A message to Christ Church, Norcross as printed in our September Communique - As I've been preparing for the upcoming Haiti pilgrimage to St. Joseph's, I have been reflecting on "compassion". One dictionary defines compassion as "a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another's suffering or misfortune, accompanied by a desire to alleviate the pain or remove its cause". Unfortunately, many Americans seem to have lost their ability to feel compassion for their fellow human beings. Christ Church, however, is made up of people who feel the suffering of their Haitian brothers and sisters and respond with open hearts and hands.
Our work in Haiti, and this pilgrimage, is the perfect example of the joy of stewardship - the giving of one's time, talent, and treasure. Many of you have provided in so many ways. From our sewing guild which has made little dresses and medicine bags, to those of you who have provided t-shirts, medicine, vitamins, glasses, and other supplies for the trip, everything you have given is a valuable contribution and will be greatly appreciated by our mission partner.
Our team, which includes Daphne Gary, Leslie Freeman, Steve, and I, as well as Karen Murphy from St. Mary and Martha in Buford, will be joining our Minnesota friends from St. John's, including doctors Dianne and Andy, teacher Fred, and Andy's med-student niece Julia. In addition, our journalist friend, Steve from New Orleans, and Dianne's son Graham, a budding musician in LA will be part of our team. Our Haitian team members include Dr. Alex (returning for his 3rd time with us!), Dentist Emmanuel (2d time with us), four nursing students, and our translators. We hope to see many of the same nuring students and translators who have helped us in the past. Julia, Graham, and Fred will be traveling with us for the first time.
Our team from near and far will meet in Miami on Sept. 23, and travel together to Port au Prince the morning of the 24th. We will celebrate Eucharist at St. Joseph's Sunday morning. Our clinics will be Monday at St. Phillippe and St. Jacques (St. John's partner) and Tuesday and Wednesday at St. Joseph's. We anticipate seeing about 600 patients again and are taking adequate medical supplies with us (or purchasing them in Haiti) to serve those needs.
We have two new events this trip. On Thursday, Leslie will meet with the women of St. Croix (Pere Kerwin's mother church), St. Phillipe and St. Jacques, and St. Joseph's to discuss the formation of Daughters of the King chapters at each of their missions. The rest of us will meet with the children and staff at our respective schools to practice English with them.
Friday, we have time for a little rest and relaxation and anticipate a beach trip, before returning to our homes Saturday. Dianne will be staying with us for a week when we return - her first trip to Georgia!
The Christ Church pilgrims will talk about our trip during the services on October 9.
For friends and family who are following our travels and would like to donate to support our work in Haiti, please visit the Christ Church website, http://www.ccnorcross.org/, where you can donate on-line. Please indicate that the donation is for the Haiti designated fund. If you prefer to donate by check, please mail your check payable to Christ Church and noting Haiti in the memo line, to the attention of Elaine at 400 Holcomb Bridge Rd, Norcross, GA 30092. Your donations, which are tax deductible, are greatly appreciated and will be used to directly support the St. Joseph's school and mobile medical clinics.
Similarly, friends of St. John's who would like to donate to their work at St. Phillippe and St. Jacques, may visit their website at http://www.stjohns-mpls.org/ or mail a donation to 4201 Sheridan Ave. S, Minneapolis, MN 55410.
Please pray for our safe and successful journey.
Terry Franzen, Christ Church, Norcross
