this, that, and Thanksgiving

I know, it's been awhile since we've written. Of all the things I'm good at putting off, blogging gets shafted most frequently. So today, before I think the better of it, I am going to set aside 'urgent this' and 'urgent that' to write you all a little update. I will focus my urgency on sharing with you. Here's what's been happening in the heart of the Caribbean.

At "the land," buildings are just popping up right and left! That might be a bit of an exaggeration but we do have some building updates to share. In addition to the clinic and the recovery homes there is now a small apartment for our international staff (which presently consists of none other than us). Our decision to position the apartment above the clinic was quite strategic. When emergencies arise by simply taking the stairs two at a time we'll have access to the medical supply room in seconds. We are right where we need to be according to the words of wise man from Ghana who once told me to "stay close to your vision."

We'll be close alright.

From the apartment we can clearly see the mom and baby homes and we are just a stone's throw away from the gate. From the kitchen we can see the back property and gardens. From the porch we can see the road. And we saved a ton of money by building on an existing structure.

it may look a bit unstable. but i assure you she's safe.

 the roof is dry and the bamboo is just a precaution at this point. 

We had to cancel a few days of work  life... due to major flooding in Cap Haitien. It rained for more than 48 hours. 16 people died. Many homes were flooded. Others were carried down the mountain by currants of water. It was bad. Our friends and employees survived the storm. For one mom, it meant borrowing money to buy plastic table cloths which would be pinned inside her mud and stick home. For another mom it meant moving her family to an area unaffected by flooding while she went back to assess the damage and mop up the mess. The rains were followed by 3 days of hot sun, perfect for drying up 3 days of misery. Although for the families who lost loved ones, the tragedy is irreversible. 

The women are more beautiful than ever. I love the way they encourage one another and treat each other like family. During the storm, I would call to check on one and she'd instantly ask about the others. It's not uncommon to hear them say to one another "you're getting better [at rolling beads]!" or "you are much better at cutting paper than me" or "you're the fastest roller." 

My heart lives for inclusion. For those of you who attended a small liberal arts University or have experience with the "Strength's Finder" test you'll get me when I say "Includer" was one of my top 5. After answering what feels like hundreds of questions this pseudo-personality test detected that one of my strongest attributes was the desire to make others feel included. It's true. My skin crawls until I'm confident that everyone feels accepted and comfortable in a group setting. Needless to say, I've enjoyed watching Dorothy and Louismene whole-heartedly adopt Rosenie, the newest bead maker, into the fold. 

These women are held together by a common bond. All of them have children who are "sick." Not the kind of sick that gets better with rest and hydration and mom's kisses, but real heartbreaking chronic and disabling illness. Everyday when they arrive at work and ask each other, "How are the kids?" they are prepared for honest answers, downcast looks, or racing hearts. These moms come to work and enjoy it. They tell jokes and laugh. But I know that in the moments when they aren't chatting, joking, or talking about politics they're thinking, maybe even worrying, about their kids. 

(More on this in another post...)

The lady pictured one in from the left is Madame Melik. She's a gem. She cooks for our ladies and the Haiti Babi ladies each work day. She also helps keep this ship clean. She makes a killer legim. If you haven't tried this traditional dish then I'm sorry, you just haven't lived. If you visit, she'll make you a double portion and then mock you for your inability to eat as much as a Haitian. It's a battle you can't win. Either eat up or risk being that person... ki pa manje anpil. 

Jenn and I are busy, busy, busy this month! We are North American, traditionally and by birth. That doesn't mean we won't deny our roots the moment someone calls us Haitian, the highest of all desired compliments. It does mean that we are excited to celebrate both Thanksgiving and Christmas. We'll be having a traditional Thanksgiving feast next week here at our apartment complete with turkey and cranberry sauce. You were all invited. But, since no one RSVP'd we'll take it as a hint that you love your family more than you love us. That's fine. ;) Until the big feast we will continue to prepare our staff for the month of December. They're going to be on their own for most of the month. 

In light of the holidays and the fact that my wonderful parents have probably forgotten what I look like, coupled with the need to fundraise and a personal desire to buy new underwear and curly hair conditioner, we will be heading to the US of A.

It's been a year since I've seen my family! Jenn and I are both excited to see our families and friends. We keep talking about what cooking ingredients we will stalk up on and what North American novelties we will partake in. Gingerbread house making,  Disneyland, the movies...wow, the opportunities for good old American fun are endless. We plan to run in the States, which is something we do a lot here. Here in Haiti we run up and down steep hill.  There, we will chart a course that's as flat as they come. We deserve it. 

We will also get to visit a few churches and speak about Haiti in a few different States. We can't wait to see the Edwards in North Carolina!!! That's always fun. 

What's not so fun is planning a big event from afar. The plan is to have a Silent Auction in Tucson the first weekend in December. We knew it would be a challenging undertaking but plunged ahead anyway. A few weeks ago Jenn spent a solid 6 hours emailing various businesses in search of donations. Our first "yes" response was from an Opera company who offered to send tickets. We've never been more excited about opera! The next yes was a few free yoga passes. This was also very exciting. The remaining 48 businesses didn't respond. 

That left us with two options: 1. cancel 2. ask for help

We asked for help and several wonderful people have come through with gift baskets and even an event location. We could still use more items to place up for auction. Do you have a business, craft, or trade that we could place up for Auction? We would be forever indebted to you for your donation. If you can come to the event please do! We are bringing with us some sites and sounds of Haiti and a few famous Haitian beverages as well. It should be a great night. 

In other big news, we have a Holiday Gift Giving Catalog on it's way. This will let you give a much needed "gift" to Second Mile Ministries this gift giving season. And, we were just notified of a donor that would like to match all donations up to $5,000 during this week before Thanksgiving. 

Between the sun, the building progress, the beautiful moms we work with, and our upcoming travels we have so much to be thankful. Top that list off with this potential donation, your prayers, new friends, and a God who never leaves us and we're flat-on-our faces thankful. 

We hope you have a very merry Thanksgiving! 

Matching donations start today. Donate here. 

cement bags + scratch paper = masterpiece.

jenn here.  i've posted a fair amount of “i love my life" statuses recently. this post should have a similar feel.  

i wake up and fall asleep excited about where i am at and the things i get to be involved in on a daily basis. 

my life is fun, and fulfilling, and God is right there in it. i couldn’t be happier. 

we’re building again. i know at least a few people who would be happy to know that the guys are back in action. 

we have a great team. i think they are really starting to get me and my penny pinching ways. for example, we needed to pick up cement today. 15 bags to be exact. dadou mentioned that he would swing buy to pick up the truck to haul the cement out  to the land. i stopped him. and i could tell that he immediately knew why. moto. not truck. the $3.50 it would cost to deliver the cement to the land by moto is less than the cost of diesel to get the truck out to the land and back. every little bit counts and they know i care about these things. these guys have gone the extra mile with these projects. they deserve   a blog post just to say how great they are. but that's not exactly where i am going with this one.. 

this is where we will stay. nice and simple. that's the bathroom and the kitchen. and that's hilary clinton. well it's the plane she flew in to Cap Haitien this afternoon. i actually dressed up just in case i got to meet her...maybe next time. 

     

        

i love to be at the land. i see God there more than any other place. it's amazing to stand on the roof of either building and see the expanse of land that has so much promise. it's crazy to sit off to the side under the shade and watch the work happen. i'm a human working with a whole bunch of other error prone humans. we could have screwed this up in so many different levels along the way. but God's in control and he hasn't let that happen. with each bit of progress i am blown away by just how perfectly the pieces fit together. 

our God is perfect. and he's a beautiful artist. 

i also just love the building process. 

for me it's numbers and calculations and spreadsheets. 

and it all starts on the inside of a bag of cement (yea, we recycle). then it gets official in my notebook and even more official in my google doc (i have a thing for functions)

for amy it's about sketching and doodling apparently. 

actually, the only thing we had in terms of official plans was this here little sketch. and it turned into the clinic. 

after that we mostly just got down to business with tape measures, and levels, and string to mark things out. 

we had to laugh at ourselves the day we took this little drawing to the land to lay the foundation for the mom and baby homes... but everything worked out. oh so perfectly. 

these are some of the things that make up my days here... getting supplies, calculating costs, making decisions about the building and hanging out with the workers. and i think that's why i am so happy. in all these things i get to be blown away by God's greatness. i get to see him work in the lives of the guys that come to work each day. i get to see him provide. and i get to see his glory when i sit back and take it all in. it's about Him. 

-jenn

life in Haiti

300 gouds 

$7.50

we had to meet kelinise today, on the side of the road, to give her money for laboratory tests she will have done on thursday at the hospital. 

it wasn't yet time for her monthly appointment but she checks her sugars at home. they'd been high. she suspected another infection. i knew she was going to the hospital today but i didn't ask if she had money to get there. i didn't want to know. she called several times between 8 am and 9 am. i didn't answer. I wanted to pretend that if i didn't answer my phone that it meant she'd be fine. if i didn't answer the phone I wouldn't have to deal with where she was or how much money she didn't have or how we'd get it to her. i picked up on the sixth time and she was fine. she was at the hospital and had already been seen by the best doctor this side of heaven (in my opinion). she was waiting for the lab orders. she had, in fact, had enough money to get to the hospital and enough money to take the tap-tap back into town. she would wait for us under the stop light. yes, the same place where we met up with her after last week's dressing change to give her money to get home.* the lab tests would cost $300 gouds.  

*home. it's not her home exactly. it's the home of someone her father knows. he has to pay this individual for her to stay there. with what money? i don't know. he has 14 children. he loves kelinise and is generous with her. but she is not welcome in his wife's home. he works in the fields and sometimes sends coconuts and avocados to Jenn and I when Kelinise makes the hour trip into Cap Haitien and then on to Milot for her doctor visits. her mother? Kelinise's mother has a total of six children but a stroke paralyzed her and rendered her unable to care for herself. she is now living with an adult child in the Dominican Republic. her house? the house where Kelinise used to live with her mother is being rented by another family. they don't want kelinise to stay in the house unless her brother is there with her. they fear her illness. what if something happened to her in the middle of the night? then what? maybe they fear that they'd have to rush her to the hospital if something went wrong. that would cost them money. 

no one wants to be responsible for these expenses. no one. 

her brother? her brother sounds like a nice guy. we've talked to him on the phone a few times. he cares about kelinise too. but he's trying to put himself through school. he would have only one year of school left had he not failed the national exam. twice. you only get two chances or you lose the school year. kid's in Haiti go to school for 14 years not counting any years that have to be repeated. it's hard to say if a 21 year old putting himself through school will have it in him to push through not one but two more years at this point. for many kids in the Haitian school system, that's just the end of the line. 

kelinise is 18. she's in 5th grade. Or she would be in 5th grade if she was enrolled in school. many people have given up on her education. the director of her last school took her books and her uniform and told her not to come back. she was too sick. children in Haiti get punished for being sick. 

in the time we been connected with kelinise she's been hospitalized 4 times, been prescribed 6 different blood pressure medication, suffered from 4 painful abscesses, begun treatment for neuropathy, been diagnosed with retinopathy, and gone from taking 30 units of NPH insulin a day to 45 units. after today's visit she thinks the doctor will increase her dose again. 

Jenn's quoted this article before but I think it's worth revisiting. there's an article posted on the hospital's website that discusses diabetes in depth. it doesn't talk to much about type 1 diabetes however, except to acknowledge that many cases of DKA (super high blood sugar that leads to shock) were seen after the earthquake when children lost access to their source of insulin. and then it says this line: "Type 1 Diabetics are not commonly seen in Milot. This is most likely the result of premature death."

we actually have two 18 year old friends who've defied the odds and are living with type 1 diabetes. the difference between Kelinise and Milonia is that Milonia has a mom. she has someone that she can call during the day when she isn't feeling well. she has someone that believes in her enough to send her to school even though she might not be able to attend everyday, even though she might never make it past the 5th grade. 

God caused our paths to cross with Kelinise's. we weren't able to turn away or say, "no." we fell in love with her smile and the way she said "take me with you" the day our American doctor friend called to tell us about a girl who was diabetic and living by herself; a girl he didn't think would survive. our involvement in her life has been tricky and delicate. her family situation is complicated and messy. we've tried to tread softly and we've tried not to screw up. 

to be completely honest we don't know what to do. we buy some food items for her each month yet after last month's visit the doctor called us into her office and told us that kelinise has lost too much weight. of course, we see it too. she couldn't more than 80 lbs. 

"we do give her food. maybe she's sharing it," we offered. 

"she's definitely sharing. they will always share. maybe you just have to give more" the doctor concluded matter of factly. "i'll try and get her into the food program at the hospital. it's for TB patients and i don't know how much pull i will have but i'll try." 

we thanked her and she thanked us back with unexpected sincerity. her and her husband, the hospital's lead surgeon, love kelinise. they treat her in a special way. they go the extra mile and they know she can't pay them back for it. i'd be lying if i told you i didn't wish that some nice Haitian family would just take her in. they'd be my first choice. 

so we pay for hospital expenses and transportation to and from the countryside where she lives near her dad. this allows her to receive care at Milot hospital's diabetes clinic whenever she is feeling ill.  we buy her insulin and insulin syringes, vitamins and the medications prescribed for her pain and hypertension. and we wait outside the room when she is getting her abscesses drained. 

we were with her in the hospital the day she turned 18. the physician was about to send her down to the peds ward because she looked no more than 14 and was wearing barrettes. A nurse piped in and told the doctor she was 17. i told the doctor that today was her 18th birthday. the doctor wished her a happy birthday and made a joke about the barrettes. i came back to her hospital bed later and the barrettes were gone. 18 year olds don't wear toys in their hair. 

statistics meet kelinise. kelinise meet adulthood. 

oh wait. you've been an adult ever since the day you were diagnosed. You've know this life ever since your family, hard as they tried, stopped being able to do anything to ease your pain.  

kelinise you are brave and courageous and your perseverance is...

we had to meet her on the side of the road today to give her 300 gouds ($7.50). no one else had that money. in Haiti $7.50 is too much. people die because $7.50 is impossible. 

no one wants these expenses.  and no one wants to watch a family member suffer. we get it. we understand. how she has survived this long…only God knows.  

it feels heavy. 

she has people who love her but they fear her illness. they fear the cost. they abandoned her. but now that she has access to medical care they've gotten her back. little by little we've watched her let them back into her life. 

she used to say she had nowhere to go. at one time she chose an orphanage over her family. now, at the end of a long day at the hospital she heads back up to her dad's. 

i've cried for her many times. i've woken up in a panic wondering whether she's still alive. i've fallen asleep praying for her. truth is we can't love her alone. we might need some more help.

i'm posting about kelinise because that hit me today. the whole $7.50 thing… i'm glad she feels like she has access to medical care. it's a human right, isn't it? but in the hands of her family she wouldn't. she wouldn't have access to medical care and that hurts. this is the very thing that makes us so passionate as we sit here in Haiti and fight for families and fight to create this thing called Second Mile Haiti…it's helping families get to a point where medical care is manageable and accessible and parents can ensure this for their children.

we want to open this up to the great community that reads this blog and follows our progress with Second Mile Ministries. $7.50 might sounds like nothing. it is. it's nothing. when she's not doing so well the visit total can easily climb closer to $75 (thus the statistics).  

here is her story.

i'm curious to see what God does through this group of people. i feel like we've set our sites too low on this one. i feel like He wants to invite us into the big plans that he does have for her scarred and sacred life. 

maybe its not too late to enroll her in school? maybe its vocational school instead? maybe she'll play a part in the future of Second Mile Haiti. 

maybe. 

i sort of love the word. maybe is made possible by the words of Phil 4:13. "i can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." whenever you think of it, please pray for our little friend. pray that God's plans for her life are realized and please pray especially that our humanness doesn't do anything to get in the way of that. 

and if you can contribute a small monthly sum towards this young lady's future please note 'kelinise' in the comments section when setting up your donation. 

to God be the glory for all He has done for his precious daughter. 

Perspective

We’ve been quiet recently. You may have noticed this in our lack of facebook posts, pictures, and statuses. Our very handy friend from Wisconsin, Jason, was here in early September. So much was accomplished in a week (see Septic Tank on the projects page if your interested). But ever since he left we haven’t had anything in the way of construction happening at the land. When the funds aren’t there we take it as a message from the head boss to sit, relax, and concentrate on other things. That’s hard for me. It’s hard to sit at a computer, write emails, and focus on all the “adminstrative stuff.” It’s not fun! The only time I truly enjoy sitting at the computer is getting to use my prized google spreadsheets to calculate labor and materials. No work means I don’t get to  update my fun spreadsheets, no calculating... But He still says “sit, relax, and change focus.” 

So I do.... Last week I sat at the computer and wrote over 50 emails, 50 very important emails. Probably half of the emails were written to thank people for their support and encouragement. These personal thank you’s have been important to Amy and I. We are just two people down here. That seems small until you picture the hundreds of people standing behind us giving us support, encouragement, and prayer. It’s a cool mental picture huh? I hope if you’re reading this that you can picture yourself standing there. I hope we always take the time to thank you. 

I realize that when God says “sit” He’s not telling me to sit in front of a computer all day.  Sitting can mean taking the time to catch up with employees and enjoy meaningful conversation with them. Amy is very good at this. She is very good at taking time out of her day to listen to everyone’s story. Even if we can’t help a situation, at least people can feel that they’ve been heard. Sometimes I forget that. Sometimes I am so busy that I offer a raincheck and then I don’t always follow through. This is something I was convicted of last week. So...I did my best to spend a good portion of time sitting with our employees. It’s amazing what happens when you do this. It’s really times like these that remind me why I fell in love with Haiti and how thankful I am for the people God’s placed in my life. It reminds you why you’re here. It reminds you that everyone needs Jesus, no matter what. We may be able to give people work, but it won’t matter unless they have Jesus in their lives. So what do I conclude from this? My heart needs to be prepared to share Jesus with people. Jesus needs to be shining through my words, thoughts, prayers, and the things I write.  

He says “relax.” Two weeks ago, when Jason was here Dorothy and Louisemene watched me leave everyday to head out to the land. They watched me come home for a few minutes each day only to turn around and head out again to work late into the day. Since I was doing such hard labor, they said, I needed to relax. Our lady employees were so kind as to grant me two weeks of vacation. I should have taken them seriously.  I was sick for two days after Jason left. Being sick is like being forced to relax. The next day I went to town running around on the moto. The following day I was sick again. Dorothy and Louiseman just laughed. They said that God was trying to tell me I needed to relax. I think they might of been up to something. It’s a different work here then I ever experienced in the States. Sometimes you feel like your mind will literally explode. When I have a conversation with someone I feel like my head isn’t even there. I’m already thinking about the next couple days or the next tough conversation I need to have with someone else. This isn’t good and I know it. Relaxing reminds me that everything should go to straight to God. Nothing should be kept in my head for too long. He’s got the whole world in his hands, my problems included. 

“Focus, he says, on me.” Even as I write this those words on sinking in. It’s like a spiritual revival up in here! My heart may have hardened a little but now its breaking free of any rust. My ears and eyes are refreshed both to hear His voice and to hear people’s hearts and stories. I’ve placed new importance on listening and concentrating my mind on Him. I’m renewed. I’m reminded that every day I need to make time to concentrate my heart. 

It’s been pretty evident here...after all that has been accomplished that when we stop waiting for money, it just comes.  This has been the theme of our organization over the last couple months. When there isn’t money to continue the building project its an opportunity for us to seek God’s direction and listen to where he wants us to focus our time and efforts. It may be sit, it may be relax, it may be listen. 

That being said, we’ve had some recent donations and the work is set to continue on Monday! School started this week! Its a crucial time when everyone needs money the most. Books, uniforms, tuition, lunch boxes, backpacks, school supplies, ribbons, socks, underwear, bus money, lunch money... I think you know the drill. School is expensive! All of our workers and employees have been saving up their money to send their kids to school. Everyone has high hopes and dreams for their kids. They want their children to have a better life. 

When I think about the money that just came in I don’t see it for its ability to bring progress. I don’t see it as bringing us a step closer to completion. I see it for its ability to employ a whole bunch of dads for another two weeks. I see it as school shoes, and backpacks, and bright colored material sitting in the laps of the seamstresses and tailors that make uniforms. More work for everyone. More kids in school. 

Big day for Daddy! Dadou's daughter, Tania. Very first day of school ever.

So what will be done in the next two weeks?

We will pour the roof on the recovery homes. Then 2,700 blocks will be made for the staff living quarters above the clinic, and four more rooms will be built above the “recovery homes” for sleeping quarters, office, and meeting space for our national staff. 

And 

we will sit, concentrate, and relax.

I get it now. It’s important. 

Hanging out with Haiti Babi

Last week we had the privilege of hosting Katlin Jackson, founder of Haiti Babi. She came to check on her ‘baby.’ This organization and the concept to keep families together by teaching moms the skills of knitting and crocheting is her brain child. Over the past year, she and Kari Davidson, another young woman with an entrepreneurial spirit and amazing creative prowess have been working on this social enterprise start-up. They’re like us. And we like them. And we love the women they’ve chosen to employ. 

It’s a pleasure to be their on the ground partner and do what we can to help this organization grow.

   

For the past 2 months we’ve been housing Haiti Babi operations in our spare/volunteer apartment. Every morning three exceptionally sweet mamas mount the steep hill that leads to our home. They arrive with beads of sweat the size of gum drops sliding down their smiling faces and looks that say, “I’m ready.” They knew nothing of crochet before they were trained in the art this August. And now? Now we watch their growing confidence as they simultaneously create blankets for someone else’s babies and futures for their own.

We'll post about these women from time to time and soon you'll be able to purchase their handi-work.

Until then, follow their adventure on facebook!  We're stoked.

The Haiti Babi moms at work! 

Getting somewhere

Hey there, it’s me Jenn. We sort of have this unwritten agreement that for every 2-3 posts that Amy writes I write one. It seems fair enough. The problem is, I don’t love writing. I’m also pretty busy. If you know me, you’d also know that I think a lot. I pace and I think. Then I might write 10 emails, but very rarely does my thinking turn into blog posts. If it did I’d have a 1,000 by now! 

So here’s my best effort to put a month’s worth of thinking into a few brief points. 

Getting to do what you love. 

A few people have brought to my attention that not everyone gets to do what they love. I do. 

Not everyone gets to see their dreams become a reality. I do. 

For this I am very thankful. 

Getting to do what we set out to do.

When we first put the Second Mile Haiti vision into writing there were a lot of different components. Of all our hopes, goals, and dreams, the one that has stuck out to me the most at this stage in the journey is this: We desire to raise up a staff of Haitian leaders...much time will be invested into these core people. 

I am without a doubt getting to invest. So many things could get in the way of this  but once again God seems to be protecting our relationships and bringing understanding. During the first week of construction I got Dadou and I matching notebooks (cool ones, with soccer pros on them) to keep track of building costs and estimates. This week Dadou gave me a pair of sunglasses to match his. I think he likes me. :) I think things are going well.

Getting healthy

I am the healthiest I’ve been in my life, to date. Not much more to say on that except that we had to hit up the outdoor clothes market to get me a new pair of shorts to work in. I use the word ‘we’ lightly. It was actually Amy that braved the market. 4 square blocks worth of used clothes is kind of overwhelming. I can handle Goodwill. I can’t handle that. 

Getting connected 

I have so thoroughly enjoyed how through this journey I’ve gotten a chance to connect with so many different people. You all blow me away with your generosity and support. I love that we are a small enough organization that I can still drop an email or send a picture telling you how your contribution is making a difference. You each have such unique gifts and its fun to try to brainstorm with you about how you can use those talents to further the ministry in Haiti. Speaking of talented people and awesome connections, this week I get to work with Karen Gigure’s husband, Jason. He is here to help us with septic systems, and plumbing, and gardens, and more! I never dreamed that I would learn how to do all of this. It’s crazy and I love it. Hey maybe next time I’m in your area we could do a little swap. I’ll set you up with a septic system and you set us up with a big fundraiser... j/k (but seriously...)

well gotta run! this week is busy!!!! 

Here are some pictures. 

Some from Dadou's camera and some from the one I carry. Neither of us are particularly talented photographers but the "enhance" button helps us out. 

 digging at dusk

A before picture: The mom and baby homes before they became homes.

a good man

our pup

dadou, leading the troops into septic battle

a tree where clean clothes do their best not to get dirty. 

dadou's moto. 

the inside of one of the 6 houses. 

more digging

 dinner time. :)

Dadou and Jason

Sundays

We used to post a lot on Sundays. A slower paced day and a little extra time seem to be the secret ingredients for thinking and writing.

When we used to live at Children of the Promise Sundays were a day to keep the gates closed, to dress the kids up for church or to hold a relaxed worship circle under the Mango tree. I enjoyed grabbing just one child to practice my hair braiding skills or to spend some time with the nannies by getting my own hair braided. If sitting for three hours getting your hair yanked on doesn’t inspire rest… I don’t know what does…;)

amy, circa 2010 

When we first moved back to Cap this past January after 3 months in the States, Sunday was a day to explore what it meant to live in the city. We used Sundays to figure out things like where to buy rice and how much to pay. We rode Tap-Taps to Cap’s mega church and treated ourselves to brunch at the bakery on the way home. After all going from living on a big compound where meals were served hot off the stoved to living on our own with our rice cooker was a bit of an adjustment…for us, in terms of health and rest, it was a good one.

Later, we busied ourselves with Sunday afternoon excursions to visit our friends in the villages surrounding Cap. We’d walk, drive, or take motos to spend leisurely visits with the people we love. We’d come home with sun burnt faces and full hearts.

After I started working for Caris (a Monday through Friday job) Jenn would use the weekends to get me up to speed on the progress of our Second Mile Haiti compound. We’d make quiet “vision” visits to the land. We’d relax some and then when our bellies started growling we’d head to the market. Sunday, early evening, turned out to be a great time to stock up on produce for the coming week.

market day, always a game. 

guess how much we spent...

($12.75)...!!!

During the months we acted as fill-in moms for our friend Kelinise we spent many a Sunday at the hospital. Her regular doctor visits for diabetes usually fell on Thursdays. Depending on the issue (hypertension, high blood sugar, skin abscess, etc…) the doctor tended to prefer to keep her at hospital over the weekend. This was a stretching time, as driving to and from our house, her orphanage, and the hospital was expensive and didn’t allow for much rest. We love her though, and are so thankful that she has been relatively healthy and living with her Dad for almost two whole months. 

When we started to have a string of visitors we used the weekends to show them the sites and sounds of Haiti. We have spent many of our Sundays letting our friends experience the wonderful Cormier Plage, a beach resort close to town with breathtaking views and a stellar rum punch.

Today? A morning mix of silence and reading and getting ourselves focused.

 does our porch not literally breath, "come, relax, take a load off..."?

Jenn spent several hours lounging on the porch engulfed in the Secret Life of Beads---I mean Bees. I dug into a new book sent down by a faithful friend of Haiti. I’m continually amazed by how God seems to hand select certain books which are then gifted by special individuals with impeccable timing. Come Talk with Me, Jesus Calling, Kisses for Katie, and now one called Sacred Rhythms... It’s happened too many times now to write off as coincidence.

After we had our fill of peace and quiet we opened the computer in search of some tunes and like magic, our internet connection appeared for the first time in 3 days!

As I finish writing this post Jenn is busy beating the keyboard with speed and enthusiasm, intent on using this window of internet to the fullest. She’s posting photos from the last few days, thrilled to announce that we’ve broken ground once again, this time for the construction of the mom/baby homes. Less exciting, or more, depending on how you look at it is her role as the official accountant. It’s a good thing she loves numbers because staying on top of “the books” requires daily attention. The first thing out of her mouth when she saw that we had internet was “yeah! I can get the spreadsheets up-to-date.” I'd probably be more excited to check my email, but to each her own.

Equally important is her communication with the Gigures which these days seems to be nearly constant as they plan for the distribution of finished bracelets and Jason’s upcoming trip to Haiti. He and Jenn have their work cut out for them as they will be sorting out the gardening, water, and septic situation on the Second Mile Haiti compound. We can’t wait for his visit as he will be bringing A TON of seeds recently donated for our ministry and the families we support.

  the Gigure clan sortin' seeds

I now work only part-time with the Caris Foundation. We made this switch in hopes that I would have more time to work with Dorothy and Louismene, our magnificent bead makers plus a little time to support Haiti Babi another brand new organization operating out of our apartment. We are partnering with Haiti Babi to empower mothers through employment and the skills of crochet and knitting. These past two weeks have been full to the brim with activity as four women are being taught how to make designer baby blankets. Our apartment is an explosion of cardboard, yarn, HIV testing supplies, but it’s good. Very good.

haiti babi - learning in motion

I suppose I'll spend the rest of my afternoon sorting out the bead operation as we prepare to send over 2,500 finished beads state-side. If time permits I might need to prepare a little for Kid’s Club, a club/support group that The Caris Foundation hosts for children living with HIV. Tomorrow in between fun and games we’ll be broaching two loaded topics, SEX and PUBERTY. A little prep wouldn’t hurt…

As for this evening, looks like our empty shelves and lack of toilet paper will send us back to the market. 

In summary, we love Sundays for so many reasons. It's fun to reminisce on where we've been by examining the types of activities that have filled our Sundays. We’re incredibly grateful for this particular day and it’s perfect marriage of rest, soul care, and productivity.

We hope you’ve had a lovely Sunday too.  :)

On fear and trust...

It’s an unwieldy mix of emotions, those feelings that surface when I set foot on the land. You see it’s not just a wide open space anymore. The clock is ticking and the space of time before we're "operational" is growing smaller and smaller. There are buildings now and where there are not buildings I see a thin white thread tied to bamboo fragments outlining the soon-to-be buildings with halting finality. I should be bursting with excitement but instead I feel an unpleasant shade of fear.  

And then there are the walls which continue to make me a bit anxious. In Haiti walls mean rules. Rules decide who comes in and who stays out, and when. Being in charge means that all of this falls under our discretion. I’ve never much cared for walls or rules. This complicates things.

Where was I? Oh yes, my feelings...

"the gallery," an area in the clinic set aside for waiting and learning

(mostly learning while waiting and maybe some praying too)

As we put money, your money, into tangible things like cement blocks and gardens and consultation rooms and toilets and chickens I can’t help but feel the pressure. Will our compound really be able to accomplish all that we’ve set out to do? There’s a goal. Yes. And we have experience with the sorts of things that prevent families from "making it." It all makes sense on paper but.. will it work? Will the buildings be adequate to serve the functions we’ve assigned to them? Will moms get to keep their babies and will lives be changed?

* * *

The discussions are endless as we corral our ideas, turning decisions over and over until they are refined into something that makes sense. The prayer has been the same from the start. God help us to hear you. We trust you and we want to dream and believe on your level of awesome, not ours.

Trust is an amazing thing. I can’t claim to be good at it all the time. But one thing is for sure, it puts things into perspective. To say God you’ve got this and really mean it means that not only do you trust that He is capable but to also trust in the way he is using you and making you capable.

I look at the land and am astonished by how much has been accomplished in just four months. I can’t help but grab Jenn by the shoulders and tell her I’m proud of her. I’m proud of her for trusting in the way that God has equipped and empowered her to face each day and tackle the decisions at hand. She doesn’t have the background, the training, or any sort of former experience that would lead one to believe that she’s the director of operations behind this project. And that’s just it. God's got this.

Earlier today, when those feelings of fear were bubbling within me I took a long hard look at the nearly finished clinic, the perfectly straight cement block walls that seem to stretch on forever, and the bamboo and wood post fences that enclose what promises to be a field of delicious life. It is all more beautiful that I could have ever imagined. The degree of awesome reflected in the finished work points directly to Him. 

We can relax and enjoy knowing that ultimately he is in control…of every detail.

details

scaffolding

the bamboo barricade 

a temporary structure that keeps cows and goats from participating in the block making

and separates the garden area from the rest of the land

help us by praying for the future of this space, might awesome things happen here!

 Proud of her. 

Thank goodness there is someone much bigger and wiser that seems to want this thing to succeed.

So we trust and watch and expect [great things to happen].