Haiti vs. Boston

As the day rewinds in my mind, there are many things I could blog about but the one that keeps coming to mind is driving in PAP!  I've been the passenger many times, but this is the first time I've actually been behind the wheel.  The chevy blazer that came with the guesthouse is working again (praise God!!!) and Linda/I went on a provisioning run to the store for guests arriving later this week.  Gerritt knew I was nervous and encouraged me before heading out by saying "it's just like driving in Boston" and it was ~ thank you Boston for preparing me with your crazy unnamed merging routes!  The roads here are really rough so it's slow going, plus navigating other cars/trucks/taptaps/people/dogs/roosters and whatever else may pass in front keeps you on high alert.  Tomorrow I'll be going out again with Sofi to buy the fruits & vegetables from our favorite roadside market ladies, so will share some more adventures very soon :).

The visitor

I've always known that Haiti is different than anywhere else I/we have lived, but one thing I hadn't considered was ALL the different kinds of animals that we would encounter here.  I knew the roosters take their jobs VERY seriously at the first sign of dawn and dogs "serenade" us @ night, but the visitor on our bedroom wall this morning was in the species known as spiders ~ a tarantula!  Check out the picture.  It was both scarey and interesting all at the same time.  My job was to keep watch while Gerritt got the can of insecticide spray that took down this 8 legged non-welcome visitor.  When we showed the picture to our dear friend LouLou, he very quickly said he has seen much bigger ones ... should I be encouraged or more scared?!  For those planning on coming to visit us here, please-please-please still come and we promise to do our best to keep the animals of all kinds at bay :)

Challenges

It's easy and fun to chat about the many great, interesting, and enjoyable things going on here and we are fortunate there are many. But... (there's always a "but" in Haiti) life here is seldom if ever without its challenges. Last week Thursday and Friday we were completely without city power and needed to run the generator for a few hours several times a day to keep the house running while we had guests. No big deal but we ran low on diesel fuel and got nervous. Then, just after making a special run for diesel and water, all weekend we had city power nearly 24/7. Go figure. We are still struggling with some staffing issues at the girl's home, and that won't likely be resolved until later this week, but it is draining to have it drag on. Transportation has become another pain in the rear. The guesthouse comes with a 15 year old Chevy Blazer. It has actually worked a grand total of ONE day since we have arrived. We are on our third mechanic, and we have not seen him since Saturday. Apparently he is looking for a replacement sensor, but who really knows.

The pick-up truck we had shipped down has arrived in Port-au-Prince! My friend Manno is getting a customs broker for me and will call me to meet at the port and start the process. I am afraid the customs process will be both time consuming and hugely expensive. (It usually is) We need to be prepared to shell out thousands of dollars to release the truck from Haitian customs. Even so, it is still less expensive than buying a vehicle down here where I was told the tax rate is 49% so a truck with a sticker of $25,000 costs about $37,000 if not more with dealer markups etc. A used vehicle in good shape starts at $20,000 and you never know how many parts are being held together with duct tape and wire. Without reliable transportation it is difficult for us to move about at all safely or freely. We do have a couple of contacts with vehicles who are willing to help us with runs for drinking water, diesel fuel, and groceries etc. but the extra time effort and coordination is draining. 


An additional challenge is coordinating how Julie and I work together and also with Linda Fleur the interim guest house manager who is guiding us in this learning process. Figuring out who is responsible for what and when takes alot of talking through which I am not always patient with. Julie and I have high standards for how we want the guesthouse to operate, but a higher level of service takes more effort and energy and time to manage. That takes us away from time with the girls and we are still working out what navigating that looks like. Our ministry is with the girls, and the guesthouse is a means to that end. We have yet to figure out how to navigate all of that and with guests regularly coming and going now, the time to think and work through topics is scarce. This frequent "reacting" to needs is tiring for both of us, but likely more so for Julie.


In no way is this meant to be complainy - but we want to avoid the rosy "everything is awesome all the time in Haiti!" kind of communication. Today.... I am tired. The three dump trucks of gravel that were deposited on the road right outside our gate at 2 and 3 in the morning kinda disrupted my sleep. I am still in the "everything is new and interesting and cool" phase - which is alot of fun for me. Please remember to pray that we learn how to manage our lives down here in a way that is long-term sustainable and allows for our personal needs too. It would be a terrible shame to get burned out in some way and want to throw in the towel and retreat. We need our friends, family, loved ones, and supporters to be partners in what is going on down here. We promise to keep it real and bring you along for the ride - the better and worse, the awesome and the tragic. 


Many blessings to all of you out there. Mwen renmen ou (we love you)


G+J

What Haiti is teaching me

On Wednesday, some of the girls were playing a game and I took some time to watch them.  It was a game of jacks but Haiti style ... instead of jacks they were using toothpaste caps and instead of a bouncy ball they were using a rock.  I cried.  My gut response was to get them a "proper" game of jacks (which I still may do), but then I watched them and realized these girls didn't need the best-of-the-best to have fun, they were making their own fun Haiti style.  I will admit the worrier in me wondered what does/would happen if they don't catch the rock as it falls, but I'm slowly learning that I cannot protect them every second of every day ~ instead can give them love and point them to God.  Yesterday afternoon the girls and I had a different kind of fun and painted each others fingernails (almost Donald too!).  Will definitely do this again as it was something they all enjoyed and created some special moments with them.

Great Day

Today was just a really special day. We went to the orphanage twice today - once in the morning when just the staff was there, and then again in the afternoon along with two of the guesthouse guests who are adopting a boy from Haiti and love the children here so much. The girls were home from school, and we had a blast singing, talking, playing games etc.

In between those two visits we went out to pick up some things and also had another great treat. Lynn Beckemeier, a friend I have not seen in 15 years is in Haiti representing his home church (http://journeyon.net/) partnering with a wonderful local pastor to channel resources his way and build a new church building to replace that which was destroyed in the earthquake. Lynn and his wife Jamie co-taught a bible study I attended in St Louis for 5 years. They have influenced me and countless others to be intentional and serious about knowing what we believe, why we believe it, and how to live it out. The connections and crossing of paths we have already encountered here has proven to us how non-random life really is. There most certainly is meaning, reason, and intention woven into our day to day living. Seeing it, recognizing it, and embracing it makes life all the more rich, full and amazing. Thank you Lynn for reminding me of that. See you again soon I trust! - G

our first guests

So today, our first guests have left the guesthouse. They arrived last night after a week and a half in Haiti way out in the countryside. The team of 8 people set up a new radio transmitting tower for Radio Lumiere a Christian broadcasting network in Haiti. What an interesting and pleasant group of people. After over a week in the countryside, they were thrilled with screens on the windows and ice cubes in their drinks! I know I will enjoy meeting this steady stream of interesting people. I am sure they will be interesting because anyone with the desire and opportunity to come to Haiti will be interesting in some way or another. It was fun for Julie and I to work together to set up and run mealtimes etc. though obviously we have terrific help in the Haitian staff we have inherited.

-Jean (John) is the yard man. He has a great smile and and is totally dependable and responsible. He is a wiry little guy who is in charge of all things outdoors at the guesthouse. Jean sweeps the whole yard and mops all three porches/decks every day. he deals with Mr Brown, answers/opens the gate, takes out the trash, helps guests load/unload, does simple maintenance on the Chevy Blazer and diesel generator as well as run errands etc as needed.

-Sophie is the head cook and prepares all the guest meals. She also consults with menu planning and shopping for food. Our meals are fantastic.

-Madam Louie is the housekeeper. What a gem. She does her job so well and needs almost zero oversight. She has a routine down and keeps the house spotless. Guests constantly mention how clean everything is. She also changes the beds and does the laundry. She is quiet and a little shy but has a beautiful smile and sweet demeanor. I have mentioned wanting to clone her if I could.

-Louise - she's our part-time dishwash helper. After a long day, Sophie leaves as soon as dinner is put out for the guests. Then Louise takes over and washes the guests dishes and wipes down the kitchen etc. She is very shy but a sweet sweet soul and it is so cute when she answers in almost a whisper when you greet her.

It might sound at first that to have such a great staff is somewhat indulgent, but things just work differently here. There is no mechanical dishwasher and we are actually very fortunate even to have hot water for wash here. Even many well-to-do people in Haiti don't have that. Since all dish washing also requires a sterilization step in a dilute bleach solution, everything takes longer. Laundry is hard work here and two loads take most of the day to complete. Food prep also requires extra washing and disinfecting steps to ensure the good health of our guests. Bottom line - there is still PLENTY of work to do where Julie and I jump in to lend a hand. We are slowly getting the hang of it and Linda is being so great about helping us learn. Hopefully we can add some pictures soon so you can see the folks I am talking about and put a face with a name.

Until then .... Bondye bene ou (creole for God bless you)

Gerritt (and Julie)

A somber anniversary

Today at the girl's home, Julie was chatting with the staff and I was playing silly games with the girls. I asked about homework, and the girls told me there was no school tomorrow. I asked why there was no school and had a "Duhhhhh" moment. As most of you will remember, tomorrow, Jan 12, is the 2 year anniversary of the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti late in the afternoon. The schools will be closed and the girls will go to church to pray and give thanks to God as well as mourn the sadness and losses from that day. Tomorrow night many Haitians will sleep outdoors partly out of superstition and fear, partly just to remember what it was like to feel like there was nothing solid nor secure in their world. The wounds both physical and otherwise are still not fully healed though we are starting to hear more people say this or that is "like it was before the earthquake". Please remember Haiti tomorrow. Some things that were difficult before the earthquake are even harder today. The loss of loved ones, colleagues, and possessions is still deeply painful. Healing progresses but that day two years ago will never be forgotten.

One full week in Haiti

At this time just one week ago today, our plane was on the final approach into Port au Prince and we were both saying "this is when the REAL adventure begins"!!!  Today I (Julie) had a breakthrough in learning Creole and was actually able to speak with the girls and staff using words/sentences they actually understood!  To put it in perspective, we were not digging apart scriptures ... instead it was asking them their favorite colors and learning what month/day their birthdays were in ~ but it allowed me to connect with them in a special way :)  Also in the last 24 hrs, we have met two other missionary couples from the states that are serving here full-time.  We met them at separate times, but they each opened our eyes/hearts/ears by what they shared; both the joys and heartbreaks experienced over the years.  There is much to learn in the language and culture, but today is a day to savor and celebrate all God is teaching us here :) 

Our first Sunday

Today Mr Brown got his first bath since October. Mr Brown is our four-legged security system. He looks and sounds ferocious, but is just a big ole mush with us. I pity the person who comes in with ill intent though....Anyway, he tolerated me washing him but clearly was not thrilled with the process. He got a big tasty chew bone as a treat for behaving himself.

Morning worship today was at a nearby English speaking church called Quisqueya Chapel http://quisqueyachapel.org/QC/Home.html There was just something really nice in the familiarity of the service and worship. We still missed our home church http://www.westgate-church.org/  - but it was comforting to know even though they were far away we were worshiping the same God at the same time. Julie and I both desire to be adept enough in French and Creole to enjoy a Haitian worship service with understanding. When we are able to enjoy church in Creole, we know we will be skilled enough to share the Gospel Truth in Creole too!

Hit the ground running

It's been 4 days since we got here and we are feeling very comfortable at the guest house where we are living now. The woman running the guest house since October, Linda Flear, is an absolute delight to get to know. She has great experience running places just like this in Haiti, and she has great wisdom as well. It is quite remarkable how similarly we approach and view things. I feel very fortunate to have her here showing us the ropes. Each day we have gone over to the orphanage and simply hung out with the girls to get to know them a bit better, and have them get used to us being there. My guess is it will take 2 or 3 weeks for it to really sink in with them that we are around for the long haul and not just another team on a short term mission.

I now have the privilege of sharing our first specific prayer request. The second day we were here, the director of the orphanage Saint Therese Del Homme came to see us at the guest house and she was quite upset. She showed us a government letter demanding to see her and representatives from Haiti Under God at a hearing on January 19. It seems one of the staff has filed a workplace grievance with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Work. We are trying to take in all sides to the story to see what is going on, and it will sure be interesting to see how this plays out. Please pray for wisdom, clarity, and specifically for me that I keep my mouth closed and my ears open. Staff management will be one of our big challenges both at the guest house and the orphanage as we try to do things better, and provide more accountability and fiscal controls.

On our way to see what God has in store

This is pretty much a test of our blog and its capabilities - more later.

G + J