Loving One More Joanna's journal in Haiti

Today marks the 5 month anniversary of the earthquake.  I seems like it was so long ago.

Anne and I are having a great time.  Today, we spent the day with my friend Nadine, her husband George and there 2 ear old son Theo.  They invited us to their home.  We had a wonderful lunch and enjoyed time visiting with them and hearing their stories.  They also shared with us about their dream of starting a ministry in the village that George grew up in.  They would like to build a school, create jobs for those in the community and help make this area self-sustainable.  It was so fun to hear them dream and have so much hope for their country. 

From what I can see, very little has changed here.  As we flew in,  it was very visible from the sky, all the tent cities.  You could see the ground salt and peppered with blue tarps.  It makes me so sad.  I couldn’t live in those conditions for even one night.  These people have been doing this for 5 months.

Today, as we drove to Petionville to Nadine’s some of the buildings that fell still remain the same as when I left in February.  Others have been broken into smaller pieces of rubble but still are on the property.  Labor here is so manual that jobs take so much longer to complete.

Last night as I laid in bed, I mind was clear that I was safe but my body was a little jumpy.  I kept thinking about how I was going to get off my top bunk and down the stairs in the event of another earthquake.  I know better, it is not going to happen again but it is such a terrifying feeling that I can’t help myself. I was startled several times by different unfamiliar noises and found myself grabbing in bed for something to hold onto.  My mind seems to be in overdrive and I am hoping that will resolve soon.

I hope that this finds all of you have a wonderful weekend.  Give thanks for all you have!

I have been to Haiti in June before but I never remember it being this hot.  It is going to be a challenge.

Anne and I left this morning and were in PAP by 2:30.  Our flights went well and were greeted at the airport by my friend Jonna.  We went to visit the patients at the Heartline hospital briefly and to go to the roof-top garden to pick basil and spinach for the homemade pizza we had for dinner. 

In my honor, Jonna made homemade pizza for everyone.  She was attempting to make this the evening of the earthquake but of course we never finished.  So she thought that she would try again.  Huge success! 

We are staying at the new Heartline guesthouse.  It is so nice and there are so many guests. It is fun to see so many people in to help in a varity of different ways. 

Thanks again to each of you for your amazing support and generous donations.  With abundant gratitude I write to you this evening! Tomorrow, Saturday will mark the 5 month anniversary of the day life changed forever in Haiti.

Saturday will mark the 5 month anniversary of the Haiti earthquake.  I will be returning to Haiti on Friday and do so with excitement and a little apprehension.  I am not totally sure what the apprehension comes from but the joy I will get from seeing my friends and the kids makes it all worth it.

It has been a very crazy few months since I have been back in the States.  I flew back on February 4th and although it seems like a year ago there are parts that are still so fresh.  I can say with confidence that I am healing and doing so much better.  I was led by some friends to seek counseling early in my return home. This was the best advice I could have been given.  I wanted to be sure that I handled all I had been through and saw in a healthy manner.  It was so easy for me to tuck it all away but I was afraid that in the years to come it was come to the surface unresolved. So with lots of work on my own as well as with my therapist, John, I feel that I have successfully made great strides in my recovery. I also can’t talk about my successful recovery without thanking my family and my friends.  So many of you have patiently been by my side.  Just being present when I didn’t even know I needed anyone.  Kind words, continued prayers and your smiling faces. I feel so blessed.

I am going to be in Haiti from the 11th till the 22nd.  I have a few items on my agenda that I need to work on but the focus of my trip is to see my friends, hear their stories and see what we can do to make life just a little easier. I know it will be challenging but I feel that this is part of my healing. My dear friend Anne McNeill is graciously coming along to walk by my side for 7 of my 11 days.  Her and her husband are sacrificially giving of themselves to make this gift a reality for me.

I will be sharing parts of my journey here so come along if you would like.  Thanks for your continued love and support.  It means more than I can express.  I look back at all my posts; especially those close to and following Jan 12th and I am humbled.

To God be the glory!

For all my friends and family in the St. Thomas area, I will be sharing my story at First Lutheran Church in Hoople, ND at 9:30 am this Saturday.  I would love for you to join me.  Each of you have been such a blessing in this journey.

Hope to see you there.

Also, with great excitement, I purchased my return ticket to Haiti. It feels so good to know that I will be going back in June.

It has been just over 2 months since I have been home from Haiti.  Things are going pretty well recently.  Looking back, re-entry was very difficult but each day seems to get a little better.

I have been given the opportunity to share my story and this weekend I would invite you to join me. I will be speaking at Calvary Lutheran Church in Golden Valley.  At 9 and 10 am I will be sharing durning the adult education classes and at 6:30 pm during worship. 

This video was done as a promotion for my talks this weekend. It thanks those at Calvary but I would like to also thank each and everyone of you that supported me in so many unforgettable ways while I was in Haiti.

It has been 3 weeks since I landed back in the States.  During this time, I have been showered with greetings, hugs, emails, care packages, meals, phone calls…I guess you can say, just down right lots of love.  Once again, I feel so blessed. 

I just went back to work last night.  My managers have been wonderful in giving me the time I need to attempt to adjust back to this reality.  I was able to spend 10 days in North Dakota with my family.  It was a great time to relax and see lots of friends. 

All this time I have been given to re-enter and attempt to wrap my mind around my last few months has been a gift.  It still doesn’t make what happened and what is still happening in Haiti seem any easier.  If anything it is harder knowing that they are still desperately struggling and I yearn to be there to help. 

There is so much that goes through my mind in one day, it is hard to make sense of it all.  All I know for sure is that God was on this journey with me and He still is.  Some days are tougher than others but I do feel that with time to heal, I will be a stronger person in years to come.

The little that I have been in touch with my friends back in Haiti, I am hearing that life is still very challenging.  Most are still in tents, working long hours to help each other out and trying to stay dry when it rains.  Each day is filled with so many struggles. It is just so unfair! 

As we go about our daily lives that are rooted in our realities, please don’t forget to continue to pray for the people of Haiti and all that are helping there.  The road is very long.  I pray that God has amazing things in store for Haiti and her people.

Monday night on the news in Minneapolis they did a special on those of us from MN that were in Haiti during and following the earthquake.  Check it out.

Friend.Daughter.Sister.Aunt.Granddaughter.Niece.Godmother.Nurse.Missionary.Lover and follower of Jesus.

Passionate about Haiti.SURVIVOR

My dear friend Beth McHoul. Man, I miss her!

Since I have been home, I have thought about who I am, what is my purpose, how has this entire experience changed me for the better and the worse. Currently, I have no answers to any of these questions.  It is nice to be home and in my amazing house surrounded by the greatest friends anyone could ask for. Why me?  Why was I so lucky?  I am finding that I am exhausted but I have the ability and freedom to rest.  This is not something that my friends in Haiti have the ability to do, both my Haitian friends and my friends there doing relief work.  So I feel somewhat guilty for the luxury to rest.

Each day is a struggle and a blessing all in one.  It is hard to put into perspective my thoughts and feelings at this time.  My life is much like an onion, so many layers that need to be exposed over time.

It has really hit me this past two days that all we were part of in Haiti, all we saw and all we did, is NOT part of NORMAL everyday life. It did become part of our normal life in Haiti. That doesn’t mean that it was easier to deal with but we saw stuff on a regular basis.  As the days go on, it is more apparent to me that NONE of it is normal.  It will be hard to explain what I really experienced.

Please be patient with me.  I am trying to move forward but it is difficult.

I can’t thank each of you enough for all your prayers, support, and encouragement.  It is humbling to be on the receiving end. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I have had some communication with my friends at the clinic in Haiti.  They are still going strong and seeing patients each day.  The last I heard they have 35 in- patients.  What a gift. Please continue to pray for the patients, the families and all the workers.

For those of you in the Minneapolis area, Monday night at 10 pm Channel 5 is going to air a segment about Heartline clinic in Haiti and my friends Troy and Tara Livesay. (You will also be able to view it online after 10pm at www.kstp.com) I was told originally it is going to be a 4 part series, we will see.  Channel 5 KSTP spent a few days with us in Haiti, capturing the work that was being done by several people all from MN.

Quick update.  After plane delays, 3 hours of sleep and a missed flight, I am now home.  I have taken a hot shower with excellent water pressure. What a treat.  Now I am ready for bed.

I will update more soon.

Thanks again for all of your encouragement, love, support and prayers!

Well my time here in Haiti is coming to a close.  9 of us from Heartline are leaving tomorrow evening.  As I said before, it is very bittersweet.  I am excited to get home but I am sad to leave this place. There is so much to be done.

We had a good day at the clinic.  The intensity is slowing down but we are still seeing several patients each day.  I am so grateful that we are able to offer these services to the people that need them so desperately.

All afternoon, we had a beautiful young woman in labor.  So as I continued to restock and prepare medications, she walked around upstairs in labor.  She was adorable and handled labor so well.  Her husband was with her and very supportive.  This couple was found last night by Troy when he was at the University of Miami hospital dropping off a patient.  They were seeking care and weren’t getting any attention.  Troy visited with them and then brought her to our hospital.  They have been homeless since the earthquake.  Once again,  a huge God moment that Troy would take the time to visit with this couple, offer to bring them to us and that we have the skill and ability to safely deliver their first child.  It was so wonderful.  Tonight at 8:12 pm a beautiful baby girl was born to extremely excited and loving parents.  What a gift and symbol of hope in these uncertain times.

I mentioned yesterday that I was going to have a tough time fitting all of  my stuff into my 2 fifty pound suitcases, huge carry on and oversized purse.  Well, I got the news tonight that each person on the flight leaving PAP tomorrow gets a total of ONLY 50 pounds each.  This is going to be interesting and some serious downsizing will be going on.  There is no time in the near future that I will be able to wear the clothes I am wearing here. I guess I will have to return sooner than I thought!

One more day in Haiti.  I am really going to miss all of the amazing people that I have had the privilege of working with at Heartline.  My life is richer because of them.  What a gift they are to me, this ministry and the people of Haiti.