Mission Trip - July 9 - 17, 2013
• Next Trip
o The best dates for Fr. Nexcene are the last week in January or later, before that there may be conflict with the annual diocesesan priest retreat.
• Extremely Poor Mothers/Families Fund
o Many of the people that we entered into the extremely poor families fund showed up again this trip. The program seems to be working well.
o One example is a woman who has been taking care of a relative’s small baby. The mother had post-partum depression and wasn’t nursing the baby.
She received formula for the baby over the last six months from the money in the poor mother fund. The baby is now about 8 months old and doing
alright. She will continue to receive the formula.
o We asked if any of the mothers were doing better on their own and could be taken out of the program, he said he thought they all still needed help.
o A few more were added, which spreads the funds a little thinner.
• Homemade Albs for Mass
o Someone locally made and donated two sets of albs/surplices that Fr. Nexcene had previously requested for the servers at our sister parish. We
delivered these during this trip. They turned out very nicely and Fr. Nexcene was very happy with them.
• Father Nexcene’s Priorities
o We did not have time to discuss this, we will ask about this during Fr. Nexcene’s September visit.
Mission Focus Area #2 – Health Care for our Sister Parish
• Sea Container
o This trip had huge obstacles before it even began. Due to increasing difficulty bringing medicine through customs in the airport, we have been looking
for alternative ways to get our medicine there. We have priced buying medicine in Haiti and it would cost at least four times what we spend now. The
last couple of trips we have submitted letters and lists of medicine to the Ministry of Health in an attempt to get official clearance to bring the
medicine in. This last trip we did get the official stamped approval from the Minister of Health. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the next approval from
the Minister of Finance to bring it in without any fees. Although we qualify for this as part of an officially recognized NGO in Haiti, the paperwork is
so cumbersome, we couldn’t get it done.
o This trip we decided to send our medicine ahead on a sea container. Last fall we had sent a generator through a not for profit organization that sends
items to Haiti, and it worked very well. They have a spot at a warehouse in Port-au-Prince where they keep items until someone from the sister parish
pick them up.
o We ordered/packed all of our medicine and a volunteer drove it to their building in Michigan during the middle of March. We were expecting it to
take 6 to 8 weeks before it would be available to us in Port-au-Prince, so plenty of time.
o Three things happened to delay this. First, their March container filled up early, so we actually shipped on a container in late April. Also, the
organization sent another March container from Ohio that went into queue before ours. Third, there was a change in the Minister of Finance in Haiti
and all the paper work changed. It took the shipping organization a while to meet all the new requirements.
o About 2 weeks before our trip, they were giving us a 50% chance of having our medicine released. We repurchased/packed nearly everything. The sea
container did not get released in time and we ended up carrying everything through the airport as usual. Fortunately, we had no problems doing this.
o Because only half of the group was local, we didn’t have as much space to pack items as usual, and we didn’t repurchase any of the vitamins. During
the trip, patients were given a card for vitamins and instructed to come back in August to get their vitamins. The medicine should be released by then,
the Haitian nurse who works full time in the clinic will be able to distribute the vitamins for us.
o Of the 12 totes we packed, the Haitian nurse will have access to 5 of them. They contain the vitamins, blood pressure program medicine, toothpaste
and toothbrushes for the school children. The remaining 7 totes will remain sealed for the January group to use. We have detailed lists of what is in
each tote, so will not have to repurchase everything for the January group.
• Medical clinic/pharmacy
o Clinic Results/Numbers
o Totals were 1020 patients that went through our 4 days of clinic.
o We made sure that anyone who wanted to go to clinic got to go to clinic, those who seemed the poorest or the most needy were put at the front of the
line.
o Most every patient that came into the clinic had an ID card either from a previous trip or from our ID card station that was producing ID cards this
trip. The ID card station was easily able to keep up and keep us supplied with patients. There were several patients that reported that they left their ID
card at their house.
o We used lights most every night to finish. The last night is always the longest, but was longer this time than usual. Part of the problem seems to have
been that since Fr. Nexcene was away, someone else was issuing dossiers (charts to see the doctor) and they did not stop early enough. The
pharmacy was overwhelmed and the doctors had to stop a few times to help catch them up. We will need to address this on the next trip, to make sure
everyone seen receives quality and safe care.
o There is a little girl named Roselor that we have been working with for several years. She has a PDA heart condition and is in dire need of coming to
the USA for heart surgery. We have been working with an organization called “Everyone’s Child International” to bring her to the USA for surgery.
They are in turn working with a group in Michigan. We have a commitment from the hospital. She was supposed to have surgery last week, but the
organization in Haiti helping with the visa stepped out and we didn’t get it in time. We are working hard to get the surgery rescheduled and obtain a
visa.
o A physician from the last trip has been working to find a hospital in the United States where Jesula, a young mother in her twenties, can have surgery
for a large growth/lump on the side of her face. We took her to Port-au-Prince during the last trip for a scan, and got a diagnosis of amelioblastoma.
We are hopeful to find a hospital to commit to the surgery. We previously asked Fr. Nexcene to begin helping her get a passport, so that when the
hospital is secured, we can quickly get her visa. The passport process has begun, but due to an error on her birth certificate, it is taking awhile. A
lawyer is having to help them get it fixed.
• Dental clinic and extractions.
o This trip had our largest dental team yet. Dr. Mark and Dr. Erica are local dentists who went on their first trip. They were able to use Dr. Wendt’s
dental unit. They did mostly extractions, but also several repairs.
o Dr. Peterson is our usually Haitian dentist who worked with Dr. Mark and Dr. Erica during the week.
o For the first time, we hired two dentists who are part of a five man mobile Haitian dentist team. They bring all their own equipment, their own dental
unit, and portable dental chairs. Unfortunately, their dental unit broke the week before, but they were still able to do a great job with extractions.
o The combined five dentists put on an amazing dental clinic. They saw a combined 336 patients and completed even more extractions and a significant
number of repairs. They worked together very well, learning from each other’s different experiences.
o Fr. Nexcene reported that the people constantly request repairs and not just extractions. Hopefully we can expand on repairs in the future.
o The dental team were able to work in one of the classrooms with a newly repaired roof this trip. This is an improvement over previous trips where
they worked in a condemned classroom.
• Blood pressure program
o Two pre-med students were on our trip. They are working on a research project for their school that evaluates how much the patients in the blood
pressure program know about hypertension and also look at how their diet may be affecting their blood pressures.
o Robbie and Aubrey will return to Gandou for two weeks to finish the project when Fr. Nexcene returns from his trip the first week of August.
o Their goal is to interview between 70 and 100 patients.
o Robbie and Aubrey will also be able to update us on any referrals that occur while they are there, they can see how the day to day clinic goes when
we are away, and possibly help with the visa process for Roselor.
Mission Focus Area #3 – Team Members Experience Haiti and Especially Our Sister Parish.
• Port-au-Prince
o The airport in Haiti has once again changed. It is back to the original location, only more modern. The immigration station actually looks very much
like immigration in Miami.
o No one from Matthew 25 was inside to meet us, but we didn’t have any problems in the airport.
o The truck from Matthew 25 and Laikaard and our two rentals were waiting for us. We were able to leave for the guest house fairly quick.
o Two members of the group were flying on Delta and came in a little after us. Their flight was delayed, but we managed to all meet up.
o Now that Delta is also offering flights into Haiti, American Airlines prices appear to be dropping a little. We will price both for the next trip.
o Everyone settled into Matthew 25 guest house well. There were many cool missionaries there to meet and to talk to. We had great fun.
o Matthew 25 is now being run by a new staff. Bertony Domond is the head person. Michelle, a young lady from Carmel, IN is helping to run it for the
next year.
o Due to Tropical Storm Chantal, which was due to hit Haiti in the middle of the day on Wednesday, we were hoping to get a really early start the next
morning.
o Unfortunately, Fr. Nexcene wasn’t able to pick us up any earlier. We got on the road around 10:00.
• Travel to Gandou
o We didn’t have too much trouble with traffic in Port-au-Prince.
o After going through Leogane and turning on the road toward Jacmel, the rain began. It was coming down heavily and quickly covering the road.
o We were still on the paved road, so we decided to keep going, but stop at any time if it began to seem unsafe. We really didn’t think we would be able
to make it across the river and up the mountain.
o The rain quickly stopped and the road actually dried up quickly. We knew more rain was coming, so remained cautious.
o We made good time, the river was actually one of the lowest we have ever seen. They were coming off the dry season, so the rain hadn’t had time to
affect it much.
o It started raining in Gandou about an hour before we got there. The last 15 minutes was a little muddy, but not too bad.
• Accommodations in Gandou
o The plan was for the women to stay in the large rectory room and four of the men in the smaller. The rest of the men were to stay in tents on the roof.
o Since it was raining and windy due to Chantal on the first night, the extra men staying inside the rectory on the dining room floor.
o Due to not much room in the luggage because the sea container was not released, we didn’t bring any air mattresses with us. We were relying on ones
we had sent on previous trips. Unfortunately there was only a couple around. We used a couple of the pool mattresses we use in clinic. A few people
slept on cushions from the chairs in the sitting area of the rectory dining room. We need to address this before the next trip.
o We also need to consider helping complete the rectory, to open up another room for our groups. It is important for people to get good sleep to help
them through the week. Sleeping on the roof in tents is definitely not ideal.
o The weather was a little cooler than usual in July.
o Water from the cistern seemed to be available as the team needed it.
o Food was a little light this trip, more than usual. The cooks seemed to be having trouble with the stove one night. There was often only one main dish
and not many sides. We ran out of food several meals. We wondered if part of this was because Fr. Nexcene was not there (see below).
• Fr. Nexcene
o Another major obstacle for this trip was a few months ago when Fr. Nexcene e-mailed us that the dates of his trip to Brazil had changed. He needed us
to move our trip because he couldn’t be there.
o His trip was with a group of priests and youth to attend World Youth Day.
o We explained we couldn’t change our dates. We had already purchased plane tickets and vacations from work had been arranged.
o Fr. Nexcene graciously found another priest, Fr. Joslin, vicar at the cathedral to be in Gandou to host us for the week. Fr. Nexcene was there the first
day and a half, then left for his trip.
o Fr. Joslin was very welcoming and helpful.
• Exposure to Haiti
o The uncertainty of how Tropical Storm Chantal would affect us, lets us see part of how the weather can greatly affect the lives of the Haitians. It was
interesting that none of the Haitians we talked to were concerned about it at all. I think part of this was an attitude that if you can’t change something,
why worry about it before it happens. Also, until it actually started raining, many did not believe us that it was on the way to Haiti.
o The travel to and from Gandou is always good for people to experience because it too opens our eyes to the way that people live in Haiti. It helps you
realized how trapped by poverty the people are.
o On Friday, most of the group were able to visit the local market. This helped them better understand the daily life in Gandou.
o On Sunday, most of the group took a hike to the top of the mountain. Some of the team took a smaller walk to the newly built clinic. A few people
were able to visit people in their homes.
o One area that we feel we are lacking on the trips is building a real connection to the people in Gandou and the translators.
o It seemed like on this trip especially that our team simply was not able to spend enough time with the Haitian people to make a connection. I wish we
were able to spend more time sitting with them near the rectory or on the Church steps….maybe after the Church construction is done.