Things are relatively quiet now since the Alfred Street Mission team has left. After church service and the soup kitchen, Cullen and I set out to “visit” a little orphanage in the village. This place is not affiliated with Mission of Grace. As we make our way, a young lady calls to us. When we get near her we can see something is wrong with her hand and she seems to be in considerable discomfort. She tells us that she burned it yesterday (Saturday) with hot grease. If we were in the U.S. I am sure she would have gone to the emergency room right away but that is not an option here in Haiti. There is no medical treatment nearby, particularly on the weekend. We promise her we will return to provide medical treatment and continue on our journey to the little orphanage.
When we arrive we find 24 children but no adult present. One little girl is crying so I pick her up to comfort her and dry her tears. Mr. Cullen brought cough medicine for the children because colds are prevalent AND, since the children are in close quarters, it spreads among them. Before we head back to the guest house we give each child a little something to munch on until their next meal. We are not sure WHEN that next meal will come.
A couple of hours later we head back up the hill along with a missionary who happens to be a registered nurse. We also bring medical supplies to treat burns and wounds. The burn victim is examined, her wound is cleaned and then wrapped. She promises she will go to the clinic on Monday. We continue on to visit another lady who fell off of a moving vehicle and had some nasty wounds on her knees and toes. The nurse treats her injuries but does not think there is any need for her to seek additional treatment.
Later in the evening, the teens from the orphanage come to the guest house to celebrate Marie Claire’s 16th birthday. Somehow she became my boss and “grandpa” became her official photographer. I think I took 30 photos of them before she said, “ok, that’s enough Grandpa”.
Before retiring for the evening the missionaries gather on the beach for a campfire and to sing praises to God. It is a fitting end this glorious day.