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We set the day apart today to remember the result of the sacrifice that Jesus made for mankind. Jesus was nailed to a cross. He died. His body was placed in a tomb. God raised Him from the dead! Now He is seated at the right hand of the Father, where He is interceding for you and me! It’s a day of solemn reflection and joyous celebration, as we recall what Jesus told us as recorded in John 14:1-3: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

Easter morning service in Thozin

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We didn’t have any Easter egg hunts today, but we did invite the children from the Hands and Feet Project to the missionary compound to collect mangoes. The children just LOVE mangoes and I think they enjoy figuring out how to get them off the trees as much as they do eating them.

Easter “mango” hunt?

St Etienne cuties with their construction paper Easter baskets

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We enjoyed our week with the team from Bless Back Worldwide. This team of twenty divided their time between medical and dental clinics, special activities with the preschoolers, dental hygiene instruction, soccer instruction and village ministry. What a blessing! It was great to use the new medical and dental rooms, in addition to the original clinic room, which now serves as the pharmacy.

The new exam tables got lots of use this week!

Dr Rick and Chris helped many with dental needs this week.

Electronic Medical Records functioned great this week!

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We all so enjoy having Leah on our missionary team. She manages the medical program at MOHI. She’s also crazy in love with the children she serves! Here’s what she has to say about them:

Leah Fuller, RN

“One of the more entertaining parts of my job at MOHI is my role as school nurse. Being the school nurse means Band-Aids and antibiotic cream for skinned knees. It means reminding students daily that they really are required to produce the clinic pass from the school director in order to be seen (so that I know they have permission to be out of class). It is sharing a smile with a preschool teacher over her student’s vocal need for a Band-Aid for the minute scratch on their leg. It’s saying over and over and over “go drink water” in response to a variety of ailments and then laughter when students gives me the same instructions. It is surprising myself by shouting across the yard “Don’t put that in your mouth! You’re going to get cholera!” It is counseling high school students about their acne. It is a six year old with a toothless grin announcing that last week’s injury feels much better now. It is wrestling to keep a straight face as fourth graders dance at my doorstep when they are supposed to be going back to class.

“Lately, it is seizure precautions and ushering gawking students out of a room. It is conversations with another student where I tell them that, as happy as I am to see them, they cannot in fact come to the clinic again today because they were here yesterday, every day last week and three days the week before. It is preschoolers peeking in the clinic, curious about what’s going on. It is a happy dance in the office when the health department comes and immunizes our students for tetanus. It is pausing on an errand to watch the youngest preschool class dancing in their classroom, or listen to them recite a lesson. It is quiet rejoicing as kids outgrow school uniforms. It is a little boy with a tummy ache, legs swinging as he perches in the chair, telling me that the only time he ate was at school yesterday. It is joy and heartache, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

The team joined Leah for two days at our St Etienne campus, where we were able to use our new mobile medical clinic for the first time. There is not a good internet signal in St Etienne, so we had to use paper records. I was thrilled, however, to find the medical professionals busy entering these records into the system when I arrived at the missionary compound Thursday evening.

The medical team enters their records from St Etienne

Mobile Medical Clinic

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The non-medical portion of this week’s team assisted Dr. Rick by teaching good dental hygiene practices to our students in their classrooms. Afterward, they passed out toothbrushes, toothpaste and little draw string bags to keep them in. These will be kept in the school so that the children brush their teeth after lunch each day of school. Since we can’t supervise their brushing at home, this ensures that they are brushing at least once a day. We hope this will positively impact the oral health of our students.

Dental hygiene lesson

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The team came prepared to do several special activities with our 4 year old preschool students. The kids LOVED their time in the activity room with them. I suspect the team rather enjoyed it, as well!

Preschool Fun!

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The team carried the fun into the villages each afternoon. It was really neat to see how the children’s behavior improved each day. Even though most of these kids are not in school, they were learning right there at home. The medical team joined in a couple of the days, as well.

Village Ministry

The Bless Back team worked with our students on the soccer field and brought books for the little children in the neighborhood to enjoy.

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Bless Back Worldwide has done an amazing job funding house construction for families without homes. At the end of the week, the team gathered with pastors and the family for whom this house was built. They took a moment to meet each other and dedicate the new house.

House dedication

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Apparently, it was a great week for getting married. Both Junior (maintenance) and Voltaire (school director) were married this week.

Mr & Mrs Junior Dimanche and Mr. & Mrs. Voltaire Sanon

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Many of you who have visited Mission of Hope International in Haiti remember Marie Yves. She left us about 1 1/2 years ago, got married and had a baby. She visited me this week with Tabitha. Oh my! What a cutie!!! And for all of you who have fallen in love with Renord (the man with all the keys and many of the answers!), here’s a picture of him with his lovely wife.

Baby Tabitha

Renord and his wife in St Etienne

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I hope you have had a wonderful Easter day today. Thank you for your interest and participation in MOHI. We are not here in Haiti alone. As you pray for us and give what you can, people’s lives are being touched. Thank you for all YOU do!!!