Selah Yearbook 1991-92

Health Ministry Opens Doors in Haiti

By A m a n d a Schweinsburg "One does not have to be highly educated or trained toproblems that just about anything you can do is meet needs in a Third World setting," Dr. Alan Rabe, going to help," he explained.

While half of the group conducted clinics, the chairman of the Department of Health and Sciences, said.

A medical missions team of Liberty students and faculty others did child evangelism. "The sessions lasted u p to 2 1/2 hours and 200 to 300 children atin the community health and nursing programs makes yearly trips to the Republic of Haiti, where they use a four- tended," Rabe said. " W e would usually have 15 to 20 kids raise their hand every time w e gave an prong approach to meet physical and spiritual needs. invitation showing that they had accepted the The 1991 Health Outreach in Haiti team conducted Lord as their Savior." adult health lessons, medical clinics, child evangelism The door-to-door nutrition survey was also a programs and a nutrition survey in which team members witnessing tool, according to Lane. " W e got to see went door-to-door asking questions about nutrition and health. Every team m e m b e r w a s required to raise his o w n what kind of things they eat; w e got to see where they get their water, which is extremely important; support. and w e got an idea of their immunizations," he Leading the group in addition to Dr. Rabe were Dr. said. "An additional thing w e did is find out what Richard Lane, professor of health sciences and part-time staff physician at Health Services; Sharon Rahilly, nursing they die of. And, of course, once you talk about death it is a natural lead-in to sharing the Gospel." professor; and Linda Rabe, Health Services nurse.

Last year a Liberty team arranged to have a well The team worked in four Baptist churches in an area of put into a church yard. Subsequently, a Christian about 75 kilometers, using posters and interpreters to school was started. Rabe and Lane said that the communicate health facts with the Haitians in the Creole school had 40 students in its first year and enrolllanguage, which is a mixture of French and African diament should have been 80-100 this year. lects.

"The nurses and the community health majors Along with the adult health lessons, the group also conducted free daily health clinics. These were supervised with just basic background could meet tremendous needs in Haiti," Dr. Rabe explained. "If you by the two professional nurses and Dr. Lane, w h o said: place your hand in the Lord's hand and you are " W e saw 815 people in eight mornings. W e wrote and willing to go, H e can use you." filled over 1,400 prescriptions."

Lane noted that the clinic dealt primarily with basic health problems. "In the Third World there are so m a n y 195