New Addition to Hospitals of Hope

My name is Tricia Erickson and I am the newest addition to the Hospitals of Hope staff. As many of you know, Leta is leaving the Wichita office and moving to Bolivia to be the Volunteer Coordinator. While we are sad to see her go, we are excited for the opportunities she will have in Bolivia.

I thought I would take just a few moments to introduce myself and how I got to Hospitals of Hope. I am a Kansas native born and raised in Newton – just twenty minutes away from Hospitals of Hope.

I graduated from Southwest Baptist University in December 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in communications. In January I got married and moved back to Kansas. I never expected to move back to Kansas. In fact, it was the last thing I wanted to do. But God, with his humor, made it very clear I was supposed to be in Wichita. And as it turns out, he knew what he was doing because he gave me the incredible opportunity to work with Hospitals of Hope.

I am so excited to join the Hospitals of Hope staff. When I graduated, I desperately wanted to work for an organization I believed in and could share their passion for change. Hospitals of Hope is just that organization. I am thrilled to be able to use my skills to help Hospitals of Hope show Christ’s love by healing bodies and souls.

Making Plans

I’m a planner. I plan my meals, I plan the clothes I’ll wear, and, most of all, I plan my life.

The first two of those things generally turn out the way I plan.

One thing that I didn’t plan was moving back to Bolivia.

Last fall, I spent three months in Bolivia as the interim volunteer coordinator. It was heartbreaking to leave in November, knowing that I might never return. I said my goodbyes, packed my bags, and stocked up on Alpaca products.

A little over a week ago, I was asked to return, for longer this time. After taking some time to think, pray, and seek advice, I said yes.

The great thing, for me, about this job is that it lets me do a lot of what I do best – plan. I get to plan volunteer activities at the hospital, plan outreaches into the community, and plan just about every other aspect of every activity that the volunteers and I will be doing. I’ve already started to plan activities for when I arrive next month. I’m hoping we can do an English camp at a home for abused girls, invite the neighborhood kids to the hospital for a week of VBS, and help out at an orphanage for kids with HIV.

The not-so-great thing about this job is that, especially in Bolivia, things never turn out according to plan. The power goes out, the bus drivers go on strike, and the grocery store randomly runs out of things. (How am I supposed to make my carefully-planned Italian meal when the grocery store has no basil for a month?!?)

So I will also plan on some things that aren’t as subject to the whims of the power company, the labor unions, and whatever supply chain governs who gets basil and who doesn’t. I will plan to buy fresh pineapple off the street corner and joke with the street vendors. I will plan to pray with the volunteers and get to know their stories. I will plan to do all I can to let those around me know about the incredible love – and plans – that God has for us.

A lot of my plans probably won’t work. But His will. And they’re better than mine, anyway.

Container Clinic Headed for Haiti!

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Future site of the container hospital in Haiti.

The 3-container hospital we’ve been building for Haiti is nearly ready to ship! This hospital will be operated by Aslan Youth Ministries, an organization working in the north-east of Haiti, within a mile of the border with the Dominican Republic.

Aslan Youth Ministries sought us out because our container hospital is ideal for the area they will be working in. With a fault line running right under where they work, steel shipping containers are much safer than a concrete structure.

We were able to work with them to optimize the design for their needs. One of the problems they told us about was the potential for traffic jams – because people aren’t used to regularly receiving medical care, teams are swamped with patients when they come. Even patients who aren’t really sick come to see the doctor, hoping to receive medicine that might help the next time they or their family members get sick.

To deal with this, Aslan Youth Ministries has developed a color-coding triage system for patients: red, yellow, or green. “Green” patients don’t really need to see the doctor, so these patients will simply receive a small medical kit containing items like Tylenol and Pepto-Bismol – which are too costly for most Haitians to keep on hand. In fact, they’ll often buy just 1 or 2 Tylenol at a time, because it is too expensive for them to buy an entire bottle.

To help avoid traffic jams of these patients, we installed an exterior window into the pharmacy of the hospital, enabling “green” patients to come get their medicine without disrupting the flow of patients inside.

Although the container hospital will be staffed by visiting medical teams to begin with, in the future, it will be staffed by Haitian doctors. We’re considering partnering with them to send a medical team this coming winter. If you’re interested in joining us on this trip or on our August 2011 trip to Haiti, send an email to info@hospitalsofhope.org or give us a call at 316.262.0964.

Chapter Bolivia

In the time I was in Bolivia, my life was changed. But it was not because Bolivia was a place of revelation for me. Nor was it because those three weeks were when I saw God work the most in my short twenty-two years. God was working in me before then and has been working in me since. It seems that no matter where I am, God molds my life so that I can live in His grace more each day.

The greatest lesson I learned from Bolivia was of Unity in the Spirit. No matter what church you go to or what language you speak, if you profess Christ and rely on Him for everything, we are siblings in Christ.

Perhaps the second greatest lesson I learned was what it means to have childlike faith, dependence on God for everything. Some days, it is difficult to see God at work. I want the world to change and to be inspired by God, and, when I do not see the change even in myself, I wonder if God works at all. But He provides even my faith by His grace. By relying on God, even for the motivation to desire Him, I have found my greatest strength lies not within myself, but in the grace of God through His Son Jesus Christ.

Amidst times of stress and weakness, the feeling of God’s closeness wanes, but faith is conviction without sight, assurance without foreknowledge. I remember that God has pulled me through and I laugh with joy.

You do not need to leave America to know God is real. You do not need to have the perfect plan to move forward with your life. All you need is to pursue righteousness. Live based on what you think is best at the time and be open to God’s Word for everything. And if He gives you opportunity to go, you should go. But trust that God will change your life no matter where you go.

~Scott Ho, Bolivia volunteer

2011 Servant Awards

Hospitals of Hope was chosen as one of three Grand Prize winners at the Wichita Servant Christian Community Foundation's 2011 Servant Awards last night. Check out this great video put together for the awards by 5ive Stones Creative!

Thanks to the Servant Christian Community Foundation for choosing us for this award, as well as to all of you who make what we do possible!

Clinic in a Can Container Clinic Allows Volunteers to Treat Earthquake Survivors in Haiti

We arrived at the Leogane clinic by 10 am.…The clinic is a "clinic in a can." It is a long trailer with individual exam rooms and AC!! WOW! Each of the 2 rooms has an exam table, sink, and a wall mounted ophthalmoscope.

I saw some adorable 3-year-old twin boys today. Their house collapsed in the earthquake and they were in the house with their mother. The earthquake was on Tuesday and the family tired to get them out on Tuesday and Wednesday but were unable. On Thursday the neighbors were complaining of the smell and they were told they needed to pay to have the bodies removed. It would cost $1000 which they did not have. The boys and the mother were presumed dead. On Friday, they were again told that they needed to have someone get rid of the bodies so they were able to get the money together. As they started to dig they heart a boy crying. The two boys had been trapped since Tuesday with their dead mother. They were in the clinic tonight with their aunt.

Thanks to Kim Hardy, a volunteer in Haiti who worked in one of the Clinics in a Can that we donated to Heart to Heart, for this story. You can read more about her trip on her blog. Thanks, Kim, for your service, and thanks to all of you who have made the Clinics in a Can possible. You are touching lives!

Breakaway 2011

Last week, for the second year in a row, Hospitals of Hope hosted a volunteer team from Wheaton College over their spring break. This group – of all girls this year – spent the week shadowing doctors in the Wichita area, scraping rust spots on the exterior of containers being converted into clinics, inventorying medical supplies, and exploring Wichita. The girls also had the chance to volunteer with His Helping Hands and the Lord's Diner.

The Wichita community did a great job helping us to welcome the Wheaton team, and we'd especially like to thank Youth Horizons, for providing the girls with a place to stay, and all of the medical professionals who went out of their way to provide them with a wonderful shadowing experience.

The girls did a great job, and we loved having them. Thanks, ladies, for giving up your spring break for us!