Break my heart for what breaks Yours

 Sunday, we all loaded up and went to church!  I was pretty excited about going to a service in Creole and the entire experience in general, and let me just tell you, no matter if you can understand the words of a song or know what is being said, you can still feel God in a place.  A member of the congregation did translate after a group of ten white people walked into the building, so that was nice.  It is amazing to know that a lot of the people I saw that day have very little, but they still dress to the nines for church.  Girls wear skirts to their knees or longer and every one has sleeves, mostly to their elbows or longer, guys have dress pants and long-sleeve button ups, and everyone looks snazzy.  Many people keep their Sunday best in a bag in their home so that their best clothes stay clean and presentable for worship.  No one is competing or showing off, they dress up out of genuine respect for their God.

Afterward, our group went out for Sunday lunch and got ICE CREAM!  Before picking up a team from the airport.  This group of eight adults is from South Carolina and are here to assemble bunk beds for the orphanage.  Later, some of us loaded up and went to the Apparent Project, a business run by an American lady who has local artisans make jewelry and things of the sort to sell, with 100% of the sales going to the specific individual who made the piece so that he or she can rebuild their life.  I really enjoyed buying lots of goodies J

Today (Monday) we just went around showing the team the orphanage and children’ home, taking the day to love on kids, which is pretty much my favorite thing to do. 

A few things have smacked me in the face today.  Once I walked into the orphanage this morning, one of the girls I am particularly fond of, Daji, grabbed my hand and took me to her mattress on the floor and lifted it up to grab a few papers and pencil hidden under it to show me something she drew, when it hit me that I have more possessions in the bag around my shoulders than she has on this world.  I sat down with her and was excited about her picture, and almost cried.  She is about nine years old and is confused why my fingernails are not painted like hers are and why only one of my ears is pierced.  She gave me the one silly band that she had.  She and her friend Naphtalie sat down with me last week and with my very broken French and Creole and their very broken English, asked me about my family.  They wanted to know my parents’ names and if I had siblings and their names.  Then, any other kid who walked up, they would tell them all about me.  Still, when they see me, they let me know that they remember my name and that my mom is Karen.

We also had a conversation about me leaving, which was really sad.  They had asked about a member of a team that had been here a couple weeks ago, and I had to explain that she went back home to the US.  Then, they asked if I was leaving too, and I had to say yes, and explained in how many days.  They were sad, but understood, and began to ask about everyone else here.  I told them about us interns all leaving, but made sure they realized all of the people that are not going anywhere and will be here to love them always.  And I told them that I expect to see them when I come back over Spring break.  (Oh, by the way, Mom and Dad, I’m coming back over Spring break)

 These children have a way of breaking my heart on a daily basis.  I am having a VERY difficult time coming to terms with the fact that I am leaving in just a few days.  There are a lot of issues right now regarding the management of the orphanage and, ultimately, the fate of these kids, so they are constantly on my mind and in my prayers, and my hope is that you will pray for them, as well.  The genuine love that they give is straight from God, himself.  I know that I am receiving so much more from them than they are from me-- all I do is smile, show them their pictures on my camera, pass out band-aids and let them wear my sunglasses.  They are changing my view of the world.

Jesus loves the little children

Today, Cheyenne and I worked at the children’s home where there are 18 kids waiting to be adopted.  We were basically meant to just love on the kids and help them get used to a scheduled day, which was great since scheduled into the day was a cooked lunch of our favorite Haitian meal, legumes, and nap time!!  It was a lovely day of holding babies and giving kisses and hugs.

We left around 3 to go back home and meet the teeny-tiny little week-old baby and his mom from Bate 41 who is here to see a doctor.  Then, we got a phone call saying one of the boys at Guerline’s orphanage fell and needs his head stitched up.  We loaded back up to get the boy, also taking a couple kids from the children’s home to get blood work done while we’re at the clinic, just another part of the adoption process.

We rode to the Red Cross clinic that was about 45 minutes away and got the boy going with his stitches before we went to the pediatric area to get blood work done.  As soon as we walked in, I saw the smallest baby I have ever laid eyes on—they said she was born at 30 weeks and was doing alright.  In the back of the room was a set of twins born at 32 weeks, and they were shocked that they even survived.  There was a girl laying in a bed that had been in a car accident and was ok except that they could not see any brain activity.  In a chair to the side was a little girl who was probably five who just got her broken arm put in a cast.  The head doctor running around had her scrubs rolled up into shorts and told us that if we wanted, there were three orphan boys in the back that we could love on while we waited, so we searched them out! 

These orphans were at the Red Cross because they still require medical attention.  Two had cerebral palsy and another had a condition that made his skull grow outrageously large.  I picked up the smaller boy with CP… he was SO cute!  Immediately, I thought of Gage, the little boy with CP that I babysit sometimes.  They have the same face and features and are both generally adorable.  While I was holding him he got a little fussy, but instead of pushing away and stretching out like babies normally do when they fuss, his entire body was cringing inward with muscle spasms.  The entire time, all I could think about was how blessed Gage is to have such loving family that takes care if him and is able to get him medical treatment, but this boy has no one- his makeshift chart said he was abandoned.  There is no one to hold him while he goes through the scary things life holds for him.  Finally, he fell asleep in my arms as our kids were brought back to us and I had to put him back in his bed, and as soon as I let go of him, he started fussing again and waving his arms, but I had to go. 

But there is hope these kids.  Tomorrow, Jenny Chapman is flying in to adopt Melissa, a cute little 18-month old girl with Downs Syndrome who has been living with us.  We are all so excited to meet Jenny and send Melissa with her to loved and cared for like every child deserves.

Jimani

I don't even know how to describe our week in Jimani, DR.  We left on Sunday, so that we could drop off a little boy, Babbas, and his mom at their home.  The boy had been in Port-au-Prince to have surgery on a hernia that weekend, so we dropped them off at the Dominican border to catch a very precarious-looking rowboat to Bate 41, their village across the lake.  We then proceeded to sneak across the Dominican border illegally and got to Jimani with no problems. 

The Chadasha Foundation is based in Jimani, so we were able to see the main campus with the hospital, living quarters for teams, the chapel and boarding school.  There was a team there this week from Largo, Florida that we got to work alongside—they were a blast!  Every night they were planning to help with VBS at a local Mennonite church… leading to us interns basically being asked to not return the following nights because no one told us we should bring clothes that were more modest than athletic shorts and tank tops.  Oops.  Instead, we started to stay behind in the evenings to organize the pharmacy in the hospital.

This was one of the saddest jobs we had—throwing away expired medicine.  The hospital is functional, but is not operating right now because Chadasha is trying to get it up to its full potential.  They recently got a very large grant to help buy equipment and set things up, but one of the things that has to be in line is the pharmacy.  Brittany had a more difficult time with this part than the rest of us because she is a pre-med student and knows exactly what all of the medicine could do for however many people and how much all of it would cost to re-stock.  Seriously, we had to throw out about half of the supply of medicine.

The missionaries living in Jimani, John and Melissa Henley, wanted the team and us to be able to go to Bate 41, so one day we all loaded up to drive across the border into that side of Haiti.  However, since that border was not an “official” border and the men with guns were not feeling particularly friendly, so we were denied.  The next day, we decided to take matters into our own hands—we all crossed the official Haitian border and then all got into our own precarious-looking rowboats to go across the lake, bailing water out as we went.  Did I mention there are alligators in this lake? 

We made it over and were greeted by a group of kids that we super excited to see us!  This village was heartbreaking to say the least.  A few of the kids were running around with no clothing and all of the houses were made of sticks and mud.  There is no electricity or running water, and the only source of income is to burn bits of wood to make charcoal.  We played with the kids, giving them silly bands and balls and walked around the village praying for people.  One lady pointed to a home we should go to, so we went, only to find a week-old baby boy who was having seizures one right after another, lasting about 11 minutes.  It was helpless.  At home, this baby would be in an ambulance within five minutes and rushed to get medical care. Here, however, it’s a 20-minute boat ride across the lake, but there’s not even a doctor that can see him for a few days.  The good thing:  the baby and his mom are currently here in Port-au-Prince and will be seeing a doctor on Monday.  We also got see Babbas!  He is doing GREAT after his surgery!

After a great week in Jimani making heaps of new friends and sharing life-changing experiences, it was time to go home.  Sara, Ashton and Kinsley came to get us in the truck, so we threw our bags in the back and squeezed 8 people into the five-passenger truck to cross the border.  It was market day, so the border was packed beyond being able to express in words.  It was, hands down, the most chaotic crowd I have ever experienced.  Kinsley, our driver/translator, was in touch with some of his friends at the border (because he has friends everywhere) and was making preparations for getting us back across the border since we got there illegally… it was insane and a bit scary.  We were really concerned that our bags would be grabbed out of the back of the truck, so Brittany and Melanie sat back there with them.  When we got to the actual border, immigration wanted our passports, but Kinsley’s friends came through and kept them out of the right hands.  It was chaotic, stressful, scary and so many more emotions… but God got us through.  At the last checkpoint at a police station, the officer wanted to look at our passports, which would have meant a trip back to the DR for us, but Kinsley asked the officer, “Do you not know who I am?  Do you not know Kinsley?  Ask that other officer!  How do you now know who I am?!”  and we were waved through.  Kinsley can bluff through anything!

We made it back to Port-au-Prince alive and in one piece, and without a stamp in our passports for our time in the DR.

Love at first sight

Today was my first full day in Haiti-- we started the day off with pancakes before packing nine people into a mid-size/small SUV and going into town to run a few simple errands.  With Haitian streets and Haitian ways of dealing with things, this was the majority of the day.  We returned to the guest house where things are operated from, and then went to the children’s home and an orphanage to check things out.

I have never been anywhere like Haiti, much less an orphanage.  The children’s home is completely operated with by Chadasha, housing 17 children, mostly aged baby to five years.  I had no idea what to expect, but I didn’t expect my heart to fall to pieces as quick as it did, which was instantly.  The moment I walked through the threshold, I was stopped by a very small boy wrapping his arms around my knees and looking up at me with a huge grin.  This kid had never seen me before in his life, but he immediately ran up to me and wanted me to hold him and love on him.  Of course, I grabbed him up and tried to not fall from all of the other kids that swarmed into the room when we all walked up.  I sat down, which was probably not the smartest thing, because then I was just swallowed up by kids reaching for attention.  I then pulled out my camera, which was an instant sensation.  EVERY kid wanted “une foto” and then wanted to see himself on the digital screen.

We had to leave after only a bit in order to run by the other orphanage—Guerline’s orphanage is not operated by Chadasha, but the foundation does support it.  It is fairly new; the basic story is that there were about 70 kids in a tent orphanage of sorts in another city here, but there was no way to support the children and not really anyone in charge.  After a big storm swept through, the tent was destroyed and the children were basically living in mud, so they were brought to live in the guest house with Chadasha workers until they could finalize getting a house to put them in.  There are a few problems with how things are run, which is frustrating for everyone, but it is a home for the children where they are taken care of.  These kids were just as friendly and excited to see us as the others but were aged more like 5+, along with having many more health issues. 

At the children’s home, there was a girl with an abscess on her head, but overall there were not many problems.  At Guerline’s, there were multiple kids with ringworm, at least one with scabies, and so, so many whose hair was light brown instead of black, a sign of malnutrition.   It is so sad to see all of these beautiful children so desperate to be loved, but I am glad that I am here to make a difference in their lives.  Now that I am getting a front row seat to the way things work in Haiti and with Chadasha in general, I can see how difficult it is to keep an operation like this going, but I am also seeing how important it is that there ARE people who devote their lives to this work.

The interenet here doesn't like to upload pictures, but here's one of some kids at Guerline's.  They are so happy and playful, but they are in such a sad situation.  Notice the red-ish hair in the background and ringworm of one boy's forehead.

A whole new woooooorld

This has been a pretty big year for me- I have been blessed enough to do a lot of travelling and have heaps of big girl experiences that I will remember for the rest of my life.  I jumped straight out of one adventure and into another, knowing that Haiti would be a completely different world, however, some experiences just have to be had first hand to really sink in.

This morning, Brittany and I flew into Miami en route to Haiti, where there are little square houses squished together in costal neighborhoods, each with a red terra-cotta shingle roof and a pool in the back.  I had never been to Florida, so I'm glad it lives up to the stereotype.  Our landing was pretty rough and in the commotion my only pen flew out of my lap and rolled far, far away.  Then, we realized we arrived over an hour later than expected, so we were getting off of our plane around the time our other plane was supposed to start boarding.  Regardless, we made it to our next plane on time and flew off to the Caribbean.  I was glued to the window the entire time in awe of the beautiful turquoise water with sand bars cropping up here and there and seeing all of the islands that I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life stuck on.

We eventually made it in sight of Haiti, when I realized that in the chaos of our landing in Miami, not only did I lose my pen, but also my most favorite water bottle of all time.  You probably have no idea how happy this water bottle made me, but it was a very major part of my life--it has stuck by me through thick and thin, quenching my thirst in times of need.  I also just really, really liked it a lot and had an awesome Australia sticker on it, and it was gone.  I threw a little tantrum in my head about how stupid I was and expressed my frustration to Brittany a few times, then tried to just ignore it because we were about to land in Port-au-Prince!

The plane begins descending, and I could even see this rusty old half-sunken ship stuck out on a reef in the beautiful water with whimsical sand bars and sail boats... and then we get closer.  I see more boats, but they're not pretty.  Actually, they are rather run-down.  Then I see the dock they are at is in obvious disrepair and the shore is completely littered.  This is when reality sank in.  I was about to land in one of the poorest countries around.  In the next second, I saw little square houses squished together in a neighborhood of sorts... with red roofs of rusty tin sheets so different from the ones I saw in Miami just hours before.

We landed.  I had an airport experience that would make a few people I know just die in their tracks, so I won't go into that... I'll just say that you really want there to be electricity to run a baggage carousel when you are claiming your luggage.  I was in Haiti.  We found our folks and got in the truck, and the drive to the house we are staying in only perpetuated the feelings I had when I first saw the houses.  And here I was getting so worked up about having lost my favorite water bottle... a little perspective goes a long way.

We settled in today and met everyone-- I can already tell it's going to be a great three weeks!  There area many big plans and God seems to have a lot in store!  Keep us in your prayers.

Wherever He leads, I'll go

Brittany: Soo, I've already decided that I'm going back to Haiti this summer, and I think you should come with me.

And so it began. My roommate, along with my church's college ministry, spent spring break doing mission work in Haiti while I was off galavanting on the other side of the world. Consequentially, she left her heart in Port-au-Prince and decided to take me back with her for another three-week stint this summer. I, already itching from wanderlust before even being home again, was eager to make good on her offer and, in spite of being showered with reasons to stay home, bought plane tickets.

I had spent the previous four months travelling to and around Australia, so at this time I did not actually have enough money to buy said plane tickets, much less the cost of room and board for the duration, but after praying about it for a week or so, I felt perfect peace about going out on the financial edge. Sure enough, once I got home and was back at my church, I told some people about my plans and donations started pouring in left and right. First my plane ticket was paid for, then my housing, even spending money for while we are there! We were given so much that we can pay to bring extra luggage full of donated clothes, school supplies and bedding for the children who have nothing, and still have enough left over to bring to the foundation we are working through to use in Haiti!

As I mentioned, I was not able to go on the previous trip, so I really have no idea what I am jumping into. Brittany fills me in here and there about how things work, but I really will not get a handle on it until I get off the plane. What I can tell you is that we are working through the Chadasha Foundation as mission interns, staying from July 18- August 8. We will basically do whatever the missionaries living there need us to do, which from my understanding will involve working with children in an orphanage, medical clinics and helping out mission teams that will come and go.

I know that God has things in store for us that will be beyond words, but I will attempt to convey them through this blog during our time abroad. Please pray for us. Greater things are yet to come and greater things are still to be done.



"And I will lead the blind in paths that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them." Isaiah 42:16