Rachel’s Haiti Adventures
Hello supporters!
Wow God has worked in incredible ways since I reached out for
your support to go to Haiti!
First of all, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your
prayers and financial support to allow me to travel to Haiti. Our team had a
great time in Haiti serving in the poor town of Titanyen, sharing the gospel,
praying for those in need, loving on children, organizing a VBS of sorts,
building a latrine and planting trees, and loving on the Mission of Hope staff.
Haiti is a beautiful country full of mountains and ocean views but also with an
intense amount of need. The country has a history full of abuse, revolt,
corruption, and natural disasters. The stark poverty there and lack of resource
seems overwhelming but at the same time there is such a hope in Haiti.
The Lord graciously used my time in Haiti to remind me of
the gifts that He has given me including building relationships, serving, empowering
others, and sharing the gospel joyously and intentionally. He also reminded me
of my love for children while I was there. The Haitian children are adorable
and run right up to you and in your arms vying for attention and love. One of
my favorite memories from Haiti (and there are many) was on a day we were
working hard to assemble supplies to build a latrine. It
was very hot outside and we were at the site of a church (think covered plot of
land with benches) helping build a latrine for the church community. As per usual
when in Haiti, there was an assembly of village children hanging around us. I
took a short break to play with the kiddos and before I knew it I had about 20
kids around me. I was trying to teach them ‘ring around the rosie’ which was a
bit challenging with the language deficit and the fact that there was only one
of me and so many of them. Once they got the game and all sat down on my lead,
they started bursting out laughing. I looked around and all I could see was
smiling and laughing faces. It was the most beautiful scene. I was taken back
by the joy and beauty all around me. In that moment it felt like all as it
should be.
An equally tragic moment happened the same day when I noticed
a small boy wasn’t using his hand fully and he had a dirty ribbon wrapped
around his index finger. I didn’t think it would be culturally appropriate to
take off the ribbon and I also had no medical supplies with me. I looked at the
tip of his finger and under the ribbon all I could see was white necrosis. It was
heart breaking to think that this little guy probably would need an amputation
at some point due to an uncared for infection.
One day while my team was headed out to plant trees and
bless some folks with the gospel and service I got to stay behind and do some
physical therapy in the prosthetics lab at Mission of Hope’s main campus in
Titanyen (http://www.mohhaiti.org/). The
Haitian prosthetist made a few phone calls and by the time I got back from
lunch I had a waiting room full of patients. That day I treated two 3 ½ year
old children with cerebral palsy, a 41 year old lady who’s leg had been crushed
in the earthquake, a young man who had an acutely sprained ankle, a 62 year old
with a new frozen shoulder, and another lady with shoulder pain. The ability to
move is so important in Haiti as most people have jobs that involve physical
labor and everyone does a LOT of walking. Sanon and Samuel, the 3 ½ year olds
with cerebral palsy were probably my favorite. Sanon was a normally developing
11 month year old girl when she got Tuberculosis. Now she will likely never
walk, talk, and will require assistance for the rest of her life. In Haiti it
is difficult for normal children to go to school due to the cost of schooling.
It is even harder to find a school that accepts children with disabilities and
they are very expensive. This is a stark contrast to the resources available to
children with disabilities here in the US.
Pictured are (left to
right): Samuel and his mother, Patrick the interpreter, myself, and Sanon and
her mother in the prosthetics lab at Mission of Hope.
Before I went to Haiti I was aware of the lack of therapy
available in Haiti but it became very real when I worked with a lady who likely
would be able to walk normally had she rehabilitated her leg after a crush
injury from the earthquake. She was bathing her children when the earthquake
hit, her femur (likely), was broken when a wall fell on her and she was able to
get a surgery to correct the fracture. However, she did not get any therapy
after her injury which has led to a contracture (no range of motion at her knee
joint) and causes her to walk with crutches. Luckily, she is able to be employed
through 3 cords which is a business for women with disabilities through mission
of hope (http://www.3cordshaiti.com).
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| Typical sunset in Haiti-- breathtaking |
Now for the really exciting part. The Lord has been
reminding me lately of his faithfulness and perfect timing. On the plane ride
home from Fort Lauderdale to Dallas the director of We Care Haiti ministries (www.wecarehaitiministries.org/)
sat next to me. After a 3 ½ hour conversation, a prayer, and several tears a
relationship was quickly established. I felt as though the whole reason I went
to Haiti (other than developing an immense love for the country and serving
whole-heartedly) was to meet Mr. Cundiff on the way home. It has been three
weeks since that conversation and there have been many more conversations,
connections, research, etc. I have informed my current job I’ll be leaving at
the end of July, turned down another job offer, and have accepted a position as
the Medical Coordinator of We Care Haiti Ministries. I plan to move there in the
first of September! It’s hard to express the peace that I feel right now along
with joy and feeling more alive than I’ve felt in a long time. As many of you
know, I’ve been searching and applying for international mission opportunities
for a year now. Missions have been on my heart since I was a child and since
the start of PT school in 2009 I wondered how I might use my skill set on the
international mission field. God is already opening door after door for connections,
relationships, opportunities, and many conversations about Haiti that point to
Christ. In the meantime, many of my responsibilities here in Dallas have been
aiming toward an end. I am blown away by God’s kindness towards me and His
perfect timing.
I want to thank each of you for contributing towards my
week-long Haiti trip that has now very clearly shaped my future. More updates
to come! Bless you all and please keep this process in your prayers!
Sincerely,
Rachel Zimmerman
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