A taste of the old life: Medical Missions

This past week, we hosted our first ever mission trip to Haiti and it just so happened to be a Medical Mission trip. It was extremely exhausting but totally blessed! With the help of 3 Doctors, 2 Dentists and a group of about 15 other medical and non medical personnel, we were able to hold 5 days of medical clinics and saw around 650 people all together! Sharing the love of Jesus with the poorest of the poor is a truly rewarding experience!

It was a blessing to be able to spend my days as a nurse again; but, it was also very difficult. It made me remember my past nursing career and co-workers. It made me long for my "old life". In the midst of this, I was talking with my sister one evening and she shared a story with me. She had just been to confession and the priest said something very profound. He spoke of his "past life" as a doctor and how his favorite thing to do was to remove cancerous tumors. But, he said, that was nothing compared to what he could do now, removing spiritual "tumors" in confession. How true and how beautiful! Even though there are times I long for the life I lived before, for a "normal" life, it was NOTHING compared to the life I live now. Even in all the difficult moments, and the times I miss everything I once knew, I praise God that He has called me here and thank Him for the opportunity to live among and serve my brothers and sisters in Haiti!

The "waiting area"

Loved being back in action! 

Nothing like Mission Dentistry! Dental needs here are HUGE and Dr. Ogas worked so hard to see as many patients as possible each day.

Dr. Ernie

Dr. Glass and Dr. Kroeger hard at work

It always helps when the priest is also a nurse!

Matthew doing the most important job at the clinic-Praying with the people!

Busy Place!

Pharmacy hard at work

One of the chapels we were going to have a clinic in did not have a concrete floor yet, so a couple missionaries put forward the money to purchase the materials to install one.  We were able to help with the work on Tuesday so we could have a clinic there on Friday.  It was amazing to see!  The whole community came together to provide extra hands to mix and then bucket the concrete inside.  I mean everyone, from the men to the women and from the young to the aged!

Greg Glass helping scoop concrete into buckets.

Even Lucy pitched in!

Fun at the beach on the day of rest and prayer!

Bonus shot: Haitians be crazy pickin' coconuts!

Bondye Bon: Baptism and Blessings in Haiti

Life has been full and blessed here. We have been busy with new ministries and preparing for the Medical Mission trip which will be coming on October 16th. Here is a little update of what we've been up to.

Last Saturday, Thomas (one of the single missionaries here) went to visit a sick man in his home named Tinom. After talking with him and hearing that he was raised Catholic(but never baptized) Thomas asked if he would like to be baptized, and he said yes! We returned with our priest, and Tinom was baptized. The best part is, Thomas and I (Andrea) are the Godparents! Please pray for this dear, sweet man. He is unable to see or walk and cannot leave his bed. Pray that through his suffering he may be more deeply united with Christ!

Dave and I, along with our mission partner Joanna, have been running a youth group in a local village. We meet once a week to pray, sing, and play games, visit the sick, do crafts etc. It has been a tremendous blessing to us.

Me and the Youth Group with the cards we made for the sick

Eliza is going to school and LOVES IT! She cannot wait to go every day. What a blessing to hear her speaking so much Creole!

Also just want to share this picture. Everyday Dave, like a bus driver, brings home a truck full(20-30 total) of kids home from school. There is hardly enough room. In fact, the other day, we had our entire team to take home, plus the kids, and 2 of the guys had to sit on the front. Haha. We could never get away with that in the states.

Pray for us and the people here! Especially for our preparations for the Medical Mission trip where we will be providing Medical Clinics for 6 small villages, along with evangelization in the evenings.

Love and prayers from Haiti!
The Quinns

The Blessing of Being "Blan"

Being "blan"(white) in Haiti is an experience unlike any other. Everywhere you go, EVERYONE stares(for a very long and awkward amount of time), or shouts "Blan!" You are never able to go anywhere without causing a scene(especially because of the 2 girls). Every Sunday after Church, getting gas, walking down the road. You name it, we are surrounded. It feels very similar to what I would imagine a famous person feels like with the paparazzi. There is no "blending in" or going somewhere un noticed.

If I'm being honest, many times I find myself frustrated and annoyed and one these thoughts run through my mind "How rude! I don't look at them and yell out "Haitian!" And I surely don't stare at them. Is it so hard to look away? Have they never really seen a white person before?"

This past Sunday during my prayer time, I was reflecting on the Gospel reading of Mark 6: 30-34

31 And he said to the apostles, 'Come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while'; for there were so many coming and going that there was no time for them even to eat.

32 So they went off in the boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves.

33 But people saw them going, and many recognised them; and from every town they all hurried to the place on foot and reached it before them.

34 So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length.

This verse is so fitting for a missionary. Many times we are like the apostles and Jesus. We cant go anywhere un noticed. We can't do anything alone. We have to escape to another place to find any peace or solace. People are always looking for us. Always wanting to talk, or visit. This can be incredibly hard. 

But what struck me to the core was this line "Jesus took pity on the crowd because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length."

He took pity on them. TOOK PITY ON THEM. Have I taken pity on these people? These "sheep without a shepherd"? Or have I let my own feelings of "discomfort" interfere?

And I finally realized (Who am I kidding, God made me realize) that being the only white people is the biggest blessing we could have. Why? Because the people are COMING TO US! 

I feel like God told me "Hello! I am practically hand delivering these people to you! And you're annoyed?!" We are living every missionaries dream here!

Yeah. Insert foot in mouth. If there is one thing the Lord is good at, it is teaching humility!

Thank you Lord for the blessing it is to be a "Blan!"

~Andrea

Cha Che Epi W'ap Jwenn

This past week, we helped to put on a 4 night retreat for over 45 high school students!  Our theme was Cha Che Epi W'ap Jwenn (Which means "Seek and you will find"). We even had our own theme song written and recorded by a friend. They loved it!

Our team worked so incredibly hard to make it all work and I feel so blessed to be part of such an amazing team. Being the first retreat, there were definitely some difficulties, but overall the Lord worked through our imperfections and touched many hearts!

Due to the language barrier, Dave and I did mostly behind the scenes work. This was incredibly difficult for me as I wanted to be in the middle of everything. I wanted to feel like I was part of it all. I felt like I wasn't doing anything important just because I wasn't leading a small group. Praise the Lord, God works through our selfishness and desires to be noticed/feel wanted and speaks to us in everything we do.

It was such a humbling and wonderful experience. It reminded me that humility is a virtue. A virtue that I need to work on! It also showed me that it's okay to take things slow. It's okay to not know everything(the entire Creole language), or to know every person in the town of L'asile in the span of 2 months. Things like learning new languages and building relationships take time.  Everything in Haiti is slow. It is so American of me to come in and expect everything to happen so quickly. Thank you Lord for telling me its okay to go slow and that being behind the scenes is just as an important place to be as any!

Please pray for the youth here and that Christ will continue to work in their hearts! 

Thomas rockin' the microphone!

Haitians LOVE to sing!

E and her best friend Joanna(one of the single missionaries here)

These guys brought Lucy up on stage with them as they performed their song. As you can see, she just hates attention:)

The Miracle of the Sheets!

Just had to share this beautiful little miracle that happened last week with our family.

Since we've been to Haiti, we have moved 3 times. With our most recent move, I got to thinking that maybe it would be nice for Eliza to be able to pick out some bed sheets so that  she would have some type of familiarity wherever we go. And we were going to be buying beds and didn't have any sheets so it worked out perfectly!

So, I asked Eliza what kind of bed sheets she would want. Her response-"Pocahontas!" Pocahontas? Really?!? I mean, they don't even make sheets like that anymore. I found a set on eBay but I knew there was no way we would be able to depend upon getting them in time. (We planned to send sheets with some people coming down at the end of June). So we settled on some Hello Kitty sheets.

We found out that a group was coming to the orphanage. Perfect! I could just ask them to pick up some sheets for us. Awhile after I asked, I thought "Oh no. I should have told them to get special sheets for Eliza. Oh well, I will just let God take care of it"

A couple days later the group arrives. They had brought several suitcases of donations for the orphanage. Out of the corner of my eye I see something familiar in one of the suitcases. Could it be?! I walk over, pull it out and could not believe my eyes! Inside of that suitcase was a POCAHONTAS BED SHEET!!!!! (I happened to recognise the pattern from what I had just seen before on eBay)

Eliza was elated! I know it may seem like such a small thing, but to us, it was a true, beautiful, miracle. It is amazing to me that we have a God who cares enough about us that He would do something so little to show how much He loves us. He gave a little gift to Eliza that we weren't able to.

Praise God! So blessed to have such a Loving Father who provides everything we need and blesses us beyond belief!!!!

Falling in love with Haiti

We have officially made it through our first month in Haiti! Praise God! (Sorry for such a late update, but our internet access has been very poor.) 

A lot has happened in the past month! 

After being called to Haiti, we felt very unsure as to where God wanted us to serve; in L’asile with the FMC boys and girls team, or at Kay Mari(the Catholic orphanage). So we decided to spend time in both places and take our time really seeking God’s will and discerning. 

We spent our first 3 weeks in L’asile and 2 weeks ago, we traveled to Kay Mari, a Catholic orphanage just 2 hours from the city of L’asile. 

Before this, I had never been to an orphanage. But I had my thoughts about what it may be like(of course something like Annie, right?)

As we pulled up Thursday night, we saw kids. Everywhere. There are currently 31 kids living at Kay Mari. 

The second thing I noticed was the JOY. They laughed, played, smiled. It was nothing like I thought it would be. You could feel the peace that resided in this place. It is so noticeable that even as you walk out the gate to the village, you can feel the difference. The lack of peace.

There are 4 “house mothers” who help care for the children, 2 cooks, a housekeeper, a moto driver, a director and spiritual director and Katie. She’s originally from Steubenville, Ohio. She has been here since they accepted the 1st orphan 5 years ago(just 6 days before the tragic 2010 earthquake). She has given her life to stay here with these kids and her love and dedication are truly an inspiration. 

My thought on day 2-“I could live here forever”. This place is a fulfilment my dreams. See, as a young girl, I always thought someday I would move to “Africa” or somewhere, and care for the poor and abandoned children. Of course that was a dream that lasted probably about as long as my others (grocery store checker, marine biologist)but it still lay dormant in my heart. In the 1st day here, I felt a fulfilment of some sort. And I felt just certain that God created this perfect place just for me.
Not to mention the girls were having the time of their lives! Eliza loved all the friends she had made and Lucy of course loved all the attention she got from everyone! This place was perfect for them!

Eliza and her friend Kamud

CRAFT TIME!

By the end of the day, I could feel myself thinking about L’asile. Thinking about the lack of peace there. Thinking about the children. I felt in my heart that God was calling us back there but I didn't want it. This place was perfect. Why give it up? Dave pulled me aside and confirmed my fears. “We need to create a place like this in L’asile”.

I knew right as he said it that this was true. This was the same thing God was speaking to me but I didn't want to hear. I mean, I did ask God to “Be clear with us as quickly as possible” with regards to where He wanted us. 2 days is pretty quick. But sometimes listening to what He wants is really hard to do!

In the past week or so, my heart has grown more content with God’s plan. In fact, we both find ourselves excited for the future and we desire to give many years of our lives to this country. Now just to clarify, we do not plan to start our own orphanage. At this time, we really aren’t 100% sure what God wants but we do know that He is calling us to start something for the children and have a couple ideas in mind.

Please pray that we can find a house soon! We have returned back to L'asile and are currently living with the guys team.(Poor guys)

Please also pray for whatever it is God is calling us to create for the children. Just that our hearts and minds will be totally open to HIS will and not our own:) 

God Bless you all!

Love and prayers from BEAUTIFUL Haiti!

Andrea, Dave, Eliza, and Lucy

These girls LOVE to dance!

Got my hair done...several times

It usually turned out something like this haha

Dave helping sort coffee beans

Eliza learned how to play

Thought Log 2: Mary and me

Over the past couple years I have been seeking and seeking a deeper relationship with my Heavenly mother Mary.  We visited the shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Wisconsin, and one good fruit that has come from that trip is that I have said a rosary everyday since: about 4 months.  Considering in the past I couldn't carry this commitment past a week or so I would say that is an achievement.  Part of the reason I couldn't make it many days in a row is that I didn't want to say the rosary out of mere repetition or for the sake of saying the rosary, I wanted it to be out of a desire to grow closer to Jesus and closer to Mary.

All this being said I had a particularly comforting revelation in my rosary earlier this evening.  We were praying the glorious mysteries and we came to the 5th glorious mystery: the coronation of Mary queen of Heaven and Earth.  I pondered for a second on the crown Mary wears and how it must be more glorious and radiant than any crown in heaven apart from Jesus himself, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit.  Greater than St. Francis, St. Padre Pio, St. Francis Xavier, and all the others.  This I accepted without question considering she is the Mother of God.  The really curious thought though is that the seemingly awesome things that we see in the lives of many of the great saints in terms of miracles we don't see in the life of Mary.  We don't hear of Mary raising anyone from the dead,  bearing the stigmata, bi-locating, reading hearts, and on and on.  I am not saying that Mary could not have done any of these acts, but we don't hear of them.  I remembered then something I read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, that saint Augustine said of Mary: "Mary is more blessed because she embraces faith in Christ than because she conceives the flesh of Christ" - CCC 509.  This was inspiring to me when I read it,  and even more so thinking about her crown of glory now in heaven.  Mary's great act was to say, "yes," to God everyday of her life.  She didn't need more than that.  She didn't need great miracles and spectacles to bring about faith in her Son.  She just needed her simple, "Yes!"  

This speaks to me and brings me peace because sometimes I think we can get caught up in what we are doing and how are we seeing God move in the lives of those whom I encounter today.  Or, what great things am I doing for the Lord today.  But the reality is, the only thing I need to do today is to say, "Yes."  God will take care of the rest in his perfect plan.  Sometimes that could mean great miracles, but most likely it will follow the great line of St. Mother Teresa: "We can't all do great things, but we can all do small things with great love."

Haiti!

Praise God, we are FINALLY here!

The last 2 weeks have flown by. We have been using this time to adjust to our new surroundings. We are currently staying at the rectory. There is no running water and the electricity is run by solar power.

Our mosquito tent village :)

Our "dresser"

Almost fully functional bathroom (bucket flush toilet and bucket baths)

It's been really interesting to see how they do things here. Everything is cooked over a coal fire. We even saw a guy ironing his shirt the other night with an iron run by coal! Clothes are washed in the river. The water is actually unbelievably clear. The women carry everything on their heads. It's incredible the size and weight that they are able to carry. The food is good. We usually have bread and spaghetti(their version), eggs, or fruit for breakfast, some type of meat and rice for lunch, and then a simple supper like Labouyi, which is basically like oatmeal with the consistancy of cream of wheat.

I need to learn how to do this! 

The first few days I was sitting around and feeling sorry for myself. Here we are, living in one little room with no furniture. Stuff everywhere. No running water. Then, we went on a home visit. As I walked into her house, I saw simplicity. I saw her daughter washing dishes in a bucket out the back door. I saw clothes scattered everywhere. Hardly any furniture. A house that could fall apart at any moment. I saw poverty. And when I went home, I realized how selfish and spoiled I had been. Where and how we are living is a gift. Thank you Lord for simplicity.

The poverty here is shocking and devastating. There have been times I look around and think "Is it even possible to fix this?" I can't help but in those moments remember that Christ has called us to bring hope to the hopeless. He has called us to this place and desires our perseverance through all the difficulties.

Isaiah 61:1 "He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and release the prisoners, To announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God to comfort all who mourn."

We have been spending our time with the single guys/girls team in the town of L'asile trying to learn the language and meeting the people. It has been a blessed time as they have been very helpful and so much fun to be around!

The people here are wonderful. They are joyful and kind. And they LOVE the girls. Everywhere we go we are stopped...more like mobbed. Everyone wants to touch their hair, hold them, play with them. Almost like I would imagine being famous and being surrounded by the paparazzi EVERYWHERE you go. Haha. That being said, having the girls makes the transition here MUCH easier. They can bring a smile to almost anyones face, opening people up and inviting them to engage with our family.

Our 1st day here. This was after about 1/2 the kids cleared out

Story of our lives here. Us+10 or more kids. Always.

This Friday, we will be heading to Kay Mari, the children's orphanage. We are not sure if God wants us to stay in the town of L'asile with the team here or if He wants us to be at the orphanage. Please pray for us and our proper discernment.

Thank you for your prayers, love, and support! Can't wait to see what this year has in store!
Much love from Haiti!
The Quinns