Sunday November 15, 2009

pictures of our broken bridge.  if anyone knows what I did to make the type start in the middle of the page, and how I can fix it, please let me know!    the downtown bridge clogs up with garbage each time it rains and floods the downtown area with mud, debris, garbage, sewage, etc.    so they finally got around to knocking down the old bridge and they are putting in a new one!    this will take months to get done though.  first pic is as you approach the bridge that isn't there anymore from the north side.  next is of the concrete forms being placed, then we have the street level (people standing in background) where the old street was, and hopefully the level the new street will be there.   fun in St. Marc!    we have to drive around old, worse roads to get around the roadblock here, but eventually it will be an improvement.   tried to load video this morning w/o success.  will work on that and hopefully have that mastered to start sending weekly video of life here.

plans for me sliding into the principal's job here are going along.  Gary and Caroline, Nancy and I had a long discusstion this morning about it and I think it will go fine.  Nancy is our secretary, score reviewer, painter, excel spreadsheet person, and generally what ever else we need.   Many skills needed here to give organization and good information to make decisions on.   I expect the next few months will be hectic with the transition, but it seems God is busy at opening doors here again for me.   I have my audiology equipment here and I hope to get to the local hospital to start discussions for space after Thanksgiving.  by the first of the year, maybe hearing testing will be going on in St. Marc.  that's all for  now, everyone take care in the Midwest. 

Bondye benis ou                                                                                                                                       

Dan                                                                                                                                                              

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Yes, I know I am not posting much.   I have to admit the "thrill" of blogging has worn off.  I am feeling less inclined to attempt to put my day, thoughts and emotions in a couple of paragraphs.   I feel like I can't really do it well unless I try to impart part of how it effects me and I also know that many really don't want that.  I have no problem with others feeling like their day is busy enough to only want the highlights, I remember life there believe it or not!      I know I often only wanted the bottom line, and now from the other side, the bottom line seems so inadequate.  

ANYWAY, as principal of the school now (I think I mentioned that, right?)  the kids and staff kind of look at me a little differently now, and that is ok.   I think the initial year of dealing with your own stuff while here is winding down some, and I don't feel the need to try and solve all the problems of everyone here now because.....drum roll, please.....I can't.      We are instituting some new procedures for dealin with rampant cheating in the school and with the obvious lack of basic math skills.   We will have, every morning (as soon as we have enough flash cards to do it with)  about a 20 minute drill in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division right after the opening and prayer.   The kids have some serious deficincies in these skills and it shows in their work, so I expect after a few months of this, that won't be an issue anymore.  Those that can test out of the skill will move on the next one, decreasing class size so those struggling will get more help until everyone can do them all.   Nancy Hibbard, our new office administrator,  is doing a very good job of organizing the office and getting information to where it needs to go.  With the change of procedures in the taking of tests, teachers won't have to grade the tests anymore, leaving more time for hands on teaching.  We all hope this is going to improve the kiids skills and abilities and give them more time for study. 

Personally, I am struggling some with health stuff.   I seem to be getting sick on about a 3 day cycle.  Not bad but just enough to make life slightly less enjoyable!   Today is a good day...so far.   I had similar problems last year, so I guess this is just life in Haiti for me.  Eventually it seemed to ease off and the last part of the year was better, so I will hope for the same now.   I have finally gotten all my audiology equipment here, though I have no idea when or where this may be used yet.   I am just praying for doors to open if this is in my future here, and if not, I am fine with it also.   I have a fellow missionary who has a friend coming to visit who needs a hearing test, so I hope to get back into it a little when he arrives in a few weeks.  We'll see where it goes from there. 

We have some new students in the older classes.   Jephtae returned to school and is showing a better attitude and willingness to work and seek help.   Another new student is Termitus, and he is showing what may be to this untrained eye some learning disabilities.     He tries hard though and is bright, so we will do our best to help him thru it.   Christella is from the states, she is 15 and has a bit of the American attitude, though she is a very nice girl and, with recent "encouragement" seems to be trying more and is finishing more tests.   Tanya (her real name is about 285 letters long so I call her Tanya)  is about 12-13, talks quietly but definitely talks, enjoys her day at school, has been to the states and really doesn't want to return.  She has a small cousin in our preschool class (don't know the name) and Tanya wants to get her to the states when she is older, but she tells me she likes Haiti and doesn't like the culture or lifestyle in the States.    I guess to many that is surprising, but having been here some, it really doesn't surprise me much anymore.  It is a difference in cultures and values, and what Americans want, many Haitians don't want.  I am glad she is able to make that judgement.   Yes, I will try to remember to get pictures to send, I know I suck at remembering that. 

Almost forgot, found out last night.   Remember Kesmy?     Kesmy has a sponsor to send him to Moody
Bible college for next year, full room and board, tuition is free for him!!!!!       His dream was to go to Moody and he has his start.    We are all so thrilled for him, I know those who know him will be also.   Had to edit the post, I had to add this.   Very good news.

things are going actually pretty well overall, I pray everyone back in the states is well. 

Bondye benis ou

Dan

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

internet has been down, posting to blogger has been problem, not enough speed to get it done before it crashes.  hope this goes.   anticipate repair this week.   things going well at school,  making some changes to help kids reduce the effort spent on cheating!     weather is very warm, sleeping even with a fan leaves a soaked bed in the morning.   hope everyone is well in central America. take care will send more later.

Bondye benis ou

Dan

Friday, Oct. 23, 2009

yesterday had an interesting experience.  I drive the kids home after school...the smaller kids and some bigger kids and family/staff who live distances away from school.  Well, as we are making the rounds, the kids begin this chant thing.  Nancy Hibbard, another missionary working here this year had come with me for the ride (and the air conditioning)  and we were trying to figure out what they were doing.  after awhile we figured it out...they were clapping and cheering for each kid as we came to their stop and when they got out of the back of the truck.  It was just really amazing to hear and be around.   We have several small kids, 3 years old and in preschool.  They were just so happy to hear their names and that people were cheering for them.   We also have an older girl, about 10 I believe, who is mentally handicapped.  She is new this year and talks very little if at all, but she smiles and really enjoys being in the preschool and making pictures and the other activities, participating as she can.  When it came to her stop, she was just absolutely overjoyed, as I looked thru the back and thru the rear view mirror, the kids were cheering her name and clapping for her.  I will go out on a limb and state this is very likely the first time she has ever had anyone really do anything close to this for her, and she was so happy.   Her mother came out to get her from the bus and was overjoyed as well.   All the parents were smiling and happy to see their kids have that kind of support from the other kids. there were many smiles that afternoon on the ride home for the kids....and a few more after they were all dropped off.  It really touched my heart that they did this, and to see the reaction from the kids and parents, I think many hearts were touched.   Today I got a chance to go over to the preschool building to gather some information.   The handicapped girl, Kristi, was there and I just gave her a hug and told her that Jesus lover her, and she smiled and voiced a response.   Just one syllable, couldnt' understand it, but she responded.  For me, it was the high point of the day.  Gary was gone to Port to pick up a visitor so I didn't have the truck to take the kids home today again....we'll see on Monday if it becomes a habit to cheer for each other.  I hope it does.   For some kids here, there is little encouragement if any from family.  Life can be so hard that , well, parents just don't have it to give.   It is a pretty cool thing to hear them cheer for each other.   A good day in Haiti.   

Bondye benis ou

Dan

Friday, Oct 23, 2009

not been blogging any, fighting a sinus infection and generally just dont' have much to say now.  school is going actually pretty well, some of the kids who seem to be resistant and not inclined to work did so more this week, so it went well.   'Gary has gone to Port to pick up a visitor today .    Norm is a friend of theirs who is a psychologist from PA, and will be here for a week or 10 days.   it is cooler, the dreaded 100+ weather front just never seems to make it here, so we now are just hoping for a little rain.   It is getting late in the season and it is dry, gardens are finished and food will likely get more expensive as we go into the rainy season.    We have a new store in town, called DeliMart.   and it has ice cream!     of course we never go there.........well, on that note, it's time to end and try to find some more antibiotics.  

Bondye benis ou

Dan

round two, October 17, 2009

forgot to add, I am reading a very good book titled "Too Small to Ignore" by Wes Stafford.  He is the CEO of Compassion International, and in it he relates his upbringing in a village in the Ivory Coast of West Africa, and his view of children and how we bring them up and how we don't bring them up, and the mission call to value children right now, as they are, at any age.  He talks of how in the West we separate our children from our ongoing lives thru toy's, sitters, the hunt for money to support the lifestyle choices we make, and the damage it can do to our kids.  I am only thru a small part of it, so I cannot judge the whole book.  However, I wholeheartedly would recommend it to anyone who works with kids, has kids, is around kids or deals with them in any way....pretty much everyone.    It has opened my eyes to facet's of my own upbringing, and how I brought up, or didn't bring up, my son's.  If we would engage our kids in the way he recommends, not seek the worldly stuff beyond what is truly enough, not beyond it to what we "simply must have", our lives, our children's lives, and our communities would be changed, I am fairly sure.   The Bible calls us to talk of the issues of life as we walk, sit and spend time with our families, and this is what he is advocating.   Not just to talk about life, but to actually live our lives with our kids, getting them engaged in what we do and how we do it, and affirming them as important parts of our lives and our families as early as possible.  just wanted to give a shout out for a book that has showed me a lot in not many pages. 

October 17, 2009

first week fini!    not a bad first week.   I have a pretty good class.  Pony, Sophonie, James, Jeptha from last year.   Spencer, a missionary kid from the states here till Christmas, and Termitus, a Haitian from the states.  overall the school is organized better as far as class time and teacher's.  It is quieter and the students seem to get more done.  We have two new teen age girls, Tia and Christella, placed in a class that has been exclusively boys for 3 years now, and it is producing the expected results.   the boys keep doing things like breaking their pencil points so they can go to the sharpener and be close to the girls desk's and talk, etc.  But so far no major problems. 

Yesterday we had the chapel service and it went well, worship was good.  It still touches me to see people from outside on the street stop and listen and try to look in.  Hopefully it is a benefit for them. 

This morning I helped skin chicken for the after noon meal that Nancy is helping to prepare.   We will have chicken, rice and beans (!), fried plantains and picklies, a hot cabbage/slaw type of dish.   very tasty stuff. 

still hot here, but the bad expected heat keeps getting put back a few days at a time on the weather site.   However, we are within 2 days now and the forecast for Monday is still 106, so it appears the other shoe is about to drop.   Again the forecast for next week is for temps from 103-107 all week. 

October is one of the more rainy times of year and so far there has been little rain.  It apparently was a very dry summer, again in the rainy season, and instead of floods and storms Haiti may be facing the opposite now....drought.    The garden area of Pont Sunday where most of the area's vegetables are grown has already dried up, and food is being brought in from Port au Prince, which just drives up prices.  Another food spike people really can't afford.   Rose, our cook is very thin, I would guess 30 pounds under her weight last spring...and I am told she has gained weight since the start of September and Gary/Carolines return!   Summer was survived by all relatively well, but some of the staff are so thin.   Another season of eating is at hand for them, and they are happy about it, as you would expect. 

still waiting for shipment of the audiometer here.   When it arrives I hope to get to the hospital and talk with the admin there.   Apparently Dr. Paul Farmer has taken over the operation of the hospital here.  He is a pretty well known missionary docctor in Haiti who has been active in medical care here for years.   I hope I can set up some means to start testing by end of the year, and we'll see where it goes.  There are the legal things to do, get permits and stuff, but that shouldn't be too hard.  I am actually kind of excited about it.  I haven't done a hearing test now in over a year, and I think I would enjoy getting my hand back into it. 

All in all, pretty much what I expected, life goes on, it is good to see the other missionaries here and trade stories of travel and travails.   Also of the good things, like the mamba program expansion, the police investigation into the Rollings situation which has uncovered police corruption in the area and which has started a more complete investigation of the justice system around Pierre Payan.   Hopefully the locals will be able to get a better course of justice for themselves as a result.  The heartaches continue also, as another baby girl died this week in MacDonald.  Life in Haiti.   will write again soon.  

Bondye benis ou

Dan