THANK YOU!

I have just gotten a whole bunch of comments! That was so awesome. THanks guys for participating and communicating with me! I love you guys and it was great to hear from you.

So here are the rest of the pictures that I told you I would post.

This is a picture of some of our patients. We saw over 250 people in one day. They saw 250 the day before and 230 the next day. I love these clinics and if I could do this every day I would. I really believe that the opportunity is going to come someday. I am just waiting for it to come.

The picture below is of some children watching from outside and taking in all the activity. They quickly figured out that my name was Maggie(a very very popular spice in Haiti) and would frequently call out my name and wave and smile and giggle when I turned around and said hi.

I took a lot of random shots of the area. I am trying to better at my photography, but sometimes I just plain forget to take pictures. I'll see if I can post a couple more that might interest you all.

This picture contains one of the remains of the previous displays of violence. Like I said, the violence is not like that at this time. Things are pretty much controlled now. God has really opened the doors again to Cite Soleil and is doing many wonderful things there. The children are looking healthier and less malnourished. It is a miracle.

RELIABLE INTERNET!!!!!!!!!

GUESS WHAT!!!!!!!!!! I finally have reliable internet access. Its great!

We now do not have to be dependent on Generator or Electricity. We can even use it just when the invertor is on. Its great! I should be able to update more often now.

I do apologize for not keeping things updated. Of course I have been VERY busy here. I am loving life here and very thankful for what God is doing.

Two weekends ago I got to go to an art fair. It was a lot of fun and very interesting. There was art from all over Haiti. It was a great experience.

There were so many things to see and experience. It was great. I will put a couple more pictures of our experience there.

I had the great experience of learning how to barter well. We used various techniques such as telling them we would come back tomorrow...even though the fair would be closed by then. We would simply walk away or say, "nevermind". ALWAYS they would stop us and have us come back and they would ALWAYS give us the price we asked for. It was great! :) I did all my Christmas shopping in one day! Nope, family, you will not see your Christmas presents in any of these pictures :) I am not that gullible :)

I had a really good time.

This past week I had another good exerience. A team from Monadnock Bible Conference came down and they invited me to go with them one day down into Cite Soleil to do a clinic. One great thing was that I got to see some really great friends from my church. It was a wonderful time. I also got to use my nursing skills and my Creole. The following are pictures from Cite Soleil.

Cite Soleil is one of the worst, poorest areas in Haiti. Things are peaceful there right now, but a year ago Americans couldn't even go there. The UN has done a lot of work there now and things are better. In many of my pictures you will see that many of the children actually look very healthy and I believe it is due to the many wonderful works that missionaries are trying to do in this area.

I am also going to post a picture of a lady that we saw who was 100 years old! I love those precious old ladies. Especially here, because you know how much of a miracle it is!

I actually need to go now, but I will post more pictures about Cite Soleil a little later tonight.

God bless you and keep you

Maggie

Good ER related information and many thanks for the wonderful gifts I have received!

Ok, so I know that I have not written in over a week and that many of you are wondering if I am alive or not...well I am... here is photo proof of that.

Today I had an incredible medical experience. I got up like I normally do and went up to the kitchen to get my breakfast. The kitchen ladies were all there and I greeted them as normal. The oldest lady looked like she really wasn't feeling well. She asked me to take her blood pressure, but they ask me that almost every morning so I told her that I would later on at one of my breaks. She said ok, but she didn't look like it was ok. She looked pretty ill. I then went out, ate my breakfast and I just felt a nagging feeling that I needed to take it. I felt like it was my responsibility as a nurse just to double check and make sure hers was ok. I took it and it was 190/100! Her face was a little puffy and she was very sweaty. I don't have her exact pulse, but it was about 90. I went to my boss and said that she needed to go to the hospital immediately. I knew something was very wrong with her. It was my nursing instinct that just told me that...ok and I fully believe that God told me that too, because on the way there she started showing stroke symptoms. She started having facial droop and slurring her speech. I am not sure how she is doing now, but I will let you know as soon as I know anything. It was amazing just to watch things pan out. Its hard for those things, because I have no idea if she got the medicine that she needed within the four hour time period. God knows...at least we got her there very quickly. I did what I could. Its hard here in Haiti, because you really want to do more and you don't have the tools you need.

I'm interested in putting together a medical team for February 2009. I would like to take a team of 7 or 8 people and it would be for about a week, maybe 8 days. Please notify me by email if you are interested at 44maggs@gmail.com.

So far I have received two packages!!!!! It was so cool to get them. Thank you Megan and Cliff for the cookies and for the medicine and the tea! It was awesome and SUCH A HUGE BLESSING! Ca, thank you for the blankets...they are AWESOME! I also like the snacks a lot. They are perfect for what I need. Please tell your kitties that I said thanks :) :)

School is going very well. The first quarter will be over next Thursday! I cannot believe that it is already almost over. Time most certainly flies WAY too quickly! My kids are doing great. All are passing, with only a couple that are straggling trying to keep up. They are good workers and at a good age to learn discipline and structure. I love my kids...I now have 18! I can't believe that the numbers keep going up this late in the year. I can only hold 21 in my class, but I really hope that I don't get more. I think it would be too much for me. Please pray for me as I will begin tutoring a special needs girl next week. This school is not equipped to handle her and she has a lot of needs. Its hard, because many times we deal with a lot of abuse in kids lives. Abuse is very very common here in Haiti and nothing is done about it. The children are left scarred and only know how to hurt others in return. There is a lot of teaching and loving and healing that must go on for these children to do well.

Ok here...let me try a few pictures! This first one is of my friend Marie-Jo and I. She is the one who is helping me learn how to wash my clothes. She's been a great blessing to me.

This little guy is named Moyiz. He is my little sweetheart and I call him my little boy. He is three and when he first came to the orphanage he was a angry, hurting little boy who was trying to act like a tough grown-up. Now you can see what love has done for him. He is beautiful. He smiles and plays and loves and laughs. He still definitely has many crying moments, but he is doing so well. He is the youngest in the orphanage. He's so sweet. I love all those kids so much.