None of us were prepared for what we would see or be called upon to walk through. The medical team that we took in stayed two days in the hospital at the Haitian ~Dominican border helping in a make shift field hospital. Everyone was overwhelmed by the hundreds of patients that were brought across the border due to the full hospitals and unattended people crushed under cement from Haiti. Once conditions stabilized at the border outpost in Jamini, Dr. Lisa and Steve Klassan as well as Bob and Maya Amelingmeier chose to stay behind to facilitate the incoming teams and continue the work we had started. Eleven of us proceeded across the frontier and into Port-au-Prince. The roads were impassable in some places, bridge out, detours necessary and the streets steaming with people crowded in every space available. We proceeded slowly with some anxiety as there had just been 5 police killed near the border because they were trampled with hundreds of Haitians trying to get to the supplies that the trucks coming in. More and more damage as well as chaos was apparent as we moved closer to the center of the city. Building were demolished with people still in them, the stench of rotting flesh ever present as we drove through the city, alongside the smell of infection that was almost unbearable. People were huddled together under small bits of filthy scraps of material making their homes wherever possible. Burning trash, cook fires, raw sewage,and people wandering aimlessly looking for family that had been lost and the bare necessities of food and drinkable water. Everywhere people were begging us for food and water as it became more and more obvious the desperation that was before us. We were fortunate to have a base camp to set up in. An orphanage that Jana had volunteered in some 30 years ago, owned by Gladys Thomas (Haiti Home for Children and Rainbow of Love Institute for Hope ~ infants with handicaps) gave us space for our tents as the two existing buildings were condemned. The first night three of us were in an building that during the night had a 6.0 aftershock that threw us from the bed, running outside, trembling while listening to screams all around us. From then on we slept in tents! The time we were in Haiti there were several after shocks, leaving all of the city sleeping outside, fearful and adding more chaos to an already desperately dysfunctional city. There were some 65 children at our base camp, many of whom had special needs, all of them sleeping outside and every evening when we would come home emotionally broken alongside exhaustion these precious children would jump and beg to be held, smiling and beaming to see us, giving much needed balm to our tired souls, overworked hearts and frail bodies. It was a blessing to be among them as we felt upheld in the Holy Family and I can't imagine a better place to stay in all of Port-au-Prince. We traveled every morning to different hospitals to help in the many areas that were needed. At one hospital they were performing 90 amputations daily. Jana and Faith were holding legs in the operating room as they sawed bones and cut through rotting flesh. This was the hardest day for both of them. They were needed in the operating room as they had Creole and the surgeon's were so understaffed that holding patients was necessary as legs and arms were cut and stitched . This was the most grueling day, to see the young and old come out of surgery never to walk again. Downtown were there were tent cities that held 22 thousand and one that held 29 thousand, certainly the most dangerous and difficult area to work out of. One day we ventured into the underbelly of the city and were fortunate to be within the perimeters of a mission team that had set up in a tent city earlier that morning. The day we left there were riots in this area and mass confusion as the international efforts continued to distribute food and reach the hungry. We were also surrounded by miracles and hope that abounded in these peoples strong faith and ability to survive what should have been beyond human endurance. Hands were uplifted in praise and salvation songs could be heard as one walked through the streets where the patients were being housed. Due to the condemned buildings and overcrowded conditions most had to put their bits of cardboard or material in the parking lots of hospitals, on gravel and grass in the tent cities. Cindy Tetzloff, our head nurse helped with a c-section with no lights using a flash light with just the basics, working alongside a German surgeon to help with this life saving surgery. The mother glowed and smiled the whole time, so thankful to be able to have this surgery in a hospital in the dark, rather then outside on the grass in the tent city they lived in. We had a safe trip and only once had a death threat on our team as we did not have money or jobs, this was in a tent city, always the most dangerous to venture into without military backup. After the threat we closed the medical and left early as we did not feel safe in such surroundings. Apart from this we were welcomed by all Haitians, everyone smiling when our trucks came in with medical and assistance, blessing us and offering overflowing gratitude for our presence among them. We are at present in the process of helping to assist other teams to go into Haiti and hoping to take a team back in ourselves, one in February and looking also in April.. We have been assisting teams to go over and in the one day that I have been back, we assisted a team from Portugal, Canada and a U.S. team. In addition, we shipped over to Haiti yesterday morning baby formula, food and clothing. There are arranged drives here to collect items and they are flowing into Bob's clinic daily where we are promptly getting them into Haiti. Your continued prayers for Haiti are ever so necessary, recalling Luke Ferrari who was left behind to continue the aid we were involved in. Any monetary support can be donated through our web page www.dominicancrossroads.com on pay pal or checks can be sent directly to us. Please pass this along to anyone that you know that would be interested in supporting our ongoing work in Haiti. Where your donations have gone to: $7,000.00 dollars to medicine $2,500.00 on food and supplies $3,000.00 dollars to the disabled orphanage and hospital Totaling $12,500 of which all donations go directly to relief efforts. Thanking you again for your support, prayers and continued letters that pour in to strengthen our hearts and our paths. Blessing upon you and your family, Eternally, Jana Amelingmeier Crossroads Director |
Crossroads Haiti
Earthquake Relief
