A boy named Nathan...

Let's just put it out there right now...I'm not that person. I see the pictures and get the emails about kids suffering in 3rd world countries. I've experienced poverty first hand in Haiti and Nicaragua. Those I have met personally have affected me in some big ways, but its a much bigger struggle for me to have deep seated feelings for those who I have never met. Do I feel compassion for them?? YES!! But I tend to be a realist and know that I can't save the world. I don't spend nights wondering how some kid in Uganda I've never met is doing, or where his next meal is coming from. I give to organizations that help these children/families, but I can't say I lose any sleep over it. I know it sounds horrible to say, but I'm not that person! Well that is until about 3 weeks ago. It was a Saturday afternoon and I was trying to get caught up on my emails after a busy week. The subject line of one particular email read "10 yr old Nathan from the Democratic Republic of the Congo - help and prayer." It was from a friend of mine I met while working with Samaritan's Purse in Haiti earlier this year. Because it was from her, was probably the only reason I even gave it a second glance. The gist of the email was - there is this 10 year old boy in DRC who has had this tumorous growth on his neck that is continuing to get worse. So much so, that this poor child is in significant pain every day of his life and no longer wants to live. I can't explain why, but this ripped my heart out...and then I saw the pictures. This boys tumor is probably 2/3 the size of his head and is a raw, open wound. The rest of the email was asking for prayers for this boy, but also looking for any medical professionals who might have contacts in Africa for a surgeon. The email came to me by way of 3 other people. SP has a new medical director who I guess is originally from DRC. She had sent the word out through a nurse practitioner I worked with in April who had moved back to Haiti for a few months after being gone, who then forwarded it along to my friend, LB, in Indianapolis. Now I have never been to Africa, and not sure I will ever make it there, but immediately my mind started racing. Through volunteer work I do for Nehemiah Vision Ministries, I had become acquainted with a great organization called Mercy Ships. If you have never heard about them, you should check out their website www.mercyships.org and see the great work they are doing around the world. I had just started conversing with a great lady by the name of Sylvia, but have to say I knew nothing about her except a few conversations we have had to prepare their team for Haiti. It's funny how sometimes you just get a feel for a person after just a small amount of time and that's the feeling I had about Sylvia. I knew that Mercy Ships does a lot of work in Africa - specifically Sierra Leone and Togo. I wasn't sure I wanted to use this new found connection since it was a new partnership with us through NVM, but just couldn't stop thinking about little Nathan. So later that night, I broke down and decided to email Sylvia. I've told a few friends (and Sylvia after the fact) that I don't think I've ever prayed over an email...but I did that night! Monday I kept checking my phone all day to see if I had gotten a reply. It didn't take long...I must have been the first email she answered that day! Sylvia and her husband were more than willing to see what could be done and started making contact with the doctors on Mercy Ship Africa right away. We sent emails back and forth as we sought more information regarding his past treatments and current condition. I don't know how this is all going to end - it might be too late to do anything other than palliative treatment for this brave young guy, but I know God has it all under his control. Expectantly waiting to see how God works this all out. But so now I'm the one asking, if you would say a prayer for comfort for this boy and his family as well that the pieces might fall into place for us to get him some help. There is a little more to the story of how God used this in my life, but I'll save that for another time because this already longer than I wanted. I'll update my blog as I found out more information...

Another God-sighting...

So I just got done spending the weekend with our teens at Summer of Service. It was a great weekend and God worked in the lives of our group. One of my favorite parts of the day was when we would do God-sightings. You were to look back on the day and see a moment when you saw God at work in every day situations. Its funny how we go through our lives and really miss those moments. Well tonight was definitely one of those moments. Monday nights is our youth group night for Ignite Youth Ministries, and it was great to get together after the weekend. We were playing big ball volleyball and just goofing off together. During the game, a white van drives through the church parking lot. The truck kind of slows down and 2 guys are kind of watching us as we act crazy! As they start getting past us, one of the teens yells out, "Jesus loves you" and the guy in the passengers seat yells back, "I know." We all head back to our game and don't give the exchange any more thought, until a few minutes later the guy starts strolling over to where we are playing. He says thanks to "whoever yelled Jesus loves you" and then proceeds to tell us about some serious losses in his life that were weighing heavy on him, and then asks us if we would pray for him. Of course we were like sure, although some of the teens were looking a little tentative. We talked to him for a few minutes then all joined hands and prayed for this burdened gentleman. Dave was able to spend a little more time talking with him, and give him a Bible to take home with him. Who knew that 3 little words yelled across a parking lot would make such an impact on this man...so much so that he sought us out to stand in the gap for him. I just hope that we all stop and really take in how God was moving tonight!

Support Samaritan's Purse as I run the Sunburst 5k...

So I'm finally going to run that 5k I've been talking about! But I decided if I was going to run, I might as well make it worth my while. So I decided I wanted to raise some money for Samaritan's Purse, the organization I just got back from Haiti with. So if you would, check out my fund-raising page and give if you can to this great cause...


You can make a donation by visiting my FirstGiving page: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/sherinater/sunburst5k

Check out this story on the Cholera Treatment Center in Cite Soleil that I worked at for 2 weeks with Samaritan's Purse. It was a great life changing experience. Toussaint, the nurse mentioned in this story, and I spent some quality time together in triage during my 2 weeks there and I have to say it was a blessing to work with her!

http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/articles/reaching_out_to_the_least/

Some things are better left unknown...

So we drove the same route to the CTC every day. But it was funny how every day you would see something different that you had never seen before. We would comment how it seemed the ride got longer every day. On a particular stretch, there was always a distinct sulfur smell that hung in the air. Never really thought much about it...Haiti is full of very distinct smells! Well toward the end of the trip we switched team coordinators, a new perspective. As we would drive we would talk and ask questions on the ride to work. On prior trips to Haiti, I had driven this stretch of road and knew that there was a large memorial site for earthquake victims as well as a burial ground for thousands. (picture compliments of my lovely new friend - Nicole!) I had just never put 2 and 2 together to realize THAT was what was causing the smell. The rest of the week as we would drive that stretch and I would catch that smell a lump would form in my throat. Almost wished I never found out that piece of information, except that it puts the Haitian life in greater perspective...I leave and have the memories of the things I've seen there. Might be uncomfortable at the time for me, but they have constant day in and day out reminders of the last year and a half. My prayers for the people of Haiti continue...

The wrap-up...

Well I have been trying to work through my last couple of days in Haiti in my head so I could get it on the screen and it make sense. Thursday and Friday had to be the toughest 2 days of the whole trip for many reasons. First off, there is always that sadness because you know you will be leaving soon. The staff at the CTC only worked 3 or 4 days a week so we had to start saying our goodbyes before we were actually ready. Then the staff at the CTC found out that it looks like it will be closing the end of May...so sad for all our friends who will be losing jobs. Most of the international staff had left so we were "short-staffed" too, so the few that remained had to kick it up a notch to make up for it. On Thursday, we had a 7 month old come in who looked dehydrated but I couldn't get a line in him. After 3 unsuccessful attempts and a triage tent that was filling up, I called one of the SP staff to come take a look. I got busy with other patients and they had taken the baby to the back so I didn't know what was going on. About 45 minutes later, one of the NP's comes running out to triage and tells me I need to get a line in this baby "NOW." I head to the back to find the baby now with a fever of 105.9 and labored breathing. Definitely not choleresque! (new Sheri word!) The staff and I start talking to the mom more and decide that he never exhibited signs of cholera and we need to transfer him sooner rather than later. In just those few minutes of trying to set up the transfer you could see the dramatic decline in the baby. He was becoming less responsive and his breathing was getting worse. In our American minds it seems so easy to transfer someone to a hospital that can actually take care of the problem, but here in Haiti it doesn't work like that. We were a cholera treatment center, specialized for just that. But families would bring patients with all sorts of problems to be seen. The problem is, once they show up at the CTC you basically have to prove they don't have cholera before any other facility will accept them...thus wasting precious time in this case. If this child truly had cholera, there would have been nothing for us to do, except treat as best we could with what minimal resources we had. In the end, the baby died either on the way to the hospital or soon after they got there. Still hurts to think about it. Probably one of the most hopeless feelings there is...

One of those days...

So even in Haiti you have "those days" and today was one of them! The Haitian staff didn't seem to want to work today, and we had less international staff than usual. Needless to say sometimes a language barrier is a good thing so hopefully they couldn't understand all the mumbling under my breath. To their credit though, I think they just found out that May 28th the CTC will close so in about a month they will all be without jobs. But it did make for a LONG day. I was feeling down until just before we left a little girl probably about 5 or 6 came in unresponsive. I quickly stuck a line in her and opened up the fluids. After about 500 cc I finally could feel a radial pulse. She slowly opened her eyes to see this white girl hovering over her which would normally freak the kids out but she just smiled this sweet angelic smile...and then I remembered why I do this and that it is SO worth it! (As you can see in the picture...she is doing much better now and definitely hasn't lost that smile!!) Also met the cutest Haitian boy who has Down Syndrome. His name was Daveson and he became my little buddy. I played balloon volleyball with him and had him listen to his own heartbeat. His little giggles would just melt your heart! Makes all the rough stuff worth it! Finishing out my last 2 days here then off to home Saturday!