After a successful week-long mission in Haiti, Alabama's seven-member medical team returned home to Alabama, Feb. 9. The team, consisting of members of Episcopal Churches from across the diocese, worked side-by-side with their Haitian counterparts to provide much needed medical care to people who would otherwise be unable to afford the cost of a doctor's visit.

The combined Haitian/American medical team treated more than 460 patients in Croix des Bouquets, a suburb of the capital city of Port au Prince and three rural villages.  The villages, Thomazeau, Thoman, and Fond Parisian are situated in the Plaine du Cul de Sac, that stretches east from Port au Prince to near the border with the Dominican Republic. 

The missioners were hosted by the Rev. Fritz Valdema and his wife Carmel, a public health nurse in Haiti.  Pere Val as Rev. Valdema is called is priest in charge of St. Simeon Church in Croix des Bouquets and five other geographically separate churches.  

During the week, team members saw and treated a variety of illnesses and maladies - some minor, others life threatening and sadly, some terminal.  They saw patients with everything from scabies and parasites and infections to malaria, AIDS and advanced aggressive cancer. 

"There were people with illnesses that we could not treat," said the Rev. Dr. Foster Eich, a priest and pediatrician from St. Bartholomew's Church in Florence.  "But, I think we did save some lives."

There was, for example, the 12-year-old boy with tears running down his cheeks from the excruciating pain of a headache caused by a severe case of malaria.  He is now on medication provided by the team and will receive follow-up care from Carmel Valdema.  "Malaria," explained Eich, "is a true scourge in Haiti which is often fatal if not treated."

There was also the tiny infant in a beautiful blue dress lying limp - almost lifeless -- in her mother's arms.  She was suffering from severe dehydration and the team worked patiently and methodically to rehydrate her one drop of liquid at a time. 

And there were the many malnourished children with pencil-thin arms and legs.  The team identified and treated them, and enrolled them and their mothers in a nutrition program operated by the Carmel Valdema and supported in part by gifts from individuals and churches in the Diocese of Alabama.  "Among the kids, the greatest scourge is malnutrition, especially Kwashiorkor (protein deficiency)," said Eich.

Lespwa Timoun, (Hope for the Children) -- the Valdema's nutrition clinic -- provides protein supplements, immunizations and monthly follow-up to significantly malnourished children and nutrition education to their parents.  And the program is making a difference.  Though malnourishment continues to be a significant problem, the Valdemas have seen a gradual reduction in the number of severely malnourished children in the areas the clinic serves.

This was the first medical mission and the second mission trip of Alabama's companion diocese relationship with the Diocese of Haiti.  A construction team built desks and benches for students in two Episcopal Schools in Haiti in October 2007.

The medical team included Dr. Eich and his wife, Ginger; the Rev. Deacon Gerri Aston, St. Andrews Church in Birmingham; Charlotte (C.J) Ross, St. Francis of Assisi in Indian Springs; Camille Cornett, Grace Church, Mt. Meigs; and Cindy Atkins, and Sharon Drachlis, St. Thomas Church in Huntsville.

Departing Atlanta for Haiti on Feb. 2, they carried with them 11 extra suitcases filled with nearly 600 pounds of vitamins, and medical supplies.  Additional medicines and supplies were purchased in Haiti with contributions from churches and individuals from throughout the diocese.

The team also carried hand-made, white alter and pulpit hangings - a gift to the Croix des Bouquets parish.  The set was made by Leslie Youngson a parishioner at St. Mary's on the Highlands in Birmingham.  It was created especially for her church's Haiti Sunday celebration.  The celebration was devoted to raising awareness of, and support for, God's ministry in Haiti.  "They are beautiful.  We will use them for Easter," said a visibly touched Pere Val following the presentation.

The team also presented a set of purple hangings formerly used in the Diocese of Alabama.  "When we arrived at St. Simeon Church for the Ash Wednesday service there they were, already in use," recalled Drachlis one of the mission coordinators. 

Beyond the gifts, the medical supplies and the medical treatment, members of the team shared themselves, their prayers, and their presence.  "We touched and were touched by our brothers and sisters in Christ," said Drachlis.

"It was very rewarding to work with Carmel and Pere Val in their important ministry," said Ginger Eich, a retired physical therapist who served as a pharmacy tech during the mission, packaging vitamins for distribution to all patients who visited the clinics.  "Every person we met there was special," she recalled.

"I was impressed by the pride of the Haitian people," said Atkins, co-coordinator of the mission.  "In a country that seems to be made up, in large part, of dirt, dust, smoke, and wind, the people are clean.  They scrub their children, wear their best clothes, elaborately braid and decorate their hair, and the women carry their handbags even though they may be empty."

Purses and pockets are empty because of the extreme poverty.  Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere.   With rising fuel costs worldwide, the cost of food in the Caribbean is increasing and the poorest in Haiti can not afford the price of a single cup of rice.  It has forced some to eat dirt - literally.  During a visit to a rural market team members found Dirt Cookies for sale.  Made of mud, salt and shortening, and sun-baked, they have no nutritional value, but they are cheap and help fill the emptiness caused by unsatisfied hunger.

"In spite of their poverty, we experienced the rich and gracious hospitality and love of a faithful and hopeful people," said Drachlis.  And so, it was a poignant moment during the team's last night in Haiti, when the Alabamians gathered around the dining table at the hotel with their Haitian friends to eat a farewell supper, and one of the Haitian team members observed: "You know, there are actually people who eat like this every day."

The Episcopal Church in Haiti is an active agent for change in this beautiful but troubled country.

After visiting Haiti in 2006, Alabama Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Henry N. Parsley Jr., said of the Diocese of Haiti, "It is an example of the Church reaching out to be a place of worship and prayer, but (also) a place of social involvement.  You get a wonderful sense of the connection between street and altar,  as the churches reach out to extend the altars of their faith into the streets and communities where people live and have many needs."  He went on to say, "Haiti needs Episcopalians such as us in the Diocese of Alabama to partner with them to help them find some resources to achieve their goals and to make a difference in their society."

Individuals and parishes interested in supporting Alabama's companion diocese relationship with Haiti may contact commission co-chairs Anne Kimzey (hanahanford@yahoo.com), or Dave Drachlis (dave@stthomas-hsv.org).

For more on the mission, click here to read "Mission Haiti... Reflections."

Click here for more on our companion relationship with Haiti 

Click here to Visit ABC News and read an Associated Press report on Dirt Cookies