Nou Preske Fini (we're almost finished)

Some of you who know me, know that I have successfully completed the Rubik's cube a few times in my life. I cannot work it "on demand." I have to work on it over a few days or weeks or even months. Those of you who don't know that about me - don't hate! Be jealous! I have a very logical mind and LONG for things to be completed.

I've been working on it now since we landed here for these "90 days" and we are just barely more than half way into it (day 47 or something like that...I'm not really counting). Things are hopping. Life is moving very quickly (or as quickly as it can go). We will have TWO different "a door to hope" teams in from March 6-20 and we will be in Grand Goave... somewhat unplugged and sweaty. Misty will be leading a "a door to hope" team to Calebasse March 14-21. We are hoping to be able to visit with that team on the 20th. So, we've got to get everything tied up with a pretty bow before we head that way. Sunday is March 1st. Can you believe it?

I cannot seem to get that one little tile flipped on the Rubik's cube. There's actually two seperate instances of this same problem (one's on the opposite side). Nothing I can figure out will put them in their right place. I even tried googling it. It's the one solve I can't solve. But, hey, can't I at least brag that I can ALMOST get it finished? 

It's another gorgeous day in Haiti. The police are down on the road stopping motos as they come along. I watched them for a few minutes but couldn't figure out the logic in exactly who they chose to stop. It's still very interested even if I can't quite understand it. Some people they motion on by and soem they stop.

Yesterday we headed down to PV for an extended lunch break to check our mail and eat some "real food" (food that is NOT pasta perfectly peppered or put with parmesean or soup - say that real fast - lol). So, we walked down to wait on a tap-tap around noon. While we were waiting a car pulled up, Madame asked, "you going to PV?" then rolled on down about 20 more feet. "Yes," we said... as the car kept rolling. This is one thing I can't figure out. Why won't the car just STOP so that we can finish a conversation? This happens ALL the time in Haiti. Yes, it frustrates me. Needless to say there was a fair skinned Haitian lady willing to carry us down to the city and we were willing to take the risk of jumping in the car with a stranger. She asked us some 20 or 50 questions and we answered somewhat guarded but believing that we were not placed in her car by "accident". 

Madame Marleen invited us for lunch some day soon and told us of a school in need just within a mile or so of our apartment. She talks with the people who run it (I think they're neighbors) and they are always telling her how hard it is to keep it running when the parents don't help fund it. We told her we'd love to go meet the people running the school and talk with them about their needs. I'm not sure I've ever heard of a school in Haiti that is excelling in anything. Sad to say. But, you must remember it is a privilege to be able to attend school here. There are many days when I sit and watch the traffic going by and lose track of exactly how many children I see walking during school hours to get water for their families. They amaze me. They are carrying huge buckets and containers full of water and they somehow manage to balance them on their heads. I have a hard time getting my body from point A to point B let alone with gallons of water on top. But, these children are not going to school. 

We believe that Madame Marleen picking us up on the side of the road like that was a Divine appointment. It could be that we were being protected from something or someone on the tap-taps or somewhere else along the journey. We are anxious to see what else will come of knowing her and her story. Chris looks very forward to the possibility of some good old-fashioned Haitian lunch! 

We are still working on our final arrangements for the "next 90 days" in country. We're almost finished... I'll be the first to admit it's been very tough on both of us physically, emotionally and spiritually. There have been more days that we'd like to admit that we wanted to just pack up and come home. Wave that white flag. We've seen, heard and tried to process a lot of different situations while we've been here this 90 days. We've had conversations that have lasted hours and even days as we've tried to process this way of life. This culture. Our eyes have been opened even wider to the culture and the massive differences. Our hearts have been moved as we've watched people in great need live their lives with contentment. We've taken a look in the mirror at our ugly selfishness and had to start to redefine our needs in life. It has not been fun, but we believe it's God's way of shaping us into what He needs us to be. And that's what we're here for.... to know Him and make Him known. 

Thank you for your prayers and notes of encouragement. It is only because of your prayers and cheers that we've even been able to consider the possibilities of "the next 90 days." (Of course, the 18 precious children loving us at the Godet orphanage hasn't hurt either! They are very good therapy!)

All the while, we are learning more about the verse, "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it" and realizing that we are all a work in progress. And we're thankful that it's not within our own strength we can go on, but with the strength of our Almighty, Everlasting, All-powerful God we go forth. 

P.S. Wishing that I can finally finish my Rubik's cube... I'll let you know. Don't hate on me!

Blan Yo

The language is challenging here mostly because of my age, I believe. You can teach an old dog new tricks, but wow this grey haired lady's mind is having a hard time wrapping it all together. There are so many exceptions and no clear rules. What makes me tick is logic and Kreyole doesn't at all work with logic. In the English language you basically add an "s" to make plural, right? Well, guess what you add in the Kreyole language? "Yo!" Yep! Yo! So, Thursday evening as Chris and I were walking along the road in Fort Jacque headed back to Fermathe a little girl said while pointing to us, to her brother, "blan yo"! And I knew what that meant! It wasn't English slang "yo - hey blan!" It was "there's blan" like in the plural! It's SO funny sometimes what we have heard for 6 months finally becomes crystal clear and takes on a whole nother meaning. I truly had heard that before but thought they were mixing English and Kreyole. Makes me want to listen harder at those moments I'm first thinking they are making fun of me/us and realize that they probably aren't. May we all listen for the real meaning without dismissing something we don't fully understand as not important.

"Be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger" as James reminds us. 

Somewhere... Under the Rainbow

Before we left the house around 12:30 today, I was standing at the bottom of the hill waiting on Chris to ride his moto down to level ground for me to hop on. The sky was blue. The sun was warm. And I had decided it had to be a glorious day. A day that only the Lord could have put right here on February 10th for us. For us to rejoice in. As I stood there waiting for Chris, a man walked by with his goats baaaa'ing, a moto speeding by, a group of young men waltzed by and I looked up to catch the eye of a man who I'd been watching work non-stop for weeks now pushing a wheel barrel seemingly tirelessly back and forth filled with various things I can't exactly tell from our balcony. He caught my eye, smiled and said, "bonswa madame!"

This moment reminded me that mission work is about the individual connections that we make. From the man on the street with the wheel barrel to the owner of the place that we rent to the translators who work to make sense of us to the pastor's that we work with and serve and even the small, friendly man who brings us our tray of food at the Mission. Building relationships is so critical, but yet take so much time. We are also thankful for the relationship that God has brought into our lives through American friends that have been placed carefully by the mighty hands of the Lord into our JOURNEY.

We treated ourselves to lunch at the Baptist Haiti Mission with our friends, the Dearing Family. We laughed and cried then laughed so hard we cried over life as we know it here. Good times! The Dearing kids are SO much fun to be able to chat with. Clay, the oldest is quite the cute kid...red hair, freckles and full of stories (reminds us so much of Ormsby's Josh Cole)! It was really good to get out and get fresh air and eat something besides our catchall everyday dish, "Perfectly Peppered Parmesan Pasta" (spaghetti, elbow, spiral, or even somewhat healthier garden rotini).

We then headed down the mountain on the moto to do some grocery shopping at the Hispanolia near Thomassin 28 (Bethel Guest House). We got shredded cheddar cheese- Mmmm! We also treated ourselves to 3 candy bars each. And we'll pace ourselves. It didn't take me one hour of being home to break into my 100 Grand bar! Mmmm!!! Chris devoured his Snickers soon after that.

Once we returned home we were getting our laptops out and getting back to work as I glanced over and realized there was a giant rainbow perfectly following the "thirds" rule for photos. How brilliant the colors were. I was just looking at it wondering about that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and realized that the people in the house at the end of the rainbow couldn't even appreciate the beauty of the rainbow. They probably had no clue it was even hanging above their home. And I was thankful at that moment that I could see it and appreciate the promise it represented. I didn't even care about the pot of gold anymore.

A Long Silence... Broken

Well, I've been neglecting to write any blogs this time around because I have basically been wallowing in self-pity. It wasn't until our Christmas break when we were in the US that I realized how many people read and took to heart what we wrote about it. It was also during Christmas break that I realized how incredibly spoiled I am and we are. It sparked a raging fire in my soul that I've just barely been able to define and get under control. I think it's because I have one foot in this world (Haiti) and one foot in your world (US) and the rest of my body most days just wishing for heaven. My heart has been stretched too far and too thin (the opposite of deep and wide).

From this mountain top we hear cricket/locust like noises all day every day. The kind of noises that make the middle of your shoulders tense up. Ask Brynna. She's heard them via Facetime and asked what it was. I think I get subconsious headaches from hearing it all day and all night long. Seriously. There is constant honking of horns. There are motors revving. And about every four or five hours we hear some sort of animal in shear pain. And my heart breaks. And my mind goes crazy.

We see fires burning, some lights flickering, crowds of people gathering, mack trucks racing to and fro with no mind for who or what is in their way. On a clear day we can see all the way to the ocean. We can see the landing strip at the airport. We can see mountain after mountain after mountain and wish we could name them all, but it's almost impossible. We see pigs, goats, cows, chickens, horses, and cats with ropes around their necks. Tied to a tree. Or led down the street. 

One of the most interesting things is to see a herd of cows (I saw 17 one time) being led down to Petionville by one man. He whipps them all into shape and controls their every move. It's fascinating. Just the other day I first heard a pig, then as I looked out the window realized he was laying on his side on the back of a moto. I'm quite certain it weighs more than I do. Every time the moto his a bump, the pig squeeled. And it wasn't in delight. I'm quite sure he was for a feast. He was very large. And I'm quite sure more than one of his ribs were broken during transport.

Most of you know that we moved to a new apartment. The invertor system never worked in the old place even though it was part of the agreement. So, we had no choice. We are paying more in rent, but we have never been without electric. The lighting is terrible, but it's better than nothing. I imagine the lightbulbs are less than 20 watt. There's an upstairs and a downstairs. Upstairs is our bedroom with a king sized bed in it. It doesn't have a box spring on it. That took some getting used to for my back. But, I can't complain now. I'm over it. But, the interesting thing about the lack of box springs, I think, is that it leaves the mattress bare without protection. The only reason that we realized this is because it literally feels like the air conditioner is pushing up through the mattress. And it's about 10-15 degrees cooler up here in this new apartment. 

Literally, last night was the very first night I slept without socks on. I'm not kidding. Every night for the first 29 days I wore more than one layer of everything! The first 10 days I shivered most nights away and didn't think I could even count it a night's rest.

The living room has a nice sized flat screen tv provided with no cable. But, we brought our Apple TV so, we could watch a movie in a perfect world with good wi-fi, but our wi-fi has been lacking here. And, I know I've complained before about the four most uncomforatble chairs from 1972. I'm not joking. We were so spoiled in our old apartment with a nice comfortable couch and love seat to fight over.

But, it was only this evening that I felt like in all my complaining I could have been bringing to you prayer requests. And maybe the world would be a different place. Because I know prayer changes things and I'm at fault for not letting you know what the people on this mountain need. The every day needs. For that I am sorry.

Tonight we re-cooked pasta that had been stored in a ziploc bag in the fridge (that works when city electric is on only and that's not dependable...). You remember that part, right? We re-cooked pasta in our coffee pot because all three of our cooking pots are dirty in the sink. We ran out of water a week ago. Told the landlord. And he told us when the city power is on - they will run the pumps to bring up water to our apartment. It came on. They pumped it. And then couple days ago it ran out again. So, he told us because it's dry season he would have to order a water truck. Then we got water and lost it again. This morning he finally figured out that there's a leak somewhere in the grand system. So, we've realized what it is to live without water in a nice apartment with lights. We can't turn on faucets and believe we'll see water. We can't wash our hands, flush toilets, brush our teeth, wash dishes, etc. at our discretion. We have to live at the mercy of the "water system". It's rather inconvenient. And unsettling. I don't like having dirty dishes sitting in the sink. And I don't like watching our drinking water supply slowly dwindle away. They are supposed to have it fixed by Monday.

Another perk of our new living space was to be the electric washing machine and dryer. We figured we'd be living high and mighty not having to get them washed by hand and dry on a roof any longer. But, the first weekend we moved in - you guessed it, the washing machine broke. It's been being repaired and due to return by "Monday" for the past 30 days.

Quite sure I've lost most of you by now, and that's really okay. I'm thankful for the handful that are still hanging on through this long post. Tonight, I'm exhausted and aching and learning to live on less as I struggle with the want to have more. Why is that such a natural human tendancy? Why do I even think I need more? I have everything I actually need at the moment. We have shelter over our heads. We have water in a culligan jug. We have food in the cabinets and money in our pockets. I have a husband to serve side by side with that is not only the love of my life, but my very best friend. We have the blessed opportunity to serve our Lord together on this foreign soil as we risk the ocean together. There's no place we'd rather be than serving Him together. We have three gifts of children who are serving Him also in their every day lives and make us very proud.  

All the while, within the distance that I could throw a baseball are families that do not even have faucets to see water flow out of. The do not have light switches, nor own lightbulbs. They have roofs to their houses that are held down with rocks and bricks. They have windows without glass. They wake up when the sun comes up, farm their land, pray for rain, do the best they can to put one meal on the table (if they're fortunate enough to have one) and go to sleep when the sun goes down. They work hard to pay to send their children to school because the government doesn't provide much in regards to education. And they only have water when God sends the rain. They store it in cisterns and chatos and use it sparingly. Laundry, dishes, cooking, cleaning, living depends on water. And water is scarse these days in the mountains. Would you join us to pray for rain in these villages that we can see from our window? Would you pray for blessings on the crops? Would you pray God would multiply their efforts? Would you pray that they would continue to recognize that it's only from the Creator that they are truly blessed? Would you pray for those who don't know Him? For those who have not heard the name of Jesus? Would you pray that they would hear soon and very soon. And would you pray that we would keep our eyes on Him and that I would be able to sort out my heart's chaos and put it into words that could be understood? Would you pray that we would through our frustrations come to know Him more. "Because all of life comes down to just one thing... it's to know You, oh Jesus, and make Him known."

Piti Fi Blog (Brynna's)

As I descend through the crumbling, half broken steps covered with gravel of all sizes, mud and muck, my heart shatters for this country and her beautiful children. I have never gone without food or worn dirty, torn, clothes so this was all very different than life as I know it in America. Surprising to me, this was a normal everyday thing for them. Their poverty was encompassed by all of the senses. 

The smell was very unsanitary as it consisted of a mixture of dust, dirt, and all different kinds of bodily fluids. Before we could even see the animals, the smell of cows, pigs, goats, and horses hit us like a brick wall. I started to get use to the smell after a few hours, or at least I forgot about it. Our need for pleasant smells became less important compared to their great needs. The horrid smell was quickly replaced as we passed the kitchen and inhaled rice and beans. The smell immediately made us all hungry. The women worked all morning for us to have a nice hot meal for lunch.

Children’s faces lit up as they saw us. With the biggest smile on their faces they ran towards us. They squeezed our hips and tugged at us to come play. We held their dirt filled little hands and danced in circles while singing children’s rhymes. The beauty of the island is breath-taking, we stood in awe of the view. We saw mountains, valleys, the ocean, and the airport runway. As I was looking down the mountain, the poverty caught my eyes. Houses were made out of sticks and clay. Roads were a mixture of dirt and animal feces. Clothes were hung on thin yarn. As we drove down the road, there were always multiple people doing their business right next to the road. 

They speak in Haitian Creole, so all my ears hear is random words and phrases from their mouths. Not many know English, so I felt very claustrophobic because of the language barrier between us. Laughter filled the air as the children played with sticks in the dirt near the edge of the streets. The cars sped by at dangerous speeds, honking and swerving. I hear babies crying for affection and attention. The dogs whimper with fear of abuse. Beautiful voices echoed in the distance from the church up on the mountain. We could hear them scrubbing their soap filled knuckles against the material of their clothes. 

Haiti is a very poor but happy place to be. The children wear ripped up clothes and play with rocks and sticks but they are the happiest children in the world. They have never been to America or have never seen the amount of items we have. They live a simple life. Technology and cable doesn't control them like it does many Americans. They live life for today not worrying about what the future will hold. You can experience all of the senses through their poverty. I saw the hope in their eyes, smelled the dirt on their skin, and heard the happiness in their voices.