Dear friends,
Our Give Hope team has returned to the states after a week in SW Haiti. As you would expect, the time spent there took us on an emotional roller coaster, and re-entry is tougher this time than ever before. I was blessed to have great teammates committed to the cause we support there and wanted to share a little about each of them.
Dr. Lillian Ferdinands is a pediatrician who serves as Co-Medical Director of Give Hope with her husband, Dr. Bill Flannery. Thoughtful but fearless, she seemed right at home in this third-world country in crisis. On Tuesday, we provided a large tent for a family that included a small child whose leg had been injured in the earthquake. The wound was sloppily bandaged, and the child was quite uncomfortable. Dr. Lillian went right to work on the little girl, who was perfecting her “loud screaming” technique. Despite this, Dr. Lillian didn’t miss a beat. Moving swiftly with deft hands, she removed the bandage, treated the wound, and applied a new bandage, all while soothing the screaming child. Soon enough, the child calmed down as the doctor’s work began to relieve her pain. By the time we left, she was throwing kisses at Dr. Lillian and laughing out loud. There is no substitute for having “the touch.”
This trip made 16 times to Cambry for Rob Bolo, dating back to August of 2012. An engineer by education, Rob has enjoyed a very successful career in commercial banking but has scratched his “engineering itch” by serving as Construction Advisor for Give Hope. Whether assessing damage and assigning repair responsibility at widow’s homes, adding hurricane straps to improve the wind resistance of temporary sleeping shelters, setting up classrooms for computer labs, or coaching our young men on setting up a tent, he was always in motion. Rob has been instrumental in the constant upgrading of our campus and Guest House at Cambry and the development of the skills of our young men. Over the years, he has moved from doing the work himself to teaching our young men how to do it. Rob is an incredible gift to our organization and to the young people we serve.
Andrew Patterson, orthopedic PA, and veteran of many Give Hope missions, put his hand up immediately upon hearing that we were looking for experienced medical personnel to go in after the earthquake. Andrew was on the first team I led to Haiti with Angela in 2012, and I learned to count on him on that initial trip. This time, Andrew joined in with Team Rubicon at Immaculate Conception Hospital, where he had worked many times before. The Team Rubicon medical team raved about Andrew’s skills and experience to their team as he worked alongside them. Always a part of the solution, Andrew serves quietly but very effectively. He has an open invitation to join in any mission that Give Hope sponsors.
Angela Quinn and I have eclipsed 40 trips to Haiti after we thought our first trip there would also be our last. Over the course of a decade together in Haiti, I have marveled at her compassion, courage, and competence. Always the first to pick up and console a sick child or run to whatever fire is the hottest moment, Angela inspires all who know her. She is Mom to the students, a friend to the Mamas, and a leader to the Give Hope volunteers. On Sunday, I watched as she circled the church crowd, shooting video for social media and the Gala presentation, but I lost sight of her in the crowd. When I spied her again, she was stooped to the ground caressing a small child who had wandered into the aisle beside the stage. That moment brought back memories of her slipping in bed beside a sick child to comfort her during the Chikungunya crisis, when she held a young boy who was thought to have meningitis, and of countless times when she encouraged and loved on the young people of Cambry. I know of no one who loves more fiercely than Angela Quinn.
I am honored to serve with these and other great people who give their time and treasure to make this work possible. Thanks be to God for all of you.
All the best,
Roger
If you are able to assist Give Hope with our earthquake relief efforts:
- Text haitiearthquake to 44-321
- Visit givehopeglobal.org/donate
- Mail to Give Hope Global: PO Box 2071 Fort Mill, SC 29716