Haiti Medical Mission 2015: Success!

What an absolutely successful trip we had. Two physicians, four nurses,Two  pastors, and others with plenty of previous Third World experience.

We also were able to immunize the orphan children under age 7 against some of the most serious worldwide illnesses.

Night Before-2015 Trip

Shacking up at the hotel by Dulles Airport, 9 hours before takeoff for mission #5; very excited, will try to post pics on the fly. We have a superb group this year- 2 ER docs, 4 RNs, our annual spiritual leaders, and a Peace Corps alumnus.

Pictures from 2014 Mission

Packing up the last of the supplies....with my little helper....

Another Appeal for Funds....

In February I shall be embarking on my 4th medical mission to Haiti. For those who are not aware, I began traveling to Haiti in 2010 after I found a local group going to do relief work there after the devastating earthquake; I signed up. One thing led to another and now I have become a regular fixture on the landscape of the country's interior highlands. About 80 miles northeast of Port-au-Prince (a bumpy 4-hour bus ride!) sit the small villages of LeJeune and Pignon, as well as the orphanage in which I set up my medical clinic. I have developed a strong relationship and friendship with the local Pastor who runs the orphanage and many of the local townsfolk. Pastor Geordany Joseph and his wife Nerlande find, nourish, clothe, and minister to the 40 or so Mt. Carmel orphans, most of whom are picked up as abandoned children on the streets of Port-au-Prince. Their ages range from 2 to 17. He does all he can to give these children a safe place to grow, learn, and eventually leave to become happy and productive citizens. I personally am assisting to sponsor one of his "flock" through medical school, Renel. He someday hopes to take over as village doctor.

 This year I travel with a motivated and talented crew of 12 others- nurses, medical assistants, paramedics, and others. We usually set up in the back of the orphanage's church and have clinic sunup to sundown daily while we are there. Last year we also traveled to a more remote area, where to me it looked like people had never received any medical care. We examine and treat what we can until our supplies run out. After-hours are spent helping teach and improve farming, composting, electrical repair, automotive repair, and sanitation...and of course, playing with the children.

 As with any small unaffiliated mission group, funds are always an issue. Many of those involved give regularly but the costs of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies limit us. This is why I appeal to your generosity to help us with our mission by considering a contribution. 100% of funds go DIRECTLY towards the purchase of medications, medical supplies, eyeglasses, vitamins, hygiene needs, beans, rice, and shoes. We cover the entire cost of our own travel expenses and incidentals. We want any money raised going to improve the lives of the orphans and village we have adopted as our own --without any administrative expenses whatsoever.

Ways to give:
*Tax deductible: A check to Mt. Pleasant Church of the Brethren, with memo "2014 Haiti Mission." 2788 Taylor Spring Ln, Harrisonburg 22801, "Attention: Haiti Mission"

* In the upper right is a Paypal link to make a donation. !

*If you feel comfortable, you may send a check directly to me. Email me and I would send you my physical address.

Adopting one small town in one impoverished country is already making a difference. Every year I return I see the kids stronger, healthier, happier. Many orphans who "graduate" go on and become house mothers, helpers, teachers...and in a couple of cases, nurses and future doctors. I would be wonderful to count you in on this truly blessed ongoing mission.

Best regards,
Eric Kramer

Bake Sale Success!

Thanks to the hard work of nurse Jill Young, as well as Kathy, Diane, Kory, Jane, Wayne, and the many others who contributed their time and baking skills, we raised over $1200 for the Haiti clinic! As I always like to point out, every dollar raised goes DIRECTLY to improving the health and lives of the orphans and local townspeople in the  form of meds, supplies, beans, rice, auto parts, electrical, hygiene, & sanitation needs. NO  money is spent on any administrative or missionary travel costs or trip requirements. So again.....THANK YOU!

A Ton of 2013 Trip Pics...

I was a tad neglectful in getting some photos of the 2013 trip up after we returned last time, but here are a few-

I realized I never really did post the bulk of the nicer pictures from our 2013 trip, so here they are-

Charity Bake Sale

The nurses in the emergency department are putting on a bake sale to benefit our Haiti mission. Last year we did this and we were able to Raise Enough to cover Quite a few of our medical expenses For the clinic:

 Thursday, January 16

 In the hospital common area on the first floor overlooking the cafeteria

 Come by-and-by some treats but the good stuff might be gone by midday. You are also welcome to make something and bring it for sale, Or just stop by to say hello and look through our Haiti albums from the past.....

Correspondence with My Haitian Brethren

A recent email from Renel, the young resident of Pignon and medical student that several of us are sponsoring through medical school in Haiti so someday he can be the village doctor:

Dera my Dr how are you doing? i think you are so well in Jesus' name.

      So  i just write to you to hear from you .

So my school is doing well, but very busy, a lot of things , a lot of study, but i m making my effor, because only on the night i have to do all that i have to do according i have no time on the day.

   So you don't figure out yet the schurdul when the is coming here in Haiti? because in this time i d be happy to be there also in the clinic.

   Please greet your wife and your kids for me.

  Renel

I miss Renel, Gladou, Luden, Claudime, Boni, Accilien, Nerlande, Dederson, Gregory, Ludenson, Cassandra, Pastor G, the orphans, the people of LeJeune and Pignon, and all of Haiti.....

Time to Revive my Haiti Blog

I will be posting more with the upcoming Haiti trip- we have 13 missionaries, many new, some old faces, and a lot of enthusiasm! Please consider a donation by clicking on my PayPal link in the upper right! Thanks, Eric.....

T Minus......

....three days and counting. All the pieces are in place- supplies are purchased and distributed, logistics reviewed, preps are gathering at the bottom of my backpack. So long as I remember my passport and show up at the designated time and place, we'll be off and running.

I wish I had more time to write about our trip preparations, organization, and the individuals going, but I really have been up to my neck in responsibilities and the little free time I have has been used for family time and some exercise. I hope to transmit some pictures on the fly, but with international data plan costs being what they are, I might have to send my last pic from Miami, and the bulk of the rest upon our return.

To my family and friends, as well as those who so generously contributed to this campaign of humanity, thank you for being there and playing a part.

For Team Haiti, lets rock.

E, out.

Haiti Thanksgiving Update

I have the day off, and the stinkers are at a movie with the mom so I figured I would do some blogging.

First of all, our Bake sale was a huge success. $727 was raised Which will go directly towards the purchase of medications for the Haitians. This money significantly closes the funding gap that we had up to that point. Special thanks to nurses Jill, Kathy, Diane, Sheila, as well as Amanda for setting everything up and for doing much of the baking. Also thank you to Janet for baking as well. For those of you who made purchases, I hope that the goodies you ate are as sweet as the feeling we will have when we provide the medications in Haiti.

With the gang having purchased the airline tickets and some of the other travel logistics getting nailed down, Our mission is definitely taking on a " real " Feel to it. Over the next several weeks we will be holding meetings, Making our medication and supply purchases, And registering our trip with the United States State Department. After that there's nobody to beat but the kicker until we take off for Haiti. Of course, as we head into the giving season, there is always room for more donations....;-)

Eric

Baking for Haiti

Bake Sale! All proceeds to benefit the medical mission to Haiti

When: Monday, November 12th, 7am until the goodies are sold out

Where: RMH Main Level by Cafeteria

Why: To buy homemade treats while improving the lives of Haitian children.

I will be there with pictures and stories of previous Haiti trips.

Come one, come all....

Fundraising Update

Hello readers,

For those of you who have committed to making a contribution To my Haiti medical mission, I thank you for your charity. I cannot express in words how grateful we involved all feel. Every dollar committed to this ongoing project goes straight to the orphanage and the clinic.

I wish I could write that fundraising has been going well but that would be a gross overstatement. Frankly things have started off somewhat slow. I was hoping to be halfway towards our $5000 goal, But alas we are not 1/4 there yet. Perhaps people are waiting to commit until the trip is a little bit closer, But what people need to understand is that we make our Pharmaceutical and supply purchases in the next month or so. As a reminder I would like to tell folks that we do not commit any donations to our personal travel expenses- We travelers pay our own way So 100% of the contributions can go directly to the orphans And local towns people. On occasion there have been a few dollars left over to help subsidize those In a less desirable financial situation.

I would strongly encourage those who are willing to make a commitment to this worthwhile project to do so over this month of October so that our group knows that we will have enough Resources to Make our trip a success.

I'm not really very good at soliciting funds with hat in hand, so thank you for putting up with my pleas.

Thank you and God bless! Eric

A Nice Email from Pastor Geordany

Good morning Dr. Eric,

We pray that your entire family doing good. Apreciate that you working hard to come to help us in the Island of Haiti. Surely God put you on our way to relief our suffering. Let Him continue to use you to the end. He will pay for all you have done.
Your benefits are in His Bank. He is a faithful God forever more.

The people and children praying for your comeback. We love you.
Our love to your nice family. May God richly bless you.
Your dear friend,
Pastor Geordany

Gearing Up for Winter Mission

Our Haiti group is coalescing and making preparations for our January trip. A few of the players have changed but the goal remains the same- improving, beautifying, and making healthier the residents of Pignon/LeGene and the 42 children at the Mt. Carmel orphanage. The logistics are complicated but "yours truly" has two rounds behind him and has a decent handle on what needs to be done. Medication purchases, travel plans and other supplies must be secured; Transporting 15 of us with our packs in and out of the central highlands of Haiti needs coordination.

This year two of my colleagues from the emergency department will be accompanying me- Christine, a seasoned nurse, and Dena, one of our physician assistants. As first-timers they are both very excited about the trip, and I can't blame them. They also will be blessed as I have been.

We also have our perennial spiritual leaders- Pastor Henry and his wife Janet, as well as other congregants with varied skills. While some of us work in the clinic, others will be putting up solar panels, working on trucks, and improving the orphanage grounds.

If you can see it in your heart to make a contribution to our trip please contact us or donate by clicking PayPal button on the upper right corner of this blog. I thought I had a way to make the contribution tax-deductible, but alas that option did not work out.

Thank you in advance.

Here is the Hard Copy w/Pic

Local Newspaper Article

Our happy little mission made the local paper this week. Thanks again to the Daily News-Record:


Daily News-Record (Harrisonburg, VA)
February 10, 2012

Section: News-Local

A Hand For Haiti
DOUG MANNERS


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HARRISONBURG - Eric Kramer could see and feel Haiti's rebuilding efforts on the four-hour ride from the capital city of Port-au-Prince to the rural village of LeGene.

Bumpy roads that were unpaved and unpainted two years ago are now hard-surfaced. Power lines are starting to go back up in places. And the orphanage in the central Haitian community features a new bunkhouse.


Yet people still live in huts with no plumbing and there's no commercial electricity. Many residents remain out of work.

Beautiful people in a bad situation - that's how Kramer described life in the impoverished Caribbean island nation still healing from a massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake two years ago.

"The local townspeople are amongst the happiest people for their condition that I have ever met," said Kramer, an emergency department physician at Rockingham Memorial Hospital. "They don't have much materially. ... I call them sanguine, but content in their relationship with the church."

Kramer, 45, traveled to Haiti in late January with eight other area residents for a one-week medical mission at the Mount Carmel Orphanage just north of the small city of Pignon.

The Rockingham County resident first visited the orphanage in February 2010, one month after the devastating earthquake. He was forced to cancel his trip last year after the U.S. Department of State deemed traveling in Haiti too dangerous amid political unrest.

`Pray For The People Of Haiti'

This year, Kramer provided medical care to about 500 Haitian villagers at a temporary clinic with assistance from Clint Roberts, an RMH patient care technician.

Kramer treated mostly common ailments, including respiratory conditions and back pain. Each patient left with a bag full of vitamins, medications and "dewormer" pills to combat parasite problems.

Even a basic medical checkup is far from routine for many villagers.

"Just having a doctor attend to you is a big thing because they're so limited there," said the Rev. Henry Elsea, pastor at Mount Pleasant Church of the Brethren.

Elsea and his wife, Janet, helped spearhead the mission trip, his sixth to Haiti since 2000.

He first met the pastor who runs the Haitian orphanage, Geordany Joseph, about 18 years ago while living in West Virginia.

Joseph feeds, clothes and helps educate about 30 orphans. Most were rescued from the streets because their parents either died or abandoned them, Elsea said.

In addition to providing medical care, the group of nine local residents - all affiliated with area churches - worked to install solar panels for electricity, fixed trucks and prayed with villagers in the community of about 800 people.

For most in the group, helping in Haiti is a lifelong commitment, Kramer said.

"We're always raising funds for them and in communication," he said. "They have rudimentary email capabilities in places. The ones that can type English, I communicate with, including Pastor Joseph."

Elsea, 64, hopes to lead mission trips to Haiti every January or February, an ideal time because the weather is comparatively dry and cool.

"Once you are there, it grabs you. You have a heart for it. You're always thinking, how can I help these people?" Elsea said. "People need to pray for the people of Haiti, especially her children."
Contact Doug Manners at 574-6293 or dmanners@dnronline.com

Copyright (c) 2012, Byrd Newspapers, All Rights Reserved.

Video

I have put together a video slideshow of the Haiti trip which can be viewed on YouTube. Depending on what you use to view it, it may run without the music (song copyright infringement) or may not run at all. I have had the best luck on a laptop and the older generation iPad or smartphone.

Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RbJT3b0qD4

E

Closure/Final Thoughts

It is quite possible- in fact likely- that a mission to Haiti provides more for the missionaries than to their Haitian benefactors. Reflecting back on the last couple of weeks, I have memories that will be tattooed on my soul for the rest of my days and beyond.

It never fails that seeing, doing, and caring in that tiny little land with its ruggedly beautiful landscape and its loving and beautiful people has a huge impact on us as Americans. Particularly with one's first journey, as happened with me, one looks inside oneself for ways to improve personally. Right after returning last time in 2010 I cleaned up my life, bettered myself, improved my relationships and my career. I hear others pledge to be better people- to embark on a new line of study, to improve health, to mend fences. Maybe it's the influence of God's aura on the people that rubs off on us, perhaps divine intervention itself, perhaps being unencumbered by the selfish and convenience-driven never ending to-do lists in our daily routines which obscure the true meaning of life....but whatever you believe, Haiti changes you.

I am experiencing a comfortable mellowness that seems to come with the post-trip afterglow. Much like a "runner's high," I am floating thru my days back home with a calm I have not felt since, well, after my last Haiti trip. It is reflected the relationship with my family, my work, and my daily routines. I hope I can hold this feeling as long as possible....

I look forward to my return to the orphanage. I will occasionally solicit for contributions from family and friends (see the PayPal link in the right upper corner of this blog). Emails communication with Haitian friends, new and old, have already started to flow. My vision is sharp, my head clear, and heart joyous I feel at ease with my life, in the grace of the Almighty God, without whom there can be none of this.

I would like to give special thanks to my brothers and sisters in whose mission I shared:

Pastor Henry- your leadership and guidance was the foundation of our success.

Janet- Part inspiring, part comforting, with a love of the Haitian people unrivaled.

Clinton- thanks for all your support and great job providing excellent care!

Kim- I can never thank you enough for the friendship, your shared stories of personal triumph, and general companionship.

Scott- Your spirit was a gift to us all; your words uplifting...and the pictures you took are some of the great take-home treasures

Kellie- Your good-humored nature put us at ease and made us laugh; your knack for running the pharmacy was unrivaled

Diane- Thank you for all your stories, words of wisdom, and for filling up what might have been some quiet moments

Crystal- I will never forget the look in your eyes as you look into the eyes of the Haitian children. Whatever path you choose, may it come from your heart. Best of luck to you.

----

I shall be "going dark," so to speak, on my blogging for a while but will try to upload some more pictures, perhaps even a video slideshow if I can get one working. In the meantime, thank you for reading and please keep Haiti in your prayers.

God Bless,

Eric