Beth's update from Nick

Nick called me this afternoon about 4:35pm. He sounded great! He said the group is staying in a 60 x 100 tent that was just put up a day or 2 before they arrived. They have NO phone service in their group...but some nice lady let them borrow a phone with free minutes until tomorrow with a special phone that she had. They heard that there is a phone that you can purchase somewhere that only costs $20 with minutes for the company that works in Haiti...so they are going to attempt that! Maybe tomorrow! They do not have computer/internet because it is all password locked and nobody can get through....so the girls have managed to find some U.S. Military computer that allowed them some access!! (at least that is where Nick thought they were able to connect from) Leave it to the girls!

I will start with the ride from the airport. They had so much stuff and people to try and stuff in ONE Land Rover that Nick and Bruce (Surgeon from Auburn, WA) rode on the roof of the truck. He then commented that there are no laws in Haiti and so you can drive any way, direction, and speed you want. If someone comes your direction then you stop and honk at them! So, you can imagine their ride from the airport!

Nick said that as soon as he arrived into camp he helped Bruce with a surgery on the back of someone's neck...he was really excited about it. Then he got to treat a little boy that had something in his eye: he washed it, put some antibiotic lotion in it and put a patch over it. Those were the only two people he told about.

He was very excited about going to a church meeting this morning. They were picked up by Dan Henry, a minister in the area, and again he rode clear in the back on flip down seats with Howard L. He said it was a really neat drive, through alleys and trees. There were a total of about 20 people in an 8x8 room...the largest of the 3 rooms in the home.

They were told that Haitians don't do much on Sundays. So, it was a slower paced day today. They were told that Mondays are swamped. I think that Nick was looking forward to that! He thought that he was going to be possibly working in the University of Miami tent hospital tomorrow. He was told that the x-ray people had left there and they were in need for someone to be there. But, he says they will have a meeting either tonight or in the morning telling them where they will go for the day on Monday.

He said that they have plenty to eat. They had brought all their own meals, but there has been oatmeal for morning that someone gets up and makes. So far he hasn't needed to eat his freeze dried chicken teriyaki and rice! He said that the rice and beans with creole sauce that they serve at night was amazing!

They are possibly going back out to the church convention grounds on Thursday or on Saturday, he didn't know which, to set up a little clinic there for those local people.

He can't wait to bring home the pictures!

Beth Ross