Local ministry aims to aid Haitians with medical mission
Seth Pope spray paints a Women Arise logo as Nathaniel Alexander works on the hood of a school bus that is being converted to a mobile medical unit and will be driven and transferred via a cargo boat to Haiti later this summer. (EXAMINER PHOTO | REUBEN MEES)
After witnessing an impoverished people’s struggle to cope with the aftermath of a devastating natural disaster, a local pastor and her ministry decided to spring into action.
Shelley Stephenson, of the Christ Covenant Church and a leader of the Women Arise ministry, visited Haiti in March to assist with the nation’s effort to recover from Hurricane Matthew, which made landfall on Oct. 4, causing an estimated $1.9 million in damage and affecting countless lives.
“When I was there after Hurricane Matthew, it touched my heart and God called me to do something,” Stephenson said. “I wasn’t sure what at first.”
For Haitian citizens dealing with the aftermath of the third worst hurricane to hit the nation, a simple cut easily can turn into a serious infection because of the lack of basic medications, she said.
“I saw so many sick people that all they needed was a simple antibiotic but because they didn’t get it, it turned into a much worse infection or worms,” the pastor said, noting that the villagers she saw were forced to clean wounds with dirty water and the fresh fruit that is a staple of their diets was lacking because of damage to the crops.
Upon returning to the United States, she discussed the idea with the fellow members of the Women Arise ministry and they originally considered opening a medical clinic. Then they found a good deal on a used school bus at Cardinal Bus Sales in Lima and got a different idea.
Read complete story in Monday’s Examiner.
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