When we left Port au Prince, we hired our friend Lamouth to drive us. He is one of the Haitians that gave a workshop for our agriculture group, APWOKPRAM, last fall on bio-intensive gardens.
He is working on a problem for a group of sisters that bought several thousand acres of land. They want to develop it agriculturally but it is poisoned with salt. He is researching plants that grow in tidal planes and close to the ocean. The problem with soil contaminated with salt is a worldwide problem. I know that it is a big problem in Australia.
Sr. Pat called last night and she was reading our last newsletter about the little boy that Denise is holding that needs hernia surgery. She told us that they have a group of surgeons coming next week and one of their specialties is hernia repair. This morning I am taking the boy and his father to the hospital for evaluation.
I just got back from taking the boy and his father to the hospital. It looks like they have approved him for the surgery.
When we first arrived at the hospital I was approached by a young man with a towel wrapped around his forearm. Johnny was with me and as we looked on, the young man removed the towel to reveal an open wound about eight inches long and spread open about an inch and a half. The bone was fully exposed, but there was no blood. Johnny looked away and the man said nothing but looked pleadingly into my eyes. It was obvious that the man had no money to see the doctor. In this country if you have no money, you receive no service.
I asked Johnny how much money it would cost to see the Doctor and he replied 500 gourdes, about $10.50. It ended up being 400 gourdes. Later when Johnny and I were across the street at the egg sandwich restaurant, the young man found me, came up to me, sought my eyes with his, and softly said “Mesi”.
Just before we were getting ready to head back, Johnny’s wife came up on a moto. She told us that Johnny’s uncle had drunk some poison and that an ambulance had been sent to Kalabat to bring him to the hospital. We do not know the outcome. Please lift him and the family up in prayer.
Denise got a kitten from Sr.Pat. It is white and she named it Feebee. She, (we think), adopted us right away, including our little burglar alarm dog Sadie. We need a cat for controlling the fruit rats that like to eat out of Denise’s container garden on the roof. Sadie is now fat. She weighs almost 8lbs. We are putting her on a diet to get her down to a more healthy weight.
Will send updates as they happen, Bob