The other side of the donation chain

I receive a text message from the Pastor just before dinner was to be served asking me to come down to the orphanage to help with something. I responded that I would be right down, asked the other missionaries to wrap a plate of diner for me, and headed down.

On my mind was that the Pastor wanted to talk about our trip next week to Cäiman or perhaps something about the rest of the week. The reality I found out when I got there was that he was expecting some chairs and wanted some help with the unloading. I thought sure, I'd love to help out, love doing this type of stuff in Haiti.

I probably should have started getting suspicious when more and more strong young men started to show up. It began to look like Pastor called in a lot of the young men from the church. And the the truck came.

Not a pickup truck. Not even a box truck. A full shipping container in the back of a truck. We opened it up and it was packed floor to ceiling.

The good news was it contained student classroom desks (with gum still on the bottom) and brand new mattresses. It also contained lots of firefighter gear which was a bit puzzling and I asked the Pastor if he was planning to start his own fire department. He said that it was to donate to the city.

So into the truck Frandzy and I went and worked at a pretty good pace until the container was empty and everything was in the centre's courtyard. It was important to empty the truck quickly as it was not able to fully back into the centre and was blocking the street. I am glad it was evening, because I can't imagine how hot inside that container would be in the heat of the day.

With the truck unloaded the next task was to move the desks to the second floor classrooms and the rest to the third floor storage. Again, thankfully not the heat of the day. Everyone chipped in and we went from a full container to everything where it needed to be in about two hours. Even some of the older children pitched in and I am very impressed with their strength and stamina; both the boys and the girls.

The children and even some of the older "children" enjoyed trying on the firefighter gear.

Once done it was back to the guest house. My mission mates brought out the food, ice, and cola. That iced cola never tasted so goo and a big thank you to them for saving me diner.

Tonight I pray a a prayer of thanks for the donation to the centre and for all the hands that helped unload it. I pray that it will be put to God glory to help educate and care for the children. I also offer a prayer of thanks for my mission mates for the help tonight. Amen.

Location:Ruelle Samba,Port-au-Prince,Haiti

The Magic of a Pencil Sharpner

These are really my favorite type of pictures. I didn't ask them to pose. One girl ask me to take a picture of her and then grabbed a friend and before you know it lots of giggles and a picture. You can see a couple of the new children to the group home in this picture as well. 

Today we made God's guys with the kids. They had some difficulties getting started, but once started they did very well. I brought a throw toy as well. It didn't last very long Nd now sits on the roof three stories up waiting for a strong gust to blow it down. 

Finally today we purchased some pencils, a Sharpner, and some paper. This was because the other day some of the older children asked about pencils when we were handing out crayons. This led to two interesting findings. 

The pencil sharpener we purchased was and old hand crank model. Apparently the children had never seen one before and their expressions when a sharpened pencil was pulled out of the sharpener after a few cranks was priceless. 

The second noticed was that pencil and paper kept they quiet and mesmerized in thought for quite a long while. Give a child a pencil and paper and their imaginations go to work. 

Tonight I pray for Haiti and that it will rise from its current state to once again become the pearl of the Caribbean that it once was. That the people of Haiti will work together to left each other up as beloved children of God. Amen. 

Odds and Ends

There was no school today so we headed down to the orphanage after their breakfast time, but it turns out they had a problem with the gas, so breakfast hadn't been prepared yet. The kids eat two meals a day, which is normal in Haiti and for both meals today it looked like beans and rice, which is a Haitian staple; but I have to admit it looked like rice sprinkled with a few beans. 

We di make bead fish with the children in the morning. This is a craft where you string together bead in the shape of a fish. The children were quite good at it one they learned the concept and soon their were bead fish, necklaces, bracelets, and other things. 

I should mention that there are a mother and daughter team down here as well for this week. They are from Virginia and this is the third trip for the daughter, but the first trip for the mother. The daughter teacher 1st grade and the mother is retired. They brought craft supplies and ideas, I have some supplies and toys. 

The Pastor's oldest daughter is going to university in Oklahoma and his next oldest daughter just finished high school and is looking to go to school in New York for business administration. She wanted to practice her English so we spoke a bit. I think New York will be quite a change for her if she gets accepted. I was able to find out more about Sunshine's progress. She said Sunshine is always hungry and loves food. She said that she is strong, but just doesn't want to walk and that the family has to work with he to walk even if she cries to be carried sometimes. 

I also found out a bit more about the money the boys make for selling crafts. Apparently they sell to groups that come to the orphanage as opposed to selling on the street and they get to keep the money if they want or they can give some to the orphanage.  The boys use some of the money to buy supplies as well as they. Have bought a radio. 

Not sure if I mentioned or not, but there are new children at the orphanage to year. They have added two young no girls about age 7. The ceiling in the boys rooms has been fixed and there are dividing wall in the rooms now to divide the children's living spaces a bit. The older children bunk in one area with the younger children in another. 

I brought with me this year pictures of the kids from last year as well as pictures from several years ago. The kids seemed to enjoy seeing the older pictures. I would really like to capture the history of the children so that they can understand from where they came and understand their family. I know that some of the children have tough backgrounds, but I think that is part of them and having that history will give them a basis for understanding themselves. 

The older boys have become quite musically talented. The girls have always been able to sing well, but the boys have sort of a band now and have even started writing some of their own songs. Be sure to check out the Facebook page for the Source of Light (https://www.facebook.com/centresourcedelumiere/) to see some examples. 

Tonight I prayer for the children living at Source of Light. I pray that they discover their past and that they achieve their dreams. I pray that they understand their value as children of God and grow top make a stronger, independent Haiti. 

Easter Sunday Sunshine

Bon Pak. I hope everyone has had a wonderful Easter. This morning started out with about 3 hours of church service, which is actually a little shorter than I expected given that it was Easter. I was able to see some old friends so that was good.  I also got to see and hold Sunshine for a while. This is the little girl who was dropped off at the Pastor house last year near death by a very young mother. The mother was a young teenager who was not able to take care of herself or her child.since then the Pastor has adopted Sunshine and she is much better. She was a bit lethargic and I wasn't sure how much of that was 3 hours in a hot church v. Her health. And while she still does not walk or stand on her own when I supported he on her legs she seemed pretty strong. The Pastor wife had invited a doctor to look at her to help evaluate her. It looks like she still has a significant way to recovery and I worry that her early life may have a long term impact. 

After church we has a quick trip to the grocery store for lunch supplies and the back to the kids living at the orphanage. We played Easter bunny and handed out the eggs with some candy in them. The kids were very good about taking only one and they seems to enjoy the candy as well as enjoying the plastic egg to keep. 

I handed out some toys as well, which didn't last that long. Turns out when it comes to toys v. Haitian kids the toys always lose. The kids do enjoy looking at pictures of my family and America as well as play games on my old iPhone. They also like taking pictures of themselves and sometimes the pictures go from normal to silly quickly

I did find out that some of the older boys have started making arts and selling them. It is a little unclear where they have been selling them, but it seems they are. This is mixed news to me. It is good that they are learning skills and have an opportunity to make money, but I really don't think this is the way to a stable livelihood as many people do this in Haiti and there really isn't that much tourism.  The picture included here is a picture painted by 15 year old Richardson. It is for sale for $30 us. It is painted on a piece of cardboard. If you are interested let me know and I will see if I have enough money to buy it and you can pay me back.

Tonight I thank God for the gift and sacrifice of his son for us. I ask for blessings on these children living in Haiti. I pray that the will grow up and live a productive and safe live knowing that they are a beloved child of God. Amen. 

Busy Day

As I didn't get much / any sleep at Fort Lauderdale airport last night as was dragging a bit today. The good news is that all my bags made it and I was the first one out of customs. It goes quicker with a single person as opposed to a group. A quick trip to Natcom to pick up a phone sim and out the door to meet Pastor Ronel. Quickest trip through PaP's airport I ever had. From there to the guest house and most of the plan for he day was accomplished.

I chatted with the Pastor a bit and found out he already had one person in mind for the mentor position. Her name is Stephanie and she was raised in an orphanage. She has since studied psychology at university and has been already volunteering at the orphanage, working with the kids on socialization skills. The Pastor and I spent some talking with Stephanie making sure she understood what we were after and the requirements like reporting on the student progress. It seems like a good fit and I am excited to see what comes of it. 

For most of the day I hung around the with the kids.  The orphanage  dounless as a sort of community center and everyone was busy getting the place ready for a wedding and / or a wedding reception; he neatly I am not sure which. The work was being mostly done by adults who were friends of the wedding party, but occasionally the kids were call into action to carry some chairs. 

The kids were helping me with my Haitian Creole pronunciation, which is still quite horrible. Really need someone to practice with back at home. I feel like I am the speaking level of a toddler. 

When the Pastor was done with his morning meetings, and after we talked with Stephanie, the Pastor took me on a tour of the new property. The purpose of this property is to house some of the older kids so that they can start to live independently while still having a bit of a safety net. The property also will be use to raise chickens/eggs, a garden, and perhaps some fish. The building itself still needs a lot of work so if you want to led a construction crew to PaP for a week or two let me, I bet something can be worked out and there is plenty to do.

After  the tour I spent some more time with the kids  I brought my old iPhone 4 that I loaded with games. This seems to be a hit. In the afternoon I was feeling quite tired and ended up going back to the guest house for a quick nap, followed by putting some jelly beans in some plastic eggs for the kids. It is unclear to me if the kids will understand the tradition and I may have to explain the concept of a rabbit delivering chicken eggs.  It is all a bit weird. At least it isn't a Bilbi like is it in Australia. 

Tomorrow is Easter so I am looking forward to seeing how Easter is celebrated here in Haiti. I hear it is about eating fish, no meat. I do expect a long service tomorrow, but I also know that I will get to see some friends I have seen in a year. 

Tonight I give a prayer of thanks for a safe journey and the good news of all that happened and was seen today. I pray for continued grace and protection of my family, who I miss; and I pray for a glorious Easter tomorrow. Enjoy you Easter everyone. Amen. 

Time and Distance

I am on a plane now headed for Port-au-Prince, Haiti. This is my seventh or eighth trip and many people have been traveling to Haiti many more times than I. I am traveling alone this trip, so I am a bit more anxious this trip, but confident that it is in God's will. 

I was reading an article the other day where an American astronaut was being interviewed after returning from a year living on the international space station. He was asked a question that at its root is what people sometimes ask me, "what were you the most afraid of when you were there?" His answer captured my exact feelings when I travel to Haiti. 

I have said many times that I have never been afraid while I was in Haiti. What I mean by that statement is that I never felt in physical danger while there. I am convinced that it is God's grace providing that comfort. But to say I have never been worried or concerned is not accurate either. But the concern is not for myself.

My worst fear while I am in Haiti is that something happens back home and I simply not there. If something were to happen, and I pray it doesn't, I fear that I have simply let my family down. That I have not met my responsibilities and I can't get back in time to help and be present. 

This is essentially what the astronaut stated and I suspect it is a feeling shared by most family men when they are away from home for work, men's weekends away, or for mission trips. I suspect, as I know it does for me, that this feeling is amplified based on the time and distance you are away from home. 

I have to admit I feel pulled in two directions when I leave my family for two weeks to spend in Haiti with the kids who live at the orphanage. I don't know how to adequately explain the depth of my love for my family and how much I want to spend time with them, but I feel that if I don't go I would essentially be disobeying God. 

I wonder how the disciples felt and were able to drop everything to follow Jesus. I am in no way making a comparison to them, but I wonder if they every struggled with the tension between family and following. 

Today I pray for my family back at home. My children and wife who I miss and love. My wife who manages everything without me and supports me in these trips. May God care for them and show them Grace. May I be with the again soon. Amen. 

This Time Next Week

This time next week I will be in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and I will be able to visit with Christina, who is a girl I first met when I visited the Source of Light group home. She is also one of the older children whom I hope to help learn independent living skills through the hiring of trainer / mentors this trip. Last year she worked very hard with me, using my English to Creole dictionary so that we could understand each other a bit better.

While the trip is only a week away I feel I have at least a month of planning I would like to accomplish and I know that I will never be able to prepare or bring as much as I would like. I think I feel a little of this every year, but it is somewhat amplified as I am going alone and where I usually can rely on others to fill in the cracks I feel more exposed. I suspect there is a lesson in this for me as I will have to be more reliant and trusting in God on this trip than in the past. So prayers are greatly appreciated.

One of my biggest concerns for this trip, other than finding mentors, is this feeling that I won't be doing enough. Usually I am with a team of people that spend a week on a construction project followed by a week of medical clinics as physicians join us for the second week. I have always known that the first week has less impact than the second, but this trip there is neither construction nor medical clinics.

I have this feeling of inadequacy in that I don't have much to bring that will help the children. I do understand the impact the life skill trainers could bring and I pray that these can be hired, but other than that I fear the impact of my presence is quite small. I feel that it is important to go and visit the children so that they continue to know they are loved and thought of by people outside of the group home, but it is hard to quantify that value to myself. This is not a cry for encouragement, just things that are going through my head at the moment.

It will be good to see Christina, Edna, John Jonas, Richardson, etc. again this year. I hope to pick up a few some things to take with me and share with the children if I can find the time to get to the store.

Please continue to pray for this trip and stay tuned as I do plan to update the blog daily.

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