Haiti update: It's been five months since the earthquake in Haiti.

Teresa and Ryan Price are missionaries in Christianville in Haiti. Teresa is a physician's assistant and Ryan is an optometrist.

The night of the quake was total chaos. The wounded began arriving shortly after the first quake. Everyone worked through the night helping the injured. Most people had head wounds or multiple fractures of the limbs. At the end of the next full day all of the medical supplies in Christianville had been used. So the missionaries closed the clinic and regrouped. They needed to figure out how they were going to get food and diesel  fuel and propane.  A few days later the U.S. government learned of Christianville's needs and sent in helicopters with food. Their soccer field became a landing strip for American helicopters. The missionaries were able to secure fuel and propane locally.

Teresa and Ryan's house was still standing along with the guesthouse and the church. All the other buildings were leveled or had sustained a large amount of damage.Everyone had to sleep outside on their mattresses because the aftershocks were occurring too frequently and were too strong.

Some engineers from the states arrived a few weeks later and assessed the damage to the buildings. Teresa and Ryan were able to live in their house. The other missionaries had to live in the guesthouse because their homes were a total loss.

They began seeing patients as soon as possible and are currently using part of a school building that is somewhat safe.The two months after the quake were spent seeing patients on follow up visits due to their injuries in the quake. Almost  every person they treated had had someone in their family killed from the quake.

Ryan is having a hard time because his clinic was totally destroyed. He has begun seeing patients again. However they had to put black plastic on the windows in the school room that he is using because he needs it to be dark to examine their eyes. This is the rainy season and it is 100 degrees or more every day. He works in this heat with no chance of a breeze. Also the store he uses to get his medicine from was destroyed and the only place he has found the same medicine is charging him outrageous prices. He cannot give anyone glasses because the eye glass grinding machine and the lenses were destroyed in the quake. 

Haiti has a long road to recovery. One of the tent cities has 2,000 people living in it. These people have nowhere to go. The babies need diapers to prevent disease, they also need formula because many of their mothers died from the quake. Quality medical care is also needed because nothing is free to the Haitians from their government.

Christianville has been able to have all the destroyed buildings demolished free of charge.They purchased a block making machine and somehow got it to Haiti. They have made more than 11,000 blocks. The first building is up. It is the building that houses the generator and other supplies.

They need short term mission teams to go there for a week at a time to continue the rebuilding.                                                        blocks from machine

Teresa and Ryan want to thank Hope Church for faithfully supporting them and to assure you that every dollar sent is used to help the Haitian population. 

People are bringing their children to orphanages to give their children away because they cannot care for them.  As fast as orphanages are built they are filled.

In closing I want to quote something from Teresa:  "We are seeing in the midst of this tragedy an increased response to the gospel. Pastors in our community are going around to various tent cities and preaching the gospel. Many people are coming to know the Lord. There are so many things that I am grateful for. First and foremost that we are all safe and healthy. I am thankful for our house.I am thankful that diesel fuel and propane and food never became scarce, like we thought they might.  And I am thankful that God put us in Haiti for such a time as this."

 Starting each day with patients by having devotional

 

 

 

 

Teresa Price