Another Halloween in Haiti

We are getting ready to spend another Halloween/All Saints/Gide Day in Haiti. The Americans leave on Friday, October 30, and will travel that day to the guesthouse in Leogane. Our American team has already suffered one casualty, as Steve Franzen will not be able to go with us as planned due to injuries he suffered in a recent car accident.

Our remaining healthy American team includes Dr. Dianne Pizey; Dr. Bob Rosenthal; Cynthia Miller, RN; Brenda Ziebel, LPN; Sandra Durbin; and me, Terry Franzen. Brenda is our only "newbie" this trip. We look forward to welcoming her to Haiti and hope she loves it as much as the rest of us do. Our American team comes from Minnesota, Georgia, and Maryland, and includes members of Christ Church, Norcross, GA and St. John's, Minneapolis, MN as well as non-member friends. We welcome all to join us!

Our Haitian team continues to grow, and we expect all will be veterans this trip, except for our new priest. (Of course, we thought that was the case last trip, but we had some last minute substitutions. Travel to Haiti requires flexibility!) Our Haitian team members include Frantz Codio, MD; Charenne Codio, MD; Rudolph Richeme, MD; Emmanuel Bastien, Dentist; Marie Lourdes Bastien, Dental Assistant; Evens Joicin, RN; Myrline Richeme, RN; Laguerre Gerry, Optometrist; and our new priest, Pere Sonley Joseph.

Our lay leaders at each location, Maxo Louis and his wife Elise at Jasmin and Joseph LaBorde and his wife who we know as Madame LaBorde at Collin assist with the organization and set up of the clinics. We will have 5 translators and 5 nursing students with us. We will not know who they are until we see them on Monday morning before the first clinic. Our skillful drivers are also very important members of our team, and Janine and her guesthouse staff keep us well fed and happy.

We are sad that Pere Kerwin will no longer be with us. He has been with us since the beginning in 2007, but has now been moved to a new position as Dean of the Cathedral in Port au Prince. This is an important position in the Diocese, so we are pleased for him, but we will miss him.

We are so looking forward to meeting and getting to know our new priest Pere Sonley Joseph and his wife, who live in Leogane.

I will try to update the blog daily while we are in Haiti. That is very much dependent upon the state of the electricity and internet, and my fatigue. So, no news is good news! We hope you will stay tuned and consider coming along with us sometime. Terry