Bonjou! January 16, 2013 Team 17 We have just finished six full days in Haiti. Our arrival was very smooth after landing at the newly redone airport (a nice surprise for returning and new team members alike!). The ride up to the mountains (on the back of trucks of course) took longer than usual but the signs of progress were amazing... hardly any rubble from collapsed buildings, newly paved roads and sidewalks, and men working in construction were just a few hopeful sights. We only saw one pancaked building compared to hundreds one year ago and only one tent city compared to more than fifty. There is still beyond imaginable work to be done but there are many signs of hope. One team member's cap blew off on the ride but there was surely a very happy Haitian within seconds! The improvements even within the clinic and village of Gramothe were also impressive. New buildings (including a small future village bakery), new houses, a smooth concrete basketball/soccer/school yard (instead of gravel) were welcome sights. We felt at home the whole week we were here, whether it was from our gracious host family's wonderful Haitian hospitality, familiar faces in our neighborhood waving along the long hike to the clinic or the beautiful acapella songs prepared and sung just for us at the village church on Sunday. In five days in the clinic we saw more than 1100 men, women and children in the clinic! To say our team worked together very smoothly would be a major understatement. If you needed something, someone was always at your side having already anticipated what you would need from shoes to diapers and baby blankets, a second opinion or someone else's expertise, etc.. There were some heartbreakingly malnourished children, severely infected wounds, a boy with an injured foot from a farming accident and many other health problems that if we even made a small difference in their lives, this week would have been worth every minute. We saw a 70 year old woman yesterday who walked to the clinic from two mountains over, two days ago and slept overnight on the ground to wait for us - and she could barely breathe her asthma was so severe - but her smile was unstoppable. Little Melissa, the toddler with severe facial burns we treated several years ago, is now a beautiful preschooler with an infectious laugh and can be seen leading her cousins around the school playground. The new system of tracking all medications used in the pharmacy and items in the storeroom upstairs to the clinic has been a labor of love and has made a huge difference in the efficiency of our care, being a hidden "highlight" to the work we did. As the 3rd anniversary of the earthquake just passed on January 12th, please continue to keep Haiti in your prayers. We count on each and every prayer and are very grateful for them! We have enjoyed a wonderful week of hard work, new friendships, great weather and the gracious smiles of all. Our large suitcases which we carried into Haiti are now empty but our hearts are full. Dawn Ribnek (veteran LBL team member) With gratitude for your interest and for keeping us close via your thoughts and prayers ~ Sue, Brian, and Leslie (team leaders) and Team 17