Grand-Goave to Luperòn

Lex and I are back in Massachusetts now, after a trip to Grand-Goâve, Haiti (Lex only) and Luperòn, DR (both of us). The mission in Haiti continues to be a beacon of hope for the communities we serve. We are constantly in prayer for our brothers and sisters in Haiti. The churches are being encouraged with the truth of the Word of God which is not dependent on the physical world around us.

The new fish pond has been completed.

The babies are growing! Good food, good nutrition, and happy babies make us all happy!

Our time in the Dominican Republic made me even more grateful to the Lord (and our partners!) for the medical clinic at MOHI in Grand-Goâve.

The Dominican Republic has government-operated hospitals which provide "free" healthcare. We met a young man in a village in Imbert who had been bedridden since he was involved in a motorcycle accident on April 3rd. It left him with several broken bones. He visited the hospital 3 times and found help for multiple fractures, but 5 months later is still laying in bed with an open wound with a bone sticking out of his hip area. He was told the surgery he needs is expensive and while the hospital will supplement the cost, he was told he needs to come up with $2500. He had no way of coming up with that money and so he continues laying in his bed with a bone sticking out. I prayed with him before I left that day. The Lord will provide for this young man - most likely through you and me. I believe the Lord led us to him to help him and also to open our eyes to the depth of need in general. Even though the Dominican Republic is so much wealthier than Haiti, it is still a very poor country with many basic needs not being met in the poorer communities.

We found the people from this little village in Imbert to be very hospitable. They welcomed us into their conversations, told us about their lives in both countries, and I suspect they enjoyed watching us play with their kids.

I'm not sure who enjoyed the "fútbol" game more - Lex or his new friends? I think American football has really impacted my husband. I mean, have you ever seen soccer players tackled like this??? After they played, everyone visited a local shop for some freshly baked cookies.

Lex brought my clothes from Haiti over to Luperòn for me. I enjoyed getting to wear some items that I hadn't had access to in quite some time. I went through the new mission house and started making a list of items we will be needing (pots, potholders, dish towels, a can opener, extension cords, a tool kit, patio furniture, folding chairs, fans, chest freezer...). Each day we went out to visit and also for some official meetings. We met with the mayor of Luperòn, Mayor Douglas (pronounced DOO-glahs in Spanish), who officially welcomed us to his city. This picture was taken in his office with (left to right) our advocate Ladis, MOHI DR Country Director Bernard, Mayor Douglas, Renée, Lex, and our "so much more than a" realtor, José.

We talked quite a bit with Mayor Douglas about the healthcare needs of his community - especially in the rural areas. We look forward to working together with him to help alleviate some of the sufferings.

We later met with the director of the local hospital, Dr. Souelo. One area in particular we discussed is how to have primary care for poor neighborhoods where the people don't want to go to the hospital until they're on death's door. Well-baby checkups? Hmmmm. Dr. Souelo talked with us about a particular village that is a good distance from a hospital. She told us a patient would have to pay $12 just to take a motorcycle to get to the hospital. That's simply beyond the means available to some of these families. God has a plan!

That's it for this update. I hope to share some more about this trip with you next week. Thank you for your continued support of our friends in Haiti. As we now venture into another country, I ask that you would consider partnering with us there. We are working with Pastor Miratel, who is closely in touch with the Haitian community in particular. He has shared many needs with us. You now have the opportunity to join in bringing hope to hurting individuals in the greater Luperòn area. Thank you!