God gives us what we can handle

On July 6^th, I woke up ready to be the hands and feet of Christ.  I did not know what the day would hold, but I knew that God would use me.  It began as a typical day at Grace Village.  I tended to the children’s health needs, held them, and sang to them.  In the afternoon, I washed dishes using a bucket in the shower.  I sat on a little stool and first washed with cold water and dish soap.  Then, I used another bucket to rinse the dishes in bleach water.  After I washed dishes, I organized my suitcases.  I do not have a place to store my belongings, so I use my suitcases for a dresser. 

Then, the unexpected happened.  Haley, a summer intern was in her room cleaning.  I was startled when I heard her yell my name.  I ran to her to find streams of blood following her every step.  I quickly grabbed a chair and had her sit down.  A glass pop bottle broke and she had stepped on it.   I did not know what to do, but God gave me strength to be in charge and stay calm.  We wrapped her foot tightly in a towel, and kept the children away.  We carried her into the bed of a truck and drove to the nearest clinic.  She was crying in pain and was terrified.  I tried to comfort her.  I prayed with her and cried with her.  How scary it was to know that she needed to go to an emergency room, yet there was not one nearby.  We drove to a clinic and it was closed when we arrived.  I held her in my arms and continued to pray.  I helped her stay calm with slow, deep breaths.  We called another clinic and drove farther away down the dusty, bumpy road.  A young man elevated her foot as our bodies jostled in the back of the truck.  I anxiously anticipated our arrival at the clinic.  I kept praying.  Lord, please help us.  We arrived at the clinic and were greeted by a dentist and nurse.  They took a look at Haley’s foot and needed to do stitches.  We entered the exam room.  It was a room the size of a bedroom.  We laid her on the old, padded exam table.  Everything inside the room was stacked in piles on rickety shelves inside Ziploc baggies.  She held my hand a screamed as the dentist prepared her for stitches.  Novocain was injected into her foot and before surgery began we all prayed together.  We sang worship songs as the dentist stitched her foot.  God was our strength and provider.  We were blessed with a vehicle to get to the clinic, a translator, and a dentist who knew how to do stitches.  Today I was reminded that God only gives us what we can handle.  This experience deepened my faith. 

Days later, Haley is doing well.  She is recovering and is staying at the Guesthouse in Port-au-Prince until her foot heals.  I have been spending the past few days with her.  Today, I returned to Grace Village and was very happy to see the children.  Please continue to pray for Haley’s foot to heal.  She is such a sweetie and she is like a sister to me.  I am thankful she is in Haiti.