April Update... for real this time

Hey everyone!

So I'm on the 6th day of my vacation here in Puerto Plata and I believe that I am officially relaxed! Quite the accomplishment. The past 4 months have been so busy and overwhelming - it's been nice to have some time away and removed from life in Haiti, even if it is only for a week. It's been good to reacquaint myself with life outside of Haiti - even if I'm just on the other side of the island. It's good to remember what a hot shower feels like, get caught up on some world news, walk down paved streets, drink a glass of water with ice in it, etc.

April began with Easter and a work team of 14 arriving from Strathmore, Alberta. Our house was full, but we were able to squeeze everyone in to a bed. This group had quite a few people who had visited Haut Limbe before, so it was very fun to watch them reacquaint themselves with old friends as well as see all the progress that was made on the hospital. Thanks to some organizing queens, we were able to organize the supplies, once again, onto shelves that had been built in the depot. They were also to complete most of the tiling in the hospital.

While they were here, we "admitted" some of our first patients to the hospital. Very exciting and great that we could care for those who would not normally by able to afford a hospital stay, but it also made us realized that there is a lot of work to do before the hospital is ready to function.

After the Strathmore group left, Shauna and I had a visit from our good friend, Rose. It was so nice to spend a couple weeks with her, showing her our life here and just being able to catch up on news and people from Winnipeg.

What's coming up? Well, when we head back to Haiti on Sunday, we will have one visitor coming with us. A woman who actually did some work at the Clinic last year will be with us for three weeks volunteering. Then in June, I will host another group from the States for a couple of weeks. Right after they leave, I'll be heading home to Canada for over 3 weeks! I'm so excited to come home to see my family, friends and take in the Winnipeg Folk Festival! I'll be in Saskatoon, Norquay and Winnipeg, so hopefully I'll be able to connect with a lot of you while I'm there.

Thanks again for all of your support and encouragement.

Blessings,

Janelle