Post Cast

     Went to Dr Lillich for my third post-op visit on July 8. Joe and I were expecting a new cast. I had decided to go from green to purple.
     While we were in the waiting room a woman came in using a wheelchair and had a cast on. We spoke and found out that we were seeing the same doctor. She said that she uses a knee scooter too. She was about 8 weeks post-op after having her ankle fused.
     The nurse came in and cut the cast off. I was nervous about that - wondering if there was any way she could cut me. Leg was skinny, foot was fat. She took the stitches out. Some really stung and hurt coming out.
     Dr Lillich came in and said that I could go into a boot or go back in a cast. I told him that I wanted to do what is best for healing. He said that most people want to go to the boot because it can be taken off to sleep and bathe. That sounded great to me!
     Doctor wants to see me in 3 weeks. He said that I could begin walking in the boot around July 19-20.
    PA came in to put me in the boot. I got a new one because I had broken the one I had earlier. I tripped in the yard and broke the front piece. PA put a couple of pieces of hard felt looking material in the heel to be a heel lift because my foot is not at a 90 degree angle yet. That will come with therapy. When she put my foot in the boot, it hurt too much and really wouldn't go. She said to keep it off 2-3 days and flex my foot so it would go into the boot.
     Well, it took almost a week for my foot to go into the boot. By then it was almost time to begin walking.

Cast

     On Monday, June 23 I went for my first post-op visit with Dr. Lillich. I thought that I would get my stitches out and have a cast put on. Stitches didn't come out but cast went on. I have 18 stitches on the outside. Dr. Lillich said that I had lots on the inside. I will spare everyone the picture of the stitches which really look very good. I had a choice of the color of cast - yellow, red, blue, green, purple, camo, soccer balls, smiley faces. Decided on green because liturgically we are in ordinary time which is green. 

     Geoffrey continues to be a good friend. He takes me everywhere, and since our one fall we have had no other issues. 
     The cast is fiberglass which is much lighter than the old plaster casts, but fabric sort of attaches to it. Sleeping has been the biggest problem for me as it is very difficult to move in bed with the cast. I have used 2 pillows under my foot, one pillow at an angle from the bed to the top pillow, and one pillow between my legs. I don't like to sleep on my back so it is hard to get comfortable on my left side and stay there all night.
     I have been drinking lots of water thinking that is good for my healing process. That means that I have to get up during the night for a potty break. I have to sit on the side of the bed for a minute to make sure that I am awake enough to get my knee on Geoffrey. Then off to the bathroom which means pulling forward into our closet and backing into the bathroom.
     I go to work every day but only work a half day as I am tired after that. Afternoons are spent on the couch or bed resting or taking a nap. I had great plans to do constructive things in the afternoons but I never seem to get around to it.
     Each day my upper body get stronger. I can tell because it is not as difficult to move myself around like it was at first. I have told people that I should have had physical therapy before the surgery to work on my upper body.
     I continue to be thankful for Joe and everything he has been doing for me. After helping him after his surgeries, I know that it is very hard to be a caregiver.

Bucking Bronco (Geoffrey)

     Last Tuesday I went to church for our prayer group. It was going to be my first big outing, and I was so excited to go! After we finished praying, we were standing around talking. I turned to speak to someone when my right knee slid off Geoffrey and I started falling. What is the natural reaction to falling? Put out a leg or arm to stop the fall. Down went the foot with the splint - straight down to the floor. My friend, Faye, must have broken my fall because while my foot went to the floor the rest of me stayed somewhat upright. My initial thought was "I don't want to have to go back through this again."

     I got upright on the scooter. At that point I put my head on my arms as I leaned on the handlebars. I looked up to see 5 people or so staring at me. Faye said in an email later that I must have felt like an alien with all the eyes staring at me. I don't think anyone said a word until I asked for my pain medicine.

     Joe called Dr Lillich to see if he wanted to see me. We had forgotten that he was out of the office for a week. Joe left my phone for the doctor on call to call me directly. George, the PA for a hand doctor, called after lunch and was pretty excitable when I told him what had happened. He talked with the nurse of the other foot doctor who called me later. She said that Dr Cox, the other foot doctor, was in surgery all day but she would try to talk to him. Because I didn't hear a pop or was in great pain, Dr Cox thought that I had done no damage.

     Tuesday night as Joe and I talked about what had happened he was able to articulate how I felt. l was terribly embarrassed about falling, especially in such a simple way. 

     The worst part of the fall was the soreness that I have had on the left side - back and hip. I am 5 days out from the fall, and the soreness is finally going away.

     Besides my little setback from the fall, I feel like I am getting stronger every day. I can empty and put away most of the dishes in the dishwasher (except ones that go high in the cabinet). I can take a few clothes to the laundry room. I can transfer clothes from the washer to the dryer. I can take a bath by myself.

     Tomorow is my first post-op visit. I think that I'll be put in a cast then. 

Life is Different

     Life is different! All the things I take for granted I am not able to do as easily. I think that my trip to Nicaragua and having to use a bucket and cup to wash might have been a preparation for bathing without getting my leg wet. At least I have hot water here!!

     I have pillows everywhere to help with the propping up process. Extra pillows on the bed and extra pillows on the couch. I even put a pillow on my scooter so I can use it for a prop sometimes.

     There is a basket on the scooter which I thought was a joke when I bought it. Reminded me of what I thought was a sissy girl's bike when I was little (and I wanted nothing to do with a bike like that). But, my oh my was I wrong about this basket. It is a life-saver. I almost always have my Ragin' Cajun cup with a lid, pain medicine, my Kindle, and my phone in there. Yesterday I put some laundry that needed to be washed in my basket and took it to the laundry room.

     I told Joe that it is strange that from time to time when I need to go somewhere (usually the bathroom) I glance at Geoffrey (scooter) and think "It will be faster if I just walk." It's a fleeting thought, but one that is reoccurring. Of course, I can't stand and walk, but it obviously is what naturally pops into my mind.

     The biggest thing I have noticed in my recovery so far is that I can move around in bed better. The first couple of days were difficult. The cast doesn't feel as heavy - my left leg and my right thigh are getting much stronger.

     I am not taking much pain medication either. I usually take one at night when I am ready to go to sleep, and then another some time during the day. The pain has not been like I thought it would be. Thank goodness.

     I can't say enough about how thankful I am for Joe and his patience and help during this time. He is doing more than double time and being gracious the whole time.

Continuing Recovery

     Before we left the hospital, the nurse said to take the pain medicine every 4 hours through the night so that the pain didn't become overwhelming. Joe set his alarm and woke me every 4 hours so that I could have the medicine. I was ready for it each time. I remember that the most painful time was around 4AM.

     One of the hardest things to do is move around in bed. I can push off with my left leg but I have to be so careful not to try to push off with my right. The splinted leg is also heavier than I thought it would be. I suspect that the cast will be even heavier.  

     I can back "Geoffrey" into the bathroom and be able to use the facilities without any help. Joe put the bath transfer chair in the tub so that gives one a place to lean on the right side. I took somewhat of a bath Thursday which made me feel better to get my hair washed if nothing else. I have to be careful not to get the splint wet - probably being overly cautious.

     I went outside on the patio Friday where Joe and I sat and talked for a few minutes while enjoying the fresh air.

     Alison sent me a balloon bouquet. Thanks, Alison. You are always so sweet to send balloons which always creates a smile. Joe said that several times he has walked into the living room and was startled because he thought someone was standing there.

     Tom and Kathryn Caldwell sent me beautiful flowers. Tom and I were in Haiti together earlier this year. Very special couple!

Surgery Day, June 11

     We were told to be at the hospital at 7AM which meant leaving home at 5:30. Joe and I woke up at 4:30 so we could shower. I needed to clean my leg with yellow Dial soap. That's a little too early for me.

     We arrived at the hospital about 6:45 and waited a few minutes to check in. Right around 7:00 I was taken back to my cubicle. Questions - when was the last time to have something to drink, what medicines do you take (none), what is Dr. Lillich doing today, which leg, etc. Now to put on that fashionable gown. IV put in for antibiotic and saline.

     Dr. Lillich came in and talked. We asked all the questions we had forgotten to ask at the last visit. He is a very nice doctor and never seems to be in a rush.

     Surgery lasted about an hour or a little bit more. I remember the nurse saying my name so I opened my eyes. My first thought was that I didn't want to wake up because I was resting so comfortably.

     Dr. Lillich's PA said that I would be in a hard splint wrapped with an Ace bandage. I was thinking that I would be in a cast coming out of the OR.

     I didn't feel well at all. I kept feeling like I was going to get sick. The nurse brought me ice chips which really didn't help. She said that women have more trouble with nausea than men. I would close my eyes and start feeling better, but when I opened my eyes I would start feeling terrible again. That went on for an hour or maybe two. At one point, we sent Joe to get the car ready, but I couldn't get up so the nurse had to call him and tell him to just come back to the room. Finally, I had to go to the bathroom so the nurse got me into a wheelchair. I had to have her stop because I started having the dry heaves. That seemed to help because I felt so much better after that. So, after the bathroom, she wheeled me downstairs and helped me get into the car. 

     We took some pillows for the ride home so I would have one behind me against the door and one under my leg. I did fine until we got to Ruston. By the time Joe pulled into the driveway, I was feeling horrible! I wasn't sure I could get into the house. I had to stop four or five times to put my head on Geoffrey's handlebars. It was hot outside, and I was nauseous again. Miserable!

     Finally got to the back door and had to stop again. Joe took this picture.

     Got in bed for a nap.

     The tear was more than 50% of the tendon so Dr. Lillich had to do debridement of the tendon (cleaning out the scar tissue) and a tendon transfer. The tendon going to my big toe which allows the big toe go down was pulled back to use to strengthen my Achilles. That is also called tendon augmentation.

     I mostly need patience to get through this.

Achilles' Tendon Surgery

        Surgery on tendon was Wednesday, June 11. A little background on how I got to this point. When it was time to go to college many years ago, I chose Limestone College in Gaffney, SC so that I could play volleyball and softball. The first week into volleyball practice I had a terrible sprain that the doctor thought might have included a small tear to my Achilles tendon. That ended my collegiate athletic career as I spent several months in BIG plaster casts.

         Over the years, I have had pain and discomfort in that area.

         Fast forward – soreness, discomfort, and some sharp pain in my Achilles tendon sent me to an orthopedist specializing in feet and ankles. We started with a conservative approach with wearing a boot for 5 weeks. I got out of the boot in time to go to Nicaragua (with his permission) and with an anti-inflammatory medication. Sadly, I came back with more pain than I had had before the boot. At my next visit, the doctor told me that he had wanted to try the boot and medication to make sure that the pain was not related to the inflammation.

         So, surgery was scheduled at the Orthopedic Specialists Hospital in Shreveport. There is a lot of scarring around my Achilles tendon so the doctor cannot tell how much tearing there actually is. It seems that a tendon going to my big toe will be transferred to my Achilles to use in the repair.

         I am facing up to 8 weeks in a non-weight bearing cast followed by several weeks in a boot. I have purchased a “knee scooter” to use instead of crutches. So, that is how I will be getting around for a couple of months.

       We have named my knee scooter Geoffrey after a giraffe riding toy that Alison had and was passed along to Katherine and Rachel. I don't know if Alison named it Geoffrey or if we did as Geoffrey was poplar at Toys r Us.

Travel Home

We left the hotel for the Managua airport at 5:30 am. No problems. It appeared that there are only 6 gates in the international airport. 

Arrived in Atlanta safely. Ate a little bit at Buffalo Wild Wings. 

Our flight (John and me) to Monroe has been delayed because the inbound plane has not arrived. There is a storm heading this way so the plane is not here. Danny and Karen have already left. So we sit and wait. 

More About Our Visit to Big Corn Island

Corn Island is about 43 miles off the coast of Nicaragua. We took an airplane which took about 20 minutes. We were going to look at a Moravian Church to see about the possibility of putting in a water system there. 

The well at the church.

School at the church with 3 classrooms and 110 students pre-K through 6thh grade. The little ones go to school in the morning, and the older ones in the afternoon.

John said that I couldn't share any pictures of the beauty of Corn Island because he wants people to think he suffers while he is on these trips. All I have to say to that is we have had some suffering this time - food was not good in Tasba, men didn't have AC in their room in Tasba, mosquitos and biting yellow flies have eaten me alive. So, it would seem that we could enjoy God's good creation and our friends and family would rejoice. So, here's a picture of God's beautiful handiwork along with a sailboat which is very dear to my and Joe's hearts. 

Market in Managua

On our way back from our meeting with AMC, we had lunch at a chicken restaurant. 

Karen had a tortilla stuffed with cheese.

Juan and Nestar had a chicken plate. That looked very good.

I had chicken soup. A little intestinal distress today. 

A ride in this hot "ambulance" owned by AMC didn't help my tummy. 

Here are photos of the market. 

This last one is a washboard that is all wood - no metal. 

Here are Juan and Nestar who went with us for lunch and to the market. 

Meeting

Today we met with folks from Accion Medica Cristiana (AMC). We talked a little about our project in Tasbapauni and some of the challenges we had in relation to materials that we needed. We also talked about a couple of water systems that we want to help get back into service. 

I thought it was a good meeting. AMC will have these other two systems back up and running by the end of June. That is good news. 

Belinda Forbes from AMC and missionary of the United Methodist Church, Dr Geraldo Gutierrez (director of AMC's community health program), Tracey King-Ortega (PCUSA regional liaison for Central America, mission co-worker based in Nicaragua), and Juan Gabriel. 

More Pictures From Tasbapauni

Karen and Pastor Teddy Benedict

The first drink of water. Danny, Edith, a leader in the church, John Guice, Pastor Benedict, Karen. 

Children showing off their coloring sheets after Sunday school.

Decorations to celebrate the water system.

Water during worship was displayed.

Danny sharing water during dedication.

John sharing water. 

Very hot Edith toasting purified water with Karen from the church. 

Corn Island

Yesterday we met with a group of folks from the Moravian Church on Corn Island. Took a water sample. 

Today we go back to talk a little more with them and then fly back to Managua. 

Bluefields

We arrived in Bluefields yesterday, and the first thing we did was take showers - hot shower! It was heavenly. I had spray from the boat ride on me so it felt good to get that off. 

We went to eat at the Pelican Restaurant. Had fish. Fish baked with lemon and other spices or fried fish. White rice that had what looked like carrots. There was cucumbers, tomatoes, beets. We didn't eat that. It was very good. Forgot to take a picture. 

At about 4 this morning a huge rainstorm with wind came by. Made me wonder about flying to Corn Island. We have a taxi coming at 6:15 to take us to the airport. Flight leaves around 7:30. Everyone says that Corn Island is quite nice. We met a group of younger people in the airport in Managua who were going to Little Corn Island for a wedding. 

It is beautiful now. Sun is out. Humidity is up. Lots of people moving around at 6am. 

Continue to keep us in your prayers. 

Pictures From Tasba

Turtle catch

House on beach at Tasba

Bethany Moravian Church where the system was installed

Final touches on the system. 

Out of the Jungle

I have a lot to catch up on but I just wanted to let family and friends know that we have left Tasba and made it back to Bluefields. 

We were successful in getting the water purification system in. It wasn't without some anxiety - wondering if we could get all the parts to Tasba before we were scheduled to leave. 

We left Tasba today around 2:30 and got to Bluefields at 4:00. Fast trip. Following is a picture of a boat similar to what we were in. Today we had 20 people plus the driver. 

We Have Arrived

We arrived safely in Managua. It is very, very hot. Our Best Western hotel is right across the street from the airport which is convenient. We have a wakeup call for 4:30 in the morning as our flight to Bluefields is at 6:00. 

We had a bite to eat at the hotel. Notice the tablecloth and linen napkins. Big city! Don't think we will see that at Tasba!!

Don't know when I can blog again. Keep us in your prayers as we travel by plane and boat tomorrow. 

Travel Day

It was so nice leaving Louisiana at 11:30 instead of 6:00am. No problem for John and me to find Danny and Karen here in Atlanta. Since we had so much time, we ate at TGIFridays. Now we are just sitting and waiting. 

Background on Nicaragua

The name "Nicaragua" comes from Nicarao, the name of the tribe which inhabited the shores of Lake Nicaragua before the Spanish conquest of the Americas, and the Spanish word "agua" meaning water.

Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America. The population is approaching 6,000,000 with approximately 1,000,000 in Managua. Spanish is the official language, but English is spoken on the Caribbean coast where we will spend most of our time on this trip.

Nicaragua is the poorest country in Central America and the second poorest country in the western hemisphere. The currency used is Cordoba NIO. The exchange rate is 1 USD=27 NIO.

Like I said previously, we will be going to the Caribbean coast - the Mosquito Coast. Just that name scares me because I really dislike mosquitos, and they seem to find me wherever I am. Actually, the coast is called Miskito Coast from the Miskito Indians.

I am leaving tomorrow morning around 11:30, and we arrive in Managua around 8PM. Hopefully, I can continue to blog if there is internet access.

Upcoming Trip

Danny and Karen Logan, John Guice and I will be heading out for Nicaragua on April 30 for another Living Waters for the World water purification system installation. We will fly to Managua Wednesday where we will spend the night at a hotel by the airport. Early Thursday morning we will fly across the country to the Caribbean side to Bluefields. From there we have a boat reserved for an open boat trip for 2 hours or so to Tasbapauni where the installation is. Tasba is in a remote location on an isthmus accessible only by boat. We will return to Bluefields Sunday afternoon. Monday, May 5th we fly to Corn Island which is off the coast of Nicaragua to look at a possible place for another installation. Tuesday we fly from Corn Island to Managua. On Wednesday we will meet with some folks from Accion Medica Cristiana (AMC) which is an NGO working on community health and development. Thursday, May 8th we head back to the states.

I have been to Haiti 4 times with Living Waters. This is my first time to Nicaragua. The Bluefields area is English speaking so we will not need a translator on this trip.

Danny and John will be working on the installation side of things while Karen and I will be teaching the health/hygiene and spiritual lessons.

Here is a website that shows how the water system works:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AYyDA0EyLI4#sthash.K6iZKCMp.dpuf  

Here is a website that talks about the educational component of Living Waters:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=aDLSHjKvC_g#sthash.K6iZKCMp.dpuf 


Keep us in your prayers as we begin another journey to share living waters to our brothers and sisters.

Preparing for Living Waters Nicaragua Trip

Katherine helped me make this banner to use for the Creation story. Thanks, Katherine! We will use cutouts of trees, sun, blue sky, people, doves, etc. to tell the story.

Leaving for Airport

Leaving Wall's Guest House for airport. It has been a wonderful trip. Installation went smoothly. Had the opportunity to spend several sessions teaching. The Les Cayes area of Haiti is quite beautiful. 

Arrived Back In Port au Prince

Wall's Guest House

Dedication of the System

Teaching

System Finished

The Work

I didn't get a chance to write yesterday. Karen, Pat, and I are busy teaching. We spent time with the house mothers of the boys' village. We had been in the girls' village on Monday with all the girls and the house mothers, but now we had just the women. That is what we really wanted - to teach adults so they can carry the message on. The women at the boys' village didn't look too excited at first, but soon got into our activities. We did a new activity trying to get them understand that water might all look alike but it might have germs and a person needs to drink this purified water all the time. The women wanted to take the props from the activity so we let them.

The men finished the system which wasn't much work today. Some went in to town to buy new tires. A new thing here is that Fr Mark has an ice machine he wants hooked up. 

Afternoon was wonderful for the teachers. We had a couple of hours with the public health nurse and the 8 young men who work with her. These young men live here and this is the job they chose. We had them (and us) act out the crossing of the Red Sea. They looked skeptical at first, but when we all started putting on the props they got into it. Working with this group was very rewarding as we talked about the importance of the purified water.

God is good! 

And God said, "That's good."

Karen, Pat, and I taught the girls today. This was our first story - creation.

Starting the System

Clyde gluing pipe together with plumber Valdes looking on.

The Least Exciting Day Ever

Sunday, Feb 9

Danny, Karen, Tom, and I got up again at 4:15 to catch the 5:00 shuttle to the airport for our 7:00 flight. It was easy going because our luggage had been checked through from Shreveport to Port au Prince. Had breakfast, got to our gate for smooth sailing (flying). Not a hitch today - we can just feel it.

John was waiting for us outside the airport with the drivers and the rest of our group. Wow, that was easy! We got our luggage in the truck and headed to Les Cayes. We are finally going!

Les Cayes is about 4 hours from Port au Prince so we figured that our arrival would be around 3:00. We are behind schedule but will be ok. 

After driving a couple of hours, our driver starts to pull off the road - flat tire. No problem the other truck stopped too. The two drivers and Clyde changed the tire with John supervising (watching). We drove a little further and stopped at a little store to get a drink and a snack for lunch. Our driver went off to have the tire repaired. 

Back in the trucks to finish the trip. Another 30 minutes or so and the other truck pulls over. Yes, flat tire. No problem - drivers and Clyde change the tire with John supervising. Off we go. 

Another 30 minutes or so passed. We pull over - flat. The third flat tire in a little more than an hour! Only one of the trucks had a spare. This flat happened as we were heading down the mountain. What to do? Several headed off to see if it could be repaired or if they would have to go to Les Cayes for a new one or good used. Drivers talked, and it could be repaired just a few minutes down the road. They were gone almost an hour. I can't explain how it was fixed. Certainly not like anything you would see in the states - at least not these days. Now there is no spare either with more than an hour to Les Cayes.

We made it to Hope Village! They have built a beautiful water building for the system. That was nice to see. Then off to the guesthouse. Dinner of Haitian chicken and beans and rice. Very good. Dessert was yellow cake and chocolate icing. Mine had birthday candles!

All in all, it has been a good day. Now the work begins!

What Happens When You Get to Port au Prince!

John, Clyde, Pat, and Ed left Monroe for Haiti while the other four of us were trying to figure out how to leave Louisiana. As my group was flying to Miami, the Monroe group was flying to Haiti. As we were leaving, we got a phone call saying that our interpreter was not at the airport to meet them. What can we do when we are flying? I was able to get wifi on the plane and emailed Ancy, the interpreter. didn't hear from him while we were in the air. While we were waiting for the shuttle to the motel, I called Ancy in Haiti and found out that our group had made it to the guest house. Good news!

While it was good news that they made it to the guesthouse, it was extremely stressful for them to get there. Ancy had sent someone else to pick them up but our group didn't know that. They ended up finding a taxi to take them to the guesthouse.

Tom, Danny, Karen, and I stayed at La Quinta near the Miami airport. That was interesting too. When Danny and Karen tried to find us a motel, we found out that Expedia got us rooms alright - in two motels 20 minutes apart. Took a while but we finally got rooms in one place. We had a great dinner at a Cuban restaurant around 9:15 pm.

An exhausting day!

Snow, Sleet, Ice

Wintry mix was the forecast for Friday afternoon. On the way to Shreveport Friday afternoon, Tom and I saw what was a first for me in Louisiana - salt trucks. After having lived in Michigan for 12 years, it was not an unusual sight but for Louisiana it sure was.


Following a wonderful dinner of grilled red fish, we headed to bed around 9:00 because we needed to be up at 4:00 or so for our 7:00am flight. When I got up this morning I saw that I had a voicemail. It was from American Airlines saying that our flight was now scheduled to leave at 9:30am. Of course our flight from Dallas to Miami was supposed to leave before that. So Karen got on the phone to see what arrangements could be made.


It became obvious that getting to Port au Prince today (Saturday) was not going to happen. We are now confirmed on a flight out of Shreveport at noon and arriving in Miami after 9pm. Then we will fly out of Miami at 7 in the morning. So, an overnight stay in Miami tonight.


Four of our team are leaving out of Monroe, and there seems to be no problem with their flight. Now we have to get touch with our Haiti friends to rearrange where John, Clyde, Pat and Ed can spend the night tonight. Our original plan was to drive part of the way to Les Cayes today. That won't work now!


Continue to keep us in your prayers!

Less Than 24 Hours Before We Leave

Well, my bag is packed along with my backpack. The "teaching" bag has been taken to Monroe to go with the folks leaving from there. Tom and I are leaving for Gilliam (just north of Shreveport) to leave from there in the morning. We need 4 people to leave from there because the water system takes up 4 suitcases. We will each carry a personal suitcase and a system suitcase.

Keep us in your prayers as we travel tomorrow. We will leave from Shreveport at 7am going to Dallas, then Miami, and on to Port au Prince. We arrive in Haiti around 4:30.

Hope to have lots more updates for you!

Teaching Activity

How This All Started

Recently I was asked about how I got involved with the Living Waters water installations. Let me start back even before I was born. My grandfather, Rev. J.S. Crowley, was a missionary to the Belgian Congo in the late 1890s and early 1900s. So, even though I was adopted, I think mission work must be in my DNA.

I did some mission work to Washington, DC and other local work while I was in college. When our girls, Katherine and Rachel, were in 1st and 2nd grades, we went to Xpujil, Mexico on a mission trip to begin building a church. We made 2 more trips as a family to Xpujil. After our move to Louisiana I discovered that our church sponsored a mission trip to Reynosa, Mexico to build houses so I went on that trip several times until the border became unsafe.

Probably 6 years ago Danny and Karen Logan gave a presentation about a mission project called Living Waters for the World. I kept that idea in the back of my mind until I got a call from one of them asking me if I was interested in going to Haiti to put in a water system. I went on my first Living Waters trip in March 2011 and have been back each year since then.

I have attended two sessions of Clean Water U of Living Waters for the World. The first session I went to was how to install a system. The second was learning about the educational component that goes along with the installation. While I would enjoy the installation part, I have been mostly involved in teaching while in Haiti. We have activities related to washing hands and when it is important to use this purified water (drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, and for babies). We spend time hearing Biblical stories such as creation, the Red Sea, and the woman at the well - all stories revolving around water.

I leave for Haiti a week from today. The packing begins soon!

Wednesday, Jan. 29

On February 8, eight Presbyterians will head to Haiti to install a water system to purify water. Those traveling on this trip include Danny and Karen from Gilliam, La; Edith (me) from Ruston, La; Clyde, Pat, and Ed from Monroe, La; John from Winnsboro, La; and Tom from Maryland.

Our Living Waters (www.livingwatersfortheworld.org) installation will be in the Les Cayes area of Haiti at a place called Pwoje Espwa (translated: Project Hope) which is associated with Free the Kids (www.freethekids.org). As I have read about this place, it seems that over 750 children are served by this organization with many of them living at the compound. There is a medical clinic, a school, and job skills training – all in an attempt to give hope to children in the southern part of Haiti.

Our itinerary includes flying into Port au Prince on Saturday, Feb. 8 and spending the night outside of the city in a Catholic guesthouse. Sunday we will travel to Les Cayes, a seaport town in southwestern Haiti. We will install the system and teach hygiene, proper use of the purified water, and Biblical stories. The plan is to leave Les Cayes on Thursday for Port au Prince so we can fly home Friday.

We will install the system but also teach health/hygiene and Biblical stories related to water. We have 4 suitcases packed with most of the system. The process of gathering supplies for teaching is still going on. Posters of how to use this clean water and when to wash hands are created and left for them. Paints, crayons, coloring sheets, skit props are all carried along to reinforce the lessons. 

Pray for us as we finish our preparations.

My hope is to blog from Haiti but that will depend on wi-fi.