O to Ryna and Shirley and a Good Ole Saturday Night

Burned the garbage….check. Hand washed clothes….check. Fending off the stink bugs…check. Another crazy night in Passe Cataboise. Day has come and gone so quick today. Last two days and then we are off.

The morning started at 4 o’clock as I said goodbye to Ryna. She is headed home today. Hard to see her go, she has been great strength and laughter on this trip. Neat image of her taking off. Night sky, a motto, Ryna, the driver, and a bag strapped to the back and they were off. Homeward bound. Kind of crazy to think how three weeks has come and gone so fast. She has been a breath of fresh air to have on this trip. Haven’t met too many people that love the Haitian people like Ryna does. She is a nurse, but on this trip she broke out her teacher skills. I told her that she should change professions. Her patience, love, and energy will be so missed on the rest of this trip. One day at camp we had a total break down, kids were crazy, the workers even seemed crazy and then I looked over at Ryna and she was calm and simply asked what can I do to help. She has been a great presence on this trip. Was just putting something in her crate she left behind and she is still encouraging me as I found a verse she wrote in her box.

Hebrews 12:12-13
So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.

Taking a new grip today and I have another 10 days in Haiti. Ryna, if you are reading me now, love you! Thanks for all that you have done on this trip. You have truly been a beautiful blessing to this adventure. I couldn’t have done it without you.

Said goodbye to Ryna and also my good friend Shirley this morning. I think Shirley sensed that Ryna was leaving. Woke up feeling hot and exhausted. Shirley my precious fan, who I treat like a stuff animal by cuddling her next to my head has past away. Her battery life is done and I have no more to carry me for the next two nights. She will be missed as I sweat myself to sleep tonight..ha. Miss my Ryna and Shirley already.

Three weeks of camp done. Crazy how is came and went so fast, but so grateful for another year with this community and children. The last day made me laugh and dance. We always try to keep the music piece under control. Have the children line up and run around in a circle as they sing. The children playing the drums usually sit on the side and bang those things like there is no tomorrow. But on the last day of camp they started singing, hollering, and dancing everywhere and it got to a point I thought, what the heck, mine as well join them. So fun to just laugh, shout, and dance in the name of the Lord. Chora one of workers took it to another level this year. Some of my favorite memories in camp was watching him with the instruments and getting the children involved with the music. I would be exhausted then I would look at Chora in the middle of the circle singing, sweating, and yelling for them to sing louder. Hahah, it was priceless. Rock it out brotha!

Tomorrow is the last day and then I am off to Port-au-Prince. Please pray for us as we have to get a motto at 4 am on Monday. If it rains the night before it is so hard for us to get out. River in high, road is too muddy. Just pray for no rain and a calm trip with no problems. Love you all! Thanks for all the support and prayers. Until next time….

NO RAIN! Thank you Jesus!

For the last 6 nights it has down poured in Passe Cataboise. When it rains here you don't go anywhere on the roads the next morning because it takes some time to dry. A down pour here is like 12 inches of snow in the states. You don't go anywhere. Ryna left Saturday at 4 in the morning and the night before it did not rain. Saturday night it poured again. We left today and it did not rain Sunday night. Talk about an answered prayer. Rain every night this week, except the two nights that I need it NOT to RAIN! I had this moment this morning as we were on the bikes. Sometimes I think I, we, people, miss God's answered prayers or because we live in a country where we can almost orchestra anything we don't give God enough opportunities to answer those little prayers.

I love Haiti for that. You are completely dependent on him because you are so far from your comfort zone that you would have no way of knowing to make it work. If it rained last night, the river would have been too high, the roads would have been bad and we would have missed our flight. So grateful for the answered prayer last night. Woke up at 4 to a clear night sky full of beautiful starts. Insane morning. On my bike along it was the driver, me, and a bag that weighed 100 lbs. On Dad's bike it was the driver, him, and another 100 lbs. How these drivers do it, I don't know. Riding on that bike is liking skiing down a mountain of snow moogles. You dodge a rock, dodge a hole, dodge a puddle, dodge a donkey, dodge a herd of sheep, dodge a child. You wouldn't think anyone else would be up at 4 in the morning, I was proven wrong. Women, children walking to the market. Men walking to work. Children herding animals. Made me think about my commute to work. I will never complain again. That 30 minutes in traffic is a bit better than a 2 hour walk to work at 4 in the morning.

Beautiful morning. Love riding on the mottos. You feel like you are in another world and trying to take it all in. Safe and sound in Port-au-Prince and ready to roll tomorrow. Continue to pray for our time in Haiti. A hurricane is supposed to be coming our way, so pray that is doesn't:) Love you all! Will post more pictures tomorrow!

Everything You Can Do with a Blue Sheet

So before I left for Haiti my sister told me to bring this random blue sheet. I looked at her with a face like, “Really, WHY?” A random blue sheet, what would I need this for?

Well the blue sheet has been the joke of the weeks. The first day it was our sea for Jesus calming the storm. The second day of camp it was the net for Peter and Andre catching fish. The third day of camp it was our sea when Jesus and Peter walked on water. The fourth day it was the wrappings for the leper that Jesus healed in our skit. The firth day it was the blanket that we carried “dead” Lazarus away in. The fifth day of camp we also ripped it to make blindfolds for when the children were taking a swing at the piñata. Today it became my hankie as I am battling a cold. Without tissues and two hours left of camp I decided to cut a piece off and make it my hanky for the day. I don’t know what is worse, me carrying a hanky for the day or the fact that there was more dirt on it than there was on the floor. Ryna and I continue to joke, “If only our someday future husbands could see us now.” We have had some “pretty” moments..hahah. This would be one of them. Me blowing my nose into a piece of a dirty sheet. AWESOME. Make it work.

Last day of camp tomorrow…the older children are louder and harder, but we are holding fast. We had “school day photos” the other day. Ryna and I made a star backdrop and the each kid was able to take a picture and we are going to makes frames tomorrow. I feel like it was school or prom photos…was trying to hold back the laughter…too cute.

Ryna and I are holding up. She takes off this Saturday to go home and then I will head back to Port-au-Prince for 10 days. She has been a great part in crime on this trip. Great spirit, knows the language, the culture, loves Haiti, and is just fun to laugh with her. She just gave me the best gift ever. For about three years now I have seen this one family wear this shirt that I think is absolutely hilarious. The family has three boys and all three boys have worn the shirt and I have tried to trade a shirt for a shirt last year and never followed through with it. I don’t know how or when I told Ryna about this, but she just walked in with a plastic bag and a bow wrapped around it. It is the shirt. She traded a shirt for a shirt. A picture of the shirt and me is soon to come….the shirt is too good to write, you just need to see it. She has been an amazing sidekick in this adventure and ministry this summer.

Please continue to pray for travels for us. It has been raining cats and dogs here and both Ryna, Dad, and I need to get out of here on Saturday and Monday mornings at 4 in the morning. Rain in Haiti is equal to a foot of snow in the states. When it rains there is so much mud you can’t take a motto and the river is high. It could make for a nasty, hard morning. So please pray for NO RAIN on Friday night and Sunday night. Pray for Ryna’s travels home on Saturday. Pray for our travels out of here. Pray for our time in Cite Soleil. We will be working side by side with some of the locals to run a camp for the children. Excited, but it will be the first we try to do something like this in Cite Soleil. Pray for a covering of safety. Pray that the children would see Jesus in it. Pray that the children would feel the richness of Joy, laughter, and get to feel god’s love through us being there and working together to bring the camp to the city. Pray that the steps are already being aligned to make it work in his perfect plan.

Barbequed Corn, Sa Pi Bons, and Popcorn

What a day. Camp was surprisingly calm, cool and put together. Monday started off a bit crazy, but today was great. The older children have their moments, but it is always neat to engage with a different age group. This Friday we will be done with three weeks of camp and then I will head back in Port-au-Prince. The drums continue to be my favorite part of camp. The girls were so into singing and dancing today that it was hard not to get caught up in it. By the end of it all I was sweating out of my ankles, knees, and maybe my toes. We do camp in an old school room. It has the structure of a mud hut, but has a tin roof. By 12 o’clock the tin has attracted so much heat that one feels like you might be standing on the equator. Good day. Tomorrow we are going to take pictures of the children. Was able to get my hands on a small, portable, printer so we are going to take pictures and then we will make frames for the pictures. I think it would be safe to say that not one of our 47 children in camp has a picture of him/herself. We made a fun background and going to have the children take a pose and smile!

The day ended with a neat moment in the woods. Yesterday the guard’s son brought us some corn. The corn in Haiti is more like field corn, so you have to cook it over a fire to soften it enough that it is good. Today, Ryna, the guard’s son (10 years old), and me headed into the woods to make a fire and cook some corn. We watched as he took his machete and cut some pieces of wood and started a small fire. We chatted Creole, laughed a whole lot, and enjoy the essence of Haiti. He got his hands right in there, flipped the corn with his little fingers. His feet were but 3 inches from the fire and it didn’t even faze him. Peeled the corn and put it back on the fire and kept going. When it was done we enjoyed bbq corn together in the Haitian woods. Love those moments because they are so rich with the culture and the true essence of a Haitian. He chatted on and on, took care of us, talked about Haiti. It will go down as one of the best moments in Haiti.

Dad has found a friend in Haiti. A 6 year-old named James-Li. Got this picture today of them. Dad taking off for the hospital and James-Li right behind him holding some pipes. Dad can’t understand any Creole and James-Li can’t understand any English, but somehow they have found a sweet friendship in keeping each other company on the job. I asked James-Li what he did today. “We stopped water from flowing out a pipe.” Hahah, awesome! Dad said that at the end of the day he came up to wash up under the spicket and James-Li bent over and washed his feet for him. Might seem weird, but made me smile in the simplicity of service and friendship. Some might think what does a 6 year old have to offer to a 57 year old man? Washing his feet, I think that is a pretty amazing gift of service. Makes one stop and think about how am I serving my neighbor, family, or friend. Neat story of the day.

Rained so hard tonight. A bit scary. Hate rain like this in Haiti; don’t know how houses hold up in this. Think of a hut with a thatch roof, now think of a storm, hard rain that last for two hours, and wind that takes your laundry off the line. Brutal, you pray it stops. Been raining too much, but just in the nights. Ended the night with a hearty dinner of popcorn and a sa pi bon, which is juice frozen in a plastic wrap, Haitian style popsicle. Don’t think I got my vitamins today, but we are staying strong.

God has been so good to us. Pray for our trip going out. We leave Monday. Please pray that it does not rain on Sunday. If it does the roads will be awful and we might not be able to get out. Pray for the last three days of camp. Pray that God’s glory would radiate. Pray for my strength. Heading out of PC, but heading into Cite Soleil for a week. Will need more strength, as it is an area that is often full of more problems. Pray for a covering over our team.

Week Two Done

Week 2 is fini! Crazy how time is flying by. Soaking up Haiti. The children were great this week. Repeated a bit of the same activities that we had from last week, but it was neat to see it through the eyes of a different age group. We ended the week with a presentation of children singing, telling jokes, or dancing. It was hilarious. I had a couple of boys ask me to play some rap because they wanted to dance. So I threw down some rap for Jesus and the kids began to break dance. Probably the cutest, funniest thing I have ever seen. When I say break dancing, I mean break dancing. These kids were 11 years old. At one point he put a kid on his shoulders and the kid on his shoulders held the third kid with his feet, then all three children together began spinning around. I almost lost it. Precious!

Good week, week three next week and then we are done out in Passe Cataboise. My dad made it safely here and he is working away. Ryna is in good health, we have been so blessed. Still rocking it out and thanking God for everything he has provided. Still continue to enjoy this place and the people. Been great to play soccer because it is a moment to embrace the children and community. A lot happens on the soccer field. Opportunities to get to know people, teach lessons, make friendships, and grow in language. The children are killing me. I think I am getting old because I can’t keep up like I used to. I am dying in the heat. Sweating everyday. Today I told Ryna that I think I was sweating out of my big toe. So hot.

I was able to head into Port-de-Paix the other day and get my father, which I enjoy because I get to rid on the back of the motto and take Haiti in. Love observing the culture and people. Women on the donkeys heading to the market, children walking for water, tap-taps packed with 40 people, the chaotic transitions at the river. The motto ride in to Port-de-Paix is about 10-15 miles and it takes about 1-2 hours. My dad compared it to motto crossing races. Seems a bit like that. Dodging holes, rocks, cutting the gas when you go down hills, dodging the mud, one usually prays the whole time. Then you think about how if you were in the states you would have a helmet on and then you pray even harder. An adventure all the time.

Week three next week, until then two days of rest. Love you all, continue to be grateful for all of you that support us. Will post more pictures in a week. The Internet is very slow right now.

A Day of Mixed Emotions

Today has been a day of mixed emotions. Started the morning by attending a funeral. A friend of ours, her husband passed away. In Haiti, when someone passes away you often hear this deep wailing. It is often very loud, I could here it and I was about a 10-minute walk from the church. Ryna said, “Sometimes that is what I feel like doing here.” Resonated with my heart. Sometimes I just feel like wailing for this place, the children that die to the harsh reality of malnutrition, worst string of cholera hitting Haiti, the worst earthquake hitting Haiti. Just want to wail sometimes because some of it just doesn’t make sense. It is a wail that is so loud that it sounds like it has been bottles up for years. Seems like there is not one family here that hasn’t endured a deep suffering. It sounds like a deep cry to God, “Help.”

I bleed for this place. It is hard to not want to give it all away here. My troubles seem so insignificant here. Want to yell at my self, at our world, “wake up, HIS kingdom is hurting.” Port-de-Paix just had many people that came to be treated for cholera, 1,200. Two of the Americans here got it and said it was absolutely awful. They said that their bodies had never hurt so badly. So thirsty, body hurt because it could not retain water, could not walk. The worst strand f Cholera hit Haiti. Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti. Pray for the doctors, the patients, and pray that the cholera would subside.

Doesn’t make sense, but then I think…God, give me the faith that passing my own understanding. Give me a faith that leaps after your love and power. A faith that presents its self-daily to you in an offering of take my life.

The day started off with a funeral, a mother and baby dying in the hospital. As the day continued we got to embrace the laughter of camp. Week two almost done. Continued to be amazed at what God is doing. The day ended with quiet a surprise. Tonight we were having coffee and got a call that they were going to do a c-section in the hospital. I took off after the doctors because I wanted to watch and see how my lovely mother gave birth to me: )

I got there and they told me to suit up because they need as many hands as possible for a c-section….ummm, what???? Scrubs…check…hair back…check….face mask..check…change shoes..check…c-section…WHAT? It was quick, but so intense and amazing to watch. Me and Ryna were supposed to be in charge of the baby, but the baby came out not breathing so Anne-Marie and Ryna quickly took over to do heart pumps and give him oxygen. I got put in charge of watching the mother’s blood pressure, hitting some button (that helped with oxygen to mother), and chatting with the mother. Crazy to watch it unfold. After about 10 minutes they got the baby breathing on his own. Healthy, looks great. Mother is great. Leah now wants to be a doctor and will never have children because that was some crazy stuff.

Called home tonight to let my mother know that my dad was safe and sound in Haiti and also say thank you for having me and going through that pain. I too, was a c-section. Mixed emotions kind of day, started with death and ended with life. Continue to embrace God and what he is doing in Haiti. Feel blessed to be a part of Haiti’s story and people’s lives. Thank you all for your prayers, support, and joy. Please continue to pray for tomorrow. Got to go pick up my dad by motto, that is not fun anymore. Always a bit of work. Pray for the next two weeks of camp, that God may continue to use it as a tool to reach the children and work with the youth. Until next time….love you all!