Haiti Is Where Here Heart Is by Karen Rogers
On that very busy last Saturday morning before Christmas, 29 2BC members gathered at the Phillips’s home to enjoy fellowship, a tasty brunch, and a very special gift — an hour of messages from the heart of CBF field personnel Jenny Jenkins, who has spent almost ten years serving in Haiti.
As Jenny shared her story, the group learned that Jenny never aspired to leave her fulfilling, well-compensated job as an oncology nurse at Sloan-Kettering. She was positive her 2007 short term mission trip to Haiti would be her one and only visit there. God’s “calling,” though, came through the eyes and words of a Haitian gentleman who touched her face and thanked her as Jenny tended his wounds. One thing led to another and, in 2009, she left her job as a cancer nurse and moved to help with disaster relief in Grand Goave, Haiti.
Over the past decade, Jenny’s nursing skills have been used in mighty ways. Most Haitians live in rural mountain villages, without electricity, running water or secure shelter. Many suffer from disabling conditions resulting from untreated hypertension and diabetes. TB is a problem. So is malnutrition. What would be a routine ear infection in the US, can become critical in Haiti. When the nearest clinic is a 1-2 hour walk away and when the services and training at the end of the walk are sporadic and meager, at best, little problems can become major challenges.
During her brunch hour with 2BC, Jenny told about progress on her dream of a mountain medical clinic in Magandou. She detailed how the vision for the clinic has become a shared goal of the surrounding communities. Local villagers, men, and women, volunteer as they move stones, shovel dirt, and build cisterns. One great need there is for a general contractor/engineer who can advise (even if just for a couple of weeks) with planning the construction. As Jenny says, she’s a nurse, and she knows little about the details of a building project, but she knows God will lead and will provide.
Jenny’s consistent testimony has been that God is at work in Haiti and that the power of consistent, daily prayer makes a huge difference. She asks for Second to join her in daily prayer for wisdom as the Magandou clinic takes shape and for calm and peace among the people and governmental leaders of Haiti.
Jenny returned to Haiti a few days ago. Her Facebook posting makes clear where her heart is:
Jenny's Haiti Days
January 5 at 11:37 a.m.
There's no place like home! I am so glad to be home! Thanks to everyone over the past few months! Your prayers, encouragement, and support have been an amazing blessing! God is SO GOOD! Now to see what God has in store for this new decade...