Rachel's turn to talk about vaccines, funding, and whatever else she rambles on about

Does anybody actually know what typhoid does?  Seriously, in our generation?  Elsie and I had this discussion a few days ago.  We know the names of things like malaria, dengue, and typhoid; but as to what they actually are, or the symptoms they cause, we are ashamedly uneducated.  My answer is simply that I think they're probably like the flu.  But worse.  I could educate you all on these diseases now, but since we can all use Google, I'll spare you.  Though you should know about this fun new one name chikungunya.  Apparently it's terrible to get.  Not fatal but if you get it you kind of wish it were.  Bonus:  there's no prevention or cure.  Your best bet is to avoid mosquitos.

Mosquitoes

Speaking of mosquitos, I never knew there were so many types of bug repellents out there with all sorts of levels of DEET (please don't get worried--for as short term as we will be using it, there's nothing for us to be concerned about).  We also found this amazing product to spray on your clothes to help your clothes become bug repellent certified.  Lasts for a few weeks and I'm sure will greatly contribute to how lovely Elsie and I will smell during our trip to Haiti.  Because we're also going after some natural options.  Bring on the garlic pills! 

We really want to avoid mosquito borne illnesses, okay?  (Currently finding myself wondering if these steps will also lead to our team members avoiding us.)

So back to avoiding illnesses, I would like to say thank you to everyone who decided to assist Elsie in making sure I was getting the vaccines I needed.  The constant reminders and questions were...helpful.  :P

Typhoid Rachel

I'm currently on the typhoid pill regimen.  you can either get a shot or take 4 pills.  That was a no-brainer!  Pills it is!

Tuesday, after picking up the prescription the day before, I waited patiently until 2 hours after I'd eaten breakfast then pulled the little foil pack out of the box.  Seriously?  These are the tiniest pills I've ever seen.  All 4 of them equals a regular Vitamin C pill.  I studied the first pill very closely.  Pink and White.  Pretty heavy duty pill casing.  But again, so tiny!  Why do they have you spread them out over 8 days instead of just popping them all at once?

Two hours later, I definitely understood why. 

Can you die from the side effects of a pill for exotic illnesses?  Yes, I may have wondered that.  But my will defeated my stomach's instincts.  I refused to waste the pill I'd swallowed and have to go get a shot after all, but oh. my. goodness. 

I just took the second one a little while ago since it's now been 48 hours since the last one.  Let's just say, I'll be glad to get home where I can dramatically whine over text message to Elsie about how terrible this experience is...and shouldn't she bring me chocolate or something to make me feel better!? 

The Doctor Visit

I'm currently grateful I got shots for the other couple vaccines.  That was a whole experience in itself.  Part of the reason I didn't blog on that sooner was that I needed time to process what all happened during that appointment.  I did laugh when the nurse told me she was disappointed when I didn't cry.  ;)  She seriously was the best ever--I barely felt one of the pricks.

As for the not so fun part of the doctor appointment, let's just say it's a bit ironic to be travelling to a tropical environment with lots of sun when your doctor confirms that you have a skin cancer spot.  It shouldn't be a big deal...I mean, who really needs to keep their face the way it is?  But seriously, I'm learning more and more about how frequently people get these.  Especially if you have similar skin tones to mine (my boyfriend calls it a lovely Victorian pallor--rude, by the way--I prefer porcelain).  So we'll see what happens.  I'm guessing no big deal though of course I will have other tests done to make sure nothing has spread or is occurring elsewhere.

I was initially afraid of what my doctor would say--that this would cancel my Haiti plans!  But it did not :)  While I am under strict orders to be covered up and wear lots of sunscreen, I am approved to wait until I'm back before anything more needs to be done!

And we are so excited to go!  We have met our funding needs, and have had so much wonderful help and generosity extended to us.  We are grateful, and cannot wait to see Haiti for ourselves and make complete fools of ourselves by practicing some of the basic Creole we learned at our last team meeting. 

PS.  Apparently they don't eat that much seafood in Haiti except right on the coast, so I am quite relieved!  Bring on the rice and beans--Elsie and I will be the happiest of travelers :D

Oi, They Shot Me!

Hello, again, friends!

So, a quick update. Thanks to the generosity of several people, we are all set with our payment for the plane tickets that is due at the end of this month.  We are so incredibly thankful and humbled. God provided just as we knew He would, but He did so through the generosity of friends and family going above and beyond to help us out. We're so thankful!

Anyway, on another note, I beat Rachel to get my vaccines started. Mondays I don't work so after spending the morning  at the gym, I dragged Mom up to the  hospital to get my vaccines. It turned out to be kind of an adventure. The immunization clinic sent me upstairs to Public Health to get my vaccine recommendations. So we trekked across the hospital and up a few feet of altitude (via the elevator) to sit in uncomfortable chairs while the airman while a heavy accent perused the CDC website and occasionally asked me questions about the trip that I struggled to understand. (Sorry, I may be able to understand dogs and cats with little trouble but humans with accents are a little harder for me.)

After getting the vaccine recommendations finished, he turned to the list of safety and health topics he was required to cover. Basic things like staying with the group, not drinking the water, and avoiding the medical clinics where they would harvest my organs for the black market.

Anyway, so after all that, we were finally able to go back down to the immunization clinic.  I was told
I needed three shots and to go sit down and wait my turn. They let me sit just long enough to start getting nervous about three intramuscular injections at one time.  And since I work with animal vaccines all the time, I'm imagining three, 1cc injections into my poor deltoids.

My name is called, and I follow the technician to the back. Three syringes sit ominously on the counter. I barely hear her forewarn about the typhoid vaccine causing some soreness as she swiped an alcohol swab on my shoulder.

Now, my last vaccines for school, I practically watched. I'm not usually such a sissy about needles, but I was starting to get a little nervous.  She asked me if I was ready, pinched my deltoid between
her meaty fingers, and jammed the needle into my flesh.  Just before I felt it stab into my humerus....

Just kidding.  She was a super nice lady and was very gentle.  The three injections were over quickly and all I felt was a little poke. And then she have me Peanuts band-aids and sent me on my
way, feeling a bit like a six year old for getting so nervous about the whole ordeal.

I need to get one of my shots boostered in a couple weeks, but otherwise the most painful part is over.
 Other than perhaps the fundraising events in the works for next month....but more on that later.

We're still a couple months out, but I'm getting excited about the trip again. Thank again to all of you for your support and prayers!

Initial Thoughts from the Yodeling Vet Tech

Hello!  So, I'm sitting on the couch right now and feeling pretty amazed with God's provision recently.  I know Rachel talked a little bit about our decision to go to Haiti and some of our apprehension over the fundraising.  It seems easy to believe in our heads that God will provide, but times it's harder to believe that in our hearts when you look at the balance in the bank account and think about that payment deadline coming up in just  a few weeks.

Turns out we need to get our first payment in for our plane tickets at the end of the month.  The tickets are running about $900/person.  Initially, $1,800 does not seem like a lot.  Until you start thinking about student loan payments or have a car that suddenly needs something repaired.  We've seen a couple of those situations in the last couple months already--even before deciding to go to Haiti.   Whatever were we thinking?

Well, one thing I've been learning recently is that God loves to do great, astounding things for His people.  I can easily name several instances when God provided exactly what was needed when it was needed.   So, in light of His previous graces, I am choosing to believe He will provide for our Haiti trip too.

I've never been on a missions trip before.  Truth be told, I've ever had much of a desire to, but something about this Haiti trip tugged at me.  I've been going through a season of having to really make my relationship with Jesus my own.  More and more, I've been, in essence, "growing up" and my teenage faith has had to mature with me.  I think that's why God's asking me to go now.  I'm finally in a place in my faith where I can go, not looking for what I can get out of it (though I am excited for what God will show me), but for what I can bring with me to help the people down there.  Even if it's just a pair of willing hands and feet.

It's been four years since the big earthquake that devastated Haiti.  I can still hear the quiet speculations that it was punishment for how the Haitians' practice of witchcraft and voodoo.  And while I'd hesitate to agree or disagree, I know that regardless, the Haitians are still people.  People who God loves and sent His Son to die for.  Who am I to make that judgment and say they brought it on themselves?  As a Christian, isn't my "soul" responsibility to point them to Jesus?


That's what is pretty cool about this trip.  We aren't going just to paint an established church building.  We're going to help a struggling community build something that will hopefully help them sustain themselves for a long time.  I know it's cliche, but the phrase "actions speak louder than words" has always rung true for me.  I'm more willing to listen to someone when I see them actually living what they advocate.  

I'm excited about this opportunity and trust that God will provide for the trip.  We've only been officially fundraising for about three weeks, and already we're 1/3 of the way to our goal.  It seems like a lot, and yet there's the niggling fear that it won't be enough.  I guess that's where faith comes in--remembering how God has provided in the past and then choosing to believe He will do it again.

Thank you for all you've done to support us!  So many of you have stepped in to help out far more than we expected, and we are so grateful.  We'll be sure to keep you updated.  I may even try to figure out how to take photos of Rachel getting her vaccines so you all can appreciate her.....bravery?  :)

God bless, Friends!
Philipians 1:3--I thank my God every time I remember you.

Getting Started

So, we decided to go to Haiti.

That's cool.  But how do we get there?  I mean, we're going with a group from our church that seems to know what they're doing.  But for fairly recent graduates barely getting their lives (and finances) together, just how do you pull off raising almost $3,000 for a trip?

Sadly enough, it seems like if I decided to go on a vacation it wouldn't seem so bad to take a year and save up for an awesome time.  But to decide in February to go on a trip to Haiti in June is kind of fast.  But I believe it's the right thing to do.  It's important to put your actions and money where your mouth is.  I constantly talk about social justice, about leaving the world a better place, and showing God's love to people.

Talk is easy.  And cheap.

When Elsie seemed just as willing and ready to go to Haiti and do whatever we can to help leave a community more self-sustaining, it was confirmation.  We're going to go.

But we need help.  So we're asking people for money.  Always a little awkward!  But I think knowing how many of our friends and family also believe in helping others, I think we will pull together more than we think.  There will be fundraising opportunities with the team, we're told.  (Please don't tell me we'll have to do the uncomfortable cardboard sign waving for car washes!  I don't mind getting down and dirty for a poor community, but I seriously don't want to wash bugs off someone's car. #ThirdworldproblemsSpoiledBrat)

Anyway, our applications are turned in and according to the group page, we're on the list!  Elsie's successfully making me nervous about vaccinations, and we've got our initial fundraising page started today.

Haiti is poor.  It's a culture and climate unlike anything we've ever seen before.  But we're already falling in love the people just from pictures and stories.  We can't wait to go.

It'll be hot.  It'll be hard. But God willing - it'll be amazing.

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