Students Mission becomes International Health Mission (LINK)
Trip to Haiti Changes Lives
Spring days and avoiding spring fever…
Maybe you have felt it too – that restless feeling that persitently wants to drag you away from all of your indoor activities. It seems that no matter how much you have to do you just want to put it on hold and go spend time outdoors. It is a bit like a fever, no matter how much you want to feel better, you just don’t feel better; no matter how much you want to forget about the lovely weather outside, you just can’t forget about it. The sunshine, the breeze, the new green of young grass and sprouting leaves are all calling your name, begging you to come outside…
So, what do I do? One of the main things that I am doing to help stay focussed is utilizing a study schedule which the kind folks at the Student Academic Support Service were kind enough to help me with. Some of you may be curious about my schedule, so here is a quick look at it:
I follow this schedule Monday through Saturday and take Sundays off from studying. Each day I have a new topic to study. The topics include: Embryology, Anatomy, Pathology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Immunology, Pharmacology, Neurology, Psychology …read more
Source: Philip’s Blog
On a Medical Mission
On a Medical Mission
Daily News Journal – Murfreesboro, TN
Feb 17th, 2009
Though they’re still studying, Elliott Tenpenny and Caleb Trent, both Murfreesboro natives, have already begun making their mark in the world in the field of medicine.
Tenpenny is now a medical student in Memphis, and Trent is an intern in St. Louis. The men have been involved with an ongoing medical mission project that has identified and started treatment of people in a remote part of Haiti with severe iodine deficiency.
This deficiency can cause large thyroid swelling and mental retardation.
“A friend of mine took a trip down in the mountains of Haiti and noticed people with giant goiters on their necks,” Tenpenny explained. “These goiters are caused by iodine deficiency.”
“Iodine deficiency is the number one cause of preventable mental retardation world wide,” Tenpenny said, “And it’s easily reversible — it costs just pennies per person.” Children can be treated for 2 to 5 cents each, he said.
According to UNICEF statistics, 38 million newborns worldwide are at risk for developing the lifelong consequences of brain damage associated with iodine deficiency.
One million children in Haiti are at risk, Tenpenny said.
The men and their team have traveled to Haiti several times to administer treatment to people suffering from the condition and to monitor their progress. They just returned from their most recent trip at the end of last month and Tenpenny said they have seen a few of these massive goiters disappear due to the treatment they were able to provide.
“The people have been very receptive,” Tenpenny said. “Each time we go, more and more people show up, so word is spreading throughout the mountains.” He said that by the time the team is ready to start its day, there could be between 60 and 100 people lined up and waiting for treatment.
“We’re working with community leaders and the mayor of the principality, and have gotten permission from the government.”
“Our goal there was to have a general medicine clinic. We would see anything from severe skin conditions, kids whose bellies were swollen from worms, to people who were really sick with wound infections,” he said.
Though both plan to specialize in emergency medicine, they had the opportunity to present their findings at a conference in a thyroid meeting in September.
“If you don’t have enough iodine in your diet, your thyroid gland gets big,” explained Trent, who is now an intern in St. Louis.
The two Murfreesboro natives are in the process of establishing their nonprofit organization, Aid for Haiti, where they hope to coordinate trips where medical students can be involved in helping people in need of care.
He said that while there are hospitals in Haiti, some of the people who live in the more remote areas can’t easily access them or afford to access them.
“We have big dreams,” Trent said.
“We don’t know what it will involve or what it look like,” he said, referring to whether they will be able to establish a full-time clinic in the area.
Trent said his involvement in the process has made him grateful.
“We have been given so much and we generally have so much, that we sometimes take it for granted. Here, if worse comes to worse, we go to the emergency room. There, if worse comes to worse, they go get the coffin.”
“It’s one of the more important things I felt I’ve been able to do,” Tenpenny said. “To make a difference and to be able to see the difference, and to prevent mental retardation in children, has been an amazing adventure, really.”
The Village of Patmos
We have the privilege of ministering to the people of Patmos, in the deep mountains of south Haiti and the urban area of Carrfour, near Port au Prince.
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Great Article
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/opinion/04kristof.html?_r=2
Please take a little time to read the recent article in the New York Times that explains iodine deficiency and the benefits of treatment.
Preparation
We will soon be setting off for another trip into Haiti. Our hopes and prayers are that the treatment that we will offer will change many lives throughout the area. We hope, for the first time in the entire area, to relieve a disease that many have suffered with for decades. We pray that our lord would use our efforts to reach all of those who live nearby. We also hope to be changed each time we venture into Haiti.
Never doubt that a
small group of
thoughtful,
committed people
can change the
world. Indeed, it is
the only thing that
ever has.” –
Margaret Mead.
Sarah
As many of you know, ET and I have a heart for missions. We most recently had the opportunity to serve two weeks in Haiti. In the city, you finds crazy traffic, smog so thick it’ll turn your skin black, and various awful smells, but as soon as you start up the mountain, it is nothing but beautiful. The air is so crisp you feel it cool your insides as you breathe. The mountains are so glorious you see God’s majesty. And the people, the people are beautiful and kind-hearted.
This trip was organized by ET, PS, and our Haiti resident JM. Through prior trips, they have discovered many of the Haitians have iodine deficiency which leads to large goiters and cretinism in their children. After months of research, they have figured out a way to help these people and have started a not-for-profit organization called AFH – All for Him or Aid for Haiti. We are praying and ask you to pray for the future of the organization and keeping open hearts to God’s will. It could definitely be a place where we settle to serve.
July 26th, a group of 7 of us flew to Port-Au-Prince with fourteen 55lb suitcases full of our clothes and meds. We were blessed and went through customs with ease. JM picked us up at the airport where we loaded the luggage and ourselves into the back of a pickup truck. We t
hen went to our base in Port Life Ministries. The next couple of days consisted of sorting the meds we brought and the meds they left from the last trip. Monday morning we set out for Patmos. We found ourselves stopping in Fon Doux to see a Pastors sick wife whom was also pregnant. We back tracked and then continued on driving up into the mountains and through a riverbed that we crossed 40 something times. You can imagine in the back of a truck we got pretty bumped and bruised. Once out of the riverbed we
continued to drive up donkey trails that were so
narrow that I didn’t think we would make it a couple of times. (Left: Pictures of trail river and us in the back of the truck hanging on for life!) Dusk came about the time we had driven as far as we could. We were greeted by several villagers who had come to carry the meds and our stuff the rest of the way. No, we weren’t done. We then hiked 1.5 hours up two mountains in the pitch black. We didn’t understand the extent of what we did until we woke the next morning to this view…
The next couple of days were full of adventure. ET and I shared a twin bed then up graded to a twin and a half in a 8×12 room we shared with our dear T&J. We showered out of a bucket in a 3 wall tin room. I learned not to be the last to bathe the very first night! The out house was pretty high class, not much to say about that. We served a couple of hundred people. The most exciting cases being a circumcision and a swollen knee that we removed half a liter of fluid. Oh, I mustn’t forget the patient that wanted to thank ET by giving him one of her five children! That was ver
y funny considering. We ended our stay there with a church service.
The next village we visited was Potino. This village was a lot more assessable and had almost normal facilities. Elliott and I had a full size bed that was made real nice. The shower was from the river and had tad poles in it but it came out of a shower head! And there was an actual toilet to sit on, you just had to pour water down it to flush. In this village, they actually had a clinic that we could work out of. As before, we set up a vital sign station, three rooms to see
patients, and a pharmacy. The things that stick out to me most about this village was the great food, JM and ET getting really sick and drinking a lot of Pepto-Bismol, it rained a lot, the little boy I wanted to take home, and the baby girl that had fallen into a bean pot and burned about 40% of her body. Thankfully the Lord provided and we were able to help her. We also had a church service, and we did a skit about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. MR and I were the guards and got to die when we through them into the fire. I think the most I laughed was on the hike out. TR, JR, and I hiked out together in mud up to our ankles. By the end of the trail TR was bare foot and I had a Haitian pushing my up a slick hill by my bottom! It was so funny!
After this trip we were able to go back to Port and rest a couple of days. We filled the days with laundry, reading, and catching mice. It was a nice reprieve, but we would soon find out, it wasn’t long enough.
As I am writing this, I cannot even think of the name of the last village we went to. I guess I subconsciously decided to forget the WHOLE experience. The trip started with us being very tired and with a change of the team. We had become very comfortable with the group we had been working with, but they were unable to go to this village. The journey consisted of a lot of WAITING, driving in the heat of the day for around 4-6 hours bumping around so much that my bottom was bruised and sore, arriving to our midway point late at night. Now, this was a haven to our beaten souls. This sweet missionary family took us in and fed us REALLY good American food, even good ole hot dogs and mac n cheese! The next day we set off on a 4 hour hike, straight up the mountain, with the sun shining bright, ET having more GI problems, and 1 jug of water. We arrived early afternoon and immediately set up clinic
. We saw patients that evening and the next morning. We were able to see several people even in the short amount of time we were there. That afternoon we headed back to the missionaries house. PTL! He covered us with clouds and provided extra mules for us to ride. My and JR’s mule was lovingly named Stoplight due to her stubborness and stopping every 10 feet. I discovered she just really wanted to take her own route and not follow the path. If I let her do that she was fine. ET named his mule Turbo. He was a little mule, but he plowed right up that mountain! Once we reached the house, we were back in heaven with our good food and comfort. PS and ET worked in the local clinic the next morning then we packed up for the long drive back. No matter how bad it get while we’re doing God’s work, may we always remember this little girl is why we do it.
The last evening we were there we were there we had great fellowship and pizza with other missionaries who were very kind to invite us over. The next morning, we went to a nice restaurant that over looked Port-Au-Prince and ate a big breakfast. While waiting to take our picture with the view in the background, a “famous” singer filmed a music video. It was quite entertaining! ET and Guito did their own renditions, if you can imagine. 🙂 The day ended with our trip to the airport where we had to leave our dear friends JM and Junior.
Overall, I really had a good trip and made some really wonderful friends. Lord willing, I look forward to other trips to Haiti and hanging out with all of them again soon.
ATA – Chicago
Caleb, Elliot and Dr. Van Middlesworth were recently able to visit Chicago and present and the annual meeting of the American Thyroid Association. We had a great time meeting all of the leaders in this field. You could truly feel Gods hand in all that we are doing. This work focused on our recent efforts to identify and treat iodine deficiency and endemic goiter in the southern mountains of Haiti. I hope you enjoy
these pictures from the event.
Our Poster Presentation
Caleb and Dr Van Middlesworth:
Elliott, Dr Van Middlesworth and Dr Braverman
Elliott, Dr Eduardo Pretell, Caleb, and Dr Van
Dr Van, Dr. John Stanbury, and Elliott
First Steps
You have reached the official blog of AFH (Aid for Haiti). At this point we are still in the early steps of forming an organization. We had our first official meeting on September 27th, 2008. We are exited about the possibilities of working together in Haiti over the next number of years. It is our aim in all that we do to be first of all doing All for Him. As time goes on and we continue to organize and plan for the future we will try to keep you up to date.
Currently we have established a board of directors which is as follows:
Elliott Tenpenny – Chairman
Philip Sutherland – Vice Chairman
Philip Rudolph – Treasurer
Caleb Trent – Secretary
We do have several full members and are actively in the process of recruiting several others. We have drafted a set of bylaws and are currently reviewing them for any mistakes as well as seeking legal input before considering them final. In addition we are drafting a mission statement and a brief doctrinal statement.
Today (October 2nd) Caleb and Elliott along with a professor that has been helping us quite a bit, Lester VanMiddlesworth MD, PHD are in Chicago presenting our recent research on iodine deficiency and endemic goiter in a remote mountainous area of Haiti. We have been privileged to both work with health care and ministry in a part of Haiti between Jacmal and Port-Au-Prince. The name of the local village is Patmos. It is our hope to continue working in that area and other parts of Haiti as we have resources.
Until next time,
Philip