This is “vol. II”* in a series of excerpts from Bob Bixby’s journal entries from his time in Haiti with a medical team (Jan.22-Feb.8).
* You can read “vol.I - Intro & Day 1″ excerpts here.

Day Two (1/23/2010)

Slept inside last night. Most of us. We were exhausted, it was dark, and I think most of couldn’t care less that there was a remote possibility of an earthquake shaking our building down.

We hadn’t been here long last night when a Haitian nurse told us of a young girl who was dying. John (an ER doctor) went over to see her, but there was another team of doctors already here that we were unaware of. I’m not sure what her problem was, because I’m not a doctor; but it wasn’t long before word came back that she had died.

My day started off today by explaining to a grieving mother that her dead daughter would not be taken home by us and, to add insult to injury, I had to tell her that she couldn’t keep the body bag. It lay inelegantly against the outside wall, just far enough away to not inconvenience anyone by making them having to step over it. I think Mark (the only one who slept outside last night) had an unusual welcome when he stepped out of his tent to find a body bag right by it. Because I am a pastor and because I speak French, I was asked to accompany the woman and the body to its destination and returning with the “valuable” bag. Thankfully, compassionate reason kicked in (for everyone here is compassionate - it’s just that no one knew who had the authority to distribute bags); and it was decided that the bag could stay with the body. I say “body.” It was the 17-year-old little girl of a daddy and mommy. At least that is what the daddy and mommy told me. Welcome to Haiti.

Our team should be called “Team Ad Hoc Compassion.” Few know many more than one or two of our 14-member team; none knows everyone. And we are ad hoc compared to the Japanese Disaster Relief team camped to our left and the groups camped to our right. But relief on a large scale can be attained only by individual relief, one person at a time. Our team is comprised of intelligent people who know how to make their impact felt today even though we didn’t receive any of our supplies (which came by bus) until too late to be of any use to us today.

There is a relief team from the Midwest working the same compound; and they have not been here long, only a few days at most before us. I told Lars, a surgeon from Maine and part of the Midwest team, that my experience in these disaster areas is that the first ones on site earn veteran status. This was certainly true after Katrina when our little outfit was there before FEMA and Red Cross. We got treated as “experts”! Lars chuckled and said, “Yeah, we just got here and we act like we own the place.” That’s true. There is some ego that always comes along in the supplies, but I’m quite impressed with our team being humbly able to find a role, even though the Operating Rooms were actually prepared for our guys.

The pharmacist on our team [Garrett] is a devoted Christian (I do not know what religious affiliation the others have yet) who shares the same theology as I do; we both cherish the old Bible doctrine that the greatest American theologian of all time (Jonathan Edwards, circa 1700s) called “the most noble of all the doctrines”: the absolute sovereignty of God. Our plan is to have a time of prayer and fellowship each night. This is particularly special for me because I am fully persuaded that God above is not wringing His hands reacting to what happens on earth, but is a loving and just God who has a purpose for all of this even though we finite humans may not understand it at the time. To pray each night with someone who in his heart worships God with that consciously-held conviction about the character of God is of inestimable value to my soul.

My interaction with the Haitians has been mostly positive. Most understand me; but many do not. French is primarily the language of the educated; and, sadly, there are many who have not been educated. Earthquakes, unlike hurricanes, are indiscriminate. The rich and the poor suffer similarly. Hurricanes in third world countries primarily devastate the small shanties of the poor, but often the larger homes suffer mildly in comparison. The population in this town of Leogane is in shock. You see it in their faces. The fear is not gone even though we are ten days away from the first major quake. I’m told that the aftershocks count into the fifties.

I think that this this team has great potential. I’m learning more and more about them as we go along. In some ways, my role is going to pick up as time goes by because my focus is primarily on supporting indigenous relief efforts and that starts by gradually making contacts. I don’t know the first thing about medicine, so there is very little that I can do to help the clinic and so forth. I’ve carried stretchers, chased down drugs and bandages, and translated, and am discovering a role as a “scavenger” (i.e. calling the states for crutches, making connections, etc.). However, the intense labor today is medical. There’s a sense of urgency. Most of our team is somehow medically skilled.

Lee is an RN out of CO, and over the past days has earned everybody’s respect as a superb nurse. I’ve heard the surgeon’s comment on her ethic and giftedness a number of times. She also has a very gentle - almost maternal - way about her that mixes with a sort of no-nonsense work ethic. She almost works too hard. The docs have had to tell her to take a break. I love that spirit! But I agree with the others: We want her to be healthy for the duration of the stay!

Carolyn works for the US State Department; and her skills and experience, though not medical, are invaluable. She is driven, organized, and appropriately assertive. She is all over the place helping out where she can.

Garrett is from NC, and from Day 1 has had an ever-intensifying job of running the pharmacy. (Added note: Last night [1/27], he put out a herculean effort to get the place organized and is really [as of 1/27] the only one qualified to run that very important department.)

Ora is is pediatrician (retired, I think) from NC. He has all of our admiration. He’s affectionately called the “MacGyver of Pediatrics” - with an outdoorsman apparel and ingenious ways of finding solutions in tough conditions, he’s saved the lives of several children already. Ora has a very long white/gray beard, and he is often referred to by the Haitians as “Pere Noel” (Santa Claus). He has been to Haiti a number of times and really loves the people.

Jessica is a just-graduated RN, but she has experience in third world countries, having grown up in India and traveled around the world on various teams. She’s smart and adventurous and a real asset everywhere.

Jodel is our fearless leader. So many things I could say about this guy. One thing is that the man moves all over the place in high gear! He’s got enough energy for several people, which is fueled with a zealous love for his country. He’s the logistics chief and has take the responsibility of caring for our team personally. At 26 years old, he is doing a phenomenal job.

Sue is his wife and is also an RN. (Jodel is another non-medical guy). Sue is also Haitian and a very good nurse. She’s not only an asset as a nurse, but as one that can speak Creole. She is a very sweet person, the youngest in her family who married the oldest in his family, a combination that is very much like my wife and me!

Mario is Haitian (although I didn’t realize that until several days later) and is an OB. He’s a grassroots kind of guy and shares the same conviction I do that we need to support indigenous efforts. Mario has an outstanding personality that shows love to everyone. I have enjoyed watching him interact with the Haitians and the tenderness he’s shown them with out the faintest tinge of patronization. Very cool.

Shane is an Ortho from NJ. I think he specializes in feet (I think), but he’s done a lot of surgeries. Very thoughtful guy and, as a pastor who really cares about the feelings of the patients, I have been personally encouraged by his evident heartbrokenness to see so many crippled people. To me, a surgeon who isn’t all clinical is very remarkable. He has really urged Jodel and me to get more pediatric crutches here.

Dave is also an Ortho from NJ. He’s appropriately driven, a hard worker, and has a real zeal to use his skills as often as possible before he leaves to help these people. Dave is a natural leader and doesn’t mind speaking his mind and I personally really like that quality.

Mark is from CO, another Ortho surgeon. Everybody loves Mark. The Haitians refer to him as the “Fabio of Orthopedics,” and the team likes him because he has a blunt transparency that often makes us laugh. Mark wants to get in on all the action, even if it is not in his area of expertise. Yesterday he helped deliver a baby - a little boy - and often goes out of his way to do things that a surgeon would never do in the States. For example, out of concern for the over-taxed Lee (who is now a night nurse), he asked if he could prepare her bag of medical supplies and what not for her while she ate. Little stuff like that, but it speaks volumes when it’s been pretty constant.

Chris is a surgical technician from NJ who joined last-minute, and his skills have been invaluable. He also brought some very important supplies. I can tell that the surgeons all respect his opinion and he has labored hard and creatively to keep instruments working in sub-standard conditions with a generator that comes and goes unsteadily. He’s very laid-back, doesn’t get ruffled, and just coolly offers help wherever.

John is an ER doc from NC and has spent countless hours in the clinic (which is held outdoors). He’s sort of all over because of his skills (i.e. he’s the one that delivered the baby with Mark) and demonstrates a steady perseverance in his work, combined with an consistently pleasant demeanor. Like myself, he came to Haiti accompanied with a little something from his child by which to remember him. Patience sent a drawing that she wanted me to put under my pillow each night. I think John has some kind of stuffed animal. It just goes to show that this team is comprised of more than the ones that our here. Our spouses, friends, and children are involved too.

Well, that’s the team from my perspective. I like every one of them (and I have been on teams where that was not the case!). I’m also in awe at the best medical care in the world as it is demonstrated by this group of professionals who are among a host of people similarly qualified in our great country. God has so amazingly blessed us. It’s only right that we find ways to share it.