We arrived in the Dominican Republic on Sunday, February 14th, 2010. We were met by a local pastor and he had some pizzas and cokes waiting for us. It was a very nice and welcomed surprise. We loaded up the bus and went to the hotel Antigua Europa in Santo Domingo. We stayed there one night and in the early morning we loaded the truck with our bags and boarded a bus for Haiti.

We arrived in Port au Prince in the afternoon somewhat late due to a student demonstration in the Dominican Republic. It was done by some students that were unhappy with the school that the government had built. We pulled up to the Presidential Palace in Haiti to see the devastation caused by the earthquake. The palace was almost totally destroyed. As we looked around the surrounding area we could see that some structures were seemingly untouched by the quake while others were in total ruins.

We were met by Pastor Ignace and taken to the OMS Guesthouse in Carfou. There was some damage by the quake there too but it did not seem to be as severe as in Port au Prince. We were given room assignments and took our bags to our rooms. Then we went to have supper. The food was very good. It consisted of beans and rice with a Creole dish with vegetables and a sauce that was mildly spicy and was very good. After supper we sang some songs and had a short briefing on what tomorrow would bring; then off to bed.

We drove through the areas affected hardest and the devastation of the downtown Port au Prince area was the worst. There was block after block of collapsed buildings. Yet every once in a while there was a lone structure that was hardly touched by the quake.

We spent two days in Port au Prince doing medical clinics and then we went to Les Cayes to do some more clinics. The farther we went from Port au Prince the less damage there was but it was apparent that a major earthquake had taken place. The roads had cracks in some places that were big enough to damage cars and trucks if they were not careful.

As we traveled to Les Cayes, I was amazed at what I was seeing. I had been led to believe that Haiti was a wasteland but what I was seeing totally contradicted what I had been led to believe. Everything I saw was green and lush. There were banana, mango, breadfruit and other fruit trees all over the countryside. We passed farms and gardens with crops in them. There were people in these fields working them and tending to them. It was obvious to me that there were many hard working people in Haiti that had an abundance of pride and were very industrious. Not only will these people overcome the earthquake but they will rise above it and rebuild Haiti into a country they can be proud of.

We arrived in Les Cayes and went about getting ready for the clinics. On the first day of clinic we went to Ducis. People were already waiting when we arrived. We treated 362 people that day and 46 of them came to JESUS. Praise GOD!! There were some people from Port au Prince in this village and some of them had suffered injuries in the quake. Our medical team may have been the only source of medical care these people would ever receive! It is so remote here that it is doubtful that anyone from the big city even knows they exist!

The people of Haiti have been neglected for decades and yet they are resilient and a hard working people. Governments come and go but the Haitian people will remain and flourish. But now they need some help and encouragement and most of all they need JESUS CHRIST!!