Travel Adventures: "Flooded" with Gratitude

We made it out to the Mobile Clinic!

Our first day out at a mobile clinic with Dr. Morquette and his team went swimmingly, pun intended. We started the day out as usual, with a delicious bounty of fruits and breakfast foods to start the day. Then we loaded up in 2 vehicles with several translators and Haitian nurses and took off, heading south. We drove through downtown Port-au-Prince and saw the grand market, many colorful Tap-Taps and countless motorcycles as we drove west toward Leogane. We reached our destination and patients were already lined up, awaiting our services. We set up the clinic, complete with an alphebetized pharmacy and an incredibly efficient triage. We saw patients in 3 exam rooms ranging in age from just over 1 year to 89 years old. One of the workday's hilights was a 4 year-old who looked terrified until Bella reassured him that he wouldn't be recieving any shots. After this news he was a completely changed boy; all smiles. A rather low point in the clinic day arrived when an infant began vomiting unexpectedly in the waiting area and measures were taken to stabilize the situation immediately. (Disclaimer: this post was written by the Pediatric specialist on the team, which is why it may seem kid-centric). 

The real fun, of course, didn't begin until the group thought the day was almost over. 

As we loaded up the vehicles, we could see dark clouds rolling in. Sure enough, just as we reached the outskirts of Port-au-Prince the skies opened up and released a deluge. I'm talking BIBLICAL amounts of water out there. The streets around us began suddenly to flood, and we anxiously watched the muddy water rise higher and higher around the cars. 

The passengers in the van watched as a van going in the opposite direction stalled in the water, and another van came tearing around, scattering rain-soaked pedestrians as they frantically tried to escape the flash flood. Motorcycles on the road started to look more like jet-skis as the traffic slowed to a halt and the water line continued to shoot upwards. 

All of a sudden, Dan looked down and noticed that water was flooding the van. Almost all 4 inches of the step just inside the van door was flooded with foul-smelling water!!

talk about a flooded engine! (PS not our van)

 Our heroic van driver, Belizaire, was quick to action. He reversed out of traffic and tore up a side road towards the mountain. We drove a couple of minutes up the road before traffic blocked our path again. Belizaire reversed down the hill again and stopped at a road we though was completely blocked off by large white stones and rubble. A second look revealed that it was not white stones but rather a pile of live goats which were creating the obstacle to our progress, and just as we noticed them the goat owners began lifting the goats up by their bound ankles and slinging them out of the way to clear our path. We squeezed through the minuscule opening and continued our journey home through winding, soaked streets and alleys.

it's raining goats?!

We arrived back at the Morquette's house an hour or so later, the whole drive taking almost three times the time it had taken us that morning. We regrouped with the members of our team who had been in separate vehicles, and hugs were shared all around. Later we sat down to another lovely meal prepared by Evylen and enjoyed stories by both Drs Morquette of their adventures driving in Haitian floods. Finally, we had an abbreviated team meeting before turning in for a rather later-than-usual bedtime. 

We so appreciate your prayers and concern for our group and for the Haitians we are working with and those we are serving. Dr. Morquette, who was driving his truck through the flood, let us know that he was praying to God to guide us home through the storm. We thank you for adding your prayers to his and helping return us safely to our (very) warm beds.