and everyone got to work. As each patient was registered a couple of the team members prayed over the person before he/she went on to the consultation area. Lukner handed out evangelism tracts to people who were waiting outside. A few of the team members were young people and they played soccer with some children from the community. The team also had balloons and bubble blowing activities for the children. Unfortunately though it was cloudy and foggy where the clinic site was and the rains started at around 11:00am. There was a tarp that provided some shelter for people waiting to get inside the clinic. We had rain showers for the rest of the day. The team worked hard and saw 215 patients. The team provided medications as well and this was a real blessing for the people. The goal was to be finished the clinic and heading back down the mountain by 3:00pm and we were able to meet this goal. Because of the rains the way back down was very slick and it was a challenge to keep your footing. At least it wasn’t raining though for the descent. A couple of people wiped out and took a spill but at least they landed in the mud and not in the piles of animal droppings that were along the way. Pastor Odvin was one of the people who wiped out. Pray that his sprained wrist heals quickly. Some of the women did not have the proper footwear for the journey and had trouble with the hike. One of the young people had flip-flop sandals and her feet were very sore. One of the team members carried her for the last part of the descent. I felt bad that I didn’t remind everyone in the beginning to make sure that they had the proper footwear. The people of the mountains were very thankful that visitors were willing to come up and help them and I hope that we can do this again another time. The people appreciated their determination and efforts at bringing the medical supplies and clinic up to them. I don’t think that the medical team will forget their journey up and down the mountains of Kenscoff! We give the Lord thanks for visitors willing to accept challenges in serving the Lord here in Haiti. When I got back home I bribed the children with money to clean my muddy hiking boots for me.
Rainy season officially starts in June but 11 people died in flooding in various parts of the country this past week. Pray for Haiti, as the country has still not recovered from last year’s storms.
Bill Clinton has been named as the UN’s special advisor on Haiti. Hopefully he will help to raise interest and encourage investment here in Haiti. Haitian people still continue to try to reach the United States and other islands in the Caribbean by boat. 10 Haitians drowned off the coast of Miami this past week when their boat capsized. The mentally handicapped lady disappeared from the emergency room waiting area at General Hospital last Sunday morning. She walked out on her own. When we went there to check up on her I met a man who has also been hanging out on the General Hospital grounds for the last month. He was eager to talk with me and explain his story. He spent 18 years living in the Dominican Republic and is a naturalized citizen of that country. He showed me his paperwork. He studied civil engineering at the university there. From the Dominican Republic he went on to the Bahamas and was deported from there back to the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic didn’t want him and deported him back to Haiti. His 3 children are still in the Dominican Republic. He was crying when he told me this. Pray for this man as he tries to get back on his feet. He has no connections to Haiti and is sort of stuck right now.
That’s all the news for today. Have a good week!
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo
Hi! This week was a busy one with the medical program. We held our first medical clinic in the mountains of Kenscoff on Saturday! Pastor Pierre has a couple of churches that are far in the mountains. Because of the distance we are not able to bring a large group of people and supplies to their area. These people do not have access to medical care and the only solution that we could come up with was to set up a clinic and have them come to us. Pastor Pierre visited the outlying areas ahead of time to invite people to the clinic. Some made the journey over 2 days. Pastor Pierre is responsible for 2 churches. The first one we know of as the far church and the other one as the new church, which is closer to the Kenscoff area. The people from the community of the far church traveled on Friday and slept overnight at the new church location. Pastor Pierre slept there overnight with them and at 5:00am he started the journey with around 50 people from the new church site to the clinic site. The trip for the medical team to the clinic site was also a challenge. It was a rainy week in Haiti with a storm system hanging around. I was praying that we wouldn’t have bad weather for the clinic. Saturday morning there was a blue sky in Port-au-Prince and this encouraged everyone. The medical team members all come from the Kentucky area. There were also Haitian doctors, translators and helpers as well. The team loaded the supplies onto the school bus and we started heading up the mountain. The school bus went ahead up the mountain road and had trouble a couple of times overheating. We drove in Kimosabee and he had no problem going up the mountain road. We waited at the Baptist Mission in Fermathe for the school bus to catch up with us and when we heard that the bus overheated again I sent Lukner to check up on things and told Pastor Pierre to wait by the road and call me on the cell phone when he saw the school bus. I figured there was just enough time to run inside the restaurant there and enjoy a strawberry sundae. I don’t get the chance to enjoy that treat here in Port-au-Prince and it sure tasted good!
Pastor Pierre beeped me just as I finished the last spoonful and I ran back to the pickup truck. We then made it as far as the bus and Kimosabee could go. All the boxes of medical supplies, tables and chairs were unloaded and everybody started to carry the stuff. It was about a 1 km hike uphill and was very challenging but everyone was enthusiastic and determined to make it up to the clinic site. When people needed to catch their breath they stopped and when they had their wind back continued on the upward journey. Pastor Pierre had people from his church come down to help with the carrying of the supplies. We reached the site and everything was unpacked and the tables and chairs were set up for the different stations – patient registration, consultation, and pharmacy. We opened with prayer and everyone got to work. As each patient was registered a couple of the team members prayed over the person before he/she went on to the consultation area. Lukner handed out evangelism tracts to people who were waiting outside. A few of the team members were young people and they played soccer with some children from the community. The team also had balloons and bubble blowing activities for the children. Unfortunately though it was cloudy and foggy where the clinic site was and the rains started at around 11:00am. There was a tarp that provided some shelter for people waiting to get inside the clinic. We had rain showers for the rest of the day. The team worked hard and saw 215 patients. The team provided medications as well and this was a real blessing for the people. The goal was to be finished the clinic and heading back down the mountain by 3:00pm and we were able to meet this goal. Because of the rains the way back down was very slick and it was a challenge to keep your footing. At least it wasn’t raining though for the descent. A couple of people wiped out and took a spill but at least they landed in the mud and not in the piles of animal droppings that were along the way. Pastor Odvin was one of the people who wiped out. Pray that his sprained wrist heals quickly. Some of the women did not have the proper footwear for the journey and had trouble with the hike. One of the young people had flip-flop sandals and her feet were very sore. One of the team members carried her for the last part of the descent. I felt bad that I didn’t remind everyone in the beginning to make sure that they had the proper footwear. The people of the mountains were very thankful that visitors were willing to come up and help them and I hope that we can do this again another time. The people appreciated their determination and efforts at bringing the medical supplies and clinic up to them. I don’t think that the medical team will forget their journey up and down the mountains of Kenscoff! We give the Lord thanks for visitors willing to accept challenges in serving the Lord here in Haiti. When I got back home I bribed the children with money to clean my muddy hiking boots for me.
Rainy season officially starts in June but 11 people died in flooding in various parts of the country this past week. Pray for Haiti, as the country has still not recovered from last year’s storms.
Bill Clinton has been named as the UN’s special advisor on Haiti. Hopefully he will help to raise interest and encourage investment here in Haiti. Haitian people still continue to try to reach the United States and other islands in the Caribbean by boat. 10 Haitians drowned off the coast of Miami this past week when their boat capsized. The mentally handicapped lady disappeared from the emergency room waiting area at General Hospital last Sunday morning. She walked out on her own. When we went there to check up on her I met a man who has also been hanging out on the General Hospital grounds for the last month. He was eager to talk with me and explain his story. He spent 18 years living in the Dominican Republic and is a naturalized citizen of that country. He showed me his paperwork. He studied civil engineering at the university there. From the Dominican Republic he went on to the Bahamas and was deported from there back to the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic didn’t want him and deported him back to Haiti. His 3 children are still in the Dominican Republic. He was crying when he told me this. Pray for this man as he tries to get back on his feet. He has no connections to Haiti and is sort of stuck right now.
That’s all the news for today. Have a good week!
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo
Friday, May 22, 2009
ODE TO SAMMY
The last couple of weeks have been difficult ones. I have seen people make judgments on issues that they know nothing of. All these things came out over a young man’s death. Sammy was loved by many. We raised him from a child to a man. Nobody knows him better than myself. The time came when it was necessary to return Sammy to his family. Sammy’s death has brought out feelings of hatred and scorn from some people. Emails of hatred were written to me by a person who did not use their real name. They were meant to hurt. On another organization’s website an individual has posted a comment encouraging members of their organization to “Please care enough about Sammy to support and pray for the work of” their organization, yet this individual never made any efforts to enquire about Sammy or help him. Sammy’s family sent word to us that he wasn’t doing well. Now his family is being judged by others who don’t even know them or anything about the family’s situation. Sammy is at peace now and in heaven where God wants him to be. I forgive them, the person who wrote the emails and the other organization.
I have taken the time the last couple of weeks to think about all these things. God has a plan for all of our lives. Which organization is better than another? God calls us all to do different things. He equips us to do the task he wants us to do. Is one persons’ task and calling better than another? The answer is no. There are many organizations and missionaries working here in Haiti. All are striving to help the Haitian people in many ways. Remembering Sammy I ask you to pray for all missions and missionaries working here in Haiti.
I am reading a book called “If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat”. The first chapter talks of active faith and “water walking”. There is a quotation from a wise man. His name was Theodore Roosevelt. This is what he says:
“It’s not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena…. Who, at best, knows in the end the triumph of great achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly. So that his place will never be with those cold timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.”
Let us all make efforts wherever we are to “get out of the boat” and serve the Lord!
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo
I have taken the time the last couple of weeks to think about all these things. God has a plan for all of our lives. Which organization is better than another? God calls us all to do different things. He equips us to do the task he wants us to do. Is one persons’ task and calling better than another? The answer is no. There are many organizations and missionaries working here in Haiti. All are striving to help the Haitian people in many ways. Remembering Sammy I ask you to pray for all missions and missionaries working here in Haiti.
I am reading a book called “If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat”. The first chapter talks of active faith and “water walking”. There is a quotation from a wise man. His name was Theodore Roosevelt. This is what he says:
“It’s not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena…. Who, at best, knows in the end the triumph of great achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly. So that his place will never be with those cold timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.”
Let us all make efforts wherever we are to “get out of the boat” and serve the Lord!
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo
Saturday, May 16, 2009
video - IN CHRIST ALONE
This video is about putting our trust in Christ because He is our hope. This is the message that we give to the people we encounter.
Please click on the link to see this video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8welVgKX8Qo&feature=related
Please click on the link to see this video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8welVgKX8Qo&feature=related
photos - various - part 1
There was a crowd of people watching this woman who had been lying in the middle of the road near where Manu, Jacob and Benson go to school. We brought her to the hospital when it started to rain.
She is mentally handicapped and right now is on the floor in the emergency department waiting room. We are trying to find someone to take her in. Pray for this woman that either her family comes for her or a place can be found to house her.
This is Vanessa's new baby brother! He is only 3 days old in this picture. He has big hands.
Vanessa and her mother are homeless. They have been staying in a building that used to be an orphanage. Somebody let them borrow their bed for a few days so that she could sleep in a bed with her new baby. This family is in a difficult situation and needs a lot of prayer.
Vanessa's father wanted the mother to get rid of her. Vanessa has had her surgery and is a very active girl. She stands and talks and I think will be normal except for a larger than normal head. They may return to the Fond Verettes area to Vanessa's grandfather's home.photos - various - part 2
Poutchino Vincent is a hydrocephalus boy who has been at Dorothy's mission for several years. He needs to have surgery to install a stomach feeding tube. He has been having problems aspirating liquids because of swallowing problems. We took him and his mother to haitian immigration this week to apply for a passport. Pray for Dorothy and her staff's efforts at Faith, Hope, Love Infant Rescue in looking after Poutchino as he also suffers seizures and is a very fragile child.
All of a sudden people are coming forward with goiter problems! It happens like this sometimes here. Pray that this young woman can find treatment for hers.
Loudmy Valcourt is enjoying school and settling into life here in Port-au-Prince. You can see her face is more happier and relaxed this week. These are some of her friends in her class.
Kervens Peltro is a 9-year-old mentally handicapped boy. His father is older and was happy that we were interested in taking him into our handicapped program for September.
Jodline Jean is 13 years old and has never had the opportunity to go to school. In September she too will be added to our school program here at Coram Deohaiti update - may 16, 2009
“Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened. But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have…” 1 Peter 3:13-15
Hi! This week focused on the struggles of the handicapped. Late every afternoon I always give Macdonald Jean a ride near to where he lives. He lives in the Cite Jeremie area in our neighborhood. He has some form of neuro-muscular disease and over time it gets progressively worse. He likes to come here to be around the other people and also to advance his education. He is not a child but a young man of around 23 years of age. He is smart and has learned to repair computers and cell phones. He is determined to function in life despite his physical disabilities. Because of his weakness sometimes he falls. He doesn’t complain though and just tries to get back up again. One day he was laying awkwardly on the table and when I walked past him I helped him to sit up in a better position again. I asked him how come he never called out for help and he responded by saying that he knew somebody would walk by him eventually to help. He has a lot of courage in facing his disability. People who are physically handicapped here in Haiti face a lot of obstacles in trying to move around, especially on some of the roads we have here in Haiti! Pray for Macdonald as he courageously faces his neuro-muscular disease.
When we bring Macdonald home the other children always want to come along for a ride in the truck. Late Wednesday afternoon Manu and Benson came along. We dropped off Mackenson and then turned the corner to head back up the street. We saw a crowd of people ahead and Manu said that there was a lady lying on the ground. We stopped the truck and got out to find out what was going on. The crowd was standing around watching a woman lying in the middle part of the road. We went up to her to see if she was dead or alive and she was alive. I asked the crowd if they knew who she was and what happened. Nobody recognized her (or would tell me) and some people responded that she was a “zombie”. Others said that she had collapsed from hunger. One side of her mouth was drooping down and I thought that she might have suffered a stroke. In Haiti the emergency number to dial is 114 and we kept getting a busy signal. We then decided to go to the police station on Delmas 33 to make a report and request their assistance in transporting the woman to the hospital. I showed the policeman the picture on my camera of the woman and he spoke to some other policemen and than a police vehicle drove out of the station. The guy then told me that he sent a vehicle to help out. We went back to the area where she was and the police hadn’t arrived yet. I told the crowd that the police would come and they didn’t think that they would show up. Time went on and the police never came. The people in the crowd told me that I should have told the police that there was some cocaine on the road! It started to rain and we didn’t want to leave her on the road and I asked the crowd to help me lift her into the truck. Nobody budged to help. The only volunteers were the older children here at Coram Deo. Reginald and Harold helped to lift her into the truck. We started to drive downtown and the rain turned into a downpour. The water runs quickly down the streets and we passed a person empty a large sack of garbage on the road for the rains to wash away. This is a common thing for people to do and when the rain stops all the garbage piles up in the low areas. We arrived at General Hospital and brought the lady into the emergency room. We made a report with the doctors and then left her. The lady can’t speak so her name is marked as “Inconnu” (unknown). The doctors asked who was with her and we told them that we found her in the street and couldn’t leave her lying in the rain. I was hoping that her family would search for her and find her in the emergency department at the state hospital. In Haiti if there is nobody with a patient they basically get no treatment and I told the doctors that I would come back the next day and try to find an alternative location to put the woman. We went back to the hospital the next day and brought some food and something to drink for the woman. We didn’t find her in the emergency department. She had been moved to the floor of the waiting room. She didn’t have a stroke but she was mentally handicapped. I don’t know how she ended up in the middle of that street. She either had been wandering around for some time and was weak or else somebody dumped her there. We visited the Brothers of Charity in Cite Pele to see if they could help but they weren’t able to. I did have a good discussion though with one of the Brothers. He is from India and used to work for several years in Mexico with the handicapped. The Brothers of Charity just recently had to put out a young mentally handicapped adult after having problems with him who had been with them since a child. He said that they didn’t want to have to handle another situation like that again. He mentioned the need in Haiti for a place for handicapped adults. He told us to check with the Missionaries of Charity at the Home for the Dying to see if they would take her in but didn’t give much hope. We went there and they were away on retreat. On Monday we hope to speak with the sisters. If they don’t take her in there are no other options available but to leave this woman at the state hospital. When we brought this woman food there was an older man there and he came up to us. He told me that he offered to give her some money to buy food but she didn’t understand. He then gave us the money to help to buy some food for her. At least being there on the floor people will notice her and hopefully give her food and something to drink. Pray for this unknown woman who still is on the floor in the waiting room at the hospital. Christian Horizons has group homes for adults in Canada. I pray that one day they will be able to do the same thing here in Haiti. It can be frustrating trying to help the handicapped in Haiti because there are very few options available. Pray that the society will work together here in Haiti to help.
This week we visited Vanessa Jules and her mother. They have been homeless since the father ordered her mother to get rid of Vanessa. Vanessa is a young hydrocephalus child that was recently operated on. Her mother had her baby in a building, which used to be an orphanage/school. She delivered the baby herself with the help of a couple of other squatters. She loves her children and is doing the best she can to look after them. Pray for this family as they are in a difficult situation.
We have had several requests this week for schooling assistance for some children. Kervens Peltro is a 9-year-old mentally handicapped boy. Jodline Jean is 13 years old and has never completed a year of schooling. Pray we can help them in September in our school program here at Coram Deo.
That’s all the news for today. Have a good weekend!
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo
Hi! This week focused on the struggles of the handicapped. Late every afternoon I always give Macdonald Jean a ride near to where he lives. He lives in the Cite Jeremie area in our neighborhood. He has some form of neuro-muscular disease and over time it gets progressively worse. He likes to come here to be around the other people and also to advance his education. He is not a child but a young man of around 23 years of age. He is smart and has learned to repair computers and cell phones. He is determined to function in life despite his physical disabilities. Because of his weakness sometimes he falls. He doesn’t complain though and just tries to get back up again. One day he was laying awkwardly on the table and when I walked past him I helped him to sit up in a better position again. I asked him how come he never called out for help and he responded by saying that he knew somebody would walk by him eventually to help. He has a lot of courage in facing his disability. People who are physically handicapped here in Haiti face a lot of obstacles in trying to move around, especially on some of the roads we have here in Haiti! Pray for Macdonald as he courageously faces his neuro-muscular disease.
When we bring Macdonald home the other children always want to come along for a ride in the truck. Late Wednesday afternoon Manu and Benson came along. We dropped off Mackenson and then turned the corner to head back up the street. We saw a crowd of people ahead and Manu said that there was a lady lying on the ground. We stopped the truck and got out to find out what was going on. The crowd was standing around watching a woman lying in the middle part of the road. We went up to her to see if she was dead or alive and she was alive. I asked the crowd if they knew who she was and what happened. Nobody recognized her (or would tell me) and some people responded that she was a “zombie”. Others said that she had collapsed from hunger. One side of her mouth was drooping down and I thought that she might have suffered a stroke. In Haiti the emergency number to dial is 114 and we kept getting a busy signal. We then decided to go to the police station on Delmas 33 to make a report and request their assistance in transporting the woman to the hospital. I showed the policeman the picture on my camera of the woman and he spoke to some other policemen and than a police vehicle drove out of the station. The guy then told me that he sent a vehicle to help out. We went back to the area where she was and the police hadn’t arrived yet. I told the crowd that the police would come and they didn’t think that they would show up. Time went on and the police never came. The people in the crowd told me that I should have told the police that there was some cocaine on the road! It started to rain and we didn’t want to leave her on the road and I asked the crowd to help me lift her into the truck. Nobody budged to help. The only volunteers were the older children here at Coram Deo. Reginald and Harold helped to lift her into the truck. We started to drive downtown and the rain turned into a downpour. The water runs quickly down the streets and we passed a person empty a large sack of garbage on the road for the rains to wash away. This is a common thing for people to do and when the rain stops all the garbage piles up in the low areas. We arrived at General Hospital and brought the lady into the emergency room. We made a report with the doctors and then left her. The lady can’t speak so her name is marked as “Inconnu” (unknown). The doctors asked who was with her and we told them that we found her in the street and couldn’t leave her lying in the rain. I was hoping that her family would search for her and find her in the emergency department at the state hospital. In Haiti if there is nobody with a patient they basically get no treatment and I told the doctors that I would come back the next day and try to find an alternative location to put the woman. We went back to the hospital the next day and brought some food and something to drink for the woman. We didn’t find her in the emergency department. She had been moved to the floor of the waiting room. She didn’t have a stroke but she was mentally handicapped. I don’t know how she ended up in the middle of that street. She either had been wandering around for some time and was weak or else somebody dumped her there. We visited the Brothers of Charity in Cite Pele to see if they could help but they weren’t able to. I did have a good discussion though with one of the Brothers. He is from India and used to work for several years in Mexico with the handicapped. The Brothers of Charity just recently had to put out a young mentally handicapped adult after having problems with him who had been with them since a child. He said that they didn’t want to have to handle another situation like that again. He mentioned the need in Haiti for a place for handicapped adults. He told us to check with the Missionaries of Charity at the Home for the Dying to see if they would take her in but didn’t give much hope. We went there and they were away on retreat. On Monday we hope to speak with the sisters. If they don’t take her in there are no other options available but to leave this woman at the state hospital. When we brought this woman food there was an older man there and he came up to us. He told me that he offered to give her some money to buy food but she didn’t understand. He then gave us the money to help to buy some food for her. At least being there on the floor people will notice her and hopefully give her food and something to drink. Pray for this unknown woman who still is on the floor in the waiting room at the hospital. Christian Horizons has group homes for adults in Canada. I pray that one day they will be able to do the same thing here in Haiti. It can be frustrating trying to help the handicapped in Haiti because there are very few options available. Pray that the society will work together here in Haiti to help.
This week we visited Vanessa Jules and her mother. They have been homeless since the father ordered her mother to get rid of Vanessa. Vanessa is a young hydrocephalus child that was recently operated on. Her mother had her baby in a building, which used to be an orphanage/school. She delivered the baby herself with the help of a couple of other squatters. She loves her children and is doing the best she can to look after them. Pray for this family as they are in a difficult situation.
We have had several requests this week for schooling assistance for some children. Kervens Peltro is a 9-year-old mentally handicapped boy. Jodline Jean is 13 years old and has never completed a year of schooling. Pray we can help them in September in our school program here at Coram Deo.
That’s all the news for today. Have a good weekend!
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo
Saturday, May 9, 2009
photos - various
We got sad news this week that Sammy died in Fond Baptiste. He was 20 years old. He is in heaven now where he suffers no more.
Jacob had his 15th birthday this week. Jacob is Sammy's cousin. It was on a visit to see Jacob when I first met Sammy (when he was 11 years old).
This 6-year-old girl is our newest addition to the school program here at Coram Deo. Her mother died a couple of weeks ago and her 7-month-old baby sister died a week later. She is now an orphan and will be raised by her aunt and uncle. Her aunt, Joana is one of the hydrocephalus parents (mother of Chrisno). By the end of the week she was sitting in class and starting to smile. Keep her in prayer.
Gilberto Romain is a happy 3-year-old boy who has cerebral palsy. His mother said that he can't still hold his head very well and I told her not to give up that it would just take more time.
I showed her that one day he may walk. Here he is making an effort to stand. Here he is trying to push up with his head. This is a good exercise to build neck strength. Hopefully she will keep in contact.photos - various
Valny Brunel is a 46 year old man who recently had his left leg amputated just below the knee. In August 2008 he was robbed in the Fond Parisien area by three men armed with knives. They pushed him into a hole which was about 10 ft deep. His leg was severely damaged. He went to the Medecins Sans Frontieres Hospital where they attempted to save his leg. In April 2009 they ended up amputating it. He got robbed after completing a business deal and had $5,000US in cash on him. He believes his business partner arranged the robbery. His business partner suddenly died a week after this mans' leg was amputated. Valny had told his family and friends not to take revenge.
Christella Odene is a 13-year-old girl who suffered some serious burns in a fire when she was only 3 months old.
Her right hand suffered some scarring damage. With plastic surgery I think that her hand function can improve. A plastic surgeon who specialises in hand surgery visited Haiti a couple of years ago. I am going to try and get into contact with him to see if he may be able to help this girl.
Marie Alsouna Maitre is a 13-year-old girl who I met 11 years ago. She was born with an encephalocele between her eyes. Ruth Zimmermann of Notre Maison found surgery for her in the United States during that time. The doctors in the United States told her that they would be able to do further surgery on her tear ducts 10 years later. I don't have any of her old info. Pray that we can find the hospital that helped her and also if they can help her once again.
Freud Jean is a 7-month-old baby boy with hydrocephalus. The family lives in the Fond Parisien region. We brought him to Healing Hands this week to register in the next hydrocephalus program. We had 3 new hydrocephalus contacts this week!
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