Catch Up

So this is my entry to catch you up on what has happened since I last updated!

First of all, Mike came back. (Hooray!) It is not really fun to run everything by yourself so I was all kinds of happy to have him back. However, because Mike came back, the first 3 days were kind of hectic.

There was a lot of work to do - phone calls to make, e-mails to write, groups to confirm, groups to replace due to cancellations, people to meet with, lists to make, and just general conversations to be had. Whew! We were BUSY.

The night Mike arrived we went through everything that needed to be done and made a list. The next day, we went to the Methodist Children's Home because the COR group was throwing them a party. We got to see the joy on the kids faces as they received some cake and popcorn. Too cute.

However, our party time was cut short because we had to have a long meeting with Boss Weche, who is our site boss for the majority (if not all) of our work sites. Money stuff, new projects, and project updates were all on the agenda. In fact, our meeting went so long that finally we just decided to load up everyone in the van and head back to the Guest House to continue the meeting so the COR group could get to the Baptist Mission. From there, our meeting went on for a while longer before Boss Weche went home around 3 or 3:30.

Towards the end of the meeting, though, it started to rain. After Boss Weche left the Guest House, Mike, Oge, and I watched my boys play soccer in the Guest House driveway. So funny! They had striped down to just shorts or underwear and were running around, slipping and sliding trying to get the ball. I asked why they weren't wearing any clothes and Mike responded, "Because they're smart! They don't want to get their clothes wet!" Good point. Part of what made it funny, though, was McKinley being a show-off. He would do these goofy dances whenever he was happy with a pass or a shot he made. Also, he would "swim" in the puddles which was... one of the strangest, most adorable things I have seen in a while. Anyway, I got video of it because it was too hilarious. When I return home hopefully I can post some of it.

On Saturday (yesterday) we traveled to Mellier in the morning to check on that work site. It looks awesome but there were two temporary buildings there set up by another organization that we had no idea about. So that was interesting. While we were there, Mike also met with some of the workers as they told him some of their concerns. It's always good to get the workers point of view and to try to better understand what they believe their needs are.

After that, Oge, Mike, and I went to Carrefour Manse. It's a pastor's home that we will soon be repairing... we think. It has a yellow marker outside, which means that it can't be lived in, but it can be fixed. However, looking at the damage there, we were weary of it. Beyond that, it looks like there's a LOT of work to be done. Hopefully we can figure out a way to help, though, so that it's livable soon.

Once we returned back to the Guest House, though, is when I got sick. I ate some lunch but then I just felt terrible all of the sudden. I went to lie down for a "short while" and ended up sleeping for two hours - even missing the initial dinner bell. Luckily, Donette came and woke me up, which I was appreciative of. I took it easy for the rest of the night and tried to get myself healthy again.

However, when I woke up this morning, I was still feeling ill. This was very sad because we were going to go to church (where there was going to be a party) and then to the beach for the last weekend before I go home. I didn't go, though. Instead, I rested most of the morning and had my own devotion/worship time in the quiet of my room.

Other than that, I've mostly been resting today. Taking it easy and taking some meds to get me back to 100%. Mike thinks it may have been minor heat exhaustion because it's been so warm and humid here lately. It's certainly possible. It's also possible, though, that one of the boys got me sick, or something else. You can never quite tell what makes you sick in Haiti.

Anyway, I'm hoping that Donette, Ablamy, and Mike return from their outing soon so I can eat dinner. No one was coming to the Guest House tonight until late so no dinner was made. Sad day. Luckily, I have 3 friends willing to take care of me and bring me a cheeseburger from the Epid'or. Thank you, Jesus.

Sending Haiti hugs your way,
Beth

P.S. On August 9th I will be preaching and then speaking about Haiti after worship at Living Water Christian Church in Parkville, MO. If you're at all interested in hearing more about Haiti, eating a good lunch, and drinking Haitian coffee, then I hope to see you there! If you need directions or more information, you know how to contact me. :)