Hello, friends! I apologize that it has been so long since my last post... As it turns out, I really have fallen off the map! Life in Haiti has proven more difficult than I expected. Fortunately, we were able to buy some time at an internet cafe, so here we are with an update. First things first... Lets admit this: When people say Its hotter than Hades, what they actually mean to say is Its hotter than Haiti, which, by the way, I am convinced nothing is. I. AM. SWEATING. CONSTANTLY. Imagine temperatures near 100 degrees with Indianas rainy-day humidity... and thats Petit-Goave. I can honestly say that physically, this is the most difficult environment I have ever been in. Aside from the fatigue, the unidentifiable rashes, the blistering sunburns, and the constant dripping perspiration, things are actually going quite well! Myself and two other girls on our team are living in a small house on the edge of a busy street in the center of town. Our young and lovely host mom, Mona, is one of many fun and colorful Haitian women who have taken us into their home with hearts wide open. I call our home a house, but it could be more accurately described as a collection of rooms within a walled courtyard. In the courtyard, beneath a shady fruit tree, we conduct most of our daily life: cleaning, eating, reading, playing, washing, and all other amusements and chores. I should pause here to mention that we do not have running water or electricity. It is absolutely amazing what bathing out of a bucket, washing clothes and dishes by hand, and making sure to get set up for bed before dark can do to a persons humility! The simplicity of life without these conveniences is something I have not only learned to live with, but to appreciate; Ideal comfort, physical appearance, and personal preferences have all been tossed out the window, which has created an amazing amount of room for fellowship, servitude, and spiritual focus. And while were on the subject of fellowship, let me tell you about the rest of our Haitian family: Mona, our early thirties mom and the owner of our home, shares her space with her sister Matilde, her cousin Bella (with husband and two year old son Chevez), another cousin and her ten year old son, Tigris, her nephew Eddson (who is a translator for EM teams), a cousin Monique and her six year old daughter Nikka, we three Blancs, and our personal translator Joel (pronounced Joe-L). I wish I could describe to you how sweet and strong each of these women are in their own individual ways, but that would take all day... and Im running out of time! Each day in Haiti is a little different than the one before, but there are certain norms. We get up with the sun, eat breakfast around 8am (which usually consists of bread dipped in cocoa or coffee, and bananas or avocadoes), then bathe out of a bucket in a small cement wash room. During the afteroon, we may help with various chores such as toting water (and we carry it on our heads!), washing clothes, going to the market, and cooking the big meal, which we eat around 4pm. If were not at home, we may do kids club at the local church, teach English classes, go to the beach, or visit the other girls from our team, who live in various locations in Petit-Goave. I was just informed that I need to be logging off my borrowed laptop... I miss you all, and am sending my love to you from across the sea! Thank you for your prayers (please continue to pray for health especially), and look for more info from me in the days to come this week. In the mean time, rest assured that I am safe and well in the palm of Gods hand! xo
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 16:44:07 +0000
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