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When a massive earthquake devastated Haiti this January, one PUC alumnus was especially touched. Nicole Wilson, class of 2006, had just returned from the impoverished island nation, where she and a group of Christian missionaries had been ministering to the medical, social, and spiritual needs of the people there in the wake of several hurricanes last year.

This most recent disaster has served as a call to this missionary, who is now in the process of developing an international organization devoted to providing care to people living in underdeveloped countries. Wilson plans to open the organization鈥檚 first center鈥攚hich will contain a clinic, orphanage, and learning center鈥攊n Haiti, a place that has grown very close to her heart.

鈥淯nfortunately it took a natural disaster, but I think it shed light on Haiti,鈥� says Wilson. 鈥淚鈥檓 hoping God鈥檚 plan is for it to be rebuilt, and maybe we鈥檒l obtain the resources they need to be able to do so.鈥�

Wilson got her start in missions at PUC when she joined a group ministering in Thailand in 2003. That trip, along with opportunities like PUC鈥檚 Homeless Ministries, ignited her passion for service. 鈥淧UC is very service-oriented, and the encouragement of missions I received really inspired me to do the same,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I would have had that opportunity anywhere else.鈥�

After graduating from PUC and earning a MS in health science and education, Wilson started training to become a physician鈥檚 assistant at the University of California, Davis. The training served her well last year during her first trip to Haiti with a non-denominational Christian mission group called God鈥檚 Chosen Ones Ministry (GCOM) International.

鈥淲e were able to see over 500 patients in those ten days,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e had a ton of complaints.鈥� Those complaints ran from sun damage from exposure to more serious wounds. And in the aftermath of last year鈥檚 hurricanes, infection was everywhere. 鈥淭hey only have dirty water to wash with, so they get perpetual infections. You鈥檇 get complaints from kids as young as four all the way up through the elderly.鈥� Add to this the scarcity of medical resources鈥攚ounds are being bandaged with trash bags, and ibuprofen there costs two dollars a pill鈥攁nd it鈥檚 a recipe for a medical crisis.

Tristan Hensel, another PUC alum who joined the group on Wilson鈥檚 suggestion, was shocked by the enormity of the devastation. 鈥淚 felt like we were just scratching the surface,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e would drive 30 minutes away and help 200 people, but on the way there would be thousands of people needing assistance.鈥�

Just two weeks after the group returned stateside, last month鈥檚 earthquake struck the already-reeling island. Sadly, many of the very people that Wilson had just served were lost. An orphanage they had visited sustained major structural damage. Wilson contacted GCOM and signed up to return to Haiti in March.

She鈥檚 bracing herself for the worst. 鈥淚t鈥檚 gonna be a whole different ballgame now,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what we鈥檒l see鈥攑robably a lot of infections. I hear they鈥檙e doing 70 amputations a day in Haiti as a result of the disaster.鈥� Besides the medical care the group anticipates providing, they will be collecting and distributing supplies like food, tents, and clean water鈥攁s well as something less tangible.

鈥淢y objective is to bring them hope. A lot of people have lost their friends and family members, and to some of them I鈥檓 a familiar face,鈥� she says. 鈥淪o if that provides comfort then my goal鈥檚 been accomplished.鈥�

But this upcoming trip is just a start. Wilson is laying the foundations for Kasavita International, along with Tristan who is providing business and infrastructure support. With this organization, they intend to eventually establish a chain of ministry centers in countries of need around the world, beginning in Haiti. 鈥淭hey can鈥檛 have too many clinics there, because there鈥檚 such a need right now,鈥� says Tristan. 鈥淓ven the 20 or so organizations that I saw while we were there are barely meeting the needs of the people.鈥�

The initial planning stages of the project are complete and they plan to have a fundraising campaign and website operational next month. 鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting, because I鈥檝e always wanted to do it and now it鈥檚 actually going to happen,鈥� Wilson says.

In the meantime, Wilson is preparing for her upcoming return to Haiti, and that means soliciting donations for funds, food, temporary shelters, medical supplies, and more. 鈥淏asically, if you have it and you think it would be beneficial, it would help Haiti,鈥� Wilson says. 鈥淎nd it doesn鈥檛 matter who you give it to. You can donate anywhere鈥攖he biggest goal is to get it there.鈥�

To find out how you can help support Kasavita International, email Wilson at info@kasavita.org. For information on contributing to the Haiti relief effort in general, visit the following sites:

God鈥檚 Chose Ones Ministry International

Adventist Development and Relief Agency