Sunnybrook – Change of Plans

Schedules are made but plans change – especially when you’re in Haiti. The Sunnybrook team may have been thrown for a loop but that didn’t slow them. See how the the team has been running the path laid out for them regardless of where it leads.

To read yesterday’s adventure, click here.
Today we were blessed with another amazing day in Haiti! For some of us our day started at 4:45am, yeah early huh? But it was so that we could hike Mount Pignon and see God’s beauty first hand.  We reached the summit in time for the sunrise, two of the brave team members on the hike made the journey in 40 minutes while the others were 20 minutes later.  What a beautiful masterpiece they were able to see.  Some pictures are posted below of the view.  Those who hiked came back and enjoyed an amazing pancake breakfast made by Craig.

We all got ready and headed to Ranquite (Ran-keet) to deliver four PET (Personal Energy Transport) Carts to selected individuals in need.  Picture this, four PET carts all in boxes placed in the bed of a 5-6 foot truck while carrying 8 adults on top for about an hour drive.  Three lucky team members road on the back of motorcycles. The PET Cart recipients are individuals are unable to walk, or walk well, or have no use of their lower body.  In order to operate a PET Cart, the recipients must be able to demonstrate they can operate the hand crank and brake.  Unfortunately, if they could not operate it, they were not able to receive it. But you know what, within minutes of arriving the team learned just how much of an impact this PET Cart delivery would be for not only the recipients, but the community as well.  The team was fortunate enough to meet the four recipients, their families and the local Pastor and hear their stories as to how they became disabled.

The time came for the individuals to try their PET Carts out.  It was a beautiful sunny day but the smiles on the individuals faces shined so much brighter!  Their smiles were contagious and they only grew when they were given the gift of mobility.  For some of them, it has been 10 years since they have been able to move on their own.  The individuals took off down the street for their “test drive” with the community members running alongside of them, cheering them on the whole time.  The emotions cannot be expressed.

The team followed one recipient to assess his poor housing situation.  This man was an orphan and was living in a single room of a house, but less than a month ago, he was sleeping on the front porch of a different house. The Pastor we met is willing to help the man and offered his home to stay in but the roof would be need to be completed on two rooms of the house.  The team is brainstorming a solution for this man, a hand up rather than a hand out as Pastor Jeff would say.  We also followed the youngest recipient (approx. 18-21 years old) to the medical clinic for concerns with his ears. It appeared he had a serious ear infection, however without medical attention an ear infection could lead to death.  Christi with Many Hand 4 Haiti stated that things as simple as triple antibiotic cream and a Band-Aid could be the difference between life and death here.  We truly are blessed to have the medical care we have access to.  This is not the reality for most Haitians.

Today was a true example of God’s plan.  The day did not go according to “our schedule” but it followed God’s schedule exactly.  We all felt God’s presence and calling to be in this town, with these people at this exact time.  Tomorrow we will get to experience church in Creole.  God is so good!