For today's post, I thought I'd give you an account of normal Saturday activities. I think that the best way to do so is to give you my to-do list for the day. This is what is written on it for today:
1) Sort clothes. (Sometimes they pile up if they aren't ironed. I just toss them in a pile.) Check.
2) Organize grocery store. (Our grocery store consists of three suitcases under my bed. Aisle one is food products. Aisle two is non-food products. And aisle three is bulk food products.) Check.
3) Sweep under beds. (There is a lot of dust and dirt in Haiti that accumulates. We need to do this often.) Check.
4) Clean corners. (Another habit of mine is to lose control of the odds and ends that build up. In America, you have junk drawers. In Haiti, we have corners.) Check.
5) Send 2nd e-mails. (This is a must for communicating with people Stateside. I have to stay disciplined about this or things could go wrong.) Check.
6) Update blog again. (Another communication must. I wanted to make up for the huge intermission between my last few entries.) In Process.
7) Attempt to measure boys. (Sounds odd, I know. I need to measure them for dress pants and shirts. I want to bring them new sets of nice clothes to wear to church. The hard part is that because I don't have measuring tape I have to measure them with a child's toy measuring tape that only extends to 24 inches. No check yet.
8) Clean bureau. (Bureau is the creole word for office. I have to organize that as well because it gets a little out of hand by the end of each week.) No check yet.
9) Scrub down bathroom. (This one is self-explanatory. The only Haitian hiccup was that I only had a 4 oz bottle of Lysol to scrub the whole bathroom down. I successfully stretched it out. Check.
10) Make Bed. (I put this one on there just so I had one to cross off right away. Made me feel better.) Check twice.
11) Clean on and under table. (Had to add this one because it was full of crumbs and dust. I couldn't have a clean room with a dirty table.) Check.
12) Start organizing file cabinet. (Got ambitious. Probably won't conquer that today. p.s. I keep this cabinet-with all the mission's files- behind my door.) No check....yet.
13) Clean safe. (Our "bank" is kept under my table. It need a once-over as well.) Check.
14) Cobwebs. (I feel so much better without those little webs all over my ceiling.) Check.
So, now I have to go back to work. Must complete the to-do list!
Happy birthday, Misty and Grandma!
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
Baptist Revival- Haitian Style
The local baptist church held a revival that was led by our Berea staff last night.
Usually I don't like to go to these things because I'm not a huge fan of "revivals," but this one turned out to be pretty fun.
The first thing I noticed as I sat down was the wall on the other side of the building which was lined with the school's chalkboards. Like our, and most, churches which also run schools, the same building is used for either purpose interchangeably. Only today was this a somewhat uncomfortable issue.
It wasn't that the boards were taking up too much space. The problem was that yesterday's lesson, immediately previous to the service, was one on STD's. That's right- not only did we get a great Biblical lesson from a sound preacher, but we also had wonderful reading material on the causes, symptoms and treatments of AIDS, gonorrhea and syphilis. What a well-rounded service!
The service was loads of fun. We danced to awesome music and listened to a few solos. Then we danced some more. Haitians love when white people dance. They always assume that we lack rhythm. But boy did we teach them a lesson! I cut the concrete, raised the roof, and shook my booty like no one has ever dared to do in any baptist church.
Needless to say, Haitian church services are much more fun than any I've been to in America. Nothing intimidates these people. They sing solo even though they're not the best at it. They dance in the aisles even if everyone else is in their seats. They clap whether they're supposed to or not.
I like it. A lot.
You should come enjoy a Haitian church service sometime. I promise you won't be disappointed. Whether it's by STD lessons, naked children or a contagious beat, you are sure to be surprised at one point or another.
Much love.
Monday, November 9, 2009
God of Details
I will wait for my next entry to tell you about our visit to our school/church in the mountian village called Counol. I was going to recount it for you now, but something has taken place which is important enough to jump to first priority.
Over a series of e-mails a whole plot was unfolded which none of us expected to start our day with. It starts all the way back between 1990-96.
One of our supporters, Lola Mitchell, partnered with Dee and Wilckly in the 90's and sponsored a child named Marie Ange in their children's home.
I met Lola in the week before I came back to Haiti in September, having made a visit to New Lenox, IL to meet with her and some members of her church.
Lola heard that some youth from her church will be preparing food at the National Missionary Convention for distribution to various Haitian ministries and wanted to make sure that we were one of the recepients.
She e-mailed Shelby Baxter, a volunteer at the ministry that, among other things, distributes the food once it arrives in Haiti.
Shelby passed our information along to one Gretchen DeVoe, who is in charge of the distribution.
Gretchen replied postively stating that she is already aquainted with Dee and Wilckly from years passed. Want to know how she is aquainted with them?
It turns out that Marie Ange (Lola's sponsor child) and several other kids whom Dee and Wilckly raised are from the same area as Gretchen's ministry. Marie Ange works for her now!
So the circle is complete. One child raised by dedicated parents was sponsored by a Stateside partner and grew into a capable young woman who now works for another Christ-centered mission. And the connections between all of us will come to fruition in the form of hungry children getting food in their stomachs!
Now, it is not official that we will recieve this food, which will feed hundreds of hungry children in our schools, but I do not serve a God who teases.
I am confident of the positive result that will come of this intricate web of God's divine- and somewhat humerous- plan.
Wow. This job is so much fun!
Much love,
C
Over a series of e-mails a whole plot was unfolded which none of us expected to start our day with. It starts all the way back between 1990-96.
One of our supporters, Lola Mitchell, partnered with Dee and Wilckly in the 90's and sponsored a child named Marie Ange in their children's home.
I met Lola in the week before I came back to Haiti in September, having made a visit to New Lenox, IL to meet with her and some members of her church.
Lola heard that some youth from her church will be preparing food at the National Missionary Convention for distribution to various Haitian ministries and wanted to make sure that we were one of the recepients.
She e-mailed Shelby Baxter, a volunteer at the ministry that, among other things, distributes the food once it arrives in Haiti.
Shelby passed our information along to one Gretchen DeVoe, who is in charge of the distribution.
Gretchen replied postively stating that she is already aquainted with Dee and Wilckly from years passed. Want to know how she is aquainted with them?
It turns out that Marie Ange (Lola's sponsor child) and several other kids whom Dee and Wilckly raised are from the same area as Gretchen's ministry. Marie Ange works for her now!
So the circle is complete. One child raised by dedicated parents was sponsored by a Stateside partner and grew into a capable young woman who now works for another Christ-centered mission. And the connections between all of us will come to fruition in the form of hungry children getting food in their stomachs!
Now, it is not official that we will recieve this food, which will feed hundreds of hungry children in our schools, but I do not serve a God who teases.
I am confident of the positive result that will come of this intricate web of God's divine- and somewhat humerous- plan.
Wow. This job is so much fun!
Much love,
C
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Donkey Days
A recent invitation to a mountain village caused us quite a bit more turmoil than we could have expected.
One Pastor Julmis works for us and has been for about six months now. He used to pastor a church in the mountains before he came here looking for work to support his family and growing children. He's been asking us to go see his church since the day he started working for us.
Well, the time had come. Last Monday Wilckly decided to take a day and go see what Julmis had been up to on his mountain. Poor Wilckly had no idea what he was getting himself, and us, into.
Here's how the day went in a nutshell:
4 am- wake up, load truck, get everyone ready
5 am- departure to a mountain I've never been to before
7 am- arrival at second leg of our journey. End truck ride, begin trek atop a donkey.
9 am- thought I would die a death by donkey
10 am- was sure I would die a death by donkey
11 am- wanted to die a death by donkey, simply to end the agony
11:30 am- arrival at the mountain village
2 pm- departure from the village
4 pm- numbness kicked in
5:30 pm- clouds hid the sunlight (darkness on a donkey)
6 pm- rain began to pour
7 pm- arrived at the truck in the yet pouring rain
8:30 pm- arrived home after driving the last leg of the journey in the back of the truck in the worst rain we've had in weeks, freezing my backside- and all my other sides- off.
Those donkeys had no compassion on us whatsoever. Neither did the terrain. I rode that donkey for as long as I could, all the while being told by our Haitian guides that, "We're almost there. We're almost there."
We were never almost there.
I finally told them to stop, that I couldn't take it anymore, and that I was walking from that point on. Half an hour later thay let me get off. It was one of the most frustrating exchanges I have had in a long while.
It took four hours one way. So eight hours of travel in order to spend three hours in a pleasant little village on none other the Haiti's Terrib Montan. (Terrible Mountain) No, I didn't make that up- that is the name of the mountian we climbed on donkeys. And I'm sure the name of my donkey was Terrib Bouwik (Terrible Donkey). I have no doubt about that.
The visit was splendid, though. Wonderful people greeted us. And they worked hard to get us there safely. One thing that stood out for me was the way the parents there treated their children. They played with them and made them smile and bounced them on their knees and joked with them. And I saw children clinging to their parents' legs for protection, both mothers and fathers. That is not common in Haiti. Not at all.
It was an adventure, for sure- one that I won't soon forget, although my back would love to forget it right now and for all time. It was hard on our bodies, but good for our spirits.
All my love,
C
One Pastor Julmis works for us and has been for about six months now. He used to pastor a church in the mountains before he came here looking for work to support his family and growing children. He's been asking us to go see his church since the day he started working for us.
Well, the time had come. Last Monday Wilckly decided to take a day and go see what Julmis had been up to on his mountain. Poor Wilckly had no idea what he was getting himself, and us, into.
Here's how the day went in a nutshell:
4 am- wake up, load truck, get everyone ready
5 am- departure to a mountain I've never been to before
7 am- arrival at second leg of our journey. End truck ride, begin trek atop a donkey.
9 am- thought I would die a death by donkey
10 am- was sure I would die a death by donkey
11 am- wanted to die a death by donkey, simply to end the agony
11:30 am- arrival at the mountain village
2 pm- departure from the village
4 pm- numbness kicked in
5:30 pm- clouds hid the sunlight (darkness on a donkey)
6 pm- rain began to pour
7 pm- arrived at the truck in the yet pouring rain
8:30 pm- arrived home after driving the last leg of the journey in the back of the truck in the worst rain we've had in weeks, freezing my backside- and all my other sides- off.
Those donkeys had no compassion on us whatsoever. Neither did the terrain. I rode that donkey for as long as I could, all the while being told by our Haitian guides that, "We're almost there. We're almost there."
We were never almost there.
I finally told them to stop, that I couldn't take it anymore, and that I was walking from that point on. Half an hour later thay let me get off. It was one of the most frustrating exchanges I have had in a long while.
It took four hours one way. So eight hours of travel in order to spend three hours in a pleasant little village on none other the Haiti's Terrib Montan. (Terrible Mountain) No, I didn't make that up- that is the name of the mountian we climbed on donkeys. And I'm sure the name of my donkey was Terrib Bouwik (Terrible Donkey). I have no doubt about that.
The visit was splendid, though. Wonderful people greeted us. And they worked hard to get us there safely. One thing that stood out for me was the way the parents there treated their children. They played with them and made them smile and bounced them on their knees and joked with them. And I saw children clinging to their parents' legs for protection, both mothers and fathers. That is not common in Haiti. Not at all.
It was an adventure, for sure- one that I won't soon forget, although my back would love to forget it right now and for all time. It was hard on our bodies, but good for our spirits.
All my love,
C
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Quotable Kelsey
Many of you know who Kelsey is- Dee and Wilckly's middle child. She's four years old and at that learning stage when every fact demands a question, every question demands an answer and every answer demands an explanation followed by another question.
The questions are unending, which naturally becomes a bother after too long. But there are those gold-nugget questions that entertain us enough to make up for all the rest. Such as...
On our second day here in Haiti, we had our first official meeting to attempt to organize our thoughts, needs, goals and priorities. As Dee, Wilckly, Shaina and I sat down under the light of our brightest generator-powered light bulb, Kelsey turned to her dad and said, "Daddy, why are you having this meeting?"
His answer was billiant: "So you can exist."
It seems as though Kelsey's quotability comes from her dad's side of the family.
It's true, though. Without those meetings we are totally at a loss. We can't even eat without having a meeting to find out where the food will come from, who will cook it, where it will be cooked, when it will be cooked and what supplies are needed to cook it. It sounds complicated, but it's also necessary.
That's what life is like here. We are team in every way, and we have to be. If we weren't on the same page you would come here to find four people working harder than anyone else in the world who also happen to be getting absolutely nothing done. Granted, it's difficult to get the four of us to sit down at the same time, but we make it work.
Of course, we can't seem to have many of those sit-downs without our resident entertainer. And Kelsey tends to declare her curiosity with questions on every issue-
"Why are you giving them food?"
"Why did their house fall?"
"Why do they need a job?"
"Why is Daddy talking to that man for all day?"
"Why do mosquitoes reproduce?"
That last one was the result of one of my rants about my hatred for mosquitoes. I'm still getting the hang of having a four-year-old around. It's taking longer than it should.
In any case, we're all learning a lot about what it takes to work as a team and answer all of Kelsey's questions simultaneously. And let's be honest, when she expresses one her cute little four-year-old bits of wisdom, we can't help but melt.
I mean, what would you do if a four-year-old walked out toward the beach and upon reaching the water looked up at you and said, "This ocean is too big"?
The questions are unending, which naturally becomes a bother after too long. But there are those gold-nugget questions that entertain us enough to make up for all the rest. Such as...
On our second day here in Haiti, we had our first official meeting to attempt to organize our thoughts, needs, goals and priorities. As Dee, Wilckly, Shaina and I sat down under the light of our brightest generator-powered light bulb, Kelsey turned to her dad and said, "Daddy, why are you having this meeting?"
His answer was billiant: "So you can exist."
It seems as though Kelsey's quotability comes from her dad's side of the family.
It's true, though. Without those meetings we are totally at a loss. We can't even eat without having a meeting to find out where the food will come from, who will cook it, where it will be cooked, when it will be cooked and what supplies are needed to cook it. It sounds complicated, but it's also necessary.
That's what life is like here. We are team in every way, and we have to be. If we weren't on the same page you would come here to find four people working harder than anyone else in the world who also happen to be getting absolutely nothing done. Granted, it's difficult to get the four of us to sit down at the same time, but we make it work.
Of course, we can't seem to have many of those sit-downs without our resident entertainer. And Kelsey tends to declare her curiosity with questions on every issue-
"Why are you giving them food?"
"Why did their house fall?"
"Why do they need a job?"
"Why is Daddy talking to that man for all day?"
"Why do mosquitoes reproduce?"
That last one was the result of one of my rants about my hatred for mosquitoes. I'm still getting the hang of having a four-year-old around. It's taking longer than it should.
In any case, we're all learning a lot about what it takes to work as a team and answer all of Kelsey's questions simultaneously. And let's be honest, when she expresses one her cute little four-year-old bits of wisdom, we can't help but melt.
I mean, what would you do if a four-year-old walked out toward the beach and upon reaching the water looked up at you and said, "This ocean is too big"?
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
A Few of the Differences
Between this year and last, there are numerous contrasts:
This year, I take UNINTERRUPTED naps.
Last year I was an okay nurse, a poor veterinarian, an unsuccessful farmer, an inconsistent mother, a self-taught stick-shift driver, a rookie boss, a rat's worst nightmare, a frustrated school director, a mosquito's daily bread, a poor excuse for a relief worker, an almost teacher, a bad electrician, a promising mechanic and a missionary without her sanity.
This year I'm a normal administrator.
Last year I missed people so bad it hurt.
This year I have friends who live here AND speak English.
Last year I thought everyone hated me.
This year I'm planting trees with the prime minister.
Who's having a good time now?
That would be ME.
This year, I take UNINTERRUPTED naps.
Last year I was an okay nurse, a poor veterinarian, an unsuccessful farmer, an inconsistent mother, a self-taught stick-shift driver, a rookie boss, a rat's worst nightmare, a frustrated school director, a mosquito's daily bread, a poor excuse for a relief worker, an almost teacher, a bad electrician, a promising mechanic and a missionary without her sanity.
This year I'm a normal administrator.
Last year I missed people so bad it hurt.
This year I have friends who live here AND speak English.
Last year I thought everyone hated me.
This year I'm planting trees with the prime minister.
Who's having a good time now?
That would be ME.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Time passes...or does it?
I feel like I've been here for months already. We've been in full swing since the moment we landed. Already today I've been typing contracts in French, writing up payroll reports, having endless conversations with Haitian after Haitian with all the frustrations we can take in between.
Dee and Wilckly bear the brunt of it. I remember last year having to halt whatever administrative (and necessary) work I was doing so that I could talk to visitors for hours and hours. Most of the Dorce's work is done sitting in the same chair all day dealing with the dozens of people gathering at our door. It's much harder than what 'm doing now.
Every once in a while I'll have to stop and participate in the visits. I have to greet all the people that come through our doors because most of them just come to tell us hello and that they missed us when we were gone. It's actually pretty sweet. But, of course, they come hungry and in need of something. That's where the work comes in.
One of the greetings I really looked forward to when I got here was the one from Melissa. That sweet little girl was so bashful when I first saw her last Sunday. She wouldn't look at me at first, but I could tell she was holding back a smile. Then she grabbed my hand when I wasn't looking. Eventually she fell asleep in my lap. Just the way I like it.
It's difficult here, but it's nice to be back in a place where the things that should matter, do.
Dee and Wilckly bear the brunt of it. I remember last year having to halt whatever administrative (and necessary) work I was doing so that I could talk to visitors for hours and hours. Most of the Dorce's work is done sitting in the same chair all day dealing with the dozens of people gathering at our door. It's much harder than what 'm doing now.
Every once in a while I'll have to stop and participate in the visits. I have to greet all the people that come through our doors because most of them just come to tell us hello and that they missed us when we were gone. It's actually pretty sweet. But, of course, they come hungry and in need of something. That's where the work comes in.
One of the greetings I really looked forward to when I got here was the one from Melissa. That sweet little girl was so bashful when I first saw her last Sunday. She wouldn't look at me at first, but I could tell she was holding back a smile. Then she grabbed my hand when I wasn't looking. Eventually she fell asleep in my lap. Just the way I like it.
It's difficult here, but it's nice to be back in a place where the things that should matter, do.
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