Packing up

I'm taking a break from packing up rubbermaid containers full of medications and supplies.  Jessica and I are preparing to leave for Haiti on Sunday, and our house looks like a small pharmacy right now.  We're going through World Medical Mission (the medical branch of Samaritan's Purse) to work with a mission hospital out of the Dominican Republic called Good Samaritan Hospital.  It's in the town of La Romana.  They've been taking teams weekly into Haiti to work in the tent camps in and around Port-au-Prince.  Also going with us from Memphis are Jason (Jessica's brother as our logistics coordinator and media guy), Ellisa (we did our FP residency together in Charleston) and Brent (another FP.)  We'll return next Sunday, and another team of 5 MDs and FNPs from Memphis will go for a week.

We're really thankful for the opportunity to go with an organization like Samaritan's Purse.  AT&T may make it easier for us to keep you updated while we're there - they're giving free data and phone service to anyone working in Haiti right now.  Christ Community Health Services (whom we all work for) has graciously paid for our plane tickets and donated lots of medications and supplies.

Please pray for our travels and work in Haiti.  We just found out about this hospital's need for MDs and FNPs a little over a week ago, so we've been scrambling around trying to get things together.  I (JD) have been on call all week, so that adds a little bit of extra stress too!  Thankfully, I have a very patient and forgiving wife!  Pray for energy, wisdom, teamwork, and most importantly, that God would be glorified in it all.

Our schedule for the week looks sort of like this:
Sun: arrive in DR, drive to La Romana, meet our team (2 other docs, lots of other staff.)
Mon: pack up, prep, and leave in the evening to drive 8hrs through the night
Tues: arrive Port-au-Prince around 7am, setup clinics, see 300+ pts/day
Wed - Fri: clinics in tent city
Sat: bus back to La Romana early in am
Sun: fly home

Thanks for all the prayers - we'll keep you updated!  Oh, and don't worry - Tsavo will be getting a vacation at a farm outside Memphis that boards dogs.  I'm not sure he'll want to come home!