April 2012

Welcome back to our blog updates
Due to a computer crash towards the end of 2011 we have been unable to post updates on our old website.  The new site is under construction but is taking longer than expected.  We have decided to continue updates in this venue till we can get them to you via the new site.  Please forgive our tardiness in communicating.


Lance Manson Joins the Team
Our project manager Caleb Lapp left our employ in early December following his marriage and move to Les Cayes where he is now ministering with his wife Olga.  As we prayed for God's answer to our continuing construction need, one of the contacts we had was from a friend of ours in Jacmel, Danny Pye.  Danny had a friend in construction coming to Haiti who wanted to stay on longer term and had construction experience.  His friend, Lance, came by to take a look at what we were trying to accomplish.  He came down on a weekend to look and then decided to come back to work for a few days the next week to see how it went.  On arrival he jumped right in correcting some problems that had occurred in the interim with our Haitian crew as well as doing new work.  We had just started work on the guesthouse for our short (and longer) term teams.  James Gray, who had done our work on the clinic designs, took Caleb's foundation and reworked it to maximize the benefit.  Lance has taken those plans and made them come alive.  After the two days of planned work, Lance decided to stay on.  He picked up his clothes and moved down.  


Lance is now living in one of our small wooden houses that were moved in January to the new site.  He reports daily on his progress with photos and text, detailing problems, plans, and progress made.  He has begun language studies with Teresa Price our PA who is helping him take his basic language knowledge and expand it to meet his living and construction needs.  

Lance at the controls of the excavator

Danny and Lance

We are pleased with Lance's progress on the guesthouse and look forward to his work on the clinic as well as missionary housing.  


We are constantly amazed at God's provisions for us time and time again just when we need Him.




Guesthouse Progress

Plumbing put in

Walls begin to rise

Front porch added

Bond beams hold walls firmly in place

Floors ready to pour

Trusses ready to go up

Several teams have come in to help.  One of our teams designed a "template" to build the trusses for our roof more quickly.  The next team built the trusses themselves much more quickly with the aide of the previous team's work.  God has used help from all over the US to build this compound to do the work of the ministry.

Many Hands Make the Work Light

God has sent many workers our way to partner with us in the work.  Some have worked on our houses to make them more comfortable for us (gutters to prevent flooding in low doorways, screen doors to prevent mosquitoes).  Some have fixed problems.  Several have painted various areas to protect both wood and metal structures.  Some have added shade producing porches since there is no airconditioning in this hot climate.  We cannot thank you all enough for the help.

Others unable to come have sent money to buy materials.  Many have prayed.  We have been so blessed.  One team from Pennsylvania prayed around the grounds for protection and then ministered to the clients waiting to see the doctors.  Many with serious illness found relief and comfort from the work they did.  Our employees and missionaries also received prayer.

We have also had medical workers come to count pills, clean out the pharmacy, help with surgery, weigh patients, take vital signs, and physicians and nurse practitioners have helped consult the many patients that come daily looking for God's provision for their health needs.  We even had a dentist in our reception tent pulling teeth for those in need.

Sally Todd Joins Staff

Sally Todd, pediatric nurse practitioner from Texas, has joined our missionary staff for 6 months of the year.  She works nights in a NICU in Texas when she is not working in Haiti.  She began working in January 2012 and helped Jim and Sandy move their belongings to their new house when they first arrived.  Sally and her husband Robert are currently working hard to learn Haitian Creole.  Robert has experience working in the operating room, emergency room and in personnel in a hospital as well as landscaping.  He is praying about what role God might have for him here.  

Jenn Rogan marries Jean Philogene

On March 25th, Jenn Rogan married her fiance Jean at the Dan's Creek Hotel in Port Salut.  It was a beautiful ceremony on the beach at sunset.  Jean has joined our workforce at the clinic.  He is helping Sandy doing data entry and filling in where needed.  We are so pleased for them both.

HHM Facing Dispute for Land Title

HHM learned on March 15 that a person in the US, whose father was a previous owner of the land on which we are building, is disputing our land title.  A magistrate, 2 bulldozers, and 20 police arrived Friday afternoon after the clinic had closed, with legal documents we had never seen, stating that we needed to leave the land.  We explained that we had never seen any legal papers, never signed any documents stating we had received legal documents discussing this issue and therefore knew nothing about such proceedings.  We offered to show them our deed but they said it was illegal.  They agreed to allow us to meet them with a lawyer on Monday morning.  We hurriedly got in contact with the lawyer that helped Danny Pye get out of prison and he agreed to meet with us and see what was involved.  Sandy went on Monday and our lawyer called the opposing party's lawyer.   The issue was due to the confiscating of the land by Haiti during Jean Claude Duvalier's reign and subsequent repurchase by the man from whom we purchased the land.  We are still not sure what the next step is.  Please pray with us as we continue to build and work on the site, that God will find a resolution to this problem.

Prayer Requests

1.  Praise for Lance's arrival and all the work he has gotten done thus far.

2.  Praise for Jenn's marriage to Jean Jean and his joining our team.

3.  Praise for Sally Todd joining the team part time.

4.  Please continue to pray for the land dispute that our lawyer, Osner Fevry will have wisdom and that God will give us favor with the man disputing our title.

5.  Pray for Lance as he works with the Haitian construction team to motivate them to do excellent work for God.

6.  Pray for Jenn and Jean Jean as they begin life together as a family.

7.  Pray for Sally and Robert to learn Haitian Creole quickly and well.  

December 2010

Construction progress

Many have been asking what we are doing now.  You may have noticed that we have had no photos of actual clinic construction on our website for about 6 months.  We have been patiently awaiting God's leading and timing.  It seems appropriate that at the celebration of our Lord's birth, we announce a "birth" of sorts for Haiti Health Ministries.

God has led us to purchase land and begin anew just down the road from Christianville in the town of Reserve.  We have made a down payment on a piece of land 3.8 acres in size.  It is on a plain and is the high point of the area with a gorgeous view of the mountains. 

This is a much bigger undertaking than we had planned, but God is asking us to join Him on a pathway that will stretch our faith and build the ministry faster than we would have done on our own.  We hope you will join us in this exciting undertaking as we seek God in redefining Haiti Health Ministries.  

Caleb Lapp is our new construction boss and he will be the driving force behind all the work.  He is still making block for us at our current site, as we have sold much of our previous block to Christianville for their school construction project.  

Caleb estimates 2 years to build all that we will need to complete the project.  We will begin soon with the drilling of a well on the site.  Soon after a perimeter fence will go up and the clinic construction will begin.  

Please continue to hold HHM up in prayer as our board makes decisions that affect this process and for Caleb as he carries out the plan.  We also need prayer for the finances that will pay for this undertaking.  

This is a much larger project than we initially anticipated and will take more money to complete.   If you desire to donate to specific items or the construction in general please go to our website to use Paypal or send a donation to:

HHM 

PO Box 175

Girard, KS 66743

Application for Public Health Department and NGO status

In anticipation of the new site, we started applying with the Haitian government for our department of public health status.  We have completed the process and expect our paperwork to arrive soon.  

We have also applied to the government for a temporary NGO status.  This will allow us to purchase the land, as well as all vehicles, in HHM's name.  It will also allow us to bring in shipping containers through Customs and thus receive items from the US that cannot be purchased here in the country or at a cost that is much less than imported goods.  The application we have completed will last for 6 months and we are already working on the lengthier form for permanent status that is renewed annually.

Pray that this process will be completed and we will complete both applications in a timely manner.  The election problems are slowing things down.

                                                             Christ's Gift for Us

Many of you celebrate the birth of Christ in the giving of gifts to friends and loved ones at this time of year.  We do this in memorial of the wonderful gift God gave us in His only Son who lived and died that we might find an escape from a life of slavery.  To accomplish this He sent His Son to be born a little baby, helpless, in the hands of poor youngsters in Israel, to be brought up a Jew in a nation ruled by the Roman empire.  Jesus gave us an example of how God hopes we will live.  He died to purchase forgiveness for our disobedient actions and thoughts.  For those of us that have received this gift, it is an indescribable blessing.  There is no way we can ever repay this gift.  

It is out of gratitude for this gift that we serve our Savior in Haiti.  Our top priority is to share God's gift with Haitians who come to His clinic.  96 made professions of faith in Christ this year receiving His forgiveness and eternal life as a result.  In addition, we work to alleviate the suffering of both Christian and non Christian alike in our vicinity.  We treated over 26,000 patients this last year, with over 30% completely free.  

This year has been a really difficult one as we went from being homeless, to enduring a hurricane and cholera, to a decision to rebuild in another location.  We hope to build a clinic that will last for years to come, that will stand the pressure of future earthquakes and hurricanes, and will be there in disastrous times to help the poorest in the world find both physical and spiritual health.  We hope you will join us in this venture as we seek and find God's path for how Haiti Health Ministries can  best serve Him in Haiti.  

Your Gift for Haitians in Need

Here are the first items we need in our construction project.  The land has already been donated to HHM but we will be needing the following items soon.   We are seeking in kind donations as well, so anyone with contacts that could provide these items please contact us or Caleb.  

jim-sandy@wilkins.net

cll.mtnhomesconst@live.com

Dump truck to haul block, sand, cement, etc                       $45,000

Concrete mixer                                                                  $  6,300

Laser level                                                                        $     800

Well drilling                                                                       $  5,000

Chain link fencing (security perimeter)                                 $18,000

Concrete blocks, each                                                       $        1

Driveways/gravel/parking area                                            $  3,000

Mig welder and wire                                                           $  3,000          

But when fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.  Gal 4:4-5

Merry Christmas,

Jim and Sandy

November - 11 months post Earthquake

Road into Leogane

Transitional houses on bypass road

Tomas Passes With Minimal Impact to HHM 

Our third disaster of the year was poised to hit on Thursday at noon according to Haitian radio.  All schools nationwide closed, but we saw patients as usual.  It was a light day in the clinic and with Dr. Mainviel arriving late and Jim leaving early we only saw 85 patients.  We sent one OB to Leogane to deliver a post term baby since she had developed a slight case of pre-eclampsia.  Otherwise, just business as usual.  Jim took a missionary friend to Port au Prince to beat out the rain waiting for a flight Saturday morning.  Getting past the rivers en route to the airport is no guarantee in heavy rains.

We closed all our clinic curtains, moved things away from windows to avoid wetness, and then locked up. It drizzled lightly from mid afternoon Thursday and increased in intensity all day Friday but no downpours.  We were surprised to hear that Leogane had flooded so since it had come in a very sedate rate with no wind of which to speak.  We understand that 2 died in Leogane.  We hear from a friend in Seguin that 4 were washed down into a ravine and died up there.  Here are some photos from various places.

Momance river - usually mostly dry

Leogane river overflows its banks

We took a drive on Saturday to see what had occurred.  Here is what we found in Leogane.  You could not travel past to get to the other side of town.

Our friends in Jeremie reported high winds and very heavy rains on Friday.  Here is a photo of a garden in front of their house under 10 feet of water.

Nancy Kavan Revamps Pharmacy

Nancy arrived from Alaska via Texas on October 21.  She came prepared to work and really made an impact on our pharmacy.  Nancy is a pharmacist who found out about us from our good friends and co-workers at Bonne Fin, John and Joy McCall.  She reorganized our pharmacy storage area, created a new labeling system that tells the patients more about their medicines, and brought many donated medications.  

We are still working on getting the new labels completely translated and will be inserting them inside the baggies in which we pack pills.  We are hopeful to better educate our patients and improve compliance.  Here is Nancy hard at work printing off the labels she had made so far.  What a blessing this was to our pharmacy techs.  She also had some classes with them to help them better understand the medications.

Congratulations to Teresa and Ryan Price

Titus Christopher arrived on Nov 6 at 8:05 PM weighing 8#12oz.  He and mommy are doing fine.  

Prayer Requests

1.  Praise God for his protection once again!

2.  Pray for the cholera epidemic to die down and not spread.

3.  Continue to pray for direction for our board and us regarding the clinic construction plans.

4.  Pray for Caleb Lapp as he sells his business and winds up things in the US and returns on Nov 14.

5.  Praise God for little Titus Christopher Price.

Isaiah 55:8-9  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.  As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Jim and Sandy

October 2010 - 10 months post earthquake

Caleb Lapp Arrives to Lead Construction Efforts

Caleb Lapp from West Virginia arrived to begin working on the reconstruction in August.  He arrived with new plans in hand and an enthusiastic spirit.  The workers have been anxious to start work again.  The block making factory is up and making blocks not only for our use but for the new school buildings Christianville is building.  We received a good report on the strength of the blocks and will continue to strive for even better results by curing the block better.  We are ready to dig the footings for the first building.  After we perfect our building techniques we will begin working on the main clinic.  

After Caleb got a handle on making the concrete blocks and finishing the security walls, one of his first projects was Jenn’s transitional house.  Jenn had been homeless and living in the guesthouse for 8 months; it became necessary for her to move out.  The last team of July framed a little house for her but no more teams were available to work on it.  Caleb took over the work.  He salvaged windows and cabinets from the ruined apartment complex and here is what it looks like.

Jenn's kitchen

Caleb's house

Caleb then began work on his own little cottage.  It is the same size as Jenn's, but somewhat different in design.  Philip and James Stevens came down to help him get it done faster.  A team from Florida got it painted inside and out.  Thanks Guys!!!  All that remains is plumbing and finishing work. 

Medical Clinic Passes Another Hurdle

The first term of school finished mid August and the new year begins the first of October.  We were asked to vacate the long tin roofed school building so the students could move back into their regular classrooms.  We moved all of our salvaged items into the destroyed apartment complex for storage till the clinic is finished.  We are moving what we currently need and use into the building that HHM and FAME built for Christianville.  We have 4 doctors, a dispensing as well as storage pharmacy, an X-ray, sonography, OR, central supply, administration, patient records, and laboratory all crammed into one small building.  We move 110-120 patients through it a day.  Our registration desk and lab blood drawing  for glucoses moves out onto the covered porch every morning; weighing the patients takes place in a tent. The waiting room is in the shade of the trees unless a rain storm comes up when they move into the tent that Caleb erected given to us by the St. Croix field hospital in Leogane.  God was so good to provide that when we were having rain daily!

Registration desk on front porch

Doctors examination in Central Supply

Waiting in line for lab

The move on September 30 went well after seeing a half day of patients.  As the Haitians say, we are like sardines in a box, but we are managing to still spread the Good News of the Gospel and care for the sick and infirm even in these difficulties.

Rainy day forces people inside

Waiting room under the trees

We have daily emergencies and take people to be admitted almost daily to Doctor's Without Borders hospital in Leogane.  We are so thankful for them.  St. Croix Hospital has now opened as well and it is just in time with the new cholera crisis looming.  

Weighing in the tent

Jim and Jenn in X-ray also do IV's

Tent for rainy days

Cholera Epidemic Hits the Artibonite

Cholera was feared early on after the January 11 earthquake hit Haiti.  With the displaced persons living in large tent cities and camps it is an ideal situation for infectious disease to take hold.   We have been spared any large epidemics until this last week.  On October 16 the first case was diagnosed at Hospital Albert Schweitzer.  It quickly escalated from there.  The initial reports were a 10% mortality rate.  The new cases have slowed in recent days and the death rate is improving as the news spreads on what to do and where to go for treatment.  We appreciate so much your prayers for Haiti during this crisis.   Haiti Health Ministries' clinic will participate in the preparation for cholera in their area and will be administering treatments, transporting to hospitalization sites as needed.  

Prayer Requests

1.  Wisdom for the Haiti Health Ministries Board as they seek God's will for the future of the ministry.

2.  Strength, protection, and good health for the Wilkins, Jenn, Caleb, and Teresa as they continue to minister where God has planted them.

3.  A safe delivery for baby boy Price as Teresa and Ryan patiently await his arrival in the US.

4.  Praise for 95 salvation decisions thus far this year!

5.  Prayer for containment of the cholera and healing for those affected.

I Corinthians 15:58

So then my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not without fruit in the Lord.

Jim and Sandy