March 2015 - Aid for Haiti

It has been a long time since I have written an update for the Aid for Haiti blog! I am going to attempt to write at least a brief update concerning the past few months of our lives.

Mid December 2014, Michael came home to TN to help prepare for our wedding! We were very happily married January 17, 2015. 🙂

We had a wonderful honeymoon in FL following our wedding! We did quite a bit of traveling (TN, MO, IA) after our honeymoon, but we really enjoyed just being together. 🙂

Michael, Virginia and I arrived in Haiti on February 12. We spent almost a week at home in Grand Fond unpacking, planting garden, and various other projects. On February 18 we went to Port au Prince to do a variety of things that needed done since Michael’s long trip to the States. One of the things we did was put away a shipping container of books for LIFE Literature. We spent a full day moving many tons of literature and organizing the warehouse. We also did shopping, bookwork and were able to weld the window bars and security door for our apartment.

February 25 we headed back home to the mountains planning to install the window bars, move into our apartment, and prepare for the 2 week medical team coming on March 10. But God had other plans and we weren’t able to accomplish it all. On the way up the trail I began to have a fever and body aches. Over the next couple of days I battled a fever off and on, it seemed like I had a virus. Gradually it won over and I was in a bed not moving much. The sickness turned into a constant fever, nausea and vomiting. I hadn’t been eating and was getting dehydrated. Michael gave me an IV and was able to get the vomiting to discontinue with some meds. But for days after that I still wasn’t getting better, and when my eyes and skin started turning yellow and my whole body became severely itchy, we knew something was quite wrong. We had done malaria and typhoid tests, both were negative.

Late Sunday Morning (March 8) we left the mountains and headed to Port au Prince to make arrangements for the medical team that would arrive in 2 days. We also were thinking we’d get some lab work done for me while we were in town. After arriving in PAP, I was doing worse. Michael was in contact with his brother-in-law Dr. Philip Sutherland over the phone. As more symptoms became apparent, Michael decided we would skip doing testing in Haiti and go back to the States as they were narrowing the problem down it it probably being my gallbladder in which case surgery most likely would be required. Thankfully, Michael was able to find tickets for both of us to fly out the next day.

To make a long story short, in less than 24 hours after purchasing tickets, we arrived in Chattanooga, TN at the Erlanger Hospital where I was able to have an ERCP and gallbladder surgery done less than two days after arrival and I am now recovering quite well. We had a follow up visit with the gastroenterologist and surgeon a few days ago. The gastroenterologist said based on what the blood work showed, he believes I had Epstein Barr Virus, and the surgeon said my gallbladder was inflamed and definitely needed to be removed, so between the two that all made sense to us given the various symptoms.

The medical team came to Haiti as planned while Michael and I were in the States. We had so many friends pitch in and help make that work out. It would have been a big deal to cancel all of the plane tickets and leave the patients hanging in Potino! Virginia went along with the team and did a wonderful job helping them out as she knows the system; she was able to do a lot of translating and run the pharmacy. We are so grateful to the Lord for what we believe was a miracle in making that team possible despite so many changes in our plans.

We are back in Haiti as of yesterday! The medical team went home the day before we got here and Virginia was waiting for us at a mission here in Port au Prince. We are in PAP for a few days before heading home to Grand Fond. Over the next two weeks we have quite a bit of work to do on our house while we prepare for the medical team arriving April 17, Lord willing. Today Michael made a brief trip to the mountains to do exams on hernia patients in preparation for the surgical team coming in July.

Thank you all SO MUCH for your continued prayers and support! We love hearing from you. We will try to keep this blog current with information and reports about the medical team, surgical team and pastors conferences coming up over the next few months.

We also recently started sending out personal updates by email. If you would like to receive them, please email us at rudolphsinhaiti@gmail.com so we can add you to our list.

Breanna for us both

Time flies! You have heard that before, but since I can’t think of a better way to put it, it’ll have to just be said again. This is the first time since Feb. 12 that I have had the time to sit down and try to give you at least a brief idea of what has been happening here. We had a safe trip down, and were so happy to get back home after traveling. We spent a week in Gran Fon getting things refreshed after having been gone for a while, and Breanna and I planted our garden seeds. The next week we went to Port, and spent the week making window bars for Michael and Breanna’s apartment, doing LIFE Literature work, and doing the shopping. We went back home then with one week to get the window bars up and prepare for the medical team that came March 10.

But things took a different turn. Breanna became ill; we thought it was just a virus. She wasn’t extremely sick, but bad enough that she was pretty much in bed for a week. Towards the end of the week though, she took a turn for the worse. She had vomiting and nausea, and then developed jaundice. Michael had to take a day and get the buckets of clinic stuff ready, and then we packed up for being gone two weeks with the medical team. We also had to pack with the possibility of Michael and Breanna going back to the States since Breanna was getting worse. They planned on doing some tests in Port Au Prince to try to determine what was going on, then decide what should be done. Sunday noon we left the mountains, and went out to town where we stayed in a guesthouse. That evening Breanna was so miserable that Michael decided to buy tickets to go back to the States. He had been in touch with several doctors and the general consensus was that it was probably gallbladder related. So late Sunday evening I was handed the responsibility of going alone with the team coming in on Tuesday. Michael told me what I needed to do, and promised to be available by phone whenever I needed him. He arranged transportation for us with some very obliging friends, and had all the translators lined up to go along. Monday, he and Breanna flew back to TN, and I finished a few preparations for the team. I certainly was not ready to lead a team, and felt horribly unprepared. But friends both in the States and in Haiti were praying for me and the team, and so many people here in Haiti were kind enough to fill in the gaps that I couldn’t fill. Lyndon Miller at Blue Ridge got the truck ready to go, and has done so many other things for us that I can’t even think of them all. Jeriah Mast at CAM went to the airport for the team, and took us back to Potino where we spent the greater part of the trip. I didn’t know most of the team at all, but had but had met the team leader, Dr. Dassow twice before. But they all were wonderful, and I have some good friends and fond memories now. I wouldn’t trade those two weeks for anything. God answered the prayers, and blessed us abundantly with each other, patients to see and help, mostly good health, safe travels, and good weather.

God also did something for me that I was not expecting. You know I asked for prayer to be able to find a tutor; well, I had talked to one girl, but it wasn’t really a good solution. During this trip into the mountains, and having to be the connection between the team and the Haitians, something broke loose in my mind and speaking Creole is no longer a struggle. Sure, I get words wrong, and need to expand my vocabulary, but I believe I am finally on the way to becoming fluent. It was very encouraging to be able to translate for the doctors when they needed a female translator. Also to have Haitians ask “Where did you learn to speak Creole? You talk like a Haitian.” I think this trip was the tutor I prayed for. I also spent a day with the cooks in the kitchen, and learned a bit more of Haitian culture. I missed Michael and Breanna so much, and as much as I want Michael to have his job back, this trip was good for me, and I’m glad I went on it. It is a wonderful example of God working all things out for good to those who love Him.

Breanna had surgery that Wednesday evening, and is on the way to total recovery. It looks like she had a virus and gallbladder problems. Michael and Breanna are flying back tomorrow. Please pray for their safe travels.

So, I’m not sure what all to tell you about the details of the trip, there was so much that we did, and it was all so medical that only some of you would enjoy the details, and some of you might be horrified if I wrote about it. We spent most of the time in Potino, in the mountains, then we spent Saturday and Monday in Cazale at Real Hope for Haiti. There we did women’s health, I think we saw around 120 women. I did a good bit of translating there, and I really enjoyed it.

I will tell you about the pictures below though. I title them “The Hands of Christ”. This middle-aged man came in and could move his legs, but he couldn’t feel them. We suspect he has something pinching his spinal column in some way. Anyway, we talked to him, and gave him some money to go out to the hospital in hopes that it was not too late to do something for him. But I was touched by the loving care of Dr. Dassow and the young man on the team (Hamilton), as they helped this man out the door and down to the road, then lifted him onto his donkey. It isn’t only medicine that we can give, loving care and strong arms can bless and heal hearts even if medicine is useless to the body.

The doctors did several minor surgeries, and anyone who wanted to learn was taught how to do various things. The doctors even showed me how to do some things, and I LOVED it! It almost makes me want to go back to school to learn something more than just what an LPN knows. At the second clinic, there was a microscope, and that was fascinating! We made lots of slides; the “micro” world is so interesting!

I don’t have many pictures, but at least this has given you a glimpse of our trip. I am back at Blue Ridge waiting for Michael and Breanna to return on Thursday. I just heard the team made it safely home this evening. They were to leave yesterday, but due to a manifestation (a whole bunch of Haitians walking down the road blocking it off because they are upset about something) they missed their plane. God provided them a place to stay for free last night, and they got to the airport plenty early today only to leave an hour later than scheduled. Such is life in Haiti.

And here is a couple pictures of our garden which I am ready to see how it is after 2 weeks. I hope the weeds haven’t grown too fast!