Rachel Krisak gives her thoughts on another medical Mission trip of November 2013:
“I’m extremely fortunate to have gone back to Haiti this year for my third medical mission.
I was very pleased to see substantial improvements in the infrastructure in Port-Au-Prince. There has been a lot of work put into the airport; I didn’t recognize it when I first arrived. Additionally, the streets have been cleaned up further and we drove by one of the former tent cities which had been made into a beautiful public park. One of my friend’s told me that he felt that life, in general, was good and that things were still improving.
This year we were able to treat about 1000 people at the medical clinic. Although it was my third year, I was, once again, humbled by the spirit of the people in Chauffard. Each morning the benches at the clinic were lined with patients waiting to see us by the time we arrived in the morning. It was never rare to hear that people had walked through the night and had been waiting prior to sunrise. The appointments always ended with a thank you, smile and then they would commence the journey home. The second clinic day was particularly busy and we ended up working in darkness by the time the last patient was seen. It was an older man who had come with a young boy. As they were getting ready to go we found out that they were still facing a 5 hour walk home in the pitch dark! I scolded myself for feeling the least bit tired and weary when I would have showered, eaten supper, had some social time and been asleep for hours before these two even arrived home.
I am always profoundly touched by my experiences in Haiti. Despite the difficult circumstances in their lives; the people are incredibly resilient and gracious. I never hear a word of complaint from anyone…there is always just a quiet acceptance of the circumstances and life continues as best it can. It is an important reminder to me to be grateful for the blessings in my life.”
