Traveling with Beth

Back in Haiti - Day 7 - Fini

2011-10-13T18:21:00.000-07:00

What a day. What a seriously great day.

It started off super slow. No real plans this morning. Oge and I picked out some songs for his last CD but that was about it. I talked to Sarah about wanting to do something fun for my last day but not knowing what that should be. She and Tom put their heads together and decided it would be a great idea to go to lunch. Sounds good to me!

We went to Bouchara, a great Haitian place with reasonable prices, air conditioning, and great food. It was a relaxing lunch. Wonderful to share stories and experiences with each other - comment on places we've been and places yet to go. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon.

After that, Oge had scheduled for the two of us to meet with some lawyers to discuss the possible establishment of the Bracelets of Blessing program. Unfortunately, Oge had a family emergency that he needed to deal with so Peterson helped me for the first half of the meeting. Thankfully Oge came in at the end to best understand the whole process.

I found out that it is entirely possible to establish the organization in Haiti AND I have an actual plan of action after speaking with the lawyers. It was SUCH a helpful conversation and I am so thankful for all the prayers over this meeting. It was really an important and necessary step towards establishing the program officially and moving it into its own separate entity. I am excited to start the process and work with folks here and in the US to make this program into everything it can be. I am just so glad that I was able to have this meeting before I went home.

Home.

Tomorrow I go home.

I am definitely feeling sadness over that. I really wish I could have stayed longer - spent more time with my family here. However, I suppose all good things must come to an end and there is a whole slew of things waiting for me back in Fort Worth that I need to attend to.

Just because I'm leaving, though, doesn't mean I'm not taking part of Haiti with me.

I'll leave with sounds of "Poupe" (my nickname) still ringing in my ears. I'll leave with the memories of hugs from great friends filling my mind. I'll leave with wonderful Haitian food still filling my body and soul. And I will leave with the knowledge that I am not forgotten and that in many ways, I am still part of the tapestry that is Haiti. My fingerprints are still here. My life and my presence has been important.

I'm sure I will cry again tomorrow, though, as I did when I first arrived. When I arrived they were tears of joy - so glad to be reunited. Tomorrow they will be tears of sadness - frustrated that land, water, money, and time must separate me from my friends here. However, I am certain I will be back, and depending on my financial situation... I hope it is sooner rather than later.

Bye Bye Ayiti. Mesi pou bon semen. Na we...

Back in Haiti - Day 6 - Poze

2011-10-12T18:09:00.000-07:00

Another wonderful, relaxing day in Haiti!

This morning Oge and I traveled to La Tremblay to pick up a team. La Tremblay is a site that opened while I was in Haiti in January so I was excited to see how far things had come in the 5 months I had been away for. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

You know, I get asked all the time, "Is anything actually being done in Haiti?" My answer is always a loud YES. Unfortunately, the media does not always paint that picture. Yes, there are still collapsed buildings. Yes, there is still rubble around. Yes, the rebuilding process has been slow and tedious. However, that does not mean that there haven't been improvements. The roads have gotten better (and seem to be mostly rubble free!) The mood seems to be lighter. There aren't near as many tents as there was before. Seriously, so much is happening in Haiti. It's truly wonderful.

La Tremblay is one of those wonderful things. It was cool to see a partially completed two story building (as it will have a balcony to be sure and hold all the people) and workers hard at work. Also neat was that this site has a cement mixer so the work was super efficient. It was SO COOL to see their process in action. I have never seen anything like it, but it was a blast... and so quick! Basically, being there made me incredibly optimistic and proud of the work that is being done here. It is awesome.

Oh, and of course, my ride with Oge was fantastic as always. Car dancing and laughter included.

After that visit (which was pretty quick because of what little traffic there seems to be now...) Oge and I hung out a bit and then Oge, Sarah, and I went out to lunch. We decided to go to Fior di Latte which is a European bistro in Petionville. I had gorgonzola stuffed ravioli with a pesto sauce and we all shared a chocolate ice cream ball for dessert. YUM. It was wonderful to have that time to poze with the two of them and hear some of the stories of life around here.

You know, on this trip, I have realized just how much I really miss being here. However, I have to keep on reminding myself that I am in divinity school so that I can CONTINUE to be in places like Haiti and working towards the betterment of the world. It is such a tough thing to remind myself of at times, but I also know that I have a ton of fans here waiting to see my graduate and become a pastor. (I've already had several people ask me when they can start calling me Pastor Beth. So fun.) I just need to remember that once I'm back in Fort Worth.

Beyond that, I had a nice chat with Pastor Paul this afternoon (although I couldn't help him much with what he talked to me about.) It was good to spend some time with him, even though it was brief. It was also good to sit in his air conditioning.:)

This afternoon I also had the opportunity to visit Giant Market with Belorne once again. You know, before I left Haiti, Oge told me "Haitians never forget." I believed that, but to a degree. I mean, I knew that the people at the Guest House would not forget me, but I figured that most others would. I'm finding that I was also wrong about that.

At Giant, I always used to exchange money there from US dollars to Gourdes when we went shopping for teams going out into the field. It always seemed to be the same guy at the counter and eventually it became almost a running joke - "same amount?" I didn't know much about him, but it still felt like tradition to say hello to him each time I was there and request an exchange.

Well, today, when I was there, he was there, too. He saw me and waved excitedly and motioned me over. He said, "It has been so long since we have seen you!" "Yes, I went back to the United States. I've been gone from Haiti for about 5 months now... it's been too long!" He then smiled and said, "Wow, 5 months!? I can't believe it! Well it is very good to see you." We chatted for a little while longer before I departed to find Belorne, but that was really, really neat. While you're here, you don't realize the people that you've left an impression on. Once you return, though, they seem to come out of the woodwork to say hello and tell you that they've missed you.

To end this entry, I will just say this: I love this country. I am so glad to be here. Only one more day left and then I have to say goodbye. It is going to be extremely difficult. Prayers appreciated.

Back in Haiti - Day 5 - Bon Bagay

2011-10-11T17:32:00.000-07:00

Today was pretty neat. Spent the morning on the road with Oge to go pick up a team in Arcahaie. Arcahaie was the first community (outside of Petionville) that I visited when I first came in Haiti. It was nice to see the community again and some old friends. It was also nice to see the site and re-live some wonderful memories there.

It was great riding in a car with Oge today, too. I can't even tell you how much I missed our road trips. I made him a new cd and so we enjoyed some car dancing. Good times, as always.

This afternoon was pretty "poze." (Relaxing) I mostly looked at some theology homework and hung out a bit. At 4, though, the boys came with bracelet materials so I could take some photos of their work in progress. I took some great shots and I'm excited to compile them into resources that churches and other communities can use to tell their story.

Also fun was when I remembered that my camera has HD video. I got some GREAT footage and I'll be sure to upload some of those videos as well as (hopefully) an edited piece. I'm so excited for this possibility. It was a great day to see them and talk with them and see the bracelet process in action.

My time here is already coming to an end. So strange. However, I think once my time here is over I'll be anxious to get back to Fort Worth. I've done SOME studying since I've been here... but not enough for the 3 papers and 2 mid-term tests that are coming up next week. Yikes! So much to do, so little time.

Tomorrow Oge and I are headed to La Tremblay in the morning and in the afternoon I will meet with Pastor Paul and maybe take another trip to Rebo with Sarah. We shall see!

Have a great night, everyone!

Back in Haiti - Day 3 &4 - Right at Home

2011-10-10T15:03:00.000-07:00

These past two days have been pretty low-key, but very nice.

Yesterday Mike Willis came back to Haiti. Mike was my first boss in Haiti and it had been a while (I think since February...?) since I had last seen him. Always good to be reunited!

We stopped for lunch at a nice place near the airport - La Maison. It was just Oge, Mike, and I which felt strange and wonderful at the same time. The old crew back together again. We chatted about a few things and just had a nice, relaxing lunch hour.

After returning to the Guest House, Mike attempted to get some work done to prepare for his trip to Les Cayes and I attempted to work on studying for my Theology mid-term. It sort of worked except streams of kids kept on coming by to say hello to Mike. As Mike was here the entire time the tent city was on our campus, he has a lot of friends outside the Guest House that are always anxious to see him.

After dinner, I spent about a half hour with Belorne showing her how to scan documents onto the computer and attach them to e-mails. She was so happy to learn how to do that and I felt blessed to have the opportunity to teach her. It was wonderful watching her light up with joy whenever she proved to herself that she could do it.

I also got the opportunity to watch a few episodes of The Office with the UMVIM crew (plus Mike) last night. Good times filled with lots of laughter, that's for sure.

Today was also pretty low-key. Mike left very early in the morning for Les Cayes so I didn't even see him leave. I said my goodbyes last night. We have a team here, though, that is working in Duplan and I decided it would be fun to tag along to see the site. Duplan looks wonderful and lively. Great to see the kids utilizing the new spaces that were created for them. Oge and I also got the opportunity to visit again during recess today and it was a joy to see all the kids dressed in their adorable yellow and grey Methodist uniforms smiling, laughing, and playing with each other.

Of course, as it always in Haiti, the kids were mesmerized with my camera and once it was discovered that I was taking photos... each child wanted a picture. It's cool, though, because I had a ton of fun taking pictures. I've also been working on taking pictures of each member of the Guest House staff so that's been fun for me, too.

After that brief visit, Oge and I stopped for lunch. We were going to try to do a nice meal out (as we were originally supposed to go to the beach today but that didn't work out due to it being kind of a rainy/dreary day) but all of the nicer places are closed on Mondays. (I tell ya, Haiti is a whole different country! :) ) I asked Oge where he wanted to go instead and he said, "I think we should go to Rebo again." I was happy to oblige. Rebo has really great sandwiches and, of course, coffee. :) We had more great chats there. Have I mentioned how wonderful it is to hang out with him again? It's really wonderful.

This afternoon I also saw Pastor Paul (the President of the Methodist Church in Haiti) and that was fun. (Although he was upset with me for not telling him that I was coming back to visit - whoops!) He wants to meet some time this week so it will be good to sit down and talk with him.

Beyond that, I just chatted with Oge, Erick, Maxo, and Peterson. Also, since I showed Oge how Skype works on Saturday I've had a few requests for help with setting up Skype for others. That's also been fun. I'm happy to expand their communication possibilities by adding Skype into their lives! :)

Tonight I'm going to a place called "Hang!" for dinner with the UMVIM crew. Although, if it keeps on raining, then we might be going somewhere else instead. I've heard it's a fun place with great music, though, so I'm excited to try it out. Could be good!

I called this entry "Right at Home" because that's truly what it feels like. It feels like coming home. Also, it's been fun for me stepping into my old role here in small ways. I've enjoyed having the opportunity to assist in whatever ways are most helpful. It has been good to re-live that time of my life in small ways this week.

Anyway, I'm off - tomorrow's going to be a big day, though... trip to Arcahaie in the morning and bracelet making in the afternoon. Exciting!

Back in Haiti - Day 2 - Remembering the Kids

2011-10-08T17:08:00.000-07:00

Another lovely day in the same magical place.

Today was so much fun. Relaxing. Wonderful.

It began by seeing more friends of mine as they came and went - Johnny (one of our beloved drivers), Caz (a great interpreter), and Jammes (the accountant), for example. However, as you could probably guess, the best part was seeing Oge and all of my boys.

I saw Oge this morning and gave him one of the biggest hugs ever. (Almost cried, but was able to hold it in this time. :) ) Oge and I have kept in touch over the phone every now and then... but seeing him in person is... awesome. I've really, really missed him.

We spent the morning chatting and sharing stories. I showed him some photos from Europe and of the new apartment in Texas. I also introduced him to Flat Oge (his "mini me" that went around Europe with me.) That was hilariously awesome. Several members of the Guest House staff cracked up when they saw Flat Oge. I also set Oge up with Skype so I'm excited to use that with him once I leave Haiti.

Then, at noon, the bracelet kids came for pay day. For the most part, word had spread that I was back... but not to everyone. The surprised faces were way too much fun. During Pay Day, I was able to take some great pictures and the kids are coming back again on Tuesday so that I can take some pictures and video of them actually making the bracelets. I am beyond excited for that - it is going to be wonderful to finally have shots of that process in action... as well as maybe getting some interviews from the families about how the program is impacting their lives.

Especially wonderful today, though, was seeing Michellet, Robenson, Robenson's Mother, and Schnyder. Seeing every kid was wonderful... but throughout my time here I built special relationships with those four. So great to be reunited again.

However, I do have to put out a plea.

Due to a lower volume of teams (and therefore, fewer donations), the staff here has not been able to provide any assistance to the bracelet kids and their families for school this year. It's not that they don't want to help out, it's just that there isn't enough for everyone to get an amount that would be helpful so the money that they are able to give is just going towards things like food or clothes. In Haiti, It costs around $200 - $500 for a child to go to school for an entire year. For some it is more, and for others it is less. $200 is probably the average amount that they would need to pay the inscription fee and for the first quarter or trimester.

If you or your congregation feels led to give, PLEASE DO. I know that some already are (big shout out to Don, for example, for his continuous giving) but unfortunately, with such few people donating... there just isn't enough for the money to go far. (And in Haiti, you can't really give to one and not the other... so that adds a whole other dimension in terms of what is and is not possible.)

If you are able to give and need information about who to send money to... please contact me this week at bethisinchina@yahoo.com. I will get you all the information you need.

Seriously, I asked the boys how school was going... and too many told me that they were not in school at all this year because they could not afford it. It is heartbreaking to me that such intelligent, driven, wonderful kids would not be able to get an education. I am hopeful that their situation will change soon... but at this point, the future (at least the immediate future of the next few months or year) looks pretty bleak.

There are 24 kids in the bracelet program now. If we can raise at least $4800... then that could/should be enough to at least get the kids in school, with the hope that with bracelet income they'd be able to pay the rest of the money for the year.

Anyway... beyond the sadness of that reality... it really was a great day. I even got to go to my favorite coffeehouse for lunch (Rebo!) with Oge and that was wonderful. I also got some studying in for Christian Theology and had a brief opportunity to chat with Tom for a while.

Have I mentioned how awesome it is to be back? Because it's really, really awesome. M renmen Ayiti ANPIL! (I love Haiti a lot!)

Back in Haiti - Day 1 - One of the most joyful moments of my life

2011-10-07T17:06:00.000-07:00

Today I traveled back to Haiti.

Reading week/fall break is this week and I wanted to take advantage of it. With my parents help, I made the plans to come back here about two months ago. Since then I have been looking forward to this day. Dreaming about it, praying for it, hoping that the reunion would be everything I wanted it to be.

But instead, it was something greater than I ever could have imagined.

I got a text from Oge earlier today telling me that he wouldn't be able to pick me up from the airport. I was bummed about that, but he said that he'd try to see me later at the Guest House. I started to wonder if today wasn't going to be the big deal that I was building it up to be. I mean, I knew that it was going to be so good to see every one and that they'd be happy to see me... but was it really going to be that big of a deal?

Anyway, so I arrived in Haiti to a MUCH IMPROVED airport and, believe it or not, Martelly (Haiti's president) also happened to be there. He waved to the crowd saying "Bonswa toutmoun!" (Which means "Good afternoon, everyone!") So that was pretty cool.

Then, as I was walking out of the airport, I saw Jackson, our head porter. He gave me a big hug and called me "boss" like he always has. I tried to remind him that I was never really his boss and I'm REALLY not his boss now... but he decided he liked calling me that just the same.

After that I met up with Daniel at the tap-tap. It was so good to see him. We caught up a bit and he was also so happy to see me. Needless to say, I was already feeling extremely welcomed. There were also some other porters that I used to run into now and then with team pick ups (back in the day) and they also recognized me and came over to say hello.

Driving back to the Guest House was also a joy as I got to experience all the sights, sounds, and smells of Haiti again. Although, I will say, I think that traffic has improved quite a bit. I mentioned this to Daniel, though, and he said "No, it hasn't." I'll be paying close attention to that to see if it really is better... or if it was just a fluke. Haha.

Back at the Guest House is where it really got good. I think some people knew I was coming, while others did not. I was greeted by Tom and Sarah... wonderful, of course, to see both of them again. After that, by happenstance, I ran into Pastor Ralph and said hello to him.

And then... I saw my favorite ladies in the kitchen... which started a whole bunch of rounds of hugs. First Marie Claude, and then Claire, and then Vivienne (who literally screamed when she saw me), and Tantnette, Ysmeus, Belorne, and Ruth. That was a moment. Seeing all of them, hugging all of them, and having them welcome me back like family... I can't even fully describe what that felt like except to say that it felt like putting on a warm snuggly blanket on a freezing winter night.

However, after saying hello to them, I noticed that something (besides Oge) was missing... there weren't any boys around. I thought for sure that they'd be there to greet me as they had at almost every other occasion... but they were nowhere to be found.

Then Sarah called for me and said, "I think I see some of the boys." She told me that they hadn't told them that I was coming because they wanted to make sure that they just came during the Saturday pay day time and she knew they'd see me then. However, since they happened to be around, she figured that she'd surprise them.

We walked to the end of the Guest House driveway and opened the gate just a tiny crack to see if they were still there. Sarah spots them and says, "Yep, they're here. Timoun!" (Kids!) Then they turned around and saw me.

What happened in that moment is a memory that I will probably replay for the rest of me life. Especially on those days when I wonder if what I do means anything. Their faces said it all.

Instantly all four boys had their eyes bugging out of their heads, shocked to see me, which changed suddenly to faces overcome with joy as they practically tackled me with hugs. I admit that I cried. I cried like a baby, so joyful myself. These are my boys... and so they shall forever be. It was wonderful to hug them, to talk to them, to tell them, "M tre kontan we ou!" (I'm very happy to see you!) I am so excited to see the rest of them tomorrow. So flippin stoked.

During that time I also saw Gregory, one of the artists who sells work in the street, Jessica (Erick's daughter,) Nathalie (Claire's daughter,) and Erick.

Basically it was a homecoming not to be forgotten. One of joy, laughter, and blessing. Seriously, how blessed am I to have such an amazing Haitian family!?!?

And that's what it's felt like... coming home. Spending the vacation with my extended family. I kind of expected this place to feel foreign, different, new. But it doesn't. It feels like the same Haiti... the Haiti I fell in love with... the Haiti I still strive to serve.

Anyway, even though I still haven't seen Oge yet (bumma! - hopefully tomorrow) it's still been an amazing day. Thanks for the prayers. Please continue praying for this trip - that it may be a time of renewal, new possibilities, and friendship.

Bracelets of Blessing

2011-09-21T12:26:00.001-07:00

So I know that I've talked to some of you about the Bracelets of Blessing program, but I figured I'd take the time to explain everything here as a reference point.

In August of last year, when I returned to Haiti after my family's summer vacation, a few of the boys living in the tent city on Freres campus began making me bracelets. They were small, macrame bracelets, but they were pretty cool looking. I noted that they could probably sell them to some of the American teams coming through the Guest House and make a little bit of money.

That next week about 5 boys gave us a few bracelets to sell. From there, more and more kids joined in and the bracelets became more and more ornate. The small business had become quite successful!

Now the program has grown to 23 kids. For some, the money they receive from the bracelet program is the only income their family receives. Pay day is every Saturday at noon, and each kid lines up with their parents to receive their income for the week and dump off their new bracelets to sell.

I cannot fully explain how life-changing and life-sustaining this program has been for these families. I will say, however, that God has truly been at work and that blessings have been abundant. So abundant, in fact, that I feel like, unfortunately, the program has hit a plateau and cannot grow any further without more structure put into place.

With this in mind, I have created (with help and input from others) a vision Bracelets of Blessing that I really hope to accomplish. Here's the basics of the plan.

1. Create an after school program for the kids to visit
2. Only accept bracelets made during program time and in the program space - to ensure that parents do not begin forcing their children to make bracelets and stay home from school. (For some families the bracelet business has become so lucrative that this truly is a concern... I want to make sure all kids go to school!)
3. Offer other life-enriching opportunities during the program time - free English lessons, tutoring, organized sports, choirs, etc.
4. Have staff in place to allow for the expansion of the bracelet market. (AKA: Begin selling bracelets in the States, not just at the Methodist Guest House in Haiti.)
5. Have more quality control, while still allowing for creativity and for the kids to create at their own pace and by their own will.
6. Offer more opportunities for community among the bracelet kids and their families.
7. Offer educational seminars for parents on things like hygiene/health issues, family budgeting, etc.
8. Allow for more children and families to get involved in the program.

Before I left Haiti, we briefly explained to the kids and their families what this new vision was and the response was EXTREMELY positive. The families really want this and I think there is definitely a need for the program.

As of right now, I am still in the process of trying to get the program established as an actual entity so that people can donate to it, we can hire employees to run it, and there can be better financial oversight. However, I am meeting a lot of road blocks here in the US. When I visit Haiti soon, I am hoping to meet with a lawyer to see what possibilities there might be to establish the organization in Haiti instead of the States. I will also (hopefully) look at a possible location to hold the after school program and I might be meeting with some possible program directors... depending on how well the meeting with the lawyer goes.

Everything is still in the early stages. I really hoped it would be further along at this point, but like I said, I've met a lot of road blocks here in the States. I am hopeful that I can move forward with plans soon, though. In the meantime, prayers are certainly appreciated and needed!! :)

Oh, and if you want to see these beautiful bracelets, and some of the kids that make them, go here.

Grieving

2011-08-05T07:48:00.000-07:00

I had a rough night last night.

It seems that now I have returned from Haiti, I am finally able to grieve the disaster that was the earthquake. And it kind of sucks.

When you're in Haiti for a long time, your mentality shifts. You get to a point where you recognize that everything that Haiti is dealing with is just the reality. You want to do as much as you can to make that reality a bit better... but things that would normally be terrible just become... normal.

You expect to see crumbled buildings. You expect to see kids begging for money and/or food. You expect some of the people you meet to still be living in a tent. It seems (somewhat) normal.

Sometimes you are faced with elevated circumstances within that normal that make you sad... make you want to fix it. For example, when I was first in Haiti and I would travel to the UMCOR NGO office, I would see this flattened hospital. Thinking about the trained medical professionals and the patients inside was... heartbreaking. Right outside the hospital was this haunting, abandoned red car that had obviously been there since the earthquake. What happened to the owner? Moments like that make you want to weep... when you're met with such a harsh visual.

Or, for example, that first time that we really talked with Robenson's mother. When we found out that in the 35 seconds of the earthquake she lost her husband, income, and home... and that she had been working tirelessly for the past 6 months after the quake to put food on the table. She couldn't afford anything else, though... and, at times, she could barely afford the food. Moments like that also bring deep sadness to your heart. A moment when you re-commit yourself to helping kids go to school, making sure they have enough to eat, and making sure that they're living in a safe, secure place.

But since I've been home (this past week or so especially) I have found myself truly grieving. For Haiti. For my friends. For the disasters upon disasters that strike the country and for the people who have no time to grieve, no time to stop because sending their children to school and putting food on the table is more important.

I recently watched a show called "World's Deadliest Earthquakes" in which the Jan. 12th earthquake was the first one mentioned. I re-watched footage of Haiti during and immediately after the quake. I saw people screaming and weeping in the streets. I saw my Haitian brothers and sisters trying so desperately to get their friends and family out of collapsed buildings. I saw a dead body in the street covered with a worn sheet.

I admit that I cried. I felt that moment all over again... but this time, it felt personal. The people screaming on the TV were my friends... not people from a random, far-away country. They were those that had welcomed me, arms open. Who cared for me. Who supported me. They are Oge, and Belorne, and Claire, and Marie Claude, and Johnny, and Daniel, and Maxo, and Peterson, and Jean Claude, and Ruth, and so many, many more.

I don't know where I am going with this really. I suppose I just wanted to make the reality of that disaster real for you again, too. To remember that the work is not done. To remember that there are missionaries and NGO workers that are there working tirelessly to bring healing and comfort to Haiti. To remember that there are still people in tents. There are still kids who go to bed hungry. There are still parents without income. There are still people who shift through the rubble.

And now that I'm separated from it... now that I'm having a chance to process all of it... I remind myself that while it may be Haiti's currently reality... it shouldn't be their reality forever.

Haiti is important. The people are real. We need to continue to respond - through prayer, advocacy, and donations.

And we need to keep telling their story. To continue to remind people that they're still there. There is still work to do.

I blogged...

2011-05-10T19:31:00.000-07:00

Just not here.

Sorry!

I'll attempt to blog more as my time in Haiti comes to a close. Here is my blog on a different blog:

http://mannafeast.tumblr.com/post/5378198994/i-often-think-about-this-little-girl-i-wonder

Enjoy!

Gudu Gudu (Earthquake)

2011-01-11T07:36:00.000-08:00

I haven't updated in a while.

I always seem to start out these entries this way lately. But so it goes sometimes.

Anyway, I have been back in Haiti now for one week. I went home and visited my family for 3 wonderful, refreshing weeks and now I am back.

It's good to be back.

As soon as I arrived I was greeted with hugs and to-do lists. I am a part of the fabric now. A little Beth thread woven in to so many stories and situations and families. When I was in Kansas City, I kept on finding myself referring to Haiti as "home." As in, "I go home on Jan. 2." I caught myself every time and attempted to correct myself, but truly... Haiti has become home in so many ways. It was wonderful to be reunited with my Haitian family again.

Tomorrow marks an important anniversary for Haiti. One that is bound to be extremely emotional.

I'm not quite sure how I am going to handle it. You see, I had never been to Haiti before the earthquake. I never met a single one of the lives lost. Although my heart was distraught watching the images on my TV last Jan. 12, there was no real connection. Just a longing to heal and to love on this tiny, hurting nation.

But now I have become entrenched in the Haitian world.

I can imagine that tomorrow I will be grieving. I will be grieving for my Haitian brothers and sisters whose lives were cut short, whose families will never be able to hug them again. I will particularly be grieving for the friends and family of my Haitian friends who won't ever attend another family dinner, or call them up on the phone just to say, "Hey."

After living here for 7 months now (I know! Time flies!) I cannot imagine that tomorrow will be easy. But I also cannot imagine, even still, what tomorrow will feel like for my Haitian brothers and sisters. They've experienced... just... too much to even fully comprehend, let alone understand what their emotions might be on the anniversary of one of, if not THE, most horrific day of their lives.

Although it's not been announced as an official holiday, it essentially is. Businesses will be closed, schools will be closed, and churches will be holding services all day to honor the dead and to come together for worship, mourning, and friendship.

We will be attending a memorial service at 6:30 a.m. outside the palace. It will be a multi-denominational service with even some of our own speaking at it - most notably, Jim Gulley, the "miracle man" who survived the earthquake spending many days stuck in the collapsed Hotel Montana.

After the service, a few of us will be going to the grounds of the Hotel Montana to mourn the lives of those lost there - particularly the lives of Clinton Raab and Sam Dixon. We will also be there to remember that there is hope and to remind ourselves of our commitment to continue to be a healing presence in Haiti. It's important, worthy work... even if the costs are sometimes quite steep. It's going to be a beautiful service.

Please, if you would, pray for the Haitians that will be experiencing great fear and great grief tomorrow. Please also consider a monetary donation to UMCOR, UMVIM, or Week of Compassion so that these worthy organizations can continue to respond to this great, devastating disaster. There is still so much to do.

Blessings to each of you as you find your own small ways to remember Jan. 12, 2010 in your hearts. Thank you for your constant love and support. I feel it surround me every day.

Beth

Election Time is Comin

2010-12-08T06:32:00.000-08:00

Friends,

I just wanted to let all of you know that I am safe. Much violence broke out across Haiti yesterday with the results of Haiti's presidential election. There will be a run-off in January between two folks: Mirlande Manigat and Jude Celestin.

The people are happy about Manigat, but quite angry about Celestin. Supporters of a man named Michel Martelly are particularly upset, saying that the election was rigged and it should have been Manigat and Martelly in the run-off. Martelly supporters have blocked roads and gathered in groups to shout protests and march through the cities.

We are staying inside the Guest House and staying tuned to news reports. We are also in contact with our friends (interpreters, cooks, drivers, etc.) who are away from the Guest House and might have a better assessment of what's going on in the streets. Everyone we know is also okay and staying inside today.

If there are any further updates, I will let you know. Needless to say, this is definitely going to be a story I'm going to be able to tell for the rest of my life!

Praying for peace,
Beth

Foosball: A Photo Story

2010-12-05T17:30:00.000-08:00

Today we went to the Ibo Lele hotel for a little R&R and for Barry's "last hurrah" before he heads home next week on Sunday. I've been to Ibo Lele several times and I always have a great time. During these visits, we've discovered that Sunday afternoons are the best time to visit Ibo because they have a bar area open with American football on the TV, two pool tables, a foosball table, and (of course) alcohol.

The visit today was quite nice - good food, good company, and cooler (73 degree) weather.

However, after lunch is when the real fun began. Oge and I went downstairs to the bar area and played foosball.

Oge has never played foosball so it was fun teaching him how to play. It was an instant hit, though, and soon the competition was on!

I won the first four games. :) Yeah!

Oge was a little confused - why wasn't he winning?? :(

Even though he wasn't winning, he was still having a pretty good time. Lots of laughter, that's for sure!

But then, on the very last game, when we were neck and neck - 1 point needed for each of us to win... he won. :(

Anyway, I thought you might enjoy seeing some of those photos. I think sometimes people back home have the impression that I am suffering and enduring many hardships to do the work that I do here. This is not to say that there aren't difficult times because there are. This is also not to say that I don't meet my fair share of "cultural bumps." However, this is to say that I have moments of "luxury" and fun in this country as well. You just gotta look for the right places.

Lastly, I thought I would share this little bit. As many of you know, I am constantly amazed at what money can pay for here. I still remember when I found out that Robenson got kicked out of school briefly because his mother couldn't afford $32 for 4 months of schooling. Today was another one of those moments.

Tonight I handed out money for 8 boys to take their school exams (yes, they have an exam fee AND if you're in certain grades they make you pay to get the certificate saying you took the test as well), 4 boys to get new sandals, and 3 boys to get some food for themselves and their families. Total, all of this cost less than $75. CRAZY. Anyway, I thought I would pass along their big smiles and loud "THANK YOUs" to all of you as well. God is good!

For now, I'm off to bed. Sending love to all of you. See some of you in a week from tomorrow! :)

Beth

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T16:34:00.000-08:00

It was very strange to be celebrating Thanksgiving in a foreign country today. Haiti does not celebrate Thanksgiving and so it felt like any other day - just a normal Thursday. However, I have been away from my family and friends for 3.5 months now and I was not going to let this Thanksgiving go by without some sort of celebration. It would just be too sad to not do something.

So about 3 days ago I asked Belorne if we could have a Thanksgiving feast for dinner today. She agreed. Then I asked if we could also invite the staff to partake in Thanksgiving dinner. Thankfully, she agreed to that, too. :)

Around 10 a.m. we set out for the grocery store to buy the necessary materials for an excellent Thanksgiving feast. On the menu was: turkey - fried (Haitian style) and roasted, sweet mashed potatoes, regular mashed potatoes, green beans, peas, rice, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, spice cake, and (most importantly) homemade applesauce. Also, we were going to make punch for our drink. Lots of stuff to buy!

It was a fairly normal shopping trip, except that most of the folks there were celebrating Thanksgiving, too. Everywhere we turned ex pats were saying to us, "Happy Thanksgiving." It felt good to be among fellow celebrators.

What was super hilarious, though, was that the store had stocked up on turkeys for Thanksgiving (as a big portion of their business is done with people who work for International NGOs.) However, these turkeys DEFINITELY had to be shipped in and so they were SUPER expensive. We bought a 20 lb turkey today for a little over $50. Crazy!

We arrived back at the GH and began preparations for the meal around 1 p.m. Most of the things we were making didn't take much prep work so that was good.

However, there was one dish that took quite a bit of work... the applesauce.

Now, some of you may think that applesauce is a strange dish to have at Thanksgiving. I found that out today. I mentioned that we were having applesauce to some of our guests and they said, "Oh, well...okay. I've never really thought of applesauce as a 'Thanksgiving dish.'" That's when I would say, "Well, then you've obviously never been to a Thanksgiving on Brucker Family Farm in Dahinda, IL!"

Yes, every year my Aunt Amy makes an AMAZING homemade applesauce for Thanksgiving. This year, as I would not be in Dahinda to celebrate the holiday, I e-mailed her for directions so I could make it myself. It's always my favorite dish at Thanksgiving.

But, I discovered that it takes quite a bit of work to make this one dish. We had to peel, core, and cut up around 40 apples for the amount of people we had to feed.

- Deanna and Belorne help me prepare the apples for the applesauce -

Then we had to put all of them in a pan over the stove with just a little bit of water added. After that I added sugar and cinnamon...

And it was PERFECT. Seriously, once it was done... it was worth all the hard work. Especially since I had some helpers along the way. :) In fact, one of the teams we had staying at the GH, without knowing which dishes we made, decided that the applesauce and the stuffing were the two best dishes of the night and demanded recipes. It felt good to be a chef!

It was also delightful to invite our Haitian family (the staff) to partake in Thanksgiving meal with us. For the blessing before the meal we ended up singing the Doxology and we all sang it in English while our Haitian brothers and sisters sang it in Creole.

It felt wonderful to spend that time with the people here I know and love even when I could not spend it with my family at home. It really made the experience that much brighter for me.

- Madame Claire and her mashed sweet potatoes masterpiece... yum! -

I am often in awe at how God has truly blessed me and when I take the time to think about it, I am reminded how it is my job to share my blessings and bless others. It truly was amazing to spend this Thanksgiving in Haiti - a 3rd world country, in the midst of some political turmoil and violent rioting, while also in the midst of a growing epidemic, while also in the midst of still trying to pick up the pieces of their lives that were destroyed/altered during the earthquake. Seriously, how blessed am I!?! How blessed are we!?!?

Today I am thankful for food. I am thankful that I have enough food to share.

I am thankful for family and friends. I am thankful to have a strong enough support system in my life to be of support to others.

I am thankful for health, for shelter, and for an (easily obtained) education.

Lastly, I am thankful for knowledge of this great, loving God. I am thankful for a family who taught me about this God. I am thankful for children's ministers, youth leaders, and other influential adults in my life who helped shaped this faith in God and taught me to listen to God's call. I am thankful that I get to wake up every day knowing I have a divine Creator who knows me and loves me in spite of all the stupid stuff I do. I am thankful for the hope that I have - for myself, for my friends, for my family, for Haiti - and I am thankful that I get the opportunity to be a small slice of that hope to others each and every day.

I have a lot to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Beth

P.S. I will be posting all of my Thanksgiving photos to Facebook so check there soon to see them! :)

Edit: Click here to see my photos from my Haitian Thanksgiving.

Long Overdue

2010-11-24T16:57:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I forget that I'm living in a foreign country.

No, seriously. I feel like I've been here for so long now that sometimes I forget that my reality - all that I see and live within every day - is not the reality that most of you face every day. This is not a bad thing, it's just interesting. I truly do live in Haiti now. Crazy!

Now this is not to say that I still don't have times when I see something or learn about something and remember, "Whoa! I am not in the United States..." But it's becoming rarer. I think I'm definitely going to have some reverse culture shock when I return home in a few weeks. It will be interesting to see how different it is coming home this time than it was coming home the first time.

It has been an interesting past couple of days, though.

The cholera issue seems to be getting worse. Granted, those of us with access to good drinking water and hand sanitizer are going to be just fine - but a large portion of Haitians are at serious risk. This causes for some panic, as you can imagine. Therefore, there have been several protests and riots across the country. Some more serious than others. Luckily, we've been able to avoid all of them, but we have had to change our plans for the day on a few occasions because of it.

Unfortunately, it seems like it's going to stay that way for a while until the new president is announced. After that, the protests/riots could die down, or they could get worse. Everyone is fairly unclear at this point. However, I believe that they'll die down. I'm not too worried about it beyond election day. (Which is Sunday.)

Things here have been good, otherwise. We've been taking a few trips out to work sites recently to get an update on work being done there. It's really fun to go from site to site and see the progress. Also cool is that we've had the opportunity to go to these places during school hours and (almost) all of them have schools on the grounds we're working on. The kids are so stinkin cute in their uniforms and big smiles as they proudly show off what little English they know. Too much fun. I have some new pictures from those visits that I'll have to post soon.

I also have an update on Robenson. The best lead that I had for a place for him to stay ended up not working out. Apparently, that place can not take children older than 7. Big bummer. Very, very sad as it would have been a great place for him.

After that I looked at another place that's run by a friend of a friend. Turns out, though, that this place only does adoptions - it's not a Children's Home. Now, it is possible for Robenson's mother to forgo her parental rights and put Robenson up for adoption. However, who knows if that would actually be the best option for that family. We haven't even told his mother that U.S. adoption is an option and I can't quite decide if it's a good idea or not to tell her. I'll be seeking out more advice in the next few days and so prayers for discernment would be good. Beyond that, if we do end up telling her, prayers for her discernment would also be appreciated. Discernment for everyone!

So yeah! That's been a bit of the craziness here. I'm starting to really look forward to my visit home, though. I'll arrive in KC on the 13th of December and stay until I fly out early on January 2nd. I hope to see a good portion of you while I'm in town. :)

Lastly, I should mention that the mission fund is running low again and I'm getting more requests for scholarship money now that payment is due again for most schools. Please prayerfully consider, as you're planning your holiday giving, contributing to our mission fund. I have already seen your financial resources do so much and there is still so much more to do. Thank you for even considering. If you'd like more information on the mission fund or are interested in contributing, please e-mail me at bethisinchina@yahoo.com. Mesi anpil!

And on that note, I'm off to get ready for bed. Sending love your way!

Beth

Hurricane

2010-11-07T17:35:00.000-08:00

I didn't update during the whole hurricane ordeal. I'm sorry. Very sorry. However, as you can imagine, life was crazy during that experience and the last thing I wanted to do at the end of each day was write on this. I hope most of you kept up with me via Facebook, though, and weren't too concerned as to if I was okay.

It all began Sunday when I started to have concerned teams talk to me about what our plan was if the storm moved our way. I made a few calls home (mostly to consult with my dad, my own personal semi weather expert) and at that time it was determined that we didn't know enough about the storm to know if it was going to hit Haiti or not so teams shouldn't feel concerned about coming.

About Wednesday, though, it became apparent that the hurricane was going to hit Haiti. It was unknown if it would be a direct hit or not, but people were beginning to prepare for the worst. On that day, we had Mike and Bryan's going away party on the Ola Esmeralda - a "floating hotel" in an old cruise ship. (Previously used to house UN officials.) It was a wonderful lunch in a neat setting. However, it was basically empty. We found out that even they were preparing for the storm and were actually going to set sail early the next morning to leave port.

That afternoon, we wrote up a plan. At that time we decided it would be best to bring all of our teams from the field back to the Guest House. We also had to buy extra food, gas (for the generator,) and a ton of extra water.

Once Thursday came, we picked up two teams from the airport and decided to keep one our teams out in the field. By Thursday at noon, it seemed as if the storm would not really affect that work site and so we figured it would be best to have the team stay there. Thursday night, we had a FULL house and lots of anxious people curious to see what the storm would bring.

The actual storm was rather anti-climatic, though. Port-au-Prince received some light rain, but that was about it. We did have one heavy rain storm on Thursday night, but seriously - nothing major. The biggest deal, honestly, was that it affected communities that our teams were supposed to work in - or affected towns on the way to communities our teams were supposed to work in. Therefore, we had two teams hanging around the Guest House for two days waiting to get to their work site. One of the two teams actually had to change work site plans because their project would be unreachable for about a week. Crazy, eh? Lots of organizing to do. Luckily, both of those teams are at their work sites now and all is well.

Now for the sad stuff. First of all: Robenson.

So on Wednesday, in the midst of the hurricane craziness, a woman who lived near Robenson and his mother came with Robenson to talk to us on Wednesday afternoon. We took a break from planning and talked to them. In this conversation we learned that apparently Robenson's mother had been beating him a lot. The woman was quite concerned for Robenson and told us that she did not think that staying with his mother was a good idea.

We went into a bit of a panic - trying to figure out how to help Robenson - MY Robenson. Eventually, Robenson's mother came to talk to us. She explained that Robenson was acting out a bit (as any 12 year old (yes he turned 12 yesterday) would do) and she didn't know how to deal with it any more. In Haiti, the way to correct poor behavior is to beat a child. The beatings weren't working on Robenson and she had reached the end of her rope. After dealing with losing her husband, house, and income, and surviving in a tent for the past 10-11 months while trying to support 3 kids including one baby... a child going through normal pre-teen stuff was the last thing she wanted to deal with. That night she said to us, "I don't want him to live with me anymore."

So now we're trying to find a place for him to stay. A good, healthy, loving place for him to stay. We have a few leads but prayers would be much appreciated as we move forward. Mesi anpil.

Lastly, Mike and Bryan left today. It looks like Bryan will be back to help out in January, but it will be a while before Mike comes back. Mike may come back for a few days in February, but that's about it. He may come back for a more extended time in June, though.

Needless to say, it was very difficult saying goodbye to them. Both for different reasons, but I'm going to miss them both quite a bit. They had become my family here and so it already feels lonelier without them. Luckily, though, there was enough to do today to keep me busy so I didn't dwell on it too much. Also, Tom is here and moved in and Susan Meister (our calendaring coordinator based in the States) arrived today to get a better feel for what goes on here. I know that there will be a lot to do to keep me busy during these next few days. It's still going to be tough, though, adjusting to not having Bryan and Mike around. Very, very tough.

Anyway, I'm off to bed. Sorry for the super long update - just had lots of stuff to share! Lastly, I'll leave you with this: http://new.gbgm-umc.org/about/us/mv/haiti/responsestaff/ It's official!

Love,
Beth

Just so you know I'm alive...

2010-10-26T06:51:00.000-07:00

So I'm sure that many of you have heard of the cholera outbreak in Haiti. I'm also sure that many of you (who aren't friends with me on Facebook, anyway) kept on checking here to see if I am okay. However, I haven't updated in quite some time so sorry if I made you worried.

This is to say that I am alright. This is also to say that the cholera outbreak is slowing down and is not nearly as bad as it was on the first two days when news first hit the States. Also, it would be very difficult for me to get cholera (even if it was in the PAP area) and cholera is very treatable. Therefore, no need to worry about me! We're all good.

That is not to say that life hasn't been nuts here, though. It's been all kinds of crazy town.

We had the largest amount of people staying here in the history of the Guest House a few days ago. The number was 47 (including staff.) The highest it had ever been before that point was 40, I believe. Two days before this occurred, our generator broke. Now, our generator breaking isn't TERRIBLE if we get city power every night. However, city power is not very reliable and so, as we expected, around 6 p.m. we'd start to lose power. We had a few smaller generators to power things like pumping water and to get electricity to the dining area and lobby... but that was about it.

Luckily, though, for those first two or three nights, we got city power around 10 p.m. It would charge the inverter system and we'd have power all day until about 6-7 when it would start to wain.

However, on the day when we were the FULLEST EVER, city power never came. So we had 47 people sleeping in hot rooms, without much water, and fumbling around in the dark. It was absolutely nuts.

Things have definitely slowed down by now, though. The Guest House purchased a new generator yesterday big enough to power the three buildings it needs to (which is super exciting!) Also, we got city power yesterday at 4 p.m. and it's STILL on. It's a miracle! Further, we just have one group staying in the Guest House now and one group coming in tonight and going right back out tomorrow. Things are calm(er), and it feels good.

Also in the midst of this craziness, Tom Vencuss, the man who will be replacing Mike once his contract ends, was here this week to kind of learn the ropes and see what all happens behind the scenes. He's a very cool guy and I think I'm definitely going to enjoy working with him. He was a huge help this week and a positive energy to have around.

I should also take this time to announce that I will officially be working/living in Haiti through the end of July of next year. I have been offered a position as the new Assistant Volunteer Management Coordinator for the UMVIM Haiti program and I've accepted. It's my first big girl job with my first big girl title. It feels good!

Lastly, I got to see almost all of my boys last night. It was such a joy to be reunited with most of them and to have a chance to play around and be silly again. Recently, if we've seen them they just want money but they don't want to hang out and play. Last night, though, they were their old, goofy selves and I really enjoyed spending some time with them. I'm so glad that even though the boys have moved off campus, we still remain good friends with them and their families. It's quite the blessing.

Anyway, it's yet another busy day at the Guest House so I should probably be off. I hope you're all swell.

Beth

Santo Domingo, por favor!

2010-10-13T19:39:00.000-07:00

Things have been CRAZY here. CRAZY.

We have 19 teams coming through our UMVIM program this month (AHHH!) and right now we're in the middle of it. There have been teams and out and going all over Haiti. It's been fun but... crazy.

Anyway, in the midst of this, we had to take 3 days off to travel to the Dominican Republic. Actually, we could have traveled anywhere, but we absolutely had to leave the country in order to actually leave the country in the long run. You're not allowed to be in Haiti for more than 3 months without leaving so we left before Mike's time here would "expire."

So we took a bus to Santo Domingo.

BEST IDEA EVER.

I mean, it was a little strange getting there. It's basically an 8 hour drive to get there and you stop 3 times in the middle of it to do all the documentation of leaving Haiti and going into the Dominican. What was especially weird about this, though, was that the "stewardess" on the bus actually held our passports for us and did not let us keep them. It made us quite uneasy at first, but once we realized it was all part of the system, we were a bit more relaxed - although it still felt strange for someone we didn't know to be controlling our passports...

Once we arrived in the Dominican, though, it felt like a whole new world.

No earthquake destruction, poverty was a lot less obvious, the cities had actually been planned and laid out in a logical, grid-like manner, and (once you get to the bigger cities anyway) they had American chain restaurants! Burger King, Pizza Hut, and Baskin Robbins - oh my!

When we reached Santo Domingo, we hopped in a cab and arrived at our hotel. We stayed in a 16th century building. It was the coolest thing EVER. Here's the link to our hotel.

The next day was our big sight-seeing day. I was so glad that we ended up taking one full day in Santo Domingo. We desperately needed a break and it was the perfect way to "get away" and be around something different. When you live here, you don't realize just how much seeing destruction and poverty everywhere really starts to affect your emotional health until you leave it. Just the change in scenery was de-stressing. Again, a MUCH needed break.

As part of our sight-seeing, though, we explored the walking street. I ended up buying a painting (that was much more than I really wanted to spend) and it's AMAZING. I've always wanted to be one of those ladies that has a house with all kinds of unique pieces of art around it, and this is the perfect beginning. I love it.

Then we explored some other parts of town and hired a guide to show us all the historical sites in the afternoon. I didn't realize how important Santo Domingo's history was/is to the western hemisphere - but apparently it's quite important. Columbus landed there and began to colonize it but never actually lived there himself. However, he built a mansion there (with the intention to live in, but again - never ended up living in) which his son eventually lived in. It's a beautiful house.

Besides that, shortly after Columbus first arrived, the first church built in the western hemisphere was built there. In fact, it still stands today. It's also (as expected) beautiful.

Last night, though, as our final "hurrah" we decided to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe in Santo Domingo. It was a slice of heaven and it took us "home" for a short while. It really was the perfect ending to a perfect day and a perfect mini-vacation.

I plan to post pictures of the short event tomorrow. I have a ton of photos so get excited.

Anyway, tomorrow we hit the ground running and the pace will keep up for the next 2-3 weeks. Although it may be stressful at times, it is so cool to see all the dedicated, spirit-filled folks who come through here and to see how much work is done for God's glory. I am constantly in awe and so grateful for the opportunity to participate in God's great plan for Haiti.

Love to all,
Beth

This is Long Overdue

2010-10-03T17:41:00.000-07:00

H’okay so. My dad went home yesterday. :( But it was a good visit while he was here. He significantly improved the internet and it was good to introduce him to some of the friends I’ve made here. Good times mos def.

However, he unfortunately missed one of the best parts of this week.

We’ve been working on this for about a week and a half now. Mike and I decided to use some of our Mission Fund money to give every member of the staff a scholarship for their kids. We based the amount on how many kids they had and divvied up our funds. Then, Ruth, the new manager of the Guest House, talked to Pastor Paul (the President of the Methodist Church of Haiti) and he agreed that the Methodist Church of Haiti would match our scholarship amount.

Yesterday afternoon we got to hand out our scholarships. I cannot even fully describe (as I can’t with many things that happen in Haiti) the joy that overcame so many of our Guest House friends. For many, the amount we gave was able to pay for half of their child’s schooling for the entire year. For one man, with 4 kids, we were able to pay ALL of their schooling because they go to a cheaper school.

That man, Ysmeus, took Mike and I aside at different times and thanked us each profusely. To him, the amount we gave was nothing short of a miracle. While thanking me he was on the verge of tears and could not stop saying “Mesi. Mesi anpil. Mesi anpil anpil.” (Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very very much.) So I want all of you who gave to know that, once again, your money is making a significant difference in the lives of many Haitian families.

Also amazing this week is that Mike and I typed up a work site status report about how much has been done at each site we’ve opened up. It was AMAZING to see what progress had been made since the program first began. I am in awe at how awesome the body of Christ really is. I am also so thankful for the willing volunteers who gave of their time, energy, and love to help rebuild Haiti or continue projects that were stalled by the earthquake. Because of you, many of these communities have a new sense of hope. I love our volunteers!

Lastly, I should note that I’m currently in Les Cayes with Donette, Ablamy, and Davidson. This is our mini vacation for three days. It is so wonderful to see them again, although it was quite the trip to get here today. Bryan, Mike and I got in the D-Max (one of our trucks) at 5:50 this morning and drove to the bus station. When we got to the bus station, we realized that the van we were going to bring to Donette and Ablamy’s was stolen! Arrg. We’ve been having bad luck with things being stolen out of the back of that truck so we’re probably going to have to purchase some sort of net that we always keep back there.

Then we started the ride. It was a four hour trip in a crammed bus… although it did have air conditioning. However, about a half hour from Les Cayes, the bus got a flat tire. We had to pull over and wait. However, it turns out that there wasn’t just a flat tire. Something else was wrong with the wheel and break line. So we stood around for about an hour and waited for them to fix it or Albamy to come. A replacement bus came for everyone to take the rest of the way, and Ablamy came right after it to pick us up.

Now I am safely at Donette and Ablamy’s new home in Les Cayes. It’s a neat house with lots of room. It needs some fixing up, but for the most part it’s quite nice. I’m a fan. :)

Anyway, I’m off. I don’t know if I’ll update again soon, but (as always) I’ll try. Love to all of you!

Beth

P.S. Obviously I wrote this yesterday but just figured out how to post it. I’ll post again when I return with what all has happened since then. :)

Prayers

2010-09-26T17:12:00.000-07:00

It's becoming much more difficult to come up with a title for these things... especially when I do a catch up post from a whole week. (Sorry!)

I've been fairly busy recently as my dad arrived in Haiti on Thursday. Therefore, I've been hanging out with him and also enjoying some of the movies he brought me from my mom. :) Sorry I've neglected the blog!

Life is as it usually is in Haiti - VIM teams to plan for, various documents to create, and kids to send to school.

As school begins on October 4th, our office has been handing out a TON of scholarships. I was so thankful when my dad arrived with a $1400 donation that I was able to add to our mission fund. Otherwise, we would be VERY low on funds to give to the various families that come to our door. Thank you if you contributed to that fund. Thank you if you're praying for those who receive assistance from that fund. You will probably never know how much you just impacted a life - but please take my word for it when I say your support is a significant blessing. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Of course, there was one scholarship that we handed out that made me smile more than any other. Thanks to people giving money specifically to send Robenson and Peter to school... we were able to pay their entire way. Seeing his mothers face when she realized that she wouldn't have to pay a dime for schooling... that she wouldn't have to worry at all about that expense was... amazing. I was thinking about that today and recognizing that if we had not stepped in to help, Robenson's mother would be in a pretty desperate situation. Three kids (one a baby), no income, no leads, a limited education, and a leaky tent. I do not know what she would have done (although some likely responses may have been prostitution, putting up some (or all) of her children for adoption, or putting Robenson into the restavek system) but I do know that it would not have been good. How awesome is it that because God has blessed us financially we are able to bless others in such a significant way?

Which reminds me to ask for a prayer request. Since Robenson got sick, I've been spending a lot of time laying awake at night worrying about what might happen to that family when I leave. I never EVER want Robenson, Peter, little Amanda, or their mother (Lomene) to get that sick again and not be able to pay for proper medical care. I also never want that family to get a point where they have to stop sending a child to school because they cannot afford it. Therefore, I am in the process of trying to get Peter and Robenson into a child sponsorship program. I have a contact and he is working on gathering information for me, but it is still unknown if sponsorship is even going to be a possibility or not. Please pray about this. Pray that this family gets the consistent support they need - if not through child sponsorship, through some other means.

Also, as of right now, I plan to sponsor Robenson myself, but I would love it if one of you would be willing to sponsor Peter if they get into a sponsorship program. Or, if a church or youth group wanted to sponsor Peter - that would also be really, really cool. Pray about it, and if you're interested - please let me know.

Lastly, as some of you already know, it is possible that I will be extending my time in Haiti AGAIN because I may be getting a full-time (big girl) job. I will probably know for sure about this mid-late October. Please also pray for guidance for me as I discern further what I am called to do. It would be a big step and I don't want to do it if it's not what God wants me to do, too.

I know I had more to say - including all the neat stuff I've done with my dad. (We went to the look-out and the beach!) However, I am absolutely exhausted and in great need of a shower. Therefore, I'm signing off. I hope you're all well, though. Please send me an update on your life if you have time. I'd love to hear from all of you!

<3 Beth

Do Good-er

2010-09-20T16:37:00.000-07:00

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children...to leave the world a better place...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

These past few days I've been a bit down. I just got into a bad mood and found myself feeling super cranky. It felt like much had gone wrong, and I had two super stressful days - one after another. Beyond that, I didn't really get a "day off" yesterday which added to my bad mood. I needed some fun time. Some down time. However, there was work to get done so that didn't happen.

However, in the midst of my frustration today, I was supremely blessed.

We found out that Robenson does NOT have TB (and we literally did a "Mesi bon dieu!" (Thank you, good God!) cheer with his mother yesterday over it.) However, he did have the UTI, anemia, and a severe respiratory infection. Therefore, he still needs to take antibiotics. We gave him some more money for medicine today.

But it is still quite obvious, in looking back at the situation, that if I had not stepped in and said that I would pay the initial $100 to get him the medical attention he so desperately needed that instead of celebrating his recovery I would be mourning his death. I am also thankful that Mike decided that we could take over the rest of his medical expenses through our Mission Fund. That also means that thanks to many of you, Robenson lives today.

In fact, today, in the midst of my frustration, we saw Robenson. Seeing him instantly made me smile and he came over and handed Mike and I letters. Oge translated mine for me. It was a thank you letter thanking me for helping him with all of his medical expenses and for stepping in when his mother did not have money. At one point the letter literally says, "It is because of you that I have life."

Wow. Not many people work in places where they get the opportunity to literally save a life... but I am so blessed to have that opportunity. I know that I am still not totally aware of all the reasons why God sent me here and kept me here... but every so often I get little glimpses and it's... amazing. How blessed am I to be called in such an awesome, extreme way?

Beyond that, this afternoon Mike sent me an e-mail to make me feel better with the quote at the top of this blog with a simple "Blessings and thanks for all that you do," underneath it. I definitely needed to hear that and it was another excellent reminder of my call. I was able to take a deep breath and recognize, once again the abundant good that I have been able to accomplish.

Which, speaking of abundant good - I realized today that we have given out money from the Mission Fund 40 times - 19 of which were scholarships. I want to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to all of you who have donated to our Mission Fund. Your dollars are making a real and tangible difference in the lives of many Haitian families. There are quite a few folks resting a bit easier in their tents tonight thanks to your generosity and love.

Also, I wanted to say thank you for your continued prayers and words of encouragement for me. I feel your prayers surround me all the time and I am so grateful to know so many amazing, supportive brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank you for being the awesome blessings that you are.

Love,
Beth

Time

2010-09-16T18:52:00.000-07:00

These past couple of days have been mostly good. The best part is that they've been a bit slower pace allowing me to have time for me and time for God.

Two weeks ago my UMCOR friend, Lauren, invited me to go with her to the Ibo Lele hotel in Petionville to eat dinner and go swimming. It sounded divine. The one thing I really miss about being in the States is going out for coffee and a good chat with friends. Therefore, I was really excited about a makeshift coffee date.

However, as I believe I wrote in here a few days ago, Lauren is still in the States recovering for a severe kidney infection. (Please continue prayers for her healing!) I thought about forgetting the plans and trying to schedule some other time to go once Lauren returned, but that idea kind of sucked. I already knew that day/time would work, and I REALLY needed time away from work and hang out time with a friend. So I asked Oge to come with me - it killed two birds with one stone as it gave me a friend and a driver!

We went to the Ibo Lele, ate lunch, and had great conversation. It was a good choice bringing Oge along - he's good people. It was also just so relaxing. Beautiful day with a nice breeze and an absolutely gorgeous view of the city from their dining deck. I had some friends hand me "self care" money before heading back to Haiti and this is the first time that I used it. Thinking about it now, I am in tears over how grateful I am for that fund. I don't think I can fully express how much I really needed that "coffee date"... but I did and I am so grateful that I didn't have to worry about the expense. I know some good people.

Beyond that it's just been a little of this and a little of that. However, I do have an update on Robenson.

Robenson came by the Guest House today and asked for more money for medicine. He told me that he ran out of his medicine and needed more. I tried to explain to him that if he ran out of the medicine that means he's done and doesn't need to take any more. Once the amount the doctor prescribes runs out... then you're good! However, he was very persistent so I finally took him to Doug and Barry (our new UMCOR health guy who will be living at the Guest House for the next three months so I'm sure you'll hear a lot more about him) who both speak French to get the full scoop.

First of all, we found out what Robenson's diagnosis is. He said that the doctor told him he had anemia and a respiratory infection. Yikes. When we asked him about the medicine, though, he told us that he had only bought enough medicine for 23 days but that the doctor had prescribed antibiotics for 3 months. We all thought that sounded strange until a light bulb went off in Doug's head - Robenson probably has TB.

Now, we don't know this for sure, but we're hoping Robenson brings the prescription to us tomorrow so we can see what it says. If he does have TB, though, I am even happier to have spent the $100 to get him the medical care he needed. When I told Oge that update his eyes bugged out and he said, "TB!?!? TB makes you die... you don't play around with that." Yeah. Exactly. I hope that it is just a generic respiratory infection, but the symptoms and the prescription add up. Once I get confirmation one way or another, I'll let you know.

Beyond that I've just been taking some time to breathe, to pray, to contemplate. Sometimes in the busy-ness of this place it's hard to remember to take the time to listen to God. It's been good to reconnect and slow down a bit. I needed to slow down a bit.

As for now, though, I'm off to bed. Goodnight world!
Beth

P.S. Most recent photos can be found here. :)

Bainet

2010-09-13T18:08:00.000-07:00

So I should begin this entry by telling you that yes, I have showered and changed clothes. This will be important information as you read further. :)

Today was a busy day! However, lets back up a bit.

Mike visited Bainet, Haiti to drop off a team on Friday. The team was from his own Haiti Partnership organization and Bainet is the community of which Mike has volunteered in for the past 6 years. Therefore, he really wanted to travel with the team to make sure everything was good to go once they arrived. He brought Carlos, a 16 year old boy from the village, back to the Guest House to hang out with us for two days.

Carlos is a TON of fun. He doesn't speak any English (basically) and I don't speak enough Kreyol to communicate many full thoughts, but we still had a blast together mostly because he's so funny. He's just this funny, nerdy, goofy kid who does the most random stuff at the most random times. This is all to say that we got along great and I'd really love for him to come visit again.

Because Carlos was here we went to the beach again on Sunday. This time we went to Obama beach named (of course) after the President of the United States. Too funny. It was a nice, cozy beach, though and it was very cheap. Excellent time.

Also, we found out yesterday that approximately half of my boys were moving out of the tent city today. As a special "goodbye" Mike and I went to the Epid'or and bought a cake to share with them. It was so wonderful to give them each a big slice of cake and be showered with hugs and shouts of "mesi!" We even took some photos that I hope to upload soon, but my favorite shot is now my new Facebook profile picture. I'm very hopeful that even after the kids move they'll still come to visit fairly regularly, though.

Now. Today.

Well, as Mike is usually on a Haiti Partnership team to Bainet at some point during the year, he really wanted to spend some time in Bainet if possible. Therefore, we delivered him today and he'll stay through Friday when the team comes back to the Guest House.

I tagged along for the ridiculous journey as Mike and I had work to do (so we did it on the road) and I wanted to see the Bainet I had heard Mike and Bryan talk about so much. This is my documentation of what happened today. Enjoy.

So we were supposed to leave at 6:30 (which is when I usually wake up) so I got up at 5:45. Just enough time to roll out of bed, get dressed, and eat a quick breakfast. Although that all happened, we didn't end up leaving until 7:30. This was mostly due to various things on our checklist that needed to be completed as well as questions to answer. Also, there were approximately 5 people who requested to have our one empty seat to Bainet. Mike had finally given it to Boss Weche, the site boss for Bainet (as well as the majority of our other work sites.) However, one person who had talked to Mike about it a week ago but never checked in to be sure that it would still work just showed up this morning, ready to go. That was also interesting to deal with and we had to find alternate transportation for them.

We finally got on the road (Oge, Mike, Carlos and I) at 7:30 and picked up Weche in Carrefour around 8:30. We had been working in the car up to that point, and continued working after Weche got in the vehicle. So much to do before Mike went to Bainet and became much less reachable!

By ten my bladder was "bursting with hurtness" so we attempted to make a pit stop at a gas station with a bathroom. We stopped at a place that Mike said, "Oh yeah, this is my favorite place to stop with a toilet." However, he had not visited the toilet since the earthquake. It used to have this big wall around it and a door. Now, the wall is falling partially apart and there is no door. Also, the bathroom is actually an outhouse with just a concrete circle jutting from the floor. Mike went first while I kept guard and then we switched.

It was, by far, the nastiest toilet I had ever seen. It was wet and goopy all around the edges and it smelled LOVELY. Also, Mike had warned me that there was no toilet paper so that made it even more pleasant. I attempted to squat over it without having to touch anything to it but then... I lost my balance and fell... sitting on the wet, goopy, concrete circle. It was disgusting. (See, aren't you glad to know that I've showered and changed clothes, now?) The worst part was that I didn't even have toilet paper to wipe off with so I just had to walk around like that and go sit in the car... still feeling the goopiness on my tush.

What I found out from Oge and Mike was that I needed to "Haitian squat." Haitian squatting is when you stand on both sides of the concrete slab and squat down to do your business. When I found out that people did that a few of my fears were put to rest... I'm guessing that the goopiness came from mud on people's shoes at the ground outside the outhouse was quite muddy. At least, that's what I'm going to keep on telling myself.

After that fun little escapade we found out that the Haiti Partnership team did not have access to clean water as their usual water supplier closed up shop for a while. Therefore, they had almost fully depleted their 10 jugs of water that we had sent out with them. This meant that we needed to stop in Jacmel to purchase water for the team as well as hire a tap-tap to deliver it to them as there was no space in our truck for 10 more water jugs.

That was another interesting excursion because we ended up searching all over Jacmel for water jugs. We found lots of places that had water, but none of them had any empty water jugs to sell us. It was crazy. Finally, after about 20-30 minutes of driving all over the city, we found some water jugs. After that, though, it still took us another 20 minutes - half hour to purchase the jugs and arrange everything for them to be transported to Bainet.

Finally, we started the final leg to Bainet (after grabbing some street food for lunch which, thank God, did not make me sick.) The road to Bainet from Jacmel is a long one and it's totally unpaved. It's very rocky and, therefore, very bouncy. Not for the faint of stomach.

After you drive on it for two hours you finally arrive in Bainet. It's a beautiful little town in the country and had the same sort of energy that a campsite does in the States. Low key, relaxed, outdoorsy. Very nice area. I can see why Mike likes it so much.

However, after we arrived we did discover that some items had been stolen from our truck bed including all of Mike's work shoes which in total cost over $100. Big bummer to the beginning of his stay in Haiti. Luckily, though, none of the money that was in the back was included in the bags stolen. That is a huge thing to be thankful for.

The trip home was uneventful and much faster. Oge was very concerned about us getting back before dark so he drove as fast as he possibly could while still being safe. We ended up arriving back at the Guest House around 6:30. Long day.

Now I am exhausted and more than ready for bed. I hope you're all well and I'm going to try to post some pictures to Facebook soon!

Love,
Beth

Whirlwind

2010-09-10T18:50:00.000-07:00

Busybusybusybusybusy!

I'm really hoping and praying for some down time this weekend because I am going to NEED IT. That's why I haven't updated in a week! So much going on.

Anyway, the biggest announcement is that Robenson is almost completely healed! He's been around these past two days and he's back to his normal self which is SO GOOD to see. I have missed seeing his smiling face immensely. Thanks be to God!

As for other things, last Sunday we went to the beach with Oge and his family. It was so much fun to spend more time with little Laura again and get to know his wife, Josianne, better. We found a fun little beach called "Ocean View" and had a blast. It was small, but quite relaxing and laid-back. Great visit, and much needed. However, driving there and driving back we passed this HUGE tent city. It has always been there but it seems to be growing. Our tent city should disband in 5 days, but I'm guessing a lot of other tent cities are being forced to disband and many families are moving to this area as there's quite a bit of space. However, it was quite sad. I took some photos but it does not even truly begin to describe the scene there. PLEASE continue to pray for the people of Haiti living in tent cities - they are still here and still struggling.

Also, Davidson's last day with us was yesterday. Donette and Ablamy came back from vacation so we met them at the airport to drop off Davidson and transfer his stuff to their vehicle. I think he was very sad to go, but also very happy to see Donette and Ablamy at the same time. I'm sure he'll be happy once he gets to Les Cayes. I'm still so thrilled that he's not going to an orphanage.

Yesterday we also had a scare when we found out our friend working at UMCOR, Lauren, is severely ill. Doug went to the hospital to help out with that yesterday and they eventually decided to evacuate her back to the States. They believe she has malaria and kidney stones, but they weren't for sure. Please keep her in your prayers tonight as well.

As for today - well today was crazy. We've been off of city power for two and a half days now so our inverters completely ran out of power. Therefore, we were out of power for a while until we turned on the generator to juice everything up. That was pretty crazy. Also SUPER CRAZY is that our driver, Espana, got stopped by the police today... for a really stupid reason! While we were stopped in traffic a guy next to us rolled down his window and asked Espana a question, he responded and all the sudden these three police officers get out of their vehicle and demand to see Espana's license. He gives it to them and they take it from him saying he was "holding up traffic" because the vehicles in front of us moved literally seconds before they got out of the car. They told him he had to go wait for them at a gas station down the road if he wanted his license back.

So we went down the road and waited 20 minutes. They still hadn't come so Espana dropped us off at the Epid'or and then went back to the gas station to wait for them. He probably waited an hour total before they finally showed up and then do you know what they said? "You didn't really do anything wrong. We wanted to get the guy who was talking to you, but he drove away so we took yours instead. Here's your license back." Jigga whaaaat? It was just very strange.

I've been living in Haiti long enough to where very few things still surprise me, but that was just weird. I suppose that happens when there's corruption in the government, though. I'm glad that they didn't make Espana pay anything, though, and owned up to the fact that they took his license and yelled at him for no reason.

Also, just a heads up, I will probably be updating more this week. That is because we won't have as many teams come through this week, and Bryan isn't here as he went out with a team to Bainet. Therefore, I'll have very few distractions in the evening and might actually have time to blog and keep you all up to date on everything. Also, on Monday I will be taking the trip to Bainet and I hear it's quite the excursion. I'm sure I'll have a lot to say about it when I return. :)

Sending love, peace, and joy your way,
Beth

Various stuffs.

2010-09-03T14:35:00.000-07:00

Went to Petit Goave today. It was a long trip (2.5 hours each way) and not really worth it (found out I didn't actually need to do much once I got there) but it was cool to see one thing...

Do you remember when I talked about seeing the tents set up in the median on the way to Mellier? Well, some of those tents... are gone! I was absolutely thrilled when I saw that. That means that some of those families have found other places to stay which are (more than likely) safer, bigger, and have more privacy. That is awesome. Hopefully there won't be a single tent there some day soon.

As for what we've been doing these past few days it's been a little of this and little of that. Robenson has been in and out of here the past couple of days. He got his x-ray done, but I'm not sure what the test results were for that. However, he seems to have quite a bit more energy than he had the day we took him to the clinic and I think his fever has gone down which is also good. I'm still not sure about what his diagnosis is, but the fact that he's feeling better is fantastic.

I also went to our Thomas work site for the first time a couple of days ago. We had to drop off the team, hand off some funds, and check on a few things. It's a neat work site - they're rebuilding a church and a school which is all in one building. The lower level is the school and the upper level is the church. The school is the most rebuilt now, though, so they've been holding church in the school, apparently. It was a very neat work site. I will, as I am with all of our work sites, be excited to see the progress that happens there.

Lastly, Oge and I went on a bit of a scavenger hunt the other day. I've been working on a "tree project" for quite some time now. The idea is to plant a tree at every work site that we're working on and maybe (depending on the work site) even plant one per team on each work site. When thinking about this, we thought it would be best to plant a tree that would also provide some sort of nourishment for the community. We decided that mango trees would be our best bet. However, believe it or not, it's a lot harder to find mango trees to buy than you would think. We went to three different places last week before Oge finally called a friend of his to ask where might be the best place to get them.

His friend suggested a place called "Double Harvest." We found out that Double Harvest is actually a non-profit with headquarters in the U.S. They have a HUGE farm in Croix de Bouquets. Although Croix de Bouquets is at least an hour away, Oge and I drove there to check it out. We found out that mango trees there are 50 gourdes each - approximately $1.25 per tree! Isn't that nuts!?!? Anyway, we were thrilled to hear that and hopefully (once we create an exact plan) we'll start planting trees on our work sites soon! Hooray!

So yep, those are my updates. Good stuff goin on. I hope everything is good back in the States (I hear the weather in KC is incredibly awesome today - I gotta admit that I'm a bit jealous!)

Beth

What's Important

2010-08-30T17:04:00.000-07:00

So much has been happening! I would have updated sooner but our internet has been funky these past two nights. Sorry about that!

First of all, the tent city. On Friday I was walking with one of our best interpreters, Jean Claude, back to the Guest House after visiting the Methodist Print Shop on campus. When walking by the tent city, we realized that there was some sort of meeting going on. I asked Jean Claude what they were saying so we hung around for a little while so he could get the gist. He told me that the man who was speaking to them was announcing that they would need to leave in September and so they needed to start cleaning up their spaces so it would be a quick, easy move when the time came.

I had a lot of questions after that, but most have been answered by now. Yes, it is true that they need to leave. The exact date that they will have to go: September 15. The man who was speaking to them was the principal of Freres school. It must have been a reasonable deal that they struck with the people in our tent city because there wasn't any rioting or upset people coming to us. However, they did not give them a place to move to. I was angry about that until we talked to some of the kids and they all told us that they had other places to go. Not homes - but other tent cities where other extended family members are. Luckily, it also seems like many of them are staying fairly close by and will (hopefully) come to visit fairly often. Good deal.

Which brings me to my next story. Robenson, Peter, and their mother and sister all moved off campus. :( They did this because Mike helped set Robenson's mother up with a micro loan to start a small business on the street selling books. However, the location where she was able to set up her store is at least one or two tap-tap rides away so it was better for them to just move closer. Because of this, we hadn't seen much of Peter and Robenson over the past two weeks. They were around when I first arrived, but a few days after that was when they moved. Thankfully, though, they still come to visit. I know I'm not supposed to play favorites, but Robenson holds a very special place in my heart. I have high hopes for his future.

Anyway, the day after I arrived, Robenson was explaining that he felt ill. I could tell that he must have been feeling sick because his energy was totally gone. He looked exhausted. We gave him some meds hoping that he'd be feeling normal again soon.

However, that did not happen. I saw Robenson for the first time in a week about four days ago and he told me that he was still sick. This was alarming to me because it wasn't just a bad cough - but it was a fever. On top of that, he had kept the fever and his symptoms got worse and worse over the past two weeks. He still looked as exhausted as he had at the beginning of this illness. Also, he had lost weight. Not good.

He told me, though, that he had gone to the doctor and he would start on medicine the next day. That made me feel much better and I gave him a hug goodbye, saying a little prayer for healing.

We saw him yesterday before he went to church and he was still very sick, but I also know (especially with my recent sick experience) that it often takes two days before the medicine starts to make a noticeable difference. I figured he would begin to feel better by the afternoon, and start to feel much better by today.

That did not happen, though. He and his mother came by this morning to drop off information about Peter and Robenson's schooling and it was obvious, once again, that Robenson still felt quite ill. I asked about it and his mother explained that he was, indeed, very sick. He had barely slept at all the night before because his chest hurt and he was coughing too much. Also, his appetite was completely gone, he still had a fever, and as he stood before me (in 87 degree weather) he was shivering. His mother told me that they had seen a doctor, but it was one at the free clinic, and they did not do a good job. They had just prescribed vitamins and pain killers.

Having a fever that lasts a week is bad. Having a fever that lasts two and a half weeks is VERY bad and can often be life threatening. I was not about to have Robenson get worse or potentially die just because his family could not afford appropriate medical care. So, I took out $100, asked Oge about the best place for him to go, and we drove the two of them to City Med to see a good doctor and to get the treatment he so desperately needed.

They got home on their own, and came by the Guest House to report what had happened. They did several tests (he doesn't have malaria - thank God!) and they had given him a shot full of antibiotics. Also, they prescribed bronchial medication and vitamin C. Tomorrow he will go in for an x-ray to see if there's anything else wrong with his chest - which is what's bothering him the most. Already, thanks to that shot I believe, he had much more energy and he even asked for food. We had offered him food earlier in the day, but he just wasn't hungry. The fact that he was hungry was a VERY good sign.

Anyway, prayers for Robenson's healing would be appreciated. I stated on my Facebook that it was the easiest $100 I ever spent and it truly was. That is, once again, the most amazing part of living in Haiti - there are endless possibilities around you to make a real, tangible difference in people's lives. I'm already excited for seeing Robenson once he's fully healed. I'm hopeful that it will happen soon and I'm also hopeful that the x-ray's tomorrow will help determine what exactly is wrong.

I hope all is well in the States. As always, I'm sending love and blessings your way.
Beth

Scholarships

2010-08-25T16:37:00.000-07:00

Today my mom scolded me for being "a terrible blogger." Yes, I know. I know... it's been a long time since my last update. I will say that this is mostly because I am not doing much outside the norm. Also, it means that I'm generally spending the time that I would be blogging with people instead. However, I know that blogging is important so I'll try to make more time for it from here on out - at least when there are interesting stories to tell.

We did recently go to Jacmel again on Sunday and Monday as we had some time off. There weren't any guests at the Guest House so it was the perfect time to get away. We stayed at a lovely (air conditioned) hotel with GREAT food and an awesome view. Overall, it was exactly the relaxing trip that we needed. Things had been pretty stressful this past week so it was good to get away for a night.

However, the real purpose of this particular entry is to let you know that the money you donated towards this trip to Haiti is already being put to good use.

Thanks to the amount of money donated, I was able to put $1000 into a discretionary fund. This was particularly exciting because Mike's discretionary fund was on it's last legs. Already your money has helped in numerous ways.

1. Davidson's biological mother came by and expressed a need for funds for a medical exam, x-ray, and medicine. This cost approximately $38.
2. A 14 year old boy (who we had never met before - named Reitveld) came by the Guest House hoping to get scholarship money for his secondary school. His schooling is INCREDIBLY expensive. He was a very sweet young boy, though, and it was obvious that he had a strong desire to continue his education. We gave him $100 but it felt like barely a drop in the bucket. I am hopeful that his family will be able to come up for the rest. I would love to see him continue his schooling.
3. Jammes, the Guest House accountant, also asked for scholarship money for his sister who is in secondary school in Cap Haitien. We were able to give him $80 to help with that, but might up the amount to $100 depending on what other money comes in.
4. We've also been able to help with random needs. For example, Mike's shoe shine guy came today for the 4th time this week. Mike said he didn't have any shoes for the man to shine because he just shined his shoes. The man told us that he hadn't worked all day, though, because no one wanted their shoes shined. He was hungry and he needed to feed his family. Therefore, we were able to pay him what we would for a shoe shine job without him doing the work. Now he can eat!

Basically, your money is doing good things and I just wanted you all to be aware of how your generosity is such a blessing to others. Also, it's been a good reminder of how there are daily opportunities to really make a difference in people's lives here.

Also, after I preached a few Sunday's back, many of you asked about providing scholarships for Robenson to continue schooling and get Peter, his younger brother, into school. Rest assured that we are working on that and hope to enroll both of them in school within the next few weeks. :)

Beyond that, things have been as they usually are here. Groups to receive, groups to send off to their various work sites, work sites to visit, money to distribute, e-mails to send, people to meet with, etc. Lots of good work to be done for various communities all over Haiti. I feel blessed, as always to be a part of it.

Sending love, peace, and abundant joy your way,
Beth

Laid back

2010-08-21T07:23:00.000-07:00

So what have I done during these past few days? Not much of anything super significant.

I've been working on a brochure for the Guest House, finishing up the name badges so we can (finally) print them, going on shopping trips for teams going out into the field, and various other random things. Beyond that, I've gone swimming with Davidson and Bryan and I finished watching all of Season 1 of Community with Bryan.

We also visited the Baptist Mission and the look out the other day with a group. I love the Baptist Mission and the look out. However, after being in Haiti for as long as I have, there's not much to do at the Baptist Mission anymore except eat and see if they have any new stuff in their store. The shop owners on the side of the road have cool stuff, too, but we've seen most of it at this point and since I'm not headed home for another 4 months - I don't have much that I'm looking to buy in terms of gifts. Even with all of that, I still like going to the Baptist Mission mostly because it's so beautiful and cool up there. It's definitely one of my most recommended places for people coming to Haiti.

Today has been pretty crazy so far. We had to get a team to a work site and get a team to the airport so there was lots of packing up and arranging things. I also got to take a team on a tour of our campus and say hi to the kids. It's still so amazing to me that so many of the tents have left that we now have half a basketball court for the kids to use for recreation again. Love it.

So yes, that's why I haven't really been updating - not much to update! However, we are taking another trip to Jacmel tomorrow (and this time with Davidson) so I'm certain that I'll have much more to report in the next two days. :)

I hope that you're all well... I'll work on having better stories for next time. :)
Beth

On the Mend

2010-08-16T07:22:00.000-07:00

It's been an interesting past couple of days. Sorry that I haven't kept up with my blogging as much, but that's mostly due to one big thing - I got very ill.

It all started on Saturday. We went to a Chinese restaurant for lunch - yes, in Haiti - which ended up actually being quite delicious. I should also mention that by "we" I mean myself, Bryan (yes, he's back for a while - hooray!), Mike, Doug, Oge, and Davidson. I totally forgot to mention in my first entry that Davidson is not going to the orphanage any longer. After arriving in Cayes, Donette and Ablamy realized that they could care for Davidson and have decided to take him with them. However, as Donette is on vacation until early - mid September Mike agreed to take care of him until then. Therefore, he's hanging out at the Guest House with us. That was a joyful surprise to come home to. :)

Anyway, after Chinese, we went out for ice cream and then came back to the Guest House and got back to work. I noticed that as the day went on though, I got to be in a pretty bad mood. I had this cough that was developing and I was exhausted. Bryan suggested that we go swimming so Bryan, Davidson, Johnny (Erick's nephew), Elysee (Johnny's friend), and I jumped in. However, I was FREEZING. I thought the water might just be unusually cold, but when I realized that everyone else was not that cold... I became a bit concerned that I might be coming down with something.

That night, I had several hot and cold flashes that told me that I was probably coming down with a fever. Come Sunday morning, I had a terrible headache, my throat was extremely sore, my cough was still there, and I had a fever. This was a HUGE bummer because it was supposed to be a beach day for us and I, obviously, had to end up missing it. Big bummer.

So I ended up essentially sleeping all day, drinking a ton of water, and taking antibiotics. Yesterday I was still pretty sick, but started feeling much better - especially when I took Advil as well. I was so sick that today, once I began feeling MUCH better Mike said, "Oh look! Beth's among the living again!" It felt good.

I will say, though, that I felt bad because my boys kept on calling for me wanting to help me while I was sick, but I couldn't go near them and I didn't know how to say, "I'm sick so I can't hug you." I could tell them that I was sick, but that didn't relay the "don't touch me" part. Therefore, I just had to keep my distance at all times... which sucked but it was for their benefit.

Luckily, though, as I said, today I began to feel MUCH better. I still have a TERRIBLE cough, but the fever is totally gone and the majority of my energy is back. Therefore, we decided today would be a good day to visit Carrefour Manse.

I visited there right before I went back to the States and before any work happened on it. Let me tell you... it's dramatically different! Not much rebuilding has happened, it's mostly gutting the building now before rebuilding and repairs can happen. However, demolition is progress in the world of construction so it was very cool to see how far things have gone in 3.5 weeks.

Anyway, it's definitely my bed time. Goodnight friends. I hope all is well your way!

Beth

I made it!

2010-08-13T17:04:00.000-07:00

So I just wanted to update quickly to tell you I made it safe and sound. I hit a few bumps during my traveling - including getting my baggage right as it started pouring and then having to wait under a tarp for a good while before finally walking to our vehicle - but I'm here safely now. :)

I also had another celebrity sighting at the airport but I'm not sure who it was. At first I thought it was Wyclef, but apparently it was not. I saw a picture of him today and realized that he does not have a beard and the person I saw did. I'm now thinking, after further investigation, that it may have been Will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas. Either way - it's pretty cool.

As soon as I arrived at the Guest House I was also greeted instantly by my boys. Apparently they had been waiting for me all day, yelling "Beth, Beth!" whenever any car pulled into the Guest House driveway. However, we came around the back way so they didn't see me pull in. When we started walking closer to the Swiss House, they heard my voice and started yelling, "Beth, Beth, Beth!" Eventually, they turned the corner and saw me and I was attacked with hugs. It was a very happy reunion.

It feels great to be in Haiti again and it actually felt like coming... home. I feel like a girl who now lives in two totally different worlds - but I love it. Wouldn't have it any other way.

I hope all is well back home - I'm sure it is!
Beth

Preparing

2010-08-09T09:13:00.000-07:00

So now that my time in KC is nearing an end, I'm preparing to head back to Haiti.

This consists of a lot of things. Practical things like obtaining insurance, taking money out of the bank, getting malaria meds, buying toiletries, and packing are certainly taking up quite a bit of my time. Also, I have a great desire to see many of my friends before I head out - which I've also been spending a significant time doing.

Beyond that, I've been trying to mentally prepare myself. Four months is a long time - the longest I will have ever been away from my family. However, I know that God is good and will take care of me. I also know that I have a Haitian family (or at least, a family made up of people living in Haiti with me) that will be there to support me. Further, it is looking like one or both of my parents might be able to come visit me in October around my halfway point, so that would also be super exciting.

I've also been doing some personal discernment as to how long God might really be calling me to be in Haiti. At this point, it seems as if I may have a few options if I feel like God is calling me to extend my time even further than these four months. I would still come home in December - can't spend Christmas in Haiti - but it might happen that I come back to Haiti instead of working in the States after that. Prayers for my continued discernment would be appreciated.

I suppose that things just feel different this time around. I'm super excited to see my Haiti friends and jump back into things there. I feel much more excited, in general, than I did last time. Last time, I was quite nervous... it was a nervous excitement. I didn't really know what I was getting into or how things might pan out over the 2 months. Now, though, I know what I'm getting into and I'm stoked for it.

Things that I am excited for:
Giving my boys a big hug.
Seeing my many other Guest House pals - Oge, Erick, Johnny, Claire, Marie Claude, and Belorne just to name a few.
Seeing Mike, Doug, and Bryan of course. :)
The excellent food at the Guest House.
Trips to the beach.
New places in Haiti still left to explore.
Movie nights.
Progress at the work sites - I'll be especially interested in hearing about Carrefour Manse's progress... two work teams have been there since I've been home so I bet quite a bit has changed!
English classes.
Learning more Kreyol.
God speaking to me in new and powerful ways.

Lastly, I wanted to tell you all that I preached at Living Water Christian Church (the church that my mom planted 5 years ago) this Sunday. If you would like to listen to the sermon, please click here and enjoy! If you miss it this week, though, it will be moved to the worship archive space on the site so you can still find it there!

Sending peace, love, and joy your way - next time I update I'll be updating from Haiti! :)

Beth

Kansas City

2010-07-26T07:09:00.000-07:00

So I suppose I should update and let you all know that I made it safely home to Kansas City.

It's weird being here, though. It doesn't feel like much has changed or anything. It's still great to see my friends and family, especially since it doesn't feel like anything has changed. That's always good to come home to. :)

However, this world is so vastly different from Haiti that being here makes Haiti feel like it's a billion miles away. I think that's what I'm going to struggle with the most - how do I help people from this place truly understand the realities that exist in Haiti? Prayers would be helpful as I explore that further.

Also prayers would be appreciated as I continue to process everything. I was processing things while I was in Haiti, but it's different trying to process things in the States because you're in a different context. Not that it's a bad context - just different. It's interesting to come back to a reality I've grown up knowing with knowledge of a new reality and trying to find ways to process both.

Anyway, yes, I am in Kansas City safe and sound. I'm headed to Colorado tomorrow and after about a week I'll be back in KC until the 12th. Then, I head back to Haiti to spend 4 months. I have a very strange life, but I suppose I wouldn't have it any other way. :)

Love to you and you and you and you,
Beth

On the Road Again

2010-07-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

So I’m writing this report from the Port-au-Prince airport, but posting it later when I’m safe in my hotel room in Miami. I got through security, immigration, and everything else super quickly so I have about an hour and a half to kill. Cool and lame at the same time.

Today was hard. I’ll just be honest. Today was hard.

I mean, it already kind of sucks that my flight was so late that I was in the “ready to go” mind set, but I didn’t actually leave the Guest House until close to 2. Therefore, that’s almost a full day’s work before leaving and so things were as crazy as they usually were. It was weird and difficult to be in the “ready to go” mindset but also stay in the “ready to work and deal with life as usual in Haiti” mindset.

Also strange was that absolutely no one was ready to see me go. I mean, when I left the States, most people did not really want me to go – they would have preferred for me to stay there and have a great summer with them. However, they knew that this was such a great opportunity for me and most everyone was super supportive and weren’t upset to see me go.

This was different. Now, again, most were happy that I’d get to see my friends and family – but they weren’t excited at all about me being gone – especially since I’ll be gone for 2 and a half weeks. Mike did not want me to leave (he even threatened to rip up my passport a few times), Oge and Erick did not want me to leave, and many others expressed their sadness over me leaving. The worst, though, was saying goodbye to my boys.

I told you that yesterday they were already upset. The fact that I was leaving was a reality that was never far from their minds. But yesterday was nothing compared to today. Today, Robenson was outside my door at 6:30 a.m. sharp –when he knew my alarm would go off. I shooed him away for a short while so I could get dressed and pack up a few last minute things. By the time I came outside, though, he rushed and gave me a big hug saying, “Pa ale, Beth. Pa ale.”

He was soon joined by Davidson who also gave me a huge hug and showered me with kisses. He quickly joined Robenson in the “Pa ale” chant. I just hugged them back for a while before I had to let go to go to breakfast. It was then that I knew today was going to be difficult.

In a little over an hour, I had a whole group of boys standing outside the office wanting to talk to me every time I walked by. Their time with me was precious and it was running out. They all knew it. However, I often had to say “pita” (later) because I was busy doing other things.

When I finally saw Oge this morning I asked him how he was. He responded with, “Sad.” Yeah.

Again it is just so amazing to me how I’ve become so much of the fabric here. In just two months I have built such strong relationships, and become such a vital part of the daily life at the Guest House. It’s definitely been a God thing. I knew that God wanted me to come here, but I didn’t know just how much I would be affected as well as how much I would affect others.

When it was finally time for me to load up the van to head to the airport, things got really nuts. I went inside the Swiss House to grab my things and when I walked outside I was greeted by Robenson. As soon as he saw my big suitcase, though, and realized that I was really leaving… he had tears streaming down his eyes. Soon, Davidson saw me and came over. As an act of love and kindness, he grabbed my laptop bag to help me carry it to the van.

By the time I arrived at the van, Robenson could barely control himself. I kept on trying to tell them that it would be okay and that I was coming back. I also kept on trying to remind them that Bryan was coming today so they could have some fun with him. Nothing seemed to work, though.

Once all of my stuff was loaded in the van, I started my rounds of hugs. Only 3 kids were there so I started with Robenson first, trying to give him a comforting hug. He didn’t hug back, though. It almost seemed like it was just too hard for him.

I then gave a quick hug to McKinley who was making fun of Robenson crying. We told him to stop, but boys will be boys – and he let up a little, but not a lot.

The hardest one, though, was hugging Davidson. Davidson had been pretty happy all day. I mean, he gave me more kisses than usual and held his hugs a lot longer and told me not to go… but in general he seemed to be in a decent mood. However, when Davidson walked over to give me a hug I saw the tears start to well up in his eyes. By the time I had my arms wrapped around him, he had become a puddle of tears. I held him there as long as I could, but I had to let go so I could get on the road.

Davidson was especially difficult because I know he was thinking that he would never see me again. By the time I come back, he’ll be living in his new orphanage. Apparently, Mike had told him several times that day that I would be visiting him when I came back, but that never helped. Each time he thought about me leaving and that fact that he would be gone by the time I came back – he became very upset. That moment in my arms was when he lost it, though, was tough. It’s extremely difficult for me to think about it now without breaking into tears, myself. It was hard to be strong for them in that moment, but I knew that if I lost it, too – it would be worse.

Mike asked me how I was doing once we were on the road. I said I was okay and he said, “Well, you’re doing very well considering what you just went through. I think I would have lost it.” I said, “Yeah. I just can’t think about it. At least not yet – maybe when I get to my hotel room tonight.”

So now I’m on my way back to the States – or at least, I’m in the airport waiting to board the flight to the States. I’m leaving Haiti with a mix of emotions. Excited to see my friends and family while also totally bummed to be leaving my friends here in Haiti. I suppose that’s why I also feel extremely blessed and glad to be able to come back and continue my time here. I know that God has called me to this place.

Sending peace and love your way. Hopefully I’ll see many of you soon. :)

<3 Beth

Edit: I am now safe and sound in Miami, heading to Kansas City tomorrow. Thank you for your prayers for safe travels!

Pa ale

2010-07-23T19:06:00.000-07:00

So today was a good day, a weird day, but overall it was mostly uneventful.

I definitely had the "last day" cloud looming over me all day, though. I told the boys today that I was leaving for the United States tomorrow. I instantly had three boys clinging to me, some crying, all saying, "Pa ale! Pa ale! Pa ale!" (Don't go! Don't go! Don't go! in Kreyol) I told them that my family misses me and I miss them. I said I needed to see my manman (mom), papa (dad), and frere (brother.) Eventually they resorted to begging me to call my mom and tell her that I'm not coming.

They were begging so hard that finally said, "Okay, I'll call my mom and you can talk to her." Suddenly the sadness turned to 3 giddy boys - way too excited to talk to my mom. Luckily, she picked up and I was able to pass the phone around to all three boys for each of them to say, "Hello," How are you," and "What is your name?" It was adorable to watch as they all tried to steal the phone from one another to talk to a woman they had never met before. Because she was my mom, though, she was special.

Within an hour, all the boys in the tent city knew that I was leaving and I was having waves of boys coming by. They offered hugs and kept on asking me if I was really going tomorrow. After I told them that yes, I really was going, I was instantly asked, "When are you coming back?" In the afternoon, Stanley came to visit and said he had something for me. When I came outside, he presented me with a bracelet he and Robenson made for me - complete with Argentina colors. Very touching - it will be a while before I take that off.

I always knew that I was loved here, but the response I got when they found out I was leaving really showed me how much I had become a part of the fabric here. I'm definitely going to miss them when I'm gone.

As a "last hurrah" before I return home a group of us went out for a really nice dinner tonight. Mike, Ablamy, Davidson, Oge, Doug, and I all went to the Karibe Hotel/Conference Center to eat at a buffet that others had told us about and said was delicious. They weren't kidding - best meal I've had in Haiti. They had amazing beef, cucumbers(!), pumpkin soup, and the best balsamic vinaigrette I've ever had - although it may have tasted that good because it had been so long since I last had it. Delicious.

We also called Hal (who was here at the beginning of my stay) to say hello. He's currently in California and doing well. Also called was Donette, as she's gone in the Bahamas, Nate, and Bryan - as his flight got cancelled today to come back to Haiti. Instead, he's coming back tomorrow after I'll be going through security in the airport. Very sad - definitely put a bit of the damper on the day, but at least Bryan will still be here when I return. It was good that we got to talk to him tonight, though, as well as everyone else we had the opportunity to talk to. :)

Anyway, now I get to go take a shower and pack. It's so weird to think that I'll be headed back to the States tomorrow. Although, I'm spending tomorrow night in Miami so it won't really be "home" quite yet. When I get to KC around noon on Sunday I'll be happy.

Sending blessings your way,
Beth

Video

2010-07-23T07:29:00.000-07:00

I made this video about my summer in Haiti. Enjoy!

Blessings,
Beth

31 Dollars

2010-07-20T17:44:00.000-07:00

Today was super busy, but also super fulfilling.

This morning Mike and I were running around like chickens with our heads cut off. Financial stuff to check, people to meet with (LOTS of people to meet with,) and groups to assign and contact. Whew! Then we ate some lunch and went to go buy Robenson some new sandals as his were VERY worn out.

We did a few other things today, too - went to two car places to check on three different vehicles (two new ones, one getting repaired) and came back in enough time to do what was, to one family, a small miracle.

So right after lunch, when we were going to buy Robenson's shoes he told us that he got kicked out of school today. Mike and I had noticed that he had been around in the morning when usually he was at school. Mike asked him why and he explained that his mother was behind 4 months in school payments. Because they couldn't pay - they sent him home.

Now, this is tragic for any child. It really stinks knowing that simply because you cannot afford school, you can no longer receive an education. However, this was particularly tragic for Robenson because he was just weeks away from taking the government exam which (if he passed) would state that he graduated primary school. Without school, though, he cannot take the exam. Absolutely tragic - especially for such an intelligent 11 year old like Robenson.

So, me, heartbroken over it, asked Mike how much his school costs. We found out it cots 300 gourdes per month, so his tab was up to 1200 gourdes - 31 US dollars. At that point it was obvious, we had to do something.

We had to be smart about it, though. We couldn't just hand him the money or just hand his mother the money and not expect others to ask us for money for school as well. So, we found Robenson's mother when we came back from the car places and asked her about the situation. She told us that yes, Robenseon had been sent home because she could not pay his school fees. She told us that her husband, who ran a small store on the street (their only income) died in the earthquake. They also lost their house in the earthquake. Now, she has no income, no house, and no place to go. Therefore, a $31 fee is a difficult price to pay. Robenson is also her only child in school - she hasn't even started Peter in school because she cannot afford it.

So Mike, Oge, and I pulled her into a more secluded space and gave her the 1200 gourdes needed for Robenson to continue school and take his final exams on the 4th and 5th of August. She was on the verge of tears. We were, too, recognizing the profound impact that simple $31 had on this family. She thanked us over and over again and Mike responded with a, "Well, we're just happy to give you a small blessing today." So true - but it blessed us as well.

After that encounter it was obvious to us that we needed to more actively pursue funding for school scholarships here. Mike said that he would be contacting his organization - the Haiti Partnership - to see what funds might be available for that. Hopefully we'll be able to sponsor more kids and help more families through this financially (among other things) unstable time.

I should also note that today I met Davidson's mother. Davidson, if you remember, lives with Ablamy and Donette because his mother cannot afford to care for him. She was here today, however, because Donette and Ablamy will soon be moving Davidson to an orphanage/boys home right before they move out of Petionville. She was here to see him, talk with Donette and Ablamy, and make plans to attend Davidson's baptism on Sunday. I'm totally bummed that I'll miss that - but I'll be there in spirit.

But yes, Davidson will soon be moved off this campus. That's a very sad reality for everyone, but for him especially. He's become extra clingy since then. He's always enjoyed giving me big hugs and kisses on the cheek, but now he does it several times in one encounter and holds on a lot longer. Tonight I was helping him with learning the alphabet and at one point he just came over, sat in my lap, and just wanted to be rocked for a little while. He's 8 years old, but with how crazy his life has been - he's obviously very sad to leave stability and people who love him. Luckily, though, Donette says that Mike and I will be allowed to visit Davidson at the orphanage whenever we want to. We're also working on Mike getting permission to take Davidson out of the orphanage for a weekend. With that, he can either come stay with us at the Guest House for a weekend of fun, or if there's a hurricane (as the boys of this orphanage are sleeping in tents) then we can pick him up and keep him here for a little while so he's safe. As Mike worded it, "I could not live with myself if he died in a way I could have prevented." Agreed.

So yeah, crazy day, heart warming day, one of those days where you recognize that the ministry you're doing is vital, important, positive, and life-changing. It feels good, but it also makes me want to work harder, to go further, and to more bodly be Christ's hands and feet.

And with that, I'll end with a simple, "Amen."

Beth

The United States

2010-07-20T05:48:00.000-07:00

So I’m about to go home. Because of this, I’ve been thinking a lot about packing as well as what needs to get done before I leave, as well as what needs to get done once I’m home, and before I come back. Whew! Lots of checklists to create in my head. However, I’m looking forward to being in America for a short while. In fact, here’s my list of things I’m missing.

Things I miss about America and am looking forward to when I return:

Starbucks (I am in want of an iced, non-fat, carmel macciatto like WHOA. Also, there aren’t really coffee houses here or places like coffee houses where you can just meet up with a friend and talk about life. I miss that.)

Chipotle (Because there is little to no Mexican food here. It’s such a staple in the U.S. so it’s strange that there aren’t really any Mexican places here. I mean, Oge has never had a taco. Oh, the tragedy!)

Air conditioning (Although I don’t miss it as much as I thought I would. Strangely, I’ve adjusted to the heat. I’m worried that sleeping in air conditioning is going to make me too cold!)

Hot showers (Most of the time I enjoy my cold showers here, but on cooler nights, the cold showers are not joyful experiences. I’m ready for a nice long, hot shower.)

Driving (I really love getting on the highway, blasting my music, and crusin. I definitely look forward to that when I return. Also, as I cannot drive here, and it’s not really all that safe – especially at night, I can’t really go off by myself. It will be nice to get out on my own, hang out with some friends, and enjoy some freedom.)

Debit Cards (I mean, I still have a debit card here, but I can’t really use it. I’m looking forward to not carrying cash. I’m also looking forward to having an ATM machine to use that won’t charge me fees to take out money. Yes.)

Of course, I’m also absolutely stoked to see my friends and family. My mom asked if I was getting excited to come home, or sad to come home. I think I’m definitely on the excited end, but that’s probably because I know I’m coming right back. If I wasn't coming back so soon… I’d probably be bursting into tears every minute. However, since I am coming back, I’m so excited to see all of you!

I come back to KC on the 25th and then I leave for vacation on the 27th. I will be on vacation until the 4th and then I’ll be in town until the 12th. Then I fly back to Haiti! So lets find some time to get together if you’re one of my KC pals.

Also, I will be preaching at Living Water Christian Church on August 8th at 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. After the second services, there will be a lunch as well as more discussions about Haiti to follow. Beyond that, I will be bringing some Haitian coffee that morning for all who want to try. I hope to see you there! If you want more information/directions and all that jazz, feel free to contact me! Oh, and if you're one of my readers from outside the KC area, then the sermon will be posted online the Monday after I preach it. :) I'll post the link here.

Anyway, I’m off. Busy day today! Couple of meetings, errands to run, shoes for the boys to buy… lots to do!

Beth

Catch Up

2010-07-18T16:40:00.001-07:00

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. :)

Instability

2010-07-14T18:59:00.000-07:00

Here's a bit of a profile (if you will) on my boys:

The daily routine for my boys goes something like this. They wake up nice and early, generally around 5:30 I'm guessing and either hang out at their tent or come by my door to say hello and tell me good morning. After that they either go to school or hang out for a while. Most go to school in the mornings, but some go in the afternoon. All kids in Haiti go for either the morning or afternoon, though. I believe it's generally from 8-12 or 1-4. Some schools (the nicer, more expensive ones) are longer. The vast majority of my boys do not go to these schools. After that they start coming around the Guest House by 2, 3, or 4 p.m. It's very rare if we don't see them before dinner. Some boys aren't around that often, and other boys are around all the time - I think this depends a great amount on family life. I think it also depends on the type of relationship they've built with me, Paste Mike, and Bryan.

Some are fairly rich (by Haitian standards) and some are definitely poor. Stanley and his sister Carly are among the fairly rich ones. They always have nicer clothes, nothing with rips or holes, they've received a noticeably better education than the others, and he's never hungry when the others are starving. It is also obvious that Stanley's mom has a fairly large role in his life and works hard to take good care of him.

Most of my boys are on the poorer spectrum, though. They all go to school, but a good portion of them have holes in their uniforms - which tells me they don't go to a very nice school. The nicer schools won't allow you to attend class if your uniform is dirty or messed up. Also, the others are always asking for things - money, food, water, new shoes, etc. This is (rather obviously) because their parent(s) cannot afford most of these things.

Most of their family lives seem fairly unstable. I found out from Robenson yesterday that he, his brother Peter, and his sister Amanda, have three different last names. Amanda is a baby and I have never seen her father around. I've met Robenson's mother several times, though. I've also been in their tent... there isn't much in there. Just a few pots and pans, some blankets to sleep on, and some clothes. I don't know what Robenson's mom does for a living, but she provides what she can somehow. Actually, she seems to be one of the better mothers. Her two boys are always sweet, joyful, and don't ask for anything unless they really need it. It is obvious that they have been given a lot of love and attention.

The others, though, probably do not get much love or attention at home at all. I think that's why they like hanging around the Guest House so much. We pay attention to them, we give them hugs, we provide for them when we can, and we laugh with them. I know that they receive much joy from their relationship with us. I often reflect on how lucky they are to be in our tent city. I don't imagine that many other tent cities have a Paste Mike or a Beth. I am equally lucky, though. I am so blessed to have many bright, bubbly, loving, lovable boys in my life. I just wish some of their parents would recognize them for the true gems that they are.

That's what's so difficult in Haiti. There is no social security here (as far as I can tell) and so adults almost need to have children so there will be people to look after them when they get older. However, until they become adults, children are often times a great burden for parents. They can be quite expensive to care for, especially if you send them to school. Peterson was telling me today that his secondary school costs approximately $1000 US per year. (And he doesn't even go to one of the really nice schools.)

It's just sad in general how Haiti tends to view kids. In America, we totally revere and respect our children - recognizing that they're the future leaders, and recognizing a need to protect their innocence and childhood. For us, childhood is precious. I think some parents feel that way in Haiti, but others just view their children as an investment. It's very sad.

I don't know... they live such unstable lives. I know I keep on writing about instability... but I think that's what haunts me the most. They live in tents, many do not know their fathers, food and water are scarce, they sleep on blankets on the ground, they have to shower while standing in buckets in open spaces, they go to school now but don't know if their parent(s) will be able to afford it next year, etc. I think if I were in their situations I would be terrified. I would feel like my privacy was completely gone. I would feel alone. I would be angry at God.

I suppose that's also why I'm constantly inspired by these kids. They're still able to find joy. They don't feel alone but instead have formed a new community amongst themselves. The privacy issue doesn't seem to bother them that much. And as for being angry with God... well, two Sunday's ago when I went to Freres Church Stanley, Robenson, and Son-Son all came on their own. Without parents, and after the music just to hear the sermon. I was so... blessed to see that. They were building a relationship with God, on their own initiative, when (in my opinion) they should be mad at God. How amazing!

For now, though, I'm going to sign off and head to bed. I've been running things by myself because both Mike and Doug are on vacation back in the States so I'm one tired lady! Luckily, though, Mike comes back tomorrow so hopefully things will be less stressful/crazy. I hope you're all well!

Beth

P.S. I have a video of my boys here. It's a birthday message to Bryan, but you still get to see them and hear their voices.

P.P.S. In the midst of writing this blog I received a phone call telling me that I have enough funds pledged to move forward with plans to stay in Haiti. However, I'm still raising some funds for plane ticket, (maybe) health insurance, stipend, and a fund to help provide for specific needs that I see - new shoes for the boys, food, a new uniform, etc. If you would like to be a part of this, please let me know! :)

Photos

2010-07-13T18:05:00.001-07:00

My mom suggested that I upload some recent photos of the boys with some of the goodies she recently sent for me to give to them. Here are some of my favorites. :)

P.S. If you would like to support me staying in Haiti, my e-mail is bethisinchina@yahoo.com. If you want more information about it, please read the blog entry below this one. :)

With their harmonicas :)

A desin party (desin = draw)

Ballin'

Adorable.

Proud artists

I hope you enjoyed the photos of these precious faces!

Beth

Announcement

2010-07-12T19:49:00.000-07:00

Dear friends, family, and new acquaintances,

The past 6 weeks have been some of the most amazing of my entire life. I expected to come to Haiti and have a life-changing experience, but a difficult one at the same time. I didn’t expect to fall in love with this country and the beautiful people I have met here. I have made incredible friendships, learned so much about life, ministry, and culture, and I have been able to help the people of Haiti heal in real and tangible ways. It has been such a blessing to be here.

Although my plans were for me to return in 2 weeks and prepare to enter seminary, I have felt a voice (could it be God?) saying to me, “Your work here is not done. There is more for you to do before you go home." Through much prayer and conversation with mentors, I have discerned that God may indeed be calling me to continue my work here in Haiti for another 3 months. I chose the 3 month time frame because that is the length of time I can spend here without a visa. Also, more importantly, that would give me a chance to be a stable presence here at the Guest House for my boys through the fall, and it would allow me to return home and work for 8 months until I entered seminary in the fall of 2011. Brite Divinity School has said that they will hold my scholarship for another year.

If I stay, I will be able to continue to help the UMVIM Haiti program with various administrative, hospitality, and communications needs. I will also be able to continue work with my boys – being a loving presence - the hands and feet of Jesus - in their lives. Beyond that, I will be able to continue assisting with the various English classes and tutoring I’ve been involved in. Lastly, I will be able to strengthen the relationships I have already built. This is important because, beyond friendship, I have become a trusted ally, someone whom they can share their stories of great loss with. I would be honored to continue to serve and to love in Haiti.

While I feel God calling me to stay here, the biggest hurdle to overcome is finding the financial resources to allow me to continue my mission work. Fortuantely, the staff at the Guest House wants me to stay so much that they've offered to give me room and board for half the usual rate. But still, with airfare, medication/supplies, cell phone expenses, laundry, tips, etc, the cost to stay for 3 more months will be $3500. Surprisingly, without even trying to raise money yet, I have already received pledges for $1100! But I still need to find the remaining $2400.

Many of you have already given generously to support my current mission here, and for that I am so grateful. But if God is nudging you to give further support so that I may continue to be not only Christ's hands and feet but your hands and feet in Haiti, will you please send me an email and let me know what you will be able to give? My e-mail is bethisinchina@yahoo.com. However, I do probably need to hear from you in the next week so I can make the final decision and tell Brite in a timely manner if I will be attending in August or not.

If this is truly God's idea, then I am trusting God to provide the resources. Either way, I will fly home in 2 weeks to spend time with my family and take a vacation with them. If I am able to return, I will fly back to Haiti and be here from Aug. 12 - Nov. 10.

Regardless of which path God sets before me, I want to thank you so much for your prayers and support while I have been here. I have been amazed at the response my blog has received as well as the sheer amount of people who opened up their wallets to send me here this first time. As I’ve said over and over – I am a truly blessed woman.

Thank you again for your constant prayers, love, and general support,
Beth

Orphan

2010-07-10T19:45:00.000-07:00

So I don't usually update two days in a row, but today I hit a tough moment.

The day started off wonderfully. Peterson and I went to his school and I met another English class. The principal of the school was very excited to see me and sat down to talk to me for a long time. They made me promise to come back again next Saturday to help students. They weren't planning on me coming today so there wasn't much I could help with today, but next Saturday is bound to be an experience. However, it was hilarious that I was asked twice if I was married and once if I had a boyfriend. When I responded "no" to the boyfriend question one of the men in the class responded, "I will be your boyfriend." Too funny.

After that we went to the Epid'or for lunch and apparently a famous person was sitting right next to us. He was a white guy with long hair and Peterson told me that he's a singer in a band that performs Voodoo songs. He's a well-known guy in Haiti I suppose. Weird.

Around 3 Johnny (our driver) and I departed for the airport to pick up the COR team. We arrived early so we just hung out in the tap-tap as we awaited the team's arrival. This is when the "moment" happened.

I remember that on the first night I was in Haiti I was talking to my mom online. I was crying remarking on how difficult the next two months would probably be. (Now, I realize I was crazy for worrying - but that's how I was feeling at the time.) During that conversation my mom said, "Well, Beth, you may feel the need to just sit down and cry every night. There may be things that you see and experience that you won't have any other response to but to sit and weep. And that's okay." Although I haven't had many times where I had no other response but tears, today I did.

At the airport, you are constantly accosted by people for money. Many people beg outside the gate of the airport asking for just a little bit of lajan (money.) I don't even bring money to the airport anymore because then I'm not lying when I say "M pa gen lajan." (I don't have any money.) I'm just so used to responding in that way that I often don't even pay attention to the people asking anymore.

Today a boy, around age 14, came to my window while I was sitting in the tap-tap and said, "Madam, please read this." He then put a piece of paper on the window for me to read. I read the first three sentences, "I am an orphan. My mom died in the earthquake. I sleep on the street." I didn't even finish the piece of paper before responding with "M pa gen lajan." It may sound heartless, but like I have explained so many times - the kids begging for money are often trafficked kids. The trafficker will have them tell any story to get white people to donate money and then the money doesn't even go towards the child but helps the trafficker to continue his profession. If I have water available or food on me, I always give that - but I never give money.

However, as soon as I said, "M pa gen lajan," the boy looked sad and a confused. He shook his head, "No money, madam. Read." That threw me off - a child telling me their sad story but not wanting money? I looked at the bottom of his sheet. It read: Please adopt me.

"Ohh," I replied, "You want adoption?" He shook his head excitedly and proceeded to pull out his birth certificate and a photo page of his kindergarten graduation. He had the birth certificate to show that he had documentation. I think he had the graduation photos to show what his life once was and probably also to illustrate how he would like to continue his education.

Johnny asked him a few more questions and found out that his dad had died before the earthquake and his mother died during the earthquake. Now he lives on the street and does not go to school. More than anything he'd like to be adopted and cared for. He did not want a temporary solution (money) but a permanent one.

I told Johnny that I would love to help - but I'm too young to be a full time caretaker of a 14 year old boy. Besides that, I don't have the money and it would still probably take me 2 years to fully adopt him. Johnny explained all of this to the boy and he looked crushed, but just responded with, "Okay. Mesi, madam." After that he retreated to a median nearby, sat down, and started weeping.

There are so many reasons why I wanted to help this boy. First of all, to be 14 and alone is heartbreaking. No brothers or sisters even. It's just him. Second of all, I really sympathized for his deep desire for his life of inconsistency and tough situations to end. He just wants some stability, comfort, and love. Third, he is an at-risk boy. If a good family does not get a hold of him - someone else will. He could become a victim of sex trafficking, labor trafficking, or he could easily end up a restavek. It broke my heart that he was trying so desperately to not end up a victim and get on the road to a healthy, full life - but there was nothing I could do.

When he walked away and started weeping I started to become more desperate - raking my brain trying to think of an orphanage or other safe place the boy could stay and would be cared for. Unfortunately, though, every orphanage that I could think of is full and would not have the resources or space to take him in. Instead of helping, I had to sit and watch as he lost hope, once again.

I couldn't help it. My eyes welled up. They well up now just thinking about it. I so hate these moments when you feel so compelled to do something - anything - and yet you cannot. This situation was the worst I have encountered yet, though. I think mostly because I know that tonight I will get a full meal, sleep in a comfortable bed, and I will continue to lead a fairly comfortable life until I die most likely. He, however, will go to the streets, not eat, sleep on concrete, and continue to lead a life that is one big question mark.

Please say a special prayer for this young man tonight. Pray that he may find someone to give him the proper care, love, and attention that he needs. After that, thank God for stability. It is more of a luxury than we often care to realize.

Sending love your way,
Beth

Aftermath

2010-07-09T18:26:00.000-07:00

I feel like a lot has happened in these past few days and at the same time - nothing at all.

Yesterday I went with Oge to pick up a group at Furcy - which is a town about 45 minutes up the mountain past the Baptist Mission. (Also, we apparently passed the President on the road there because he lives near the Baptist Mission. We know we did because there was police everywhere directing traffic. I wanted to wave, but Oge said that would be a bad idea.) Since we were headed that way anyway, Oge and I left a bit early and drove to the lookout at the top of one of the mountains. It was GORGEOUS. You could see all of Port-au-Prince, Carrefour, and Petionville. Very, VERY cool. I'll post pics at some point in time. However, it was a bit cloudy so some of the photos didn't turn out well. But seriously - you could see everything. The National Palace, the Digicel building, etc. Awesome.

Also, Oge and I went to his land where he is in the process of building a home for him and his family. So far he only has a foundation built and some rebar towers for wall support. I'm guessing it will take quite some time to finish because building materials in Haiti are so expensive right now. However, the land is GORGEOUS. He's up a bit past the Baptist Mission so it's filled with green grass. Also, it's nice and cool up there. I'm excited to come visit him some day when it's complete!

After that, we picked up the group in Furcy. It was really funny because some of the guys there came over and started talking to me right away and even though they had just known me for 5 minutes - they all wanted pictures with me and remembered my name. They were nice guys, though, and so it was fun.

We ate lunch at the Baptist Mission and then came back to the Guest House. That night at dinner, Wendy and Tom (the leaders of the Furcy team) started talking about their memories from the earthquake as they were staying at the Guest House when it happened. It was crazy hearing their memories. They shared that one of their biggest concerns was standing over the cistern while the earthquake was happening because they didn't want the earth to split there and them to fall into it. Also, apparently Donette was a mess after it and Wendy was explaining that consoling Donette was one of the things that helped to calm her. She had to be strong for someone else and that helped her to stay collected and not fall apart. Absolutely unimaginable hearing their stories.

Today was filled with more interesting moments. I went with Oge to drop off the Furcy team at the airport and then we went to an artisan shop nearby so I could look for a cloth to give as a gift. I didn't find the cloth, but the prices there were CHEAP so I was able to get a few other gifts for folks on my list. Awesome. However, there was another crazy guy experience today. While we were driving to the airport I was sitting in the front seat with Oge. A man crossed in front of us but instead of going all the way to the other side of the street he came and stood right by my window and stared at me. It was really strange. He didn't talk to me, or ask me for money or anything... he just stood there and stared at me until the light turned green and we drove off. It was creepy.

However, Oge has become like the older brother I never had and I knew that he was keeping a close eye on the man. I wasn't too scared it was just... creepy. Especially with the crazy guy kissing me just a few days ago! Things like this only seem to happen to me. There was a whole van full of white people but this guy just wanted to stare at me. So weird. I do think it spooked Oge a bit, though, because after we dropped the team off he told me to roll up my window halfway. I said, "You're scared for me, aren't you?" And he said, "No... well, maybe a little bit." Haha. At least I know I'm in good hands.

I also got to hear more stories of Oge's experience with the earthquake at lunch today. It's obvious that he doesn't get to talk about it that much and sometimes it's just... necessary. Although I already knew about what happened to him when the earthquake hit I did not know what happened afterwards. I found out that he did not have a place to stay because the house he was living in fell down. He was able to get most of his stuff - but the house was unlivable. Therefore, he slept in one of the trucks at the Guest House. His family came and stayed on the back lawn of the Guest House. The only reason why he didn't sleep back there with them is because he wanted to create more space for others. He said that on that first night there were 150 people just sleeping on the ground wherever they could find space. Apparently, that's how our tent city was originally formed - from people who came to find safety and rest on that first night.

He told me that he slept in that truck for about 3 months. He moved into the house he's living in now a week before I arrived in Haiti. During that time, his wife, daughter, and mother-in-law stayed with his sister's family in a city that wasn't really affected by the quake.

The Guest House ended up running out of food 3 or 4 days after the quake and it was very difficult to find food. All the grocery stores closed and there were a few folks selling food on the streets but it became very expensive because it was in such high demand. It was also difficult to find drinkable water. Luckily, it is not difficult to find food or water now - but for at least a week after the quake those things were in low quantity and high demand.

Oge also told me about how you could hear people all over the city screaming for help that were trapped in the rubble. He noted that was the hardest part. Hearing their screams, knowing they were alive, and yet not being able to do anything. He said, "It's just you - you don't have any heavy machinery, you can't move those big boulders and so the people just stay there. It's very difficult listening to someone dying and wishing you could help, but you just can't get to them." I almost burst into tears at the lunch table thinking about that. I can't imagine walking past a building hearing people screaming for help. I am certain that some of those screams still haunt Oge. I'm sure those screams still haunt many Haitian people. Wow.

I had more to say but I think that's where it needs to end tonight. I know that when the earthquake hit we knew there was a great need for food, water, and medical attention. We also knew that it was an unsafe place for kids as kidnappings were high. What we didn't really hear about (or at least, what I didn't hear that much about) was how people were continuing to cope with the situation. I mean, Oge lived in a truck for 3 months - separated from his family. Most Haitians are dealing with some PTSD and there is almost no counseling available to help deal with that. They have seen dead people being burned in the middle of the streets, heard the voices of people trapped underneath rubble, and lost friends, family members, and folks they saw every day. I have no idea how they are so strong even after experiencing all of that. I just don't understand it.

Haitians are a special kind of people. God has blessed them and cared for them in some incredible, awesome ways. I am so thankful and glad to participate in God's great plan of healing for Haiti.

Love to you and you and you and you,
Beth

The Usual

2010-07-07T19:31:00.000-07:00

So I feel like I don't tell you enough about the "ordinary" things in Haiti - the things I see, do, experience every day. Therefore, I thought I would take this time to do that. (Although I will also share the story of the crazy guy who kissed me because I'm certain that you want to hear it.)

So. Ordinary things.

First of all, I sleep every night with earplugs in because of our rooster on campus as well as the "disco" (night club) that is behind Freres Campus and is SUPER loud. Luckily, I have become a master at putting them in and I don't even notice them anymore while I sleep. Good times.

I get up every morning at 6:30 a.m. because breakfast is served at 7. Yes, I am awesome and get ready in a half hour every morning. Also, sometimes my building is out of water in the mornings so I have to flip the switch to pump the water so that I will have running water and flushable toilets again. It should be noted at this point that just because the toilet flushes does not mean you can flush toilet paper. Yes, I have to throw my used toilet paper in the trash bin next to the toilet. It's lovely. Also, we live by the rule of, "If it's brown - flush it down. If it's yellow - let it mellow."

At breakfast, I am usually greeted by Claire, Marie Claude, and Belorne. Claire and Marie Claude work in the kitchen and also do some cleaning in the main Guest House. Belorne is the assistant manager who is in charge of the meals. Claire always says "Bonjou Beth" to me because she really loves hearing me speak Kreyol. I respond with, "Bonjou Claire! Ki jan ou ye?"

We pray before breakfast and dinner with whoever might be eating with us. Generally around the time that we start eating, I see Davidson waddle near the pool to draw some water from a water source for Donette and Ablamy's house. He usually smiles at me and says, "Bonjou Beth" before giving me a big hug.

Mire comes to clean the Swiss House (where I live) around 8 and always greets me with a smile if I happen to be in my room. She is one of the most lovely women I have ever met - and I say that even though I generally cannot understand a word she says. She is also the best cleaner and laundress at the Guest House. Basically, she is awesome.

The mornings and afternoons always seem to be different. Some days I'm mostly hanging out working on things - sending e-mails, creating documents, making phone calls, giving reminders, etc. Other days I'm out and about - running errands, picking up/dropping off groups, etc.

In the short time I have been here, though, I have seen progress in Port-au-Prince. I suppose the best example of this is the Caribbean Market. The Caribbean Market is walking distance from the Guest House and is a sight that we pass almost every time we come and go from the Guest House. It's a fairly memorable/recognizable landmark for most who have visited Haiti/the Guest House in the past before the earthquake. Now, it is just a huge pile of rubble. However, in the past week or so, folks have started to come and do clean up. A significant part of it is now completely cleaned up which is really neat to see.

What is not neat, though, is smelling the scent that you know is from freshly uncovered bodies. It was really bad for two days there, especially. We had to close all of the windows in our vans before passing and all the Haitians on the street were finding a way to cover their nose or plug it if they had a hand free.

Now, there are bad smells all over Haiti. Rotten garbage in the middle of the street or on the sidewalks is a big problem. On hot days, like today, the scent seems to get worse - like it permeates every molecule of air within two blocks of it. But the garbage smell is different from the smell of dead bodies and more tolerable - for me, anyway, it's mostly because I know the source of the smell. The pungent odor coming from the Caribbean Market makes me sad all over again.

Other sights on the roads include: people carrying things on their heads, a Digicel Pap Padap stand on every other block, folks selling clothes, shoes, food, toiletries, etc. on the side of the road, trying to sit under umbrellas for some shade, wild dogs, goats, pigs, and chicken, and people finding creative ways to go to the bathroom.

The evenings are always different. Most nights we eat dinner around 5:45 and then all retreat to our separate areas. Sometimes I stay in the office if there is work to do, but otherwise I generally head to the Swiss House to start winding down. Usually my boys arrive around 6:30 or 7:00 looking for some manje (food) as well as some hugs and smiles. Depending on how tired I am they're there for a few minutes to an hour or more.

All of them are lovely. All of them have big holes in their pants and shirts. Their sandals have holes through them. Some of the clothes they wear are actually made for girls and not boys. I don't laugh, though, because I know they wear it out of necessity - not because of a strange sense of fashion. Amazingly, though, they don't care. The only bit of clothing that they care about is their sandals because it makes it difficult to walk - as you can probably imagine.

After that I go upstairs for my cold shower to cool off and help settle in for the night. I come back to my room filled with mosquitoes that are eager to greet me. I've killed some by hand... but it's near impossible to get more than "some." Then I get online and post this blog or chat on Facebook with friends - that is, if the internet is working. Sometimes it does not.

And yes. That is the daily stuff. The ins and outs of living in Haiti. To add to these experiences I should note that I have also seen a small mouse scurry across my floor this evening as well as a green gecko on my wall. Also, joining my mosquito friends are small ants that like to crawl on my keyboard at night while I'm sleeping.

But yes. Life is good. Tres bien.

Lastly, I'll leave you with the kiss story and then go to bed. I'm a tired lady!

Yesterday I was riding in the front passenger seat on the way back from the supermarket with Belorne and Johnny (our driver.) We come to a corner where there is a slender, dirty man, with long unkempt dreadlocks dancing wildly to music being played at a CD stand. He turns around and briefly makes eye contact with me. I quickly turn around and look at Johnny and try to start talking to him so the man will stop staring at me. Within a few seconds though, Belorne yells, "Beth, roll up your window!" I turn back around to roll up my window and the man is at my open window, staring in. I grab hold of the thing to roll up the window with, but I tried to push it the wrong way. While I'm realizing this and trying to push the other way, the man leans in and kisses my arm. I jumped and inched away from the window while trying to quickly roll up the window at the same time. I thought he had tried to bite me, but Johnny told me it was just a kiss. Belorne then gave me the great advice of, "If you see a crazy man, roll up your window." We think he was drunk/maybe on drugs/maybe mentally unstable. He was definitely drunk, though, as Johnny saw him drinking soon after the kiss. Crazy times in Haiti!

Okay so I'm off to bed! Goodnight world!
Beth

Best Ever.

2010-07-05T19:36:00.000-07:00

When I was planning on coming to Haiti I expected life here to be hard. I expected that I would be in need of a great long vacation to decompress after I returned home. I expected to build relationships - but ones that would probably only be temporary and mostly on the surface. I thought it would be really difficult to build strong relationships with the Haitians with the language barrier and the fact that I would be in and out in two months.

I am not often wrong... but I was SO wrong in thinking all of those things. Not that life isn't hard at times, or frustrating at times, or that some of my relationships here aren't past the surface stuff yet.

But I will say this. There aren't many days that I can look back and remember and say, "If I were going to relive any 5 days in my life... that would definitely be one of them." However, yesterday was probably one of those days. I just... loved it.

The day started off strangely, but it at least made for laughter, bonding, and a funny story to tell later. We had decided to go to the English speaking church - Quisquera Chapel - for the first time. We thought it was fitting for the 4th of July to worship in English. It is the church that Peterson worships at every Sunday so he agreed to get us there. When yesterday morning came, though, he did not actually have a ride for us. He suggested a tap-tap, but Mike suggested that we just walk because it might actually be faster/cheaper.

We walked up the street and around the corner, past the fallen Caribbean market, and up to Delmas - one of the main roads by the Guest House. At that point, Peterson found a tap-tap and suggested to Mike that we just take it. He agreed and once we started driving and realized that the church Peterson was talking about was past the Epid'or - we were glad to have the ride. As soon as we got off the tap-tap we started walking down Delmas 75. Peterson told us that the church was right off Delmas 75 so we thought that we must be fairly close. We got to the end of that road and then Peterson said, "Okay, now let's take another tap-tap."

All of us thought that sounded silly. First of all, there were barely any tap-taps around and Peterson said that we were probably only 10 minutes walking distance away from the church. Mike said, "Then let's just walk." We all agreed. We didn't want to be late for church, and we had a nice breeze, and a ten minute walk sounded like a nice little stroll. What we didn't realize, though, is that Peterson is on Haitian time and so a 10 minute walk was much more like a 18-20 minute walk. Also, it was through Port-au-Prince back roads - not the nice sidewalks of Johnson County.

The walk got to be so ridiculous that Mike started making jokes that Peterson was going to lead us to a super remote place and kill us so no one would know. It was all part of his evil plot - to get close to us and then kill us. We all laughed and sweat started pouring down our faces more and our water bottles got emptier and warmer.

Finally, though, 40 minutes after we left the Guest House, we arrived at the church. However, we seemed to be the only folks who walked to church - or at least, walked a distance. Therefore, we were DRENCHED in sweat while everyone else was relatively dry. Also super embarrassing because they make visitors stand up to be welcomed by the congregation. Peterson made us stand up. Although there were many other visitors there as well, it felt like everyone was staring at our soaking backs and behinds. Yuck.

The music was good, though, and it was nice to hear prayers and songs and scripture in English. The sermon wasn't very good, but it was still a generally nice experience. Oh, and we got communion - not a bad thing about that!

After that, we arranged for Eric to pick us up so we wouldn't have to do the massive walk back home. We arrived back to the Guest House and began getting ready for the party. I was in charge of music so I set up a playlist and plugged my computer into a speaker to be "DJ Jazzy Bethe" as my dad would call me. The pool was also finally ready yesterday so Bryan and a few others jumped in before people started arriving.

The party started to pick up between 4 and 4:30 when families started arriving. We decided to make it a big staff event and invite all the Guest House staff and their families. Also, although we had not originally intended to, we ended up inviting my boys to stay and share in the feast with us. We probably had 50-60 people in attendance. One of the highlights, though, was getting to meet Oge's family. Oge came with his wife, daughter, and mother-in-law. They were all absolutely lovely, but I really enjoyed his daughter, Laura.

She was very shy at first. She just wanted to stand with her mom and grandma even while all the other kids were dancing, or throwing balls around, or swinging on the swing. Eventually, though, she decided to go swing with Oge which eventually resulted in her agreeing to dance with me. She grabbed my hand and started swaying to the music. We became instant friends. She was a crazy awesome dancer with crazy awesome dance moves. No joke. It was just a ton of fun spending time with her and dancing with her during the party. It was also fun to see her go from being super shy and uneasy at the party to not wanting to leave. Love it.

The feast was also fantastic with more than enough to go around. The best part of the feast, though, was our bar-b-que chicken. When we had gone shopping the day before, Belorne said that she wanted good sauce. I, of course, suggested that we purchase the brown sugar kind. It tasted like good Kansas City style bar-b-que in the middle of Haiti. So good. Also, each country that was represented (USA, Canada, and Haiti) sang their own national anthem before dinner. It was so much fun to listen to each group sing with pride and to hear each national anthem. It felt good to sing the "Star Spangled Banner" on the 4th, too... even if we were in Haiti.

The rest of the night was filled with dancing, chatting, swimming, and realizing just how many Haitian friends I had made. Belorne even called me the "life of the party" mostly because of how many kids I had dancing with me throughout the evening. At one point, Mike remarked, "So you realize that you've just become the mother to approximately 15 kids... right?" I laughed, thinking, "Yes. I am the 21-year-old mother of 15 adorable, awesome kids. I'm a lucky lady."

The night ended with taking a dip in the pool. It was the 2nd time I had felt cold in Haiti and it felt glorious after sweating so much between the walk in the morning and dancing at the party. So glad that we have the pool up and running now. I will definitely have to take advantage of it during my last 2.5 weeks here.

Beyond that, all that is important to report is that Bryan and Mike left today to go on their family vacation in the States. Mike will return on the 15th, and I convinced Bryan today to return on the 23rd so he can see me before I go. It's already strange without them here, though, and I'm already ready for them to return. Hopefully these next 10 days will go quickly.

Anyway, I am off to bed. I'm exhausted. However, one last note.

It is raining here tonight. Earlier today little Peter told me that his family had a hole in their tent that made their tent flood whenever it rained - getting his sleeping space wet. He asked for a new tarp. However, I didn't have a tarp so I felt kind of helpless. After seeing the rain that's out here tonight, though, I'm determined to find something to help his family - even if all I do is duct tape the hole shut. Please say a little prayer for Peter (and Robenson's - as they are brothers) family. And while you're at it, say a little prayer for all the Haitians living in tent cities right now.

Sending love your way,
Beth

English Class

2010-07-02T19:05:00.000-07:00

Oh Haiti, how I love thee.

Good days these past two days! Yesterday we said "goodbye" to Nathan as he went back to New York. After that we ran a few errands and picked a group up from the airport. After we arrived back, though, it was craziness all around. We have a medical team here right now (although they leave tomorrow) and they were offering care to the Guest House staff and friends of the Guest House.

As soon as I arrived at the Guest House, one of the doctors turned to me and said, "One of the boys was here earlier today and told us he was peeing blood, but it was right before we had to go so we couldn't see him then. Do you know how we might be able to find him now?" I asked what the name of the boy was and Leonard, the interpreter, said, "I believe he said his name is Steven..." The mother hen inside of me went, "Oh no! Steven? Really? I'll go find him right away."

Luckily, Steven was coming back from getting something on the street right as I was looking for him. I quickly called him over and took him to the doctor. They were able to diagnose him and give him some medication. I was grateful - I don't want my boys to be sick!

After that, I played some basketball with the boys in our driveway with a soccer ball. That was interesting... especially since the ball kept on going in the sewage water... awesome. But it actually was a lot of fun. The boys were totally into it and they were quite impressed with my skillz. I'm really not very good at basketball, but I was willing to play and they loved it. However, we didn't have any hoop so mostly it was just a lot of passing and dribbling. Oh well, they still loved it and that's all that matters.

I was also roped into some shopping by some of the vendors that sit outside the Guest House. Yikes. However, now the majority of my gift shopping is done... so that's good I suppose!

Last night Mike and I decided that we would combine all of our leftovers and give them to my boys so they would have some decent food. We did that and then Belorne offered, "Would you like me to create a plate of food for your boys?" I, of course, agreed to take another plate for them. However, I underestimated Belorne's awesome-ness because she created a plate PILED with food - rice and beans, chicken, and some vegetables and potatoes. A few boys came by last night and we gave them the plate. It was such a joy to watch them FEAST. Loved it.

Today was also pretty cool - filled with a lot of work. I created several documents for Mike to use this morning and felt super productive. We stopped for a quick lunch break and then it was back to making more documents. I'm kind of proud of what I created. It's quite nice. Also nice is that Mike and Doug trust me so much at this point to create this stuff that they just tell me what they need and I run with it. When I'm done, I show them and they say, "Yeah, that looks great!" I have a good deal here.

(Also in the midst of this we saw Brazil lose (which made half of Haiti very sad while the other half (the Argentina half) rejoiced) as well as the lame win for Uruguay. Ghana - you totally deserved the win. Oh well, though.)

At 4:40, though, Petersen found me and Bryan and told us it was time to go to English class. Petersen teaches an English class to a few young adults who want to better learn English. I believe that they're all there voluntarily - including Petersen who leads the class every Friday at 4 (it started later today because of the Ghana game.) They use one of the temporary outdoor class spaces and bring their own chalk for Petersen to use on the chalkboard. I thought that was beautiful and a great example of what having a "thirst for knowledge" really looks like.

Petersen started the class and then essentially he had me lead the majority of the rest of it. As I am a native English speaker, the 3 students really liked having me there to correct some of their pronunciation as well as teach them new words. It really amazed me at how willing they were to "put themselves out there." For example, Petersen had me read a text to them so they could listen to how I said the words. When I got done, one of the guys in the group said, "Can we all take turns reading the text so she can correct us?" Petersen happily agreed and they all three took turns reading the same text. It was awesome and they were fairly good at reading English text.

However, it was during this lesson that I discovered just how difficult it is to say certain words in English. The big text that they took turns reading was about how too much traffic is a global problem because there are too many cars on the road. I found out that "road" and "roads" is very hard to say. Like, super hard to say. Their "roads" sounded more like "words." We spent a long time trying to pronounce it correctly and they never quite got it. They worked so hard, though, and it was so inspiring to be with them and see how hard they were working to grasp the information.

At the end of the lesson they all said "thank you" to me and asked if I would be able to return next week for their next lesson. I said that I certainly could and they got very excited. I look forward to the next English class next week on Friday. :)

Speaking of learning languages - I hear that my Kreyol is becoming very good. Johnny says that I say words like Haitians do and Claire, the woman who works at the Guest House and speaks NO English, told Mike that she thought my Kreyol was very good. It's good to know that not only am I learning - but I'm learning how to say things correctly! Hooray!

Therefore, I suppose I'll end this with some more Kreyol:
Kote - Where is (So Kote Bryan is Where is Bryan?)
Poulle - Chicken
Domi - sleep(ing)
lave rod - laundry (lave - wash, rod - clothes)
jupe - skirt
Cheve - hair
Ti moun - kids
li - him, her, she, he, it
lajan, kob - money

Now I am off to bed. Goodnight world!

Beth

Living in Haiti

2010-06-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

Living in Haiti is strange stuff. It really is.

Now there's the regular strange stuff - no hot showers (only cold ones,) near-daily stomach issues, sweating your brains out, and throwing your used toilet paper in the trashcan instead of flushing it down the toilet. However, that's not all that's strange about living here.

First of all, living in Haiti is more expensive than it may seem. Some things are extremely pricey here and other things are extremely cheap here. For example - laundry. The laundry at the Guest House costs $1.50 for pants, $1.00 for shirts and shorts, and $0.50 for underwear. That adds up quite quickly. Not that it's not a fair price - the woman who washes my clothes (Mire) works really hard - but it's MUCH pricier than it would be in the States for much less clothes. Also, things like office supplies are more expensive. Mike says he and Doug went to go buy some pens, but then turned around and decided not to when they saw that a pack of 12 pens rang up to be $20. Yikes! However, strangely enough, things like water and (most) food are much cheaper here. It's very, very weird.

Beyond that, certain sights and sounds and smells around Haiti become almost normal - you just don't even blink an eye at it anymore. For example, I am now totally used to seeing random goats wandering the streets. Yes, goats. They're all over the place in Haiti! Also, the roosters that roam Freres Campus don't seem to wake me up at night anymore. Hallelujah. I am also used to seeing exposed body parts. I won't go into any more detail there. Things I also accept as normal: people carrying things on their heads, car horns constantly honking, and garbage being everywhere.

Of course, one of the things that I've become used to is seeing rubble and demolished buildings. It's kind of sad how some of them don't even faze me anymore. It is such a part of the Port-au-Prince and Petionville landscape that I rarely notice it anymore. However, there are times when I'll see a building for the first time and I'll be deeply saddened by the sight of it. And there are a few buildings that still get me every time I see it - the hospital we pass on the way to the UMCOR office in particular. Very sad stuff.

I've also become almost TOO used to people/kids asking me for money. You almost get to the point where you become apathetic to it - or get upset at them asking for food thinking "I just gave them a whole chicken leg yesterday" or "I gave them 25 goudes this morning - that should have been enough to hold them all day." You almost get to the point where you see them as greedy - expecting to get something every time they ask for it. However, it's at these moments that you have to remind yourself that often times what you're able to offer is all they have. So that one chicken leg you gave them yesterday may have been all they've eaten in the past two days. Or that 25 goudes may have gone to get a nice breakfast or lunch - but could you eat only 25 goudes worth of food and not be hungry at night? Probably not.

And then of course, there are those times that you have nothing to offer and you feel almost as desperate as they do. You want so much to be able to offer something - anything - to help them. Tonight was one of those moments when my boys came to me asking for food. Now, there are two boys who are ALWAYS asking for food. It's possible that they don't get much other food, but I think it's also possible with them that we just have BETTER food so they come around asking for it a lot. "Beth, give me some chicken." But tonight, boys who normally don't ask for food were asking for some sustenance tonight. I think that there probably hasn't been a food drop in a while and so all of them had fairly slim pickings.

I went into the kitchen and asked Marie Claude if there was any food that I could give to the kids. She told me that there wasn't anything left that I could offer them. I felt desperate. I didn't have any small goudes to offer them and I didn't have any food. On top of that, Mike didn't really have any small goudes on him either or any extra food. I eventually ended up searching my room and found a snack package that I still had from my flight to Atlanta. It wasn't much, but I suppose those 4 pieces of Chex Mix is better than nothing... maybe. It was pretty puny. I still feel terrible about it. I hated knowing that they all really needed food, but also knowing there wasn't much else I could do. I mean, I had bigger bills I could have used to get them food - but that might have made things even more difficult. It's hard to explain, but unless you can give each boy the same amount, then you shouldn't give any money at all. And if you hand one boy some money expecting them to share it with the rest - that may or may not happen. Also, at this time in the night, I couldn't go out and get them food myself so I was just stuck. I hate that.

I suppose it really stinks being in Haiti when you're not a millionaire.

Regardless of all the weirdness, though, I really am having an amazing time. I know God is continuing to change and mold me every day. I'm so glad to be here. It's exactly where I need to be. However, I think the reverse culture shock when I return to the States is going to be pretty bad. How do you go back to living an affluent American life after living in the poorest country in the western hemisphere? I imagine it's going to be very difficult.

Anyway, I need to get to bed. I'm super tired. Also, I have a meeting with Beyond Borders tomorrow morning so that's exciting! I'm stoked to hear about their program to end the restavek system.

I hope you're well. I'm sending Haiti hugs to all my friends and family!

Beth

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

2010-06-28T06:19:00.000-07:00

I meant to blog yesterday but between the busyness of yesterday, coming back to the Guest House at 7:30, eating dinner, and then having a long chat with Bryan... it didn't happen. However, yesterday was fairly eventful so I still wanted to blog about it. So here I am! Early Monday morning Beth update! w00t!

So yesterday was... (for the most part) good, but it also had some very strange parts in it that were not so good.

Starting at the beginning of the day, it was all good stuff. Robenson (one of my boys) came to visit me yesterday morning after breakfast and I got him to do his Michael Jackson dance for Oge. Hilarious. I also introduced him to some of the members of a group staying here for the week. He had a good time interacting with some new people and teaching them the patty cake game that I taught him.

Around 8:45 Bryan and I walked down to the Methodist church on Freres Campus. It's a middle to upper class church so it was HUGE and beautiful. We were soon joined by Mike and Nate and we all enjoyed the gorgeous singing in the gorgeous church together. They even sang a song that I knew in English! (I think it's called Agnus Dei.) Since I didn't have the words in Kreyol, I actually sang it in English so I could sing along. It felt good to finally know what they were singing! Haha.

After that we went back to the Guest House and prepared for our beach day of fun. Since Nate is here visiting, Mike wanted to do at least one fun thing while he's around. We decided to go to "Wahoo Beach" because we had heard it was fun - a sand beach with a live DJ. Awesome. So Mike, Doug, Bryan, Nate, Petersen, Donette, Ablamy, Davidson (as Donette and Ablamy care for Davidson and we wanted him to join us on this fun trip,) and I all piled into the van with Ablamy as our driver.

However, it was during our trip to the beach that the first bad thing occurred. I saw the first dead body I have ever seen in real life. And it was gruesome. We think a woman got hit by a car walking come from church as she was dressed in a nice blue dress. Also, there were several people gathered on both sides of the road looking at her body as well as a man with a rifle standing nearby to direct traffic to move around her. I wish I never saw it. Nate said that he didn't see her because he was paying attention to the man with the gun. I noted, "You're lucky. It's not really something you can un-see." That experience kind of put a damper on my mood, and the mood of the entire van for a while. Luckily, though, we soon found new things to laugh about and talk about and were able to put that picture in the back of our minds - although I do not think it can ever be erased completely.

About an hour after that traumatic experience, though, we arrived at Wahoo Beach. After parking we went to their restaurant - which is where the 2nd bad thing happened. The service at this place was TERRIBLE. Like, beyond bad. It's another long story, but it certainly put us in a bad mood. Luckily, though, there was the amazing Argentina/Mexico game on TV at the time so that put us in a better mood. Seriously, if you did not watch that game - you missed out. Also, if you did not watch that game in Haiti - you missed out. Haitians root for either Argentina or Brazil so it was a ton of fun to watch it with a room FULL of Argentina fans. Each goal was such a joyful experience it's hard to describe. By the time Argentina got their 3rd goal it was a full on celebration as everyone was fairly certain at that point that Argentina was going to win. Luckily, they did end up winning 3-1 and I am now an Argentina fan since USA is out of the World Cup.

Once the 3rd goal was made, I took Davidson and we got changed into our swim wear and then met up with Bryan, Nate, and Petersen on the beach. Davidson can't really swim so he was clinging on to me in the water at the beginning. He was cracking me up at how scared he was to let go in the water. Adorable. Donette, Doug, Mike, and Ablamy soon joined us in the water. We swam around, threw a soccer ball around, danced to the music provided by the (really good) DJ, and just had a generally great time. It was a good stress reliever. Relaxing, fun, cool time.

However, on the beach is when the 3rd bad thing happened. Two French men who had too much to drink got into a rather big fight. At first it started in the water, but their friends broke them up quickly and it never amounted to anything. However, they went up to the bar/DJ area and got back into the fight and started throwing punches. Apparently one guy also found a board and hit the other guy in the face with it. It was kind of scary, and none of the staff at Wahoo stepped in to calm it down. The guys friends kept on trying to hold them back - but they were drunk and angry so it was difficult. At this point to "create some order" one of the security guys at Wahoo fired a shot into the air. The whole beach went silent at that point and people started frantically moving out of water. No one knew where the shot came from at that point and so people tried to move back on land to figure out what was going on, as well as get to place where it would be easier to get away if things got out of control. Once everything calmed down, though, people got back into the beach, the music resumed, and people went back to having a good time. Crazy.

Around 5:30 we packed up and headed home, right as the rain started to come in. Overall, it was a great day - full of joy, laughter, relaxation, and friends. But those three things mixed in there just made it... strange. I'm hoping today will be less strange - but just as great.

Sending love your way,
Beth

P.S. Pictures from Wahoo Beach can be found here.

Long Days

2010-06-25T19:24:00.000-07:00

Whew.

Two long days in a row!

Yesterday we set off earlier to take some of our lovely UMCOR friends on a visit to Mellier. It was awesome to be there and see how far the project has come in the short time I've been here for.

We weren't there for too long, though, because Melissa and Lauren had a meeting with President Paul at 1 and needed to get back. Also, we had to get back to pick up Mike's other son, Nathan, who is visiting for a week.

We dropped them off at the UMCOR Haiti office and then went to the airport. Bryan really wanted some bread or something to munch on, though, and I wanted water, so we stopped by a gas station before the airport. Walking inside, though, I saw the guy that I sat next to on my flight to Atlanta. During that flight he told me that he lived in Haiti and traveled to Port-au-Prince fairly regularly to pick teams up at the airport. We laughed and said, "Maybe we'll run into each other!" Lo and behold - we did! Crazy.

After that we met up with Nathan and decided to get lunch. As we had gone to the Epid'or the day before, we wanted to do something else for lunch. We found a restaurant that was good... but it took two hours. We left "lunch" at 4:15. When the dinner bell rang an hour and a half later at the Guest House - I just had a fruit cup.

I woke up thinking today was going to be a slow day. However, it quickly picked up. I took Melissa, the communications person at UMCOR, around Freres campus a bit and introduced her to Davidson. We colored outside my building a bit and she was able to take lots of pictures. It was fun to hang out with Davidson and she thought he was a hoot - it's hard not to love that boy!

Around 9:30 or 10 the COR team came back from Arcahaie and told me that they had an AMAZING time. So good to hear! They asked if they might be able to visit College Bird (a Methodist school that collapsed.) I know that it will probably become a big focus of COR so I really wanted to visit it, too. It's right by the Presidential Palace and it's... very sad. Actually, they've already done most of the rubble removal so you can't even tell that a building used to stand there. Crazy. I'll have some pictures up sometime soon.

Also, we went inside the College Bird church on the campus. It was the most beautiful church I have been to in Haiti - mostly because of the AMAZING stained glass at the front of the church. It was just... wonderful.

After that, we went back to the Epid'or for lunch and then went back to the Guest House. Shortly after arriving back, the team wanted a tour of campus. I didn't take them too far because classes were still in session... but we went far enough for them to see some of the buildings and the students enjoying recess. I also introduced them to McKinley and Steven. :)

Just 15 minutes after that, Belorne, Oge, and I left for a shopping trip. We have a team going to Mellier on Sunday and so we had to buy food for their week there. It was a TON of stuff. Definitely necessary to have two people (me and Belorne) simply because you have to drive two carts! Crazy.

After going to the Big Star store, Belorne wanted to get the eggs and rice off the street because it's cheaper. Oge parked the van and Belorne told me to wait inside with him. Right outside the van was a group of guys selling Haitian CDs so I asked Oge if any of them were good. He got out of the van and talked to the guys about a few Haitian artists. He worked out a deal for me and I am now the proud owner of two Haitian CDs - they're both pretty good! Oge did well.

Finally I arrived back to the Guest House right before dinner feeling hungry and exhausted. After dinner we gave some of my boys some food and laughed and chatted with them a bit. Now, though, I am exhausted... and feeling a bit... under the weather and I'm just really ready for bed. So goodnight world!

Beth

Also, here is the recent photo update if you're not friends with me on Facebook!

Homecoming

2010-06-23T19:04:00.000-07:00

The rest of the UMCOR/EMH (Eglise Methodiste d'Haiti) meeting went really well. I feel like we really identified some critical issues in areas of agriculture, micro-credit/micro-finance, health, and literacy. I was in the literacy group and it was... fantastic. We had really amazing, passionate people and we all seemed to be on the same page. It was awesome. We got really far and ended the two day conference with a full plan, and timeline, on how to execute our plan for free literacy classes in communities all over Haiti. Also interesting was that I ended up being the spokesperson for our group and gave the presentation of our ideas each time we presented to the larger group. The last time I presented, the translator for the event said, "Are you an education professional?" I laughed and said, "No." His eyes got really big and he said, "Well, you sure do fake it well. You're very well spoken." Good public speaking skills for the win!

Today we had a few more meetings, we watched the USA/Algeria game, and had one more meeting. Around 10:30 we loaded up the van... or more like squished into the van... and drove back to the Guest House. However, we left before the USA/Algeria game concluded. We ended up driving by a small community that was gathered around a TV set and we heard them suddenly cheer very loudly. Someone asked Oge who scored, so he turned up the radio and announced, "US goal!" The whole van cheered and we honked our horn in celebration. It was a ton of fun.

We were almost at the Guest House when we hit a big traffic jam. We ended up being stopped at the back gate to Freres Campus - where our tent city is. I saw three recognizable faces - Michle, Son Son, and Robenson. I quickly opened up the window and waved. Their eyes became HUGE and they waved excitedly back and motioned back towards where the Swiss House (where I'm staying) would be. I nodded, and they started running. By the time we FINALLY parked the van, I had 6 faces peeking at me from the fence saying, "Beth!"

I got my stuff out of the van, moved everything back in and came out to say hello again. It was soon quickly discovered that I had my camera in my pocket suddenly all I could hear was "Foto! Foto! Foto!" Deciding to appease them, I started snapping away.

Let me tell you, they LOVED it. It was a flurry of excitement on my porch with each of them coming up with new poses and asking me to take their photo. It was fun for me, too, as it brought me much laughter. Johnny also came and joined us and helped to translate some of my requests. Thanks to him, I actually got them to pose and take one NICE photo. I love it. Seriously. It's probably going to become my computer background here pretty soon. Gotta love my boys.

After that I hung out with Oge some - helped him to navigate his Facebook more and pick out music for his next mix CD. I really missed him. I was really happy to see him again today. Tomorrow, we're hoping to hang out and play some speed in the afternoon. I'm stoked.

It felt good to be home. It felt good to be given such a hearty, excited welcome by my boys. Even Doug and Oge commented later on how excited they were to see me. Although I may not be fully aware of how my ministry here is impacting others - I know I'm making a significant, positive impact on my boys. Belorne commented to me tonight that the boys "don't have enough supervision and parenting - but they're really nice boys." I agreed. They don't have all the resources they deserve, but they're still really great boys with beautiful spirits. I am truly blessed.

Lastly, I would ask for prayers for my own personal discernment. I don't want to go into any more detail than that right now, but prayers that God would make a clear way for me by opening or shutting doors would be helpful. I have a lot of thinking and praying and discerning to do.

Sending love your way,
Beth

P.S. Also, big props to UMCOR for sending so many people my way! I hope my new readers (and people who have been reading from the beginning, for that matter) are being blessed by reading my entries. I'm blessed to have the opportunity to share this experience with you! Also, a few folks were asking for my e-mail. The best way to contact me is to e-mail me at bethisinchina@yahoo.com (it's an old e-mail, but still the one I check the most consistently.)

Development

2010-06-21T20:23:00.000-07:00

Right now I’m sitting at the gorgeous Moulin Sur Mer – a beachside hotel in Haiti. I’m attending a 2.5 day conference between UMCOR, UMVIM, and the Methodist Church of Haiti. The purpose is to determine community needs within categories like agriculture, health, micro-enterprise/micro-credit, and literacy/education. We’ve been exploring what programs have worked well in the past and what didn’t work well in the past. From there we’re determining what current community needs are and how to address those needs. The day started kind of slowly, but once we split into our different groups – it was awesome.

You know, since I’ve been here I’ve been in a constant state of discernment. Before coming to Haiti I was fairly certain that God was calling me to work on the more administrative/leadership side of things. I think my gifts really make me a good person for logistics, execution, and innovation. I’m constantly thinking of how we might be able to make things better. However, after coming to Haiti and playing with the kids, I started to really doubt that. I recognized how much I enjoyed being “in the thick of it.” It’s also very easy to label playing with the kids as ministry. It’s more difficult to label sitting through meetings planning things as ministry. I thought, maybe God is calling me more to one particular on-the-ground ministry that I might be able to really invest in. That could be cool.

But after tonight, I was reminded of just how much I love to use my gifts to address big issues on the higher level leadership side of things. I felt like I was really able to contribute something and that I could help provide some guidance and thoughts for my education/literacy group to consider. I left the meeting feeling energized and excited about what things could happen in Haiti. It really re-affirmed what I had thought all along – I need to be working with a group to help alleviate some real problems in the world on a wide scale.

Now, this is not to say that the ministry I’m doing with “my boys” is not important. It’s vital. And actually, it’s because of experiences like the ones I have with them that this “big picture” stuff is so energizing to me. To know that “my boys” might benefit from programs like these in the future brings me great joy and, honestly, some relief. If programs like the one’s we’ve been talking about exist and work like they’re supposed to – then I know there will be resources available for them to be successful in life. It was helpful, when thinking of literacy and education, to have specific people in the back of my head – the boys, Oge, Claire, Daniel, Marie-Claude, Eric, the three girls that call me “poupe,” Peterson, and Johnny. How would folks, like these friends of mine, benefit from programs like the ones we’re designing? Although I’m not certain about the answer, the idea is very exciting.

Speaking of “my boys,” though, I have a story to share.

Yesterday, I had one of THE HARDEST conversations that I have ever had. Granted, there was a communication barrier that made it even more difficult, but it would have been difficult if we were all speaking Kreyol or English, too.

Yesterday morning I was packing for Moulin Sur Mer in my room and listening to music. The boys came by and started dancing to the music. While they were there, I got a phone call about the COR group that would be landing in the airport. As soon as I got off the phone, the boys asked “Are you leaving on an airplane?” (I used Google translator to figure that out.)

I used Google translator again to explain that I was not leaving now and that I would be leaving on July 24th. They nodded but then got really sad and asked why I would be leaving. I told them that I needed to go home then… back to the United States. (You can’t say America because they’re from “America” too.) They then got really excited and said, “Okay, well then we’ll come with you.”

Thump. It was like a cement block plummeted through my body from my throat to my feet. How on earth can I explain to them that they can’t come with me?

I thought, explaining that it’s too expensive and that I don’t have enough money would do the trick. I told them that and they asked “Why?” After all, to them, I’m a wealthy American and a friend they trust. Why wouldn’t I spent the money to get them out of Haiti?

So I explained that I am still a student and that I don’t have a job and it’s very expensive. They asked how expensive. I told them it was over $1000 US for a plane ticket alone. That SHOCKED them. It was obvious that most of them had never even seen that much money in their life, much less spent it.

At that time, one of the boys, Stanley, spoke up and said, “My mom will give you $5000 goudes (approximately 128 American dollars) to help pay for it.” Oh yikes. Oh yikes.

What do you say to that? How do you acknowledge that generous offer, make the child feel wanted and loved, but also tell them that you can’t help them?

I tried everything. I explained that their parents would miss them. I explained that I didn’t have a bed for them to sleep on in America. I explained that Americans were put in jail in Haiti for taking kids out of the country without proper paperwork. I explained that the paperwork takes upwards of 2 years sometimes – and it’s a much more difficult process if they have parents or a parent still living.

However, nothing seemed to get through. I was their friend. I love them. They love me. They trust me. They know I’m a good person who wants to help them. All of that added up to them believing it was much easier for me to take them to America than I was explaining.

That conversation has been weighing quite heavily on my heart ever since then. I keep on trying to think of families who might be willing to visit Haiti while I’m here, meet my boys, and start working towards legal adoption in collaboration with their parents. However, I know that the reality of that is highly unlikely. So I’ve also been thinking about what I might be able to provide for these boys so that their future can be bright and so they don’t continue along the cycle of poverty. Or if I can’t provide it – who can? And what would that look like? And how would I keep in contact with them to make sure they’re still okay?

I don’t know. A lot of thoughts. A LOT of thoughts. Prayers needed/appreciated.

Love, Beth

Futbol

2010-06-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

Today was filled with friends, laughter, heat, and refreshing rain.

This morning, after I updated a few documents, Mike, Bryan, Oge, and I set out to go guitar shopping. Mike has a friend in Beinet that plays guitar and loves to play guitar but he does not own one. Either he's never owned one, or the one he had was destroyed... I'm not quite sure.

Mike was given some money by friends before coming here simply to "spend on the Haitians" and put money into Haitian economy. He thought some of those funds would be well spent at a guitar - especially since this friend of Mike's used to play guitar all the time for the Beinet community. We went to one store that was super expensive and then we found another store that had a great guitar, it came with extra stuff, and it was super cheap! It was a great deal. However, Mike is kind of in love with it. He's considering going out and buying another one for himself. Haha.

After that excursion, we went to the newer Epid'or in Petionville for lunch. It was delicious, as always, and I splurged a bit and bought some ice cream for dessert. It was a divine blessing. Seriously. I had never truly appreciated ice cream until I came to Haiti. Glorious.

We then went back to the Guest House and had some down time. Bryan and I played a few rounds of multi-player "Castle Wars" with him winning the majority of the time. We also listened to music and shared a few life stories. Good times.

In the midst of that, though, my tutors arrived again asking to borrow Bryan's soccer ball. Bryan gave it to them, but told them they needed to play with it outside our home. However, because they can't really understand English, they ran off to play with it. Wanting to be sure his soccer ball would not be harmed, he left to go find them saying he would be right back.

After 15 minutes passed, though, I realized he probably wasn't coming back. I journeyed out until I found Steven, McKinley, and Fedley behind the Guest House. I asked, "Kote Bryan?" (Where is Bryan?) They instantly grabbed onto my hands and led me through the campus until we came across a group of boys playing soccer (futbol) in the most open space they could find. Bryan was watching at that point, but would join in at times.

The kids first invited me to dance to songs on the radio and then invited me to sit and watch the game. It was a ton of fun. I was cheering for both sides, it was obvious everyone was having a blast, and there was good shade and a decent breeze where I sat. On a hot day such as this one, it was a great, relaxing way to spend a Saturday afternoon in Haiti. Also amazing was that there had just been a water drop to our tent city so a few of the kids had these huge bottles of clean water. However, just because one child was carrying it did not mean that they were not willing to share. Although it probably wasn't very sanitary, it was in that moment that it really hit me how much of a community that tent city had become. I couldn't tell who was related to whom because they all hung out together. They played together, shared precious drops of water, and supported each other.

I also went on another sandal excursion for a boy named Christopher. Both his left and right sandals were unusable so I found Mike and asked if we could help. He handed me 100 goudes and I set off to find Oge to come with me (as we're not supposed to go past the outside of the Guest House alone.) As we were walking down the road to the Guest House to get to the main road, Oge kept on saying "mesi" and "mesi bokou." I turned to him and said, "What do you keep on saying 'thank you' to?" He laughed and said, "They keep on telling me that I am walking with a nice (looking) lady. So I just said thank you." I laughed. It is very strange being in a place where men are sexual hunters and they're fairly aggressive about it. Also strange is being considered extremely attractive. Not that I have super low self esteem or anything, or that my friends and family don't tell me I'm pretty... but I have been told I look nice many times here.

Tonight a few folks from UMCOR arrived early before the big conference starts. (I'll explain about the big conference tomorrow, when I arrive.) We had good dinner and good conversation with Pastor Paul and Samuel also joining us for dinner. However, we did have a HUGE rainstorm this evening because I guess we're in a tropical depression. It's cleared up now but I'm guessing it will continue to be fairly rainy tonight and tomorrow.

Also, tonight I was mother Beth for "my boys." I was sitting in the Guest House lobby and I heard "Beth. Beth! Beth!" I came outside and saw the small group gathered at the gate between the Guest House and the Swiss House. I walked over to them and Robenson tried to tell me something about Fedley. I didn't understand it so he pantomimed throwing up. The whole group nodded. I went inside my room and grabbed some Pepto Bismol tablets for Fedley to calm his stomach. However, he was hungry... as were the rest of the boys. Luckily, I talked to Donette and Mike and they both agreed that the boys could have some rolls. I felt blessed to provide them with some nourishment tonight.

Lastly, Haitians love to sing. They absolutely love it. Tonight "my boys" asked me to sing to them. Donette had suggested earlier that they learn "Up Above My Head" because it's an easy repeat song. Let me tell you, their voices were beautiful, and it brought me so much joy to sing that song with them. They really liked it, too. Afterwards Robenson asked me to sing it in Kreyol, I told him I didn't know it in Kreyol but that I would try to learn so they could understand what they were singing. Even though they didn't understand the words they continued to hum or sing it even after we were done. Awesome.

Alright well that's all for tonight. I'm exhausted! Goodnight world!

Beth

Some Kreyol for ya:
Grangou - hungry
Mesi/Mesi bokou - thank you
padekwa - you're welcome
malad - sick
glo - bottled water
mezic - music
woch - rock
pyebwa - tree
manje - food

The Airport

2010-06-18T19:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a long day, but fairly boring. We set out early in the morning to retrieve the tap-tap we purchased but didn't end up receiving it until about 4:00 p.m. Not only was it late but they didn't do everything on the tap-tap that we had contracted for so that caused some issues. However, I will say that I had one of the best meals I've had in Haiti thus far yesterday. We ate at a great buffet by the airport and the food was AMAZING.

Today, however, came with some stories. This morning was kind of lazy around the Guest House. Mike and Doug worked on financials, Bryan and I played games, and later I created the logo for the UMVIM Haiti program. It's not super fancy, but it looks good and will function for the purpose of purchasing a stamp and possibly staff polos to wear in more official settings.

After lunch, though, Mike was going to go to a music store to look at guitar prices and then to the airport to transport of a group of seven to the domestic airport for a flight to Jeremie, Haiti. However, we left later than we intended to and instead had to go straight to the airport. Being a group of white folks (plus Oge) with laptops (as I was still working on the logo, Mike was working on scheduling stuff, and Bryan was playing games) we were like sitting ducks. Pretty soon we had different kids cycling through asking for money.

They also never believed me when I told them I didn't have any money. I was telling the truth, too! I hadn't brought any money with me! I think seeing the laptop they were all too aware of how much wealthier I am compared to them. I felt terrible, but I had to keep on saying no.

Also, me being me, I am all too aware that a good portion of the kids asking for money are more-than-likely slaves. ESPECIALLY since they were kids I'm guessing many of them are slaves. It hurts to say "no" but at the same time, it feels good that I'm not giving money to a trafficker. However, it's kind of a lose-lose situation. If I give the kids money, the trafficker gets it. If I don't give the kids money, and they "don't make enough" for the day, then they are beaten.

However, I did get to help some of them. One little boy in particular stood at the window and kept on saying something that I didn't understand. I responded with "No komprann" which means "I don't understand." He finally stuck his hand inside the car and grabbed the half full water bottle in the vehicle. It was one of my extra, disposable water bottles. I smiled and nodded. Later two other boys came by and they noticed Oge's water bottle from three days ago stuck in between two seats. As it still had some water left in it, they wanted it, as well as the last drops of the Coke Oge bought me this afternoon. (Yeah, he's a good guy to have around... he bought all of us drinks while we were waiting for the group!) I nodded again and they happily took the bottles.

Although giving money can be a slippery slope, I was happy to give them drinks because I know they reap the benefits of that donation. Maybe if I go to the airport again I'll try to have a few more extra water bottles on me.

The kids were very cute, though. One little boy came up to me and said "Hello." So I said, "Hello." Then he said, "I am hungry." And I said, "M pa gen lajan." That means, "I don't have any money." He responded with "I'm sorry." That made me laugh and smile. I don't know if he understood what he said, but if he did understand it, it was adorable.

After waiting for TWO HOURS, though, we finally picked up the group we were supposed to transfer, but they were very late. The person they were supposed to meet in Jeremie called the airlines, though, and had it arranged for the plane to wait. We shuttled the team there and unloaded the van quickly. The team went inside and got through security and then the airline officials said "Sorry, you can't fly out today."

At that moment, we started scrambling. Figuring out plans for them to stay at the Guest House tonight as well as trying to find a way to pack the van so we weren't so crammed in there like we were for the brief ride from the international airport. Halfway through packing up the van, though, a man came up to Oge and said, "I know the pilot and if you slip me some cash I can talk to him and have him take this group to Jeremie."

Oge explained the situation to Mike and Mike called their group leader over. The group leader handed the man a $10 and within minutes the group was going through security again. We got a call around dinner time with news they safely arrived in Jeremie. So weird. In fact, Mike said it was one of the strangest experiences he's ever had in Haiti. That's saying quite a bit.

Alright! Well I'm off to bed. Goodnight world!

Beth

Relationships

2010-06-16T19:23:00.000-07:00

The theme for these past two days has really been "building relationships." It's been through simple things like watching episodes of The Office, car rides, and dinner... but these simple things have created significant memories for me and moments where I realize I am becoming even more a part of this family here. Awesome.

First let''s start with yesterday. Yesterday was a pretty slow day work wise. Mike was in a lot of meetings that I didn't need to be a part of and there was nothing to inventory. Therefore, I just had a lot of time to hang out... mostly with Bryan. We surfed around Facebook, I showed him my favorite internet game of Taberinos and he tried to beat my high score (so far, no one I know can beat me) and we watched a few episodes of The Office. At this point, though, I would definitely consider Bryan to be an ally and friend.

Last night was our party to say "au revoir" to Hal. He left for the airport early this morning. To send him off last night, though, we all went out to a nice dinner at a hotel in Petionville. It was a beautiful hotel and the company was great (we even invited Samuel from UMCOR along as he was Hal's boss and is a cool guy in general) but the food was... mostly not good. I ordered a seafood bisque (which cost $14, by the way) and it was essentially inedible. The server refused to take it off our ticket, though, so Donette (mama Donette to the rescue) bought me a plate of lasagna for dinner. I was quite thankful. It was a good time, though. Lots of laughter and good times shared by all although it was sad to say goodbye to Hal. It's already weird without him here...

Today was all kinds of fabulous. This morning at 8, Oge and I left with a team to go to Petit Goave. Mike had another meeting this morning and Doug had to work on financials so that left me as being the person to communicate a few things to the staff at Petit Goave when we dropped the team off. Driving there was about 2 - 2.5 hours and coming back it was an hour and 45 minutes. Oge and I basically talked the whole time. Seriously, it was amazing. I learned so much! I learned about his past, his family - parents and brothers especially, about his wife and daughter, about his journey in learning English, about what annoys him and what he likes, and about his experience with the earthquake. It was perfect. It was like sitting down for coffee with your best friend and talking about anything and everything.

I will, however, share with you his stories from the earthquake. Oge was at the Guest House arguing with a guy about a fair price to pay for some car repairs when the earthquake hit. He said at first he didn't know what it was, but then the wall that surrounds the Guest House grounds fell down and then he saw the whole Guest House lean to the left and then lean to the right. Daniel (the other driver) apparently got down on the ground and covered his head. Donette came out going crazy and saying "What's happening!?!?" As soon as the earthquake stopped Oge described hearing screams from the street. The world was silent during the earthquake and as soon as it was done... there was mass chaos. Sobbing, screaming, hysterics. He explained that he waited at the Guest House for another 30 minutes because the earth was still moving and he didn't want to get caught up in another big quake on the road.

He returned home to find his wife and daughter doing just fine. However, that does not mean he did not lose anyone on that sad day. He described how they searched for 3 days for his brother-in-law but couldn't get to him. They still haven't seen/found any of his remains. He also had another brother-in-law who was at a university that completely collapsed. He had many neighbors that he used to see every day that died. Many friends that died, too. However, he did share a word of thanksgiving because his brother could have easily died in the quake but did not.

Apparently his brother was in town for a short while and he went to check his e-mail at a local cyber cafe. Oge, wanting his brother to hang out with him and some old friends at the Guest House called him and said "You can do that later, you need to come and be here with us now." Shortly after his brother arrived is when the earthquake happened and the cyber cafe his brother was in completely collapsed. Oge said it was kind of a wake-up call for his brother. I can only imagine.

It was just very obvious in that conversation that we not only became friends, but good friends. Friends that trust each other and feel comfortable sharing with each other. I actually said at one time, "Oge, you can be my Haitian best friend," and he said, "Of course!" Upon returning to the Guest House, Bryan heard that we were just riding in the car for the majority of the time and commented, "Wow, I'm really glad I didn't go then. That would have been so boring." Oge and I both laughed and said, "No, actually it was really fun. We talked the whole time." Seriously. One of the best car trips ever.

After we came back to the Guest House, we had some down time. Bryan and Mike put up some mirrors. I helped Oge with Facebook again. Later Bryan and Johnny (Eric's nephew) joined us... listening to music and chatting a bit.

This evening was another great moment when Bryan received a love letter from one of the girls living in the tent city. He burst into our house (the Swiss House) saying "Beth. Beth. I got a love letter." I then stopped everything that I was doing so we could read it. It was hilarious, sweet, and very cute. However, this girl is much younger than Bryan, she speaks very little English, she lives in Haiti, and Bryan has an ish-girlfriend back home. All of these factors made Bryan a bit squeamish to let her down but Johnny and Peterson came to help him. It totally made my night.

So yeah. Those are my stories for the past two days. Just good times full of building relationships. Also, I have officially become a trusted, loved person with my boys. Tonight, Robenson and Stanley greeted me with a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. I love it. God has certainly blessed me immensely! :)

Beth

Back to Reality

2010-06-14T17:21:00.000-07:00

Back in Petionville. Back to reality.

It was a good day. Busy, but good. I did a ton of work this morning. I felt like I spammed Lisa's inbox about various COR related things I e-mailed her so much. I also inventoried two huge boxes of medical supplies which took for-ev-er... especially since I am not a doctor or nurse and so I didn't know what half the things were. After all that, though, I definitely feel like I accomplished quite a bit today.

This afternoon I mostly hung out with Oge. We shared music and stories and good times. He gave me some of his Compas music and I gave him some Hip-Hop and pop. Yes, I did introduce my Haitian friend to Lady Gaga, too. I fully expect him to come to work humming it tomorrow. I also showed him the "Forever Wedding Dance" video on YouTube. He thought it was pretty funny that they were doing that in a church. Good stuff. Then, I set him up on Facebook. I got him logged in and gave him a full tutorial. I've noticed that Facebook isn't a thing in Haiti. I may have started a Facebook revolution after teaching Oge how to use it today, though. I suppose we'll see how many of his Haitian friends he gets to sign up while I'm here.

Tonight, though was... weird.

I came back to my room after dinner to find some of my boys around waiting for me. It was a joy to see them after being gone this weekend. I put my things inside and then went back outside to say hello. Michle came right up to me and wanted to play the paddy cake game again. I played with him for a while and soon all the boys wanted to play. I paired them up with each other so they could all practice together, not just with me. I may re-teach myself the cup game so I might be able to teach them that while I'm here. I think they would love it. Although I will have to find some cups. Hmmm...

Then Davidson arrived and gave me a big hug. Soon, all the boys were taking turns giving me big hugs. I couldn't stop laughing because they were all cracking me up. I felt loved though. We talked a lot about building relationships in the training I went to before coming to Haiti and I'm really glad I came in with that mentality. I am so glad that I have had the opportunity to get to know and love these boys.

However, the evening took a sour turn. The boys started wrestling. Now, I know that "boys will be boys" but these boys play ROUGH and kids get hurt. Sometimes kids get hurt that weren't even involved in the fighting to begin with. When Davidson got kicked in the head really hard (on accident) is when it got bad. Davidson started running after the kids and others tried to pull him back. But that just caused him to push them and go after the others still. I tried yelling stop and I tried to get them to calm down but they couldn't understand me. I have never wanted so desperately to be able to communicate. If only I could communicate to them that they needed to stop because they were really hurting one another then everything would be okay!

However, I could not communicate with them and they started to get crazier. Finally, feeling very hopeless, I went to find someone who could speak Creole and tell them to calm down. However, what ended up happening is folks got upset and shooed them away.

Now I know that there needs to be boundaries. And Mike did tell them that if they started fighting then they would have to leave. But in that moment I felt defeated. I wasn't trying to get them in trouble, just trying to get them to calm down. Also, when I walked up there with the folks yelling at them, they knew I was the one who told on them. It felt like they were all looking at me, feeling betrayed. I just hope that they understood that it was because they were fighting... not because I wanted them to leave. Blah. Mike said I shouldn't worry because they'll be back again tomorrow happy to see me again. Hopefully that will be true. :(

Anyway, I'm off. I do have photos up from Jacmel, though. Go here to see them!

Love to all of you,
Beth

A Jacmel Excursion

2010-06-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

This is probably my first blog entry that's mostly a travel blog. Not much heartbreaking stuff to relate about this weekend. Just good times.

Yesterday around noon we left for Jacmel. Jacmel is about 3 hours south of Port-au-Prince. Look at this map to get a better idea. Also, we includes: Hal, Doug, Mike, Oge, Donette, Ablamy (yes, apparently I've been spelling his name wrong this whole time,) Jammes, Bryan, and myself.

Anyway, it was a long journey. Thanks for a few funny stories and Bryan and I sharing music, though, the time passed fairly quickly.

Once we arrived in Jacmel we went straight to some of the best shops in the city. Jacmel is known as Haiti's art captial and it is the host to a big event called "Carnivale" which is similar to Mardi Gras. The first place we stopped was the shop of the mask creator for Carnivale. He had some crazy cool masks. Then we traveled to an art gallery and some of those paintings were AMAZING. I would have purchased some but a $50 painting is a bit out of my price range. (And that was for the smaller ones!)

Going from there we went in a few of the smaller shops and walked around the city for a bit. It's definitely a beach town. Much more laid back than Port-au-Prince. I definitely enjoyed Jacmel. It just has a nice, relaxing vibe to it.

After that, though, we had to find a hotel as it would soon be getting dark and it was almost dinner time. We had tried to make reservations somewhere before coming to Jacmel but most phones didn't work so we just thought we'd take our chances and go from hotel to hotel until we found some rooms.

We eventually got the point where we felt like Mary and Joseph looking for a place to stay in Bethlehem. There was no room in the inn! And then we really felt like Mary and Joseph when we finally found our "stable" to sleep in.

This is mostly because our sleeping accommodations were... interesting. And I’ll just leave it at that. We were glad to have a place to stay, but also glad to leave in the morning.

Anyway, after waking up and getting ready the next day we went to breakfast at a much nicer hotel and enjoyed the beach breeze and the sounds of waves. I also enjoyed my first cup of Haitian coffee. It was divine. I haven't had coffee this whole time because it's hot and I'd rather drink water to avoid dehydration but as I was up at 5:15 this morning due to the humidity... I needed the pick me up.

With our stomachs full we finally went to the beach. We decided to go to Donette's favorite beach because it's not as touristy. Let me tell you - it was fantastic. It was exactly like what you would want a Caribbean beach to be like. Warm water, soft sand, lots of palm trees for shade, booths with goodies for sale and amazing food. Ablamy and Donette actually arranged for us to have fresh lobster and fish with fried plantains on the beach for lunch. It was VERY good.

Now, this is when the "real fun" began. We had heard about these amazing waterfalls that Jacmel has and none of us had ever seen them. Therefore, we thought it sounded like a fairly good idea to visit. We drove and drove to get there - through deep waters (seriously - I was amazed our van didn't stall!) and steep hills (both down and up) and narrow roads. Finally, though, we arrived at the entrance and they told us it was just a short ten minute hike to the waterfall.

Hah. Short ten minute hike. Makes it sound like a nice walk in the woods.

Well, it was not that. Instead, it was extremely steep hills covered with rocks so it was difficult to keep your footing - especially going down. Also, we had to climb over a few rivers, up some steep stairs, and through two boulders. It should also be noted that I did all of this in flip flops as I didn't pack any other shoes. Finally, it seemed like we were near the waterfall but we couldn't quite see it yet. It was then that our guides told us to take off our shoes because we were going to have to climb down this rope to continue. It looked at that and went "No way." Oge, Donette, Doug, Ablamy, and Jammes agreed with me and we all went to the water we had just passed and sat down in it.

Now, it was a terrible hike, and the flip flops definitely made it worse... but man, the water felt great and the view from my sitting spot was INCREDIBLE. I was sitting in cool water on a hot day looking up at lush, green mountains in Haiti.

Hal, Mike, and Bryan soon returned and told us many tales of the wonderful fall they had seen. Although we were all a bit jealous, none of us regretted the decision we made to not go down the rope. :) We then began the trek back to the vehicle with wet, slippery flip flops. The hike was actually a bit easier going up than going down because the traction is better... but I am still amazed that I didn't fall and break my head open or something.

After that we rode home. Once we hit Port-au-Prince, Mike realized that we hadn't done the worship service we had planned yet so we did it in the van on the way back to the Guest House. Mike read a devotion, Ablamy led us in 3 songs (Sanctuary, and two others that I can't remember,) I led the whole van in "Up above My Head," Oge sang a solo, Doug said a prayer, Hal did a benediction, and then Ablamy led us in "Amazing Grace."

Let me tell you, it was such a joy to sing "Up above My Head" in that van. It had been a while since I had led it and so I sung it as loud and as passionately as I could. The whole van really got into it, too, and afterwards Donette said, "Beth that is such a powerful song! I could feel the spirit moving in that one." Probably the highlight of my whole day. I think I just like that song that much.

So yes. Now I'm off to bed and tomorrow starts another day of work and I'm sure more lessons from my tutors. Also, hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to post some pictures from Jacmel. Tonight Facebook is not cooperating.

Beth

P.S. My blog has been receiving a lot of love lately! It's possible that an excerpt from one of my entries will be in the sermon this next Sunday at Church of the Resurrection and Kansas City religion blogger, Bill Tammeus, also mentioned me in his blog. As I keep on saying, I really hope you all are enjoying the blog as much as I'm enjoying writing it!

Stories.

2010-06-11T18:43:00.000-07:00

Today was fun!

The morning was kind of long, though. It was my job to sort through the various tools that we've had donated to us and split them into 3 separate tool bags. That took for-ev-er. However, I was in my room by myself so I was able to turn some tunes on and rock out a bit while I did it. In the end, it was nice to kind of get that time... doing my own project with my music on. Nice.

Also, the world cup began today. It was very entertaining to be sitting in my room sorting tools and suddenly hear cheers erupt from nearby. It certainly brought back memories of being in Copenhagen, Istanbul, and Amsterdam during the Euro Cup. Many cheers coming from the streets. Also, I noticed that when certain games are on... the entire city seems to stop and nothing else matters. Too funny.

Also, I totally forgot to tell you about a new friend yesterday. His name is Peterson. Many folks at COR told me about him before I came but I did not officially meet him until yesterday. Actually, he helped me to play Kasino better so I wouldn't suck so badly. Very cool teenager and speaks a fair amount of English.

Well today I saw Peterson on a quick trip next door to get more water in the midst of my tool sorting. I asked him who was winning the soccer game and who Haiti was rooting for. He told me everyone was cheering for South Africa in this particular match. In the midst of this conversation, though, we got on the subject of the earthquake.

He explained that he had been around the Guest House the day of the earthquake and went to the Hotel Montana the next day to find the missing UMVIM/UMCOR folks. He said that he had never seen a dead body in real life until that day. Looking at him as he talked about it his whole body started slumping over, his eyes looked at the ground, and his voice got a lot quieter. It was obvious that those memories still haunt him.

He also said something that I thought was very profound and I've been thinking about all day. He said, "On that day, life did not matter. That is - everyone was the same. Rich or poor it didn't matter. Everyone was affected. People of all walks of life died. Life... it was just gone."

Wow. Everyone was affected - rich or poor - everyone was the same on that day. In a country that seems to be so often divided by rich and poor it was heartbreaking and (at the same time) amazing to me that the earthquake seemed to be the great equalizer. Well, at least for that one day, anyway.

Also, it was great to have the COR group and the Haiti Partnership group back at the Guest House before they leave tomorrow. I got to hear many stories of their adventures. A story about a mother who was unable to nurse her small baby due to injury and had been making a mix of cornmeal, papaya, and water hoping that it would provide enough sustenance for the child. This particular team purchased formula for this woman and hopefully it will last for some time. I heard stories of men on work sites who were out pouring concrete in flip flops and about men who donated their sturdy work shoes. And I heard stories of bathing in gutter water... because that's the way the locals did it. Great, great stories.

I also asked Oge a few questions about music in Haiti. He's going to (hopefully) bring me some traditional Haitian music (called Compa (sp?) I believe) tomorrow. I showed him some of the music I had and I found out he's a big hip-hop fan. Who knew? I also found out that Mike's son, Bryan, likes Techno/European dance music. Glory. I think we're all going to be good friends.

After dinner my time was spent hanging out with the kids again. Bryan brought out his laptop and played some music for the kids to dance to. I taught several of the kids a simple "paddy cake" clapping pattern and tossed a ball around with Davidson and a new boy, Christopher. Also, the two teenage girls - Carly and Jennifer - came around tonight. They were somewhat shy when I first met them earlier this week but now it's obvious that they feel very comfortable around us. They especially find great joy in teaching Bryan and I new Kreyol words. They're fun to have around and they help to calm the boys down a bit which is a blessing.

So yes! That was today! I have been updating every day but I may not update tomorrow. We'll be traveling to Jacmel (which I hear is GORGEOUS) and hopefully staying the night there. If we stay there I will not have my computer with me to update. If we can't find a place to say, though, I may update late that night.

As usual, I hope you're well. Is America as crazy about the World Cup as Haiti is? I don't remember it being a big deal in the past but maybe I was just living under a rock or something. Haha. Anyway, I'm off to bed. Goodnight!

Beth

Processing

2010-06-10T18:30:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy day!

But not really busy in terms of playing with the kids or anything like that. More busy in work and then, of course, my now daily card games with Oge. We did welcome another member to our team in Haiti today, though. Mike's son, Bryan, arrived today and will stay until sometime in August. So he'll be here the rest of the time I'm here for. Bryan is just two years older than me so it will be nice to have some younger folks around.

I did play with the kids a bit but that wasn't until this evening and it was just for a short while. However, I will say that it amazes me how much of this language I'm catching on to. It feels good to finally start understanding things!

So I thought tonight might be good to express some of the things I've been mulling over. And trust me, there's a lot to mull over in Haiti.

First, let's start with the language. Language can, often times, be a very interesting window to a culture and/or a society's history. Kreyol comes from Haiti's slave roots as it is a mixture of French and African languages. Certain words are also very revealing to its slave history. For example, gason (garcon in French) is normally used for boy in French... but in Kreyol it also means man. Slaves were treated like children regardless of their age. Also interesting is that in Kreyol there are no pronouns. "Li" in Kreyol means he, she, and (most-telling) it. Again, a slave you did not have an identity. You could be a person or an object depending on the circumstance.

This has really helped put into perspective Haiti's modern day trials. Throughout their history, Haitians have just learned trades or they have learned to be scavengers. Therefore, it's really difficult to break that chain. If your parents know how to farm and only make $5/day then more-than-likely, you're going to grow up only knowing how to farm and continue to make the same $5/day. Also, from what I've explored, there are no "free" public schools. Yes, in America we have to pay lots of fees, but beyond fees... public schooling K-12 is free. It is not that way in Haiti and so it's especially difficult to break the cycle. That has been a difficult thing for me to wrap my head around. I never realized how much of a blessing it is to be educated. How privileged I am to be educated. Wow.

Also, my eating habits have changed since I've been in Haiti. The food here is pretty good. We have lots of beans and rice (probably once every other day) and one type of meat - usually pork, chicken, or last night we had goat. Sometimes we have fried plantains with dinner. For breakfast there is fresh fruit out every morning - mangoes, pineapples, papaya, and bananas. The pineapples have a weird coconut flavor to them, though. I actually really miss the pineapple I had at Living Water every Sunday.

However, I have been eating a lot less. I think being around so many who have so little, it has made me realize how much of my life (particularly my eating) has been full of excess. Now yes, I do need to eat. I am making sure I'm eating enough so I am not hungry until the next meal time but I'm cutting down on my excess significantly. I think it also helps knowing that whatever I don't eat the staff share with my "tutors" in the afternoons. I will gladly give up a spoonful of beans and rice knowing that they'll have something to eat.

I mean, seriously. I have more than enough of almost everything in my life. I especially have enough food. Why not cut back a bit so there is enough to go around?

I don't know. I suppose those have been the two biggest things I've been processing. How do people truly "come out of slavery" without education and how can I cut excess out of my life. I'm sure I'm actually processing quite a bit more than that... but those are my two biggest ones that I've been mulling over.

Oh, and before I head out I have some great news. Beyond Borders contacted me back today and I'll be meeting with them next week. Also, another man (associated with Beyond Borders, a Methodist, and an American) contacted me directly saying he's also very interested in eliminating domestic child servitude (restavek system) and wanted to meet with me to pick each others brain on what role the Methodist church might play in that. However, he will not be in Haiti until I leave so I don't think I'll be able to meet with him unless his plans for travel to Haiti change or unless we meet later in the States. Regardless, it made me even more excited for my meeting with Beyond Borders (or probably more acurate - Limye Lavi) and for my continued discernment as to what exactly God might be calling me to do - in Haiti or otherwise.

Alright well I'm headed to bed. How are you all, by the way? I hope things are going well!

Beth

P.S. Click here for photos of my tutors. (Including 5 extra ones that I uploaded this evening if you checked it earlier today.)

Learning.

2010-06-09T18:34:00.000-07:00

So today was kind of a crazy day!

The morning was fairly slow. I completed some documents to send back to the States to be laminated and updated a tool list and our medical supplies list. After I completed those tasks, I played a few more rounds of Speed with Oge and attempted to teach him Crazy 8's. I was not really successful in explaining Crazy 8's, though. About 11:30 Mike, Oge, and I went to the Children's Home that I have heard so many talk about.

Actually, there wasn't that much to report. We arrived and dropped off some toys. After that we waited for the kids to finish getting ready for school because apparently we pick them up and drop them off at school every day. Who knew? Haha. One cool thing, though, is that they get together for a large group prayer before going to school. After that, all the kids pile into our van and we take them to school. We counted and there was 25 total people in that van today... including 4 adults! Crazy!

We dropped the kids off and had a quick lunch at the Guest House. After that, I took a short nap and then went back to the office expecting to sort tools this afternoon. However, shortly after I arrived, my tutors from yesterday showed up and Mike turned to me and said, "It looks like it's time for your lesson!"

I went outside and soon had a mob of boys around me. I counted this time and there were ten of them traveling with me. We went all over Freres Campus again, and they took me through their tent city again. There, I met more girls. The girls don't seem to come out past the tent city very much and I am still not quite sure why. However, it was a joy to meet some of the women and young girls there. There were two little girls in particular who totally stole my heart. I have a photo of them. Tomorrow when the internet is better I'll post it. :)

We soon came back to the Guest House and saw "Paste Mike" (Pastor Mike) outside. The boys also scooped him up and took him through the tent city too. On our way back, we ran into Oblami and Donette who had just bought a car. Donette wanted to do a prayer of blessing over the new vehicle and so we (Donette, Oblami, Mike, myself, and all the boys) held hands and gathered around the vehicle. Mike prayed, Oblami prayed, and then Donette asked me to pray once in English. I don't know if I have ever prayed over a vehicle before but it was certainly an experience to remember.

After that, the boys turned to me and started saying "legs in, legs out" and motioning toward the Guest House. I told Mike they wanted to swing and so we led them to the swing for them to have some fun again. However, we had many more kids... all of them wanting to swing so it was a bit difficult to find some order. We eventually got it, though, and it was once again a great, great joy to watch them find such pleasure in something as simple as a swing. Mike turned to me at that point and noted, "They need a playground." I have never thought much about the need and necessity of parks and playgrounds until that moment. Oh what joy a simple slide and some swings would bring these boys!

Then, the boys turned to Mike and asked if they could color with me again. I led them over to my house and got out the stencils, crayons, and paper again. The boys really like the stencils because they can ask Mike and I what the objects are in English. Mike and I spend most of our time labeling their various drawings. One boy, McKinley, came over to Mike tonight and asked him to write down certain phrases he wanted to know how to say. Since Mike knows a significant amount of Kreyol and is (obviously) fluent in English he was a good person to ask. Halfway through writing these phrases, though, he turns to me and says, "Beth, if you want to really know what life is like here... you just gotta read the phrases that McKinley wants to know how to say."

At the top of the paper was simple things like "How are you?" and "What is your name?" Halfway down the sheet, though, you see:
My house is blue.
My house fell down.
I live in a tent.
My cousin died.
My aunt died.
My teacher died.

Wow. You know, you're in the midst of playing and laughing with these kids and then moments like this hit you... when you realize that they have seen more in their few years of life than most have in much longer lifetimes. They've had to endure some extreme heartache and hardships. I am awed and inspired by these kids and their ability to find such happiness in the midst of such struggle.

And that was my day in a nutshell. I still haven't heard from Beyond Borders yet but I'm hopeful that I'll hear back soon. Which reminds me that I need to tell you about the restavek system.

Restavek, in Kreyol, literally translated means "stay withs." Obviously, poverty in Haiti is extreme, and in some families... unbearable. Each child that is born is another mouth to feed. And when you can barely afford to feed your family, you have no money for contraceptives. Therefore, many families (in the very rural areas especially) are not able to fully care for all or some of their kids. So, they negotiate to sell their children to a wealthier family hoping their child will be fed, cared for, and will have the opportunity to go to school. Once this happens, they become a restavek. Once this happens, they become a slave.

In extremely rare occasions are the kids actually cared for. Most of the time, they are forced to do chores and other forms of labor from dawn until dusk. They are not given an education. They are, in general, physically and sexually abused. They become a disposable commodity and since these transactions are done between families (without the government getting involved) there is no paperwork on these kids. This makes them even more disposable. Who cares about a kid that no one really knows anything about?

Beyond Borders and Free the Slaves has partnered with an organization called Limye Lavi that is actively working to end the restavek system. Although, from what I hear, it is technically illegal now, it is still an extremely common practice. I'm really excited to meet with them and learn about their different initiatives and how exactly they're going about defeating this ugly situation in Haiti.

Okay. Whew! Long entry! Sorry about that. Also, I took some really good photos today so hopefully I'll have some of those up on Facebook tomorrow. I'll be sure to post a link when I get there!

Sending love your way,
Beth

Could love be a mob scene?

2010-06-08T18:49:00.000-07:00

So much for writing about processing! It is coming, though. My first slow day that happens I'll be sure to write about it.

I thought this morning that I might have the opportunity to write about processing this evening. Nothing happened this morning. No groups came, I didn't see any of the kids, and Mike and Doug went to the bank and ran other errands that I did not tag along for. I created a few signs in Word to send to the States to be laminated and then I worked on my Kreyol for a bit and then I ran out of things to do. I just kind of puttered around Facebook and did some research on human trafficking organizations in Haiti. Mike told me about the organization, Beyond Borders, (which is also mentioned in the book I mentioned yesterday)and today I contacted them about maybe setting up a chance to meet with them at some point. Hopefully they'll respond soon and I'll get to learn more about their plans to end the restavek system.

I'm guessing most of you do not know about the restavek system? I'll be sure to explain it later, but not today.

After eating lunch alone I went to my room for a quick nap as I didn't sleep very well the night before. When I awoke, Mike and Doug had returned. However, I still had very little to do. To keep myself busy, I asked Oge if he wanted to play some card games with me so I could work on my counting in Kreyol. Although I didn't say one word in Kreyol, it was an excellent way to spend an afternoon.

At first, Oge called Jammes over to teach me how to play a Haitian card game called Kasino. I was TERRIBLE. Like, beyond bad. They kicked my butt twice. We played a third round with Mike, Oge, and me (because Jammes had to go home) and I lost miserably again. Wanting to regain some dignity back because Oge kept on making fun of my Kasino skilz (yes, with a z) I first told him about the game Spoons. Although there was only two of us, I explained the whole game and we played a practice round. Hopefully we'll be able to round up a few willing participants soon so he'll get a real Spoons experience!

One thing Oge kept on saying when we were playing Spoons, though, was how fast it was! So, while thinking of other games I could teach him that the two of us could play, I remembered my middle school favorite - Speed. I explained Speed to Oge and then we played one slower round so he would get the gist. After that, it was full "speed" ahead! Let me tell you, it was exciting stuff. So exciting that I was dripping in sweat after just a few rounds. Oge was cracking me up the whole time, too. "Oh! Oh my goodness! She is too fast for me!" And "Oh, there she goes again! Boy, she is quick. I am a loser." Hahaha. He kept on wanting to play, though, like it was an addiction. By the end of our time he had won 4 rounds of Speed and I had won the rest. He said, "Have you ever come across anyone who can beat you!?!?" I said, "Yes! You did a few times!" And he said, "No, I meant beat you like all the time. You can't can you?" I laughed and then he said, "Well, I will beat you at this game before you leave. We'll have lots of time to practice and play. I will beat you." So. Much. Fun.

After that I went back up to the office and Oge headed home. However, it was not long before the heard of boys started yelling my name outside the office door. I peeked out and Mike translated for me that they were saying it was time for my Kreyol lesson.

My friend, Ben, recently returned from Haiti and posted a ton of pictures on his Facebook. The photo album was titled "Can love be a mob scene?" I laughed at first, thinking it was cute, but I did not truly understand it until the boys took me on a Kreyol scavenger hunt of sorts tonight. I had many boys teaching me - Steven, Robenson, Davidson, Miche, Michle, Peter, Son-Son, McKinley, and a few others that never told me their names. Both of my hands were promptly taken and some of the others held onto my arms as they led me through Freres campus. I learned words like pyebwa for tree and wash for rock. They LOVED teaching me and with so many teachers sometimes it was hard to understand who was trying to tell me what. It was a blast, though. I was out with them for a good 45 minutes. We went through their tent city, to the Methodist church on campus, around the schools, and even walked past a college class as it was in session. I was amazed at the amount of joy they had at just trying to teach me simple words in Kreyol. I, of course, tried to teach them some words in English as well but I think all that stuck was "tent" as it's very similar to the Kreyol word for tent.

Towards the end it was time for me to head back to the Guest House for dinner. They escorted me the entire way. Once we arrived and I realized it wasn't quite time for dinner yet, the kids found a bench and reminded me of sit down in Kreyol and tried to get me to sit down with them. They were sitting in the swing outside the Guest House, though, and did not know it. So... I pushed it. I can't really describe the look on their faces when it started moving but it was one of amazement and great, great joy. I realized they may have never been on a swing in their entire lives. However, with a full bench and no one pumping the swing began to slow down. Again, realizing they had probably never been on a swing, I attempted to teach them how to pump using gestures. Standing up I motioned and said "Leg in, leg out, leg in, leg out." Soon, I had all the boys laughing and chanting "leg in, leg out, leg in, leg out." And voila! They had learned how to pump! It was so much fun.

After I ate dinner, they came back for me again, ready to give me another lesson. I explained that I was tired (m fatigue) but that I'd color with them if they wanted to do that. The boys got very excited and soon I had a group of 7 boys outside my door coloring using the stencils, paper, and crayons my mom sent to me. It was, once again, a ton of fun. I tried to take some pictures but they weren't in the mood. Maybe next time. However, I am almost completely out of paper now. Oh well, I'm sure I can get some more and they had fun using the stencils and learning the English words for some of the things they drew.

Although I feel like, in general, I did very little today... it was a great day. I had a wonderful time with Oge (I swear, he'll probably be my Haitian bff by the time I leave here) and I felt "accepted into the group" with the young boys living in the tent city. I'm finally settling in. Haiti feels like home.

Anyway, that's all for now. Sleeping time is definitely necessary. Sending peace your way!

Beth

Loving Dangerously.

2010-06-07T18:30:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness. Today was a day. Full of nothing yet full of everything.

Starting at the beginning the COR team left this morning for Arcahaie. I was going to go with them, but once we started loading the van it was like human tetris trying to get everyone in. It became quite obvious that there was not going to be enough room. That was okay with me, though. I waved goodbye and then got out the colors and stencils for Davidson and Robenson to color with. I fall more and more in love with the kids here every day. They make me smile and laugh and are so joyful even in the midst of great tragedy and unfortunate circumstances.

I also found out more of Davidson's story today. He is 8 years old and is an orphan. Luckily, Donette got a hold of him before anyone else did and offered to care for him and send him to school and all that jazz. He does not live in the house with her and Oblami, though, because he is too afraid to go inside buildings. Therefore, Donette bought a tent for him and two other boys to share in their backyard. When Donette and Oblami leave at the beginning of August, Davidson will go to a very nice Children's Home.

I found all of this out because tonight Davidson came by the Guest House before dinner with two other boys. Eric saw Davidson and called him over to Mike and showed Mike some markings on Davidson's forehead. We found out that Davidson was playing and "messed up" some girls hair by rubbing his fingers through the top of her hair. As Davidson is a silly, vibrant young boy, he giggled and began running away. The girl, being upset, told her mother. The mother became irate and told some other kids to go find Davidson. They found him and tricked him by saying they wanted to play. Instead, they lead him to this woman who beat him. She kicked him and slapped him several times... obviously hard enough to leave the mark on his forehead.

I cannot even fully describe to you the emotions I felt upon hearing this story. I find myself choking back tears just thinking about it. Davidson is such a great kid... one of the first to learn my name and "accept me into the group." He hung out with me this morning for a good 45 minutes coloring. When he saw me this evening he shook my hand and said "Bonswa Beth!" and later returned to give me a big hug. What amazes me even more is that he had no intention of telling anyone that story. Eric had heard it from another one of the neighborhood kids and that's how he knew to tell us about it. Luckily, Oblami, Donette, and Mike talked to the woman this evening and hopefully she will never touch Davidson again.

These kids have totally stolen my heart. Tonight, Robenson, Michle, and a new boy named Louis were hanging out wanting to talk to Mike tonight. As I was around, too, I came outside. Robenson remembered my name but the other boys came up and asked. Michle must have had a case of the giggles tonight because he kept on asking me what my name was and every time I would say "Beth" he would say "Beth" back in his deepest voice and laugh a lot. Also, every time I laughed, he would laugh, too. Then the boys started gathering around me and asking me many questions in Kreyol, trying to teach me how to say different things. Mike told them that they should help teach me Kreyol and I would help teach them English. They decided that was a great idea... I'm going to have many teachers by the end of these two months.

I have not quite pinpointed the ways in which this experience has already changed me, but I can tell you that it absolutely has. I just started reading a book called "Following Jesus Through the Eye of the Needle: Living Fully, Loving Dangerously" by Kent Annan. It's all about how he came to live with the poor in Haiti in 2003 to experience "life from the other side." He talked about how when you truly open up your heart to someone or something then you're on dangerous ground. Truly loving someone changes you whether you want it to or not.

Well, I believe I'm on dangerous ground. What comes to mind is the song "Esther" by Sara Groves and "What It Means to Love" by Meredith Andrews. I'm compelled, I'm compelled by what I've seen, and how can I go back to life as usual? How can I return to who I once was?

I knew this was going to be a summer that would change me and direct me. A summer where God would be able to speak loudly and clearly. I can already tell... I am going to get that and so, SO much more.

I am so thankful for all of your prayers as I continue on this journey. I have felt them surround me as I care for, work for/with, play with, and enjoy fellowship with the people of Haiti. What a beautiful and wonderful thing it is to be a part of the body of Christ!

Anyway, I should probably get off to bed. Read some more of this book. Process some more. Maybe if not much else is going on tomorrow I'll tell you about some of the things I'm processing. Now THAT is bound to be an interesting blog entry.

Sending blessings, love, and words of thanks your way!
Beth

P.S. I put a counter on here to get a better idea of the amount of people reading my blog. According to my counter, I have had 64 different people read this in only 4 days! Wow! Well, I hope you all are enjoying reading this blog... I know I am enjoying sharing this experience with you!

Life is a Cabaret

2010-06-06T17:41:00.000-07:00

Whew!

It's mostly been a lazy Sunday (which was quite nice) but I did have my second Haitian church experience this morning.

Mike says that he wants to visit every church on Oblami's circuit before he's transferred. That will happen at the beginning of August so more-than-likely I'll be visiting a different church every Sunday which is kind of neat because I'll have many different experiences.

This Sunday we visited the Methodist church in a town called Cabaret. It's near Arcahaie where we went to church last week. This church is much larger though and actually looked like a church. It also had a paved floor and a roof without any holes. However, this church was MUCH warmer. The church last week seemed to have a nice breeze all the time and this one was just plain hot. Also, it was two and a half hours long... all in Kreyol. Whew.

It was certainly an experience, though. The singing was loud and beautiful. I was even able to sing along a bit because Mike has a Kreyol hymnal. Awesome. After some singing, a woman apparently shared her testimony about how she was sick in the hospital and had never prayed until then. After she began praying to God, though, she was healed. She was very dramatic in her telling. I didn't understand what she was saying (until it was explained to me later) but I could tell she was a good story teller.

Oblami then got up to preach and he preached on John chapter 5 - Jesus healing the lame man. I had an English bible with me so I was able to read along while Oblami spoke. Very cool.

The coolest part of the whole 2.5 hour long service, though, was communion. Not everyone receives communion... only those who really wish to partake come to the front of the church and kneel with hands out, ready to receive. Although I did not like the fact that there was not enough for everyone to partake it was a very interesting experience to receive communion while kneeling at the altar with hands outstretched. Very humbling. Once you're there, a pastor comes and gives you the bread. Then, he blesses the bread and you all eat it at once. After that, they pass out the wine. And yes, it really was wine. Hot wine. After that, a quick benediction is said and then you get up and go back to your seat.

I was glad to have communion today. Although I may be spending my time with the Methodists I'm still a Disciple at heart. It was a joy to receive.

Also, the children there were, once again, adorable. One little girl in particular was very curious about us and kept on making eyes at me. She was probably about two or three and would waddle over to where we sat and would stare at me and my friends for a little while and then waddle back over to her seat. At the end of the service, though, when everyone is saying their greetings, she came over and Mike shook her hand. Her mom started to walk away, but she stayed with her hand outstretched because she wanted to shake my hand, too! I shook her hand and she giggled and smiled and then went to find her mother. Her mother shot me a smile, too while I waved goodbye to the little one. Too cute.

The rest of this afternoon was full of rest and mostly relaxation. I was still feeling a bit under the weather but after my nap I'm feeing MUCH better. Also, the COR team came today so I received a lovely care package from my parents full of some art supplies for the kids to use and some things for me. Which, by the way, if you're reading this... thanks to Timothy and/or Attisen for the drawing! It made my day. :) It will be hanging in my room shortly.

I hope you all are well. Sending blessings, once again, your way!

Beth

The Swiss Countryside of Haiti

2010-06-05T17:50:00.000-07:00

Alright. Eventful day! Lets start with the morning, shall we? We shall.

So this morning, some of the boys from the tent city on our complex stopped Mike. They told him that their grandmother passed away and they needed nice shoes and socks for the funeral. Mike was sympathetic and had me come down to talk to the boys, too, while he figured out what he could do to help them. In the process, though, Davidson, another boy from the tent city, came by. The boys did not want Davidson there while they talked to Mike about the shoes because they didn't want him to try to get some, too. Mike, in a way to divert Davidson's attention, asked him to teach me some Kreyol words for things and I would teach him the English words. He got really excited and we started on our walk.

Let me tell you, I may not remember any of the words Davidson tried to teach me today... but I had an absolute blast. Davidson was on top of the world taking me around Freres Campus and teaching me the words for things. We would sometimes pass by folks, too, and he marched forward like he was on a very important mission. It was adorable. I also watched him play a bit with this small-ish rubber ball that he had. He played basketball with it (using a trashcan as the basket) and soccer. However, it was quite sad when he ended up losing the ball on a roof. :( Overall, though, we had a great time and I definitely made a new friend. He remembered my name, too, and began introducing me to some of his friends. He was a beautiful blessing in my day. I hope to have many more tours around the campus with the kids there.

For lunch today, we decided to do something fun so we went up to the Baptist Mission. It's up in the mountains of Haiti, in a area called "Kenscoff." It is so beautiful and green up there that it is considered the "Swiss Countryside of Haiti." It was GORGEOUS and nice and cool, too. Probably about 75-80 degrees up there which was a nice break from the heat. We ate lunch there (I had chicken fingers, french fries, and a milkshake... delish!) and then visited the museum on their campus and their zoo.

The museum was cool and had some interesting things in it - including a whole section on Voodoo, which I thought was very interesting. The zoo was also funny because there weren't many interesting animals in there except a crocodile, a monkey, and a few peacocks. The monkey, however, was HILARIOUS. When we walked up to his cage, he immediately swung over to us and started going a little bit crazy, at one point Oge walked away to answer his phone and we noticed that the monkey followed Oge and wouldn't pay any attention to us. When Oge came back we put it to a test and had Oge walk around the cage. Sure enough, the monkey followed him everywhere! It was hilarious and so much fun. We think the monkey must associate Oge with the guy who feeds him or something because he literally followed him EVERYWHERE. It was too cute. (Oh, and in the photo is (from left to right) Doug, Mike, Hal, and Oge. :) )

Before we left we also did some shopping. For those of you that know me, you know I love bargaining with folks. In Haiti, I get to put my bargaining skills to good use once again. I got two pictures and a statue all for under $20. And one of the pictures is hand painted. Good deal! I'm especially excited about the statue, though. The statue is a replica of a statue that is near the Presidential Palace in downtown Port-au-Prince and it is a national symbol for Haiti's freedom from slavery. As many of you know, the Haitians were originally slaves until they lead the slave revolt and overthrew the government. I bought the statue to keep on my desk when I head off to div school as a constant reminder of the call God has placed on my heart. Although, some slaves may be free, many are not. It is my job to work as hard as I can until all can blow the triumphant horn of freedom! Amen!

Also, I learned a ton about Oge today. I'm definitely a fan - he's pretty awesome. He is 30 years old, married, and has a 5 year old daughter named Laura (like my mom!) I also found out that he lost his two brothers-in-law in the earthquake and his mother-in-law went a little bit crazy after that. It was very sad hearing him talk about it. I also found out that his wife used to work but does not anymore because the man who used to watch his daughter also died in the earthquake. Until his daughter goes to school full time... his wife has to stay home with her. However, I did find out some other fun things in that Oge is building a home up by the Baptist Mission and he enjoys playing Dominoes. Except, their game of Dominoes sounds very painful. I guess he and his friends put clothespins on their skin if they lose a round. At the end of all their games, they find out who was the overall winner based off of the amount of clothespins someone has on. Yikes! I told him that I probably wouldn't want to play with him... he laughed at that.

For now, though, I probably should head off to bed. It's ridiculously early, but I got very ill this evening. I'm guessing that milkshake did not sit as well with me as I thought it would. Blech. I'm hoping with the help of some Pepto Bismol, Gatorade, and lots of fans, I'll be nice and fresh by the morning.

Tomorrow we're going with Oblami again to another church on his circuit and he'll be preaching tomorrow. I'm excited for my 2nd Haitian church experience! Hopefully I'll be feeling significantly better.

Anyway, goodnight my loves!

Beth

Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2030018&id=1191390661&l=1f483bfe59 And again, yes, you can view them even if we aren't Facebook friends!

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The Epicenter.

2010-06-04T17:18:00.000-07:00

Today was a very interesting day. Very interesting indeed.

This morning I loaded into the van with Mike, Oge (pronounced OJ... a driver for the Guest House,) and a group of four and headed for a town called Millier. (Pronounced Mill-yea) On our way to Millier, though, we stopped in a town called Carrefour (Kah-foo) and picked up the head cook and assistant cooks for the group working in Millier this week. It was a packed van with the luggage and the ten of us but I suppose that is the Haitian way.

Between Carrefour and Millier, though, is where the epicenter of the earthquake was. It was amazing driving through some areas and seeing literally every single building absolutely damaged. Also crazy was the cracks in the road where you see the earth shifted. Another heartbreaking scene was seeing refugee tents set up in the median on the road in one part of town. Yeah, the MEDIAN. The structures were very small and thrown together with pieces of wood, tin, and tarps. In fact, they were so small that we saw a shirtless woman bathing herself by the side of the road today, probably right outside her "home." How sad to be so cramped in your living space to have to bathe yourself in public. :( And the saddest part was seeing these areas that looked like huge cities based on the amount of buildings... and seeing very few people compared to other cities that size. I imagine many perished in those areas. Neighbors, family, friends.

Honestly, I've seen all the pictures and even driving around town you get kind of desensitized by it. But today, while we were driving through that area, it was all I could do to hold back tears. Photos cannot fully explain the damage this earthquake did - to the buildings, to the people, and to the Haitian way of life. Absolutely heartbreaking stuff. Please continue to pray for and send aid to the people of Haiti! The need is still very great.

When we finally arrived in Millier, though, we were greeted by some Haitians of the community who helped to unload the van. After unloading everything, we realized that we had not stopped at the grocery store on the way to Millier and the team still needed some bread. We asked Deena, the head cook, where to get the bread and she told us there was a bakery within walking distance that we could travel to.

So Mike, Oge, Deena, and I hiked through the Millier trails to the Millier bakery. It was amazing! It was right in the middle of nowhere (or at least, it seemed that way) and the inside reminded me of an Amish bakery almost with the tools they were using and such to make the bread. We did get a taste of the bread before bringing it to the group, though, and it was DELICIOUS. Very, very good bread. It was just a fun little excursion. However, it was hot and I had worn long pants and a long sleeved shirt to help ward off the mosquitoes because I heard they were heavy in that area. Oge kept on saying, "Beth, are you okay?" I would say, "Yes... are you okay?" And one time he responded with, "I'm cool." I asked him what his secret was to being cool... he wouldn't tell me.

After that, we said our goodbyes in Millier and headed back to the city. We went by the Presidential Palace to see if the National Museum was open but we found out it wasn't. I still haven't driven in front of the Presidential Palace, but the damage around that area was severe. The tent cities in those areas were insane. They were all over the place. In one area, there were tents set up on the sidewalks and vendors selling things in front of the tents. We also saw one demonstration march down a hill towards the Palace.

We made two quick stops at a paint shop and an tool store and then came back to the Guest House for the rest of the day around 2 p.m. When we arrived, Jammes was in the office and he once again helped me with my Kreyol. I'm really taking to it much more than I thought I would. I still can't remember the right words for things right off the top of my head... but I do understand most of the words I've learned when people use it in conversation which is fun for me. In the process of helping me, though, Jammes mentioned that he was watching the Lakers today. I found out that he's a big Lakers fan. I told him my brother was a big Lakers fan, too, and he got very excited. He asked if I was a Lakers fan and I said, "I don't really have a favorite team... but I do know that the Lakers are good!" He laughed at that. Jammes is always a bright spot in my day and so it was good to see him and talk with him a bit this afternoon.

One last thing. Today while we were driving from Millier, Oge had the radio on and I heard the song "Wavin' Flag" in Kreyol twice. "Wavin Flag" was the song the Canadians did as a benefit for Haiti... much like we did "We Are the World." However, "Wavin Flag" is much better and much more uplifting. It was very cool to me that the song has become so popular in Haiti and almost seems to be the anthem of the country right now. "When I am older, I will be stronger, They'll call me freedom, Just like a wavin flag." Although, Haiti has gone through so much and continues to go through so much, there is hope. There is great hope that the future will be better, that Haiti will be stronger. Even on nights like these, when there is much rain, and many families - some just a few feet away from my comfortable room and bed - are living in tents with dirt floors... there is hope. There is great, great hope.

God is good.

Beth

Map of Haiti: http://www.nationsonline.org/maps/haiti_map.jpg I went to Carrefour today and Millier is between Carrefour and Gressier. On Sunday I went to Arcahaie.
Photos of the day to be found here (on the page 2) and here.

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Laughter.

2010-06-03T18:40:00.000-07:00

So today was good. Filled with laughter.

I'm really starting to feel like part of the team here which is a great feeling. Before I came to Haiti I was uncertain if I would have a good time with the people I worked with... especially since I knew I would probably be 20 + years younger than them. However, I have discovered that is not the case and it was a joy to start joking around with one another today and to hear several funny stories. Including one of a dead woman on a floor who ended up not being dead. It's a very funny story, but way too long to put in this blog entry. If you want to hear it sometime, let me know. :)

I did not really go outside the compound today. I took inventory of medical supplies and finished combining my tool kit sheets. I also searched diligently on the internet for a necessary car part that we knew the name of in Kreyol but not English. We finally found it, though! It felt like a big victory.

The afternoon was low-key for the most part. I mostly worked on my Kreyol and followed my cousin, Matt's, progress in the National Spelling Bee. He, unfortunately, did not make it to the semi-finals, but he's still a winner in my eyes!

I did, however, get to take another visit to the end of the street to buy more boys from the tent city on our campus some sandals. We had 6 boys come with us and 5 needed sandals. They were very excited about the trip and looking at their feet it was obvious they needed new pairs of shoes. In fact, they all probably needed some new clothes in general. Some had clothes with huge holes in them, some had pants that were obviously too big on them, and some had shoes that were essentially split in half and hanging on a thread. We sat around and talked to the boys a bit before going back to work. The kids bring me great joy because they're just so adorable.

Here is my other adorable kid story, which also caused for some laughter. There are these three girls that sit outside the Guest House in between my building (which is called the Swiss House) and the Guest House. I found out today that they are Eric, the head driver's, children. They're absolutely adorable. The first time I passed them, they said "Bonjou!" and I responded back with a hearty "Bonjou!" The next time I saw them, however, they said, "Bonjou poupe! Bonjou poupe!" I had no idea what poupe meant... I just knew it sounded like poopy. I couldn't tell if that was an English term that they had learned and were using potty humor or if poupe meant something else in Kreyol. After that first time, though, every time I passed by them they said it again, "Bonjou poupe! Bonjou poupe!"

So today when I walked past them, they got out of their seats and swarmed me, touching my arms saying "Bonjou poupe! Bonjou poupe!" Luckily, Mike was with me that time and I asked frantically, "What on earth does poupe mean?" And he said, "Oh that's the name of their doll." And I said, "No, no... they're saying it to me... what does it mean?" He did not know the answer so he asked them a few questions in Kreyol and found out that they were trying to tell me that they thought I was very pretty.

Once we got inside, Belorne explained that poupe is actually Kreyol for doll... so they were saying that I looked like a doll which is apparently a very big compliment in Haiti. I felt really flattered. I think those girls and I will soon be good friends. :) It was quickly turned into a funny moment, though, when Doug said "Oh, that's what they call you? Well that will be your new name from now on. We'll just say 'Hey poopy!'" Oh dear.

So yes. It was a good day. Also a good day because it was relatively cool for the majority of the day which was a great blessing.

Tomorrow will be a big blogging day I'm expecting, though, because I will go to Millier in the morning. Millier was the area probably hit hardest by the earthquake and most people there are living in extreme poverty. I am certain it will be an experience to remember.

Again, I hope you are well and life is lovely!

Beth

Thank God for Oceanography.

2010-06-02T19:06:00.000-07:00

... the class, that is. But I'll get to that in a bit.

Today was very full. I actually did quite a bit of work today so I was very happy about that. I've been feeling somewhat un-useful these past few days and it was good to finally get some "assignments" that I could really fully take on and complete... and complete well.

But I suppose I should start with first things first. I was given my list of tasks this morning but the first thing to get done was going on a shopping trip with Belorne. Belorne is also partially in charge of the Guest House in similar but different ways as Donette. Belorne's husband is also a district superintendent. She is a very joyful, happy person most of the time and such a blessing. Every time you see her, you can't help but smile!

This is all to say that I was very excited. I was happy to be spending time with Belorne and I was excited to see what a Haitian supermarket might look like. First, though, we had to stop at the gas station to get some new Culligan water jugs. It was a Texaco station up the street and whoa... that was a culture shock for me. Mostly because of one thing: they had two armed men guarding it. I thought that was nuts! It's just a gas station! Nothing to shoot people over! But then I realized that in the midst of such desperation in Haiti it might be necessary to have armed guards for security purposes. They may never shoot anyone (God willing) but it's more to be menacing enough so there is no trouble. Still, seemed very strange to me through my American eyes.

After getting the water, we went to the supermarket. It was like a mini UN in there. This particular supermarket sold MANY international products so people from all over were in there and there was very few Haitians. (Although, there were some.) I was actually shocked at some of the products they had in there. They had Dr. Pepper, Popsecret butter popcorn, and M&Ms. I almost bought all of those to have an impromptu movie night in my room. But I resisted. Seriously, though, this is the first foreign country I have ever been in that has sold Dr. Pepper! Although I did think it was hilarious that none of my Haitian friends associated with the Guest House had any idea what it was. I'm guessing it's in the Supermarket mostly for the American folks in Haiti right now.

After that, Belorne did some shopping on the street for things like rice and eggs that are much cheaper from street vendors than in the supermarkets. I stayed in the car while she shopped for those and I made some observations. First of all, the driving here is seriously NUTS. I mean, I already knew that, but having the chance to sit and observe it for a length of time... it's crazy. Hal describes it as a "constant negotiation between drivers... and vehicles have the right of way. There is no negotiation with the pedestrians. They better get out of the way... or else." This is so true. So so true. I actually saw my first wreck today and realized that I had no idea if anyone in Haiti had driving insurance or not. I'm guessing not because the cars just drove away from each other without anyone getting out of the vehicles to asses the damage and exchange claim numbers. Totally weird. I mean, they argued with each other for a bit, but then they realized they were blocking traffic and decided to stop. Very strange. Also strange is that I saw a few non-Haitians driving today. I was SHOCKED. How on earth are they driving here? How on earth does any non-Haitian know how to drive here? Although apparently, according to one of the drivers for the Guest House - Daniel - the traffic got much worse after the earthquake hit.

I also noticed that women (and some men, for that matter) carry a ridiculous amount of stuff on their heads. Yeah. It's insane. For example, I saw a woman carry a basket on it's side on her head... full of pineapples. She had one hand in the air to steady it if it began to slip... but it was staying up there even as she walked fairly briskly down the street. I was super impressed. I also saw laundry baskets on heads, baskets full of bottled sodas on heads, and much, much more. It's quite a sight... I'll post pictures tomorrow when the internet might be a bit faster.

After shopping, though, we returned to the Guest House and I got to work. I researched hurricane wind speeds for Hal as he's determining what wind speeds the transitional shelters need to be built to withstand. Very interesting stuff. Most interesting to me, though, was that the main issue with hurricanes in Haiti is not wind speeds but excessive rain that creates huge mudslides. I read some crazy, crazy things today. I'll say that much.

I also created a spreadsheet of a tool inventory for all the tools UMVIM has received here in Haiti to let groups use when they come. Hopefully we'll be able to spread out the tools appropriately so they can be used effectively.

It also rained a TON in Haiti today and many of the groups reported hitting terrible traffic. As Haiti is so hilly and there aren't good sewage/gutter systems in Haiti the streets essentially turn into rivers. One of the groups apparently had to take back roads to get back to the Guest House at times because the main roads had too much water they might have been swept away.

Anyway, that's about all I have to report. I'm still working on my Kreyol so I might write some new words/phrases to teach you all here tomorrow. Jammes gives me new words to learn every day so I'm progressing slowly but surely.

Oh, and one last thing. Eric, who is the head of the drivers at the Guest House, reported that his father passed away today. He has been ill for a very long time but he is now rejoicing in heaven. If you could say a little prayer for Eric and his family tonight, that would be wonderful. :)

I hope you all are well! Praying for God to bless all of you!

Beth

Recovery.

2010-06-01T17:37:00.000-07:00

What an amazing day. Downright amazing.

First, lets begin with the drive to UMCOR. UMCOR's offices are only about 7 miles from the Guest House but it takes approximately 35-40 minutes to get there. On the way there, there are many sites. You pass much construction damage. Homes, hospitals, schools, etc. There was also a hill that you pass that has houses upon houses stacked up almost on top of one another on a hill - most of them destroyed. Even sadder, you see many living within the rubble, "staying in their home" with no roof over their heads. Passing by the rubble I wondered how it must be for locals who pass by these places. Is it painful? Do they remember friends, family, neighbors, their old hairdresser, their cook, their pastor? I remember that for a long while after my friend, George, died during my sophomore year of high school it was difficult to pass by the creek that killed him and the high school he attended. Is it the same for the folks of this city? Even stranger is that in the midst of the sadness, the city bustles with energy, excitement, and movement. Vendors have their items for sale right next to the street, children walk to school, and men whiz past on motorcycles. Although they must be grieving tremendously... life continues on.

Once I arrived at UMCOR, though, I was quickly introduced to Samuel who is the head of UMCOR Haiti. He is a pretty awesome guy. Very direct, yet funny, and extremely knowledgeable/intelligent. He's very busy, though, so I did not get to spend much time with him today. I did get to read over some of the materials that UMCOR has put together in terms of mapping out their strategy for recovery. Each NGO in Haiti recognizes there is no way they can do everything so each one tries to find some sort of niche to take care of some need. UMCOR decided their focus would be on education/rebuilding schools and building 1,300 transitional shelters for folks that will have a high tolerance for hurricanes and earthquakes. Apparently, Haitian government has declared that no permanent standing buildings should be built at this time until the government can map out guidelines to build by and most of the clean up has occurred, etc. However, the current shelters people are living in are not sufficient so UMCOR aims to get high quality transitional housing up for folks who need it. Also related to this is bringing water into the communities, educating the folks of the community on building techniques, and paying folks who work on the homes. Recognizing that some folks may be disabled or otherwise unable to do heavy lifting or other construction work things like child care are included in the umbrella of "working on the homes." Pretty neat, eh? I was impressed. :)

However, shortly after I arrived, President Paul, (also called Pastor Paul if I refer to him later) who is the President of the Methodist Church of Haiti (MCH)came home after traveling to Antigua. His home is next door to UMCOR and Samuel wanted to meet with President Paul briefly and introduce some of his newest worker, including myself. So Hal, Samuel, myself, and the new UMCOR architect - Alexandra - went to meet President Paul. President Paul suggested that myself and Samuel attend a planning meeting to be held in his office later that afternoon. Samuel could not attend at that time, though, so he sent Alexandra in his place. Around 2 p.m. - while it was pouring down rain outside - we journeyed to President Paul's office.

The first thing to be said about this meeting was that it was kind of amazing. We looked over a proposed meeting agenda for a 3 day roundtable conference that MCH is hosting. We were told to give our input about if something was left out or should be changed. One man immediately spoke up and said, "We need to educate the people of Haiti not just in literacy - which is important - but also give them some sort of good citizenship education. Haiti will never get better if we do not teach people what good governance is unless we change the attitudes of local government and the local people." We all nodded, that is a great idea. Haiti is somewhat notorious for crime, bribery, and corrupt government. If MCH can begin educating it's various communities on what it means to be in community with one another and what good, effective leadership is... Haiti might begin to get somewhere!

After that, the man added, "Also we need to give the people of Haiti economic training and teach them how to use their money effectively once they get it." President Paul immediately perked up and said, "Yes, thank you for saying that. I had not really thought about it but it makes sense. We teach people about poor people, but we do not teach them any theology on wealth. How will the people know what to do with money once they receive it? Good stewardship definitely needs to be a focus." I thought that was BRILLIANT. It totally makes sense. If you have a limited income how do you know how to "spend wisely" if you have never been educated in budgeting and all that jazz? Very interesting. Definitely gave me something to ponder - a theology for wealth. Hmmm...

Also, there were some very important people in this meeting - at least, for the Methodist church. On top of myself, Mike, Alexandra, and President Paul being there, there was also a few district superintendents present (they have the same job as Oblami, Donette's husband, but just in different circuits), and the President and Vice President of the Methodist Church of Great Britain. Fantastic. I felt kind of like a big deal. :)

I have to say, at this point... I'm kind of in love with the Haitian people. They're just so gosh-darn friendly and you become their friend fairly quickly. While I was in one of the UMCOR vehicles today, pulling away from the guest house, Jammes saw me inside and waved excitedly. I smiled and waved back saying to myself, "Indeed, a friendship was born." Also, Eric, who is the head of the drivers of the Guest House and a jack-of-all-trades sort of guy saw me in the vehicle as well and waved, happy to see me again even though I had just met him last night. On top of that, tonight, while I was sitting in my room, two boys came by my door and said "Bonswa! Kouman ou ye?" (Which, if you remember, is "Hello! How are you?") It didn't quite register right away so I said, "huh?" and one of the boys switched to English. "How are you?" "Oh, bien! ... You?" "Bien. Do you speak Creole?" "Very little." "Oh, you speak good English. Goodbye!"

It was just so sweet. And charming. And lovable.

Yes, it is hot. Yes, it rains and the roads flood. Yes, there are mosquitoes everywhere and lizards and roosters that crow at all times of the day and night. But, yet, it's still good. The people make up for it, the work makes up for it, and even if I left tomorrow I would have learned many lessons. However, I get to stick around for longer than tomorrow and I'm sure I will come back to Kansas City a much wiser woman. I am excited to see what God might teach me during my time here.

I hope you all are well. You are constantly in my thoughts and prayers. Au revior!

Beth

Also, I uploaded 6 new photos from my drive to UMCOR today if you want to see them here. I will probably take more tomorrow as I will most-likely be headed there again!

Friendship

2010-05-31T17:33:00.001-07:00

Today was fairly uneventful in many ways, but that was actually kind of nice. With my body being lobster-like in color it was nice to have a low key day. Tres bien.

But in some ways it was very eventful. I e-mailed Lisa about the next COR group and supplies needed for their next mission. I created a bank balance spreadsheet for Doug to use. I updated one of his current financial spreadsheets. Also, I helped my dad by running some diagnostics of the internet. Oh, and I chatted with Cayce and Lisa today about various Haiti stuffs. Good times.

I suppose that I do have one story for you today, though. After breakfast I was in the office with Doug and Mike just hanging out a bit before Doug and Mike took a trip to the bank. They advised that I not come along because the bank can be a fairly dangerous place to be. I figured that would probably be a good idea and I offered to stay behind and help with some of the budget sheets while Doug was away from his computer. Right about this time before Doug and Mike left, though, Jammes, the accountant for the Guest House came into the office.

Doug told me that Jammes is working on learning English. He speaks French and Kreyol fluently but really wants to learn English. I told him that he could teach me Kreyol and I would help him with his English. Shortly afterwards, Doug and Mike left and Jammes asked me, "You speak only English?" I said, "Yes, but I am trying to learn Kreyol."

He came over and looked at my little tablet of notes I had taken of certain words and phrases I wanted to remember and helped me to pronounce them. He also helped me by telling me what words to use instead of the ones I had written down. Some of the words I wrote down were more formal and he told me some more informal phrases. Although we could not speak very much to one another, it was fun to be around him and to let him teach me.

After the short Kreyol lesson, I spoke with him a bit in English. I found out he is 20 years old (Yeah, 20 years old and a full time accountant! Dang!) and he wants to come to America. He asked me where I lived in America and I told him "Kansas City." He did not know where Kansas City was, though, so I pulled up a map on Google and showed him. Later on, when I was helping my dad with the internet he said, "Oh, your dad is Clif!?" I nodded and showed him my dad's picture on Skype. He smiled and I could tell that he was very happy to see my dad's face again. I pulled up a picture to show him of my whole family and that made him very happy, too.

Although we could barely understand each other, I think a friendship began.

Also, in other news, I did finally get a cellphone today. If you want to call me, please let me know and I'll give you the number. :) Beyond that, I get to visit UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) Haiti tomorrow. I will be meeting Samuel who is the head of UMCOR Haiti and from what I hear, he's a very neat man with years of knowledge and experience. I am excited to meet him!

Anyway, I'm off! Au revior!

Beth

Here are some words and phrases in Kreyol if you care to learn!:
Hello - Bonjou! (or Bonswa!)
How are you? - Kouman ou ye?
I am not too bad. And you? - M papi mal. E ou menm?
I am good. - M bien.
What is your name? - Ki jan ou rele?
My name is Beth. - M rele Beth.

Clothing Optional

2010-05-30T19:02:00.000-07:00

Bonjou!

I hope you are well this evening. I had quite an eventful day, but a really great one.

This morning, as it was Sunday, I went to church. Donette is the woman in charge of the Guest House and her husband, Oblami, is a Methodist circuit pastor... which means he has many churches he has to go and visit (a different one each Sunday) instead of just one church. There is a specific order he follows and then repeats the pattern to visit each congregation as often as possible. Today, we decided to join him and Donette... especially since the nice beaches are just a few minutes drive from where the church is.

It was about an hour drive out there but it was wonderful. The church is in a smaller village so there's not a ton of traffic or a ton of people like there is around here. Also, you wouldn't know it was a church, even if you were looking for it. It's not labeled or anything and it looks like all the other buildings nearby. It's literally a "neighborhood church" in that unless you knew exactly what it was, you would just think it was another house in the neighborhood. In fact, just as we were pulling up we noticed that in the home next to the church a woman was bathing her many kids and Mike remarked "Well, apparently this is a clothing optional service!" That was actually kind of beautiful - Jesus is for everyone, even the stark naked kids.

Once we arrived, though, a woman (who was the usher for the day, I believe) shooed a few folks out of their seats so we could sit down. I felt bad for making the folks move but I was also extremely humbled by their hospitality. Later, another mission group came to join the worship service and seats were cleared for them as well. It was also at this time that I realized just how nice everyone was dressed. I felt extremely under-dressed and I even wore some of my nicer clothes. It was so amazing to me that these folks living in tents with dirt floors still kept their Sunday best very clean. We asked Donette about that later and she remarked, "People take pride in themselves and how they present themselves. If they cannot control anything else, they can control that." Beautiful.

Although it was a VERY tiny building, it was a packed house. I would say that there was about 50 of us in the building and a few were standing outside listening to the service (mostly because we kicked them out of their seats!) Although the whole service was in Kreyol (Creole) it was still very moving. The kids looked at all of us white skinned folks with wide-eyed wonderment and wanted to shake all of our hands after the service. Also, the music was wonderful. Again, I did not understand any of it, but it was sung with such passion and joy it was hard not to be blessed by it.

After the service, as it was Mother's Day here in Haiti, the church showed us even more hospitality by offering everyone a glass of ice cold soda. Basically, the entire service was a great blessing and it was so wonderful to be around the joyful congregants at this church.

After church, though, we headed to the Kaliko beach resort. It is GORGEOUS. Beautiful water, tons of palm trees, white rocks all around, etc. IT was pricey to get in but it is a private beach and the price included lunch, two drinks, admission to the beach, and entrance to their pool. The beach was lovely (temperature wise) but it was not a sand beach and as I did not have water shoes, it was not a joy to walk on. I actually decided to just sit down in the water and move out that way. It was much easier. Not only were the rocks semi-pointy, but they were smaller, and very slippery because they were covered in some sort of algi. Not a whole lot of fun to walk on.

Shortly after we got in the water, though, a man came by and offered to give us a boat ride to the beach next to us if we wanted to see it. In any other place, this guy would have looked totally "sketch" and no American would accept a ride from him. He was missing two front teeth and he had shorts where all the stitching had come loose so they were crotchless. Donette looked past all of that, though, and thought it was a fabulous idea. Mike offered to pay and we were on our way! However, that short excursion turned into a two hour long ride and so I now look like a tomato. Sad day. But the boat ride was a ton of fun. We got to see many beaches, including one that was playing the song "Empire State of Mind" by Alicia Keys and Jay-Z. What was hilarious was that our Haitian driver knew the song and was jamming out to it as we passed by. I admit that I judged a book by it's cover... our boat rower (I guess that would be the right term?) turned out to be a ton of fun.

We also found a coral reef and Hal, the guy associated with UMCOR, really enjoys snorkeling so he had all of his gear with him to dive down and take a look. He even passed it along to a few others in the boat so they could check it out, too. It was neat. Also funny was that the boat guy jumped into the water, grabbed some coral, and threw it in the boat to give to someone. That would never happen in America, but I guess that coral is not protected here in Haiti.

After we returned from the boat excursion we swam in the ocean a bit more and relaxed a bit. A man was selling the biggest lobster I have ever seen and Donette and Oblami purchased it for us to eat. The men cooked it for us and brought it to us about 20 minutes later. It was DELICIOUS. So good.

Eventually, though, our day had to end. It was a wonderful day, though.

If you want to see some photos from the day, I have posted what I had time to post here. And yes, you can see them even if we aren't Facebook friends! :)

Sending blessings your way!
Beth

Weirdness.

2010-05-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

Last night I told Hal, the UMCOR guy who is also living in my building, that having the door to the outside that was always open was "nice for ventilation, but kind of weird in that anyone that walks by can see in." His response was, "If that's the only thing weird about this place, then you're doing good."

So. Where to begin? Lets start with sleeping. Last night was actually fairly cool so I had no trouble sleeping... however, there is a rooster on these grounds... and it does not care if the sun is up or down. If it's awake... it's crowing. I'm hoping that by the end of all of this it will just become background noise (like a train horn) that I can sleep through.

After I woke up I had breakfast and hung out around the guest house as a group prepared to head to the airport. Apparently you need to get to the airport at least 2.5 hours before your departure because they go through EVERYTHING and you have to go through 3 different security checks or something like that. Insane. About 10 a.m. though I hung out with the UMVIM guys - Mike and Doug - in the main office looking at budgets and groups and all that jazz.

During this time, Doug "got a hankerin" for fried salted plantains that they sell down the street. There is an earthquake refugee camp on the Methodist compound and the kids are around the guest house playing all the time. Mike stuck his head out the door and asked these three boys if they wanted to go and get some for the two of them. The boys agreed (especially since they made a bit of money for doing it.) During this transaction, though, Mike noticed that one of the boys had a fairly infected, deep wound on his knee. When the boys returned we scavenged through our various medical supplies to help clean and dress the wound. It was not a pleasant experience for the boy, but at least it won't be infected now.

Shortly after that we had lunch and then after lunch Mike remembered that he promised to buy sandals for three of the refugee boys. He gathered them up and Mike, Doug, Claire (a Haitian woman who works at the guest house,) and I escorted them. Although the sandals kiosk of sorts was just at the end of the street, it felt like a totally different world. At the guest house, life is fairly leisurely and quiet (or at least, quiet by Haiti standards) but out on that street... whew! You take life into your own hands every time you cross the street because cars seem to have the right of way here. Also, once you've crossed the street, there is no sidewalks and there are cars and motorcycles moving just inches behind you. We got the boys safely across the street and back, though, and they each got a new pair of sandals to wear.

Shortly after that, I took my first Haitian shower. It was at the hottest point in the day, around 3:30. Cayce advised that 3:30 might be the best point to shower because the water was at its warmest. However, the tank was empty and had to reload... which meant it was new, cold water... not water that was heating up on the roof all day. I will say that it actually felt heavenly. Such a blessing on such a hot day.

I have also started to teach myself some Creole (Kreyol.) The one phrase of the day that you all can learn is: M pa ka pale Kreyol. (I can't speak Kreyol.) It's an interesting language and luckily thanks to my beginning Spanish and French in elementary and middle school the pronunciation isn't too difficult... it's just remembering everything.

The last thing that I guess I really want to talk to you is about how difficult it is to be "the rich amongst the poor." Because the refugee camp is on the Methodist grounds, as I mentioned earlier, there are many kids walking around the campus at all hours of the day. I have been approached at several times and asked for money... outside walking around and even while I'm sitting in my room and they look in the window or the screened door I have leading to the outside. I feel terrible telling the kids "no." We have been told to make that our response, though, because otherwise many, many more kids will come and demand money as well and the problem just exponentiates. Also, it sets a bad precedent for other groups. I have to say no, but it hurts. I know these kids are much worse off than I am and I want to help, but I am not allowed to. On top of that, I do not speak Creole (yet!) so I can't even really communicate to them how sorry I am. Even worse, though, is that this issue has almost made me fearful of the kids... I don't want to walk by them because I will have to disappoint them again by refusing to give them money. It's terrible. Such a struggle between the Christian call to give and the rules put in place to avoid future chaos. Hopefully I can find other ways to show compassion, though.

Tomorrow I will go to church and the beach so I expect that I'll update this again. Also, hopefully I'll have some pictures up tomorrow! :)

Sending love your way,
Beth

Sean Penn, hot dogs, and more

2010-05-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

Today I traveled to Haiti. Yes, I most certainly did.

The day began fairly early at the La Quinta North in Miami and then I went to the airport. There were many people waiting in line to check in (including at least two mission teams) so I just had to patiently wait. I finally checked in, though, with just enough time to get to my flight. I called my mom real quick, texted a few farewell's and then it was time to board the plane.

Because I had such amazing folks donate their frequent flier miles for me to get to Haiti I got to sit first class. As I was handing my ticket to the woman before boarding the plane I hear an airline official behind me say "Oh Sean! Good to see you! I so appreciate the work you're doing in Haiti." Then I hear someone else say, "Do you have a ticket" and the original woman respond with "Oh no, no, the ticket is on me, please... go on through." At this point I am VERY confused. Was there someone standing behind me who traveled to Haiti so frequently he was friends with all the airline officials? So much so that he was basically above the... and then it dawned on me: Sean Penn. I knew that Sean Penn had been doing a lot of work in Haiti and was pretty much living in Haiti full time so I glanced behind me and there he was... just inches away. He was VERY stand off-ish, though, so I didn't bother him. Most of the folks riding the plane didn't bother him either, only a few said hello and said they appreciated his work in Haiti.

The flight itself was heavenly. I got breakfast, a comfy seat, and a warm blanket (because the air conditioning made the plane FREEZING cold.) Arriving, however, was a unique experience. Once getting off the plane, we got into a small bus to go to immigration, baggage claim, and customs. Immigration and customs were REALLY easy and it wasn't too bad getting my luggage either... it was just fairly crowded and difficult to navigate. When I got out of the airport, though, it was CHAOS. Luckily, a friend of the driver from the Methodist Guest House (the drivers name is O.J. the friend was named Jackson) met me before anyone else could reach me and he guided me through the streets to the Methodist van. Once safely on the van, though, it ended up being a fairly long drive back to the Guest House because the traffic was so bad.

When I arrived it Haiti it was raining. It is still raining. Therefore, traffic was especially bad because many people did not want to walk. I eventually reached the Guest House, though, and I was quickly shown to my room. After dropping off everything I was off to lunch with Mike and Doug (the two UMVIM folks working in the Guest House.) We went to a fairly American style restaurant and met up with a group that is staying at the Guest House tonight.

Knowing that I wasn't terribly hungry, but hungry enough, I saw that this place had hot dogs... so I ordered two of them. What I didn't realize is that the hot dogs are actually foot long sandwiches. They slice the hot dogs in half and lay them out on this baguette. Then, they pile on onions, tomatoes, ketchup, and some other red sauce. It was totally weird. I took off the onions and the tomatoes and it ended up being pretty good.. but I definitely only needed one. I'll eat the other one for lunch tomorrow. :)

Now, I'm just sitting and relaxing in my room. A rooster keeps on crowing outside my window and I hear groups of children laughing and playing nearby. I'm actually not sweating too much, either! Since it rained today it's actually a fairly cool day in Haiti. Also, there's a large screen window that's opened, a screened door that I have propped open and I have the overhead fan going so air circulation is good in my room.

So yeah! That's about all there is to report today. I'm sure I'll have a lot more to report tomorrow as hopefully I'll get the full campus tour. Also, I hear we'll be going to the beach on Sunday so I'm sure I'll have a lot to report then as well. :)

I hope you all are doing well and I'm sure I'll be talking to some of you soon! Have a wonderful day!

Beth

Leaving on a jet plane...

2010-05-23T12:04:00.001-07:00

Okay so I'm sitting in the KC airport about to head to Atlanta.

I'm feeling a broad mix of emotions. Excited and nervous are probably the two most overpowering right now. I'm not quite sure what the next two months will hold for me.

However, I do know a few things - some details I thought you all might want to hear. :)

First of all, I will be staying at the Methodist Guest House in Petionville, Haiti, right outside Port au Prince. There I will be working as the missions coordinator on the ground in Haiti for United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. I have been told that during "off weeks" I will also be assisting United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) with their various duties in Haiti.

Last summer I interned in Galveston, Texas and saw first hand what communities that have recently suffered from a natural disaster look and feel like. However, Haiti is going to be a totally different animal. First of all, instead of entering the area 9 months after the disaster, like I did in Galveston, I will be entering just 4.5 months after the disaster. Also, with the widespread poverty in Haiti, the situation is much more desperate.

My hope is that my presence will help bring healing and hope to the many Haitians I will meet, work with, and serve. It's going to be a big job, but I feel blessed to have the opportunity to do something. When I first saw news of the earthquake I prayed that God would lead the right people to go and help. Little did I know that God would call me.

I can't say that I'm ready, but is anybody before embarking on a big journey such as this one? I am, however, optimistic and enthusiastic about this missions experience in Haiti. It's going to be difficult - but memorable, life-changing, and eye-opening.

Thank you, once again, for your continued prayers and well wishes. I cannot fully express how much I appreciate it. I love you all and I'll see you when I see you!

Beth

Discernment by Nausea

2010-05-14T17:09:00.000-07:00

My mom once said that she generally knew when God was calling her to something when she felt nauseous just thinking about it. It's how she really knew that she was supposed to start a new church. For me, it's how I knew I was supposed to go to Haiti.

Now, don't get me wrong. When I first heard about the possibility of going to Haiti for the summer I was really excited. I had a lot of questions and concerns, but the idea of being abroad and being a healing force for the Haitians was extremely exciting to me.

However, the more I started to seriously think about it, the more nauseous I got and the more times I randomly burst into tears. I was excited, yes, but I was also absolutely terrified. I still am. However, the overly emotional response was a cue. God calls us to the place where our deepest passions meets the world's deepest hunger. It makes absolute sense that for me - that would be Haiti.

I leave for Atlanta to go to training about how to be a global missionary in a week. (I leave on the 23rd of May.) From there, I will go to Haiti on the 28th and be there until July 25th.

It will be a journey. A long one, a hard one, a joyful one, a defining one. I'm not at all ready for it but I don't think anything can quite prepare you for a journey such as the one I am about to embark on. All I can do is trust that God will work with me and through me and that God will grant me little slivers of peace along the way.

Thank you for your prayers, thank you for donations, thank you for your love and support. As of right now, these are specific needs that I hope you can help me with:

1. Prayer! I need all the prayer support I can get. (Amen? Amen!) Here are a few specific things to pray for
a. courage
b. inner strength (so I don't burst into tears at every second of the day... even if I might want to)
c. moments of joy
d. clarity of purpose
e. working through fears - continued aftershocks, being there during hurricane season, enormous spiders, mosquitoes, etc.

2. Financial support - Many of you have already given financially, but I am still $300 away from my goal amount. Please prayerfully consider making a (second) donation. If you and/or your family are willing and able to give (more) to this mission, you can either pass checks along to me this week and I can hand deliver them or you can send them to:

Cayce Stapp
Beyond KC Missions
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood , KS 66224 -3588

Checks should be made out to Church of the Resurrection (or COR) and in the memo please write "Mission Outfitters - Beth Guy."

3. Read this blog while I'm in Haiti! (and comment!) This will help me stay connected to all of you wonderful folks back home. I know it may not seem like much, but I really do enjoy hearing from home as it helps me to feel connected even when I'm abroad.

4. Learn more about COR and what they're doing in Haiti! COR actually has a blog set up for mission teams that go to Haiti and a few folks just got back from Haiti this week so there's already stuff to read. Also, if you continue to read it throughout the summer you never know when I might be mentioned! Haha. Here's the link to that: http://haiti.blogs.cor.org/

Anyway, I will try to update one more time before I head to Atlanta with an explanation of what I'll actually be doing in Haiti and all that jazz for all of you who have not quite heard that explanation yet. Also, I plan to update this as often as possible while I'm in Haiti so check back frequently!

Sending love your way,
Beth

I apologize for being lame.

2009-07-14T15:05:00.002-07:00

Sorry. I haven't updated like I said I would.

I know I'm lame. I apologize. I'll try to catch you up with what's been going on since my last REAL entry paragraph by paragraph.

First: A Bit About Benny
Benny was a guy in a group about three weeks ago and he was... amazing. On the first night I wasn't quite sure what to make of him, but each morning Benny came in with a huge smile and such a joyful spirit it was hard not to like him. He was constantly praising the Lord for his many blessings and recognized God's presence in all people and situations. He was truly a blessing to us this summer. When he left, he gave all of us interns and Steve a parting gift for us to always remember him by. Whenever I wear the bracelet he gave me, I will forever remember him, his lovable charm, and joy for life.

Second: Neat Nina and Beautiful Break
Two weeks ago, Carl and Robin's church came. They were such an awesome group with some fantastic folks in it. I was lucky enough, though, to mostly work with Nina all week. Nina was one of the adult leaders, but we instantly bonded and although we were working with a fairly frustrating project, we were definitely in it together. It was awesome to work with her and get to know her in the three days I was on the work site. I was definitely sad to see her go.

As for break, it was... interesting at times, a divine blessing at others. First, Rindi and I got massages from a nail salon in Wal-Mart (where we got our pedicures in the beginning of the summer.) It was... definitely not the best massage I've ever received and I left there bruised and EXTREMELY sore. (and not in a good way) After that, though, we went to the Strand and had a really awesome dinner and lovely conversation at Yaga's. (barbequed, bacon-wrapped shrimp! Mmm!) We then headed back to Central to help Will with worship and then got Jack-in-the-box Iced Coffees and went to the beach. It was lovely and VERY relaxing.

The next day we toured two historic homes: Moody Mansion and Bishop's Palace. Bishop's Palace was... incredible. Seriously. Rindi and I were trying to come up with ideas on how to buy it before the tour was even over. It's a gorgeous house. Moody Mansion was also neat and had a bit more history behind it as the Moody family has been a very influential part of Galveston's history. Therefore, definitely two great things to have done on a day off. Also on that day, we went to Fisherman's Wharf for lunch and I had the BEST crab cakes of my LIFE. I cannot even describe it's awesomeness... but it was a divine blessing. Later that night we also went and saw the Hangover as our one last "hurrah" before work might begin again.

Home Sweet Home:
Last week Living Water came (hooray!) as did two other great groups. It was fantastic to see my brother and a few other friendly faces that I've missed worshipping with these past couple of days. It was especially cool to see how much everyone seemed to adore Timothy and even though he has been the youngest one here all summer, he definitely fit in and was included in things. Also, last week is work REALLY started on Second Christian and it was so awesome that my church home got to be a part of rebuilding the church building for my church family here. What an awesome thing to be a part of the body of Christ! Also, Nancy (another long term volunteer) joined our staff. I adore her already and I'm absolutely thrilled that she's here. Also, she's from Rocheport so we both instantly bonded over fond memories of Abigails. Yum!

Going into the home stretch...
This is our last full week in Galveston as next week Rindi, Robin, Nancy, Dwight, and I head out to Indianapolis to get ready for General Assembly. Joel, Will, and Carl will head out on Saturday. So far this week's groups have been INCREDIBLE and it's been lovely working with them. I'm looking forward to an awesome rest of the week. On Friday, all the groups will be taking the day off, though, so us interns are joining one of our groups on an outing to Schlitterbahn (a waterpark) so that should be neat. In the evening we're also going on a tour of Galveston with Rose Marie, who is Pastor William's wife. She's an incredible lady and I'm really looking forward to spending that time with her. :)

I still haven't quite figured out what all God was trying to show me and say to me this summer, but I do know that one of the most amazing things that has come out of this journey has been my strengthened connection to the denomination. I feel like I now not only know amazing Disciples in Kansas City, but all over the nation. It's so cool to recognize how we are all connected, to meet some fantastic people I would not have met otherwise, and to make some new connections that I might be able to see again sometime later in life. Again, how awesome is it to be a part of the Body of Christ!? Super awesome.

However, I am starting to freak out about returning home as I feel like there's a lot of stuff that's not in order. I have to figure out how to move everything back home and how to do all my laundry, etc. I have to find a job of some sort if I'm going to have any source of income this next year. AND I have to figure out what I'm going to do for my senior project so I can start meeting with Youngblood within my first few weeks of school. I know that God is Good (all the time), but it certainly is frustrating to not know the details of what might be in the plans for the next year (especially when time is coming closer and closer.)

But anyway, I hope this was a good enough update. I'll try to update again before I leave for General Assembly, but I can't make much promises. :)

Love you all!
Beth

Sorry!

2009-07-03T06:58:00.000-07:00

I will update! Soon!

As you may have guessed, things have just been INCREDIBLY busy and they're just about to get busier. I promise to update either tonight or tomorrow though... mmkay? Okay!

<3 Beth

Mission Work

2009-06-19T19:51:00.000-07:00

So it's confession time:

I, Bethany J, have never been on a mission trip.

Now this may seem strange as I like Jesus and helping people and hanging out with church folks... but I'm totally fer reals... I've never been on a mission trip.

So it's been kind of a strange experience... having never gone on a mission trip and now having my entire summer be one long mission trip.

It's been really good, though. When I applied for this internship I applied with the knowledge that I am called to serve the "least of these" but in a more administrative way as that's the best way to use my gifts. I knew, though, that to better serve the least of these I needed to know what it is like to be in the "thick of it" working with and for the least of these.

So it's been kind of amazing and eye-opening. Oftentimes we white liberals tend to think we know what's best for others when really we have no clue. Once we start serving the least of these, though, and getting into the thick of things we understand much better what the needs of the community are and how to best serve and work with the communities that we wish to help. It's been very neat.

Anyway, that's what's been on my mind lately. I hope all is well and the summer is going fantastically. I feel like this summer is just flying by... I can't helieve I've been gone for four weeks already! Holy cow!

Gifts.

2009-06-16T19:39:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I learned how to mud drywall.

When hearing about the process folks kept on describing it as "tedious" and "boring." Therefore, when given the opportunity to do it yesterday, I was somewhat hesitant. It was obvious, though, that if I did not start mudding with a few people then I would have very little to do... so I said "okay."

When I finally learned how to do it and started in... I loved it. Absolutely LOVED it.

To me it was so relaxing and it's great project for me, the perfectionist. I found that when I was mudding time would fly by... to where I even missed the time for us to go to lunch and we were a bit late.

It's so cool because when I found out that I got this job, I started to panic a bit because I didn't know how to do ANY construction. I also know that I'm not the strongest of folks and so it might be difficult for me to do some of the work.

What's neat though is to come here and find out that everyone can lend a helping hand. If you don't have the strongest muscles, it's okay... there are other jobs that suit your skill set. We can all be the hands and feet of Christ we just have to discover what gifts we have and can use to do God's work.

Cool thing, eh?

Thoughts.

2009-06-10T19:58:00.000-07:00

So I have to say that being in this internship has helped to refresh my spiritual life quite a bit and has given me many thoughts to mull over.

I've been thinking about what it means to fight the good fight and how God can and does give us rest when the fight makes us weak and weary.

I've also been thinking about blessings and where we find them. Today one of the groups shared that they found a lizard while clearing out brush from a backyard and noted that they really saw God in that situation. Generally when thinking about blessings, somone might think of a new baby, or a raise or promotion at work, or an undeserved gift... but how awesome it is that we can also find blessings in finding a lizard in a pile of debris and weeds?

I've been thinking about how God talks to us... in the crashing, roaring ocean and in a still small voice. What a challenge it is to us that we are called to listen to both and to be attentive to God. And what a blessing it is that we have the opportunity to have a personal relationship with our creator.

I've also found myself thinking about Rob Bell's Nooma video, "Kickball." I know what things I want in life, but I'm wondering if God is saying "Yes" or "Not right now" or "No." How hard it is to discern that sometimes.

I've also been thinking about all of you. How I miss you and wish you were here to experience just a small taste of what's going on here. There's incredible work being done and such amazing people have stepped up to do it. I wish you could all meet the incredible long-term volunteers here doing work, and all of the short-term volunteers, and all of my awesome intern homies, and Carl (my boss) and his wife (and my second mom while I'm away from my own :( ), Robin.

But as you all cannot be here with me, I thank God that I have not only the opportunity to be here all summer... but also to tell the story. To let you all know of what the church is doing to relieve some of the pain in the world. It's a beautiful story.

Anyway, as I'm exhausted and my head is full I'm going to go listen to some music and crash. Thank you all for your prayers. I have felt surrounded by your love since I've left Kansas City. :)

<3 Beth

A Plea for Help

2009-06-07T13:24:00.000-07:00

So here in Galveston there are two DOC churches... one is Central Christian Church (the one we're staying at and helping to rebuild) and the other is Second Christian Church.

Today's story is about Second Christian.

Second Christian Church is a small African American church here in Galveston. I worshiped with them today and I cannot even tell you how wonderful it was and how beautiful the people there are.

When Hurricane Ike hit, their building took on 5 feet of water and it basically destroyed everything within the building. Unlike Central Christian Church, who only took on one foot of water, Second Christian has NO insurance to cover this kind of disaster. Therefore, they have NO money.

Since Hurricane Ike, they've been worshiping in the fellowship hall of Central Christian and have spent that time trying to get their own homes back in shape. The pastor this morning even told all of us that after Ike hit, he didn't even want to try to fix the building until each member of the church was able to move back into their homes. He thought it was most important to have the church family all reuinted before fixing the church building.

This summer we'll have approximately 200 volunteers come through willing to do work, but we don't have the funds to fix this church.

Therefore, this is my plea to all of you: If you can help, PLEASE DO. Helping can happen in a lot of ways. It can happen by you donating money, or telling someone you know who might be willing to donate to this cause about this issue. Another thing you can do is donate your skills. For example, if you're an electrician, a plumber, or someone who fixes foundations... we could use you. Or, if you know someone who knows these things and would be willing to donate their time... that would also be fantastic.

I'm not certain what all the needs are quite yet as Carl's still getting that all together. But please, you have the resources, help. This chuch is so ready to move back home.

As for other things, tonight two more groups come in so I'm sure I'll be busy. :) Also, tomorrow two more long-term volunteers will be joining us for the rest of the summer so that'll be neat too.

So yes. I'm off for now. I hope you all are having lovely days!

Helping.

2009-06-06T10:03:00.000-07:00

There have been many thoughts in my mind this past week.

I've been examining the concept of "home"... what does it mean? Where does it exist?
I've also been thinking about the idea of "family"... what does it mean? Where does it exist?

It's been an interesting week.

It was the first week of having groups here to start the rebuilding process. We had four different groups and we were worried that it might be difficult to be a community within those four groups. However, we discovered quickly that we had four super awesome groups this week and the idea of being "one body" was not difficult to accomplish.

Me, and my work partner, Joel, were on the worksite this week and the other two interns working here, Rindi and Will, were in hospitality. On the worksite I was mainly working inside the air-conditioned church helping to put up endless amounts of drywall. At the beginning of the week I knew NOTHING about putting up drywall... but now that this week is over I feel like I know enough to where I could even teach someone else if needed. That's a pretty cool thing... something to certainly be proud of.

We also heard stories this week of people who attend the church, walking in for a bible study on Wednesday and almost becoming moved to tears to see the work we had done inside this week. Their church finally has some walls outside their sanctuary and they voiced that they felt extremely blessed.

It is obvious to me that many people in Galveston are finding new hope from us being here. We've had several people just walking by the church stop and say "thank you"... we've had people watch us from their porches as we load stuff in and start working on a house nearby... and we've had those we're directly assisting be speechless when attempting to express their graditude.

In my mind, if nothing else, we're not only rebuilding churches and homes... but giving people a fresh sense of hope. Hope that the younger generations of this world have not forgotten what it means to serve others. Hope that folks from all over the world have not forgotten about them and the tragic reality they face within rebuilding their homes. Hope that someday their homes will be in good enough shape so they can fully return to living a "normal" life.

That's a beautiful thing.

Also wonderful this week is the amount of compliments I have received... especially from the groups that came. I sometimes forget that I have been called. In the midst of all the craziness this week... the frustrations and the hurt feelings... God still called me to this place. To hear the thank yous and the "I really appreciated when you did ______" was so encouraging and gave me just the right boost to know that I was on the right track.

I hope that those feelings and reminders continue for the rest of the summer... I think I need them.

Oh, and today Robin treated Rindi and I to pedicures. Oh em gee. So good.

I think that's about it for now, though. Talk to you all later!

Sorry...

2009-06-03T19:51:00.000-07:00

This is mostly just a quick apology because we don't have wifi yet in Galveston. Luckily, the church computer is available for us to use but we have to take turns.

Therefore, I won't really update now, but I promise I will later. I just wanted to let you all know that I didn't forget about this. :)

I'll update as soon as I can!

Loff to you and you and you and you.

Moments.

2009-05-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

I don't really know what to say about this past week.

I will say that when it began I was quite nervous. Due to situations and circumstances I found myself wondering what exactly I had gotten myself into. I think a lot of my fellow interns were feeling that way as well.

Luckily, though, we were all in it together and bonded quickly. Let me tell you right now that every single intern serving this summer is incredible. If you have the opportunity to visit any of the places they'll be working, you'll be blessed. Actually, about half of them left today and it's been very sad around here since then. We really became a small family in the time we were all together. However, I am glad that about half of them I will get to see again at General Assembly. :)

Besides that it's been a week of growth. Honestly, this is one of the best training sessions I have ever been to. They recognized the talents we already had and focused more on building and less on "starting at the beginning." Although the week started out feeling as if it was going to be difficult, it ended with me adoring every single person - including those I started off the week feeling very put off by.

I recognized more of who I am, what my strengths are, where my weaknesses lie and I tried to discern more on where I might be feeling called to.

Let me also tell you that I felt the most affirmed I have felt in a very long time in the past two days. Not only by my peers at training but by the leadership team. It's a great feeling to know that I have shown myself to be a good, capable leader in just a week.

As for specific things we did this week... there were a few things worth mentioning.

First of all, we had two work days where we did they type of work that most of us will be doing at our sites. We completely organized the tool sheds and moved boxes full of stuff into the church. The next day we built a stand for an air conditioner that would be hurricane proof. (The church we'll be working in - Central Christian Church - had their air conditioner go out this week so it needed to be replaced and put on top of some sort of stand.) We each played a part in the construction of the stand and it will be a beautiful reminder of the summer of all of the amazing people I met this week.

I, along with the other interns, also got the opportunity this week to go to one of the homes we'll be working on this summer. It is a home owned by the Love family and we actually got to meet Marion Love, the father of the family. He told us that when they were told to evacuate they assumed that they wouldn't be hit too bad so left the majority of their stuff in their home... including their second car. Unfortunately, though, thier part of town was hit worse than any other and his house was underneath about 5 feet of water. Everything was destroyed including the car that they left. It was heartbreaking to walk through the home - to see it empty and to see it in such shambles. I could not imagine that happening to my home. I realized the amount of memories that the family has in that space and how I'm sure it was devastating for them to return and deal with the reality of being homeless. It was difficult for me to walk through the home... to see his son's room and notice the sports curtains on the windows. I don't know, I think it's just such an awful reality to deal with and it makes me incredibly proud to know that we might be able to help out just enough to get them moved back home faster.

Also, we've had much time at the beach. Well, at least a little time at the beach. Wednesday night we all loaded up and went out to eat and then walked across the street to the beach. It was so much fun. There was laughter, great conversation, and an amazing sense of unity among all of us. I think after that night the mood totally changed, too, and we started seeing each person as the wonderful people they are, regardless of earlier opinions.

Basically, it's just been an incredible week and I'm almost sad to start in on the real work. Hah!

Oh, and we went to the beach tonight. (Well, those of us left, anyway.) It was a great time again and such a calming thing. I think the four of us staying around this summer will be spending a lot of time at the beach because it's such a great stress reliever for all of us.

Alright well I'm out of here, but I'll be posting pictures up on Facebook tonight.

Love to you and you and you and you! :)

<3 Beth

I Made It!

2009-05-24T15:20:00.000-07:00

So here I am, sitting on a bed at the Texas City Mission Site.

It was a long drive, three of us squished in the backseat of a Ford F-150, but I survived!

Let me catch you up a bit...

So yesterday I left KC at 7 a.m. after meeting Carl (my boss for the next couple of months), Will, and Joel (two of the interns working at the Texas City/Galveston worksite with me.) We then traveled to Wichita to pick up Robin (Carl's wife) and start driving towards Galveston.

On the road we stopped at Arby's to eat, make a couple of rest stops, and stopped at a gas station called Buc-Ees... which, by the way, is probably the king of all gas stations. It was kind of like a gourmet food store/souvenir shop/restaurant/bathroom/gas station inside. If you want to get a feel for the "Buc-Ees experience" you should go to www.buc-ees.com :) The one I went to was one of the newer ones in Madisonville.

After our long ride in the car, though, we decided to retire early and slept at an Econo Lodge in a smaller town about two hours away from Texas City. It was an... interesting stay. Lets just put it this way: I went into the bathroom this morning to take a shower and was met with a massive cockroach "leg up" in the shower. Disgusting.

Anyway, this morning we drove the rest of the way to Texas City so we could get here just in time for worship. It's a pretty adorable church, and the sanctuary is a REALLY neat space so I think I'll enjoy my time here. :) Also, this is the church where all the mission groups will be housed so it's good to get acquainted with the building before they all start arriving next week.

Today we've just kind of been hanging out. The rest of the DHM interns arrived here around 4:30 so we've just been chatting a bit and enjoying some good down time. We'll also have a bit of training tonight but that won't be until after dinner so... there's not much else to say!

I miss you all already, though. I hope I can make it through this summer without a breakdown. Hahaha.

Loff to you and you and you and you. :)

<3 Beth

Dinkin' Flicka

2009-05-18T19:17:00.001-07:00

Galveston Countdown: 5 days!!!!

(Yes, that deserved 4 exclamation points.)

So yeah, I've got my steel toed boots, this blog, shorts, a swimsuit, and excitement... so I'm feeling pretty good to go. Also, I found out that I will be living approximately 3 blocks from the beach and I find that news to be incredibly encouraging... :)

Oh, and apparently... there are 5 Starbucks's in Galveston. I also find that to be incredibly encouraging... :) Although, not a very good sign for my wallet. :(

Anyway, I think I'm about ready to launch this so I shall post the link to my Facebook site and you can easily find the link there FOR EV ER. Well, maybe not forever... but a while.

So yep. See ya on the flip side. I'll try to start updating this regularly once I arrive! :)

<3 Beth

The End and a Beginning

2009-05-08T16:33:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all.

Well, it's almost here... just two weeks away from being in Galveston and embarking on a summer journey full of, as the e-mail said, "Great joy and abundant frustration."

I feel excited, but not at all prepared. You know the feeling. There just never seems to be enough time before starting something new. Luckily, though, God always seems to take care of it.

I didn't feel prepared for Copenhagen last year, either. I remember waking up at 4:30 a.m., getting dressed, and walking into the bathroom (crying) and feeling as if I was about to throw up. I have never been so nervous that I became physically ill... but I was really close at that point. I started freaking myself out: I won't know anyone, I won't see my family and friends for 6 weeks, and I'll be in a foreign country where I don't speak the language or know the culture.

But God took care of me. I needed to go, and I knew that. So I collected myself, came out of the bathroom, and said, "I'm ready, dad."

I jumped. I explored the infinite abyss. I followed the path that God had laid before me.

So this summer, although I feel equally as unprepared... I'm ready to jump. To explore the infinite abyss. To follow the path that God has put before me.

Hopefully it will be a grand adventure.

... I think it will be.

Testing, testing 1-2-3

2009-04-07T20:42:00.000-07:00

So.

Last summer I went to Copenhagen. It was splendid and wonderful and amazing.

This summer I will be interning in Galveston, TX doing diaster relief with Disciples Home Missions.

Last summer I made a blog called bethisindenmark.

This summer I decided not to make a blog called bethisingalveston.

You may be wondering why. After all the "bethisin____" has been a common blog or e-mail title for me whenever I go some place for a long time.

This time, though, I realized that (more than likely) me going places is never going to end. And therefore, instead of creating a NEW blog every time I go some place new... I'll just start this one up again! See? So every time I travel, you can just check here for all the latest traveling updates. Sweet, eh?

Also, I think more people these days are on blogger and it's a bit easier to use to comment and such so I'm excited to see how it works out. Hopefully it works out swell. :)

Get excited... Beth's Blog is startin' up again!