Everything Happens For A Reason

The other day while I was sitting up at camp seeking God...I was reminded how everything happens for a reason through the following verses...

"For I know the plans I have for you, Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. 

Plans to give you a hope and a future" 

Jeremiah 29:11

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,

who have been called according to his purpose."

Romans 8:28

I then sat down and started thinking about some of the blessings God has already revealed to me about my unexpected time in the states to recover....

BLESSINGS

~ Forced to rely deeper  on God and his word. God has truly spoke sweetly to my spirit

~ Unexpected time with family & friends

~ Finding out my Hep B vaccine from 12 years ago was never effective and I was unprotected for years & at risk but now I am able to re-do the Hep B vaccine series

~ I was able to get all the documents I need to apply for my Haiti Residence lined up for when I return to Haiti

~ I found a pediatric job for my 3 months back in the states in January which has enabled me to fill out all the paperwork to apply for my AZ OT licensure.

~ I was able to get all the pieces together to re-set up the visibility boxes in Haiti for summer groups to more easily interact with the Miriam Home children on a 1:1 basis. 

~ I was able to create training manuals for my Occupational Therapist interns that will be a base for years to come. 

~ I was able to help my Intern Julia pack and to support both my interns better during their preparation period then I would have if I was in Haiti

~ I got the medical care I needed that God knew I wouldn't be able to get what I needed in Haiti. 

~ Not to mention all the things/doors opened to grow people in Haiti because I wasn't there and will continue to grow them as they have to step out of their comfort zone

I could keep going and I know God will continue to reveal more reasons for my recent bout of health battles...but even if he doesn't reveal any more I trust Him and what He is doing. The deepest desire of my heart it to live daily in God's will...whatever that looks like...

The Health Battle Rages- HEALTH UPDATE

Just when I thought I was almost ready to return to Haiti after getting the clear from GI doctor I got another infection...Two Thursday's ago I noticed a red spot in my armpit. I thought it was an ingrown hair or a bugbite. Friday & Saturday it got a little bit bigger/redder. It was not till Sunday night that it doubled in size and really started to hurt. Monday morning I called & got in to see the dr. She lanced the sore, took culture to test for MRSA, & drained it. When I left I was instructed that if I got red shooting lines or fever to call &/or go to the ER. By early afternoon I noticed red lines going down my arm. I called the dr. & they had me mark it with a permanent marker and said if the red spread any further to go to the ER. I laid down for an hour & when I work up the red had spread 2 more inches. I went to the ER where they gave me a double shot of antibiotics and for the sore to be drained again. The nurse said I had the start of cellulitis. When I returned home the redness continued to spread at rapid rate. A good friend of mine Geniene who is a nurse came over to help decide whether or not I should return to the ER. We decided that that unless I spiked a fever or the redness/swelling spread more that I should be good till AM to return to dr. At 4AM I got a lowgrade fever. I called my friend and we both decided that I would take some IB profin and go back to bed since only 4 hours till dr.  office opened. Somewhere around 7-8AM the antibiotics must of kicked in and the swelling went down & the redness quick spreading. Went to the dr. where they drained the sore again. I got a call a few days later that the cultures came back as MRSA. I daily used moist heat to help break up puss pocket and drained the area.

I finally got the clear on Teusday from my primary physician to return back to Haiti in a few weeks. They want to me wait another couple weeks to gain my strength/endurance back and build up better immunity.

I also got a call last week that my Hepatitis B shot that I got 12 years ago was not effective. My blood work was not showing antibodies to it. So yesterday I went and got the first shot to the Hep B series again.

I am praising God that the MRSA infection is gone and that I got the clear to return to Haiti. I am thankful for the lessons He has been teaching me through all of these health battles.

Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement!!! Please continue to pray that I would be able to maintain good health and regain strength, endurance, and my immune system would continue to increase.

What God Has Been Teaching Me....

Being so sick the past 2 months (3.5 weeks in Haiti and now 3.5 weeks in the states)…being taken away from the ministry God called me to in Haiti has been a tough reality. The first 2 weeks back in the states I had a really hard time accepting the reality…I let Fear grip me…I let all the questions run through my head…I dwelt on the past and future instead dealing with the reality of the present. I was not living or embracing my situation as God calls us to embrace our trials. I just wanted to take a few minutes to share what God has been teaching me the past few weeks…How He has been so FAITHFUL to me comforting me, revealing scriptures for me to hold fast to, and speaking to me through worship music. God has been so GOOD to me showing up and reminding me that EVERYTHING happens for a reason and that ALL things work for the good of those who LOVE him.

WHAT GOD HAS BEEN TEACHING ME….

1.    Nothing will ever happen to me that God does not already know about

·      “O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise, you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.” Psalm 139:1-4

When I Don’t Know What To Do

Song By: Tommy Walker

Lord I surrender all

To your strong and faithful hands

In everything I will give thanks to you

I’ll just trust your perfect plan

When I don’t know what to do…I’ll lift my hands

When I don’t know what to say…Lord I’ll speak your praise

When I don’t know where to go…I’ll run to your throne

When I don’t know what to think…I’ll stand on your truth

LORD I’ll surrender all though I’ll never understand.

All the mysteries around me but I’ll just trust your perfect plan.

As I bow my knee send your perfect peace

As I lift my hands let your healing come.

2.    Nothing will ever happen to Me that is a mistake

·       “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 1139:16

You Are For Me

Song By: Kari Jobe

So faithful…So Constant…So Loving…

So True…So powerful in all you do.

You fill me…you see me…you know my every move

I know you are for me…

I know you will never forsake me in my weakness

3.    Nothing will ever happen that I cannot handle by God’s power and grace!

·      “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insults in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Everything I need

Song By: Kutless

“You are strength in my weakness and

you are the refuge I seek.

You are everything in my time of need

You are everything I need!”

Lift Me Up

Song By: The Afters

You lift me up when I am weak

Your arms wrap around me

Your love catches me so I’m letting go.

You lift me up when I can’t see

Your heart is all that I need

Your love carries me so I’m letting go.

4.    Nothing will ever happen to me that will not eventually be used by God for some good purpose in life

·      “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

Nothing Wasted

Song By: Jason Gray

“Nothing is wasted…Nothing is wasted.

In the hands of our redeemer, nothing is wasted.”

5.    Nothing will ever happen to me without God’s presence

·      “Surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20

Your Hands

By: JJ Heller

“When my world is shaking heaven stands

when my heart is breaking I never leave your hands.

When you walked upon this earth

you healed the broken lost and hurt.

I know you hare to see me cry

One day you will set all things right.

Your hands that shaped the world are holding me!”

6.    God is my HEALER

·      “Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.” Jeremiah 17:14

Healer

By: Kari Jobe

“You hold my every moment…you calm my raging sease

You walk with me through fire…and heal all my disease

I trust in you…I trust in you

I believe you’re my healer…I believe you are all I need

I believe you’re my portion…I believe you’re more than enough for me

Jesus you’re all I need

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU…YOU HOLD THE WORLD IN YOUR HANDS

Jesus you’re all I need!”

7.    God is our COMFORTER in times of suffering and our suffering eventually becomes a ministry tool

·      “God comforts us in our times of trouble, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the suffering of Christ overflows into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.” 2 Corinthians 1:4-5

Whatever You’re Doing

Song By: Sanctus Real

Whatever your doing inside of me

It feels like chaos but somehow there is peace.

And it is hard to surrender to what I can’t see

But I’m giving into something heavinly.

I am still yours

By: Kutless

“If I lost it all, would my hands stay lifted

To the God who gives and takes away.

If you take it all, this life you’ve given

Still my heart will sing to you.

Even if you take it all away

You’ll never let me go

You can take it all away but I still know

That I’m yours…that I’m still yours.”

8.    My faith is strengthened when I recall how God brought me through my trials, how he taught me on the mountains and in the valleys of life.

·      “I will remember your miracles of long ago, your deeds O LORD. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.” Psalm 77:11-12

We Will Remember

Song By: Tommy Walker

We will remember…we will remember the works of your hands

We wills top and give you praise for great is thy faithfulness

You’re the creator, our life sustainer

Deliverer, our comfort, or joy.

Throughout the ages you’ve been our shelter

Our peace in the midst of the storm.

With signs and wonders you’ve shown your power

With precious blood you showed us your grace

Your’ve been our helper, our liberator

The giver of life with no end

When we walk through life’s darkest valleys

We will look back at all you have done

And we will shout, our God is good

And he is the faithful one

I still remember the day you saved me

The day I heard you call out my name

You said you loved me and would never leave me

And I’ve never been the same

9.    That I can do ALL THINGS through Christ who STRENGTHENS me!

·      “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens Me.” Philippians 4:13

In Me

Song By: Casting Crowns

I’ll go but I cannot go alone

Cause I know I am nothing on my own

But the power of Christ in me makes me strong

Cause when I am weak, you make me strong

When I’m blind you shine your light on me

Cause I’ll never get by living on my own ability

How refreshing to know you don’t need me

How amazing to find you want me

So I’ll stand on your truth,

I’ll fight with your strength until you bring the victory

By the power of Christ in Me

The other day when I woke up from a nap I noticed a notecard in my handwriting on my headboard of my bed at my parents house. I probably wrote it when I was in high school or early college when I was dealing with all my health problems related to my Jaw. The card was entitled “suffering” the following was written on it

·      Christians should rejoice when they suffer, for in their own suffering they will in some way experience what it meant for Jesus to suffer for there sins (1 peter 4:12,13)

·      In addition to drawing people closer to Christ, suffering can also help them grow in faith.

·      God uses suffering to improve his people and shape them into better Christians. In fact, suffering  should be though of as a necessary pain that accompanies spiritual growth

·      Suffering produces perseverance which in turn produces Christian character (Rom 5:3-4, James 1:3-4 and 1 Peter 1:6)

·      It is important to encourage 1 another in suffering

·      God comforts us in our times of trouble, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the suffering of Christ overflows into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.” 2 Corinthians 1:4-5

·      Comfort Means: strength, endurance and hope to deal with our trouble

·      The more we suffer the more God gives us comfort

·      If you are feeling overwhelmed let God comfort you

·      Remember that every trial you endure will help you comfort other people  who are suffering similar trials.

I really felt like this notecard was a “gift” from God…these words were a powerful reminder to me that our suffering is not in vein…God has a reason…a purpose…and a Plan!

I am so thankful that God is using this time home to strengthen my faith and deepen my relationship and reliance on him

MEZI JEZI!...Thank you Jesus! (Health UPDATE)

This is continuation to my first blog (Jezi Konnen- Jesus Knows). You may want to read that blog first before reading this one. To completely understand the story from the beginning. The past 2.5 weeks have continued to be full of dr. appointments, Lab work, tests, waiting, uncertainty, good news and bad news. Yesterday driving home from UPMC Farrell Hospital I realized I had been there 6x in the last 2 weeks for test/labs. The staff started recognizing me ;/ lol

Monday May 6^th I went for a sonogram of my Liver, Kidney’s, Gallbladder, and Pancrease. On Teusday I went back to the dr. He reported that my typhoid came back negative showing I never had it and didn’t have it (not sure since in Haiti diagnoses 2x with it and Miami Hospital said that the typhoid hid in my gallbladder & that is what made me so sick). He also reported that I had sludge in my gallbladder/gallstones and that I may have a kidney stone too big to pass at 4-5mm. He said he wanted me to go see a urologist and go get tested for Hep A. So I left the dr. office and go my bloodwork done for Hep A and received a phone call later that afternoon that the earliest they could get me in to a urologist was May 21^st. My heart dropped. I did not want to wait that long…If they ended up having to blast the stone or do anytype of procedure I would be out of Haiti even longer…The next morning the dr. office called to tall me my Hep A tests came back positive…that was a blow…I was talking to Molly the ST in Haiti right now and she told me her mom works for a urologist in Pittsburgh and might be able to get me in sooner. After corresponding with her she was able to get me an appointment for that Friday in Pittsburgh. That was GREAT news!!!! On Friday My dad and I headed down to Pittsburgh to see the Urologist. He stated he does not usually do anything for kidney stones unless you are trying to pass them and that He would need a CT scan to better see where the stone was at and better measurement of the size.  He also did not think I had Hep A because I had my Hep A vaccine. He thinks I was showing antiboties to Hep A and that was what was coming up on my tests (once again not sure since 1 dr. says I have it and another saying I don’t). He thought my biggest problems/concerns were more GI related and wanted to consult with some of his associates. His assistant (Molly’s Mom) called me later that day to let me know that I had a CT scan set up for Teusday and a dr. appointment with a GI doctor in Pittsburgh on Thursday.

Friday I went to store to buy a Juicer as juicing is to be great for your digestive system and especially your liver/gallbladder. Some of the missionaries did juicing in Haiti when they had Hep A a few years back. I also thought it would be good as I was still not tolerating a lot of solid foods. This would give me lots of nutrients/vitamins & minerals I needed to start regaining strength. Heather Owen (the executive director of the missions wife) was a huge help picking out a juicer and helping me know what vegetables were best to juice for the liver.

Monday night I had to start the prep for the CT scan…drinking 30oz of chalk like substance that would coat my insides and make them glow. In the morning I had to drink 10oz more and then when I arrived for the scan drink 10oz more. My stomach definitely hurt by the time of the scan. It was a 2 part scan. They took pictures with just the chalk like substance in my system then put an IV in with a dye that make my veins glow and retook the scan. Teusday morning I got a call from the urologist that my CT look great from his perspective for my kidneys, liver, and pancrease. I was still having a fair amount of stomach pain the last few days and so was glad I had an appointment on Thursday with doctor. 

The GI dr. (later learned it was 2 intern drs.) after taking an extensive hx stated “Well, I am not sure what happened to you…but it was not good…we will be back). Umm…well that makes me feel good…what was that suppose to mean…lol They returned ~10 minutes later with the Dr. who stated that after looking over hx., talking to the urologist, looking at CT scan. He is not sure what all I had but does believe I don’t have any infections left. He believes the stomach cramping, heartburn, nausea, etc.  are a result of everything my system has dealt with and will take a month or so to clear up. He wants me to start working my way back up to a regular diet and work on gaining some of my weight back. He gave me a prescription to help with heartburn. He sent me to get more labwork done to check for Hep B just to rule it out and wants to check my liver counts to see if they have gone down. He feels returning to Haiti in first week of June is a realistic goal as long as bloodwork comes back good and I start holding more food. MEZI JEZI (THANK YOU JESUS!!!)

I want to Thank EVERYONE who has been praying for me the last 2 months. For all the encouraging cards, texts, emails, facebook messages, visits, hugs. I have felt so loved and supported throughout this entire process. I truly believe God  heard all the prayers and answered them and healed me and is continuing to heal me!!! MEZI JEZI

Fun Morning

I am catching up on posts I had meant to write before I got sick in Haiti. This is one I wanted to post because the pictures explain it all and speak 1,000 words. In April we had a group of teenagers in on a spring break mission trip. They had planned to go off campus for ministry but it had rained to hard the night before and was still raining that the river had flooded. The group was looking for a morning activity. I am always looking for ways to connect people to the Miriam Center. I set up ~15-20 different activity stations upstairs. Then I matched each teen with a child for 1:1 game/activity time. It was a BLAST. Everyone had  fun! The kids that did not get to go upstairs got to watch a movie. It may have been one of my favorite mornings in Haiti watching so many of our kids get quality 1:1 time while playing educational games!!!!

Saturday Fun!!!!

Last summer I focused on really training the day time weekday mom's on working with the children. Through the preschool, demonstrating appropriate feeding techniques during mealtime, and really working hand-in-hand with them through the everyday tasks.

The one group of staff that I really have not spent much time pouring into before has been my weekend day staff. By the time the weekend would get here I was tired from working hard all week and just wanted to have fun with the kids. Last summer I was also doing special feeding with 5 kids and had 2 children living with me.

This year I really want to take time on Saturday's to pour into the Weekend Day Mom's and train them on ways to interact with the kids.  A typical Saturday is super laid back. The severe and profound lay in the hallway and on the matts all morning then nap in the afternoon followed by being laid back in the hallway/on the matts. The older kids entertain themselves (playing in the rocks, riding on their cars, etc.). Throughout the day the mothers would braid the girls hair along with taking care of the daily needs (feeding, changing diapers, etc.).

I found the my mother's learn best by example/demonstration.  So my second Saturday in Haiti I went downstairs and carried all the severe & profound kiddos out to the birdcage for tummy-time, bubbles, therapy brushing and music time.  I was surprised at how excited the mothers were to interact with the kids and know what to do. After naptime we took the kids back outside into the birdcage.

The following Saturday it was raining and so I took all the kids into the severe & profound classroom and set it up with boppy pillows for tummy time, put a few kids in wheelchairs, etc. We then did lotion massages and vibrating therapy brushing on all the kids while we listened to music. Once again I was amazed by how EXCITED the mothers were. The sensory kids I set up in the birdcage with therapy swings and therapy balls for free play. The older kids played in the hallway with LEGOs and their play set of tools.

The next Saturday I was running behind and did not get downstairs to after breakfast. When I got downstairs the mother's had already moved all the severe and profound children to the room with boppy pillows. They were waiting for me to get lotion and brushes out. I got them all set up with the little guys and then worked with 1-2 of the older kids at a time working on specific therapy goals.

The following Saturday  I was sick and when I went downstairs mid-morning I found the mothers with all the kids set-up, lotionand therapy brushing all the kids...ALL ON THEIR OWN INITIATIVE!!!! This is exciting because in just a few weeks with a little bit of training, the mothers are much more hands on with the kids because they know what to do. 

I am excited to continue pouring into these mothers, expanding their knowledge of ways to interact hands on with the kids. (unfortunately I do not have any photos of me working with the weekend moms or the moms working with the kids, when I get back to Haiti I will definitely get some and post them. It is priceless to watch!). 

Cloth Diapers

Over the past few years at the Miriam Home we as a staff have strived hard to increase the sanitation and quality of care for the children. One BIG area has been with making sure every child is in a diaper all the time. We began with trying to get cloth diapers for all the children but quickly realized it was going to be hard to keep up with the supply and demand (Although we had a few churches that were doing and still do an AWSOME making diapers for the kids) . With over 30 children in cloth diapers ranging from size 1 to Adult S & M. Each child going through 3-5 diapers a day. Those diapers getting washed on a daily basis and wearing out within a month. Well...you do the math that equals ALOT of diapers. The other issue came with not being able to find rubber pants that could fit most of the children. Oh...and the issue of diaper pins...you know losing them, the staff poking themselves or the kids, etc. 

Well last year we started getting disposable diapers from the DR (Dominican Republic). This came with a price but a price that we felt was worth it. We started out using both cloth and disposable and slowly it turned into using primarily disposable diapers. 

Why the switch back to cloth? Well, It is almost impossible to find Adult size diapers in Haiti and we have 7-8 kids in this size of diapers. We realized we were running out of the supply we had and no way to re-stock unless groups carried them in which would be hard to keep up with. Also we had read that it is bad for kids to be in disposable diapers 24/7.  

My mom had done research of making cloth diapers and had found a cloth called "Puhl" which is a water proof material that is being used on the outside of cloth diapers...basically built in rubber pants. This is GREAT and solves the not being able to find rubber pants that fit. My mom found a diaper pattern and began making bigger size diapers with elastic around legs and snaps as closure. She started out making Medium and Large sizes. Once in Haiti I realized are biggest need was an X-large size. My mom has been AMAZING at diligently working to make X-large diapers so that the bigger kids can be in cloth diapers most of the time.

We had a fair amount of cloth diapers left in Haiti that were made by Justin's church in the depot that needed safety pins for closure. We realized that the snaps were working better for the staff and the kids. My mom sent in the tool and snaps so that all the diapers could have snaps put on them. We decided that at night the ALL the children would sleep in cloth diapers. It is better for them and it saves us money. 

If you know how to sew and would like to help make X-large or Large cloth diapers, Please let me know so that I can get you a pattern and the instructions. The more hands the better for this project. These diapers take a fair amount of time to make but they are a HUGE blessing for the children, the staff, and the visitors. 

Christmas Ornament Shopping In The DR

First Off I want to thank EVERYONE who participated in the Christmas Ornament Project. It was a huge success. I love knowing the kids are being prayed for and that we are able to provide for their basic needs!!!!

About a month and a half ago we did round 1 of shopping in the DR and got ~ 2 months worth of disposable diapers for the kiddos. A special Thank you to Heather and Dasmin Gabaud for doing the shopping and putting them on a truck to us!!!

Christmas Ornament Shopping in DR round 2: 50 towels, 101 sets of bed sheets, and 14 cans pediasure!!!! Special thank you to Heather who once again did all the shopping for me since my health is keeping me stateside. She went all the way to Santiago!!! 

ROUND 3 of Shopping: We will be doing another diaper run at the end of May and transportation for outreach families. 

ROUND 4 of Shopping: I will be purchasing new undergarments for older kiddos while I am stateside. 

Any extra $ will go towards For Jonathan Sake Outreach providing transportation and nutrition. 

Thank you to everyone who took an ornament and have been praying for one of the children and donating towards their daily needs.  The Christmas Ornament Project was a huge success and the kids are going to blessed throughout the year. Thank you again to everyone who participated!

Food at Work: Miriam Center

An AWSOME video about the Miriam Centers partnership with Feed My Starving Children. A fun video to meet some of my sweet angels as well :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqJuEg1us8A

Therapy Dream Team

A few weeks ago (right before getting my second bout of Typhoid) I had the wonderful opportunity of having a “Therapy Dream Team” at the Miriam Center. For the first time in my 7 years of working at the Miriam Center we had a Speech Therapist, Physical Therapist, and Occupational Therapist at the Miriam Center at the same time.  It was pretty FANTASTIC to say the least!

Molly Welsch is a Speech Therapist (ST) I met during my travel working stint in Philadelphia. She is an AMAZING ST who has a heart and passion for working with children but also has a lot of experience with feeding/aspiration. She came to Haiti for 2.5 months to help set up a ST program and help in developing/training in better feeding/nutrition.

Jennifer Clause is a seasoned pediatric Physical Therapist with a wealth of knowledge. She has been to the Miriam Center on 2 previous occasions but was always there when I was in the states. 2 years back she completed Physical Therapy Evaluations on 15-20 of the children that have been helpful in guiding my treatment of the children. To say the least I was excited to finally meet her in person and get the opportunity to learn

What a huge blessing to work alongside both of these amazing women and to pick their brains for ideas and treatments for the children. One thing I learned quickly years back when I started working at the Miriam Center is that I wore many hats…I played the role of ST, PT, behavioral specialist, feeding specialist, hand therapist, etc. because we did not have one. Me doing something was better than nothing even if it wasn’t the ideal.

Jennifer collected supplies from my wish-list and I was so superduper excited when I found out that she collected enough small therapy ball that I will be able to provide one to each of my outreach families for in their homes. This will be a huge blessing to encourage carryover of the therapy throughout the week outside of their 1 day a week.  My hope is to do more training on the specific ways they can use the therapy ball with their child prior to providing them with one in their home.

Jennifer also collected old AFO’s that children in the states had outgrown. Throughout the week we were able to fit various children with AFO’s to increase stability at their feet/ankles needed for standing and walking.

One of the projects I was in the middle of working on was creating knee blocks for many of the severe/profound Miriam Home and Outreach children to provide the stability needed to work on standing and weight-bearing through the arms. Both important for increasing strength and proper bone development.

Many of the Severe and Profound Children at the Miriam Center really require 2 people (4 sets of hands) to provide good quality therapy that works on what they need to work on. It was so wonderful to work together with Jennifer and see so many of the children working in positions and on skills I was never able to work on with them because I didn’t have enough hands. It brought so much joy to my heart knowing the potential and the future. I have 2 OT students coming this summer which means more hands and equals more intense and better quality therapy for the severe and profound.

As I was praying over how to best utilize the time I had Jennifer in Haiti, I really felt picking her brain for ideas to make some new therapy training handouts was a beneficial way. The need for handouts that addressed more individualized areas was brought to me last fall by Presidue (the Haitian that runs my outreach program). I had been wanting to make some new handouts and had started to scan some pictures into the computer but really wanted a PT perspective and ideas specifically for crawling, standing, walking, etc. Throughout the week Jennifer and I brainstormed categories (activities to promote extension, activities to promote flexion, activities to increase core-strength, activities to promote rotation, activities to encourage hand use, etc.).  After all the categories were made we began locating pictures that demonstrated each activities. For activities we could not find a picture for we had her husband take pictures of us doing the activity with one of the children. We then wrote a brief caption to go along with each picture. I then took all that information and made it pretty through the program “Publisher”. Once I had an English version of the handouts I had Nahum translate them into Creole. While I am back in the states regaining my strength I am typing in the Creole and getting the handouts printed, laminated, and 3 hole punched ready to go back into Haiti and start training!!! In total we created 13 new Handouts.

The week went by so fast and unfortunately I started getting sick Jennifers last 2 days in Haiti. I am so thankful for the time I had to do Therapy with this “Dream Team” hopefully God will align for us all to be in Haiti at the same time again to do it again!