April Newsletter

I remember back in August when school started, I constantly thought, "There is NO WAY I will ever love these kids as much as I loved my little kiddos in the United States. I don't speak Creole, so I can't really talk to them very much...they don't speak English, so they can't really talk to me. How will I ever get to know these kids?" And yet, as the year comes to a close, the only thing I can think is "How in the world will I EVER love my kids next year as much as I love these kids I have now??!!" I have grown to love my sweet little babies in ways I NEVER imagined!

They are sweet and funny and all so incredibly smart! It is so encouraging to see these kids who knew nothing in August be able to spout off so many things to me in English. I sure do love my babies.


An Update about Haiti
Rioting and what-not has calmed down in Haiti (we never really saw much action up in our "hillbilly town" of Port-de-Paix, but things in other part of the country were pretty dangerous. I am not exactly sure what is happening with the price of food and fuel, but I do know that the government is supposedly working on something. Please pray for safety for the people of this country as well as enough food for nourishment, especially for our students.

The House of Hope
One of my absolute favorite things to do in Haiti is to hop on a Tap-Tap (or in the back of the Sonlight truck if there is a group here) and head out to La Pointe (the next town over) and go to the House of Hope Children's Hospital. I absolutely love to go chase all the little fellas around the hospital, hold all the precious babies, and just love on some of the most precious little children in the world!

One of the little boys that is ALWAYS at the hospital is sweet little Jean-Baptiste. I met him on my first visit to the House of Hope when I came to visit Haiti in March. I specifically remembered his GREAT BIG eyes and sweet smile. Now, every time I go to the House of Hope, he's the first little guy I look for. I love to chase him and I love to hear his little giggle! He is such a sweet boy!



For more about my most recent adventure in Haiti, check out the post below this one. We were fortunate enough to take a trip to La Tortue (The Pirate Island) and you can check out my pictures from that trip by clicking here.

Prayer Requests-
That I would be able to see Jesus in everyone in Haiti (my kids, my roommates, my co-workers)
That I would be Jesus to everyone in Haiti
We need several new elementary teachers for next year (no experience required!), so please pray for our staff as we "re-assemble" for a new year and a new dynamic.

La Tortue

I have always loved the ocean. Always! I credit it to my parents for taking me on so many wonderful vacations to the beach, starting when I was too young to remember it and continuing to this day. I love everything about the ocean! The water, the sun, the relaxation, the sound of the waves crashing, I'm even ok with sand creeping into my bathing suit! So when I first heard the details about the western coast of La Tortue (the island that is off the coast of Port-de-Paix) and how there were beautiful white sand beaches and crystal clear water, I knew I MUST visit this island! Even President Preval has been there! It has to be beautiful!

I have asked several people all year long, Americans and Haitians, how I could get there to see it. Everyone gave me very elusive answers that proved no results for my search. Of course when my friends Lenny and Allison mentioned that one of his students was paying for a boat to go out there and I was welcome to tag along, I jumped on the boat (literally)!!!

Here is La Tortue from Port-de-Paix:


We left this morning at around 9:30 on a motor/sailboat. It was a sailboat with a motor on the back. It took us about an hour and a half to make the trek to the island. The ride over was absolutely beautiful! The water in the middle of the ocean had such a dark, rich blue, that was stil so clear. It was gorgeous! And we saw "flying fish!" Seriously! I know everyone has seen fish jump out of the water before, but these fish did MUCH more than jump! They were flying above the water! They even had little tiny wings that they were flapping! I have NEVER in my life seen anything like it!

Here is our boat (I couldn't get a better picture while we were on it, because I was too busy trying not to fall off!):



After about an hour and half, we finally made it to our destination! And it was even more beautiful than I ever imagined! The water was the most beautiful shade of teal and the sand was whiter than I have ever seen before. When we were swimming, I was in water about as deep as my shoulders and it was so clear that I could see straight down to my feet! A big difference from the shores of South Carolina that I am used to going to!!

These pictures don't do it justice at all, but you can look anyway!




The ride back was much more entertaining! I don't know if we were going against the wind and current or what, but the boat was tipping to one side for 95% of the ride. We got splashed from hitting the waves at this angle and where I was sitting, I ended up getting most of the water on me! Every time the water came "on deck" it ran off right beside me (or under me is more like it!). I ended up absolutely soaked! And for a split second, I thought we were going to lose Allison over the side! Luckily, thanks to Lenny and a board nailed to the floor of the boat that caught her before she slid any farther, she didn't go in!

The Crew (L to R) -- Kala, Josh, Allison, Lenny, Me, Ashley, Jen



Today is definitely going in my book of "The greatest days of my life!" It was fun to have one final "hurrah!" before the end of the year here. And it gets me excited about coming back next year and all the adventures we will take!



And yes, Lenny was right. As I am snuggled in my bed, I still feel the world around me rocking like a boat.

Christopher

If you have heard me talk about my students AT ALL, I'm sure you have heard about how much I love Christopher. He is sweet and cute and quite the ladies man (which I'm sure will get him into some trouble in about 10 years). In fact, he has already gone through two girls this year that are going to be his wife--He can't make up his mind between Schekina and Michka! He is always eager to give me a big hug and a kiss and is ready to jump up on my lap! He LOVES to dance, which of course, I LOVE! I call him my "Ti Makak" which means "Little Monkey" because he is constantly climbing ALL OVER ME! And he loves to laugh! I have learned so much about enjoying life from Christopher. He is such a sweet boy and loves ALL the kids in our class. And he laughs when I tell him I am going to cry everyday when he goes to Kindergarten and leaves me.




(From L-R) Love, Weggy, Widloveson, Christopher, Schekina

Bruised Reed

I finally got around to writing about my "Bruised Reed-Haiti" experience. Here is the abridged version:

Living in Haiti for the past 7 months has prepared me to see things that I have never seen before! Sewage running freely through the streets, extreme poverty, diseases, infenctions, and injuries that you couldn't even imagine in the United States. None of it, however, prepared my heart for spending a Saturday at a few of the local brothels with some ladies from Bruised Reed.

As many people in the States know (thanks to CNN), there are a lot of major issues going on in Haiti right now, including rioting due to the rise in food prices. Staple foods like rice have nearly doubly in cost over the past year, making it nearly impossible to survive for so many Haitians. These women, most of them with children, don't see any other option for making money to feed themselves and their children. Seeing these women up close and in person was absolutely heart-breaking. To put an actual face and and a name to something we all know exists made it extremely real to me. I hope that I get the chance to begin to build relationships with some of these women, and just love on them.

Club #1 was a bit intimidating. It is located right in the middle of downtown and right in the middle of the market! I have passed by the building several times, and have never really noticed it! When we went in, the girls were a little shy and quiet (there were only 3 girls available--or willing--to talk). After Jani and Diana shared a little bit with them, they started asking questions. At first, one of them was just asking crazy questions to see what kind of reaction she would get and when she didn't get anything but love, she softened up a bit.

Club 2 was much more "entertaining!" These women were boisterous and lively! And there were SO MANY of them!!! There were at least 15 women around while we were there. Right from the start, they were interested in listening to what everyone had to say. It was SO obvious that these women desired to be loved like they have, most likely, never been loved before. They all longed to be touched in a loving way (rather than a degrading way) and each of them continued to give us hugs (which is very uncommon in Haiti...people kiss on the cheek, but rarely hug!). These women were so comfortable with our group that they all enjoyed smiling and posing for pictures when we were finished talking (another sign of trust because not all Haitians enjoy having their picture taken because of voodoo rituals saying that you are taking their soul)!!! I was happy to hear that 8 of these women attended church with Diana on Sunday after our visit!!!!

Club #3 was completely different from the other two! It was a large "field" area with several small buildings. Each building had 3 or 4 rooms for each woman. All the buildings were surrounding a large cock fight arena. The women here were a little shy, but again, just like in Club 1, they all seemed to soften up the more Diana and Jani kept talking. These women are a bit more reserved and it could be a challenge to get them to open up, but I know God has amazing things planned for these women!

Blandine

Blandine is one of the little girls in my class. She is absolutely itty-bitty! The only words I can use to describe her are teeny tiny!! She is so stinkin' cute! Nearly every morning, when I am standing at the gate to the preschool, she runs up to give me a big hug and usually jumps right up into my arms! I LOVE this little thing and I LOVE to squeeze her in my arms! She is so precious! Her smile is contagious and even when she is being a little bit chatty in class (which happens quite often!) you can't stay mad at her because her little grin makes you want to melt! If only this picture could depict how sweet and precious my little Blandine is! (she's on the left)




p.s. check out ashley's blog for posts about visiting the brothels with some of the bruised reed ladies from southland!

My Sweet Love

i love him.

An Addendum

In response to several questions I have already received:

Yes, the group was from Kentucky...however, NO, his name isn't REALLY Cletus! It's Jeremy.