10/20/07
Update time! This is Rachel and Michelle writing you from Grand Goave, on the Caribbean coast, where the low temperature at night is a chilly 29 degrees Celsius. Last time we updated you on our first clinic day at Mt. Top Ministries. It has been a busy few days...
After leaving MTM, we hopped in the back of the truck and headed down the mountain to visit Laboule Children's Home, which is largely supported by the Cranbrook team.
Update time! This is Rachel and Michelle writing you from Grand Goave, on the Caribbean coast, where the low temperature at night is a chilly 29 degrees Celsius. Last time we updated you on our first clinic day at Mt. Top Ministries. It has been a busy few days...
After leaving MTM, we hopped in the back of the truck and headed down the mountain to visit Laboule Children's Home, which is largely supported by the Cranbrook team.
After a short but fantastic visit we continued down the road to God's Littlest Angels, an orphanage set up to enable adoptions of Haitian children. Although we only spent one night there, our time was filled with delight. There were 97 orphans ranging from newborns to toddlers; all beautiful, and all welcoming to any attention.
Kaye became instantly attached to one baby in particular, however all of them received equal amounts of smothering from the rest of the team. It was a sight to see Dr Chuck (aka- double tuck chuck) on the floor, two babies in his lap (both with runny noses) and loving every minute of it! The orphanage itself was huge, three stories high, with designated rooms for each stage of growth. The toddler room was the most active-as the children could walk, grab, and pull. You could not walk into this room unnoticed by at least a dozen kids. The balcony was filled with toys, swings, and jolly jumpers for the children, and rocking chairs for the volunteers. Everyone was encouraged to spend as much time as possible with any of the orphans.
Thursday night at GLA was girls' night shared with the other volunteers-naturally, we each grabbed a little one and settled in for an hour of 'Grey's Anatomy'; I think the kids enjoyed it more than we did! While preparing the babies (and ourselves) for bed, Michelle and I snuck off to the upstairs patio and watched the lightening storm over the valley, toddlers in tow.
The next morning, our time of enjoying a mix of formula and diapers was at an end. We all jumped in the van that was to take us to our next stop; Grand Goave. It was an interesting ride, consisting of a bathroom break at a 'gas station', chaotic driving, and accidentally showering Doc Chuck and Danielle with my left over Stawberry Crystal Light. Oops. Nonetheless, we arrived safely!
On the road from GLA to Port-au-Prince, en route to Grand Goave, we came across a truck which was spewing flames from the engine and cab compartments. There are no local fire departments in Haiti, so the fire was dowsed with sand from a flatbed truck which happened to be passing by. It was an interesting sight to see the sand filling up the engine compartment and cab.
Our time here will be spent conducting clinics for the community, but yesterday was spent exploring the market and the ocean. Among the items being sold at the market were fresh buns from the bakery, freshly slaughtered livestock (we even saw a cow's head!), fabrics, packaged MSG, and live chickens.
The bakery; rolling and pressing the dough.
The Caribbean's water was warmer than the water we use to bathe, and crystal clear. The surrounding area was nothing short of lush, just like a post card with a few additions.
We couldn't keep Michelle from climbing a tree:
Chuck took on laundry duties for some of the team!
Since our departure from MTM, we have managed to fill our days with one adventure after another but are looking forward to commencing clinic tomorrow!!
Michelle Callen and Rachel Gibson
CCT Team Members
2 Comments:
Hey Y'all: This is Vikki, Rachel's mom. Great to read the latest blog, you girls did an awesome job of posting pictures and giving us a description of your last few days. I loved it. Keep it up, I am always checking for an update. Makes me wish I was with you guys, maybe another time.
I am so proud of all of you for doing this out of the goodness of your hearts, tells me alot about each one of you. Rach-YOU ROCK!!
Take care everyone--Vikki
Hi everyone! This is Michelle's Aunt Jackie in Penetanguishene Ontario. I must agree with Vikki's comments---what an excellent job with photos and info.!! It looks like a fantastic opportunity and shows your heart felt compassion and caring.
It's great to see you smiling Michelle! Keep up the good work!
Jackie
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