Good Afternoon,
The following is an (edited) update taken from Scott’s Facebook page. New photos have been posted by Brian Field directly from his iPhone on www.Facebook.com/commworld. Our team is nearing the end of their time in Haiti. Final return-flight details are being confirmed. Please keep them in prayer as they prepare to leave a difficult and heartbreaking situation behind.
Mr. Bill’s Orphanage lost a wall and as such a group of about 20 bandits looking to steal supplies had to be quelled. At least one shot was fired by a policeman who lived near the orphanage but thankfully it was into the air. The warning shot was enough and today we are sending in team members to help restore the clinic (Security has also been reinforced so please do not worry, our team is safe.) Brian asked Bobby, one of our especially handy ex-Marines if he could go to Mr. Bill’s today and build some shelves hoping he had the necessary experience. Bobby laughed and replied, “That’s all I did in the Marines…build shelves.” So, once again those with the skills are being sent where they are needed most. For some of us that means lifting boxes, for others it’s purifying water, and in this case, it’s building shelves. Praise God!
I am exhausted. Not because I am overworked or underfed but because I have been trying to keep up with Doctor Dave–our 79 year old MD who finished work the other day, walked over to the hose and took a full body shower with scrubs and all.
…you know that we transported a man with a compound femur fracture and head laceration the other day…a tough man because he sat around for 15 days without medical attention and only complained of “moderate” pain…. I realized last night that the man is not necessarily any tougher than any of the other patients we have seen here (including a 15 year old girl with severe chemical burns we treated yesterday.)
The Haitian culture is one of poverty but also dignity. The people here do not complain because they are accustomed to no one listening, so they do what they can with what they’ve got.
Dr. Armstrong is a neurosurgeon from humble beginnings in Bakersfield. A man with a heart full of love not only for his wife and children back home but for the injured here who he also treats like family. Wait until you here some of his soundbytes. “Dr. Ian, why are you down here?” I asked him. “Because I want to help. But also I want to be an example for my children. It’s one thing to tell them to be good people. It’s quite another to demonstrate through action not words.”
…I found small non-profit here who flies helicopters delivering food to the hungry and rescuing the sick. They are too proud to ask for help so I’m asking on their behalf. Here’s their website in case you know any pilots or someone who flies their own jet. Samaritan Air–you can donate through PayPal. Yesterday, they saved a little baby’s life.
God bless you all, and thank you for the comments and support. When I lack food and sleep I think of all you back home who are rooting for us…
…pray for Jerry [the baby from yesterdays's update] because even though he now has the best care possible we do not know if he is going to make it.
Thank God for you all. [Scott Mortensen]