Money doesn't grow on trees

Money doesn't grow on trees... How many of you have had to have this conversation with some young person/people to whom you were trying to teach a principle?? This week I needed to have this talk with our 17 young ladies. In the past few weeks, several more items in the girls' home had become damaged or broken. I know Haiti is a tough environment and the girls really could use more space to expend their vast energy, but cracking a solid wood door in half?? Really?? Plus the three doorknobs that had fallen off meant a trip to the hardware store for us and a couple days labor from Mr. Charles the carpenter to get it all back the way it should be. In previous entries, we have spoken about the girls' jewelry making enterprise and how they are getting paid a small sum piecemeal for each item they make. Well, Thursday was payday and each girl had the wages they were entitled to cut in half to partially offset the cost of the repairs. Some of our older girls had close to $40 US coming to them so they took a pretty big hit. One of the girls was quite upset saying over and over that she didn't break the items so why should she pay for them. (None of the girls ever offered a credible explanation or took responsibility for the damage) Suffice it to say I was fairly unpopular that day. On the plus side, 30 minutes after the ruckus, the girls were all seated throughout the house doing homework and reciting their memorization passages etc.

It's hard to take things away from those who don't have all that much to start with. There was a time early on when Julie and I wondered what tools we had to use for discipline when there really wasn't anything we could take away as a punishment. All their needs are being met, but the girls still have so few things they can call their own. Now they have a way to make a little money for themselves and are really motivated by it and that ends up being what we take away now to get their attention. I really hope several lessons sink in from this. One... everyone needs to do a better job of taking care of things. Two... Haiti Under God does not have an endless supply of resources to replace things whenever they need it. Three... they ALL pay the price for damage to the house and if you don't want your pay docked again you might want to tell your sisters who are locking each other in or out of the bathroom and pounding on the door and yanking on the doorknob to knock it off BEFORE something gets broken.

I know instilling values and responsibility isn't an easy task, and there are no guarantees. I also know the results are totally worth the effort and aggravation, but it sure isn't fun sometimes.

-G