Update

Wednesday I heard from my doctor about the blood tests I had done the week before. She said my liver enzyme levels were much improved in the 2 weeks since I left the hospital (I am now 3 weeks and 4 days out of the hospital). She said my tests in the hospital were truly impressive! The normal bilirubin count should be below 1. Before I left the hospital (the count went up while I was in the hospital) it was 8.8! Now it is down to 2.4 (I think) so I still have a ways to go. My other numbers have fallen considerably since I left the hospital, but again, have a ways to go. One of the numbers has kind of plateaued.

She said my energy will probably not improve much until the liver numbers are back to normal. And she said that there is no way to tell how soon that will be -- she said that Hepatitis A should be considered more like Mono and it could be another couple months before I was back to normal. She was talking about me still being here in State College in October or November. She also thought it was ok to ignore my gallstones as long as they are not bothering me. I also now have some numbers to go by to monitor my low fat diet, which I need to stay on till the liver numbers are better. That would be harder to monitor in Haiti!!!!! She said there was not anything I could do to speed up the recovery time -- just avoid fat and other things that adversely effect the liver like Tylenol and alcohol. She also said that even once the liver numbers are normal, it might take a while to get the yellow stain out of my skin -- and that the 2.4 bilirubin number is accounting for the continued yellow around my eyes (see the photo).

Dr Cherry also recommended I see a new doctor in their group -- he is in infectious diseases as well as internal medicine. She thought he would be better able to guide me through my recovery and maybe have better answers to my questions. He would also be able to let me know when and if I should get more blood work. I have an appointment with him August 30th. So that is where things stand at the moment.

Thanks for your prayers and encouraging communications.

Belated Update

It has been altogether too long since I have posted anything -- and that kind of makes it hard to post now! There is so much to condense.

Back in Haiti in May and June, the rains finally came, but they were too little too late. Please pray for the people to find a way to sustain themselves since there will not be much of a harvest this year. Most of my time in May and June was spent working with my Haitian and American colleagues to establish a mixed Haitian and American Executive Team (ET) to manage all the ministries at HAFF. I was able to attend 2 meetings of the ET before I returned to the US at the end of June. The rest of the ET continues to work well together as they meet at least twice a week on Monday and Friday afternoons. Please pray for us all that the Lord would bless us with oneness of heart and mind and mutual encouragement and support as He gives us the wisdom we need to grapple with the weighty issues of keeping HAFF focused on providing Christ centered education to the people of the Central Plateau.

In June, I once again had the fun of taking Amtrak's Auto Train from Sanford, FL to Lorton, VA. The savings in time (cuts 17 hours off the drive to PA from FL), wear and tear on my 18 year old car, my personal energy and the ability to work on things while still traveling make the cost of the trip well worth while.


Once back in Central Pennsylvania, I was just in time to go on a guided tour of Millbrook Marsh, a local wetlands. It is a special small gem preserved in the midst of the outskirts of State College. It was a wonderful afternoon of walking through 3 different types of wetlands, seeing northern wild flowers in bloom and enjoying the songs and flights of many kinds of birds.

Each July since 1967 my family has enjoyed the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts here in State College. This year was no exception. My cousin came from Orangeville the first day of the festival and we walked the sidewalk sale, checked out the beginning of the sand sculpture and had lunch together. That was my last day feeling fairly well. That Sunday I started to feel feverish and by Monday morning I had a fever of 102. The doctor thought it was malaria, so I started on chloroquine. By Wednesday I was yellow, so the doctor suggested I go to the ER. I was admitted and given about every test known to man. Finally about Friday, it was determined that I had Hepatitis A! Most likely I picked it up in Haiti. There is nothing to be done except ride it out. I was home from the hospital Monday July 25th.

I am feeling much better now, though I still tire very quickly and have a slight yellow tinge that comes and goes! I go back to the doctor Monday for blood tests to see how my liver is recovering. I hope to get some sort of recovery prognosis then. I have heard and read that Hep A can take from 6 weeks to 6 months for recovery! I am hoping for the shorter time period. So, until I have a better idea of when I'll be back to full strength, I don't know when I'll be able to get back to Haiti. Please pray for my fast and complete recovery. Also, please pray for the rest of the ET as they continue to work without me. Thank the Lord for email, cell phones and Skype (computer based phone service) that permits me to keep up on what the ET is doing and allows met to offer my two cents and vote on issues. Thank the Lord too for the wonderful neighbors and friends here in State College who have rallied around to take care of me while I've been sick. I have been in excellent hands. And thanks to all of you for your prayers and gifts and support.

Winter/Spring Update

In February the HAFF missionary staff was called back to the US for meetings with the board about the school transition (see recent posts on www.HAFFDetails.blogspot.com). We spent three weeks in Florida in intensive meetings and brainstorming sessions before scattering to our homes throughout the US -- Georgia, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Florida.

I was thrilled to arrive in State College February 26th to find snow on the ground.

And there was more snow to come in early March, so I saw my first real snow in about 4 years.

Now Spring is well on its way. The forsythia bushes are blooming, daffodils are out and I am hopeful of maybe enjoying my favorite flower, the lilac, before I head back to Haiti. This is only the second time I have seen a Pennsylvania Spring in the 25 years I have been in Haiti.

While we have been in our US homes, we have still been working. There have been emails and conference calls about the transition and I have also produced a devotional on Esther for the Bon Fanm class and started one on Mary and Martha. I also have 20 pages of notes from the Veterinary team to translate for the vet agents!

While I have been in State College, I have been listening to the local Christian radio station. One program in particular sent me to a book that has been very helpful during this season of Lent. The author is J. Oswald Sanders, the missionary statesman who first turned the thoughts of HAFF founder Lila Clark and her husband Ruben to Haiti. The book is The Incomparable Christ and is 36 chapters focusing on many aspects of the character, person and work of Christ. One thought about the crucifiction that struck me last week from the book is, "He drank a cup of wrath without mercy, that we might drink a cup of mercy without wrath." May we all realize the fullness of His mercy this Easter.

The New Year Starts out with a Bang

I arrived back in Bohoc, Haiti Tuesday evening Jan 11th. We had a staff meeting that occupied most of Wednesday morning. Unpacking, catching up on email and receiving the market lady for the incoming team occupied a lot of the rest of Wednesday and Thursday.
Thursday the 13th a group representing 2 churches arrived from northern New York. The team included two pastors, a worship leader, a physician's assistant and an art teacher!

Friday the 14th I went with some of the team to a rural church to hold a medical clinic. The pastor of the church had everything well organized before we arrived.

After coming to me so I could write their names, ages and problems on a sheet of paper, they went to Jody and Patsy to have temperatures and blood pressures taken.

Then they went to see either Physicians Assistant Kate or HAFF nurse Mme Telius for their diagnosis.

Finally they went to receive their medications and prayer. 53 people were seen by 3:30 in the afternoon. Saturday the 15th the pastor stopped by to say how much the people in the area appreciated the care and service given the day before by the team. There were more clinics the next week -- two at HAFF and one in another rural area.
While we were at clinic, Carla and Amber were teaching art to some young artists in the area. The art class continued Saturday the 15th and continued the next week as well. The pastors held a training session Friday the 14th and preached in two different churches Sunday the 16th.
Friday the 14th Mark got a speaker for the Jesus Film ministry working again and he and the pastors worked on other projects through the week in addition to doing more ministry in the Young Leaders for God class.

And while we worked with this team, we were already preparing for to host visitors for the Brethren Disaster Ministries. That group arrived four days after the first group left! Please pray that the Haitians saw Christ as the two groups ministered in the area.

Happy New Year!

How wonderful to be back in Pennsylvania and my childhood home for Christmas. My uncle and I decked the house with three generations of Christmas decorations -- my grandparents', my parents' and aunt's and mine! It was also a joy to be able to invite people over for a meal or just to visit.

I did not get my white Christmas. But we did get about half an inch Christmas night. Just enough to make it look like winter. We missed the big storm that hit the north east. But we did get to see some of the aftermath between Christmas and New Years.

The Monday after Christmas, we left for the eastern part of the state. Visiting family and friends, we made our way by slow stages from Bloomsburg and Orangeville through the Shamokin area to Lancaster and the Philadelphia area. We saw no snow till the Philly area, but then we saw quite a bit. Thankfully, the roads were clear and dry the whole way.

When I get back to Haiti on January 11, things will get busy right away. A team comes in the 13th and we will start working right away on the transition I mentioned in the last post. You can check out the HAFF Details blog (there is a link in the sidebar of this blog) for more information on that transition. Please pray for safety traveling for Barb and Greg Van Schoyck and Teresa Nesman as they make their way back to Haiti this week. And for me as I head south this week preparing for my return to Haiti next week. Please pray also for the transition, that God's will would be done and His name be glorified in all we do. And finally pray for Haiti as her people struggle to over come the adversity of a difficult 2010. Please pray that 2011 would be a year of recovery and renewal.

Meetings, Reports and Trainings

It has been a busy time since the last post. School has been in session and I have taught my one hour of National Exam Preparation class each week. I have also helped out in the office. But much of my time has been spent in community meetings and other one on one meetings concerning a transition at HAFF. There will be more about that soon, but for now, just please help us pray that God's will will be done and His Name glorified in the transition.

The last couple of weeks I have been busy mostly with working on the big report for the Haitian government that is due each year at this time. Many of the Haitian and American staff have been helping supply me with information, but with Barb and Greg in the States for the board meeting and Christmas, I have had Teresa Nesman helping me with the actual filling out of the government forms. Teresa is at HAFF for a year to help out. And she has been a wonderful help in many ways so far.

I have also spent my two to three hours a week in the eyeglass clinic. It has been almost miraculous how Becky and Teresa and I have been able to find glasses for the people who come in each week. Even most of those with odd prescriptions have found something that helps them see, even if they are not the most stylish glasses! Very few have been turned away disappointed because we didn't have their prescription or glasses they liked. Becky and I have made a point of giving each person who receives glasses a Haitian Creole tract explaining how to find Jesus as their Savior. Many of the people who come to the clinic are pastors or church leaders or other Christians, but they still get a tract which they can pass on to someone else.

This past Monday I had the fun and privilege of speaking to 67 women at a conference in Monac -- about 5 miles south west of HAFF. I was asked to speak about cholera, so I gave them information about what it is, how it is transmitted, how to treat it and, most importantly, how to prevent it.
But, I also used the opportunity to share Matthew 24:42-45 which talks about how if the home owner had known the thief was coming in the night, he would have been ready for him. I reminded the ladies that in the same way, life is uncertain. It is even more uncertain when severe, untreated cholera can kill within 2 or 3 hours of the onset of symptoms. Therefore there is a need to be sure they have a right relationship with God and to make sure others do as well.

Finally, on Tuesday I had the pleasure of sharing devotions with the ladies of the Godly Woman class. We looked at the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus and how all the accounts we have of her life are written to shine light on the life and work of Jesus. I challenged the ladies and myself to make sure our lives shine a light on Jesus and to give our lives completely to Christ so that our lives show Christ.

I will be leaving Haiti Thursday Dec 16, Lord willing and the airports stay open and the MFI planes remain in good repair! I take the Auto Train to State College the 17th to spend my first Christmas in State College in 4 years. My uncle from Texas will be joining me and between Christmas and New Years, we will be visiting family and friends further east in Pennsylvania.

Veterinarians, Cholera and a Hurricane

I have long been fond of saying that Bohoc, Haiti, like State College, Pennsylvania, is equally inaccessible from all directions. With Interstate 99 coming through, that is changing somewhat for State College. And with the National Route 3 paving project getting closer to Hinche, it is on the verge of changing for Bohoc as well.
But thankfully, our inaccessibility to hurricanes will not change due to a paving project. The mountains that have protected this area from the ill effects of hurricanes for generations have done so again the last couple of days. By the grace of God Hurricane Tomas did not make landfall at all in Haiti, but passing Haiti closely, it did create flooding problems along the south coast. Here on the Central Plateau we just got several days of nice rain that we needed to keep the sugar cane, sweet potatoes, manioc, plantains, beans and peanuts growing. Thanks for your prayers for us and please pray for those who were hard hit by the hurricane.

The cholera epidemic has moved a bit closer. We have heard of cases in St Michel northwest of us and in Hinche to the south. So far there have been no cases here in the Pignon area, that I know of. Our personal water supply here at HAFF is a deep well on the HAFF property. We all either boil or filter our drinking water. The community has several wells as well as a couple of springs from which they can get their water. And, as of a couple weeks ago, 60 families in the area have the same water filter that HAFF uses at the dorm and that some of the HAFF staff use in their homes. Please pray that the epidemic would be stopped and no more people would die or be infected.

One of the best parts of the last two weeks or so was the Veterinary team from Atlantic Veterinary College at the University of Prince Edward Island. Three Veterinarians, three veterinary students and a vet agent came and spent 8 days at HAFF working with 12 local veterinary agents.

It was an intense 8 days.

There were two days of seminars where the Canadian team taught the Haitians about the anatomy and physiology of the digestive and respiratory systems in horses and cattle, how to tell the age of animals from their teeth, how to estimate the weight of animals and then how to calculate dosages of medication, and how to safely restrain and move animals. If you right click on the photo montage at the left (and any of the ones following), you can open it in a new window and better see the details.

There were also two days of clinics. In Bohoc and in the mountains of Cercady the combined team of Haitian and Canadian clinicians vaccinated and de-wormed 1028 animals – cattle, horses, donkeys, mules, pigs, goats, dogs, cats and a few chickens – for 173 farmers. Some of those animals also had illnesses treated or wounds dressed.A fifth morning was spent doing labs for the students at Bohoc Training Institute – HAFF's secondary school. The Haitian veterinary agents who had attended the seminars shared with the students about safe animal restraint, telling the age of animals from their teeth, estimating the weight of animals, the respiratory and digestive systems of cattle and horses and discussing humane treatment of animals.
A fifth morning was spent doing labs for the students at Bohoc Training Institute – HAFF's secondary school. The Haitian veterinary agents who had attended the seminars shared with the students about safe animal restraint, telling the age of animals from their teeth, estimating the weight of animals, the respiratory and digestive systems of cattle and horses and discussing humane treatment of animals.
The afternoon of the day of the labs was spent training a group of 50 young people and their parents about goat care. Young people from 5 communities were chosen by the Community Relief Committee to receive goats to raise. 5 goats were given to each community group of 10 youth. Each goat was given a collar and each group of young goat owners received a pair of hoof trimmers and a tape for estimating the weight of goats so the group could keep track of the condition and growth of their goats. The goats were vaccinated and de-wormed before they were taken to their new homes.
Saturday morning that the team was at HAFF was spent at the Pignon market. After lunch in town, the team helped assemble the above mentioned water filters before they were distributed to the families.

We are well. We are busy!

You may have heard about the 49 people who have died and the 450 people who are sick in the central part of Haiti. We have too. That appears to be mostly located south west of where we are on the Northern Central Plateau. So far, thankfully, nothing seems to be happening in our area that resembles the diarrhea others are suffering. Thank you for your prayers for the families affected and for our continued safety and health.
We are, however, very busy with a team of veterinarians and veterinary students from Atlantic Veterinary College in Prince Edward Island, Canada. They arrived here at HAFF yesterday and will be here for 8 days. Today we had our first of 2 seminars for local veterinary agents. The seminars were on techniques for safely restraining the various animals the agents work with and estimating the age and the weight of the animals.

The exciting part is the sharing that happens at the seminars. For example, in the photo at left, Philemy from Pignon shows Kristen and Lloyd from Canada a new, and quicker method for tying a quick release knot. Quick release knots are essential for assuring the safety of animals tied up for any period of time. An animal tangled in a rope needs to be released as quickly as possible to prevent injury to the animal and to any people who may be around.

The week to come will include 2 veterinary clinics, a number of home visits, labs at HAFF's secondary school, a talk to the Godly Leaders class about leadership in good animal care and a training session for 50 young people who will be receiving goats from the local Community Relief Committee. Pray for us all for safety, wisdom and a clear exchange of knowledge.