CHRISTIANVILLE

I've been waiting for awhile to do a blog on Christianville because I was hoping to have some pictures to include with the write-up. But my camera broke and so I decided to write this anyway. I'm sure you all know that I've been working in a place called Christianville full-time since June. There is a clinic on the Christianville property that is run by Haiti Health Ministries. The staff includes two haitian doctors, two haitian nurses, a haitian pharmacy worker, two haitian laboratory techs, and three other haitians on support staff. There are also two american nurses, an american administrator, an american doctor, and me! If it sounds like more people than I used to work with, IT IS, and I'm excited about it. It is so great to not have to do every job myself, but instead to stick to what I'm good at. Which is seeing patients. Together we see about 120 people every day. We are capable of providing many services to our patients which other clinics can't offer, including x-ray, ultrasound, and lab tests. Dr. Jim and his wife Sandy have worked hard to equip the clinic with every item necessary to provide the highest quality medical care possible for our haitian patients.
One thing that I love about the work in Christianville is that we all work together to share the gospel with our patients. Leading people to the Lord and plugging them in to the local churches for growth is our goal. Each morning one of the staff, whether haitian or american, preaches the gospel to our patients who wait in a covered porch in the courtyard to be seen. Our patients are presented with an invitation to accept the gift of Christ's saving grace each morning. We all take turns preaching the daily devotion. If there are patients who are interested in receiving the Lord as Savior, Sandy prays individually with them while we begin to see patients. Then they are provided with discipleship materials and encouraged to attend a Bible-believing church near their home. While in the exam rooms, Jim and I pray with patients as the opportunity arises.
My favorite part of working at Christianville is the team aspect. I missed that and longed for it while I was in Seguin. Here is a patient story that demonstrates the way we like to work as a team in the clinic, while keeping our main focus to share the love of the Lord: A man walked into my office with a very large belly and yellow eyes. He was only in his early fifties, and he did not know the Lord. After I gave him a physical exam and Stacey gave him a chest x-ray and Jim gave him an abdominal ultrasound, we diagnosed him with liver cancer that had spread to his lungs. I talked to him about his spiritual condition and I gave him the bad news about his physical condition. He admitted that he did not know the Lord and was not ready to meet his Maker. I laid him on an exam table to remove some fluid from his abdomen to make him more comfortable. While the fluid was being drained, I called Sandy into the room to continue talking to him about the gospel while I went next door to see more patients. He accepted the Lord while Sandy prayed for him. He came into the clinic a few more times for follow up visits, and I encouraged him to read the Bible and go to church if he physically could. Then we didn't see him anymore. I'm sure he passed away, and I'm hopeful that we will see him one day in heaven, whole and healthy and joyful.
Thank you for all your prayers and all your support. Haiti is currently being hit by a category 1 hurricane. I'm in the States to prepare for my upcoming wedding, so I'm not sure how much damage is being done by the hurricane. Please pray for those who have dwellings that are less than adequate to hold up during this storm.