A GLIMPSE OF OUR DAILY LIVES IN HAITI

Bonjou! How are you? Wanted to share a few days of our lives with you ..................................One Saturday evening we arrived home early and I was thinking- Oh! good a early supper for once and just maybe time to read. Pastor Enel's dump truck is parked out our front door. Two big metal gates were leaning against it, maybe 12'x14', something his son David had welded up. Getting ready to sit down for supper,  around the corner came 8 Haitians and Pastor Enel. They were going to load the big gates onto the dump truck. Of course, there was lots of discussion and hand motions going on. It looked like they were going to just load the gates- no cushioning and not concerned  with curly-q's on top. No big deal, fix it later if something happens to them.  Philip watched awhile and finally decided to go out to help.  Philip was in light nice pants & shirt ! ( They usually grease the metal good, so they don't rust.)  Remember this for all of you who know Philip !  Philip got them to raise the dump truck bed, slide and pull the gate on top. He had a big ratchet strap to hold it in place. Then they had a little trouble understanding that the next gate needed to go on like the first gate.  Little pause in the work as he tried to get this thought across. Finally, they got it loaded, climbed on and took off with Pastor Enel driving. The roads aren't very wide bushes hanging out to grab the gates on side and the top hanging out about 4 ft. on the traffic side-SCARY!  They didn't have far to go and made it OK. Needless to say Philip's pants had changed colors here & there ! We then enjoyed a good supper and evening  too! Just a day in Haiti..........

                One day I was sitting with Madam Ollie as she was sorting thru some beans. The toothless neighbor man was there visiting and Creole words were flowing rapidly back and forth. Madam leaned her hair towards me and said something in Creole. I thought she had a bug in her hair, maybe?????  Couldn't  quite figure out what I was suppose to do. :)   Finally the old man ( which is probably our age ) got a hold of one of her braids and pulled out a paper wad. Madam Ollie unfolded it and it was a phone number for the old man. Smile! I don't think I could hold a paper wad in my hair. Just another day in Haiti......                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Took a moto up to see my cousin Cheryl Kaufman for her birthday. Their friend Edmond, took me up and he is a very careful driver, a scary road drops off on one side 300ft. or so and stone wall on other side. You really don't want to meet the big top- tops going to market where the road is narrower. It takes about 45 mins. to get to the stopping point. The road has changed a lot since Hurricane Sandy. Cheryl was there to meet me.We quickly hiked back up the hill to her house because the Principal wanted to celebrate her birthday. Usually, you provide the food for you Fet or Birthday.  Principal Kesnel  had brought cokes & ice. The Principal, teachers, professors, 6th grade students  came in the house with their chairs. The students were anywhere from 13 to 20 years old. The school in the mountain wasn't  there before Heart of Compassion. They prayed, sang some songs and a few stood up a gave a little speech to Cheryl . We sang Happy Birthday, then served the cokes with ice. The ice is very special up there and tastes so good.   Pat rummaged around in the back pantry for some crackers, and a piece of candy, to give out. What a party, soon everyone was gone and all that was left of the evidence was crumbs on the floor. Soon we found ourselves helping serve rice & beans at the school. Lunch was late that day. Pat was fixing up  propane burners for them to use instead of charcoal. The cooks weren't sure about the burners, they thought one pan wasn't close enough to the flame.  So they started one charcoal fire. These are 2 huge pots.  Pat fixed the burner after lunch. They don't have enough spoons & bowls to go around,  so halfway thru dishing up the meal, we had to squat and wash  them in Clorox water. Then we finished serving the rest of the students. They fix lunch 3 times a week. This may be the only food some of the children get. Pat, Cheryl & I enjoyed a good meal in the evening, then retreated to the roof to open her gifts by flashlight. The flying beetles were so bad in the house we decided to escape. They seem  extra bad right now. The next day found us taking a 45 min. hike and being the visiting nurse.  Cheryl helped in a mobile medical clinic over a week ago. Two patients were needed to be checked on. One young boy had a swollen knee, not sure why. Cheryl decided to measure the knee because she wasn't sure it had changed much. She found a string on the ground to measure it. She prayed with him in Creole. His sister had, had a baby a week ago so we got to peek at him. So sweet !  Many women in isolated areas bundle themselves and their babies with many layers of clothes for couple  months and stay in their dark houses.  Now realize the house was cement block, tin roof and open block for a window. The size of it was approx. 6ft. x 10ft. There was a big twin bed and a chair sat in the corner. All necessary items were stored in the rafters, toothbrush, toothpaste,soap,and comb.etc. In bed lay the little baby with blankets,  a tin can upside down held a candle melted on it and a box of matches. I hope that was on the floor at night. I didn't see any disposable diapers or wipes.   Whew! The next patient was a 56 year old lady with very advanced breast cancer. Cheryl wanted to check her pain level, give her some protein packets and a hygiene kit. The small little lady  was laying very quietly in  bed and  seemed to be having some pain too. Her husband and her 2 sisters came into the little room. Cheryl talked to them and asked how she was doing in  Creole . We sang a song together and Cheryl prayed in Creole. I was impressed. What a blessing the families were to us, they both seem to know about the One who died for all of us!!!!! Cheryl plans to go again next week to check on them. We hiked back, ate some snacks and soon it was time for the moto to come, to take me back down the mountain. I thought Edmond was going to take back another girl with us , but instead a big man climbs behind me  with his big empty gas can and a backpack. As we  came down  the mountain we all kept sliding forward and I think Edmond was running out of  seat room.   Just another day in Haiti........

.When I need a little ice for my cooler/ refrig. I listen for the toot of the ice truck. Its distinctive sound is made with a bicycle  tire pump and  horn. I grab my cooler and run out the door and try to found which street the ice truck is on. The ice is covered in a tarp in the back of a small pickup. The  chunk is 18"x24"x48"approx. You tell them amount of money you'll give and they score you off a chunk of ice  accordingly.  They have big old ice tongs to move the chunk around with . I've seen them drag a chunk through the dirty market, of course you wash off your ice. The water truck, if you need drinking water plays Jingle Bells. The ice horn and Jingle Bells songs, seems to be the universal signal.

        Just another day in  Haiti ......                                                                                                                                                                                                           Blessings to all of you for your prayers and your financial support...... We appreciate it and depend on them..... until next time..... we are weak but He is strong.. Love you, Philip & Bethany