Despite getting stuck in MIA on the way down, the medical team from Pittman Park UMC in Statesboro, GA had a very successful visit, arriving on Sunday instead of Saturday, but still being able to hold a clinic at the Village of Hope Monday through Friday.  They were able to see all the VOH students, plus a number of people from the community.

The team was composed of one doctor, one nurse practitioner, a dentist, plus seven other support people.  They were also assisted by three nursing students from the school at Leogane where two recent VOH grads are enrolled and by Brett Hoffecker, a pre-med friend of the Bollinger's who is spending the rest of the year in Haiti.  Our newly hired Clinic Director, Debbie Berquist, was also on hand both helping and learning.

All in all, they found the student body pretty healthy, except for their teeth.  The dentist must have pulled a couple hundred teeth, with many more people needing work.  (If anyone can find a dental team, one is much needed.)

The relationship with this team was established last year when our Enrichment Team was having lunch at a local hotel and overheard voices "talking Southern."  Further conversation revealed that they were ready to give up and go home in frustration, since their meds had been confiscated at the airport and they had nothing with which to work.  When we offered the meds we had left from the Sarasota team, they decided to just come on out to the VOH and hold clinic.  In other words, God took another bad situation, redeemed it as only he can do, and used it to bless both our ministry, the people of Haiti and the team itself.  They went home so excited they are talking about coming again in June!

In addition to their work at VOH, they were able to have  moving visits to both Food for the Poor and Little Children of Jesus.  In fact, when the clinic was over, they sorted their remaining medicine for three recipients, VOH, FFP and LCJ.