The characters

I want you to meet the cast of the show at MamaBabyHaiti. They are a truly awesome group of people, generous with their talents and time and lives.

First, the two young naturopathic doctors whose responsibility is the day-to-day running of the clinic and all of the logistics thus entailed. 

Lovely readers, I give you Sean and Sarah Hesler. 

The Heslers just graduated from medical school and are already out in the world, living their humanitarian philosophy. I am constantly awed by their commitment to provide compassionate medical care for the villagers of Moun Rouge. Sean has magic chiropractic fingers and is generous with his gift. Sarah just had her 27th birthday and bears her complicated responsibilities with grace. They have a vision for this job that goes way beyond childbirth and health clinics.

Next in the cast of alliterative couples is Misty and Martin. Misty is a student midwife and Martin is the chief handyman. I wish I had gotten a photo of Martin wielding his drill with the masonry bit, it was an impressive sight! Their stay in Haiti is more short-term but they have a long-term plan to return. I love these two and would adopt them as my own, except for the fact that they already have several parental types in their lives! Theirs is a calm presence and their firm Christian beliefs are a joy to behold. Two more people who are following God's plan for their lives.

Charles-Marie (pronounced Sharl-Marie) is a Haitian midwife who recently graduated from a school in Haiti. She has been hired on a trial basis by MBH and all of us hope it will be an amicable and long-term relationship. Charles-Marie speaks little English but she is affable and hard-working. She works at MBH in order to support her children, whom she is only able to visit once a month. She will be a boon to the work.

Zeenia is a schoolfriend of the Heslers and also recently graduated from medical school. She is in Haiti for three months, working on the medical end of things. Zeenia is unwaveringly upbeat and has an enthusiasm for life and work that is contagious. 

Santo is our translator. He was at school in Port-au-Prince when the earthquake disrupted his life. Santo took over the role of provider for his family when his Dad died and he supports his Mom and siblings with his earnings at MBH. School in Haiti is not free, so many people are illiterate. Santo longs to get back to school so that he can better his position in life. He speaks Creole, French, Spanish, and English. 

This is Edie, a midwife from North Carolina, formerly from Wis-cahn-son, who is at MBH for three months. I really like Edie. She is fearless and committed to providing good maternity care for the mamas of Haiti, yet humble enough to let the other midwives make decisions and get the experience that they need. She is also a wife, mom, and grandma, who has left that all behind for a season to do this work. 

Add to these people the three of us who traveled over together, a handful of Haitian employees who do the cooking and cleaning and other tasks necessary to keeping a small community working smoothly, and you have a complete cast of characters. 

I miss them already.