November 30, 2008

attempting to learn a little more about my computer here, so I am typing this post on the Notepad feature in Windows tosee if I can do it and then transfer to my blog. yesterday was a microcosm of things here. spent a day at Xaragua, aresort type place while waiting for Gary to pick up the 13 member team from Port and bring them in. they are staying there for their visit. The team will be doing an eye clinic both here in St. Marc and in Mountrois. Dr. Mike Phillipsis a doctor, and opthamologist and apparently about 4 or 5 other things as well and will be running the clinic. His wife Cleo is from the Phillipines and is a nurse who assists in the clinics. other members from Family Harvest Churchin Chicago will be helping in the clinic. Pastor Steve will be preaching this morning at a local church and assisting where possible. Xaragua is beautiful with a wonderful view of the canal between Haiti and the island of La Gonave. I swam in the ocean, we had a wonderful lunch, lounged and waited for Gary to get back. When the team was in we helped them unload and then just chatted to get to know each other.

that was about when the flip side of Haiti struck. I had started feeling a little nauseaous and skipped the dinner we had set up there. Thankfully it didn't hit anyone else, but whatever it was it got it's money's worth out of me. As we started to go, well, I threw up. Then again on the road back to Mac Donal where Bev and Al live. Those of you who have been here understand about the roads. Then again it hit me in downtown St. Marc. Then again about 11:00 after we got home, and again a couple of hours later. I have never been so sick in my life...except when I was young and abused myself with cheap wine while in college. This morning I am feeling significantly better, but I feel like I did about a thousand stomach crunches last night.

school will be out this week while we run the clinic, Monday/Tuesday in St. Marc, Wednesday/Thursday in Mountrois, and Friday is a travel day to get the team back. problems have already come up, as the eyeglasses they brought in to give to the people were held up in customs and Gary has to go back on Monday to get them..in Port. Then he has to go back on Tuesday to get the church video guy who is filming stuff. Then on Friday to return the team to Port for the flight home. And somewhere in there, sooner rather than later I pray, I will stop throwing up. sounds like a plan for the week! will update with pic's of the clinic hopefully if my stomach allows. bye for now. (it worked, pasted and it was good!)

November 28, 2008

the day after Thanksgiving...you ALWAYS wish you had it off too! Oh, well, we only had a half day today for school so that wasn't bad. We have chapel service in the morning and then Bible classes for the middle and older age kids. My class of kids ranges from about 8 to maybe 12 years old and for the most part they are ok, just being KIDS. In my regular class one of the students, Kensson, is close to expulsion. He is passive aggressive and just doesn't want to cooperate. Gary told him today he can't return w/o his aunt coming with him to discuss the situation. I pray he relaxes a little and can have this be a good experience for him, but that will be up to him. Also, please pray for Tara, she is an older girl, daughter of two of the Haitian staff members. She is about 18 and a pretty girl, but you can look at her and see she just doesn't fit in well socially. She is a loner when the kids have free time, only really spending time with the smaller kids in horse play. She appears most comfortable one on one, and tries to do this with the older boys. PROBLEM! I know she is lonely and just doesn't know how to make friends easily. I fear she will do so in a very inappropriate way, but reality is that it happens all the time here as well as everywhere else. She is looking for someone to make her happy, you can see it in her eyes, I hope it turns out well for her.

It is difficult to not get involved with the kids and staff's personal issues because you can see them so obviously much of the time, and you want to do something to help. The sad part is when you really can't help, all you can do is put a bandaid on it and make them feel better for a short while, then reality relentlessly returns and they are right back where they started...in Haiti and poor. The truth is the biggest problems you see in people arent' really economic ones, in my opinion. They are interpersonal, relationship, spiritual ones. It seems Haitians are, well, angry often, at whites and at each other. While they support each other, it is mostly out of cultural duty, very legalistic in a sense, and leads to more resentment, etc.. I guess what I don't see here is freedom in any real sense. You can be poor but free, and it seems to me that Haitians for the most part are not. They seem bound up in poorly conceived relationships often (you know them, dysfunctional meets dysfunctional and they create a dysfunctional home to teach their kids how to be....dysfunctional) and they don't know how to get themselves right. Maybe that is poverty and it's results in some way, I am not a sociologist or psychologist. So many of the problems you see really can't be fixed by money. Kind of like in America, most people need personal growth to change their lives so that their circumstances don't have such a hold over them.

well, onto the future. Tomorrow a team comes in from the States, an eye clinic team that will test and provide glasses and treatment for visual problems as they can. It will run next week in St. Marc 2 days, then in Mountrois for 2 days before they leave on Friday. I am told these clinics are usually loaded with people seeking help and can get very hectic so I look forward to some busy days. Hopefully I'll get some good pictures also. Hope everyone is having a good day after Thanksgiving, bye for now.

November 27, 2008

Today I am thankful for family and friends, who love and support me even when I don't deserve it. I am thankful for the absolute beauty of this wonderful island I am on, including the tropical plants and birds, the majestic mountains, the ocean, and the most beautiful night sky I have ever seen. I am thankful for opportunities to do things that get me out of my box. I am thankful for those who have helped me become who I am, who help me in who I am now, and will help me in the future to be whom I will be.

I am thankful for the confusion and doubt that creeps into my mind from time to time, as it allows my soul to grow in ways I haven't before, and I am thankful for differences I don't understand, those cultural things that help me see both that my way isn't always the best, and to see that my way isn't that bad after all. I am thankful for electricity, running water, medicine etc., as I see that life without them can be difficult for many. I am thankful for stop signs and traffic laws, as I now understand in ways I didn't before how they save lives.

I am thankful I don't know it all and that over the last few years I finally began to understand that in a very real way. Thinking you're the only one with a clue is a burden. I am thankful for the children who see so much more clearly than I do now in so many ways.

I regret much in my own life. I regret that most people in my country think that "the problem" is the economy when it is really so much more. Most of all, I am thankful for God, who delivers to me mercy and grace, and see's me with vision that covers my many faults. I am thankful for Jesus who provided me with that covering of His sacrifice on the cross thru love and love alone, and for the Spirit that leads and guides me, if I will only stop long enough to listen. My hope is that I take that time to listen for that still, small voice of God, and that others will also.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

November 24, 2008

school is very busy these days. it seems like all I do is grade tests, help in other classes and try to keep my kids busy and in line. we have another student, D'Jean, who is transferring from another school. he is not pleased with the move and I hope he will come around soon. it can be very hard to change schools in the middle of the year, more so given the circumstances here and some of the reasons they change. things like, one parent re married and their new spouse doesn't like having kids around and makes the parent send one back to Haiti where schools are cheaper and the kid won't be in their hair. this or things very similar happen REGULARLY. the kids view it as punishment and blame and you can see in their faces how hard it is.

dealt today with some staff problems. it is very hard here to really trust the Haitian staff. please don't tell me I'm biased, it is based on their lack of trust of the missionaries. if you want to argue that this is caused by some of the misionaries here, I won't argue that point. but in individual relationships, trust is VERY hard to come by, especially between the Haitians and the blans. a staff member came to me and asked for money and said I couldn't tell Gary because he would get mad. so Gary called her and her husband in (he was in on it also) and we had a talk, not angry but informative. I wound up giving them the money she asked for, it was a small amount. an effort to build trust. but they know not to do it again. I felt bad as the husband basically let his wife take the whole blame, made an excuse for himself to get out of it which we all knew was false. relationships are so hard here, and unfortunately that leads to very superficial. and that does not lead to trust. but "we endeavor to persevere".

got to drive in Haiti the first time Saturday!!! Gary is ordering his new right side mirror for his truck now. :) I feel bad but driving here is INSANE, and the capitals are not enough to express how insane it is. so we go on. another trip to Rousseau tomorrow, I will try and get more pics and a short movie to send. hope all is well with everyone out there in middle America. bye for now.

November 21, 2008

so a few days ago we went to Rousseau, a small mountain side (top?) village a few miles south of St. Marc. it is in a really beautiful setting, with a view of a valley below it, with mountains around it. the first pic is going up the mountain. while it isn't a huge mountain, even by Haitian standards, it is amazing to think that the people regularly walk up and down this to get where they are going and what they need. at the turn off from the main road there are a few houses, one of them belonging to the local witch doctor, who sells magic charms, herbs, etc for healing of sickness, and of course provides curses and the normal services of said witch doctors. the road up the mountain is barely a mountain bike path, crossing a stream at the bottom and filled with rocks, crevices, etc. this is the better part of the road, the rest is bad enough you have to hold on a lot so pic's are hard to get. once at the top it is beautiful. we had a church service with some adults and mainly children and teen's. the village is said to have about 250 people, but Gary and Caroline doubt it has that many and from what I saw I would be surprised it had 150. the setting of the village itself is not as picturesque with huts built against the background of dirt. it was getting late and we were beginning to lose light so I did not have lot's of time to get more pic's of the houses, will try for more next time. we had a church service with mostly kids as stated. it really was good, they were responsive and enjoyed it. this is one of the places that Gary and Caroline go to provide Christmas dinner for the people. the church is a small building apart from the rest of the village, no power so we had to get going so Caroline could still have enough light to read her sermon! I got a few more pic's in low light so I hope they post ok. this is the kind of place a developer in the states would put a road in, put some expensive homes on top and let them enjoy the view. here it is still beautiful, but it is for the poor because it is not convenient to get to. when it rains or hurricanes come they are isolated, it is pretty impossible to get in or out except by walking if even that. I have some more pic's that are in low light I'll have to work on to see if they can be used. The people are friendly if shy, and they appear to appreciate the attention, I guess is the right thing to say. this is the place where materials are being donated to help rebuild houses damaged by the hurricanes, hopefully before it gets into dry season and it gets REALLY dry and dusty. Just a day in the life of a guy in Haiti.

November 19, 2008

just a minute to update. cool and cloudy all day with a breeze....very nice. the kids complained all day about how cold it was! probably about 80. have pic's of Rousseau to post, will do so later. school is going well actually. I am learning how to be a teacher. on the downside, Myberson started physics today. so now I am working on algebra to help him in that, physics also, and geometry and all it's 10 millions theorems for Kesmy. maybe I'll open a tutor business when I get back! watch out teens! when I'm back I'll check you on your homework!! hope to post later, busy tonight with unloading the truck when Gary and Caroline get back from Port which should be momentarily. they went for food/supplies for the next 6 weeks or so. will unload, stock, figure out the power stuff more, then work on physics. will try to post tonight, if not will do so tomorrow. unless of course something else comes up then I will post...later! God bless to all, bye for now.

November 18, 2008

going to Rousseau later again, will take camera, hope to have pic's to post. batteries/inverter stuff is a pain. when it seems fixed, it falls apart; when it seems totally done, it starts working well again. Rony is back home with her Mom, and the step father is out of the house for now. we'll see how long that lasts. our school kids were not happy today, it is a holiday and the rest of the schools were off for the celebration of the beginning of the Haitian battle to free it self from slavery from France. but they lived thru it. will be busy later, need to catch up on more geometry for Kesmy, and Myberson is starting physics.... :( will post pic's from Rousseau as I can.

November 17, 2008

facing some serious power problems here. battery problems that could entail the replacement of the entire bank of batteries in order to sustain power. if so the cost will be around $1300, so would appreciate prayer that we will find the problem and be able to fix it for considerable less.

still hot and humid, school is going fairly well, regular "being in Haiti issues". Jessica went home today. She may return or she may not. Jess, I hope you find your way. don't sweat the small stuff, just let it happen and don't push it. She is a very good person and I wish her well if we don't meet again soon. bye for now

November 16, 2008

I have been thinking a lot about faith recently, and what it really means. I know "faith is the evidence of things unseen" and other definitions but I am thinking about what that REALLY means to me personally. Life in Haiti will make you think, and for me that can be a painful process! There are so many situations that you see that make you question, well, pretty much everything about what you believe. It seems to me that "faith" in some regards will develop as a thought and a concept within the context of your culture. In the US, "faith" seems to me to be a prepackaged after the fact thing. Please understand I do not mean for all, but I think this is it for many. We have faith in what has already been done, if you understand what I mean. We live in a place of prosperity and relative peace and life is really pretty easy compared to most of the rest of the world. When we come to church and the pastor speaks of faith, it is relatively easy to say to ourself "yeah, God has been good to the US, I can have faith in that". We see the circumstances around us and can believe in what God has done and it is easy to believe in that, and then to live in the consequences of that previously offered grace and blessing. We have some view for the future but based on what we have seen in the past (meaning the past few years of our own lives) we trust God to continue to do His good work for us.

When I came here, faith became a different proposition. You see things you don't see in the states. You see people in cicumstances that just don't exist for the most part in the US. It makes me think about what faith is for these people, or if they even think of faith as something to consider. I wonder how we in the US would respond to the teaching of our pastors if we lived in the circumstances that so many of the people in Haiti. The people here seem, to me at least, to live their lives day to day, even hour to hour, with no plan or attempt to accomodate their future. In some ways the attitude is likely more healthy for them as opposed to our constant worrying about virtually everything. It seems we have taken that part of life to an extreme, and to our detriment. The Haitians have taken the opposite approach it seems, and to the same extreme we have taken our worry and concern and planning for our cicumstances, many Haitians seem to have adopted the what will be, will be approach. There is some planning of course, but it does not seem to be extensive. Please don't think I am saying that no Haitians ever plan anything and just sit around all day. What I am trying to say is that their planning seems to be concerned with the next few days, at most. Long term planning for development doesn't seem to be an important issue for most people. So you wind up with schools that aren't engineered for permanence, and the results can be catastrophic. For many people it seems like their lives are engineered the same way. The local circumstances lend themselves to this, as for many the struggle is to stay alive day to day. However there are those who are successful and run businesses obviously. These folks obviously must plan for more than day to day. The street people are the ones I speak of. And I don't know if I would be any different, honestly. So circumstances lead us to change our focus I guess.

Returning to our faith question, then how easy is it to see and believe and trust in the unseen God? If God won't provide what I need NOW why should I trust him? If this God won't give me what I want now I'll seek it elsewhere. Gary asked his Bible study class what happens when people pray to God for something and then don't get it. The answer was that they go to the witch doctors. The immediacy of the issues overwhelms the trust in God. For those who believe, then the question is how to overcome the lack of trust to get to the point where we develop faith? Or maybe it is to instill faith so that trust will grow? Either way, missionaries here seem to have had little impact in doing that specific thing and I don't pretent to have any answers. Humanitarian missions have a much easier task. It is not hard to find physical needs here to respond to. The spiritual missions have an infinitely more difficult task, and one that it seems must be seperate from the humanitarian issue. Any time you mix the spiritual with the humanitarian, the Haitian will see only the humanitarian, it seems. They are focused on living and their things to the point that the spiritual focus is lost. Unfortunately, it reminds me of home so much. How can we have true faith for what God will do for us if we are only focused on the current benefits of past blessings, or the immediacy of our current needs as we see them. It seems that both those well off and those not so well off fall in to the same category of lacking a vision for the future. The Bible says that w/o a vision the people will die. So maybe we are more alike that we seem. We lose sight of the amazing things that God wants to do for us as we reduce Him to keeping us where we are (US) or in just meeting basic needs (Haiti). It seems that our human condition lends itself perfectly to losing sight of God regardless of circumstances. How can we learn to really trust in who God is if we are unwilling to step out to that undefined place of real faith, walking that high wire w/o a net, if our vision is only in keeping ourself where we are, or limit Him to just today? Jeremiah, Ezekiel and other OT prophets condemned Israel for their trust in their riches and their stuff. Recall when Jesus said to the rich man all he had to do to have eternal life was to give up his wealth and give to the poor. The rich man went away sad as he could not part with his stuff. Or likewise how can Haitians see God for who He is if all they focus on is now? In Hebrews 12 it says to make sure you are not godless or immoral like Esau who traded his birthright for a single meal, which is what I see in Haiti.

In Hebrews 11-12 it speaks of those of faith who lived for God. The writer speaks of those who overthrew kingdoms, rules with justice, shut the mouths of lions, and were strong in battle. Their weaknesses were turned to strengths (H 11:34). That is the kind of faith in what can be that I am talking about. They had weaknesses they could not trust in their immediate condition but God make them more than they could be alone, without Him. Immediately after this it recites those who trusted God also but were tortured, mocked, ridiculed, beaten, oppressed and mistreated, often martyred. They were too good for this world. So the walk of faith does not seem to me to be about effecting our circumstances, but about our faith regardless of the circumstances. The faith is not in how we are blessed but in who God is, and in trusting in Him.

"Enter by the narrow gate for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" Matthew 7: 13/14. I guess this means more to me now that it did before. Coming to Haiti I thought I could help change some things. I guess I am the one being changed more than anything else. bye for now.

November 14, 2008

have had some requests for "living conditions" posts. so, here goes. I am sitting here on the "porch" here on the 2nd floor listening to the goats and sheeps as they walk the street with the people. the pigs generally don't congregate in the street, but stay in the garbage pile about a hundred feet away. people pile their garbage there and every now and then someone drops a match. the people who live behind the garbage pile...well, I'm glad I don't live there. this is a view up the street from the school area to the house. Jessica is walking Rony to the house. The ambulance is a curious thing. it was purchased by our neighbor Albert, one of the undertakers in town. and it sat there for months before he got it fixed and now it sits again. to each his own I guess! the garbage pile is just to the left of the ambulance. Oh, the garbage pile we BURN is to the left. To the right is the garbage pile that, well, is just a pile. I guess there are rules for this but I don't know what they are yet. the next pic is a shot of the outside of the house we live. the tangled mess in the front is razor wire, but it is old and rusty and not really very razory, if you know what I mean. spider webs abound around the wire. the upstairs is the outdoor porch where we sit and peruse the Haitian culture. when everything is going, the air can be quite lousy. we are some distance from the main roads, but the diesel smoke, garbage fires, cooking fires, animals, thousands of small motorcycles that serve as taxi's, make it a unique place! Unique enough to be quite like the rest of Haiti!. we have running water which is a blessing. the electricity is becoming more of an iffy proposition. the inverter and battery storage is acting up. the batteries are discharging very quickly, and 7 have already been replaced this year at cost of about $1000 US. and it appears there may need to be more replaced. Gary is thinking as the money is not in the budget. But as all real Haitians do... :)..... we get by and know things will work out. the house is actually not bad at all. we have a fridge AND freezer and fans to sleep with and of course, computers. so we are not exactly David Brainerd travelling to India in the 1790's but it is not the US. whoa, a herd of goats just went by. Lately we have had irregularly a platoon of UN soldiers come by jogging for conditioning I guess. they always have at least 6 with weapons, one on each corner, two in the middle on each side of the group. we wave of course. it is a policy here to wave and smile to those with guns. I don't see shotguns and such hardly any at all anymore in the general population. the first trips it was regular to see a third of the men on the street with a weapon, gun or machete, here or in Mountrois. much better now! Well, there is s start. I'll post more this weekend and you'll have a better "picture" of my life in Haiti. bye for now

November 12, 2008

This is Rony. She is staying with us tonight, Her situation has gone from bad to worse, but we hope and pray it will be temporary. Unfortunately,we have no cures for all the ills here. Often what you can do goes from day to day. She is still smiling though, and that pleases us all. My information tells me that Rony will be difficult to adopt. The process will be 2-3 years, cost minimum $10,000 US, and there is no guarantee the government will let her leave. So please pray for her that all things will work out as best they can. Thank you all.

November 9, 2008

went to Clean Water for Haiti, Chris and Leslie Rollings ministry today for mission meeting. They had a pair of short term missionaries there gathering info to take back to their church for fund raising and prayer. Earl and Ron seemed very nice guys. Hurricane Paloma was in Cuba last night and today, and the shore line at Clean Water had waves I have not seen there before, big crashing waves. last night the waves came up so high it brought sand into their yard. a few houses down from them their are some well off folks that have....had....a big power boat. the waves last night apparently grounded the boat, flipped it over and they had to have it hauled away for repair today. listening to the waves actually was quite pleasant for me though, as we sang and worshipped. it reminded me of Florida and the teenagers and how peaceful that beach was at night. so it was a very enjoyable time. Chris met everyone at the door and said "did you hear about yesterday?". and we looked at each other and said, "no". then he said, "oh, well, Leslie is pregnant". and APPARENTLY they had agreed to tell everyone when we were all seated together. Leslie was slightly miffed about being cut out of the news cycle, but she took it gracefully. so congratulations to Chris and Leslie Rollings! they have adoptive daughter Olivia, and another on the way. good thing they're young..... :) then on the ride home, Haiti set me back in my place. as we were coming down the road for the turn up the hill to the house here, a group of young males saw the truck and shouted out a.....greeting, sort of. and as I was the only one in the back of the truck, I smiled and waved. which prompted them to....greet me some more. I can laugh this stuff off now, though it does make me cautious about being on the street. just have to watch your step here. hope all is well with everyone at home. pray if you will that it will get warm about Dec 17th or so and stay that way until, say Jan 7th or so. much appreciated! bye for now

Rony

I am looking now for a picture of this little girl from school. Caroline says she has one but can't find it now. I will get one next week if need be to post here. Rony is her name. She is about 10, maybe 12. There is no birth certificate. She is a very sweet girl, smart...and in need of a home. I hesitate to put this out but it has been on my heart all week, I feel like I must. Rony lives with an alcoholic father in law, who actually works at the school. He is a fairly decent worker, though there are issues, but is an angry man. That is common here, anger is a huge problem. The life people live leads to frustration and despair and it comes out in feelings of helplessness and lack of control over ones life. I see it and I have been here so few months now. He is...a bad father to Rony. He is physically abusive to her, let's leave it at that. Her mother has other children living in different places in the country, and that is also very common here. She has children by several men, and now has two small boys who live with them. Rony's father in law is their father. The mother is not supportive of Rony in almost any way. some of you may be familiar with the term "restavek". These are children who are basically slaves in their own house. Most are given up by the families they live with to work for relatives or other families who can provide at least food for them. Unfortunately it becomes a very abusive relationship usually, the children are slave labor and are treated very badly. Rony is practically a restavek in he own home. She has to do significant work, does not have adequate shoes (which will be alleviated this week) and her clothes come from the mission here. She receives little more than the 4 day a week lunch at school to eat and it shows. (Fridays is a half day, there is no lunch). I don't know really how to say this, but I fear that if Rony is not adopted by someone her life will take a very sad, tragic turn at some point. She has a wonderful heart, is very sweet and desperately wants someone to love her. it is so obvious in her eyes and her manners.

some of you may be asking "why don't you do something there, make it stop!" and I wish I could. Treatment of children this way is not illegal here and even it it was there is little if any law enforcement for those who can't defend themselves. As we read daily in the Bible (one year reading program) it talks of how innocents were treated in the Old Testament...and the New Testament. these things don't change, people are still people and abuse continues. Haiti reminds me of an Old Testament country. Sadly so. I am asking for prayer for Rony. I am asking for support for her. The mission pays for her clothes and food, for the most part. donations could be made to Touch Ministries, 417 Rebecca St., New Martinsville, WV 26155. If anyone feels led to sponsor her please contact me thru the blog first or at my e mail at dr333joshu@hotmail.com. And I am asking that if anyone feels the want in their own life to adopt a young 3rd world girl to love and care for, I know how to help you. :) Believe it or not, even abusive parents are almost always willing to give up kids for adoption here, as I am told. Adoption is not easy from Haiti, especially when parents are really alive. But it can be done, and is regularly. If you know of anyone who is thinking of adoption, please pray and see if this is something you could present to them as an option. This is a story that is far too common here. Rony is not the only one in need. But she is the one I know of that maybe I can help do something for. thanks for reading. I will post a picture of Rony as soon as possible.

November 8 ,2008

internet access has been very spotty recently. we have had uncharacteristically cloudy days and it messes with the satellite. you have a connection then you don't, so I just gave up for awhile. warm here still, highs each day in the 90's with humidity in thge 70's at best. nights are starting to cool some though, so the early mornings are actually not bad...until the sun comes up over the mountain behind us! warms up quick then. went thru a bout of dehydration, getting over that now. I have learned the importance of salting most everything you eat here. it is needed to retain fluids. so I salt now, and I am feeling better. Jessica had a bout of dengue fever she is getting over. It was a fairly mild bout as dengue goes (as I am told) but she still felt really bad for about a week. and life goes on. school is moving along, kids are doing their best to avoid working, but love recess and lunch. why would I be surprised at that? kids are kids everywhere I guess.

I had not heard about the school collapse in Port until my son Luke told me about it. I pray the kids get out alive. seeing construction practices here I am really AMAZED this type of thing doesn't happen regularly. I am not a construction person, so I can't judge well, but others who know (and some of what we take for common sense) would indicate these things are possible. the concrete blocks used for constuction are very poor quality usually. they are not pressed, they use a bad mixture and the blocks..NEW blocks..can be broken by hand some times when doing finishing work. the construction at the orphanage going on now confirms this. Gary and I went there yesterday to deliver some supplies and Al told me that Joe, the worker from school who has some mason skills, was breaking the blocks by hand to fit in rebar reinforcement. nothing here is square, everything is "eyeballed" and it shows. the rebar is literally what provides most of the support for the buildings. this house we are in was built in the early 90's, I am told. And truth be told it is in not bad shape. but a 20 year old concrete block building with rebar support in the states would be in MUCH better shape. so the next time you c/o the local building codes that run up the costs, think twice. it may be overkill, but it may also save your life.

I have several things to blog on now but I don't want to run them into one long "war and peace" blog, you know, a thousand pages long and after you are done you can't remember anything that was in it! so I will end this now, let everyone know things are going pretty well. I am even picking up a little creole here and there. So I will end this with a request for those that do. "Yo bezwen nou priye". They need our prayer. thanks for reading. bye for now.

Nov 2,2008

greetings to all. haven't been blogging last few days due to a case of dehydration I am still recovering from. I had lost quite a bit of weight the first 2 months here and of course I KNEW it was mostly water weight, but why be concerned? I had been feeling poorly for a couple of weeks and this week it became nausea, dizziness, weakness, etc. after inhaling salt and water for a few days, I am feeling better. I don't use salt hardly at all, and as I would sweat I was losing it w/o replacing it, therefore losing fluids. Not fun. so I take salt daily now, and drink LOTS of water, to the point I really can hardly stand it. Jessica on the other hand is recovering from dengue fever. Rash, sore throat, malaise, recurring fever though in this case it has been pretty mild for what it could have been so we are all grateful for that.

last night it rained hard for a couple of hours, hadn't had that kind of rain since the hurricane's ended. It actually has been rather nice the last few mornings and evenings, things are starting to cool some here. days are still warm, but it certainly makes it easier to sleep which is a real blessing. we now have piped in water!!!!! amazing how those things happen here. Gary bough the plastic pipe, Marco and helpers from school dug a trench thru the street to the other side of the road where the bigger feed pipe is, and a guy from the city comes out and connects it. you shovel dirt over the pipe and voila! water in the house! now, it's kind of yucky water, but it is for dishes, showering, etc. it is clear, it just has a very mineral taste to it and you really don't want to drink it anyway. we still drink bottled water. but it is much cheaper than bringing in a tanker truck to fill the cisterns. and fairly soon, we may have electricity regularly!! seems if you are willing to buy your own transformer (and a group locally is setting this up for the local 8 houses) you can get power pretty much whenever the generators are running instead of when they decide to give it to your area. Living high in Haiti! :) I pray all is well with everyone home, everyone take care, will post more later. bye for now.....