Greetings from Haiti!

Hi!
It's hard to believe that I have been in Haiti for over a month already! It really feels like I just got here.
I came to Haiti on July 1 and spent two weeks working with Sous Espwa, which is the combined ministry of the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee and the Christian Reformed World Mission. I helped with their HIV/AIDS program. Dr. Joanne St. Louis is in charge of the program. I assisted her and Nurse Arielle in holding three health assessment clinics for the children in the Orphan and Vulnerable Children program, which is part of the HIV/AIDS program. The rest of the time I spent in the Sous Espwa office, either writing reports on our activities, preparing supplies for the next clinic, or packaging supplies. I prepared 40 hygiene kits, with toilet paper, shampoo, conditioner, toothbrushes, toothpaste, water purifier, bars of soap, and feminine pads. I also packed 200 backpacks for kids from the Orphans and Vulnerable Children program who will be entering school in the fall. Each backpack contained 6 notebooks, a pencil pouch, two pencils, two pens, 6 colored pencils and a set of geometical instruments.
While I was working with Sous Espwa, I stayed with Jenny LeMahieu and Lesley Millar, who are two single girls who work for Sous Espwa too. I really enjoyed staying with them. I learned a lot more about Haiti from them, and met many of their friends who also work as missionaries in Haiti. They also took me to the beach one day, which was a lot of fun.
On July 15, I headed up to GLA. When I got there, I got a list of 8 kids that I was assigned to. Since then, I have been spending my week days working with these 8 kids, an hour a kid a day. Because of GLA's privacy rules, I am unable to tell much more than that about these great kids :)
On the weekends since I've been at GLA, I have either had the chance to go out and do some shopping, or we have been spending time with kids who don't have volunteers during the week. I've gotten lots of nice souvenirs to take home!
On Friday, the rest of the team from Hillcrest will be arriving at the orphanage. They leave from church Thursday night and will be driving to Detroit. They will fly down all in one day. Next week, we will be holding a VBS for the oldest kids at the toddler house, and spending the afternoons with babies. Each of us will have 3 kids that we will be assigned to, to spend time with in the afternoon.
We would appreciate prayers for safe travels for the team, good health while we are here, and effectiveness, that God will use us to serve his children here in Haiti.
Thank you all for your continuing support! Hopefully more team members will be posting here soon! (Hint hint... :) )
Kristin