Mission of Nurses
// Jeanne DeTellis Loudon
When I ponder the word “nurse,” I feel a touch of comfort and a hope of healing.
Our Christian nurses serve to heal both the heart and body with wisdom and love.
In 1983, two American nurses came to Haiti with us. Their suitcases were packed with medications and supplies. Their clinic was under a palm tree where they had a small table made of pallet wood and a chair. The line of people looking for medical care seemed endless.
Pray for our nursing students (L to R): Saphtana, Rose, Vastie, Jennica, Kelly, Micharlène, and Wichelineda. Not pictured Jhona.
Many of the illnesses were caused by a lack of clean drinking water. UNICEF had given us a statistic that four out of five children died before the age of five because of dysentery. We drilled wells, and soon saw an immediate improvement in health. Aggressive health education allowed us to go through epidemics with little or no loss.
Nadege Bertrand was our first nursing student, and she passed away during the 2010 earthquake.
With more and more nurses coming to serve, we encouraged the nurses to teach what they could to young Haitian girls. Years later, we sent our first student, Nadege Bertrand, to a nursing school. We were heartbroken and grief-stricken when the school collapsed during the 2010 earthquake and Nadege died.
Graduates of New Missions are going on to nursing school in Haiti. Our Christian nursing students will bring help and hope to families in Haiti.
We have helped a total of 16 nursing students since Nadege and still need more. I am dreaming to hear one of our graduates say, “I want to be a doctor.” ~Jeanne DeTellis Loudon
