Hello to all back home! 

This is Kimberly, on behalf of the group we want to thank you for the continued prayers and support while we continue this amazing journey. Today was impactful, as they all have been. We spent our day visiting sick & dying adults, as well as Gertrude Orphanage. Our  day was filled with songs, giving massages and playing with amazing children. The experiences are challenging to put into words. One of the barriers we face day to day is language. I was reminded that smiles, love, laughter and bright spirits are universal, providing more of a connection than words ever could. 

While the others went to Gertrude's,  Mike, Marcia, Faith and I (Amy) went to a wound clinic. Even with my medical background there is no real way to be prepared for this experience. In many ways, having some medical knowledge and knowing our American OSHA standards, it was in terrifying. Thankfully, we were able to use the gloves that we brought with us. It was really a blessing to not only see my donation item used, but to get to use it myself. The drive to the wound clinic through downtown Port-au-Prince was surreal. We turned down a market street, horns honking wildly to get the people to part, pulling their mats and baskets and livelihood out of the way to let us through. (Picture being on the midway at the state fair on the busiest day, only all the people were pushing wheelbarrows or were carrying giant packages on their heads, and all the food trucks are set up without a truck, just food on the ground...and driving your car through the middle of it.) When we arrived, and after a quick lesson on what to do, we dove in. We were told our job is only to clean and dress these wounds, that these are not curable for these people. They come back 3 times a week to have their wounds cleaned and dressed again. Saline, betadine, bacitracin, gauze, hemostats, gloves, and bandages made of strips of sheets were our tools. We saw men and women of all ages with the most horrific wounds I've ever seen. One man who basically had no skin on his feet and was missing toes had to have plastic bags taped over his bandages because he did not have shoes, but he was able to walk out of the open corridor we treated in. When all the wounds were cleaned and the  bandages applied,while we were waiting to leave, I was overcome by the music coming from the tent church nearby. "Hallelujah" was the only word I could understand, but it was beautiful. Knowing how little we did in the big picture did not matter, because we mattered to the people lined up there today and they all expressed their gratitude. Even in terrible pain, with wounds we can't imagine, everyone we touched gave the most genuine smile. We were there to help them, but I think I can speak for all of us in saying it was our privilege to be His hands and feet, and we were greatly blessed by the experience.