Sisters in Christ and fun times

Anna came to visit me! For those of you who don’t know Anna, we became two of four best friends our freshman year of college. Anna and I took our first trip to Haiti together…and 2^nd…and 3^rd. Well the third, she was here for two months and I visited her.

It was such an encouragement to have her here. I got to introduce her to all my new friends and family and share with her what life is like here. It was good to have another American who loves Haiti to talk with and process through some things with.

She brought some things for me with her. I thought it was just going to be a few things from my parents but I also got two very encouraging notes from two amazing sisters in Christ. I have been overwhelmed recently with the amount of love you all, brothers and sisters, have been pouring out on me. I know you are faithfully praying for me and I thank you so much!

Anna is visiting some other missionaries in Port-de-Paix now and will be back with me for a couple days next week before heading back to America.

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Ronika is the little girl I live with and sometimes her friend, Gonies, comes over with her mom. The last time she came over the two girls handed me paper, a pencil, and some crayons. They first pointed to the placemats and asked me to draw the picture of the wine bottle, grapes, and cheese.  I did and they were impressed. Then they started pointing to things around the room for me to draw. Each time I was finished they would say, “Bravo.” That’s what we tell the kids at school when they do something well.

After the page was full of drawings they would erase a couple so I could draw something else. It was fun to be creative without the pressure of approval or permanency and they got to have fun just being silly with me.

Back to Mirebalais

After church on Sunday we headed back to Mirebalais. LovingHearts orphanage and school is in Mirebalais, depending on traffic, about 2 hours north of Port-au-Prince. School started Monday with about 50 kids, including those from the community. We split up into two groups putting about 15 kids in the younger class. Carline and I taught the kids how to say Good Morning, how are you, I’m fine, what is your name, and my name is. The kids also learned the name of their school and about the five senses. In the older kids class we learned the English words for body parts and I taught the alphabet. I stood at the chalkboard and pointed to each letter as we said it. I felt like a real teacher.

After school, some of the girls decided to do my hair. They took turns combing and braiding different parts. We played hand clapping games. I’m slowing learning the words to the songs. Carline found some coloring pages for me to paint to decorate the house. I let the kids choose which color I painted each object. I learned that where I would choose a similar color to what I think the object should be, red for tree trunks for example if there was no brown, the kids just pick any color they like. We ended up with pick leaves and lime green hair and it was beautiful.  

Instead of Martin picking us up today to come back, Carline and I rode in public transportation. It was a 15 passenger van that runs back and forth between Mirebalais and Port-au-Prince. We were the first ones in the van but only had to wait about 45 minutes for it to be full, so that’s not long at all.

First day of school!

We had 12 children at school. School is in the church building. Everyone arrived and was talking at their tables excited to see each other again and start a new school year. We started the day by praying and singing songs to God. We split up the younger kids from the older ones. Carline and I took the four younger ones. We sang “Good Morning, How are you? Very well thank you, and you?” in French and English. Then we practiced shaking hands and using the phrase in a conversation. Carline sang some other songs with them as well.

After eating and recess all the kids come to one table and I taught them colors in English. There was a song in one of the books Carline has and she gave me legos to point to and ask what color each one was. The kids seemed to be understanding and not just repeating after me. We also sang the Good Morning song with the older kids and added, “What is your name? My name is…” and everyone went around the table to introduce themselves. The kids learned other things today from the other teachers; they aren’t just learning English. Overall it was a great first day of school!

One month

I can’t believe I have been living in Haiti for a month! School doesn’t start until October so it is still summer break here in Haiti. It has been good to watch and learn before being tossed into a busy schedule. A couple of the guys from the church have stating working with me on my Creole. They say I’m getting better. I can read and pronounce the words but it is still difficult for me to hear and understand when anyone is talking.

I am so thankful for the home that I am in. I am defiantly building the closest relationships with these ladies and kids. We teach each other English and Creole phrases as we cook, clean, and hang out during the day. My favorite times are playing games like hide and seek, London Bride falling down, and hand clapping games; I think because the language barrier disappears and we just laugh.

Every Saturday when the electricity comes on we iron our clothes for church in the next morning. Then on Sundays we leave for church around 7am. I join Carline in children’s church where we pray, sing, memorize verses and have a Bible lesson. There are probably 40-50 kids every Sunday. Then I attend the main service. Either I look over the shoulder of the person next to me or borrow Asmene’s song book to sing along. There is a full band (keyboard, bass, drums) and singers leading the worship. When Pastor Martin speaks I can usually figure out the passage we are in and read it for myself but afterwards he explains to me what he talked about. When church is over everyone shakes hands and says, “God bless you”. I usually get back home around noon to eat and prepare the next meal before youth group at 3.

The youth is college-aged people. I’ve enjoyed going and meeting more people my age. The youth group is in transition right now from one president to another. So we are splitting up into groups to plan different parts of the Sunday night service. Every 2^nd Sunday the youth leads. Agenor sits next to me and translates what is going on. The first Sunday that I went they asked me to speak so I talked about what the tattoo on my neck means. In Haitian culture if you are a Christian you don’t have tattoos so I wanted to share why I have some. The word on my neck is makrothumia. It means the spirit which never loses patience with, hope for, or belief in. I explained how in Acts 7 Stephen was being persecuted and stoned but he still shared the story of God. In his last words he doesn’t hate the people but prays God has mercy on them. I shared that I always want to have this spirit of patience hope and belief.

If we aren't Facebook friends I have made my photo album public so you can see more pictures!

What have I been eating in Haiti?

Most everything is fresh, bought every morning. Haitians have four meals a day. A light meal when they wake up, something heavy before going to school or work, another heavy meal when they get home around 3, and then another light meal before bed. I like all the food. The hardest part is adjusting to the timing of eating. Most everything is cooked in several pots over a fire. A casserole can be made by placing the dish inside the pot and treating it like a Dutch oven, putting charcoal pieces on top.

Here’s a list of some of the things I’ve been eating:

Avacados-zaboka-they are as big as your hand!

Eggs-Zu-hard boiled and omelet

Mangos-mango

Sugar cane

Coconut- drank the milk and then ate the inside 

Labape- I’ve never had boiled peanuts but this is what I would imagine they taste like

Bananas- bannann-can be eaten out of the peeling, boiled, or fried

Spaghetti-espageti, and other pasta noodles

Fish-pwason

Chicken-poul

Crab-krab

Rice-diri

Beans-pwq

Corn- mayi-corn on the cob and mashed corn with beans

Potatos-pomdete

Breadfruit- mashed with an okra sauce is called Tom tom ak kalalou

Carrots-kawot

Onions-zonyon, Green peppers, and Green onions are in almost every meal

Keneps

Chips-Doritos, Pringles, and Cheetos

Bread-pen

Coffee-café       

Tea-te

Juice- ji-we squeeze our own lemons, limes, passion fruit, and oranges

Milk-let-comes in a can and you add sugar

7Up and Fruit Champagne- comes in a glass bottle

Also, I drink a 5 gallon jug of water a week

Three stories

Cannon, nothing was here before

The city of Cannon did not exist on January 12, 2010. It was created by displaced people after the earthquake. Cannon added itself to the east of the greater Port-au-Prince area. After initially living in tents, some Haitians chose a new place to live and started building. Now there are business, churches, and schools in Cannon. The department of agriculture planted olive trees in Cannon because you can eat virtually every part of it; the fruit, leaves, and roots.

I’ve been saying yes a lot here. Would you like to try a coconut? Yes. Would you like to help cook? Yes. Would you like to go to the beach? Wi. Would you like to learn a game? Wi. Would you like to go to Cannon? Wi. Would you like to go to church with Carline? Um…I don’t know what happens at church at 10am on a Saturday morning but ok, wi. I ended up at choir practice. A maestro from the big Baptist church in town comes to our church to teach the ladies new songs. He wrote the words on the board and everyone wrote them down in their notebooks. He played the keyboard and led us in singing. Since see and hear the words at the same time. The ladies were s excited that I was singing along.

Every first Saturday night of the month the church had Communion. They moved it to Saturday night because they want to dedicate the proper amount of time to the practice. There is singing, prayer, and a message before the bread and juice is taken. Whether you call it Communion, Eucharist, or Common Meal as Christians we remember Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection together.

For Someone

In Florida (at the end of May, I went for training) God revealed to me that this trip to Haiti wasn’t going to be about building houses. It was going to be about building relationships so that they can be in a closer relationship with God.

So its day 6 and I have learned that God is not just in control of the big things. He takes care of the little things too; and not just general small things but things that pertain to my personality specifically.

Today I got online and saw an email disusing the budget and it said I needed to keep track of spending money with receipts if possible. Well we had already bought some things and I figured the receipts were long gone but at dinner Carline gave them to me. If I hadn’t read that email earlier I would have no idea why she was giving them to me.

Meals are cooked out back and I’ve glanced out there but hadn’t really been out yet. The other night I was trying to think of a way to ask without intruding and Asmen asked if I liked to cook. I said yes! So she got me a knife and showed me what to cut.

Tonight Carline braided my hair without my asking. I don’t share these stories to say I’m never going to try and learn how to ask more questions but to show that God has been showing me He loves me. He created me and knows everything about me.

I titled this post “for someone” because it may not just be the Haitians I am supposed to show God’s love to but also everyone reading this. So I am writing this Saturday night but whenever I post it I know it will be perfect timing for you.

The truth is you are treasured.

You are perfect even as your Father is perfect.

Atoned.

Beautiful.