And so begins another week

Sunday the team went to church in the morning, but ended up listening to the service from the park across the street because it was standing room only and the sun was shining bright where they had to stand. After that they went to see the Mayan ruins called Tak'alik Ab'aj. They got to walk around the ruins and learn about the history of the site. They even saw some people performing ceremonies on the altars. They went out for lunch and then back to the hotel to relax a bit in the afternoon.

Today we are back to work in the village. Deneen is working with Miguel washing and sifting sand for the water filters. Barbara, Lynn and Ruby are seeing patients in the clinic and the rest of the team is working at the children's program.

Today Dora stopped by the clinic to talk to me and found out that her sponsor Lynn was here! They got a chance to catch up and talk with each other. Dora is in our higher education program and about to start her final year of schooling to become a bilingual secretary.

The team in Haiti had a fun yet productive weekend. Saturday was our excursion day to the beach and dinner out since Dru and Billy were leaving on Sunday. Dru and Billy are already planning for next year's "un-sponsored kids" Christmas parties. The loved the fact that the team was able to help and bring so many more gifts and crafts than they are able to carry.

On Sunday Ken, Bill and Stanley started the shelves in the new Medical Supply Depot room, while some of the other team members painted the shelves in the new Medicine Depot room.  We hope the staff can start putting meds on the shelves Monday afternoon.  Around 2:30 on Sunday, the team chipped in and paid Pouchon to take us to the Haitian National museum downtown and to do some craft shopping outside the UN building. They loved seeing more of Port au Prince and getting a better understanding of Haiti's history.  Now back to work today!

Urgent Sponsorships In Guatemala

We have two children that are in need of sponsorship ASAP!

Juan Carlos Tahual Bautista
#113
DOB: August 20, 2006


Juan Carlos is seven years old and was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. He also is developmentally behind for his age. When he was younger his mother took him to a nearby hospital for a medical mission to have two operations. Unfortunately his palate isn’t completely closed so he will need corrective surgeries along with major dental and orthodontic work. Juan Carlos has one older brother named Marco Venicio and two younger siblings who are twins – Luis Miguel and Marisol. He lives with his siblings and their parents in a simple one room wooden house with a dirt floor. Their house doesn’t have electricity or a bathroom. His father works as a day laborer but doesn’t have a steady job. Neither his mom nor his dad went to school. 

Linda Garcia Ramos
#53D
DOB: August 22, 2010

Linda is three years old and is the youngest of five children. Her mother is currently pregnant with child number six. Linda has three older sisters and one older brother. She lives with her siblings and their parents in a one room concrete emergency house built by PID. Two of her sisters are already sponsored through PID. Linda needs a special sponsorship because she is deaf. She was recently tested and has severe hearing loss in both ears. Sponsoring Linda will help her go to school at a nearby school for deaf and special needs children and get hearing aids along with therapy. Her father works as a day laborer but does not give much money to her mother to take care of the family. Linda’s mom works raising and selling chickens to provide for her kids.

 

The Arrival

A team of 9 people + Shelby arrived yesterday in Guatemala. After a bit of traffic coming from the airport they made it to the hotel around 8:30 pm, had dinner and went to bed!

Miguel and I were delayed in our return flights and didn't get to San Antonio until about 2 am.

We were all up and enjoying breakfast at 7 am this morning at the hotel.

Shelby and JT are running a children's program in the North section of the village and the team members are helping out.

Lynn, Barbara and Rudy are working in the clinic and seeing patients. Things are going pretty smoothly and it is not super hot so all is well!

A very long way to Guatemala

The team arrived safely in Guatemala. There were many delays along the way. Sergio called to say they hadn't come out of the airport two hours after the flight 

Landed. When I reminded him to look in the cafe he found them. With teams arriving on three different flights and  4 of the members already vacationing in Guatemala it was just a little complicated. 

Abby's flight,the most delayed, didn't arrived until 10 hours after all rest the team members arrived. Luckily for the team Shelby was aboard as the team leader. 

Today Abby will meet them at the hotel for breakfast. Hope she wakes up after getting in so late. 

How many kids from Cite Soleil can you fit into the old PID Tap Tap? The answer is 65 plus 5 adults!  That's how many people we brought to the PID compound for today's non-sponsored kid's Christmas party.  Since this was our last party the kids were able to really load up there gift bags.  We had piles of toys, clothing and shoes spread around the education building and each child was able to choose what ever they wanted. It was amazing to see their eyes widen as they searched for the perfect toy and pair of shoes! What a Christmas gift this trip has been for all of us.  Thank you Dru and Billy for organizing!

The team of 12 arrived safely to Haiti yesterday on Christmas day.  Today some members of the team dug right in helping Dru and Billy hold a Christmas party at the PID compound for about 40 children who are on the waiting list for sponsorship.  The kids did some crafts, played games, had lunch and were given a bag full of Christmas gifts. The team also went to 2 orphanages today to bring Christmas presents, food and crafts.  Dru and Billy were happy we arrived because we came with bags full of toys and clothing to give out at the parties!  Others on the team went to the construction site to continue working on a house for a family in our program. I believe they said they did a lot of sand sifting and mortar mixing!  We also had one RN (Holly) and a PT (Linda) who worked in the clinic, in addition to helping out with the Christmas party in the afternoon.  Lastly, Bill and Ken started to put shelving in the Medicine Depot room that is part of our new Administration building. It will be wonderful once we are able to put all the medicine and medial supplies in this new location.  What a busy first day!

EMERGENCY CHILD IN GUATEMALA

Juan Carlos Tahual Bautista

DOB: August 20, 2006
#113

Juan Carlos is seven years old and was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. He also is developmentally behind for his age. When he was younger his mother took him to a nearby hospital for a medical mission to have two operations. Unfortunately his palate isn’t completely closed so he will need corrective surgeries along with major dental and orthodontic work. Juan Carlos has one older brother named Marco Venicio and two younger siblings who are twins – Luis Miguel and Marisol. He lives with his siblings and their parents in a simple one room wooden house with a dirt floor. Their house doesn’t have electricity or a bathroom. His father works as a day laborer but doesn’t have a steady job. Neither his mom nor his dad went to school. The family eats tortillas with beans, pasta or boiled herbs.

Christmas Parties 2, 3, and 4, and completed clinic improvements

The past few days have been busy and fun-filled here at PID Haiti, where we held the remaining 3 our of 4 sponsored children Christmas parties. Sunday and Tuesday were for children ages 9 and up, while Monday was for the 2nd group of kids in the younger age bracket. The parties were a huge success!! The backpacks and all that filled them were a big hit for kids of all ages. It is always a special time when old sponsors get to reunite with their sponsored kids, as well as new sponsors get the chance to meet their sponsored kids. It's beautiful when the children's faces light up as they get to meet their new "Godmother" or "Godfather". Other kids ask me, "Is my sponsor here? When is he/she coming?"

On Sunday after the party, the team had the opportunity to go to downtown Port-au-Prince for a tour and a dinner out at Epidor. This was especially nice for some of the team members whose first time it is coming to Haiti. They were able to see more of Haiti than what they saw on the PID compound and in the Blanchard community. Some of the returning team members who've been here in past years noticed changes and improvements.

While most of the team members spent their days running the Christmas parties, playing with the children, helping them write letters, take photos, and passing out gifts, Brad, Peter, and Brian remained busy working on their list of clinic improvements. They finished the septic system/leeching field for the new office building.  The baby fever shower is complete with both a sink for bathing small babies and a shower for bathing older children. It is amazing and better than any of us had ever pictured it'd be. And the new lab- even better! The new lab has not only moved over to the wound care room complete with a new divider, but also now has new cabinets for lab supplies, a dutch door for the divider where patients will hand over urine samples, and a new curtained off area right in the lab where the patient can pee or swab themselves. Jonette spent the whole weekend working here, helping the guys design and set up the new lab, and both her and Betty are very excited and proud of it.

This evening, Mr. Genois came by to thank the team for all their hard work and tell them about PID's programs, especially sponsorship. He spoke frankly about the struggles of life in Haiti when you're poor, about some of the difficult situations families encounter, and how sponsorship changes the lives of the children in these situations. He also, when asked, shared with the group a little of his story and how he grew up and how he became involved with PID. Brad told Mr. Genois that when we come to Haiti, even though we come to give and to help, we leave feeling that we have received more than we have given. Mr. Genois was very touched by this; he'd never realized that. He said that God's blessing will follow each and every one of us for all that we are doing.

It was a great week. It's hard to believe it's over already. We will really miss the team, but we're already looking forward to next year.

Christmas Gifts for Sponsor Children

It's not too late!

If you would like to give your Sponsor Child an extra Christmas gift this year, please make a modest monetary donation to the PID office and note "Christmas Gift" along with your child's name & number in the memo line.

For more information on giving gifts to sponsor children, call the office, 978-380-6132 or visit:

http://www.pidonline.org/giving-gifts-to-sponsor-children

Sponsored Children's Christmas Party: Day 1

Today, 120 sponsored kids ages 0-8 came for the first day of the sponsorship Christmas parties here in Haiti. Everyone gathered on the benches for a song and prayer before the festivities began. Genois, Martha, and I introduced the group to the sponsored kids and their parents, and Martha greeted everyone in the name of all the sponsors. The children and their parents responded, saying they are so happy to see us, thank you and God bless you to all the sponsors and everyone who made this day possible. Each child took a photo and wrote a letter to their sponsors, and played games in the yard. After, they each received a backpack complete with 3 notebooks, toys, a brownie, popcorn, vitamins, and either a dress for the girls or a shirt or pants for the boys. After receiving the gift, they enjoyed a meal of rice and beans with chicken and juice. It was a great day filled with fun for everyone. It was also filled with many special moments as sponsors got to meet their sponsored children and give them gifts that they had brought down for them, or for their friends' sponsored children.

In addition to the Christmas party, the guys finished up the baby fever shower and worked on the lab divider. It's amazing how much they were able to build in just 3 days!! The new lab looks amazing already. Pictures soon, internet permitting.

After dinner tonight, some of the crew baked brownies and made popcorn to give out to the kids at tomorrow's party. Saintilia and the ladies were preparing the meat for tomorrow's party. We sang Christmas carols while we worked, then Saintilia and the ladies sang a few Haitian Christmas songs for us.

Bull Riding and Dancing Horses

Last night I took the team downtown to see the rodeo in San Antonio. Every year there is a festival celebrating the Virgin of Conception on the 8th of December and the Virgin of Guadalupe on the 12th. San Antonio celebrates with processions, extra mass at the catholic church and a rodeo - complete with dancing horses and bull riding! It was quite the cultural experience last night.

 

At the clinic Kelly has been seeing many patients. Lily and Ken are helping Miguel with the water filters. Yesterday they installed two filters in homes in Desierto. Gale and I have been doing a lot of talking and planning for next year. And sometimes Gale gets to have some fun and watch My Little Pony videos on Youtube with some kids in the clinic.

Team's first day of work

The team had a great first day of work today. The team split up and got so much done. Some team members headed out to the construction site in Blanchard where they are working on laying down the cement floor on the next house. They spent most of the day hauling buckets of cement. 

Others stayed back at the PID compound and were busy unpacking the barrels that came in last night, sorting donations for the Christmas party, and packing the backpacks that each child will receive full of school supplies and toys. They already got about half the backpacks done today! 

Meanwhile, Brad, Peter, and Brian are working hard on some new clinic improvements that we need in order to get our more permanent MSPP license, including a shower/bath area to bathe babies and children who have high fevers and a new lab, which will be set up in the wound care room according to MSPP requirements. Today they spent much of their time at the hardware store getting materials and supplies. 

In the clinic, Judith and Bob helped Dr. Paul in the clinic by seeing sick patients while Dr. Paul saw the pregnant women. Mary Ann spent the day bagging vitamins to give out to the sponsored children at the party. 

After dinner, the team was still busy working. They bagged the candy for the children at the Christmas party.

 

Christmas team arrives in Guatemala

Today the team arrived in Guatemala. It is the first time we have had a team for a Christmas Party for the kids in Guatemala. It will be an exciting week.

Christmas party team arrives!

Today the team arrived in Haiti. The team will have a VERY busy week getting ready for and holding 4 Christmas parties for almost 500 sponsored kids! They already unpacked and sorted the contents of the suitcases they brought. This evening, the barrels with the rest of the children's Christmas gift along with lots of medicine finally arrived! Tomorrow the team will unpack the barrels and begin putting together the gifts for the children. For now, the team is in bed early after a long day of travel resting up for their first day of work tomorrow.

Christmas Preparations!

Here at the clinic in Guatemala we are getting ready for our Christmas celebration on Monday with the sponsored kids! I ordered new shoes and clothes for each of our 231 sponsored children! On Monday we will have a party and Santa will come with gifts for them all!

sorting shoes and clothes into the gift bags

Gale and a small team are arriving this afternoon! Kelly will see patients in the clinic and Lily and her father will help Miguel install some water filters. Then on Monday everyone will help control the chaos that is celebrating Christmas with over 200 children!

Juan Roberto - Child of the Week

Juan Roberto Baran Hernandez

DOB: August 7th, 2007
Waiting 1 yr 6 months for sponsorship

Juan Roberto is six years old and will start first grade in January 2014 at the school in the village. His grandfather recognized him as his son because the father left and didn’t want to recognize him. Juan Roberto has two older sisters. He lives with his sisters and his mother along with his mother’s parents. Juan Roberto likes to play soccer with his friends. They live in a two room house with a bathroom. His mother sells tortillas and his grandfather is a day laborer. The family usually eats tortillas for three meals a day with beans, boiled herbs or eggs.