Second Mile Haiti: September 2012

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.