Tag: Haiti

Posted in Life

My wife’s back from Haiti!

Posted on by William Douthwaite

She flew back to Miami this past Sunday, and my youngest daughter and I drove down to meet her and drive back home on Monday. Was it ever good to see her! I also got to meet a number of the medical mission team she went with her and talk with them over supper. An interesting, diverse, and talented group who made a difference in the 1300 patients they saw at the church turned into a clinic the week before.

She was glad to be home, for the conditions were hot, sticky, rainy and dirty. But I think a part of her wanted to stay since so many would need so much help for years to come. Even though what they did was awesome, it was only a drop in the bucket. The team had just gotten to know each other and many members of the church and community, so it was as hard to leave as it would have been to stay. One of those paradox things.

Now that she knows people there, we’ll be able to stay in touch and help more in the future. It feels very different to help people you met and know by name than to just support “missions” somewhere, so this can be a great opportunity for her and our congregation. Where will she (or hopefully, “we”) go next? Hard to say. There are many, many opportunities. Of course, for just about everything now, you must pay your own way, so a little planning is needed.

So, God — what’s next?

Posted in Life

30 hour famine

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I spending the night at church with the youth group tonight, who are doing a thirty hour famine to raise money for World Vision, specifically their work in Haiti. The fast began about noon today, we’ll be sleeping in boxes outside, and it should be a nice night to sleep under the stars. With Lisa out of town, Sable the Bassett hound gets to come and sleep in my box and enjoy the attention of all the teenagers. She won’t fast, but she’ll look like she is, with her perpetually sad, pathetic face. I’m not in charge of the program, just a few devotions along the way. Tomorrow we do some service projects, and in-between Liv has her last lacrosse game of the season. Should be an interesting night. I’m not anticipating too much actual sleep.

Posted in Life

My wife in Haiti (part 4).

Posted on by William Douthwaite

The text I received about 2:30 pm today was, “The spiders here are on steroids! Huge spider in the sleeping quarters…and it was carrying babies, too…” Big enough that “the guys were jumping, too.” It probably found its way inside to escape the torrential rains that came down today. Between that and being hot and sweaty all the time, the conditions are difficult to say the least. Just imagine living there in a tent, or less. The generator goes out frequently, so power for the fan and showers is unpredictable. I don’t think the clinic will be open on Saturday, so tomorrow will be the last full day of seeing patients. It’s a little dangerous to leave the compound, so I don’t know what they’ll do before they leave on Sunday. It will be interesting to hear her reflections on the whole experience, which I am sure will not be her last.

Posted in Life

My wife is in Haiti (part 3)

Posted on by William Douthwaite

My wife is in Haiti (part 3). At least once a month, someone forgets to turn off their cell phone and they get a call during a worship service. Today, it was my cell phone. Actually, I set this up ahead off time with my wife. We timed it just right so that her call came right in the middle of my sermon. You should have seen people’s faces, first, when it was my phone going off, second, when I answered it, and third, when they learned it was Lisa calling from Haiti! So many were glad to hear her voice and update on her work with the medical team in Haiti! BTW, Don’t try to call me during the sermon in the future, though. I never have my phone with me like I did today. The real work begins tomorrow. They expect to see 300 patients. Today after church some of the team went to an orphanage to do health checkups. Lots of children, some of whom lost their parents in the earthquake. The pictures she posted on Facebook were pretty moving. She really enjoyed sharing with the children some of the toys our Sunday School helped purchase from their offerings. Something as simple as a beach ball goes a long way when you have nothing else to play with.

Posted in Life

My wife is going to Haiti (part 2)

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Actually she’s there. Rev. Glenn Merritt, who heads disaster response for LCMS World Relief, said in a recent Lutheran Witness article that it is too unstable and dangerous for any volunteers apart from medical teams. That is the situation my wife has stepped into with great excitement and a little fear (mostly from reports about tarantula spiders she may see there). Lisa landed there a few hours ago (as I wrote this), and as I think about her next 9 days there, I realize God’s been preparing her for this her whole life. Just consider her experience: a vicarage in inner city Baltimore, a social worker job there, labor and delivery experience, working for an urgent care provider in Daytona Beach. Eventually she’d end up somewhere like this “for just a time as this.” You can read some about it here. The amazing thing is, who would have ever seen this coming? When Lisa was going to nursing school in Ft. Wayne, the University of Connecticut, Grandview College in Des Moines, Iowa, and Graceland University headquartered in Lamoni, Iowa, who would have imagined God was preparing her for an assignment in Haiti? Not me. We didn’t even hardly know where Haiti was until today. But I’m sure we’ll never forget.

I talked with Lisa some this afternoon. It is hot there, in the 90’s. They saw about 100 patients today. In the midst of all this they are trying to get the pharmacy organized. After only drinking some lukewarm water, she said a cold Coke was probably the best she’s ever tasted. And she’s glad she went with Lutherans. The leaders went out to get some beer and wine for tonight. Tomorrow they will go to church. I’m not sure if the clinic is open tomorrow.

On a sad note, the men who founded the Lutheran church in Haiti, Pastor Doris Jean Louis was killed last night. He was accosted outside of his home and beaten. He studied at the sem in Ft. Wayne in the late 70’s – early 80’s, and was a blessing to so many.

Posted in Life

My wife’s going to Haiti (part 1)

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Why not a journal of my wife’s upcoming trip to Haiti through the eyes of us who will say goodbye in just a few days and anxiously await her return from this medical mission trip? Lisa is going with 16 other doctors, nurses, practitioners, and pastors to work in a Port-au-Prince hospital and clinic with LCMS World Relief. Her nurse practitioner skills, honed over the past year in an urgent care office, will be very helpful to the many Haitians still in need of medical care after the January 12 earthquake. It’s hard to believe it’s been two months already.

After learning that she had been selected for this trip, the last two weeks have been a whirlwind of getting things together to go. From a few shots at the health department to some medical things to take along, the challenge has been to not take too much. All you’ve got is two small carry-ons for your own stuff. The big check-through suitcase is for medical supplies.

An exciting opportunity? Absolutely. Frightening? Oh, a little, especially when you starting reading about tropical diseases, looking at pictures of insects, and checking out the blogs of those who are there. The trip begins on Thursday with a drive to Miami, where she’ll meet the team.

It is so cool that she gets to go and do this. And it is equally cool that our church has gotten into sending people on trips like this with both financial and prayer support. It adds a whole new dimension to what we do.

Posted in Ministry

Last minute sermon adjustments

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Today I’m wondering how much I should adjust my sermon to address the event that is on everyone’s mind and constantly on the news: the devastating earthquake in Haiti last week. I’m already prepared to speak about life issues this week, as we often do the third Sunday of January. Yet I can’t pretend that people aren’t thinking about the suffering in Haiti, how they can help, earthquakes, and what this all might mean. I also can’t ignore the even greater tragedy of millions and millions of abortions over the last 36 years in America.

My plan is to still speak the truth about life, and use Haiti as an example of how sensitive we are to suffering and dying in this world. So is God. That is why His Word speaks so powerfully about the value of human life, from the view of both creation and redemption. We care about life because He does. Since I don’t write out my sermons, but do a kind of storyboarding, I think I can weave this together.

Another thing to consider when adjusting a sermon is how quickly we move from one crisis to another. After five days, there are already other stories in the news, and our focus is turned elsewhere. Jesus said that earthquakes are just the beginning of the birth pangs, just a sign that the world will be coming to an end, calling people to boldly testify of him and remain faithful (Matthew 24). It’s going to happen, and you are going to need some endurance, in other words, hang on for the ride and remain faithful by loving God and loving others (Revelation). For me, that’s about all you can say about an earthquake. But there is so much more to say about life.