tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35678576262346838182024-02-20T17:06:38.301-08:00Haiti Relief BlogScientology Volunteer Ministers writing about their experiences in HaitiHaitiBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965130555151408935noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567857626234683818.post-4444359179397907012010-05-27T10:34:00.000-07:002010-05-27T10:34:37.538-07:00May 2010: Visiting VM Groups in HaitiJust got back from Haiti yesterday! Whew! Sweating steadily for a week. It is really hot and muggy there and it is only May. Visited with about sixty of our close to 300 groups there and I can tell you that there is a lot of enthusiasm and activity in helping to rebuild the country and to rebuild the shattered lives of the Haitian people. The physical infrastructure is still in a shambles and the rubble seems to be largely still where it was when I was last there in February. But many many people are pitching in and the work is going forward. It is just such a big job that it is hard to see the effects yet.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>While it could still happen as the rainy season increases in intensity, so far, a large and catastrophic epidemic has not occurred and there is some hope that it will not. But large numbers of families are still living in "homes" consisting of a single bedsheet with four sticks holding it up. That may keep the sun off, but not the rain. Yet the people are still smiling and friendly in spite of the often miserable conditions.<br />
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We were welcomed everywhere and even spent over an hour with one of Haiti's most prominent lawyers. He was very grateful for our assistance since the earthquake. He told us "After the quake, there was no hope left in Haiti. But then the Volunteer Ministers came and there was hope!" He is writing a book on the rebuilding of Haiti and is including our role as a vital part of that effort. A very prominent and internationally-known religious leader also met with our group and was extremely complimentary about the work performed by our Volunteer Ministers.<br />
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In the last couple of months, we have trained many thousands of the local people in how to assist others and these people have been organized into hundreds of groups that are now busy delivering assistance and developing and training even more groups. Thus, with a relatively small number of VMs from other countries (several hundred over the past few months) we have been able to directly assist between 250,000 and 300,000 people! The VM group leaders keep track of how many people are helped each day and this past Saturday, for example, the number was over 6,000! Isn't that amazing? We still have Russian Volunteer Ministers actively helping at the General Hospital every day. I renewed friendships with VMs I worked with several months ago and made many new friendships with VMs from Hungary, Russia, Mexico, France, the USA and of course, my Haitian buddies.<br />
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The Future of Haiti Orphanage (that was rebuilt and organized by a group of Italian VMs) is providing a safe environment, a stable home and a good school education to 150 children that would otherwise still be roaming the streets of Port au Prince after their previous orphanages collapsed in the quake. I met the children and I was very touched by their friendliness and affection. (Not all of the children have sponsors yet, so please visit their website and consider sponsoring a child, <a href="http://www.thefutureofhaiti.org/">http://www.thefutureofhaiti.org/</a>). I brought a backpack full of gifts for one child, a beautiful ten year old girl with the very appropriate name "Lovely". It made her very very happy and she wrote a very touching letter that I brought back with me to give to her sponsor (Ericka).<br />
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We have established a base with a large building, with running water and electricity (run by a generator most of the time). That doesn't sound like a big deal, but if you haven't been to Haiti - you have no idea! While I prefer hot showers and air conditioning and a real bed, our new base is a tremendous upgrade over the truly grueling conditions we lived in back in January and February 2010. A Hungarian VM who is also an accomplished artist, painted the VM logo and our motto "Something Can Be Done About It!" on the outside wall of our compound over the past few days and it is really attention grabbing! One of my brothers had donated a water purification system to the VM Haiti project some months back and I was happy to see it mounted on the wall of the camp kitchen. It provides an ample supply of safe drinking water for all the VMs. So, except for the local rooster who seems to be confused about time since the earthquake and starts crowing every morning at 4 am, we have a fairly comfortable, stable and very safe base to operate from.<br />
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A Haitian celebrity donated a walled & gated piece of property for use as a training facility. We have erected a large VM tent there and there are thousands of local people in that district who are waiting for our assist seminars to begin in that area. I, and the other two VMs in our party have promised the Haitian VM in charge of that area that we would see to it that they had the funds to provide benches for the people to sit on during the seminars. They need $800 to purchase the materials with which to build these benches. That's over one year's pay for an average Haitian, so it is beyond their ability to pull it off without our help. If you would like to help on this, please let me know. If enough people donate ten or twenty dollars, we can do it in the next week or so. Believe me, any amount at all is welcome.<br />
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As it is now several months after the earthquake, the news organizations have all left and Haiti has disappeared from the news and it is easy to forget that there is still much to be done there. So the flow of funds and volunteers has dwindled over time and many countries have now withdrawn their military and civil aid teams. If you would like to help, either financially or by going there and giving these people a hand, let me know and I will help you get there. It is tough and there is much that is unpleasant to confront, but it is truly rewarding and you will fall in love with the people of Haiti.<br />
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Paris Morfopoulos<br />
Clearwater, Florida<br />
(contact via: scientologyvm@gmail.com)<div class="blogger-post-footer">More:
<a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org">Official Scientology Volunteer Ministers Blog</a>
<a href="http://www.scientologyhandbook.org">Scientology VM Handbook</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/scientologyvm">VMs on Youtube</a></div>HaitiBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965130555151408935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567857626234683818.post-76761263165934063562010-04-09T14:24:00.000-07:002010-04-09T14:24:25.619-07:00David, South Africa: I know I have contributedI recently got back from Haiti and to say they need help in that country is such an understatement. The people of Haiti are so spiritual. After seeing the devastation of the earthquake I realized why - spirituality is all they have. The children are amazing. I would smile at the children or say hello and one for one, every time,their faces would light up and beam with joy just from that simple smile and hello. There was no promise of food, or candy, or money--just a wave and smile from me from the car window. But that was enough for them to know someone cared. <br />
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One day when I was helping to feed 16,000 people in a camp I decided that when I got back to the USA I would write an e-mail to everyone I know to encourage them to come and give them the chance to do the same thing I was doing. Apathy and the withholding of help-- thinking it's not worth it or thinking your help won't matter—that is what keeps “nothing” happening. <br />
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Every time I go back to Haiti I notice improvement and know that I have contributed to that.<br />
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- David<div class="blogger-post-footer">More:
<a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org">Official Scientology Volunteer Ministers Blog</a>
<a href="http://www.scientologyhandbook.org">Scientology VM Handbook</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/scientologyvm">VMs on Youtube</a></div>HaitiBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965130555151408935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567857626234683818.post-18604069081758959072010-04-09T14:20:00.000-07:002010-04-09T14:20:41.298-07:00VM Blog: Christina Alexander says Haiti is a long-term commitmentWhen the Haiti earthquake struck, Christina Alexander decided to go. She was on one of the first Scientology-chartered flights that brought doctors, nurses and other emergency response personnel to Haiti. What stuck her in Haiti was the desperate lack of everything, even the most basic needs. “I felt really proud but humble, and honored to be there among such selfless, hard-working volunteers from all over the world,” she said.<br />
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Christine spent more than 50 days in Haiti, first as support staff, providing food and assistance to medical personnel and volunteers at the base camp at the Port-au-Prince Airport. Later, she delivered food, water and TLC to the kids in the orphanages, and worked on the training team, delivering seminars in technology developed for the Volunteer Ministers program by Scientology Founder, L. Ron Hubbard. She feels strongly that Haiti requires a long-term commitment. Her advice to people planning to come to Haiti to volunteer: Don’t try to go to Haiti with a physical disability or medical condition requiring medication. The conditions are simply too harsh, so physical fitness is a must. For anyone with concern about malaria they visit a own doctor and obtain medication at least two days before leaving home. Bring generous quantities of the vitamins normally taken, plus a lot of salt, potassium, vitamin C and electrolytes - more than you expect to need. For Scientology Volunteer Ministers study the Volunteer Ministers Scientology Assists booklet and learn these procedures very well. This will come in extremely useful.<br />
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She also recommends the following common sense points: Pack light; no warm clothing is necessary; lightweight cargo pants are ideal; sensible shoes; flip-flops for the shower; something waterproof (a VM jacket or a plastic poncho); no electrical devices; camping dishes and cutlery are a big help; a flashlight (the headlamp kind is best); definitely a backpack (not too large) and something that can be worn around the neck, waist or thigh, to carry your passport at all times. Finally, bring CASH, in small bills. You can buy batteries, shampoo, insect repellent, etc. at the local supermarket, but most of the ATMs don't work and credit cards are useless. Most things can be purchased with American dollars, but any change you get will be in local currency. Like so many other Scientology Volunteer Ministers who went to Haiti, Christina is planning to return for another month of service.<br />
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(From: <a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org/">blog.volunteerministers.org</a>)<div class="blogger-post-footer">More:
<a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org">Official Scientology Volunteer Ministers Blog</a>
<a href="http://www.scientologyhandbook.org">Scientology VM Handbook</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/scientologyvm">VMs on Youtube</a></div>HaitiBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965130555151408935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567857626234683818.post-19001811365674773632010-03-16T15:05:00.000-07:002010-03-16T15:05:55.798-07:00Barrett/USA: "By the end of our stay there we had that place in ship shape."I arrived in Haiti on the <a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org/blog/second-scientology-sponsored-charter-flight-doctors-ministers-medical-supplies-to-haiti.html">second charter flight from Los Angeles on the 21 January 2010</a>. For the first day we were just establishing the camp, putting up tents, sorting supplies etc. We then went on a project at University of Miami Hospital in Port-au-Prince at the request of one the head doctors. This ended up being the project I would work on for the next two weeks.<br />
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When we first arrived at University of Miami Hospital we didn’t get the warmest welcome. They didn’t allow us to bring any more than four volunteers and we were stopped by the not-too-friendly <a href="http://sfachapterix.blogspot.com/2010/02/haiti-humanitarian-relief-covenant.html">Special Forces security</a> when we arrived. We explained that we were there upon request but they didn’t let us go until we had them talk to the head doctor. Once in, we asked what was needed and they had us organize one corner of the hospital supply tent. We then moved on to the food section of the tent and this is where the hospital staff could see what we could do for them. <br />
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We worked fast in organizing the piles of random cans and boxes. After a while our progress was easily seen. The woman who worked in the supply tent saw this and said “Wow! You Scientologist guys rock!” She then requested as many volunteers as we could offer. By the end of that day there were over 16 volunteers working in the tent at one time. From then on we were the unofficial in charges of the supply tent. The woman technically running the tent was telling doctors and nurses who came looking for supplies to ask the Volunteer Ministers if they needed to find something, not her!<br />
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By the end of our stay there we had that place in ship shape. There were clearly defined rows of supplies that were organized into categories with signs to match. We received many thank yous from the doctors, nurses and staff of the hospital. <br />
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At that point priorities began to change in the camp so most of the team moved onto different projects and only three Volunteer Ministers stayed back to work on the operating room. I was then posted to oversee several projects, at the Miami Hospital, General Hospital, the orphanage, the Mexican team (or “Topos team”) and the Haitian delivery team. I thought it would be a good idea to get familiar with the teams I’d be over so I went out with a different team every day for the next couple days.<br />
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While I was visiting General Hospital, a man approached us and thanked us for being in Haiti and helping. He explained that he was a Dianeticist that was part of a group in Haiti that existed already quite some time before the earthquake on Januar 12, 2010. He expressed interest in what we were doing (at the time we were giving Assists to people at the hospital) and with his help we set up our first Assist seminar. It was held at the orphanage and had about 21 attendees. At the end everyone wanted to have another seminar and we ended up doing a seminar every day for the duration of my stay in Haiti. <br />
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In doing the seminars with one of the Dianetic groups, we discovered that it was a BIG group! They told me that they started as one group but eventually became too big and they had to divide. As it stands now they said they had 27 Dianetics groups for several years already. When I left they took over doing Volunteer Minister seminars! <br />
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Being as a <a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org/category/categories/haiti-earthquake">Volunteer Minister in Haiti</a> was truly a life changing experience.<div class="blogger-post-footer">More:
<a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org">Official Scientology Volunteer Ministers Blog</a>
<a href="http://www.scientologyhandbook.org">Scientology VM Handbook</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/scientologyvm">VMs on Youtube</a></div>HaitiBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965130555151408935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567857626234683818.post-52880126633736182422010-03-01T19:22:00.000-08:002010-03-01T19:22:10.977-08:00Ellen, Mexico - Is this really reality what we live in?Is this really reality what we live in? The roads, the buses, cars, perfumes, restaurants... As I was walking through the duty free shops at the airport today I realized how fake the modern world seems to me now. Hunger is now real to me, thirst is more real, but not what new bag i'm going to buy, that doesn't seem to matter anymore. Its almost as if what my old reality was, is no longer existent in my mind.<br />
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This short time I've been back from Haiti, I still have my thoughts over there and I keep comparing life here, to life there. Frankly, there's nothing to compare. They have nothing and we have everything. The cold hard truth that i got snapped into me is that my life here in the "real world" is so simple, easy and comfortable, i have running hot water, food in a refrigerator and clothes hung up in a closet, its almost shocking to me that I never really noticed those details before and it makes me sad to think i didn't appreciate them either. I feel so gratified to know i will have food tomorrow and a place to stay, and a mother to hug.<br />
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<a name='more'></a> There were so many orphans everywhere that would've given anything to just have their mother again to say I love you, and not only did they lose their home, but they lost their mother too.<br />
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So I say sit down and take a minute to really reflect on what you have (i did this) and to truly appreciate it because I can say this for a fact, I have changed, and I will never be the same. The problems i used have dont seem like such problems anymore and physical objects like ipods, cell phones, tvs or even just clothes are now, the least of my worries. I can see that life is more than just the material stuff. All that can be destroyed in a heartbeat just how it happened in Haiti and when you lose all your material objects and are still standing and breathing, with all 4 limbs, Id say your a pretty rich person.<br />
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My lesson was that life has nothing to do with the material, that isn't actually important and I think this is an important thing for me because now I know where my future efforts in life will head, not towards bigger and better cars but towards improving myself and improving others.<br />
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With 100% certainty, there is nothing more gratifying than knowing that you truly helped someone and made a difference in their life and after this trip to Haiti I know this wont be the last time I help in something like this, it has changed me forever, I know I was able to make a difference and I will never see life the same.<br />
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Ellen, Mexico <br />
<a href="http://ellenthevm.blogspot.com/">http://ellenthevm.blogspot.com/</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">More:
<a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org">Official Scientology Volunteer Ministers Blog</a>
<a href="http://www.scientologyhandbook.org">Scientology VM Handbook</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/scientologyvm">VMs on Youtube</a></div>HaitiBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965130555151408935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567857626234683818.post-42442634926927623602010-03-01T19:14:00.000-08:002010-03-01T19:22:37.794-08:00Erika, USA - "A motto to the VM Camp was 'Do anything and everything needed to get help to the people of Haiti'."I went to Haiti with one of the Church of Scientology’s charter flights that came from Los Angeles via Miami and arrived in Haiti on 21 January 2010. <a href="http://haitiscientologyvolunteers.blogspot.com/2010/02/working-with-volunteer-ministers-haiti.html">Cindy</a> was with us who just has recently done the VM courses recently and did a terrific job out there, mainly in the Future Orphanage. <a href="http://haitiscientologyvolunteers.blogspot.com/2010/02/paris-usa-haiti-first-responder-report.html">Paris</a> drove us on his car, so when we got to Miami, <a href="http://haitiscientologyvolunteers.blogspot.com/2010/02/olaguer-usa-i-wouldnt-trade-this.html">Olaguer</a> and I helped him to get all the communications equipment tested and wrapped up some set ups that had to be done before we could take the equipment with us. <br />
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So when I was in Haiti I helped with some aspects of communications and doing some things for Paris, typing and relaying communication. Computers were spare in the beginning so we had people hand write their messages when there was no computer available and I was typing it up later. I also helped to make ID badges for the VMs as we were required by the US Army as they were controlling the traffic in and out the Airport were our camp was. <br />
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The day after we got there I had the idea of making a internal phone book - I had noticed that Paris had several random notes of people’s phones, local numbers and in the US, VMs and other contacts outside the camp. So I made a handwritten Phone Book on a notepad. Days later at the Camp we had some Army guys visit us on trying to find help for a food drop with their chopper and one of our guys told him "let me find our Phone Book to get you the number of this team." The Army guys said: "A Phone Book! That's why we like you guys, we are so well organized". Well, they got their contact and their food drop lined up and happily left the camp (and I was proud).<br />
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The first three days outside of camp I was working in the General Hospital. It was very good that we got out there then because there were no visible groups of foreign doctors or other Disaster Relief Units there yet. Help was really desperately needed. The first day was a bit of a shock to me, it was so extremely hot, and seeing so many maimed people was not easy. I worked mainly in the park of the hospital, outside the buildings were there was a lot of people left lying around while the doctors were working mainly inside de buildings. I went around and saw what these patients needed, cleaning, sanitizing and covering wounds. I have no nurse training but I could do what anyone with some basic First Aid training can do to help injured people. <br />
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There were a lot of people in the park, I would say 60 people in beds, 20 more on the ground and their families or some family members with them. Someone I remember in particular was a woman who had an open wound on her breast she was in strong pain. I was giving her a touch assist so until the pain blew and she looked much more relaxed. Then I went onto help her 8 year old daughter to clean, disinfect and cover her wounds and taught her how to do it herself - I had just run in Haitian translator by then. She understood the importance of it. <br />
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I tried to keep log for the first 3 or 4 days but afterward all the days started to mush together, We just kept working, kept trying to help as many people as we could. Sometimes I lost track if it was day or night. And the days just after the catastrophe are vital and this is when you have the most confusion.<br />
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Then I moved on to the Miami Tent Hospital at the Port-au-Prince airport as they were requesting some more people to help over there. The first day they needed someone to route the visitors and keep security and control in who is coming in the three tents (housing hundreds of patients). Later I moved on to the storage tent and I was helping organize the medical supplies. Once the shelves were built and on their way to us we organized a fork lift to move around the big boxes of supplies and other goods to make space. A group of VMs then could put all the supplies in the shelves and finish organizing up the place in very short time. During the next days at the Miami University Hospital I was receiving new supplies and helped re-stocking the pharmacies at the Wound Care, OR and Pediatrics tent. <br />
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<i>One thing that became kind of a motto to the VM Camp was "Do anything and everything needed to get help to the people of Haiti". I remember <a href="http://haitiscientologyvolunteers.blogspot.com/2010/02/elena-switzerlandusa-night-shift-at.html">Elena</a> from the Italian team mention this earlier but I really felt so in my heart and I could see for the actions I saw each VM take, everybody carried that out.</i><br />
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Erika<div class="blogger-post-footer">More:
<a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org">Official Scientology Volunteer Ministers Blog</a>
<a href="http://www.scientologyhandbook.org">Scientology VM Handbook</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/scientologyvm">VMs on Youtube</a></div>HaitiBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965130555151408935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567857626234683818.post-10749042134091970872010-03-01T12:46:00.000-08:002010-03-09T23:16:33.368-08:00Ayal, USA - Reporting on Video about his experiences!<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ujN79tENyZo&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ujN79tENyZo&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
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Second part: <br />
<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hsUQQi8SUy8&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hsUQQi8SUy8&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">More:
<a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org">Official Scientology Volunteer Ministers Blog</a>
<a href="http://www.scientologyhandbook.org">Scientology VM Handbook</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/scientologyvm">VMs on Youtube</a></div>HaitiBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965130555151408935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567857626234683818.post-71724030857572283532010-02-24T22:04:00.000-08:002010-02-24T22:05:10.688-08:00David, USA - Relieving medical personal from administration and logistics<i>(appeared on <a href="http://www.scientologytoday.org/stories/story/all-news,3c095194c26ddc2ddf1a337ba529364c,scientology-volunteer-minister-home-from-haiti-says-more-help-is-needed.html">Scientology Today</a>, 24 February 2010)</i><br />
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Scientology Volunteer Minister David Dempster, a Scotsman who has lived in Clearwater, Florida for the past four years, was on the first Scientology-sponsored charter flight to Haiti on January 16, departing from JFK Airport in New York. The aircraft transported more than 100 doctors, nurses and EMTs (emergency medical technicians) to Haiti, and a team of Volunteer Ministers to support them in their work. Five more flights sponsored by Scientologists have provided transport for over 600 medical and support personnel on donated planes from New York, Los Angeles and Miami. Dempster, who provided urgently needed administrative backup to doctors at two Port-au-Prince hospitals, is back in Florida now, and reflects on his experiences there.<br />
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Dempster was first deployed to General Hospital in Port-au-Prince. “On our drive to the hospital, the physical destruction we saw was staggering,” he said. “A local resident told me most buildings are made of concrete blocks to safeguard against hurricane damage, but this served them badly in the quake. The damage was exacerbated by the common practice of mixing extra sand in the concrete to save money. Because of this, the walls just crumbled in the earthquake.”<br />
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At General Hospital, Dempster’s team provided administrative backup to the doctors and nurses on duty. “Our Volunteer Ministers organized incoming medical supplies, helped calm distressed patients, distributed water to patients, carried stretchers, helped deliver babies and assisted with amputations, of which there were many,” he said.<br />
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“We had a team of four or five Volunteer Ministers assisting the doctor who ran the Intensive Care Unit during the day and two Volunteer Ministers who took on overnight duty. This made an enormous difference in the quality of patient care.”<br />
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Dempster also worked at the University of Miami tent hospital. Medical staff had arrived in Haiti, but with no administrative personnel to support them. This tied up the doctors, nurses and EMTs in administrative and logistics functions, drastically cutting into their patient care. To free up the doctors and nurses, the Volunteer Ministers took over myriad administrative support functions.<br />
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Organization of medical supplies was the first critical need. Donated supplies had been dropped off, unsorted and unlabeled, forming mountains of boxes, and the scene was consuming precious hours of doctors’ and nurses’ time trying to find a particular medication, a clamp or a syringe. The Volunteer Ministers attacked the disarray of the supply tent, sorting and stacking, organizing and labeling, and setting up a distribution line to get needed items to medical personnel rapidly. This handling of the supply tent by the <a href="http://www.volunteerministers.org/">Scientology Volunteer Ministers</a> enabled the doctors and nurses to spend their time treating patients, with many lives saved as a direct result.<br />
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Another area of enormous need was the organizing and running of triage—registering incoming patients, giving them wristband IDs, and noting their visible injuries so doctors and nurses could more rapidly assess priorities. Dempster was put in charge of the Volunteer Ministers in this area, replacing a nurse who had been doing this. “She was very relieved to be able to get on with actual nursing duties,” he said, “while we Volunteer Ministers took care of administrative and logistics matters.”<br />
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Back in Florida, Dempster says the work still to be done is massive and he encourages others to volunteer.<div class="blogger-post-footer">More:
<a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org">Official Scientology Volunteer Ministers Blog</a>
<a href="http://www.scientologyhandbook.org">Scientology VM Handbook</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/scientologyvm">VMs on Youtube</a></div>HaitiBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965130555151408935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567857626234683818.post-29667185150629889152010-02-24T14:00:00.000-08:002010-02-24T22:00:31.369-08:00Emmanuel, USA - joining the Scientology Volunteer Ministers in the Dominican RepublicI met Scientology Volunteer Ministers for the first time in the Dominican Republic, Cheryl, Collin and Matt, who had just flown in from Miami. I told them I was from the States and looking to team up with an organization to go to Haiti to assist in any way possible. I was thrilled when Cheryl accepted my request and allowed me to accompany them to Haiti to assist with the relief effort there, considering the fact other organizations such as the Red Cross and UNICEF had not responded to my request to work with them in Haiti.<br />
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I knew nothing of the Scientology Religion or what its members believe in. But I wanted to go out there and help; I wanted to make a difference in Haiti.<br />
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When I arrived in the camp with Cheryl and the others, I was very nervous, because I had never been in a camp before and/or work with complete strangers in a foreign country. But, I was ready for whatever. I was ready to help.<br />
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I worked three days in the camp alongside Scientology Ministers before branching off to go assess the seriousness of the damage and bring attention to areas that were not being helped. These ministers impressed me. Despite the long, gruesome hours they had to work, they always had a smile on their face. These volunteers are truly what citizens of this planet should be about. And, I sincerely thank each and every one of them for their hard work and for helping my country men and women.<br />
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President John F. Kennedy once said:"Never before has man had such a great capacity to control his own environment, to end hunger, poverty and disease, to banish illiteracy and human misery. We have the power to make the best generation of mankind in the history of the world."<br />
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The Scientology Ministers I worked with for the brief moment I stayed in the camp show that they're ready to help make that happen; they're ready to help make this world a much better place.<br />
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Thank you Cheryl for allowing me to work amongst your brothers and sisters.<br />
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Again, thank you<br />
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Emmanuel<div class="blogger-post-footer">More:
<a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org">Official Scientology Volunteer Ministers Blog</a>
<a href="http://www.scientologyhandbook.org">Scientology VM Handbook</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/scientologyvm">VMs on Youtube</a></div>HaitiBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965130555151408935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567857626234683818.post-43959880126040591482010-02-24T04:54:00.000-08:002010-02-24T04:55:38.975-08:00Julia, USA - The Disaster Relief Effort in Haiti is a global activityI just got back from nine days in Haiti. People have asked me what it was like but truly it is so hard to put into words. <br />
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The Disaster Relief Effort in Haiti is a global activity. There are people and organizations from all over the world working side by side to save the people of Haiti - volunteers, doctors, nurses, military and religious people. It didn’t matter who you were or where you came from before you got to Haiti, while in Haiti you were part of a united team. <br />
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My 18-year-old son worked as a medic. Hr washed the doctors scrubs at night after working the hospital morgue during the day. My daughter and I set up a kitchen at the Volunteer Ministers camp and then set up the kitchen at the compound where the doctors were living. We also did supply runs and worked at the University of Miami Hospital and the General Hospital in Port-au-Prince. We cared for patients and did whatever the doctors needed us to do so they could be efficiently doing their part. <br />
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So many people from so many countries helped. I would like to say thank you to a few groups and people who personally touched us. <br />
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First I would like to thank, Edith, Melissa, Mark, Liz, and David, who helped us pack and gave us a send off. We left in only a few hours after receiving a call that our help was needed. <br />
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Next I would like to thank the Volunteers Ministers group, sponsored by the Church of Scientology, who paid for our airfare to Haiti, our food, and accommodations. The Volunteer Ministers also covered airfare, food, and accommodations for hundreds of doctors, nurses and EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians) who served in Haiti. <br />
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The Red Cross International and Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormon Church) for providing food, blankets and hygiene products. Their donations of food, and supplies saved many lives. <br />
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The Spanish Army for setting up water filtration systems that provided safe drinking water. <br />
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The United States Army for keeping us safe in Haiti and flying us back in the awesome military transport. <br />
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Personally I would like to thank the American Red Cross of Central Florida for welcoming us back to the US and for helping tens for thousands of people get home safely. <br />
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I would like to thank John Travolta for visiting our camp and flying doctors in on his private jet. And Matt, who never offered his last name but donated $400,000 in charter flights to get doctors and nurses to Haiti. <br />
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Thank you to doctors, nurses and EMTs who gave up so much to go to Haiti. I will never forget you. And thanks to my husband for holding down the fort and making it possible for us to go to Haiti. <br />
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Thanks and God Bless you <br />
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Julia<div class="blogger-post-footer">More:
<a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org">Official Scientology Volunteer Ministers Blog</a>
<a href="http://www.scientologyhandbook.org">Scientology VM Handbook</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/scientologyvm">VMs on Youtube</a></div>HaitiBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965130555151408935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567857626234683818.post-20460918036887209562010-02-20T19:50:00.000-08:002010-02-20T20:57:50.076-08:00Paris, USA - Haiti First Responder ReportHaving just returned from Haiti, I would like thank you for all the kind words and messages I have received. I am very grateful for them and for your support and friendship.<br />
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My adventure in Haiti was an arduous one but very interesting and worthwhile. I went as a first responder and Scientology Volunteer Minister, along with about 100 other VMs and approx 160 medical personnel on aircraft (737’s) chartered by the IAS (International Association of Scientologists).<br />
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Later there were also a couple of small charters out of Miami and of course, John Travolta (along with wife, Kelly Preston) flew his 707 down there with about 20 medical people, some VMs and about 6 tons of supplies and medicine. Additionally, many other Scientologists made their own way to Port au Prince, from faraway places, like Thailand, Scotland, France, Western USA, etc.<br />
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One girl spent about ten days getting there from LA, spending time in Miami trying to catch a flight and finally flying to Santo Domingo and taking the difficult overland route to Port au Prince from the Dominican Republic.<br />
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I drove my car to Miami with three other VMs. There I picked up the communications gear that I was to install upon arrival. Originally, there was to be a technical guy coming along to set it up, but he never arrived. We spent a few hours at the home of the VMs Mercedes and Bo, who were a tremendous help and very kind to us. We unpacked and briefly tested our satellite phones and satellite data uplinks. Then we drove to the Miami airport and boarded a Vision Airlines charter to Port au Prince.<br />
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We arrived late at night on 21Jan10 and were met by some VMs and some trucks. After unloading the baggage and supplies by hand out of the plane’s cargo holds and we got trucked to our base, about half a mile away, along the main (and only) runway of the airport. We pitched tents in the dark, crawled into our sleeping bags and went to sleep. The doctors and nurses we had brought with us were taken to some houses in the city that had been donated by a local Scientologist. A small team of VMs was based at this place - soon to be called “the compound” - to care for them while they were in-country. Our base consisted of a big yellow VM tent that served as our headquarters, kitchen, communication center and supplies storage. Behind it, stretching toward the runway, we had a series of six-man tents for our housing. In the early days, military cargo jets (C17s, etc.) were landing and taking off every few minutes, day and night. The noise level was almost painful and made communication impossible when they passed us.<br />
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The Canadian Forces contingent was approx 150 yards from us. There was probably a battalion of troops and an air squadron that included 10 bright yellow helicopters with small Canadian Air Force logos on the side. These took off every few minutes all day long, either on search and rescue/medevac flights or carrying a pallet of supplies hanging underneath the chopper. One of our local translators/drivers told me that (since the Canadian logo could not be seen from more than about 150 yards) the local Haitians identified the yellow choppers with our yellow Volunteer Minister shirts and that we were getting the credit for the Canadian food drops. I went over to introduce myself to the senior officer at the Canadian airbase. He was a Colonel who had attended the same Military College that I had. There is a tradition that if you find an officer with the same last two digits in their college number, they have to pay for your drinks in the officer’s mess. I asked him for his number – he looked at me dumbfounded! It was an unexpected question from a yellow-shirted VM from the USA! We didn’t get a match, but when I told him my number, his response was: “Christ, you’re old!”<br />
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I told him that I had heard we were getting the credit for at least some of their flights. With typical Canadian selflessness and modesty, he told me that it wasn’t about the credit, they were just there to help.<br />
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There was a series of camps all along the runway. On one side we had British troops for awhile, but they moved out and were replaced by French soldiers. On the other side, we had a unit of Dutch Marines who were normally based in Aruba (my kind of military posting!). They were very friendly and helped us out a lot with supplies and equipment they could spare. All they wanted from us was a couple of VM shirts to take home. VM shirts and jackets were in very high demand among the doctors, nursing staff and all the military units we ran into. Some very helpful soldiers from the 82nd Airborne that we made friends with came by to say that they would be coming by around 7pm that night on the way back from their supply depot. They said it was “highly likely” that two pallets of water and three pallets of MRE’s would be available for our work and that we should be on the lookout for them. Two VM shirts secured the deal and the next morning we had hundreds of MRE’s and thousands of bottles of water to take out with us to the refugee camps and orphanages we visited on a daily basis.<br />
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My first days there were spent organizing communications. We had a handful of local Haitian cell phones that normally didn’t work, but made good paper weights when the wind blew into the tent. We also had about six phones from the Dominican Republic that could only call each other or receive calls. I also brought in some satellite phones and they worked pretty well most of the time. They even came with solar panels to charge them with. That came in handy early on, because we didn’t yet have a generator and thus, no electricity. Neighboring military units or charities would lend us a surplus generator to use, but then would take it back when they moved out or needed it. Even when we had a generator to use, there was often no fuel to run it, so electricity was spotty. Gas was $5/gal when you could get it. I worked on getting the satellite data links going so we could have internet communications.<br />
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The first few days, conditions at the camp were extremely primitive. We only intermittently had power. There were no toilet facilities in the camp. I have no idea what the girls did. Don’t ask. Our “kitchen” was a counter made of stacked boxes. On it, the “cook” would lay out an array of cold snacks like Trail Mix bars, a jar of mixed nuts, and so on. At the evening meal, we would get an MRE (Meal Refused by Ethiopians). The next charter flight brought some sanitation people in and they set out to improve our lot. They arranged for a latrine to be dug and a “shower” to be built. The latrine had separate sections for poo & pee, but this proved to be too high-tech for us, and we ended up with the traditional hole in the ground, with a wooden pallet for a floor. My compass fell into the hole and well, it’s still there! Our construction team also built a male urinal – basically a shallow ditch behind a piece of tarp.<br />
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The shower was a U-shaped set of pallets, with the open end covered by a piece of tarp that would blow up in the wind, exposing one’s butt to whoever was nearby. You were restricted to a one-third full pail of water that you brought into the shower, along with a cup made out of the bottom half of a pint bottle of water. The idea was that you would pour a cup or two of water on your head, soap up and then rinse off with more cups of water. Then you would dry off with a towel that had been hanging out in the dust from all the nearby helicopters. Essentially, you would end up smearing mud all over your “clean” body.<br />
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After a few days, power became more reliable and we acquired several hot plates, two of which could be turned on at any given time. Frank, our cook, produced some great meals of rice, beans and bits of Spam or salami that were a welcome alternative to MRE’s. Two or three times, our local Haitian contacts brought us our evening meal. Beans, rice and chicken or blackened goat. I went for the goat. It was great. One morning, out of sixteen, we even had scrambled eggs for breakfast. Another day, Frank and Joe whipped up French toast as a treat for us, but I never got any.<br />
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Occasionally, someone would get their hands on some local fruit and it was very welcome. I got to try mangos, mandarins, sugar cane, the local bananas, coconuts, etc. The coconuts had a very sweet tasting milk and soft easily-edible pulp on the inside of the shell, almost like yogurt. Quite unlike the ones you buy in the supermarkets in the US.<br />
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It gets dark very early in Haiti. Sunset was between five thirty and six. The mosquitoes were out in force at dusk and at dawn, but not really a problem the rest of the time.<br />
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The first few days, I was working 18 to 20 hours a day, but that was not sustainable. I became ill and got back cramps and abdominal pains. I actually went to the hospital for treatment, but was so embarrassed at my lack of visible symptoms compared to the carnage all around me, that I left kind of sheepishly. I would probably have gone to Emergency had I had that condition at home, but I couldn’t bring myself to get treatment when I saw the other people in the line with open wounds, crushed or missing limbs, etc. A doctor did speak to me for a minute, but I left hurriedly, trying not to be noticed. It got better pretty fast.<br />
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I hope the above gives you a feel for our living conditions and the general environment. Now I will tell you about Haiti and the work we did there. We didn’t just help some people feel better, the VMs literally saved many, many lives. And the doctors and nurses and EMTs we brought there were kept busy in the hospitals from dawn to dusk.<br />
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The General Hospital of Port au Prince is the main hospital in all of Haiti. It survived the earthquake, but most of the staff of the hospital did not return to work after the quake. They either died, or had their houses collapse or lost family members and they were mainly trying to locate and preserve their families in the aftermath of the quake. Then, just before I arrived there was a big aftershock and many of the remaining staff refused to enter the building, fearing its collapse. When our VMs arrived, they found about a thousand patients outside on the lawns, parking lots, etc. There was no provision for after care; once you got your surgery, had your leg amputated, etc., you were placed on a cot out in the courtyard and left there. Patients who had survived the quake and then their surgeries, were now dying of thirst and starvation. VMs immediately set out to hydrate the patients, going from person to person with water. Other VMs, realizing no one was feeding these people, worked to organize the procurement of food and some way to cook it and then took on the task of distributing it to a thousand people once each day. Prior to that, they simply were not being fed. Beans and rice kept these people alive.<br />
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More VMs arrived to assist in the Critical Care unit of the hospital. The over-worked medical staff gratefully accepted their assistance. Conditions were terrible and three patients were lost in the first twenty minutes the VMs were there. Not a single additional patient died in the next five days. I lost touch with them after that so I don’t know what else happened there.<br />
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A one month old baby was found abandoned in a field. It was brought to the hospital and the doctors worked feverishly on saving it, but it was too far gone. Finally, they gave up and called for a body bag. There were lots of adult bags available nearby as many people were dying, but there wasn’t an available baby-sized bag so a nurse was sent to the supply tent to fetch one. A doctor turned to one of the VMs and said, “You know that Scientology stuff you guys do? Well, now would be a good time.” The VM started an assist on the baby and within several minutes had revived it. When the nurse returned with the body bag, the baby was nursing from a bottle. As far as I know, it made it.<br />
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A VM entered an area of the hospital where a man lay screaming. He asked the medical staff what was wrong with him and was told he had been screaming for 48 hours and would not stop. After a few minutes of an assist, the man stopped screaming and calmed down. After about twenty minutes, he cheered up and began singing praises in Creole. A translator told the VM that he didn’t want her to go and he was very grief-stricken. She told him that she had to go as it was night time but that she would return in the morning. He promised to stay alive till then, and he did.<br />
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One day, soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division came to us and requested our help. They had been out, patrolling their area and had located different groups that needed assistance. They had vehicles and soldiers but no supplies to disburse. They had gone to the big US AID supply dump, but some bureaucrat there told them to get lost. He was busy protecting “his” stuff and wasn’t about to give it to the Army to hand out. They told us if we could provide the food, they would provide the transport and the security team for us. We had received several thousand MRE’s – I don’t know if they were the ones brought in by John Travolta, so we loaded several hundred in some Hummers and headed out. We drove through the ravaged city to a particularly ruined area. There, we parked and carried the food boxes about a hundred and fifty yards through narrow alleyways choked with rubble and displaced people. We found our destination, a small orphanage with about fifty or so children. We brought in the MRE’s and spent some time with the children, talking with them in French or taking pictures with them, etc. We brought more food than there were orphans, so we asked the director of the orphanage if we could distribute some of it to the hungry people in the alley. There is a right way to do this and a wrong way and we messed up by just going out into the crowd with boxes of MRE’s and handing them out. We almost caused a food riot. Fortunately, the soldiers were there to maintain order. Then we learned that the proper way to distribute food is to have it in a secure area and to have the recipients form a line. Only women, as the kids and men are impossible to control. That works. What we did was chaos, especially when the food ran out. You learn.<br />
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On our way back to our camp, we came across a motorcyclist that had been hit by a truck. The truck had kept going and so had the traffic. The young man on the ground was in the middle of the intersection but no one had stopped. We did. The troops set up a perimeter around the body and directed traffic. They kept the cameras away when the news vultures descended. Several police cars and ambulances drove by without stopping. No one seemed to care. Life in Haiti is cheap these days. I was very, very proud of our soldiers. One of them had already been to Iraq and Afghanistan five times and when they finish up in Haiti, they’ll get a short break in the States before heading back to Afghanistan. These are dedicated, professional soldiers who really know what they are doing. They took responsibility for the accident scene and eventually their own medical team arrived to take care of the body. An assist was out of the question – the boy’s brains were spattered all around his head in an arc.<br />
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On another day, several of us went out to assess a large refugee camp that we had heard of. It was located on the grounds of the American Club, possibly the world’s worst golf course. Very hilly – if you dropped a ball, it would roll 50 yards. Not a blade of grass on it. But home to about 15,000 desperate souls. Four sticks stuck into the ground, covered by a piece of tarp six feet square and you’ve got the typical home for a family. I didn’t see a single official, policeman or soldier, yet the camp was peaceful and secure. No sign of any source of water or any latrines or port-a-potties, yet the children seemed clean and there was no smell. I don’t know how to explain that. As I entered the camp, I was rushed by children and shortly, I was dragging a wake of eight children behind me, one on each finger! It was a wonderful feeling – the children have so much affection to give! They are much happier than they have any right to be – the people here are just very resilient and used to great hardship.<br />
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Each evening, after our meal, we would muster together to account for everyone and then share our wins and successes before going over announcements and plans for the next day. The Dutch Marines were very curious and amused with all our clapping and cheering and wanted to know what was going on. Then they would gather on the other side of the tape marking their camp boundary and they would cheer to mimic us. All in good fun.<br />
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At one of our meetings, a VM tearfully told us about a beautiful fifteen year old girl whose foot had become infected from some small cut or injury. In the States, it probably wouldn’t have required even a visit to the doctor. Some antiseptic or even some soap and clean water would have handled it. But there is no Neosporin available and no clean water either. This poor girl couldn’t keep the wound clean and needlessly had her foot amputated because we didn’t get to her in time. I saw so many people with missing limbs and bloody stumps – it is very common.<br />
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One of our VMs met a missionary that used to run three orphanages with a total of about two hundred childrens. All three structures had collapsed and about half the children were presumed dead. The rest had scattered into the streets of the city. The VM, a local Scientologist from Clearwater, was very moved by the missionary’s story and the plight of these children. She told him that if he could patrol the streets and collect these children, she would take care of them. Within hours, she had secured the donation of a large plot of land. Unfortunately, it was a scrap yard covered with rusty buses, trucks, etc. She somehow got hold of a piece of heavy equipment to move the scrap vehicles to one end of the lot – note that it is impossible to get heavy equipment in Haiti, especially following the quake). A team of men with machetes cleared away the waist high weeds and grass. A charity called ShelterBox donated tents. A well was dug and a cistern built. A large tent was erected as the mess hall and medical center. Within forty-eight hours, we had a functioning orphanage with fifty recovered children. Within seventy-two hours, eighty-five children were safely in hand, had received medical attention and were being fed and sheltered.<br />
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In the next few days, the number reached one hundred. They all received tetanus shots from VMs and a few days later a truck arrived from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic carrying school supplies and even school uniforms for the kids. The children are extremely affectionate and I was warned to be prepared for it when I visited. Still, I was stunned at the reception I got. Before I could get out of the car, I had two small children in my lap, hugging me. After several minutes, I was able to get out and walk towards the tent, but with new children constantly jumping up into my arms and hugging me. I helped put up several more tents while another VM, Ericka, gave the kids some group processing. They were all laughing and jumping up and down within a few minutes. It was great fun.<br />
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On my second to last day, I went out with a couple of Haitians to check out a local distributor of solar powered equipment. The forty-five minute trip took three and a half hours. We ran into two demonstrations. One was very peaceful, just women marching with placards. The other one had just been disrupted by the police and military and I saw people going by holding their hands to their bloody faces. Then, on the way back, we got into a massive traffic jam. Traffic on the main road was at a standstill for about an hour. Later, we found out that some well-intended idiot had decided to distribute some food close to the highway and it caused the jam-up and almost a food riot. Well, we weren’t the only ones with a learning curve!<br />
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When John Travolta’s plane arrived, we went out to the terminal to help unload it. We invited the 82nd Airborne to come along and meet John and they were only too happy to help us unload the plane and provide trucks for all the medical supplies and equipment John had brought with him. I could brag that I spent an hour on his plane, but I guess I should admit that it was spent in the cargo hold, passing out cargo. John and Kelly were just great. They personally worked for over two hours unloading the plane and passing the boxes to a line of VMs and soldiers that were loading the trucks. The paratroopers took turns unloading boxes, not because they were tired but because they want to share the honor of unloading Travolta’s plane with their buddies. John and Kelly spent a lot of time posing for pictures with the soldiers and this was very appreciated by them. The Canadian soldiers griped to me later that they had not been invited and one told me he would gladly have unloaded the plane himself.<br />
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One of our people made contact with a guy who flew down in his own private plane to see what assistance he could bring. We used him to fly VMs and medical supplies to remote villages that had yet to receive medical attention. Then another wildcat pilot came up and asked if he too could fly missions for us. That was the beginning of the VM Air Force.<br />
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One of our VMs is a young girl who told us that she had been too afraid of needles to get the recommended shots before she came to Haiti. However, when she was assisting a medical team the other day, a nurse showed her how to give a shot and then put a box of syringes in her hands and pushed her towards a line of people waiting for shots. She gave 350 tetanus shots that day.<br />
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Other VMs, without any prior training, have been dressing wounds, suturing open amputations, doing all kinds of gross stuff that they never anticipated having to do. The need is so great, you just do what you have to do. I have heard stories of people being given Advil prior to receiving an amputation – there was no other anesthetic! The patients at the General Hospital had no toilet facilities at all till the people we brought with us arranged it. But this took days and even then, the badly injured could not get up to get to a toilet even had there been one. So many of the patients had been lying in their own filth, with the original bloody bandages from their surgery, for several days before we got there. It was the VMs that cleaned them up and changed their bandages, after giving them water and some love and attention. Dirty, dangerous and thankless work, but it had to be done because there was no one else to do it. At night, the hospital would be deserted by all doctors and staff and the patients were on their own till dawn. One of our VMs is an EMT (emergency medical technician) and he went on the night shift, single-handedly keeping the patients alive till dawn.<br />
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A team of doctors from the University of Miami established a hospital on the airport grounds not far from our camp. Our VMs played an essential role in running this hospital. We had several VMs assisting in the surgery, prepping the surgical equipment and maintaining a sterile environment in a tent. You can see them on you-tube (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/scientologyvm">NBC Today Show, Haiti and Scientology</a>). They are doing a fantastic job.<br />
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In another area, a huge tent was filled six or seven feet high with medical supplies just stacked randomly. No one could find anything and nurses would come rushing from surgery seeking some device or medicine without any chance of finding it. A team of VMs organized this mess into rows of categorized items and now when someone comes in and needs a number of items, they just quickly go 1, 2, 3 and that’s that. The medical staff were very appreciative. Other VMs assisted as stretcher-bearers, carrying victims in to surgery from the helicopters as they were found by search & rescue teams.<br />
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One of our VMs flew in from Thailand. He had been very instrumental in the identification of victims during the tsunami and he was brought in as an expert on handling bodies in a disaster scenario. This scene was much different though, as identification was not an issue here. In Haiti, they just emptied truckloads of bodies into mass graves and no attempt was made to catalog or identify them. Life is cheap here.<br />
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A car load of VMs was driving down the main road outside the airport and noticed a group of people looking down into the concrete open sewer along the side of the road. They stopped to investigate and found a woman lying hurt in the bottom of the sewer. No one had attempted to help her. The VMs jumped down into the sewer, got her out and into their car and took her to hospital. If they hadn’t helped her, she might have died there. As I said, life is cheap here.<br />
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Haiti is full of contradictions that I can’t explain. People are starving, yet chickens and goats are roaming around the city unscathed. They belong to someone and they are left alone. At the same time, corruption is a way of life and even though the dust has hardly settled from the quake, the fix is in. Recently, the Univ of Miami doctors were given a lot of trouble when they tried to clear a shipment of donated medical supplies at the airport. It seems the local officials wanted to impose a tax on the incoming supplies before they would approve their import. Americans donated the supplies to help save Haitian lives and the corrupt folks at the airport wanted a piece of the action before they would let them in. At the same time, they wanted to impose a “Departure Tax” on the volunteer doctors who came down here on their own time to help the local people and were now wanting to return home to their families and practices.<br />
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The doctors raised a stink with the media and the next morning the President and First Lady were at the hospital seeking to smooth over the ruffled feathers. I took pictures of them shaking hands with some of my friends. It was all “just a misunderstanding”, apparently.<br />
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I came to the conclusion that there are three basic groups of locals. The vast bulk of the people are stoically persisting in basic survival, trying to keep their families together and alive. Then there are the opportunists, with their hands out, seeking to gain an advantage or to con you out of something. These are a minority, but they get a lot of notoriety. The third group is small but extremely valuable. These are the people who, in spite of their own desperate circumstances, are doing what they can to help their people. It brings tears to my eyes to remember Joe and Elie and Patrick and Wibens. These were some of our Haitian translators and drivers. Elie saw me pathetically attempting to do my laundry one night. He moved me out of the way, saying he was going to show me how to do it. Forty minutes later, he was still showing me, on my last piece of laundry. He never asked for a thing. I later found out that he was there helping us all day, in spite of the fact that his house had been destroyed and his family was living on the streets of Port au Prince. I loaded some fresh batteries into a lantern I had brought with me and I found him as he was leaving on a relief mission. I told him to give it to his wife, so that she could see at night. The next day, he brought me pictures of his wife and children. I almost cried. He said his wife was very grateful.<br />
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Yves, another Haitian who drove me around town a couple of times, told me his story. His wife had survived the big quake and on the 21st, she went into a pharmacy to buy medicine for her 4-month old baby. Then the second big aftershock came and the pharmacy building collapsed. Yves found his baby in the arms of some UN soldiers later, but his wife was never found. He spends part of his day helping us and then tours all the hospitals desperately hoping to find his wife.<br />
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There is plenty of tragedy to go around. The worst is yet to come. The rainy season will soon begin. The lack of sanitation and the lack of clean drinking water will likely result in a massive death toll from typhus, cholera and other diseases that result from the crowding of people in unsanitary conditions. More Haitians could die in the next month than died in the earthquakes.<br />
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Since returning, I have noticed that Haiti has dropped off the news cycle. Yet the real story is just now unfolding. Your help is needed. Give what you can. Go to Haiti if you can. But be careful who you donate to. Make sure it is getting into the hands of the actual people. When we do food drops, we don’t just drop off a pallet of food that can be resold on the black market. We get a request, then we go and check out the camp or orphanage or whatever and then we physically go and place an individual meal in each person’s hands.<br />
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Those of you who have supported the International Association of Scientologists can feel very good about the work we have performed with your financial assistance. The VMs have worked tirelessly and selflessly in difficult circumstances and you can be very proud of them. I am especially proud of the young people who are doing the bulk of the work in the field and in the hospitals. You can see pictures of them and the work they are doing at <a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org/">Blog.VolunteerMinisters.org</a>.<br />
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I could go on and on with more stories, but you get the idea. I don’t recommend sending money to Haiti or the Haitian government as it will likely be ripped off. The professional charities are a mixed bag. Be wary of those with large paid staffs. The bureaucracy consumes a large part of your donation just with their overhead.<br />
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There are many, many small groups that are doing excellent work in Haiti. Get involved. Find out what your church or charity is doing and how they are going about it and help the group that seems to be doing it the way you’d like it to be done. There is an opportunity to create a new Haiti from the ashes of the old one. Be a part of it. You’ll feel good about yourself. I do.<br />
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Paris<br />
Clearwater, Florida<div class="blogger-post-footer">More:
<a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org">Official Scientology Volunteer Ministers Blog</a>
<a href="http://www.scientologyhandbook.org">Scientology VM Handbook</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/scientologyvm">VMs on Youtube</a></div>HaitiBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965130555151408935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567857626234683818.post-59212892326443604062010-02-20T19:30:00.000-08:002010-02-20T20:56:57.432-08:00Sylvain from Thailand: Haiti - Another Tour of DutyAfter a few years as a Scientology Volunteer Minister (VM for short, a.k.a. "yellow shirt"), your name moves to the top of the address book. Next to it, it probably says something like "Call if all hell breaks loose". Wouldn't be so bad, except that hell is such a fragile place, these days, and with Haiti's earthquake, phones were ringing off the hook.<br />
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At least, that's how I imagine things. As I was packing my bags, I couldn't help but think how things had changed since my first VM operation. First the Tsunami in Thailand and in Banda Aceh, then Yogyakarta's earthquake and more recently the cyclone in Myanmar: I went from wide-eyed "newbie" to regular Scientology Volunteer Minister. I had seen blood, corpses, pain and despair, and it changed me, but more than anything, knowing that I could do something about it changed me. When you know that, you can't just say "That's sad" and flip to the next TV channel.<br />
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After the fact, a lot of people ask "What was it like, in Haiti?" so on my way back, I wrote this short (ok, not so short) report to describe my experience in Haiti. It’s written from my point of view only. Readers beware. ;-)<br />
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Flying from Thailand to Haiti took me a couple days. First to Los Angeles, and then boarding a charter plane with the rest of the Scientology team to land in Port au Prince in the middle of the night. Coming off straight on the tarmac and unloading your own plane is an interesting experience. No passport control, no metal detectors... and no baggage service. You jump down the ramp and go grab the supplies. Several tons of food and medical equipment and whatnot crammed in the cargo hold which you have to unload by hand, box by box, bag by bag.<br />
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Fortunately we have a good team. There were a couple hundred of us there and we made a short drill of this before hopping into the back of the military transports provided by the UN, the Dutch Army, the Americans or whoever else. It doesn't matter, from now on, we are all in the same boat. Anything we have is theirs and vice versa.<br />
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Our main camp was right on the airport grounds, next to the various search and rescue teams. A big yellow tent for the supplies and "living area" and a few of smaller tents for people to sleep in. With most of the local infrastructure gone or unsafe, camping was our best option. I laid down outside, gazing at the stars. It's close to 4:00 am. In 2 hours, the sun will be up and the real work will begin.<br />
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After feasting on peanut-butter & pepperoni sandwiches - I would like to make this really clear: it wasn't my idea! - I head out to the general hospital. According to our guys on the ground, it's the main hospital at this time. As expected, wards are full and patients are laying on beds outside of the buildings, protected by a sort of canvas stretched between the trees. Patients look gloomy and the wounds are pretty nasty. Broken legs and arms are a lesser evil, many had to be amputated, and they are just staying out there, hopeless.<br />
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Things weren't looking up, but at least they already had first aid and a place to stay, so we were able to get to work right off the bat with assists. If you have never heard of Scientology assists, in a few words, they are very simple yet powerful procedures to help a person reestablish communication with his body and environment. This can result in faster and more complete recovery from injuries and illnesses. (You can do a free course online <a href="http://www.volunteerministers.org/train/">here</a> and learn how it's done within a couple days). Assists can take anything from a few minutes to a few hours, but they always provide relief, and quite often, they are nothing short of miraculous.<br />
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Being one of the few French speakers in the team, I helped the other VMs to get started with the patients before getting down to business myself with a gentleman suffering from a broken leg and a number of contusions. He was gloomy and rather desperate. He a lost many, but still had family near the Dominican Republic border. However, he was in no condition to get there and was extremely anxious. I started. Half an hour later, he smiled and demonstrated clear signs of relief, so we ended there. Other VMs seemed to be doing well, so I asked a nurse if she had a patient experiencing a lot of pain. There were unfortunately many, but she led me straight to an older gentleman. His right leg was broken in several places and he had wounds all over. His right forearm was half covered with scabs. I started another touch assist.<br />
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To my surprise, the nurse stayed with me, watching. Was just as well, as he spoke no French and I had her teach me the commands in Creole (Haiti's main language). The first twenty minutes were relatively uneventful. He couldn't feel his toes and was very much unaware of his body, but as I got to his right forearm he jolted from the pain. The nurse reached for painkillers, but I convinced her to let me keep going. She reluctantly agreed.<br />
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As expected, the pain went away a few minutes later and he started to doze off. The nurse seemed impressed and tried to get me to the next patient. It took a while to explain it wasn't over and to her dismay, I kept at it while he was apparently sleeping. This went on for about an hour, until he returned to consciousness. He was smiling. His skin tone was markedly better and the wound on his arm looked better then before the assist. He didn't feel any pain, so we ended off there, and I headed over to the next patient, nurse in tow.<br />
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It was a lady this time. Her face was badly swollen with bluish marks. I can't really remember what her main wound was. Like many victims of the earthquake, her whole body had taken a pretty nasty beating and she had a few broken bones, like most. By the end of the assist (another long one), her face wasn't looking that swollen no more.<br />
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At sun down, we headed back to camp in time to find out the Miami University was opening a new hospital right on the airport grounds, in large air-conditioned white tents. I got with a few other volunteers and went there to help move the supplies. It had been neatly ordered before shipping, or so I am told, yet the pile of stuff that actually made it at the hospital was anything but orderly. Enough supplies to cover half a football field, all jumbled together, syringes boxes mixed up with food and baby diapers and military rations. One of our teams had been at it all day, sorting through that mess, and it was starting to take shape.<br />
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The next day, I headed back to the new hospital while my previous team returned to the general hospital. I figured that new hospital could use all the help it could get, and it turns out I wasn't wrong. Just as we arrived, one of the head doctor asked me to distribute food and water to the patients, and as soon as that was done, he asked me to do guard duty at the entrance. Big as these tents were, space was scarce with as many as 200 people getting admitted in a single day. With the constant flow of people coming and going, doctors and nurses had a hard time getting medical supplies or taking care of the patients. So there I was, standing outside of the tent in the sun, keeping unauthorized persons away from the area and controlling the near endless flow of people trying to get in. Kind of like being a bouncer at the door of the hottest club in town. 9:00 am to 11:30 pm, no break, sun hot as hell, but fortunately with the company of another VM. A really cool guy that went by the name of Will.<br />
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A few feet away, doctors were operating on patients with open wounds. They would regularly come to us and ask for whatever it was they needed; from IV fluids to food or medicine or whatever else. We quickly appointed another VM to serve as a messenger between the wards and the supply room. Long before the day was over, anyone who needed anything would just ask a yellow shirt... or was told to do so. The word was out that we could get stuff done. At night, doctors and nurses would come and tell us that our work was very appreciated.<br />
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Back at the camp, I met the general hospital team. They had a couple written messages from "my patients" over there wondering how come I didn't show up again. Was a tough choice, but we were getting the handle of things at the Miami hospital tent and with the volume of new patients, I decided to stay there another couple days. I tell ya, I never knew standing at the entrance was such a hard job. Fortunately, things were getting organized by now and the hospital was going like a well-oiled machine. Supplies were organized and available on demand. There was enough space in the tents for the doctors to work and patients were getting fed regularly. Still patients were pretty gloomy and their relatives were hardly better. I imagine what it must be like to be one of them: lose everything within an instant, and stay day and night near injured family members in pain while doctors operate just a few meters away, patients often screaming or crying.<br />
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That night, John Travolta flew his plane in the airport, with tons of supplies and another team of doctors, so we went out to greet him and help unload the supplies. His plane was absolutely packed full. We got to take a few photos with him before he left. Everyone was cheering and I must say I have never seen people so excited to unload boxes. ;-)<br />
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Amongst the passengers flown on Mr. Travolta's plane was the president of the Mass Casualties Center. Charged with the writing of a manual on disaster management for the Red Cross, he wanted to discuss my experience with handling the bodies of the victims in Thailand, following the Tsunami. He requested me to write up a few pages for his book. With years of experience in disaster management, he also had a lot to share. We went together to the General Hospital on the next day. People were looking quite a bit better. They were fed, for one thing (believe it or not, until our VMs took charge of it, the food & water wasn't getting distributed), but more than that, assists were being done and patients were in a much better mood than they were at first. I got to see again the nurse and some of "my patients". The old man was positively beaming and asked for another assist. The wound on his forearm was now much better. As his daughter was by his side, I decided to teach her how to do the assist and guided her along for 15-20 minutes. The lady was doing much better as well. In fact, her face wasn't swollen anymore. I gave a few more assists to other patients, with good results before returning to the Miami hospital, just in time to witness a genuine miracle.<br />
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The day before, gloom was so thick you needed a machete to carve your way in, but as we walked in, the whole ward was singing along with a couple musicians. You could feel the joy vibrate from all corners of the room. It was an unbelievable spiritual experience. And what do you know, as of this very afternoon, our team had started to deliver assists. Now there was hope. Was it related? I think so. Where we were previously getting requests for drugs and supplies, and everything else, we were now also getting requests by doctors to deliver assists to patients.<br />
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My last few days on the ground ran somewhat similarly to the previous days. I resumed my position in handling security for the hospital, until the last evening when I decided to get some assists done, just for the heck of it. Did a couple of them with good results before getting to my last patient. It was a young man. Well, a few years younger than me anyway. He suffered from a lower back injury and his legs were paralyzed from the knees down. He had been laying on his back ever since the earthquake, unable to lay in any other position. I decided again for a touch assist (it's a great, all-purpose, assist. If you learn nothing else, learn this one).<br />
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At first, he was pretty much resigned to his fate. As I reached his chins, he kept saying it was no use because he couldn't feel anything from his knees down. I told him to just follow the commands. He was getting drowsy. I went all the way down his legs, and he kept telling me he couldn't feel anything, but as I worked my way back up, he could feel a couple spots on his right leg. He was however too much out of it to realize the change. I kept at it. The next time around, I got him to feel the top of his chins and a few more spots on the right leg. The rest, no dice. The assist went on, gaining inches on each pass. His lower back pain turned on. I kept at it. It had already been well over an hour. I knew we were on the right track. A few minutes later, he started to get more alert.<br />
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Going over his legs again and again, he finally realized that he could actually feel my finger on most parts of his legs. He asked me to press harder on some spots so that he could really feel, and then asked me to bend his legs for him. At first, I was doing all the work, but soon he could stretch them back, all by himself. He was looking all bewildered and relieved. He could now bend his legs by himself too, and roll on his side. The pain was gone. I ended the assist and proudly wrote on the patient sheet "touch assist - can now move his legs". Then I told him to inform his doctor of the fact first thing in the morning, as he was supposed to be flown over to Miami for more advanced treatments. He looked at me in awe and said "Yes... Thanks to mister X". I was swollen with pride. It’s a tremendous feeling, no matter how many times you do it, seeing someone else recover that fast is always special. It was the perfect ending.<br />
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Anyway, that's pretty much it for this trip, but there is something else I have to say, that doesn't really show on this report: How amazing my fellow VMs are. All of them. From the "rookies" to the VM vets, everyone was pulling his or her weight and producing miracle after miracle. If you think my story is something special, well perhaps, but you have to hear some of the other stories around. I fell in love with my team all over again. It's a great feeling to know that we are in this together, and that we can really count on each other. I love ya, guys!<br />
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Sylvain<div class="blogger-post-footer">More:
<a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org">Official Scientology Volunteer Ministers Blog</a>
<a href="http://www.scientologyhandbook.org">Scientology VM Handbook</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/scientologyvm">VMs on Youtube</a></div>HaitiBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965130555151408935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567857626234683818.post-29641658617146266072010-02-19T23:20:00.000-08:002010-02-20T23:23:44.256-08:00Elena, Switzerland/USA - Night shift at the HUEH“There was an old lady who was so thin you could count her bones. She had probably not been doing well before the earthquake, and although there was really nothing wrong with her medically, the doctor decided to keep her in the hospital, concerned she would die if he discharged her. She was lying in bed, eyes shut, not eating or reacting to anything at all. I held her and fed her—tiny pieces of food, piece by piece, hoping it would make a difference.<br />
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When I came back the next day, the first thing I saw was this woman, sitting up in her bed, eyes wide open. I smiled at her, she smiled back. Well on the road to recovery.”<br />
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“One night as we waited at the hospital for the bus to bring us back to our camp, two men drove up on a motorcycle balancing an unconscious boy between them. They let him down at our feet saying ‘do what you can for him,’ and drove off. He appeared to be about 10 years old. He was barely breathing. We raced off to get the help of a doctor, who set the child up with an IV. I was holding the boy when he suddenly opened his eyes and gave me a big smile—very much alive. Another casualty who made it.”<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><em>Elena recently returned home to the United States from Haiti and only two days later she went off again to Haiti, on her next project: help building an orphanage. </em></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">More:
<a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org">Official Scientology Volunteer Ministers Blog</a>
<a href="http://www.scientologyhandbook.org">Scientology VM Handbook</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/scientologyvm">VMs on Youtube</a></div>HaitiBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965130555151408935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567857626234683818.post-66971322668236136762010-02-19T20:57:00.000-08:002010-02-20T21:04:33.480-08:00Pavaune, USA - Being a Volunteer Minister in Haiti was an incredibly life-changing experienceI can honestly say that nothing I’ve ever done has so vastly changed my entire viewpoint on life in such a short period of time. When I arrived in Haiti, I had no idea what to expect. I knew I’d be helping but I didn’t know in what way. The first day I discovered we were helping in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the General Hospital in Port-Au-Prince, and I was eager to go there. I arrived, ready to assist in whatever way I could. Little did I know that there would be so many areas that needed help. <br />
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When we walked in there were two nurses and one doctor trying to care for nearly 60 patients in a dilapidated building with barely any electricity, no A/C, very little sheets and too few beds. It was chaos, and patients weren’t dying because of their illnesses or injuries; they were dying because of dehydration and malnutrition. Three patients died in the ICU the day before we got there. Our first job was to get food and water to the patients. The medical professionals were overwhelmed and were coping with simply trying to treat the patients wounds, so they had no time to take care of any of the basics – like feeding or changing these patients. We each assigned ourselves a ward to be responsible for (there were four) and began to assist. <br />
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These patients were eager for someone to speak to – no matter the language barrier. They appreciated that their beds, sheets and diapers were now being changed on a regular basis. Many of my patients had bedsores that were incredibly large and infected, due to no one changing or cleaning them. These sores needed to be cleaned and dressed. I did that. Their diapers needed to be changed. I did that. Their IV drip bags needed to be replaced. I did that. They needed basics that the doctors and nurses didn’t have time to think of. That’s what we did. These were all fundamental things that you didn’t need a medical education to do. You just needed two hands and a head. <br />
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One of the patients in my ward I called “Mama”. She was an 85 year old woman whose family had never come for her. She was severely dehydrated and malnourished. She had no one visiting her, and she was too weak to lift her head, let alone a finger in order to take care of herself. Every morning I would walk in the ICU and give her water, give her food, say “bonjour” and “como se va?” Throughout the day, I would come back to feed her, change her, grant her some beingness and flow her some theta. Finally, on my last day in the ICU, I had a translator with me. Little did I know it, but Mama had a message for me. My translator started relaying it to me. She said, “You are my daughter. You are my whole world. Every day when you leave, I get lonely and every day when you return, I am happy again. You are my daughter, and I love you. I love you. Never forget me. Please just never forget me” I looked into her eyes and thanked her, told her I loved her too and would never, ever forget her and wiped away the tears from both her eyes and my own.<br />
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On our watch, not a single person died in the ICU. What’s more, the tone level of the patients increased at least three-fold. The doctors and nurses of the General Hospital adored the yellow shirts, and within a week, we became known as the “angels of the General Hospital”. <br />
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Not only did I get to help with medical assistance in Haiti, but I got to actually give help to many of those grieving. One experience stands out among the others. One evening a fellow VM, Niko, brought a local hotel worker back to our camp. The man, Jean Claude, was in grief. He had lost nearly his entire family in the quake. He was at work when the quake happened. His family was crushed in their home, and his employer never gave him a day off to try to find them within the rubble. He had never found his mother or father, and he was never able to truly end cycle on them being gone. I started speaking to him, and let him tell me his whole story, and I just listened and acknowledged. I then started a <a href="http://www.scientologyhandbook.org/SH6_7.HTM">Locational Assist</a> with him, and within five minutes his mood improved. Though I still wanted to help him a bit more so I continued. Within 45 seconds of beginning the assist, he turned to me and said: "Tomorrow I’m going to go out and buy some dominoes and cards, and I’m going to sit down and play with my friends. I haven’t played with my friends in over three weeks.” <br />
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“That sounds great,” I said.<br />
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He continued, “And I’m going to listen to music. I love hip-hop, R&B, rock and roll…”<br />
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“Awesome!”<br />
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“You just changed my life! I just realized something. My family is with God now. God will take care of them. I do not need to worry. I need to start creating my future. My future is all I have now, and I must look to it. You just changed my life!”<br />
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I thoroughly acknowledged him and he thanked me endlessly. He kept repeating to me, “You changed my life. You changed my life!” As he was still sleeping on a blanket in the street every night, I offered him a tent that I had. He accepted it with incredible gratitude. He thanked both Niko and I endlessly. Then asked how to spell my name, as (in his words) he “never wanted to forget it”. <br />
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This was the fastest and most effective I have ever seen an assist effect such drastic improvements. The fact is assist technology works. The simple stuff is often the easiest and most valuable to a person.<br />
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Leaving Haiti was one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to do. The people are unbelievable, strong, resilient and generally very friendly. They need our help more than any other group I’ve ever encountered. They are eager to learn ways to improve themselves and their country, and we are there to help. This was by far the most concentrated, life-altering, mind-blowing, incredible experience I’ve ever had. As cliché as that all may sound, it is the only way to even begin putting it into words.<br />
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I encourage anyone who is at all interested in helping the people of Haiti to join the VMs down there – whether you’re a Scientologist or not. You can make an undeniable difference in the lives of many who desperately need it!<br />
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Pavaune, USA<div class="blogger-post-footer">More:
<a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org">Official Scientology Volunteer Ministers Blog</a>
<a href="http://www.scientologyhandbook.org">Scientology VM Handbook</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/scientologyvm">VMs on Youtube</a></div>HaitiBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965130555151408935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567857626234683818.post-50280484275248267002010-02-18T22:56:00.000-08:002010-02-24T04:55:01.498-08:00Working with the Volunteer Ministers: Haiti 2010Shortly after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, my attention was drawn to Haiti and their people. I knew I was going to Haiti! I just did not know how? I visited my neighbors who are actively involved in the Church of Scientology in Clearwater, Florida. We discussed the earthquake disaster and I shared with them that I would really love to go help the people of Haiti. My neighbors picked up the phone, called someone they knew that was organizing the volunteers for the Haiti relief program out of Tampa. Judy Fagerman, who worked in Tampa called me immediately, and before I knew it I was enrolled in a couple of courses required by Scientology to participate as a Volunteer Minister.<br />
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I was awed by the welcoming attitude that I received by everyone that assisted me in Tampa to join their group. Not once did I get resistance because I was not a Scientologist, in fact quite the opposite. Then I was off on a chartered aircraft to Haiti full of wonderful people who had volunteered to assist Haiti. When I arrived in Haiti with the Volunteer Ministers relief group, there was never a question whether I was a part of the group or not. I was impressed by their attitude! I would like to thank my new friends for making it possible for me to go to Haiti and welcoming me as part of Volunteer Ministers relief program.<br />
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When I arrived in Haiti I was introduced to an incredible woman in charge of organizing the VM's and the airport camp. She demonstrated the kind of strength and leadership that was required to achieve our main goal, which was to help the Haiti people rebuild after the devastating earthquake. Most of Haiti’s buildings and homes had fallen and Haiti people lived in make shift camps or on the streets without food, water shelter, or electricity. Countless people were seriously injured with little medical assistance and supplies. Children were injured and living in the streets with no food, water or shelter, who had lost their parents and family members. Due to the large impact of the earthquake many Haitian people were still looking for their families who were trapped under buildings and homes that collapsed. The sight, smells and devastation that this group saw and overcame was amazing! No matter how awful and horrible things were, nothing got in our way to help Haiti people. We never imagined that we would be doing or seeing some of the things we did, but nothing stopped us.<br />
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The VMs had a huge responsibility and kept this large group focused and enthusiastic with a "We can” attitude. The head VM was organized, patient and had the best interest of our group in her heart to ensure that they were safe, healthy and accounted for at all times. Immediately she organized groups to be in charge of tents, sanitation, showers, food supplies, communication, media, etc. for the VM's at the camp. In a very short time she organized groups to assist Haiti at the General Hospital, Miami Hospital, Refugee camps, Orphanages and local people on the street, etc. Transportation for the VM's was a huge task. She was successful and supportive in making sure that assists were being delivered and she organized assist training sessions for the local Scientologist and local people. She lead the way in organizing the distribution of doctors, nurses, medical supplies, food, water, tents, clothing, generators, water purification systems to all of the different groups that were helping the survivors of the earthquake. <br />
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There were Yellow shirts everywhere in Haiti and everyone was talking about the amazing job that was done in such a short amount of time by the VM's. At the end of the day, when we all told our stories of how we made a difference, laughed and cried together. <br />
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The people in the Volunteer Ministries relief group have large hearts and were all about helping others help themselves. They all worked extremely hard in very difficult situations! Thank you for everything you have done for me and for others. Thank you to everyone involved in helping Haiti rebuild for a better future.<br />
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Thank you,<br />
Cindy<div class="blogger-post-footer">More:
<a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org">Official Scientology Volunteer Ministers Blog</a>
<a href="http://www.scientologyhandbook.org">Scientology VM Handbook</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/scientologyvm">VMs on Youtube</a></div>HaitiBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965130555151408935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567857626234683818.post-10170970204800257582010-02-17T21:11:00.000-08:002010-02-20T21:13:14.129-08:00Austin, USA - After everybody forgets about helping, we're still going to be thereOn Sunday, February 14, <a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org/blog/cbs4-reports-group-doctors-ministers-takeoff-help-haiti.html" target="_self">CBS 4 in Miami interviewed Austin Eastlee</a> on his way to Haiti as part of the Scientology Disaster Response Team. The 20-year-old Pasadena City College graphic design student from Glendale, California, said he sees this as a critical point in the Haiti relief effort and this is the reason he is volunteering now. It is the one-month anniversary of the earthquake and many aid workers and medical professionals have had to return home, but so much more help is needed.<br />
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Speaking about volunteer disaster relief, Eastlee told CBS 4 News in Miami, in an interview prior to takeoff to Haiti, "After everybody forgets about helping, we're still going to be there and they're still going to need us. This is what people should be doing-helping people."<br />
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<a name='more'></a>"My friends said they were going and I thought about it and I decided this is what I should be doing. Why not go to Haiti. People are going there to help other people. I want to do that."<br />
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Austin's father, David, is proud of his son's decision. "He's always been a guy who participates and helps and there's nothing but love in his heart," he said. Austin trained to be a Scientology Volunteer Minister when he was 14 years old, although this is the first time he will use his training at a disaster site. "It's great that he can be there and contribute to others, help people and make a difference. To be part of his dreams and support his dreams means everything to me."<br />
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Isabelle Eastlee, Austin's mother, was surprised when he said he was going to Haiti. Once he decided, there was a lot to get done in very little time to go on the flight-- passport, shots, rearranging personal commitments. "He instantly did what he had to do to make it happen," said his mother. "I was very impressed."<br />
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Austin doesn't know what he will be doing in Haiti, but he knows he can put his Volunteer Minister training to good use and make a difference. "I want to do anything that really helps," he said.<br />
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Some of his Scientology Volunteer Minister friends are working in Port-au-Prince hospitals as surgical techs, others are responsible for the organization, inventorying, dispensing and maintenance of hospital medical and food supplies, and still others are helping medical professionals establish clinics in refugee camps. Whatever the task, Austin is ready to learn and work hard. "I just want to be there and help. With my Volunteer Minister training, I can make a difference."<br />
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The Church of Scientology has transported 430 medical professionals and 202 Scientology Volunteer Ministers to Haiti since the earthquake struck on January 12. Miami-based Prudential Aviation donated the use of the aircraft for Sunday's charter flight and earlier flights that left from New York Kennedy Airport on January 16 and 23 and Los Angeles on January 21, with fuel and all other operating costs donated by the International Association of Scientologists.<br />
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<br />
(from: <a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org/blog/after-everybody-forgets-about-helping-were-still-going-be-there-and-theyre-still-going-need-us.">blog.volunteerministers.org</a>)<div class="blogger-post-footer">More:
<a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org">Official Scientology Volunteer Ministers Blog</a>
<a href="http://www.scientologyhandbook.org">Scientology VM Handbook</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/scientologyvm">VMs on Youtube</a></div>HaitiBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965130555151408935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567857626234683818.post-28084829491677436232010-02-15T21:04:00.000-08:002010-02-20T21:08:18.092-08:00Karen, USA - Midwife experiences - helping to give birth in complete darknessA Story from the <a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org/blog/scientology-volunteer-minister-tells-haiti-disaster-response.html">Official Volunteer Ministers Blog</a><br />
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Karen Farrell is a midwife and a Scientology Volunteer Minister who lives in New England. When she heard about the Haiti earthquake on January 12, her first thought was that she needed to help. Four days later she was in Port-au-Prince with the medical and disaster relief team of doctors and nurses from the Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad, paramedics and Volunteer Ministers who boarded a flight in New York on January 16, chartered by the Church of Scientology to take medical personnel and supplies to Haiti.<br />
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Karen was assigned to General Hospital, where the facilities were woefully inadequate for the doctors and nurses working desperately to do something for the worst of the enormous numbers of earthquake victims. Overwhelmed with casualties, the medical staff could scarcely tend to women having babies. The Norwegian Red Cross had set up a small makeshift obstetric and surgical unit and welcomed the midwife and doctors newly arrived from America.<br />
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Karen and a Haitian-American obstetrician from the Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad who arrived on the same flight set up a rudimentary labor and delivery room that Karen described as "archaic" and started moving women in. After a 12-hour shift, exhausted obstetrics staff started leaving for the night. With no doctor on duty, Karen decided to stay. A fortunate decision. Karen delivered two babies that night.<br />
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The first baby was a girl whose mother named her "My Love." The second was born to a 16-year-old first-time mother. Alone, without her family or the father, the young mother was exhausted and terrified. "1 held her in my arms for a long time, rocking her," said Karen. "After eight hours, we were finally able to move her to a room with power (yes, we were in the dark all that time). I had to show her how to push and get her to understand me." With the help of a translator, she told the woman, "Be strong and deliver this baby now!"<br />
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On another night, six women were in labor, two of them difficult cases. Karen could only hope their babies would hold off until the obstetrics staff came back on duty. Then, as morning dawned, another earthquake struck. Panic swept through the hospital. Some patients, forgetting their limbs had been amputated, tried to stand up and run out. Others who were far too sick to move struggled to get out of bed and out of the building.<br />
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"People were screaming and the whole building was shaking," said Karen. The labor room and all the obstetrics patients were in the basement, and Karen knew that if the building collapsed they would all be trapped.<br />
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She scrambled with medical students and military personnel to evacuate the patients from the basement and the wards, carrying them outside and placing them on the ground away from the unstable hospital building.<br />
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The move was too much for some. A young man died when his oxygen tank was disconnected so he could be moved. The nurse with him went into shock and was unable to function. Karen quickly applied her Volunteer Minister Disaster Response training that orients a person to their immediate surroundings, and the nurse soon snapped out of her shock and said, "OK, we have a lot of work to do," and got back to work moving patients to safety.<br />
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Amid the death and destruction, one of the pregnant women started giving birth. Haitian women near the mother-to-be began to sing. When the baby appeared, a doctor shouted, "A baby has been born! There is hope in the world."<br />
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Karen was still hoping the two difficult cases would hold off until an obstetrician came back on duty. Just as one woman was about to give birth, her labor slowed and the obstetrician arrived in time and delivered the baby by Caesarian section.<br />
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Karen also helped non-obstetrics patients. Many had no family because they were killed or separated in the earthquake, so Karen comforted them.<br />
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</i><br />
<i>"Though I don't speak Creole, I could still sit with them and simply listen to them talk. I couldn't understand their words, but I wanted them to know they were not alone.</i><br />
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</i><br />
<i>"One gentleman had so much fear in his eyes. I put my hand on his shoulder and in French I said 'calm.' I just wanted him to know that someone was there. He talked and talked and I nodded my head. I understood enough to know that he was in a lot of pain and was terrified. He thought he was dying, and he was. I got a cold cloth and wiped his face and the back of his neck.</i><br />
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<i>"Everything was in disarray, including the area where the medicine was kept, and the doctors were spending their precious time picking though the medicine trying to find the one the man needed. I told them I would look for it so they could keep treating patients. I finally found it and they gave it to him and he recovered. He made it."</i><br />
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Karen returned home to Boston after a week, to go back to her job. In one week in Haiti she delivered six babies with her own hands and helped with another. She says the experience changed her, and she will never be the same.<div class="blogger-post-footer">More:
<a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org">Official Scientology Volunteer Ministers Blog</a>
<a href="http://www.scientologyhandbook.org">Scientology VM Handbook</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/scientologyvm">VMs on Youtube</a></div>HaitiBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965130555151408935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567857626234683818.post-68978869136594018302010-02-11T21:14:00.000-08:002010-02-20T21:15:21.160-08:00Nicole, USA - This was truly one of the most powerful days of my life!!!This was truly one of the most powerful days of my life!!! We arrived at the hospital and hit the ground running. I say hospital, but the building was so unstable that all the patients were outdoors - some in tents, some under trees, others just baking in the open sun.<br />
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I started off giving <a href="http://scientologyhandbook.org/SH6.HTM">assists</a>. Most of the people were amputees, others were severely disfigured, many had open wounds that were still bleeding. They had huge wins from the assists, and they were so vocally appreciative that we often drew crowds of 10-15 people. Every person asked me to come back tomorrow to teach them and give them more assists. I literally sprinted from one assist to another. Family members patiently waited and then grabbed me the moment I finished an assist and took me to their loved one. One family of nine wouldn't let me leave until I had given all of them an assist.<br />
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<a name='more'></a> I spent half the day directly helping the doctors. I washed patients and fed those who could not feed themselves. I massaged atrophied muscles and even got people to sing to lift their spirits and make them feel better. One about 90-year-old woman who had just had her leg amputated and was severely out of it all of a sudden started tapping my leg and even sang along a bit.<br />
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Everyone I met today was so eager to help and be helped. It was inspiring to work beside such dedicated doctors and nurses. Yes, the day was full of "impossibles" that had to be solved, but I didn't face anything that could not be overcome.<br />
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And last, an experience I will never forget. In one of the tents was a patient we call "Miracle Man." This man absolutely should not still be alive - his body was full of maggots, limbs had been amputated, and he was so emaciated that he looked like a skeleton. Reporters and doctors were pointing and discussing him all day, but I noticed that no one was actually helping him.<br />
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Stephanie (another <a href="http://blog.volunteerminister.org/">Volunteer Minister</a>) and I found some baby food, water, and syringes to feed him with. We cradled, fed him, sang to him, and gave him assists. Although he could barely speak, his gratitude was palpable. <br />
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A couple of hours later I went back to him and found no one had tended to him since I left. I got right back to feeding him, singing to him and giving him assists. After a few minutes, this "ghost" snapped out of the faraway daze he was in and was completely "there." He told me that he wanted to live! He mumbled something in Creole that I didn't understand, but the amputee in the next bed told me he was saying that I was his sister. At first I thought that he was confusing me with his sister, but the neighbor continued to translate: the man I had cared for was telling me that he has absolutely no one in the world, and now I am his sister, I am his angel, and now he wants to live! He cried when I left. (I did not want to leave, but there is a curfew here and it is enforced.) He promised me that he would live so that I could come back tomorrow!!!!<br />
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Nicole<br />
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<div><br />
</div><span class="post-author vcard"> </span><div class="blogger-post-footer">More:
<a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org">Official Scientology Volunteer Ministers Blog</a>
<a href="http://www.scientologyhandbook.org">Scientology VM Handbook</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/scientologyvm">VMs on Youtube</a></div>HaitiBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965130555151408935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567857626234683818.post-45468508091841157262010-02-10T21:15:00.000-08:002010-02-20T21:16:44.691-08:00Olaguer, USA - I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world."As soon as I heard the Scientology VMs were on there way to Haiti I knew that going would be the best decision I ever made. I have been in Haiti for 2 weeks now. <br />
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"A U.S. soldier approached me yesterday as I was driving the big yellow Scientology Volunteer Minister van and said “ Hey I got a guy who needs help for his village, I don’t know, but since its help I thought about you guys.” A few days ago sergeant named CJ said “it’s good to see you guys because you care.”<br />
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"Working hard, day and night, with other Scientology VMs helping the people of Haiti, being able to really help––it is hard to describe in words. At night all you can think about is the sun coming up in the morning so you can wake up and do it all over again.<br />
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"There is nothing like getting hugs from the kids at the orphanage. <br />
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"Seeing people injured and starving made my problems seem like nothing.<br />
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"I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world." <br />
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Olaguer, USA<div class="blogger-post-footer">More:
<a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org">Official Scientology Volunteer Ministers Blog</a>
<a href="http://www.scientologyhandbook.org">Scientology VM Handbook</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/scientologyvm">VMs on Youtube</a></div>HaitiBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965130555151408935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567857626234683818.post-16650389178542620372010-02-10T21:09:00.000-08:002010-02-20T21:10:45.984-08:00Josh, USA - I wouldn't trade the time I have had here for millions of dollars.(with permission of <a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org/blog/helping-doctors-haiti-university-miami-hospital-or.html">Blog.Volunteerministers.org</a>)<br />
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Following his interview with NBC we asked Josh to tell us how he came to work in Haiti and his experiences in a field operating room that could compare war zone field hospital. Here is his response, straight from the Volunteer Ministers camp in Port-Au-Prince:<br />
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"I live my life with the motto ‘I am going to change the world’ and I try to live by this in everything I do.<br />
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"I love to work for organizations that help and to personally help as many people as I can.<br />
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"I had just moved from Los Angeles to Seattle two weeks earlier when my friend Yoshimi called me on Sunday, January 17, and told me that the Scientology Volunteer Ministers had been contacted by more than 100 doctors and nurses who want into to go to Haiti and needed Volunteer Ministers to go help them with anything needed. I immediately said I was in, dropped the job I was supposed to start two days later, told the manager of the apartment I was securing that I was going out of the country and with no money arranged a flight from Seattle to LA. I made it to LA, got my passport in one day and embarked for Haiti on Thursday Jan 21.<br />
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"Upon arriving here I was very excited about helping and wanted to get right into action. I accepted the first position offered at the first meeting I went to, not even knowing what it entailed. We started working at the Miami University Hospital organizing their very chaotic, unsorted, catastrophe of a supply tent. They were very skeptical of us working there at first–they would only allow four VMs to help them and we had to be cleared through their armed guards. Within two hours of us working there they loved us and they asked us to bring two extra guys. By the end of the day we had a crew of about 16 people working for them.<br />
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"At one point we found about 30 stuffed animals amongst all the medical supplies and brought them to the pediatrics tent-which was one of the most emotional things I have experienced here. Those stuffed animals put such smiles on those kids' faces!<br />
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"The next couple days were filled with a lot of sweat and exhaustion, but our hard work was paying off––they wanted us to work more hours and kept on giving us more responsibility. They even had us retrieving patients who had just landed in Black Hawk helicopters. There are no words to describe what it was like to retrieve those airlifted patients. It was like a scene from the TV show MASH.<br />
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"On Saturday, an Operating Room Tech, Cheryl, teamed up with us in the supply tent so we could properly identify and organize the medical supplies. <br />
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"When we were done Cheryl went to my superior on the Volunteer Ministers team and said she wanted me in the Miami University Hospital Operating Room with her the following day. Before this people who weren't medically trained were not allowed into the OR. I began working as a Central Processor in the OR. The job included sterilizing all the instruments and making the kits for the doctors’ surgeries.<br />
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"The following day they added another Volunteer Minister to my OR crew. The doctors were relieved and grateful for the work we were doing for them, they were surprised that we quickly learned the names for the instruments. We could give them almost anything they needed, as long as we had it. Necessity was such that we could not waste time-those doctors needed their instruments immediately in the middle of surgeries and I had to know what they needed. So I did.<br />
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"In the days following, they started training me in OR Tech work (scrubbing up for the surgeries and assisting the doctors at the table, handing the instruments to the doctors, cutting the 'string' during stitching up the patients, blotting the blood from the wounds while they operate, holding the skin together from a recently amputated body part while they stitched up, and even drilling pins into broken bones). That's what I am doing now. Every day in the OR is a new experience and every day we get the most positive feedback from all the doctors and nurses. Many of them tell me I need to train as a doctor because this isn't something that most people can do. Maybe, but for right now I am here in Haiti, to help.<br />
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"Amid all the horror and madness that can happen in the OR, there is mystifying beauty as well... the birth of a baby was the most beautiful thing... in the middle of the pain of Haiti, tears of beauty and happiness as you see this new creation arrive. When you save a life and give people a chance, it outweighs all the horror you see and hear.<br />
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"I wouldn't trade the time I have had here for millions of dollars. I have given my blood, sweat and tears to these people. I am faced with a possibility (albeit very slight) that I could get sick, as anyone else working with injured. But as I told The Today Show in an interview, I don’t regret having come here. I came here to help and that is what I am doing. Because of doing these things, or helping people in any way I can, I am satisfied with my life and I will give it my all.<br />
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~ Joshua"<div class="blogger-post-footer">More:
<a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org">Official Scientology Volunteer Ministers Blog</a>
<a href="http://www.scientologyhandbook.org">Scientology VM Handbook</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/scientologyvm">VMs on Youtube</a></div>HaitiBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965130555151408935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567857626234683818.post-63337867127764647512010-02-08T23:13:00.000-08:002010-02-20T23:16:07.765-08:00Darrell, USA - It was disaster beyond belief.Upon arriving in Haiti two weeks ago I had no idea what to expect. It was disaster beyond belief. Being a medical professional I was assigned to General Hospital on the night shift and assumed there would be support. However the hospital personnel had been traumatized and would not show up inside the building, so my partner, an extremely competent EMT and Nurse, and I tackled the Critical Care Unit with no supplies, very unsanitary conditions, too many patients and very little time. I hate night shift since I left the military, however, the need took precedence. I can't believe that I did not get tired or hungry.<br />
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The first week we got about two to four hours sleep a night (day). Gradually the conditions improved with the untiring effort of my friend and Scientology Volunteer Minister Ayal, and when we showed up on the floor the patients would smile, because they knew they were genuinely being cared for by concerned people. When we finished there were supplies, the floors cleaned, the dead body smell was gone and I felt we had done a very worthwhile deed. Our hours were extremely long and several nights we were without lights. Even though the schedule caught up with my body, I would do it again in a minute.<br />
<a name='more'></a>After leaving General Hospital I had the opportunity to go a children camp that is supported with supplies and logistics by Volunteer Ministers, to examine their mouths and evaluate their health along with another medical doctor. The kids are just precious with the biggest smiles, brightest eyes and wonderful hearts and optimism. <br />
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Today I flew out to an island with several Volunteer Ministerss and an Emergency Room doctor from the University of Miami tent hospital (in Port-au-Prince) to set up a clinic and to survey their needs. With very limited supplies we did wound care and the other doctor did physical exams. Our make-shift clinic was inside a partial building, but it was at least cool in there. The patients were grateful for what we were able to do for them despite of our limited means and after we completed for the day we were treated with a fresh goat meal! They really went out of their way to prepare for the guests they knew were coming even though they can hardly feed themselves. <br />
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I've cried many times while here, but I feel I was able to contribute to their welfare, even though far below what I would like to do and what they need. I would do it all again in a minute.<br />
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The Haitians are fabulous and resilient people and they will overcome this and I will be ever grateful to have been a part of this particular phase of their rehabilitation.<br />
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With great admiration and love to the people of Haiti,<br />
D.C.,DMD<div class="blogger-post-footer">More:
<a href="http://blog.volunteerministers.org">Official Scientology Volunteer Ministers Blog</a>
<a href="http://www.scientologyhandbook.org">Scientology VM Handbook</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/scientologyvm">VMs on Youtube</a></div>HaitiBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965130555151408935noreply@blogger.com