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Molly Stroud
I am a 34 year old wife to Joel and mom to four sweet kids. Anna-13, Julia-11, Olivia-9, and Will-7. I lived a fairy tale life until the summer of 2008. My health came crashing down around me, and for the next three years I endured mountains of complications due to a hysterectomy. I've lost my sanity and am now a diagnosed manic depressive.. aka "Bipolar". I hope in sharing my experiences that I may encourage others not to lose hope... and to remind them that sanity is overrated.
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Monday, March 23, 2009

Here's Haiti from above. As Joel and I would say, it's beautiful land surrounded by garbage. There were thousands of beautiful mountains, and mounds and mounds of garbage.

I worked on the dental team with the Haitian doctor, Renald Pierre. He did not practice sanitary dentistry. He didn't change his gloves very often, and had little to no compassion for his patients. It was a disturbing and eye opening experience. I prayed for the patients each time they sat in the chair. The health of their teeth is deplorable, and I pity them for the pain they go through each day.



My wonderful contractor man helped build the roof on the medical clinic on the Mission to Haiti campgrounds. They worked really hard and completed it in six days. They also built all the trusses for a church in a neighboring town that was completed in March. He said he loved being with these great Christian men, working outside, and no cell phone!

Joel worked with a team of Americans and a few Haitians. This one is Markenson. He is twenty-one and has a wife and little baby. The baby has a medical need that could be fixed with simple over-the-counter medication. We are working on getting that for her.


We visited a local orphanage run by a man who was an orphan in the streets. He became a sponsored child through Mission to Haiti and was able to go to school and have a home. His American sponsors brought him over to attend seminary. He then returned to Haiti to start an orphanage to give other children the same chance he had. Currently he has 10 children. Here are a couple of the girls. The facility is very clean and well run. It was such a blessing to see!

Alain Desarmes was my favorite medical translator. He taught himself to speak, read, and write in English. He is extremely gifted in art. He has found a new family since joining the Mission to Haiti translator team. His biological family is scattered all over the world, but he came to know the Lord last year through a man on the mission team, and has life-long friends through several Americans who visit. During the ten days we were in Haiti, Jean and I saw him go from solemn and emotional, to relaxed and happy. He just needed a break from his tough life, and real friends. I pray for him all the time!



This sad story is Madamme Dorlean. She has five children and her husband died last year of stomach ulcers. She is slowly dying of the same condition. She came to the clinic to get viamins and protein for her and her children. She was also able to receive medicine for her ulcers.
The happy ending is that Joel and I, and another couple from church have sponsored all the children. That means they can all attend school and receive at least one meal per day. My good friend Jean was able to receive antibiotics donated by a local doctor for the mother's ulcers. She returns in April to give them to her. I pray that she is still alive.

This sweetheart is Medjina. She lost her mother last year, and her father cannot support her and her siblings, so they stay here and there with people who use them as slaves. Thankfully they are able to attend school. Medjina came to the camp covered in staph infection. You can see that her eye is swollen and she has an angry sore on her arm. The second picture is three days later after being on some very inexpensive antibiotics. If she had not been treated, she would have died. I'm so thankful the Lord worked this out for her!


Isn't this adorable?? Joel was holding her for a patient while she was having her tooth pulled. This is my favorite picture.