Tuesday, September 7, 2010

A little more than 3 weeks?!?!

PREFACE: It is 3:30 am, so please forgive me if this doesn't make all that much sense. 

We leave 3 weeks from Friday! THREE WEEKS!  Wow, how time flies!  We have almost solidified our plans. We are getting to the point of just "hurrying up and waiting" for the big date to get here.  Vaccines are done, anti-malaria medication is in hand, passport here...just gotta wait for October!

Our next big step is to start packing our 1000 lbs worth of supplies.  We are just waiting to finish gathering everything.  We are collecting over the counter meds, flip flops, clothes, coloring books and just about anything else...As the saying goes- "nothing goes to waste in Haiti!"  We are having a "packing party" on Sept 26 (a mere 5 days before we depart!) and are going to eat some Haitian food to give us an idea of what to expect.  Can't say my stomach is all that excited about the possibility of goat hair soup..but we shall see.  With any luck, it will taste like chicken!

I have heard such tragic stories of the healthcare available down there, I am beyond antsy to offer any assistance I can.  A teammate was telling me how umbilical cords were cut using bottle caps!  Bottle caps! I can't even fathom the idea.   I won't be surprised to see items such as gavage sets and bottles being reused (a far cry from the use once and toss I'm used to at work), but I may faint at the sight of such infection causing practices! 

I have to thank, thank, and thank everyone for their generous donations.  My fundraising efforts have exceeded my expectations and I can't appreciate that enough.  Any extra funds will be going to supplement our supply of medications.  Antibiotics are truly lifesavers and we can't get enough of them!

My prayers are in full force these days.  I'm praying that I can remain healthy not only during the trip, but leading up to it.  I'm praying that the Lord will provide opportunities for me to use my skills to benefit as many as possible in the short week I will be in Haiti. 

I can't think about this trip for more than a few minute without tears forming, so I may have to cut this short.  The anxiety and excitment only to continue to grow.  I know this is going to be a life changing experience and I just can't wait anymore! 

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