Sabbath, Feb 27 Report from Chris Howard

Well, today was my last scheduled work day here...we were short of staff. There is always a constant flow of people coming in and out. I was the only mental health provider so I saw patients all day with my interpreter. Many of the people are dealing with 3 layers of distress...the trauma of the earthquake and everything coming down around them, the loss of their relatives under the rubble, and the fact that they are now having to live out on the street with perhaps not even a shelter, and a lack of food and water. I teach them some coping skills. Let them know they are not crazy and that over time their minds will gradually heal.
Tomorrow we are scheduled to have someone take us in a van to Santa Domingo starting at 8 am. I hope he shows up. Tonight we are having the first sustained rain of the trip. I am trying not to consider the possiblity of landslides in the mountains on the road we will have to travel on through the mountains of Dominican Republic. Anyway it should be an adventure.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THEIR SAFE RETURN.

Sunday Feb 28 Report from Keith Canwell in Haiti

Last night, our last in Haiti, we took a hundred or more meals to people in one of many hundreds of hovels/tent dwellings--down one of thousands of crowded roads in Port-au-Prince. It was raining pretty hard, but when we stopped and called out "Food!" kids and old people, mothers and others, came streaming out to receive food. In two minutes we were out, soaked and leaving. Headed home now.

Friday, Feb 26 Story from Kris Darby

Kris Darby & Dr. Ted Flaiz
Sherry Wiedeman, Ron Tilley, Dr. Flaiz

Dr. Scott Welker

On my first day in Port-au-Prince I was working with Dr. Hooper's team at a mobile clinic when a two year old girl arrived in the arms of her parents and had uncontrolled salivation. Dr. Hooper examined her and found her to have a partially obstructed airway of unknown etiology. He stated that the child needed to go to the nearest hospital and wanted me to take her. I looked at him and asked him where the hospital was. His answer was, "I don't know, I don't live here, but you need to find one." I looked at my interpreter, Leo, and asked him where the hospital was and he stated, "I'm not from this part of Port-au-Prince, I don't know." Dr. Hooper then stated that the child needed to go now before her airway became completely blocked. Leo picked up the child, I grabbed my jump bag and we began to walk into Port-au-Prince.

During this time the child began to drool more and had further difficulty breathing. After about 1/2 hr of walking we finally were able to flag down a taxi. After Leo negotiated with the driver he loaded the three of us, and the child's parents into a beat up Honda and drove us to a small hospital. As we got out of the taxi the driver demanded to be paid. I told Leo to tell him we would pay him AFTER he took us back to the mobile clinic since we were both lost and would not be able to find our way back.

At the hospital there was a pediatric surgeon and a general surgeon who took over care of the child, whew...we had made it and the child was now in good hands. The taxi driver took us back to the mobile clinic and I paid him six US dollars for the taxi ride. We really made a difference in that child's life, who knows what would have happened if care had not been given and my interpreter Leo really shined for me. Quite an adventure for an American in Haiti...find a hospital indeed. We did........

Sun Feb 21 Moving Story by Keith Canwell

Keith tells the following story that was shared with him by Dr Pedro.
"A christian man came in for treatment with injuries to his lower body. As the doctor treated him the man began to tell him his story. His little son was lying on his lap when the quake hit. A wall fell on them, pinning them down. The boy was pinned down on his lap, with his little arms outstretched. The father was unable to move to help him at all. And he had to lay there helpless for three days as he was forced to watch his child die.
The imprint of the child's bones were still in his father's lap as the doctor examined him. When the doctor was finished he told the man how very sorry he was that this tragedy had happened to him. He told him, "I cannot fully comprehend the pain you must feel. I've never lost a child." But the doctor said to me, "I think God gave me the words to say next. I told him, 'But I know someone who does fully understand your pain. God himself watched helplessly as his son died, arms outstretched too. He understands your pain very personally.'"
The doctor said the man's whole countenance changed as he began to realize that God really did feel with him in his grief. It was just what he needed to hear. He went away greatly comforted. The doctor was grateful God gave him such a thought to share."

Sabbath Feb 20 Update on Haiti Accident

Ron Tilley just called to give an up-date on the three injured yesterday. Thanks to all your prayers they didn't have broken necks, but they did have fractured skulls. Two have returned to their team and plan to stay and work with their team. The third person is returning home, but he is able to do so on his own power.
Three of our team, Jean, Kris, and Scott will be leaving Monday to come home as planned. Please pray that a flight can be arranged for the remaining team members to fly out of Port-au-Prince on Feb 28 so they don't have to make the long drive to Santo Domingo.

Friday Feb 19 Serious Accident

This evening our group was traveling ,in an old bus, in a convoy with other volunteers back to Port-au-Prince. The bus in which they were riding hit an unmarked speed bump or possibly something from the earthquake at a high rate of speed. Three members of another relief team were in the back seat, which evidently had no seat belts. When the bus hit the bump, they were launched upward, hitting their heads on the roof of the van with such impact that all three may have suffered broken necks. They were taken by ambulance to one of the best hospitals, operated from Miami, in stable condition. Dr. Scott Welker is with them.
Please pray as they get medical attention. Though they are not part of our team from Walla Walla, and we don't even know their names, God knows who they are and where they need to be to get the proper treatment.

Thursday Feb 18 Update from Ron Tilley

About 20 relief workers including some of our team are in the southwestern part of Haiti. We had trouble getting water the past few days. We are close to the ocean so we went down and had a bath in the Caribbean. The only problem was we had to find some fresh water to rinse off with, but we found it. We are staying at a school with no showers or flusing toilets and no electricity. Meals have consisted of boiled fish over beans and rice and spaghetti with ketchup.

Wed. Feb 17 Haiti update from Keith Canwell

We had a good day today. Stayed right on the compound where the medical clinic is and where we camp. We took out maybe 50 teeth, with a clinic table made of medicine boxes and a cot and one chair set out under some big trees.

Rain poured at about midnight for an hour and our tent leaked pretty well. We moved to one side of the tent and sat there listening to the rain till it thankfully quit. Today we mopped and hung things out. (Marc Goff is sharing a tent with Keith)

Sadly, many thousands are sleeping under sheets only, so we had it good compared to them. We are well, for which we are thankful.

Latest update from Ron Tilley (Team Leader)

Everything is going well. It is very warm and humid, so they are drinking a lot of water. Today was their first day out helping people and the people are very appreciative. The only problem is crowd control. They have so many people that need help and the people get upset with the ones that want to cut in line. All in all it was a good day.
Part of the group is leaving at 4:00 a.m. (their time) to go about a four hour drive to another area that needs help. (On a map--it's the area of Haiti closest to Jamaica) They will be there until Friday and then they will return to Port-au-Prince to rejoin the rest of the group.
It is very strange to go down a street with total devastation, but to find on each end of the street happy, smiling people trying to sell their wares. They are making the best of their poor situation.

Haiti medical team arrives in Haiti

A call from Keith Canwell confirmed that the 10 member team arrived in Haiti yesterday, Monday, the 15th, after a 10 hour bus trip from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to Port-Au-Prince. They are currently sleeping on cots in tents on the SDA University campus. Upon arrival they received several hours of orientation and are anxious to start relieving some of the suffering today. Check for further updates. Please continue to pray for them.

Second Relief Team leaves for Haiti Feb. 13, 2010

Packing takes skill. Canwell in car loading supplies, Darby and Weideman looking on.

Ron Tilley, Jean Byrne, Kris Darby and Sherry Weideman

Marc Goff

Kris Darby, Ted Flaiz, Keith Canwell, Scott Welker

T Flaiz, S Welker, S Weideman, K Canwell, J Byrne, R Tilley, K Darby, B & R Fleck

Ten professionals left for Haiti. They include, Jean Byrne, PT; Keith Canwell, Pastor & Dental Asst.; Alissa Claney, Teacher; Kris Darby, EMT; Ted Flaiz, Dentist; Marc Goff, EMT; Chris Howard, Counselor; Ron Tilley, Admin; Sherry Weideman, nurse; Scott Welker, MD. They were loaded with bags of medical/dental supplies to treat injured and sick Haitians. Tonight will be spent in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Early tomorrow morning they will travel together by bus to Haiti--about a 5-6 hour trip, where they will work for the next two weeks. We appreciate your prayers and support for this team. Updates will be posted as they come in. Continued financial help will allow for future teams.

Our SDA Church and University/Hospital in Haiti

Union office workers.

Building on SDA University Campus

SDA Hospital




University Campus


SDA Auditorium & Primary School

My brother, Bob Kyte, Risk Management President, just returned from Haiti and sent me these photos. We have another team heading down to Haiti in a few days. Pray for them.

Pictures from Haiti Medical Team Jan 2010

Eddie Wickward & John McGhee

Ron Fleck & Eddie Wickward

One of the greatest needs is for basic sanitation. Infection is also a critical issue and the need for antibiotics. John McGhee, PhD in Public Health, was part of the team to Haiti. He made connections with the UN to better coordinate relief work. Eddie Wickward, a diesel mechanic from Spokane, (our son-in-law) became a right-hand man in helping with treating and organizing the many needy people who came seeking help.

A second team is planning to head down to Haiti in a week. Pray for those giving of their time and expertise to relieve the terrible suffering of these people.

Second Hope Ministries Sends Medical Team to Haiti

Sunday, January 24, 2010 Ron and a team of 5 other doctors and one soon-to-be medical assistant flew to Miami then onto Haiti. They were loaded with bags of surgical equipment, antibiotics, morphine and other medicinal supplies. It was quite shocking to see the devastation of thousands of people without food or shelter. People lined up waiting for some kind of medical care. The team saw a lot of infected wounds. Patients are the hospitals and make-shift clinics were treated and released to sleep outside wherever space was available. At night the streets, sidewalks, and every where people bedded down, since over 700,000 no longer have homes to go to.