April 2018
I returned from La Mer Frappe Haiti in April 2018 and would like to return 3 times a year. On the April trip i was provided fluoride and able to give it to each child in the school. We saw over 200 people total but procedures were very limited. We were able to perform cleanings, surgical extractions, simple extractions, and atraumatic restorative therapy (ART). Basically, no equipment so things were done by hand. We did triage on this porch and our dental clinic was located inside.
What you are reading is my 7 day journal while I was in Haiti.
Ephesians 3:20
DAY 1
We are up and ready to go!!!! We set up the clinic. Late night dinner and to bed we went. The ride at night in the tap tap was very prayerful! Lol! Continue to pray for sustainability. Love to all! Its absolutely beautiful here!
DAY 2
Beautiful people. Beautiful faces. Update on today. Screened and applied flouride to 158 kids today and saw some adult teachers as well. They all got toothbrushes and toothpaste. God is greater.... Jesus did it. Can't wait to see what he does tomorrow. Pictures will come later. (I was too busy working. Smiley face) Some kids at the school still need to be sponsored. Please consider it. 30 dollars a month feeds them and gets them an education.
DAY 3
God is working here in Haiti! Had an experience like no other today. The Holy Spirit came in and turned a surgical extraction with no hand piece into an extraction with no hand piece! Saw 11 patients today, 15 patients tomorrow. Without him I am nothing and with him I don't have to worry about anything. #tryjesus
It's working!!! The sterilizer is working in Haiti by a generator. We sterilized our first sets of instruments yesterday without a hitch. All glory to God and the special people he sent to help me. The Crosslink team ROCKS! Thanks to Lauria Davis who found it and purchased it for me and then donated it! #Godisgreat
DAY 4
All glory to God Today was a good day overall. Everything is in Gods hands and there is literally some stuff I just can’t do out here. Today, 2 school children came today for screenings and fluoride 1 additional child came for an extraction. In all I saw 25 patients total.
- Pray for Rolnase and post operative infection. We are getting her antibiotics. She is pretty swollen today.
Pray for a 6 month pregnant woman she has high blood pressure and is in pain from a wisdom tooth. If I took it out without an X-ray and ran into complications I can put her into labor.
Pray for a specific woman with the high blood pressure and those I saw with wisdom tooth pain today.
Everyone’s wisdom teeth were impacted. We can’t do those without a drill.
There was a child with stomach pains today please Pray for her.
14 year old boy that had shingles. Only had 1 months worth of medicine couldn’t afford the rest.
My feet and calves are literally throbbing today. My neck/ back is in bad shape. Please pray God sustain me for this final mission day tomorrow. I’m supposed to see 15 patients. I have no idea what’s coming thru the door. God does.....to him is all the glory and honor due.
DAY 5
“ Nothing’s missing, nothings lacking,
I have all I need at the table of God with me. I have found what I need, what I need is him everything is filled at the table”. Today is a new day!!!Prayers appreciated. Praise!!!!
Update!!!
Hey hey hey!!! Today was a new day. This morning when I woke up God planted a Travis Greene song on my heart. That’s what I sent y’all this morning. Every devotion I read said to set my mind on him and it will set the tone for my day. Well here goes.
It’s long ...... this morning we were an hour late getting to the work site. This meant I was an hour behind on patients. I had 5 patients coming every 2 hours. There was a woman outside of the clinic who had been beaten by her husband and I had to clean her up. In the middle of the day a worker cut himself I had to patch that up. I’m a doctor and a dentist.
So I played travis Greene all day and kept working my mind was still on Rolanse. Rolnase came back and the infection was going down! All praises to God. I shouted in that clinic. And she was feeling better. She played outside all day!!!! Arnold was able to buy me the antibiotics like he said. I just gave him 20 dollars and told him to get the syrup and the pill form as much as he could! Well he came back with 2 bottles and 1 box of 100 pills of amoxicillin. Rolanse was able to get an entire bottle of meds.
On top of that another little girl I took a tooth out on was starting to swell so she got a bottle of antibiotics. Then I had enough pills for every patient that needed it today All because of Rolnase yesterday. God did that so that he could provide for me today. Can you imagine how I would have felt on the last day with no antibiotics to give and all this infection coming in. I had not seen ANY INFECTION for the first 2 days. God is able. On top of that the clinic was wide open all day and I saw 14 patients before lunch. After lunch people just kept coming. I finally had to cut the line off and people were still coming from far away. The last couple that came I was able to give the wife antibiotics. Everyone who saw me today got tooth brushes and tooth paste for their entire family!!!
I had to pack up all the clinic today and take inventory. God sent the team I was with to help me pack it all up in time for the prayer walk thru the community. Once I walked thru the community I now know why they are infected.
DAY 6
The last thing I will say about this experience is that for people who have so little they all dressed in their best attire. Today is the day to give away the clothes and shoes I have worn all week. Yesterday I found a girl in fourth grade whose feet are as big as mine!!! She will get dress shoes and sneakers! That baby smiled when I had her try on my shoes yesterday. Because the Haitian people are so giving she will probably keep one pair and give the others to someone else. They do the same thing with everything they have they “patache” which means share.
After church we went to eat lunch. Reminded me of Zambian strip mall except zambia is way more developed. I ordered veggie burger, sprite and fries. They handed me a 7up and told me they were out of a veggie burger. So I ordered a Phily steak. Took 50 mins for it to come out. Everyone else was finished and offered me their pizza. I ate that and when my sandwich came out no fries and it had an after taste so after one small bite I said throw it away but Aaron decided to give it to the Haitian people instead and they enjoyed it. They throw away nothing here. They want our empty water bottles with the lid. When my ice packs melted they drank the water from it. Some ask for a lot of items but some just sit back and wait and pray. If I feel led by the spirit I offer anything I have. One woman got my pearl earrings yesterday I was looking for someone with pierced ears. God sent me someone. He sent me the little girl who could fit my shoes and the little girl who sold me my souvenirs her mom needs some shoes so she will get my other pair. I’m coming home in flip flops!!! Lol! They have all asked for our headbands but there is a little girl here named Katrina. She is a beast on the soccer field and she will get mine. Rolnase will get Kaylee’s.
After eating we went to the orphanage. My heart would not let me go in there. Pray for those children who are born here disabled in this kind of environment. How could you walk 20 mins to the well with no legs or blind or mentally ill? These children are fed but conditions are very harsh. Pray for the parents who had no choice but to get their children here because life is too hard. We are so blessed that God allows us to keep our children at home no matter what their condition.
Last stop was back at the church for questions and answers about the Bible. They asked some excellent questions. For example what is the difference between religion and denominations? What if eve never ate the fruit of the tree of life? I own a business and church members who are hungry come to me to get something on credit but have not paid me back so do I still have to continue to do it because I am a Christian?
They had the same questions we have!!! And Pastor Ken gave them spot on answers. At the end of church it was time to say goodbye. Today we go to the resort so their is no work so some will go other places. My interpreter and his daughter so I gave what I had to them and Kaylee gave her converses to the daughter. She wrote in English on a piece of paper and had been practicing “have a safe trip home and may God bless you”. I lost it in tears again. They don’t have a house in la Mer yet. Her older sister was kidnapped and killed at 7 months pregnant . So it’s just her and her dad. Another missionary Teresa is sending money to help build them a house. I was so sad to see them go.
One more story and then I will stop. The last day of the Dental clinic someone came in for treatment. He was willing not to get any treatment if I would just give him a book. I was using some stacked books for the kids to sit on. Of course I could not but these peoples hearts to learn is incredible. They learn 5 and 6 different languages. They sit outside the schools to see if they can listen and learn.
Ok last one again. While at lunch guess what God placed next door? A PHARMACY!!! ARnold went in with me and they had all of samuels medicines!!!! So we took the food we had left over from the week and the medicines to his mom. Samuel looks worse but his mom was sooooo thankful. We hugged and I left her with hand sanitizer so she doesn’t spread what he has all over him. According to the translator Samuel has always been very sick BUT one thing I do know God is a HEALER!!! His will be done for Samuel. ️ He smiles again with us and his precious toys we gave him were sitting on top of the table at the door when we arrived. You can tell it was his prized possession. Attached are photos from church. Thanks for reading and have a beautiful day!!! ️️️
DAY 7
Please pray for our hearts. Today we had to say goodbye to the children. Kaylee and Sydney are having the hardest time. Kaylee is still crying when you say anything about it.
Well tomorrow we come home. I know I will be back. Prayerfully 3 times a year!!! This was an incredible opportunity. Please pray for a safe journey with no issues. We leave here about 3:30.
The thirst for God here is so real. We have met lovely people who are now friends and will never be forgotten. My anxiety almost kept me from this trip. The support and provisions God has given is undeniable. When you are in a place that resources are not as plentiful you begin to realize that NOTHING you have done is of your own doing.
Haitians depend on God for everything. They waste nothing. The share everything they have and they are so thirsty for the word of God that they pack into the first 6 pews and skip the back ones. Everyone wants to hear and everyone wants to hear. What would happen if we all pushed to the front of the church? There would be plenty of room and space for new comers and they too would be thirsty for God. It’s literally between 90 and 100 here everyday and they work with little water. They are checking and rubbing on me to make sure I’m ok.
These people have patience they will wait all day and are so grateful for anything you can do. I’m sad to leave them but comforted in knowing if it’s gods will I will return. Jesus is real and never failing. There are lots of areas in which I am inadequate as a matter of fact I’m inadequate in everything. Lol! I’m not in control. He is and I’m happy to be resting in him.
The stuff I used to worried about is now a drip drop in the bucket. I need to stay in his presence and keep my mind on him all the time. The only way I can do that is to continuously read, feed my spiritual soul, and worship him. This is an awesome place to be in and I am thankful to God for giving me this opportunity.
Our most fun was the baptism. We went LIVE and you can still view that on my page. The second most fun was on the back of the tap tap today. The tap tap wouldn’t start so we started singing. We sang and worshipped. There is a video but it’s not in my phone so I will post it later. The tap tap did start and we were back on our way. Tiffany is much better and Sydney is too. PRAISE!
Praise report 5 children have been sponsored off of my post. Let’s pray for some more. There are still about 100 that need to be sponsored.
DAY 8
Good morning All! Calling on prayer for my stomach. It is running off today and we have to leave in about an hour and get to the airport around 1. Please pray God settles my stomach. In Jesus Name. Amen.
We made it home safely praise God! Thank you all for the prayers my stomach held up for both plane rides and the metal market. God is sooooo faithful! My heart is heavy because I miss Haiti and it’s people. I am praying that God will allow me to quickly return. See y’all Sunday
Some things to think about for future trips that you can donate :
Menstrual cups for women.
Cloth diapers for the babies with the outer liners most go around during the week without diapers. They only wear diapers to church.
Bras and underwear. Most of the girls and women don’t have them.
Bookbags for the children. Most don’t have them.
I now find myself looking at all of the “stuff” I have in my home and how useful it can be in Haiti.
Pray for us all and the nation of Haiti and its people.
Testimony at church:
It all started with Kaylee. Kaylee wanted to sponsor a child for her birthday and Go to Haiti. Who says no to that? So I was just going to go no dentistry involved.As much as I tried to tell myself that over and over it was just not sitting well with me.
The real back story started about 5 years ago; our missions leaders from the church were already going to Haiti. I inquired about dental/medical services and they connected me with the right people. However, there was no infrastructure for it. I really did want to do it, but it was too much work. I figured I will just wait until someone else goes and then I will follow. Maybe later...... fast forward int the future and here we are....
God will provide.
Regardless of circumstance or situation God will provide. Nothings missing. Nothing lacking. He has everything we need at the table. It’s up to us to meet him at the table.
Before I went to Haiti I was worried. . I cast my net far and wide looking for information. I thought I had it all planned out. But it bothered me because I couldn’t see. No vision. Anxiety attack. I reached out to colleagues and even a previous dentist that had been in the area. There was one Haitian Creole dentist who sent me emails full of items and documents I might need. A lot was on paper but nothing was tangible. I was even sent a video on how to sterilize instruments without an autoclave. Where that was going to come from I had no idea. What was the set up going to be? Who was going to help me? No idea.
But things started happening the closer I came to the trip. About 4 weeks before we were to leave.
For example, out of the blue a VOCO rep I didn’t know donated 200 fluoride applications for children. I had no idea how many kids were in the school. Contacted Arnold 178 kids were in the school. More than enough.
The sterilization video I saw in December with this sterilization device was actually seen in a habitat for humanity window on auction by one of my friends. Who went in bought it for 50 dollars. The one in video ran by fire this one was electric!
The vendor I was talking to happened to tell everyone he knew and he had boxes of gloves, guaze, masks, and other items I might need prior to me ever placing an order. Now we needed to get it over there.
The unknown. change. I don’t like those things. God stretched me on this trip.
Got there the first day and Arnold wanted to set up. I had no idea what the space looked. God started working. He gave the vision to put stuff in places and sit this here and there.
Labeling he sent a teammate who was very good at organizing and she organized the clinic with labels. God gave me everything I needed. He have me assistants sterilization techs.
He sent the correct translators. We saw teachers and school children the first 2 days. God knows my heart and he knows me. I love children. I have loved children from the time I started my career. (Another long story)
We were able to screen all the kids give them fluoride treatments and identify those with infection that needed treatment.
The second day we were able to treat the infected kids and see some adults as well. Not every child came back with parents permission. But rest assured I know that each individual god intended to be treated by me were treated. I know that because god was moving and I was no longer in the way with my own agenda to see the fruitfulness of his labor.
One of these instances we were in the Dental clinic. I had marked the patient as surgical extraction. I don’t have a surgical hand piece nothing but my two hands the instruments I have and Jesus. There was a piece of bone that needed to be moved. God moved it. After prayer and interceding on this child’s behalf. It was lunch time so everyone was coming in and most people saw it. Not by my might, power, education nothing. ALL GOD. Never have I felt the presence of god so strong. I was weak tired hungry and my mind knew that I couldn’t do it. But God did it!
Third day was a low for me. Not because god wasn’t working but because one child came back with infection. Well I was upset to say the least. Infection is normal. Swelling is normal. But I’m a land of limited resources it is frustrating. None the less with some donations we had money for antibiotics but this baby wouldn’t get them until the next day. Prayer. I prayed with mom and continued to pray. Alicia had some antibiotics I split a pill in half gave that. I actually had more of those but mom left them. So I said god didn’t want her to have those.
Arnold assured me he would get antibiotics. No big deal. Gave him 20 dollars told him what to get. The next day he gave them to me. All needs meet. The baby showed up the next day the infection was already going down!!! She got an entire regimen of antibiotics. On this day and the last day of treatment I had more infection come thru the door. That baby had to go thru that so God could prepare me for what was coming next.
Prayer in the community and Samuel the sponsored child. He was out of school we didn’t see him all week.. God is our healer and strength. God was already saying it is well. We prayed. He did get medicine from the pharmacy (30 dollars) but was still not well. Update on Samuel. He is well and in school and smiling. !!!
If I had seen Samuel on the first day I wouldn’t have had the perspective I did after my first 3 days in my Haiti journey.
God is much to big for the box I keep him in here in America. I am striving to walk with god every step of my life now. Things are not important. We have too many resources and too much stuff here in America. If I would move out of the way and let him work I would be better. I’m sure I have delayed my process here on earth. 18 years ago in Dental school who would have thought that I didn’t get into pediatric Dental school so I could learn about all parts of the body and go into a general residency program.. So I could set ankles, diagnosis problems, and know how to help the people of Haiti.
So much was done in Haiti on this journey but it was only by his grace and mercy. He is the way maker and the provider. If I can see the end of it then it’s not ALL God. I went in blind with a few angels here and there saying we are praying for you. All will be well. And I had one who said Katrina I already see you over there doing it. I have been there and I know it is going to be great.
Be encouraging to one another. You never know what your words may mean to someone. Be more attentive to your surroundings and environment. Depend and rely on God for all of your needs. He is your help and strength.
