Healthcare in Haiti (Day 1)

If you had an army of a thousand doctors and nurses (and pharmacists and…and…and) with a bottomless well of medicines and supplies, working 28 hours a day non-stop for a year, maybe you could begin to make a dent in Haiti.

We have a much more modest team.

Our first stop was at an orphanage. We treated about 35 kids, with maladies ranging from scabies to fungal infections to an abscess.

The orphans were wonderfully grateful:

We then went to a village (where some of our construction folks had previously put up an impressive roof on a church building – welcome shade!), and there saw about 90-100 more people. Lots of kids, though one of our healthiest patients was 93 years old (a rare lifespan in this country).

We kept Dr. Early and our Haitian doc, Reginald, quite busy. A number of the kids end up with intestinal worms, which happily is taken care of with a single pill. For the other medications, we have to translate directions into Creole.

We got to hand out candy and toys to the kids, who truly appreciate every gesture of love (especially playing around with them).

In the United States, we have had vigorous discussion about healthcare in recent years. I must say, it is nice to leave that behind for a while and focus on real, on-the-ground medical care, where a simple antibiotic and some vitamins can make a real difference!

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Riches and Poverty: From Palestine to Haiti

And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:41-44 NASB)

One thing that is striking about this passage is that Jesus makes a completely unexpected valuation. Bypassing the (relatively) large donations of those with disposable income, He highlights the poor, anonymous, insignificant person who gives sacrificially out of loving devotion – not out of ostentatious excess.

I love the fact that Jesus notices what matters. What folly for us to measure ourselves by our wallets! Jesus sees right through all that and gazes at the heart.

Here in Haiti, the poverty is immense. Yet there are many Haitian people who are cheerful and kind givers. And while those of us who come over from a first-world country are relatively wealthy, when you view the vast need, you truly feel like the poor widow, about to cast a penny into a vast landscape of brokenness.

We are all impoverished before God, especially in anything relating to spiritual life and genuine holiness. My comfort is, that in any place, any circumstance, we can take our tiny little donations of ourselves – poor as we are – and God will receive us. Not only in Haiti, but in any pathway we all find ourselves today.

May the poverty out of which we give lead to true riches for others.

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Heading to Haiti (join us?)

UPDATE: Please also read encouraging update at the end of the post!

When I went to Haiti on a construction mission earlier this year, I was more than a little surprised by the amount of interest shown by people across a whole spectrum of my network. It was very encouraging to feel like I was there representing a lot of concerned and caring people.

Some of you indicated you’d like to find a way to help. Well, here’s your chance!

I’m going back (with our medical team this time) in June. But, even better, a bunch of kids from our church youth group are heading to Haiti to work with the kids in a very poor neighborhood in Cap Haitian. My son Ben is among them! —>

The kids are doing a bunch of fund-raising activities, but as you can imagine, sending folks to another country to minister can be rather expensive. So, we have a website set up where anyone can easily donate toward the expenses of the trip.

All donations are tax-deductible. Just press the big orange DONATE button, select Ben Woodruff’s name from the drop-down box, and you’re good to go. So he’s good to go!

Our desire is to train up a generation of kids that understands the needs of the world, and that aren’t afraid to leave the comforts of home to help those in (sometimes desperate) need. It will be an eye-opening experience for our youth, just as it has been for me and others who have gone to less-developed countries.

As for me, I’m hoping to pay my own way for the medical mission trip (this time, I’ll try to keep my hat secure so I don’t end up with bandana-wear!). We’ll be doing day-long clinics in a handful of villages, where medical care is often somewhere between rare and nearly non-existent.

No pressure, no hard-sell, just an opportunity to partner with us this time as we plan for June. Thanks for reading, and for any encouragement and support you can offer!

- Steve

UPDATE: Since posting this, a number of people have generously donated sufficient funds so that Ben’s expenses are covered, and that generosity is spilling over to help cover some of the expenses of others as well (including me)! We now have a team of 26 people going – by far, the most ambitious effort we’ve ever undertaken as a church – and we will now have a small construction team joining the medical team and the youth group. The Youth Group has been working very hard with fund-raisers all spring, and every donation helps. If you still wish to donate, you can do so – simply follow the instructions above and  your kindness will go toward helping our team minister in Haiti. Thank you!!

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