Many of you saw me on the Channel 8/WAGM news last night, describing my upcoming medical relief trip to Haiti. If so, then you know by now that I will not be in the office for the month of February. Chris Mayer, LAc, Diana Higgins, LMT and Leslie Smith, LMT will all be having normal office hours. Tabitha will be here for abbreviated morning hours during the time that I am away.
It's been a whirl wind of planning and activity since the earthquake in Haiti on 12th of Jan. I realized that I needed to be helping in Haiti with the relief work. In less than two weeks, it's all fallen into place. The flight leaves Portland, ME on the 31st for the Dominican Republic and we will be traveling in a bus to Haiti overnight Feb 1 into the 2nd to arrive outside of Port Au Prince by about 7am. The weeks will be spent in Haiti, delivering medical aid, then returning to the Dominican Republic on the weekends to restock and pick up more volunteers as they arrive. I plan to come home in the beginning of March. I am volunteering as a short term medical missionary with the American Baptist International Ministries.
So far I am aware of close to $2500 that have been donated for antibiotics, medical supplies, shipping of the supplies, transportation, food, lodging, etc. Food and lodging down there will be roughly $340 per week. (Cheap by our rates!) I made a commitment to step out in faith and commit $2500 towards antibiotics and $2000 in other supplies (bandages, ACE wraps, betadine, saline, multivitamins, etc). Much of this will need to be shipped to us in the Dominican Republic due to the baggage limitations with the airlines. As more donations arrive, Tabitha and I will be in contact on the weekends and she will order more supplies and mail them out to us.
If anyone would still like to donate towards this trip for medical relief, knowing that your money will go directly to medical work that I will be doing in Haiti, then you may give cash or checks to:
Grant Memorial United Methodist Church (GMUMC)
79 Fleetwood St.
P.O. Box 992
Presque Isle, ME 04769
(207) 762-9531
Mark in the memo "Haiti relief" and put a note with it that it is for me. Please do not put my name on the check.
The church will then give me a check for the full amount and you may receive a tax deductable receipt.
If you do not need a tax deductable receipt, then you may deliver cash or checks in my name to our office and Tabitha will deposit them into a checking account that was created for this relief missions trip. She will use the money to buy and ship more supplies as it comes in.
Tom is working on making sure that I will have a functional phone for the trip, so I hope that I will at least have internet access on the weekends. No guarantees. If I do, then I will try to update the blog at least weekly.
Need to run, still have LOTS to do to finish off everyday paperwork, make more arrangements, pack and spend time with my family!
God's Blessings as you pray for physical and spiritual healing and safety in Haiti!
- Eva B. Shay, DO
Sunday, January 31, 2010 at 8:56PM ;)
Eva, David and Allison before the gals left for Haiti 1/ 31/10.Thank you for praying us through our travels. God has had His hand on all of us. None of the eight of us who arrived this afternoon had to pay for extra baggage, overweight or had our bags inspected. I brought 2.5 large suitcases of antibiotics, pill bottles and half of the gauze from UMPI. The rest will need to be shipped.