Last Thursday, we had a surprise visit at our clinic from several Haitian Public Health Department personnel from Port-au-Prince. They were there to inspect our present facility (our little tin-roofed house), evaluate the future clinic site and assess the need for medical care in the area. It represented the final step in a process that began two years ago with our application for approval for construction of a new medical facility. During those two years, we submitted a 59-page dossier with 7 copies, including the initial application and supporting documents, three subsequent sets of additional documents, all with 7 copies, detailed engineering and site plans, survey information, etc. Finally came this site visit and, hopefully, soon after we’ll have our official approval. It just goes to show that things are never easy in Haiti!

In the past couple of weeks, there have been two adolescent school boys killed in Jérémie in motor vehicle collisions. They were both very tragic deaths and show us that life is certainly not something to be taken for granted. Unfortunately, after each of the accidents it was said that someone else had caused the student’s death; in other words, putting a curse on them that resulted in death. This type of thinking is very typical of the superstitious thought processes that are at play in a country that is steeped in Voudou like Haiti. It is also an example of why we are so much in need of prayer in our daily lives here – for safety and wisdom as we go about our work and interact with those around us. Thanks for your continued prayers.