When was the last time you stopped and acknowledged that God was at work in a specific situation? Since coming to Haiti, it’s something that I think about often. Somehow, I find it easier to see God at work here, in day to day normal life. Is it because I feel more of a need for Him due to having limited options to help those who come to us for medical care? Or is it because the contrast between light and darkness is so obvious due to the blatant Devil worship? I don’t know the answer, but let me tell you some stories. A few weeks ago, a man was brought in to clinic who was injured by his son had been doing voodoo and came in to kill him. Neighbors heard the man yelling and came to his rescue. We were prepared to transport to higher level care and were waiting for family to arrive when Dr. Veriel called. He said the only place for the man to find help was in Port-au-Prince. Due to Port being unsafe and the family’s inability to take him there, the decision was made to stitch his wounds, give antibiotics, and monitor him in our hospital room for a few days. As Mis Leda and Loveda cleaned him up and did the stitching, with various others of us helping where we could, I prayed.
My heart broke for the entire situation: a man who had injuries inflicted by his son, a country where gangs, openly involved in Devil worship, cause violence, chaos, and destruction for their own people.
Five days later, the man walked out of our hospital room! No infection, nothing. We praise God for the miracle of healing in this man’s life.
I think of this tiny little baby that was brought into clinic, blue and nearly unresponsive. Born three days earlier, she had not been fed at all since birth. We worked with her all day to get her blood sugar levels stabilized, giving milk via feeding tube. We established a plan of care for her and spent the night taking turns taking care of her. We explained the situation to the family and they chose to stay under our care. As I left the room, tears threatened, then spilled over. This family loved their little girl so much, and here she was, fighting so hard to stay alive, while we did our best to support and care for her with limited resources.
In the morning, I returned to clinic to start our usual daily routine of seeing patients and found Loveda holding the baby, no longer attached to a pulse ox monitor or oxygen machine and doing just fine! Throughout the following days, we continued to tube feed around the clock, then switched her to oral syringe feedings and taught the parents to feed her. Within another couple of days, she was bottle feeding well! She went home after a little over a week in our hospital room with an appointment to come back in a few days to follow up and see if she was gaining weight. She has now returned twice, and is gaining weight well! Again, I praise God forworking a miracle! From coming to us in critical condition, we sent her home, alert and bottle feeding. While she is still tiny and fragile, I marvel that she is even alive and well enough to go home. Please pray with us that she will continue to grow strong and healthy. These are only a few examples. My mind goes to the many times God keeps us safe as we travel the mountain trails, amid flat tires, a machine that rolled, and parts that come loose. I think of the times when I am so tired, or feel completely inadequate to help the sick person that has come and God gives strength, wisdom, safety, and healing! Truly we serve an awesome God “who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think..” (Ephesians 3:20).
While it may be easier to see Him at work in Haiti, may I challenge you to look for Him wherever you are? How is he working and moving in your life and in the lives of those around you? Truly it is faith strengthening and awe inspiring to see and acknowledge His hand at work and to realize that when you need Him, this very same God will be there for you. You need only to ask. -Alayna Mullet