The Story Of Shada

Immediately after you cross the bridge out of Cap Haitien, Haiti, on the right is the community named Shada, home to several thousand Haitians. It is a slum beyond the imagination of someone who has never been there. The closest I have seen in Haiti is the famous Cite Soleil. in Port Au Prince. The biggest difference is that where Cite Soleil has charities providing medical care, orphan resources, and schools - Shada has practically none of these.

It does have a small medical clinic that is only open one day a week due to limited funding. The "playground" is next to the water. It consists of a hard packed dirt lot, with open sewer streaming through draining into the adjacent water front. The huts are packed so tightly together you're forced to turn sideways to navigate the narrow paths - Again streaming with open sewage.

A request was recently sent out for additional funding for the clinic to pay a doctor in order to open a second day of the week. The residents of Shada have no money. They have to wait for the free clinic to open to take a sick child in for care, even if it means waiting 5 or 6 days for the next clinic day. The days I worked there, I saw several children under 2 diagnosed with Tuberculosis, but not receiving treatment due to financial constraints.

The clinic at Shada has been run by a midwife, Madame Bwa, for over 30 years (She is one of my heroes). Her adult sons now work in the clinic with her helping register patients, triaging, and keeping the patient flow moving. The clinic is open until it runs out of medications for the day. This past Wednesday, although there were over 150 patients waiting to be seen, only 47 could be treated due to that's all the medications that were available.

The clinic is currently in need of a good supply of medications. Funding to allow it to be open at least 3 days a week. An area for a laboratory along with basic lab equipment. Perhaps most needed, additional space for patient waiting, treatment, and examinations. Two adjacent rooms are currently available for purchase for $4,000 US.

I plan to continue taking medical teams here for mobile clinics when possible. The coolest thing about Shada clinic is that it really is Haitian people administering the clinic and providing the care. They just don't have the material or economic resources to provide the needed care for their community due to the extreme impoverished state of the community. When I wrote about the playground above, I didn't write about the children playing on it. Without exception, they all have the red hair and pot bellies that come with severe malnutrition. Yet still they were having a blast playing football - With a mango.

Hopefully you will decide to be a part of the "All Things Are Possible" campaign. We are seeking 400 people willing to commit to donating at least $10 a month for the next year. Your donation will make a huge difference for places in Haiti like Shada. I have committed to helping sponsor a second doctor with a portion of your donations. If you would like to make a specific donation to help expand the clinic, open a school, or join the micro-loan program in Shada, this can be arranged as well.

Please send your donations to:
Campus Church
Attn: Amy Freeman
1525 Indian Trail Road
Norcross, GA 30093
Note: Randy Moore - Haiti Mission Fund

Peace and grace,
Randy

All Things Are Possible

We've all seen the stories in the news marking the six month anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti. The reality for the Haitian people is really worse than any news story or a photo can portray. Not only are so many still living daily with unbelievable physical losses; the deeper emotional losses will leave lifelong scars for so many.

My wife and I visited Passion City Church this past Sunday night here in Atlanta. As we sang "I believe in miracles... With God, all things are possible", I was struck with the significance of this for Haiti. He really is this country's only hope. In retrospect, I was also impacted by these words on a much more personal level. Upon my recent return home, I have gone to work for a home health company here in Atlanta in an attempt to help provide some of my own support for the work in Haiti. Noble? Perhaps. A sign of faith in God and His provision? I'm not so sure.

I have often lamented that by spending so much time in Haiti, I am unable to devote very much attention to the dreaded part of this mission - Fund raising. I am trying so hard to have the mindset that instead of asking for money, it is giving others the opportunity to help reach people until they are physically able to go themselves. Being home for a few weeks should be the opportune time to devote myself to this facet of my mission. Instead, I am working for enough to support the here and now.

Wrong road Randy! With God, all things are possible, and yes, I do believe in miracles. As we visited Community Church Sunday morning, our family was overwhelmed by their love, their prayers, and their incredibly generous support. For me it was a much needed slap upside the head from God saying "I will continue to take care of you", just follow Me. Or, keep saying yes.

I am praying that God will provide 400 people that will commit to supporting this work in Haiti with a $10 donation each month. While I would love to have you as part of this group, the impact it you will have on Haiti will be immeasurable. I will be providing frequent progress updates on this. If you or your company would like to act as five or ten donors, we won't refuse it!

Please email me at ramoo76@gmail.com or comment below with your commitment, Then send your donation each month to:
Campus Church
Attn: Amy Freeman
1525 Indian Trail Road
Norcross, GA 30093
Note - Randy Moore Haiti Mission Fund

Thank you in advance for your prayers for the continuation of this work as well as for your support.

Peace and grace,
Randy

Haitian Memories

While at an ice cream social tonight, a friend asked what was the most memorable event for me in Haiti this past trip. After a moment's thought, I told him about the motorcycle accident victims we transported to the government hospital, and one of the victims subsequent death due to poor care.

After leaving, anther memory came to mind. Probably deeper and more troubling as it is one of those issues in Haiti, or in our world, that no one will ever be able to really fix. On the Saturday evening before I left a wedding was held at the St. Francois Parish. This is very unusual as most union in Haiti are simply declared by the couple as they move in together and become husband and wife.

Watching the beautiful bride, the families, along with the wedding party, it was so incongruous with everything else Haiti throws at you. It had a definite sense of beauty and normalcy to it. As we watched the wedding party all load up in one vehicle - That would make repeated trips to transport the remaining family, Burton pointed out our laundress and the daughter of our cook. They had climbed up on a pile of shipping pallets in order to watch the pretty girls in their dresses.

No photograph could ever capture the mix of emotions written so plainly on their faces. Wonder. Awe. Hope. You could literally see the dreams in their faces along with the realization that those dreams would most likely never be fulfilled.

For some reason this moment really impacted me. The moment reminded me that there are unfair things in Haiti, in our world for that matter, that neither I nor any other human will ever be able to fix. It is really easy to get spread thin in Haiti with such significant problems practically everywhere you turn. I am very committed to focusing on one or two projects going forward and then doing them to the best of my ability.

Helping provide surgical and mobile medical teams in Haiti will remain at the top of the list as will the development of a hemophilia patient registry and treatment program. I am praying hard that God will open the needed doors for these projects to go well and that they are in line with His will.

In the short term, I am starting a nursing job tomorrow here in Atlanta in an effort to get my finances at home in better order. I am currently planning on returning to Haiti around the middle of August. Again, like the plans above, I am putting all of this in God's hands. It seems the more I plan and make my own strategies, the more He does to remind me that He is in control and will guide me if I allow Him. It really is still all about just saying "yes" to him.

Finding God

In my last blog I mentioned all the reading time there is in Haiti. Last weekend a group of were together when one of the UN Commanders told a Swiss nurse, you Swiss have watches; Haitians have time. This is so incredibly true. Burton and I both loved the quote and have repeated it often during the week. When waiting hours for an appointment, sitting in traffic waiting on a bus to load - Or repair an axle, or waiting for bedtime from 4:00 in the afternoon on.

In Haiti you have all the time you need. One day this week I started to apologize for it being such a slow day, when the Spirit reminded me of all He had done through us that day. I instead listed those in our conversation. We were both struck by how God is able to work through us, even when we don't realize it is happening; or in the many small things we as humans tend to blow right by.

I have read several good books this trip. All very convicting. Perhaps the best has been Radical by David Platt. As I struggle with balancing working at home with my ever increasing time commitments in Haiti, this book speaks straight to my heart. If you get the chance to read it, I suspect it will do the same for you. Burton brought it with him, and it has provided us with hours of spiritual discussion material as we discussed it and challenged each other with thoughts from it.

One of the most convicting parts in it for me was where it points out that most of our churches or denominations have some kind of checklist for a "plan of salvation". Most are 4 or 5 points long depending on what type you attend. He then made the point that the true plan is to sacrifice all you own for the poor; hate your mother, father, wife and children; and pick up your cross, dying to yourself daily, and follow Him.

This seems to really be what being a disciple of Christ and living a Spirit filled life are all about. It seems so easy to get hung up on our various theologies, that it is easy to lose sight of the simplicity, and the sacrifice, required to be a true follower of Jesus. For me, I have spent way too much of my life following church instead of Christ.

From this I repent.

Peace and grace,
Randy

Tuesday Night In Haiti

A nice quiet week in Haiti. Burton Wood is our only guest this week. He has gotten to work with the Haitian doctors in our hospital's outpatient clinic. Learning first hand about tropical medicine, along with how to see and treat 10 patients an hour! Tomorrow we return to the Shada clinic together to work help with their day clinic. This is the clinic I wrote about last week located in a slum that would remind you of Cite Soleil on a smaller scale. We will then spend Thursday and Friday back at our clinic seeing patients. It was really cool to share in Burton's joy when he found out how well he had done on his MCAT this afternoon. Burton will be a very good doctor.

I received really sad news today about one of the orphans that have kind of found their way under my care. Jean P., "My Little Princess" found me in January and kind of latched on. She is a fifteen year old little girl, the same age as my youngest daughter at home, with an incredibly tragic history. We have been able to get her enrolled in school this Spring, along with helping her support herself by giving her postcards to sell in the American hotels and with food and clothes money when needed. Apparently during my time at home in May the food and money ran out. She resorted to selling her little body in order to buy food. She is now expecting a child. I can't imagine the future in store for this precious child, now becoming a mother way before her time. I do know that God has a plan for her and that He will not fail.

The recognition of His power and purpose are really all that allows things, that make absolutely no sense when viewed from human eyes, to make sense - Or at least to be at some kind of peace with. Much of working in Haiti requires this kind of attitude and faith. Otherwise, a person could go nuts questioning the injustices and human failings.

God is good. He has plans for each one of us. Really our biggest job is to go out and spread His Word and bring Him glory. Oh yeah, and sacrifice all of our stuff to help the poor, forsake our families, and die to ourselves every day. Not a bad price when you consider the reward, spending an eternity marveling at His glory.

In Haiti, you have a lot of time. I spend a lot of it reading books and the Bible. This is what many of them tell me. In reality, this is all a tough concept to grasp - A tough road to walk. Maybe that's why the road is so narrow. Or, perhaps the only way is to really die to myself and let His Spirit consume me.

The week in Haiti

It has been a very good week in Haiti. Any week in Haiti seems to contain a lot of unexpected challenges, but it is always so inspiring to watch God solve the problems, or provide comfort in tragedy.

We have had an unusually large amount of miscarriages with complications this week. It is no coincidence that we also had a fantastic ob/gyn, Dr. Padilla here this week as well. He was able to provide the needed care, helping to prevent further complications for the women.

We have also had a group of six wonderful people visiting this week from St. Francois' sister parish, St. Margaret's in Michigan. They were really fun to work with and provide so much desperately needed support for the parish here in Haiti. They have been visiting here for many years as well to assist in the work. This trip they bought the welcome news that they had found sister parishes for two other Catholic parishes nearby. This was a very special group of people to work with.

On Friday, Burton, Dr. Maklin, and I traveled to Jaquzyel to visit Mitch - The only currently diagnosed hemophilia patient in Haiti. We were able to provide him with a wheelchair and cell phone during our visit. Due to multiple knee bleeds, surgery, and being misdiagnosed, Mitch is unable to walk. He was having to be transported to school by being carried or on a bicycle. He was thrilled with his "new" chair. The cell phone will allow his Aunt to notify us when he has a bleeding episode so that we can get medicine to him in a timely manner.

Starting the hemophilia program here will make such an incredible impact on so many lives. Again, it amazes me how everything always seems to just "fall in place" here in Haiti. Laurie Kelley and her organization, Save One Life, will end up helping save many lives by their support of this program.

Grace and peace,
Randy

The Two Week Mark

It is very easy to lose track of the days in Haiti. With the constant projects, commitments, sick people relying on you, clinic days in various communities, and everything else going on, it is so easy to lose track of when you came and when you are going. I can always sense when I'm reaching the two week mark though based on fatigue and how I start plotting strategies to use a rifle to take out the air horns on the large trucks passing by during the night. For some reason, the drivers of these trucks feel it is essential to keep Haiti awake by blowing the air horns constantly as they fly down the potholed filled highway under my window. Enough whining. Sleep may be way overrated when all is said and done anyway.

Given the poverty of the areas we have done clinics in this week, to even worry about my own comfort seems incredibly selfish. Yesterday we worked in a community named Shada. Even walking the half mile or so back to the building the clinic is located in, you realize you are amongst a people that are barely existing. The pathways between the hovels so narrow we were often forced to turn sideways to pass through. Ignoring the dark, odorous "water" we had to walk through the entire way. TB is rampant, even amongst the very young. As I held a little 3 or 4 year old girl on my lap at one point during the day and felt the familiar rattling cough in her lungs, I was so so saddened by her prospects even should she recover. I've never seen Slumdog Millionaire, the OB/GYN that was with me said he felt as if we were in the movie.

As I read Proverbs 16 last night and read the verse: "Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud". I was really struck bu the significance of the work being done by so many here in Haiti. I work closely with a very good Haitian physician that has dedicated his life to serving the poor. He spends each day of the week traveling to a different clinic caring for these poorest of the poor. As I accompany him at some of these clinics, I am moved to tears at his dedication and commitment to sacrifice his own possible gains simply to help serve his fellow countrymen. People like Eugene inspire me and others who work with him to continue on.

Burton Wood is here spending a couple of weeks working as an intern. He is a Pre-med student from Lipscomb University that felt a call to come visit Haiti. It is really special being able to watch God change Burton's life each day by the tragedies and people he is encountering as he works with us in our clinics. I am convinced that he will be a different and better doctor someday because of what he has experienced here in

Haiti. Dr. Padillo, the OB/GYN visiting from California, came to me earlier this morning sharing how easily "Haiti has gotten under his skin". In a good way. He talked of how you read about things like this, but until you experience it you have no idea what it is really like. Much like the people who visit then return home. A common thing I hear from them is that they have a really difficult time explaining to friends and family what Haiti is like. I think it is because those who have never been here have no frame of reference for comprehending the utter desperation that is so prevalent here. Soon after her arrival, Laurie Kelley shared that even though she had spent almost twenty years working in developing third world countries, nothing could have prepared her for Haiti. It really is what you read, hear about, and more.

Please continue praying for everyone working here. I urge you to please find a group doing work here that you feels deserves support and begin supporting them financially. Everyone I talk with working here speaks of how difficult it is to raise funds. Many are leaving because of this. At our very poorest, we are so incredibly blessed in comparison to the people here.