Edmunds County Tribune -

To the Ipswich community,

Thank you once again for your wonderful life changing donations. Our mission trip was very successful and humbling.

The reentry week coming home was hard, as said best by our mission team coordinator, Kathy English, "Your mind keeps wandering back to the people you connected with in Haiti and then all of a sudden the whole experience seems like a dream. Did I really spend a week looking into the eyes of patients who waited on wooden benches for 24-48 hours just to be seen by a doctor, of families unable to afford the government hospital in Jeremie, a facility lacking the most basic requirements of a hospital. The Haiti experience changes one in many ways."

The four days, Monday through Thursday, at the Gatineau Clinic de Sante were VERY busy, we averaged over 100 patients per day. I was kept busy doing weights and vital signs, assisting with PAP procedures, performing labs, assisting in the pharmacy and organizing a supply room. Jerome had a big skidsteer project, removing a hillside to widen the road to the clinic. On Friday we went to Jeremie and stopped at the government hospital, what a shock comparing it to what we're accustomed to. If a patient has no money, all they are provided with is a bed, without bedding, water and a roof over their heads. We went to the Missionaries of Charity orphanage where we were able to hold and spend time with the children and walk through the hospice ward. Handing out donated Dum Dum suckers we were returned with the biggest of smiles. Donations of children's shoes were left at the orphanage. All the children eventually go back to their family. The Sisters send them home with new clothes and a pair of shoes, how appreciative they were.

We walked to the Catholic Cathedral. This was our sixth mission trip but the very first time that we actually went inside. It had been renovated following Hurricane Matthew. We met with Bette Gebrien and she drove us to spend a short amount of time with one of the families, which donations are assisting, through the 'Save a Family' program. How gratifying it was to see them all so happy and healthy. How proud they are of their children going to school (schooling, books and uniforms must to paid for) and the improvements that they have been able to make on their home. Through Bette we also purchased goats and food.

How humbling it was to distribute the donations that we received. How blessed we are, in the short amount of time following Christmas through January 9, we received:

Supplies (shoes, toothbrushes/ toothpaste, over-the-counter medications, medical supplies,match box cars,etc.) to fill six 50-pound army duffle bags;

$1,700.00 given to Dr Katie Wolf for water and sanitation projects (latrines);

$1,025.00 given to the Avera Foundation to purchase prescription medications. Our mission team took over a huge order. The wholesale pharmacy in Port au Prince burned to the ground several months ago and since then Dr. Wolf has been unable to purchase any medications in Haiti;

$600.00 used to purchase food and goats for 10 women-headed households, these very poor families were required to have assess to space in order for their goat to eat greens and to be watered;

$500.00 used for the 'Save a Family' program;

$400.00 used to provide a computer and 1/2 year computer college tuition for Wilder, our long time interpreter. Dr. Wolf is very supportive of Wilder's goal as he may have a better chance to get a teaching position if he has a background in computers;

and, $200.00 along with 2 1/2 duffle bags of children's shoes for the Missionaries of Charity orphanage.

Peace,

Gerri and Jerome Malsom