Hi All:
It is a bit longer break between trips to Haiti, as Dr. Luke and Jeff, along with Beth Newton, arrived last night at Cayes after a delayed trip in to Haiti yesterday morning.  All seems well from Luke’s report today (Easter Sunday), so thought I would just give a brief update of several fronts.

Needless to say, I appreciate the team working at the hospital. Luke saw a bunch of pediatric hernias and feels he will be busy with this load, something that will make likely a few less surgeries for Dan and I when we go in a couple weeks. He has been there twice yearly now since the earthquake and, between his work as well as that from Jose Dominguez, Jim Webb and Fred Brown they have made my load very doable, despite the interruptions made by the 3 surgeries so far and have kept the hospital and surgical department running smoothly. It is hard to believe that it has been already 4 years and 3 months since I received my aggressive cancer diagnosis, now a year since the last 15 hour procedure. I am very thankful that the Lord has seen fit to restore me to health, with a few minor speed bumps that remain, and that I can continue to work pretty much full time here in the US and fairly well in my times in Haiti. This is, as “able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.” Although I greatly appreciate the excellent work done by the surgical team of Dr. David Bartlett and the University of Pittsburgh, there is no question in my mind that the Lord has blessed me beyond our expectations and we praise Him for that in this special season.

I will get a repeat CT scan this Wednesday, I think about the 27th one I have had since the start of this all, and will await the reading by Dr. Bartlett regarding future treatments, if there are any to be offered. The TPN continues to be a lifesaver as it keeps meat on my bones and gives me strength to do the work before me, both in the US and in Haiti.  Thank you all again for all your prayers and support of my health and our work for Him in Haiti at CSL.

One of the major tasks Dan and I will work on is to restructure the administrative and medical committee functioning to make it more efficient but also more employee friendly, to reduce the stress on the employees who were, for the most part, afraid of the administration, not a workable situation. I will never fully understand Haitian logic and thinking, but will try our best to create a sustainable environment. We also lost another employee to the US, as a second OR nurse left to marry her fiancé in the US, but will leave a hole in our OR crew. It seems that, despite the noise about reduced immigration, there seems to be a large number of Haitians who migrate, legally, to the US.  So, we have to work on filling the holes with solid Christians who also are capable of doing the job and have a good work ethic, yikes.

Thanks again for your encouragement for our health and service for our Risen Savior in Haiti for His glory.

In Him,
Bill and the Haiti Crew