God’s Call, Her Bliss

Meet Lisa Richards: HSC Onsite Volunteer Coordinator

My journey to Haiti happened unexpectedly four years ago when I signed up for my first-ever mission trip with my nursing school, Crown College.

I had never felt called to the mission field before and although I loved traveling, I wasn’t too interested in the volunteerism aspect. After some gentle persuasion from my oldest brother, I decided to join some of my peers on a mission trip to Haiti in March 2008.

This trip was a life-changing experience for me and it showed me a new purpose for my nursing. After this trip, I made 9 additional trips before I was able to come here long-term.

After graduation from nursing school in May, 2010 I decided to get at least one year of nursing experience in the states and then seek out a long term position in Haiti. I worked at Twin Cities Pain Clinic in my home town of Minneapolis, and on the side was actively looking for opportunities in Haiti.

The hunt was not an easy one.

Many of the organizations I found opportunities with were just getting on their feet and were not able to offer me much information about what kind of work I could do for them. Also, to my disadvantage was that I was young and did not have many years of experience as a nurse. I finally stumbled across Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB) while searching on a volunteerism website. I checked out their website and they seemed like a well-established organization. I was especially interested because I saw they sent volunteers to Haiti. I contacted them immediately and started the process of becoming a volunteer through them.

CMMB offered volunteer nurse positions in several locations in Haiti. One was at an orphanage near Port au Prince and I thought that would be the best match for me. After visiting, I realized I wanted a chance to interact more with the Haitian community and I didn’t feel like that position would offer me this chance. I also decided it was important to me to work in a hospital setting since my previous nursing experience had been in a clinic and I wanted to grow in my nursing skills. I asked CMMB what opportunities they had in hospitals. They mentioned a hospital near Cap Haitian and I was interested in learning which hospital it was. I had many Haitian friends that went to Hôpital Sacré Coeur for clinical experience as students and they always said it was the best hospital in Haiti. When I found out that CMMB would send me there, I started actively pursuing the opportunity everyday on this incredible journey.

I quit my job and moved to Haiti in mid-December, 2011. I was very excited about this new step in my life and felt God’s guidance to Milot, which gave me the peace I needed to make such a big decision. I had never been to the North of the country, so I quickly discovered a new side of Haiti. I was amazed that the city of Cap Haitian had a grid system for organizing their streets. It seemed much easier to navigate than Port au Prince.

The hospital looked just like what I had seen in pictures and videos before coming. At first everything around the hospital was very confusing to me. I didn’t understand who did what and where to find the things I needed.

Also, the system of how a hospital runs was new for me since I didn’t have any previous experience working in one. Upon my arrival to Haiti, I wasn’t exactly sure how I would help the hospital. I had an idea that I would be working with the volunteer medical staff and that I would also get clinical experience, but because I had never been to the hospital before, it was hard to imagine it all.

I have been volunteering at Hôpital Sacré Coeur for 2 months now. I will be here for a year working as the onsite volunteer coordinator.

I spend the majority of my time organizing things around the compound for the volunteers and helping their week here go as smoothly as possible. Often times this means running around looking for translators, medical supplies, or doctors! When I have down time during the day, you will often find me in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit holding the sick infants, changing their diapers, or feeding them. I have also had some great opportunities to learn from the American doctors and nurses that come to visit. They are eager to teach and I am eager to learn from them. This month I learned how to suture wounds and resuscitate babies!

Every day I wake up and I thank the Lord that I am in Haiti. I enjoy my walk up to the hospital each morning, seeing the same familiar faces and hearing my name affectionately called out. I don’t know why God gave me a passion for Haiti, but he has made my purpose so clear to me. Over the years, I have visited many different towns in Haiti but now that I’m here long term, I see Milot and the hospital as my “home.”


Lisa’s Helpful Hints for Volunteers

What to pack?
If you plan on attending a church service while you are in Haiti, you should bring a skirt or dress if you are a woman, and nice pants if you are a man. Jeans, shorts, sleeveless shirts and scrubs are not acceptable for church. The Haitians take a lot of pride in what they wear to church and as a way to honor that, volunteers should bring a set of nice clothes to wear to church.

If visiting during the months of October – April, you may want to bring a long sleeved shirt or sweatshirt to wear in the evenings. During these months the temperatures drop to the 60’s after the sun goes down and it’s nice to have something to bundle up in!

What language do the Haitians speak?
Kreyol is the common language in Haiti. French is very useful, but only the educated can speak French. It is helpful to study the Kreyol phrases we provide. You may want to consider purchasing audio tapes or a handbook to brush up on Kreyol before you travel. The Haitian faces light up when they hear the Americans speaking their language. It is an easy way to help bridge cultural gaps and to show your attempt to learn their culture.


Lisa Richards is a Registered Nurse and Long-Term Volunteer at Hôpital Sacré Coeur in Milot, Haiti. In this interview, Lisa tells us how excited she is to be spending a year in Haiti, and shares some of the differences between being a nurse in Haiti and a nurse in the USA.