By Sharon Franklin
Powhatan Resident

Recently, I was asked to join a medical team that was going to render medical care to the people in Haiti. Our plan was to set up a clinic in a church in Dumay, a small town on the outskirts of Port Au Prince.

The medical team was affiliated with Christian Service International Ministries. With the help of co-workers who covered for me the week I was gone, administration, and our generous doctors, I was able to participate in this venture.

I knew this would probably be the hardest thing I have ever done, leaving my home where I am blessed and traveling to a third world country. As most of you know, I volunteer my spare time with the Powhatan Rescue Squad as an EMT. Therefore, I am used to caring for and rendering care to the sick and injured, but this was going to be something I have never experienced before. The people there did not have clean water, food, or medical care. They lived in tents and on the streets surrounded by unsanitary conditions. Most of us here are fortunate enough to know when our next meal is coming, unlike families in Haiti. That is something we never need to take for granted. My stay there will be an experience that will never be forgotten.

If everyone could go and stay in a third world country for a short period of time and experience how these people are forced to live, we would come home and be thankful for what we have. That is how devastating and terribly sad their world is.

Also joining our team were construction workers that were giving their time and skills building an orphanage in Croix de Bouquets, where we were staying. Our clinic was set up in a church in Dumay where we treated and cared for 971 people in that area.

They walked and rode donkeys all the way to the clinic just to be seen.

Though many were extremely sick, they were never caught without a smile on their faces. The people were all so very grateful for everything that we did and provided for them. They allowed complete strangers to come to their land and they trusted us to help them. I am so grateful and blessed that I was given the opportunity to go and make a difference in people’s lives. It is something we all should experience; it makes you take a step back and appreciate the life we have here.

My Point of View welcomes submissions that pertain to life and issues in Powhatan County. The views expressed in the column are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the editorial views of the staff of Powhatan Today.