Last Thursday, a fire burned an orphanage in Haiti, killing 15 children. Not only was the orphanage unprepared for the fire (the living conditions were cramped and dirty, and candles were used for lighting), but firefighters took 90 minutes to respond. When they did arrive, they lacked the equipment necessary to save any of the children, such as bottled oxygen.

This tragedy only highlights the danger posed to Haitian citizens by fire and burning, and ongoing unrest in this poverty-stricken country doesn’t help.

The clinic

Haitians uses motorcycles as axis, and even ambulances. (Photo courtesy of For Haiti With Love)

Eve DeHart from For Haiti with Love points out that every burn is unique, and that many burns result from people falling off overcrowded motorcycles (these vehicles are used as taxis.) Others result from house fires. Children are often burned from falling or reaching into pots of cooking food.

Because burn victims need bandage changes, the small clinic treated almost 600 people by themselves in January. “So for a relatively small organization, that’s a lot of gloves. That’s a lot of bandages. That’s a lot of tape. That’s a lot of masks. That’s a lot of burn cream. That’s a lot of antibiotic cream for the cuts.”

And the work is directly saving lives. DeHart says, “With the living conditions down there, burns open your body to outside germs and possible infections. And the more the burn, of course, the more the exposure and the more likely it is that without treatment it would be fatal.”

“So, there are a lot of people leaving the clinic when they’re well who acknowledge, “Thank you for everything, you saved my life.’”

Pray that the gospel would spread through Haiti. (Photo courtesy of For Haiti With Love)

DeHart says one trouble facing the clinic is that pharmaceutical companies don’t typically give donations to small organizations. Instead, they give to very large organizations. “That’s the way the pharmaceutical [companies] handles [it]. They don’t dole out little bits anymore. And by little bit, so I would be talking [roughly] 5000 tubes, but still that is small when you’re thinking of filling a container. And that’s the only way they want to donate it. And the expiration date wouldn’t allow us to take it even if we had the [storage space].”

Healing and the Gospel intersect

While the patients are being treated, they want to talk about something to distract them from the pain. Workers at the clinic often share the Gospel with them.

“And that is the best topic for keeping their mind off of what is happening to them. And particularly if it happens to be self-inflicted injuries, by someone who was involved in Voodoo. Because it’s very easy to talk about a loving Lord who does not require you to do those things to show your faithfulness to Him. So it’s probably the most relaxed, the most concentrated focus you could get  . . . for sharing the gospel because you literally have their undivided attention when they’re on the table.”

Because DeHart can’t foresee how many people the clinic will be treating, she asks for prayer that the money for supplies will stay available. The clinic tries to treat anyone who shows up with an injury, and DeHart doesn’t want to turn anyone away. “Because they don’t have anywhere else to go. The hospitals wrapped them in dry gauze and sent them to us.”

Pray also for the staff and patients at For Haiti With Love, that the healing would thrive, and that many would come to know the great Healer. Consider giving to support the ministry and the work God has given them to do.

Header image courtesy of Pexels.

(Photo courtesy For Haiti with Love)

Haiti (FHWL/MNN) — Gratitude shifts your focus from what your life lacks, to the abundance that is already present.

On this Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. we look at another impact story that describes this perfectly. This time, it comes from For Haiti With Love.

FHWL founder Eva DeHart says a Texan man called them last month after hearing an MNN newscast about their need for burn cream. He’s a regular MNN listener who responds to stories by praying and giving.

After their initial conversation, DeHart ran the man’s credit card number for the amount he specified. It didn’t go through, so she called him. He wanted to make a donation  but decided to go about it a more traditional route: traditional, for him, that is. “He went for his recorder, and he recorded the name and the address and promised to send his check.” That’s when DeHart realized this donor was visually impaired. She was humbled even more by his generosity and amazed by God’s hand in the whole situation. “We have a blind man in Texas, calling Florida, to reach out and help burned people in Haiti as an outreach of his own personal ministry.”

(Image of burn cream courtesy Wikipedia)

Here’s why the burn clinic is crucial to For Haiti With Love’s ministry: in July, the staff performed 1,022 services to the most vulnerable. Of those, 492 were a result of burn accidents. And of the burns, 30 were 3 years of age or younger.

DeHart explains that accidents involving hot oil, burning coals, or open flame are common in Cap Haitien: fingers of children too hungry to let the food cool before they start eating, children reaching or touching things when mamma turns her back for just a moment–putting innocent little hands in boiling water, being under a spilled pan of boiling food or water. All of these are accidents that without proper treatment would leave patients dead or scarred for life. But believers gave money for the burn cream, bandages, and tape to keep the burns clean while they heal.

(Photo courtesy For Haiti With Love)

In a land where there are no home medicine cabinets, the burn clinic sees a lot more than burns. 150 of the patients came in with cuts: those treatments vary from cleaning, triple antibiotic cream and a band aid, to cleaning and stitches.  But through donor generosity, God has provided a safe place for them to come and receive the care they need, all in the name of Christ.

It’s just a reminder that even with our own challenges, God can touch hearts to reach beyond ourselves to the needs of others.

“Burns are painful, they are slow healing, and they are very expensive.” (Image courtesy For Haiti)

For Haiti With Love’s Eva DeHart says silver sulfadiazine, more commonly known as silvadene or SSD, is their most effective burn cream.

“It’s a combination of sulfur, which is the healing part of it, and silver, which is an anti-bacterial, anti-infective,” she explains. “It protects from infection and promotes healing, all at the same time.”

But For Haiti’s supply is almost out. And the likelihood of getting more is tied to an unusual element.

“The clinic in Haiti is now tied to the precious metals market, because that is silver,” DeHart states.

As the price of silver goes up, so does the price of burn cream. In March, the price of silvadene jumped from $10 USD for a 400-gram jar to $42 USD. On top of the price hike, DeHart says their partner, Blessings International, has run out of burn cream and isn’t able to help For Haiti’s clinic.

For Haiti was able to raise $2,000 for an entire shipment of silvadene, so there’s hope on the horizon. But, the shipment won’t arrive until October.

“Between now and October, we’re in a pinch,” DeHart explains. “It’s kind of embarrassing to run a burn clinic without burn cream, but it is really hard to find it right now.”

Although For Haiti has found a small supplier who can provide silvadene at $35 USD per jar, it’s beyond what the ministry and most Haitians can afford.

“If we had a big budget, we could just go ahead and order a whole bunch of the 400-gram jars and not worry about it,” DeHart says. “But we really don’t have that kind of budget.”

When the clinic runs out of silvadene, patients have to bring their own.

“Since they don’t have the money for it, then that meant they were borrowing money from relatives to bring their burn cream to the clinic,” explains DeHart.

What happens if patients can’t scrape together enough cash?

“Infections are a real danger, and even the smallest burn can be life-threatening,” she says.

While burn cream is expensive, the doors opened by treatment are priceless.

“It’s really an important service to the people, and a wonderful opportunity to witness,” DeHart says. “Accidents do happen, but sometimes those burns are voodoo priests, or victims of voodoo priests.”

One voodoo priest came to For Haiti’s burn clinic for treatment and left with more than he expected. Not only did clinic workers treat the man’s burns, they shared the Gospel with him.

“He ended up coming back every day. They gave him a Bible, and then he would come up with questions that he had about things in the Bible,” recalls DeHart. “They were actually doing daily Bible studies with him to answer his questions and encourage him where to read next in the Bible.

“It’s some of the one-on-one opportunities you get that really keep you going.”

Pray for a supplier to come forth and help the burn clinic until For Haiti’s October shipment comes in. Pray for decrease in severe burns so less cream is needed for treatment.

If you’d like to help send more burn cream to Haiti, click here.

Eva DeHart with
For Haiti With Love says silver sulfadiazine, more commonly known as silvadene or SSD, is their most effective burn cream.

"It's a combination of sulfur–which is the healing part of it, and silver–which is an anti-bacterial, anti-infective," she explains. "It protects from infection and promotes healing, all at the same time."

But For Haiti's supply is almost out. And the likelihood of getting more is tied to an unusual element.

"The clinic in Haiti is now tied to the precious metals market, because [burn cream contains] silver," DeHart states.

As the price of silver goes up, so does the price of burn cream. In March, the price of silvadene jumped from $10 USD for a 400-gram jar to $42 USD. On top of the price hike, DeHart says their partner, Blessings International, has run out of burn cream and isn't able to help For Haiti's clinic.

For Haiti was able to raise $2,000 for an entire shipment of silvadene, so there's hope on the horizon. But the shipment won't arrive until October.

"Between now and October, we're in a pinch," DeHart explains. "It's kind of embarrassing to run a burn clinic without burn cream, but it is really hard to find it right now."

Although For Haiti has found a small supplier who can provide silvadene at $35 USD per jar, it's beyond what the ministry and most Haitians can afford.

"If we had a big budget, we could just go ahead and order a whole bunch of the 400-gram jars and not worry about it," DeHart says. "But we really don't have that kind of budget."

When the clinic runs out of silvadene, patients have to bring their own.

"Since they don't have the money for it, then that meant they were borrowing money from relatives to bring their burn cream to the clinic," explains DeHart.

What happens if patients can't scrape together enough cash?

"Infections are a real danger, and even the smallest burn can be life-threatening," she says.

While burn cream is expensive, the doors opened by treatment are priceless.

"It's really an important service to the people and a wonderful opportunity to witness," DeHart says. "Accidents do happen, but sometimes those burns are voodoo priests, or victims of voodoo priests."

One voodoo priest came to For Haiti's burn clinic for treatment and left with more than he expected. Not only did clinic workers treat the man's burns, they shared the Gospel with him.

"He ended up coming back every day. They gave him a Bible, and then he would come up with questions that he had about things in the Bible," recalls DeHart. "They were actually doing daily Bible studies with him to answer his questions and encourage him where to read next in the Bible.

"It's some of the one-on-one opportunities you get that really keep you going."

Pray for a supplier to come forth and help the burn clinic until For Haiti's October shipment comes in. Pray for a decrease in severe burns so less cream is needed for treatment.

If you'd like to help send more burn cream to Haiti, click here, then select "DONATE NOW."