Christian Sojourn Haiti team

Christian Sojourn Haiti team to Pignon

    In June I had the privilege of leading a thirteen member work team to Pignon, Haiti.This was not a new experience e for me since I have led  medical-surgical or  work teams to Haiti for the last 35 years. Our first visit to Pignon was in 1984 when I led a medical-surgical team.  It was like going home once again. A few things had changed,  but much still remained the same.

    We traveled to Port au Prince on American Airlines and then flew via MAF to Pignon. The 30 minute flight was a delight instead of  three hours on the road. After our arrival in Pignon, we checked into the dorm and settled in. That afternoon we met with Dr Guy, and he briefed us on the hospital and Pignon. It was great to see Dr. Guy once again after all of these years.

    My team consisted of 6 teenagers and 7 adults including a high school principal, a teacher, a realtor, a nurse, a family physician (myself) and Pat Moore, who retired after serving as a  missionary in Haiti. She had started her career as a missionary in Pignon so it was wonderful to see her make contact with many old friends such as her cook and watchman.

    We worked on several projects during our visit, making school desks and  doing plumbing and electrical repairs.

     We cleaned out, screened, and painted a small house that will be used for a missionary couple who will be coming to Pignon in July.  I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this couple was Gene and Valorie Hauck. Valorie had come to Haiti as a teenager on one of my trips where she met her future husband. He is a general surgeon and she is a nurse midwife, and they are considering becoming long term missionaries.

    It was really rewarding to reside right in the middle of Pignon. The dorm has a large veranda, and we all enjoyed sitting out there and watching the people go by on the main street below. There were donkeys, ox drawn carts, over-loaded pickups, and one day even a marching band!

    One of the highlights for our young people playing basketball. They became acquainted with a group of Haitian youth, and every evening they played basketball togetherl. The teams were very competitive, and they really bonded and had a great time.

    We attended a Haitian church and experienced an uplifting service. That afternoon we visited an orphanage which was just outside of town. The week went by so quickly, and it was time to go home. My entire team had a really good experience in Pignon, and I am looking forward to taking another team there soon.

                                -Stuart P. Embury MD; President Christian Sojourn Haiti, Inc.