Then There Was Hope

This is one of my favorite stories from the Haiti trip.  So many little things fell into place that the team knew God was at work.  I mentioned it briefly in my journaling, but I left it out of the previous posts because it played out over the course of the week and the end is yet to be written.

I feel each team member has a special moment or story that stands out from our time in Haiti and is best told by that team member.  We can all tell the stories, but when it is told by a certain team member there is a passion to it.  This story begins with Connie and I think she tells it with such excitement and joy, but I'll do my best.

On Sunday the team went to church in the village of Source a Phillipe.  We had previously been told we would be attending a harvest service in a neighboring village, but the night before we were told Bill would be preaching at Source a Phillipe.  Connie had been to the island  a couple times before and she was really interested in go to the harvest service.  The team from Virginia was going to the harvest service so Connie asked Bill if she could go along.

Early on Sunday morning Connie and Trevor went for a long hike.  Unknown to Connie, Bill had asked the other team leader if Connie could go along with them to the other village.  When Connie got back from her walk Bill told her she could go along.  She had twenty minutes to get ready.  She was hot and sweaty and wanted to shower.  She decided she would try her best to be ready to go on time.  If she made it, that would be great.  She decided on a wet wipe bath and made it out the door just in time.

An important fact to remember is that the beginning of this story happens without and interpreter.  It is all body language and God's love.

While Connie was sitting in the church waiting for the service to begin, a little Haitian girl sat down next to her.  She had a smaller child on her lap.  It is very common to see young children caring for younger children.  Connie motioned for the smallest child to sit on her lap so the older child wouldn't have to hold her the entire service.  The younger child went to Connie.  Connie said she and the older girl smiled at each other during the service and just made a connection.

After the service the team members were all given a bottle of Coke.  Connie really didn't want it, but she didn't want to offend anyone.  She stood with the group sipping her Coke and watched the little girl with the other children.  She wanted to go talk to the girl, but she felt like she couldn't walk over with the Coke in her hand to the child who didn't have anything and was probably hungry.

The children went in a building and came out with plates of food.  Because it was a harvest service it was a special day and there was a meal served at the church.  When Connie saw the kids had food, she felt more comfortable going over to them.  She talked to the little girl.  The little girl invited Connie to her house.  Remember this is all in separate languages.  Connie told the other team leader that she wanted to see the little girl's house.  The other team leader agreed and Connie went.

She met the little girl's mother and grandmother.  The mother didn't know Connie was a nurse, but she told Connie the little girl had something in her ear.  Connie looked and could see something.  She thought it might be a bug.  Connie somehow managed to explain to the mother that the clinic would be open in Source a Phillipe the next day and a doctor would be there.

On Monday, the little girl showed up at the clinic.  Rodney looked in her ear and found what Connie saw was a growth.  He told us a technical name for it, but I don't remember.  Through the interpreter he learned the growth had been there for about two years.  The mother had taken the child to see a doctor in Port au Prince and was told she needed surgery to remove the growth.  In the U.S. when a surgery is needed, a patient is told upfront how much will be covered by insurance and how much will be the patient's responsibility.  In Haiti, a patient is told surgery is needed at after the surgery the patient will be told how much it cost.  There is no room and board provided.  The patient must have someone to bring in meals and provide care.

When the surgeon told the little girl's mother she needed surgery, the mother knew she didn't have the funds and took the little girl home. 

The growth will continue to grow and will eventually work through the bone.  It may or may not be malignant.  Nothing can be know for sure without further diagnostic testing and removing the growth.  At the very least, this little girl will lose her hearing because what would be a simple outpatient surgery in the U.S., is beyond her reach in Haiti.

Trevor was in the clinic when all of this was going on and he was ready to hop on a plane and find the money for this surgery immediately.

As a team, we knew God had orchestrated this chance meeting.  There was no question that we needed a plan and would figure out a way to help this little girl.  We would go home and raise the money.  As we discussed the situation that evening during reflections, someone said we really needed a picture of the little girl.

On Monday morning, Trevor, Bill, Connie and our interpreter, Rodney, got up really early and walked the hour to the little girl's village.

They found out her name is Kenise Esperance and she is 10 years old.

When the group met Kenise to take her picture, they told her family we wanted a picture so we could pray for her.  Making promises to an individual is a big no-no.

On our way back to Petionville, we stopped at the hospital in Port au Prince.  Rodney and Bill went in to try to find out more about Kenise's previous visit.  Rodney said charts were stacked around and it was obvious that there were records, but little organization.  However, he was able to get the name and contact number of someone at the hospital.

When we got back to the guest house we shared the story with Sarah and as a team left almost $900 to get the ball rolling.  The whole thing will have to be coordinated by Pastor Jacki through the church.  If the administration at the hospital in Port au Prince thinks someone for the U.S. is footing the bill, the cost will most likely escalate.

We have just started to tell the story and without directly asking for donation, funds have started to come in. 

There is a sad side to the story. This was Bill, Rodney and Connie's third trip to Source a Phillipe. On their first trip they met a little girl named Love Theodore.







 Love had a large abscess on her neck.  Rodney drained it and Bill and Connie walked to her village a couple of times to check on her.  Her parents had died.  Bill and Connie fell in love with this little girl.  On their second visit to the island, they made sure to see Love.  They found out she had had to have the abscess drained again.  They had told us about her on our journey to Source a Phillipe and hoped to see her on this trip.

As it happens, Love is from the same village as Kenise.  After Bill and Connie got the information they needed about Kenise, they asked where Love Theodore was.  Sadly, she had passed away.

When Bill shared the story at church on the Sunday after we returned, he told the congregation about Kenise Esperance.  My friend and blog follower, Rosalyn (bloggy shout out!!), was sitting behind me.  When she heard, "Esperance," she gasped.  She leaned up and told me that Esperance means HOPE!!  Only God.

Bill has come up with the perfect way to honor Love and to help Kenise.  He has established a fund at our church called the Love Theodore Fund.  Contributions to this fund will allow our team to provide additional medical care to the children of La Gonave who need further medical care.  The first recipient will be Kenise.