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!)
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
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.
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.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
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!
Monday, November 24, 2008
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.
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.
Friday, November 21, 2008
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 backgr
ound 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.
ound 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.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
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.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
