Living Haiti

2011-02-11T07:28:00.002-06:00

Finishing Strong...

I am in my last week here in Haiti. It's a little bit crazy. I have been running full speed ahead for the past 10 days and my last 6 seem to be all booked up as well.

We had two teams here last week, got a new child in our orphanage, I fell down the stairs, I went to Jacmel twice, had a person in the guesthouse that was a BIT more high maintenance than the normal guest, and had one my dearest and closest friends visit. Jam Packed!

I am not in the process of trying to transition my head from all the Haiti things to things like, getting a job!

I am leaving today and heading to Les Cayes to see Lionel's family one more time before heading back to the States next week. I'll try to write more after Les Cayes about the kids here, and things I've been trying to wrap up and how I'm feeling about transitioning. Until then, wish me lots of seafood and sun on the beach! (Those things may or may not be waiting for me in Les Cayes.)

2011-02-02T05:40:00.003-06:00

Jacmel to Port AU Prince...

I got to spend the weekend in Jacmel. I'm a little sad I didn't get to see more of the city but I had a great time. My fiance is working on a project down there that is coordinating with the Lutheran Church. His "American Momma", as I like to call her, is running a Guest house construction project down there so that there will be a place for teams to stay when they come to work on building projects, or helping with the church. I love the foresight of thinking ahead to create the infrastructure needed for projects in the future. She is a total inspiration and just walks right over any snag that might try to sneak in. She came in town this weekend with a team so I headed down with them for a couple days.

I was able to worship with the Lutheran Church in Jacmel, and am excited to see all the things they have going on down there. I witnessed the groundbreaking for a new church building, and saw about 25 men, a mix of Haitians and Americans, working together to build a foundation of rocks. They worked so hard! They're still working hard. If anyone reading this is into building, let me know, I can hook you up with a trip down here in the next couple months to help work on this building project. Definitely a well run situation!

I ended up on a late night road trip from Jacmel to Port Au Prince with Gertrude's two brothers. Neither of them are strong English speakers, but I'd say we've become good friends and we make it work. They make me laugh, and I in turn try to crack jokes in kreyol...which seem to work ou about 10% of the time. I haven't found my humor in kreyol yet...maybe it's still coming. It was strange to be on the roads past 11pm. Really. No one is out. This is strange to witness when usually the streets are full of so many people and cars that you can barely move. we made it to PAP in record time! Awesome.

Today we have two teams coming to stay...I have been "kicked out" of my room and will be sleeping in a tent on the roof for the next week. I'm looking forward to the adventure, and more piggy noises from the giant pigs out back.

2011-01-26T09:12:00.003-06:00

Gade!

*I have been waiting to post this for a few days, but the internet speed hasn't been fast enough to post...we are SO excited!

We have been working on getting this new car for at least the entire 5 1/2 months I've been here! Yesterday we finally got it...and there was MUCH rejoicing! It really is incredible the sense of accomplish there is to this little task of buying a car. It's been a long road.

Now all we have to do is figure out how we're going to pay the 13,000 loan we had to take to make it happen! We've got a plan...and now, we've got a car that won't break down on us every other day!

2011-01-26T00:48:00.002-06:00

Living Haiti...for sure, for sure.

So, it's definitely almost 2am, and I'm definitely still awake. No, it's not because I'm not tired. It's not because I have anything pressing or earth shattering that I have to attend to. Nope. It all started with some pigs.

We have some pigs living on our back property. They will some day be food, but for right now, they are just pigs. They make weird noises. This is not something I am used to in my non-Haiti life. Pigs. The way the sound, coming through my window. That was the beginning of my animal extravaganza for the evening.

It was followed up later by "squirrels." At least that's what my friend Joanna calls them. Actually, it was a rat. Gertrude hollared to me in my room to close my door because she saw a mouse on the front porch tonight. We've been moving boxes around and re-sealing storerooms around here. Apparently we've upset the critters because this one "mouse" was living large and in charge. I closed my door and it wasn't until about 10 minutes later when I was trying to talk to my brother and sister-in-law on skype that I realized the "mouse," which was actually a rat, was in my room. I screamed. Like a little girl and jumped on my bed with my laptop in my hands. I called out for Gertrude, who is probably more afraid of rats than me, and I'm sure Jacob and Gretal were SUPER confused as to what was going on in Haiti to make me scream so loud. A lot of crazy ensued...which ended in me making two men crawl around on my floor to assure me that the rat was no longer in my room.

When gertrude and I were going to bed we realized the rat was in the bathroom...We trapped it and found a man that we work with to come and "take care of it." He didn't seem to be too entertained with our antics, but neither one of us wanted to sleep with the rats, and we also didn't want to do what we had to do to "take care of it."

So...now...I'm laying in bed trying not to be creeped out by the crazy pig noises, and the left over rat adrenaline. And then there are the roosters that have just started their crowing. ah.

I love living Haiti.

2011-01-19T06:26:00.003-06:00

Well...What do you say?

I'm honestly a little lost for words as to an opinion about what's going on in Haiti with this whole Duvalier thing. The reality is that, if you are reading this from the United States, you have seen more news on the subject that me. I was talking to my dad last night, and he'd heard more on the nightly news than I had heard all day. But it seems that even then news entities don't really know what's going on. We keep trucking along. Yesterday we had a LONG list of things to accomplish, so Gertrude and I headed out. We're looking forward to a FULL guesthouse the first week of February and we had some preparations to do. We bought 8 new fans yesterday. Even in the actual retail store we had to haggle for a better price. I will never get used to how much things like this cost here. BUT we got them, and ended up with a pretty decent price. We've ordered new chairs, worked on the wall at the old guesthouse, and worked on getting a loan for the new car that we so desperately need! So...even in the midst of political confusion and uncertainty, we still hit the roads of Port AU Prince and tried to make a little something happen.

If you're interested in an opinion piece on this whole new crazy in Haiti, check this out...

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/18/opinion-in-haiti-the-truth-is-often-prostituted/

This is from a (I think, Independent) Journalist working in Port Au Prince. She usually brings a little something different to the table. Read if you will.

Also...Big thanks to my mom for getting my paypal and new bank card all sorted! Paypal is up and running again for those who are interested.

2011-01-16T21:16:00.003-06:00

Every Few Days...

Honestly, it seems like every few days something just plain wacky happens here. Well...I should clarify. When I say something that's "just plain wacky," I mean something that seems wacky in my North American, United States Citizen frame of mind. It's amazing the amount of crazy that is dealt with at times here.

Before I get into the crazy, I would just like to say that I have had a GREAT couple days. Yesterday was so restful and provided me the opportunity to do some of the much needed tasks that needed to be attended to in the United States that are SO easy for me to ignore in my life here. Ok, sometimes I'm not ignoring the tasks, I'm actually unable to perform them because I am here...but still, they need to get done. I talked to my parents for over an hour and even got to have a conversation with one of my best friends. I worked on some wedding details, and was able to try to sort out some of my banking/paypal issues due to the bank reissueing me a new check card without my knowing. So hopefully soon I'll have that all in order.

A very good friend of Gertrude's and one of my favorite people form my "Haiti circle" called to say she was in country. Her name is Mary and I met her my very first trip to Haiti. I knew she was the kind of lady to say it like it is, and not be worried about pretention. She was just here because she wanted to serve. And serve she does. She works at the Missionary of Charity hosptial for the sick and dying here in Port Au Prince when she is in country now. Gertrude and I went up to meet her there last night and went to the mass they had there. If you'll excuse me for a moment while I skip into some "churchy" talk. I'm not Roman Catholic. I am Lutheran and come out of a pretty liturgical tradition of Lutheranism. And I am learning to love the times when I tag along to the Roman Catholic mass here, because even though my language skills are not super awesome, I always know what's going on in the service because it follows the same liturgy I know from my church tradition. It's beautiful...it feels like coming home. Yesterday I had the added benefit of being surrounded by people with, what most of my friends and family, would call devastating diseases...HIV, TB, etc. I think worship takes on a whole different meaning when they people you are surrounded by really truly believe soon they will be seeing their Savior face to face. There was a comfort and a hope there...and it was beautiful to be a part of something like that.

We spent last night and this morning catching up and telling old Haiti stories. It's good to be with friends!

Tonight we heard knews that Baby Doc, Jean Duvalier, former dynastic ruler of Haiti returned this evening after 25 years in exile. This is the "wacky" of today. None of us are really sure yet what it means to have him back. I was only 6 years old when Baby Doc fled to France...I have no real knowledge of his rule here. Only what people have told me and what I have read. Google it, if you'd like to know more. I won't write anymore here for now. Who knows what will happen next. For now, I'm praying for peace. Really, what Haiti doesn't need right now is one more crazy thing to try and sort through. The days have enough trouble of their own right now, without extra crazy needing to enter in. I guess we'll wait and hear what the news is tomorrow. Haiti could use a little rest.

2011-01-14T22:47:00.004-06:00

Reporting...

I'm happy to report that the little girl who I was working on the medical visa for has safely arrived with her hosts in the United States. I had the easiest time EVER at Social Services...until later in the evening when they said they weren't going to sign my papers and Gertrude told the mom to sleep there if she had to, but to not leave without them. Somehow she got the papers, and everything went off without glitches the morning little W left us. My friend, and fellow HMPer, Joanna did a fabulous job escorting her and even had the added fun of getting stranded in Haiti overnight with a child whose language she couldn't speak. If you know Jo, you know that it's no problem...she knows how to make it work.

W is scheduled for heart surgery at the beginning of next month. Getting to help kids who need visas is a LOT of work, but it sure is nice to know they are getting the help they need when it's all said and done. I'm happy to have helped this little munchkin!

UPDATE: Here is an article written about this little girl that I spent a month trying to get a visa for! http://www.pjstar.com/news/x1500472536/Haitian-girl-finally-makes-it-to-U-S-for-needed-heart-surgery

2011-01-13T06:05:00.003-06:00

One Year Later: Mwen Pap Bliye...

I wasn't here.

1.12.2010...I was in Chicago packing bags for a mission team to leave the next morning. I was in the Cafeteria of the church where I worked when a friend who had previously been to Haiti came and told me that he just got an update on his Blackberry that there had been an earthquake in Haiti. There were no real details. I wasn't worried. Earthquakes happen all the time...little ones. I wasn't worried. Not long after that I received a phone call from my Dad.

"Rachel, there's been an earthquake in Haiti," is what he said.

I wasn't worried. My parents always get a little sensitive to the events in Haiti before I leave. I told him not to worry that everything would be ok. A half hour later he calls back.

"Rachel, I think it was a big earthquake. There are stories on the news."

I had bags to pack. I was busy, but I wasn't worried. I told my dad that if there was a problem I was sure my friends in Haiti would call me and tell me that it was unsafe to come. I would wait to hear from them. I appreciated his concern, but I wasn't worried. I started the long drive from the Suburbs to the City to return home with my friend Danielle. My dad called again.

"Rachel, it's bad. I don't think you'll be going to Haiti tomorrow. Have you heard from your friends?"

We searched the news radio stations to hear anything we might be able to hear. There wasn't much. We returned home about 9pm that night...4 hours after the earthquake. We rushed to turn on the TV. The first image I saw was the palace, broken. Collapsed. It was bad.

The next week was a bit of a whirlwind. It was spent emailing and calling people we know in Haiti and people in the United States who know people we know in Haiti to find out if everyone was still alive, who was missing, what buildings were damaged, or lost. None of my close friends lost their lives in the earthquake, but many lost family members, and even more lost homes.

I wasn't there a year ago, but I am here today. I spent the morning yesterday driving around Port Au Prince. We had things to accomplish but it wasn't long until we saw that everything was closed. All business were closed and markets looked more like ghost towns. The only places that I saw in Port Au Princes that were bustling with people were churches. People spilling out of church buildings onto rooftops and stairways, gathering outdoors, and congregating in the streets. At one point we had to get out and walk through a crowd outside of a church. We could barely squeeze through, there was no way our car would make it.

Still there are so many people living in tents, and more people being moved into "temporary" housing that is not something I would ever consider acceptable for myself. I know it is easier to point fingers than it is to try and make a difference. The answers aren't easy, and most days I wonder how PAP, and Haiti, can ever dig out from this mess. Still there are so many people without jobs, and without hope of finding one soon. Life is different here. What's happening in Haiti is more than a sensational news story. What's happening in Haiti is more than a headline you see on CNN. It's the lives of millions of people who wake up every morning much the same way as my friends and family in the United states. It's the lives of millions of people whose hearts beat the same way as yours. It's the lives of millions of people who want to see better things for their friends and families. The international community responded after the earthquake...some of that response has been beautiful and restorative to the Haitian people...and some of it has fallen short. I know that I have been given an opportunity to serve here in Haiti, and I strive to be a part of that beautiful restoration. There's a long uncertain journey ahead of the Haitian people, and I hope that along that road they will continue to find joy and laughter among the struggles. I'm happy to be here helping. What I do doesn't even begin to make a dent in the amount of work to be done, but I'm happy to be given this chance. After all, who wouldn't want to help their neighbor?

Mwen pap bliye'w Ayiti...

2011-01-10T05:52:00.003-06:00

Morning...

It seems to be better to blog in the morning. I can wake up a half hour or so before the crowd that is here and find a little time (and internet) to write.

We had a pretty big day in Haiti yesterday.

As I mentioned before, we have a team here in Haiti right now and it's a Haiti Mission Project team so I've been helping out with them quite a bit on top of my regular Haiti life. Yesterday we took them up to church at an English speaking congregation. It's interesting for me to see a place where there is a mixture of missionaries and haitians worshipping in the same place. It's also weird for me to be around so many white people. It's amazing how strange it feels. I'm not saying it's good or bad...just strange. I really very rarely hang out with Americans here in Haiti...so to be in a group that contains more than 50 people who resemble my physical characteristics, and speak the same language as me, is a bit to wrap my head around.

After church we took the group to Epidor which is like the Haitian equivalent to what we would call Fast Food. This can sometimes be a bit of a circus, and I am usually pretty vocal about my desire to take big groups there. The ordering process is different, the getting your food process is different, and it can be a bit confusing for 3 foreigners, not to mention 15. I have the help of 4 great Haitian guys yesterday and with my minor Kreyol abilities it was honestly the least high maintenance trip there I have ever had. And everyone ate until they were full.

After eating a ridiculous amount of pizza, sandwiches, and other assorted things, we headed up the mountain so the group could buy some souvenirs. It's one of my favorite places to go in Haiti, and this group did a great job negotiating prices and walked away with some pretty great things, at some pretty good prices.

We took them to see th Palace, and then we took them over to see Madame Venia's house. Madame Venia is the woman who cooks at the guesthouse and whose home the HMP has been trying to help rebuild. It's been great to watch that process, and so wonderful to see her big smiley face welcoming us into her not-quite-finished home. She still needs a roof...we'll see what we can do about that.

The day ended with a dance party at the orphanage. There is nothing more fun than watching a bunch of people love these kiddos. I also love watching the dancing...kids of all shapes and sizes and abilities get out and bounce around...pretty great to watch. It's easy to love this place.

Today I try the finishing steps of getting the paperwork necessary for the little girl to travel on her medical visa. I'm not taking a translator! Wish me luck.

2011-01-09T05:54:00.002-06:00

Rental Car Fun...

These days in Haiti, (and by these days, I mean "after the earthquake") it seems that renting cars is totally at a premium and if you don't have lots of extra money it's going to be FRUSTRATING. I have been dealing with this since I got here in September. Any time you need to rent a car, you better be willing to shell out some dough.

I have a team here. Our usual bus driver was booked for this week so it was up to us to book another means of travel.

I always try to keep things as cheap as possible for our teams. I know that it is expensive to come on mission trips, and most times the people coming here are scraping by the cash to make a trip like this happen.

So this makes finding other transportation sometimes difficult.

I finally found a van that they said would fit 12 people and was able to rent it for the price of $160.00 a day. I figured for some days I could get by with the guesthouse car and a friend's pick up....and even though it was ideal, that's how we started. It worked out fine, although I had people sitting in the bed of a pickup truck.

Yesterday I picked up the van. When I finally loaded everyone in it, A.) They couldn't all fit. B) it was horribly uncomfortable for some, and C.) The car dragged along the bottom of the group because it clearly could not handle the weight of 12 people.

We made the decision to take the van back. Even though it was a slightly cheaper price than you would pay for a van right now in Haiti, this clearly wasn't going to serve our needs. Luckily my fiance was able to go with me and help sort through the particulars. I was able to return the van. I consider that somewhat amazing that they were willing to give me money back.

A friend said they knew a guy who would let us use his van. He called him and the van driver said he'd do it for 100 dollars a day. This seemed like a GREAT deal. We said yes. Then he called back and said that they guy at least wanted 10 dollars per person. Ok...we were going to take 13 people now so we said 130 dollars. Deal. Then the guys calls back AGAIN...now he wants at least 280 dollars for the day. So we decided to let that go too.

So here we are...Sunday morning...back to where we were with a pickup truck and the guesthouse car.

It makes me wish I could just go to Budget and get what I need. Ah well. Such is life...and at least we all have transportation.

2011-01-08T06:13:00.002-06:00

Updating:

It seems like I am always lacking time, energy, or internet signal to get this blog thing to work out. The last month has been frustrating with internet connection, and usually I sit in front of my computer for 20 minutes of so waiting for the blogger to load only to have the power switch over, the signal get lost and have to wait again. I'm afraid my patience just hasn't been up to it. I apologize. I would love to write more! I always have plenty of thoughts to share, and getting them out of my head here is always helpful too!

Merry Christmas...Happy New Year everyone!

So...here's a quick update.

Christmas in Haiti was hard for me...I didn't see it coming. Well, I saw Christmas coming, but I didn't see how emotional I would be being away from all the trappings of American Christmas, American Church Christmas, and my family and friends. Wow.

I spent two days in my future brother in laws house. They have four children. Needless to say, they did not leave me alone for two minutes. I made beaded necklaces and achieved super star status. Loved it! No one there speaks English. That was interesting.

I ate lobster on the beach, 10 feet from the beautiful Carribean water. Awesome. You can be jealous.

New Year's Eve was pretty much my best one ever. It involved many things that I miss from the United States, including a cocktail and pasta, a man playing classical guitar next to my table (while that rarely happens to me in the US, that was a nice touch)....and all sorts of Haiti fun. Like riding on motorcycles, hanging out with fun people, dancing to Haitian music, and great food. Totall worth it.

I was able to get the medical visa for the little girl after working for it for an entire month. Thank goodness. Then the stressful time of trying to keep the mom here for the other hoops we have to jump through and signatures we have had to get has also been a bit trying...but hopefully we will get to Social services on Monday, and the little girl will leave on Tuesday. I'm praying that all goes smoothly!

The little girl that I helped with a medical visa a few months ago had surgery this past week in the United States. She had a tethered spinal cord. they don't know if releasing it will help her walk, but I feel like she is in AMAZING hands and I am happy to report that while we won't know for a long time if the surgery was successful, that all seems to be going according to plan. This is GREAT news.

I have been trying to figure out how to build a chicken coop...nothing in my life has prepared me for this moment. Lord have mercy.

I have a group here in PAP right now. It's been great to have them around. We worked on building the wall at the guesthouse that had fallen down. They are also working on the chicken coop...I have put it in their hands.

Nannies are being a bit of an issue around here. If you pray...maybe you can pray that we can find the staff that we need, and that will love the children well. We have some super AMAZING nannies here, but we also have some pretty serious slackers.

I still don't have a new check card...getting things here to Haiti can be interesting. Which means I still don't have my paypal working. I know a couple people have tried to send stuff through there. I'm sorry. Banks are a pain sometimes, and it's more of a pain when you are in a differently country where communication is not always easy. I'm working on it. (In all my spare time)

I'm hearing alot of rumors of when election results or updates will be coming out again. I can't begin to imagine how you sort out what rumors are true...what rumors are not true. I guess we'll just know when we know.

I love Haiti. I've had some hard Haiti weeks...but the fact remains that I love Haiti.

I also love Gertrude. Her ability to roll with the punches in the midst of incredibly hard and frustrating things is beyond amazing. I can't imagine working with a better partner here in our home! She repeatedbly says to me..."Rachel, I understand, but I don't think you need to be this frustrated about it." Basically what she's saying to me is, "Rachel, I understand, but you can't control things here the way that you're used to controlling them. sit down...let it be."

So...we're off for another day. I'm hoping that I can update again more regularly. Our internet around here has at least been better in the morning and late at night. So...maybe I'll start blogging then!

2010-12-23T10:36:00.002-06:00

One of those Haiti days...

Some days in Haiti you just feel like nothing works the way you want it to. I have a 7 year old girl who is waiting on a medical visa for heart surgery in the USA...That is not working the way I want it to. The Embassy for some reason has decided that they have a bajillion questions that really aren't relevant and keep making us chase all around for answers. It's been over a week now.

I got word from some people in the United States who have two Haitian children who were evacuated on humanitarian parole following the earthquake. The adoptive families in the States didn't have the proper paperwork and now those two children have been taken to a detention center in Florida...they are 5 and 6 years old. I cannot move quickly enough in this city to help them get the proper paperwork because everything here takes so blasted long. I know it's not my responsibility but now there are two children spending Christmas in a detention center without anyone they know. Sometimes things just don't work the way you want them to.

We had a container with Christmas presents for our children that were supposed to be here alraedy. We even had word that they arrived. We went on Monday to pick them up from the place, but we were told that we couldn't go in on Monday...so we went back yesterday. We were shuffled around to many offices and the consensus was that our container WAS there but there wasn't anything for us on it. so I have been scrounging around looking for presents for all the kids. Unfortunately some of them will get not-so-awesome presents because it's just stuff i have pulled out of closests, because I want them all to have something to open.

And...my fiance is coming to Port Au Prince...in fact as I write this, he is already here...but the car for the guest house here is not an hour and a half later than they said it would be and my fiance is sitting on the side of the road somewhere waiting for me.

some days you feel like you can't win. BUT...it's Christmas. I will think on God Incarnate, and remember that the children will have fun no matter what...AND I will celebrate the fact that I have successfully cooked a turkey today in an oven with no numbers on it, and without the proper equipment I would usually use. It smells delicious and looks beautiful. My father would be proud!

I'm heading to Les Cayes to spend Christmas with the future inlaws...should be nice. I will have limited internet access...we're hoping they hold off on any more election findings until after New Years. We'll see.

Merry Christmas to you all. This year, more than even I am feeling so blessed to have such an amazing community of family and friends (even on days when it seems like nothing goes right!). Thank you to all, and I wish you every blessing in the coming year. I will probably try to write some posts while I am gone, but probably won't post until i have internet connection. Take care!

2010-12-20T21:25:00.002-06:00

Paypal...

I've heard from a couple friends that the paypal link on my page isn't working. Apparently just before Thanksgiving some card numbers were compromised through my bank, and mine was one of them. Since my paypal account is linked to that check card, they aren't allowing me to accept donations until I have a valid check card number.

As you can probably guess, I have not received my new card, because of my being in Haiti. My wonderful mother is on top of the situation for me, and it working on getting a new check card to my correct address, and then we can address the paypal issue.

Thanks to the friends who have brought it to my attention! I appreciate it.

IF you wanted to send me a donation, at this time you can do it by mailing a check to the 3506 address listed on the side of the page as well! Thanks again for the support, and hopefully I'll have a working checkcard again soon!

2010-12-18T08:24:00.002-06:00

Back in the Saddle...

It's been a crazy few weeks. It's always a strange transition for me back to the United States when I'm coming from Haiti, and now it's a strange transition for me coming back to Haiti. In some respects going home, which I consider to be either place now, feels like you've never been away, and yet like you've been gone for a lifetime! What's strange here is that my life in the United States is SO entirely different from my life in Haiti. And yet, I love them both. Both have ups and downs. It was good to be in my USA home...and it's good to be back in my Haiti home.

The transitions this time have been MANY. I left my first prolonged trip in Haiti for the States as a single woman, and now I am promised to be married...that in and of itself is a strange transition.

I left Haiti, and a world of getting by for the Holiday of Thanksgiving, a time of excess, and thankfulness.

I left the United States for Haiti heading to a different part of this country I called home, and instead of being the American who can kind of speak kreyol and jokes with everyone, I was Madam Lionel. (In Haiti, when you are married...or engaged as it seems...you don't take your husbands last name necessarily. You become known as Madam "first name of your man"...so there, I am Madam Lionel.) I of course always joke when people say, "oh you're madam lionel." I say, "Actually...he's Mr. Rachel." Usually people laugh...

I was only supposed to head down to Les Cayes for a few days. I had a lot of work to do in PAP and was anxious to be back after being gone for almost two weeks. I have a rythmn at my home in PAP...or at least, as much of a rythmn as one can have here. I didn't take money with me to Les Cayes...I didn't take a lot of clothes...I didn't take a book...and I forgot my conditioner!

I had to learn a new kind of dependence in Les Cayes...Only two people that I met in Lionel's town spoke English...that's fine...we're in Haiti...it's not their language...but when everyone is speaking Kreyol at the speed of light, I found myself feeling very left in the dust. Here in PAP, my Haitian friends know that I can mostly understand what's going on if they speak slowly enough and use the right words. In Les Cayes, no one knew that...and kreyol was FLYING. I was lost. I relied upon my fiance to tell me what was going on.

I didn't have any money. No money to buy phone cards. No money to buy food. No money to buy a coke when I wanted one. I had to rely on my fiance to buy things when I needed them.

I didn't have many clothes with me...I had to rely on Lionel's sister to wash them for me.

I didn't have conditioner. Ok...there was no one to rely on for this one. I just had to give up my vanity and be ok with my crazy Haitian hair. But when you're trying to make a goI od first impression, and you don't feel like the best representation of yourself, it can be a little frustrating.

Then there was the whole election craziness. We ended up being in Les Cayes for over an entire week. I had no idea when we would be able to head back to Port Au Prince. On top of it all I had a Dr. in Haiti need help getting a medical visa. I was trying to do the paper work by using the internet I was taking from a hospital up the hill from Lionel's house twice a day. It was frustrating. I felt completely disarmed. Usually, I can make things happen. It seemed I could do anything.

The house where were staying had indoor plumbing but there was so water pump...meaning I couldn't even flush the toilet on my own for the first 4 or 5 days. This independent girl had reached her limit.

I couldn't cook, I couldn't clean, I couldn't travel, I couldn't carry my own water...I felt like a complete failure. (No one else felt this way...just me.)

I was horrible to live with.

And yet, it was good to be in Les Cayes...to learn a different side of life. To talk with people...to practice kreyol...to hear about people who want the best for their children, who need jobs, who laugh, and care about politics, who want to see more from their country.

I'll write more later about some of the political crazy going on here...and I'll tell you more about the crazy weird, frustrating, week we've had with the US Embassy and immigration, trying to get a Medical Visa for a 7 year old girl who needs heart surgery. It amazes me. Most of my frustration this week in Haiti had nothing to do with Haiti and everything to do with Americans. As a member of the Western, more developed nations, it's easy to think that everything works better in our countries that it does here...but that's simply not the case. There are so many breakdowns in American systems, and this week there is a sick little girl who is losing because of it. It's not fair that she has to grow up in Haiti with an absent father and a mother that can't care for her. It's not fair that she has a hole in her heart. It's not fair that she can't go to school. And it's not fair that the Embassy is not giving her a visa when she has doctores and families ready to pay for her every move in a three months stay in the United States. But...this is life in Haiti.

More to come.
It's good to be back.

2010-12-14T18:55:00.004-06:00

Back in Port Au Prince...

I just wrote a long blog detailing my last week and a half, then the internet switched and I lost it all. I am far too tired to retype it tonight, but can't wait to get back to blogging and sharing with you what's going on...for now, take a look at this.

Just go to www.haitimissionproject.org/shirt

Still in Les Cayes

2010-12-10T23:58:00.002-06:00

Hi y'all, this is Lindsey. Rachel is still in Les Cayes due to rioting related to the elections. She's safe. It's pretty crazy, but Lionel and his family are taking good care of her!

Please continue to pray for Haiti. May God bring peace, honorable governments, and wisdom.

2010-12-06T11:07:00.002-06:00

Back, Kind of...

I've been away from my computer for a while. I had intended to keep blogging from the United States while I was away, but my boyfriend proposed to me, and apparently the excitement of everything was enough to keep me away from the computer.

I have been dating my fiance since February. We met last January in Chicago and bonded over our connection to Haiti. He is from Les Cayes and was living in the United States this past year. He has just returned to Haiti with me so that he can see his family and we can spend a little more time living in the same country! Plus, I think he was jealous that I was in Haiti and he was living with snow in the wintery Midwest.

We just returned to Haiti last week and came down to Les Cayes for the wedding of one of his best friends and for me to meet his family. I would love to write more about all of it, but we don't have a lot of internet access here in Les Cayes so that will have to wait until I return to Port Au Prince on Wednesday.

We're hoping there isn't too much election craziness in the next couple days. We're expecting an announcement tomorrow about the election results. I'll post more in a couple days.

2010-11-19T06:15:00.006-06:00

Friday November, 19th...

I was looking at the date this morning and wondering how November is already over half gone. I guess sometimes time really does fly. I have only a few more days until I head back to the States for a holiday with my family. I'm getting excited to see all my loved ones.

We've been pretty busy around here. I'm sure you're hearing snippets of news about Haiti lately. The reality is that there is a lot of newsworthy activity going on here, but I'm afraid most major news channels only want to cover the sensational end of the stories here. I'm not a journalist, and honestly, how could I ever know the whole of the story here, but it's easy for me to see an abundance of newsworthy activity here...

A seemingly unsurmountable occurence of poverty
An upcoming election
The lack of suitable recovery following a major catastrophic event
An epidemic that has killed more than 1000 people

And now, fighting in the streets. What I've found out in my time here, and in my relationship with this country is that the real story is not always easy to find. You have to ask a lot of questions from a lot of people, and be patient, then maybe the answers will start to come. Questions and Patience. I've been reading a lot of reporting from news entities and am sometimes upset, and sometimes offended at the way the Haitian people are portrayed. I wish the international community would approach people and situations here with a little more dignity. As people we share a commonality, and sometimes we're unwilling to share the small courtesies with each other that we expect for ourselves. But...I don't think I'll write anymore on that now, I'm far to0 opinionated and way too uninformed to try to write opinions of the greater state of Haiti for the whole internet to see here.

What I can say is this, the cholera is bad and is taking a lot of lives. Where it is hitting families and communities it is hitting hard, and many people are dying senseless deaths. It's sad. It's sad to hear of parents carrying a child to a hospital and then carrying them back home, lifeless. It doesn't make sense in my head, and it probably shouldn't, but it is a story that has been repeated countless times over here in the past month.

There is fighting in the streets...most of the fighting has been up in the North of the country, and most people are saying that it is only directed against the UN forces that the people are upset with. Yesterday there was some rioting in Port Au Prince in the downtown area. It was a holiday here and given the situations with the election and Cholera, I'm not too surprised that it happened. I haven't seen any signs of violence when I've been out in the street with one exception...and the exception that we saw was what was left after a fight in the streets, most likely after someone stole something. I've never found myself in danger, nor do we intend to. We try to make wise choices about where and how we move around the city. I talked to my dad today and told him not to worry...we play it safe, even if our daily routine hasn't been touched.

Things are going well with work at the orphanage. We got the phone call that one of our children's paperwork is done for his adoption. Now we just wait for the passport and visa...and the lawyer is doing that this time! It's possible he'll be with his family soon!

Today I have a meeting with a lady here who is helping with four of our children that are alraedy linked with families. Their paperwork is progressing as well! These things are all very exciting. So we're trucking along, trying to do what we can do. We've had a steady stream of visitors here which adds another exciting element to life around here, but Gertrude and I did find a little time for our own shennanigans up on the roof last night and tried doing the limbo with our clotheslines. It's always good to end an evening in this house laughing with Gertrude!

2010-11-16T20:52:00.002-06:00

too tired...

I'm too tired to write. I've got great stories, and real thoughts on the cholera epidemic...and other great things to share.

but I am just too tired tonight and the internet connection wasn't cooperating earlier.

so...just checking in to let you all know that I am alive, and well, and excited to share stories with you all.

2010-11-14T05:19:00.002-06:00

Arriving...

We have a couple teams here this week. I'm usually a team girl. Normally when I am in Haiti I have a bunch of people with me, or I'm with a bunch of people. This time is, of course, different. I'm definately not one of those "longer term" guys who things the "shorter term" guys "just don't get it." I like teams and I think they are an important part of telling the real story of Haiti back home, and hopefully their leaders are helping them begin to see the real stories here. I like short term teams...

But I can't help feeling a little bit like I'm just starting to arrive in Haiti. It's been a little over 2 months since I got here, and I'm starting to feel like I'm part of the workings here. People who work here have started to ask me questions. People in charge here are trusting me to give information to the workers. Kids come to me when something is wrong, or when they need to be soothed. Part of that is due to my slight increase in language knowledge...and part of it is because I am becoming a fixture in the lives of people around me.

A team last night was talking about the work being done here by big aid groups, and I had to keep my emotions in check, because it's hard to drive around here every day and see big aid groups with fancy cars and big budgets, and then see the people unwilling to leave tent communities that are unsafe and unsanitary because they really feel they have nowhere else to go. I can't point fingers...totally. I know that there are no easy answers to Haiti. I know that this is not an either/or situation. It's complex and it's difficult. What I do know is this, it is great to watch the work of people here who love and respect the Haitian people and don't come at it with an Us vs. Them mentality. I'd rather be a We.

Had a great visit with my brother while he was here. It was fun to drag him around to lots of parts of Port Au Prince...next step, getting my parents here!

2010-11-09T21:00:00.002-06:00

Sometimes I come up with CRAZY ideas...

If you've ever spent time in Port Au Prince, it's no secret to you that it takes a long time to get things done here. Part of the reason is that it can take hours to drive across town. We've been without a working car for quite some days now...almost a week I think. We had a bunch of kids that needed medical tests, and I figured if we were dropping big money to rent a Tap Tap for the day, I should make it worth my while. So we found the children we needed to run blood tests on and made our lists.

This morning I knew things were going to be crazy when we couldn't even get out of the house without some elements of chaos. 10 children total. We had 10 children ranging in age from 2-9, one with what I think is Down Syndrome, one with a pretty big case of what we think might be autism, among other things, and one child who can't walk, or sit up on her own.

I got to the lab with two nannies and ordered tests for all the kids. They were so nice to me and offered to send the lab worker out into the hall. This was great, because I knew I would have some screamers. Since some of the children we had were difficult to manage to say the least, I had the two nannies stay with the group at the entrance to the hallway and I took the children one by one down to their tests. These were all blood tests and TB tests...all of which involve needles. Yikes.

Now, I'm not a mother, and I don't know what it's like to watch your child get shots, or have blood drawn. But I can imagine that one of the only things worse than holding one child through something like that, is holding 10 children through something like that...especially kids that can't all communicate with you. It was not easy. There was kicking, screaming, crying, chewing on my arm, yelling, a couple kids swatted the needles out of their arms. Basically, we were pretty much a circus...me, the crazy white girl, torturing children. A couple kids I had to wrap my legs around as well as my arms to hold them. I only had one child not cry...she was the youngest one. No children peed on me this time, but my clothes were soaked through with sweat...partly mine, partly theirs.

There must be some bonding process that goes on in these things. The children were all so happy to go one by one with me...then terrified that the needles stuck them...fought kicking and screaming...then unwilling to let go of me after it was all finished. Tonight I went down to see them before they went to bed and the kids who went with me today were asking when they get to go with me again...and other kids want to go along next time. Apparently they've forgotten the traumatic moments.

After we were done with test results, I had to have identification photos made of a few of our children in the adoption process. Think passport photos. This was ridiculous. First of all the put the boys in oversized suit jackets. Hilarious. The one boy threw a huge fit and it took us about 12 photos to get one we could use. The young girl, after witnessing the boy crying started to get afraid. The photographer did not like the outfit I picked out for her (which was totally hip and cute!) and asked me to find her another shirt. So I had to go out to the car and leave another of my girls half naked so the other girl could take a photo that satisfied the photographer. I sat the young girl on the seat for her photo and went to soothe the boy who was crying, only to turn around and see that she had peed all over the photographers stuff...either she was scared...or mad that he didn't like her outfit!

We got all that business sorted out and I made it home in time to help a young lady here with her Spanish homework. I still remember a little Spanish...enough to help her with what she's learning now. But her books are in French to teach her Spanish. So I had to take the Spanish, translate it to English so I knew what it was saying, then translate it to Kreyol so she knew what it was saying, and then help her translate it back into Spanish...all while following directions in French. There's part of me that's pretty excited I was able to pull that off...there's another part of me that just has a big headache!

Just another day in Paradise. My brother comes tomorrow. Can. Not. Wait!

2010-11-08T20:44:00.002-06:00

Sanctuary...

You know...sometimes life is surrounded by chaos here. Tonight I was reading reports of cholera spreading all over the country. We just had a hurricane dump rain on most of the country and tear apart homes and lives in other parts. And now...more cholera. Seriously. Sometimes I wonder how much people can endure.

It's easy to look around here and see the harsh reality that makes life hard for so many people. And yes...I realize that I have NO idea what most people go through here on a daily basis. I have a comfortable bed, pillows, clean sheets, three meals a day, indoor plumbing, showers whever I want, electricity, soap, and coca cola! But I have eyes that see, and ears that hear.

Sometimes it is easy to look around and only see the hard stuff. And yet, I see so much beauty. Tonight I am sitting on my porch. The temperature is really comfortable. I have wireless internet that let's me write this here. In the distance I can hear a church and her people singing. I sang a bunch of babies to sleep. And it's in those moments that you realize that there really is a sanctuary where you can go and rest. Tonight I can relax here...tonight I can sleep peacefully.

Today has been a hard day for me. Trying to work in the midst of Haiti, and still try to communicate to people that things here and things other places work VERY differently. I've been angry, sad, happy, upset, frustrated, joyful....all sorts of things today. I'm missing my loved ones...a lot.

And yet...there is rest...there is sanctuary.

Tomorrow I take 10 kids for a bunch of medical tests...better get some sleep!

2010-11-07T07:40:00.002-06:00

Response...

I came to a realization this morning. Well...it's been building for a few weeks now. I have a much more heightened sense of my responsibility to respond when a neighbor is in danger or needs help here.

Last night I got an email from an aquaintence I had met back in Chicago. We met around Haiti stuff. She works with the Lutheran church out in Jeremie. I work with the Lutheran church in Port Au Prince. We really didn't have much in common in our work in Haiti, except for the fact that it was in Haiti. Somehow I ended up on her email list.

She was saying that there was some significant damage out in Jeremie revolving around the people they work with there. I immediately emailed her, and any other contact that might know the pastor there, to see if I needed to help out, bring supplies, do anything since I am living here in Port Au Prince. Now I wait to hear back.

I was thinking about it as I sent out more emails this morning. I am so quick to respond to my neighbor's needs here. Death, Cholera, Hurricane... Why am I quicker to respond here? Maybe it's because I'm less distrated by MY life here. And I have a bit of the sense of, "If I don't do it, who will?"

I guess I'm hoping that this desire and need to respond to my neighbor's needs would be something that follows me every day. How great would our communities be in the United States, or in our churches, if we were quick to respond to our neighbor's needs. It's not that I think that this doesn't happen in the life I knew before Haiti. I remember last year when my grandparents fell sick and passed away my parents' community of friends and church gathered around them in a wonderful way. I watched the kids I worked with in each of my congregations love homeless people in shelters or soup kitchens. I watched my brother's desire to respond to the needs of his community after a tornado. It happens...a lot. Maybe it's just easier to see the need here in Haiti. Maybe the needs are more Front Page here and less easy to ignore or be distracted from.

At any rate...I hope that when I'm not in Haiti my eyes will be just as focused on the people around me and how I can be a part of responding to their needs. Maybe today we can all spend a little more time getting to know the people in our community and how we can best serve them.

2010-11-06T21:20:00.002-05:00

Good Day Sunshine...

It rained again last night. This morning it was grey...but it didn't take long for patches of blue to pop through the clouds and for the sun to follow. I'm hoping that the hot Haitian sun dries up all the flood waters.

I still haven't been out of the house and have no reports of what things are like out in the streets of Port au Prince. Our car here isn't working. Our staff has been able to get in and out for work, so I'm figuring that's a good sign.

Staying in the house for three days has made me a little stir crazy, but it's given me the opportunity to get a lot of paperwork done, especially since the electricity has been working and we didn't lose internet during the storm (miraculously!)

I was able to send off a bunch of paperwork for kids that are in the process of adoption and get sponsorship letters sent off from 15 of our kids. These were all things that needed to get done and just weren't happening with all the other things going on, and sometimes uncooperative internet signal. It's nice to feel productive.

It's going to be a big week this week. I have lots of papers that I need to hunt down for kids, and we have a couple groups coming. My brother comes on Wednesday. There are no words for the excitement that I have at FINALLY getting to share Haiti with someone in my family. This is will be the first time that any of them have made it to Haiti, and I can't wait for them to start seeing what it is that I always talk about. Should be fun.

I'm a little sad that I won't be experiencing "fall back" tonight. I love getting that extra hour of sleep, but Haiti doesn't change time...so I'll go to bed on Central Time and wake up on Eastern Time.

For all of you that get to change time...happy extra hour of sleep! Lucky.

2010-11-05T14:25:00.002-05:00

Passed...

Well it seems that the worst of the storm passed us. We still have some wind and spotty rain. It comes and goes, but nothing too hard.

I have heard some reports from the radio that a river close to us is flooded. This river is probably a couple miles from where I'm staying. (it's hard for me to tell real distances here because the amount of time it takes me to travel a couple miles here is significantly different than the amount of time that it takes me in the United States.) I know this area well, it's a place I cross many many times when I am in Haiti. The river bank is filled with shaks and markets. I hear the water is almost as high as the bridge...but I haven't seen it, so for me it's all hear-say. If it's true, it's likely that many poor people have lost whatever little belongings they had...and Port Au Prince will have more displaced people.

I've also heard reports of flooding in Leogane. That's a city south of Port Au Prince. It sits close to the water, and I'm not surprised to hear of flooding there. They were hit really hard by the earthquake too. I've heard of some protesting in the streets there.

The good news is that we haven't seen anything too bad here. And if the rain holds off like it is, maybe we can avoid some further flooding.

On a different note. I looked at Gertrude today and laughed because I was shivering...in a long sleeve shirt. I told her I was cold. I decided to check the weather. 79 degrees. Either I've assimilated or weather.com was wrong. I just bought a ticket home to visit my family for Thanksgiving...St. Louis November might be hard for me to handle! oh man. I checked the weather there...it's in the 40s today. Good gracious.

2010-11-05T08:12:00.003-05:00

I'll never make it as a photographer...

I am the world's worst photo taker. But the rain slowed for a second and I snapped a couple pictures. The first one is off the roof...it's blurry, but towards the back theres a field that covered in water. The other picture is the street in front of my house. Sorry I'm no good at taking pictures!

2010-11-05T07:23:00.002-05:00

Rain Rain Rain...

I fell asleep around 11:30pm last night. It felt weird going to sleep when you know a storm is coming. But thanks to a little help from some Benedryl left with me, I was able to rest a bit.

I woke up off and on throughout the night to hear the rain. A long, steady rain. It's been raining here in our area of Port Au Prince for over 12 hours. Not a drizzle, but not a crazy hard rain like we get here sometimes. A long, steady rain. This morning when I woke up we had a little wind, but not as windy as yesterday. Every once in a while I see the trees moving wildly outside my bathroom window, but that's it.

It was strangely quiet here last night. In Haiti, I always know I have neighbors, people, music, animals tell me they are present in my neighborhood most nights, and most nights it's all night long. Last night I fell asleep only listening to the sound of rain. If I closed my eyes, it felt like spring day at my house in Chicago. But I knew outside my walls it was a different story.

I checked the weather this morning. It looks like Tomas is back up to a hurricane and it looks like the people in the far west of Haiti might be feeling those effecs this morning. I looks like the people out in the bigger cities of Jeremie and Les Cayes might be getting some pretty strong weather, if the storm tracks I'm looking at our correct. There are lots of little towns out there in the hills. Flooding could be a real problem. It's likely that people out near Jacmel are getting the outer bands of the storm as well. They may be seeing weather more like us. Remember this is what I'm determining from looking at maps, and I've never been in a storm like this so I don't really know what I'm talking about, AND I can't really turn on NBC and listen to Al Roker.

It's possible that the real strong stuff could stay out of Port Au Prince if the storm moves more north and less east. That would be great news for all of the people living in inadequate housing. The hard thing is that there is no escaping this rain. Every day I drive by hundreds upon hundreds of tents. I don't say that to be sensational...I say it because it's true. I drive by temporary housing, or "Permanent" housing that is made out of nothing more than 2X4 frames and some tarps or canvass. Really hoping the storm moves more north than east.

I thinks it's CRAZY that I still have internet...most days even the threat of clouds means it won't work. So...go figure! I'll try to keep people updated.

I'm going to run up on the roof and see if I can get a view of our neighborhood. If I can grab a picture I'll send it along if the internet holds.

p.s...the kids are fine. They are all downstairs in their room singing. Maybe I'll try to find a way to show them a movie today...But our tv exploded...imagine 38 kids gathered around my laptop with me telling them not to touch it. oh man!

2010-11-04T19:37:00.002-05:00

Home...

I've been at my house all day today. We didn't go out at all. This is the first day in quite some time that that has been the case for me.

I spent most of the day scanning paperwork and answering emails. We actually had city electricity all day as well, which meant lots of time on the computers, and our internet was actually working. All good things.

The wind started early today. The rain started later this evening. It's been pretty steady but nothing crazy bad yet. I'm hoping the crazy bad stays away.

Our kids are all safe here, and we've contacted everyone we know who might not have adequate housing. It's not like in the states when a hurricane comes. Usually people board windows...buy bread, water, and milk. Not here. We haven't done any of those preparations, but I think everything is under control...just riding the storm out, and praying for everyone without homes tonight. It's a lot of rain...

2010-11-04T10:34:00.002-05:00

Does the Crazy ever stop...

I haven't written in a week. Not because I'm lazy, or because I don't care...but because things have been significantly crazy. In my life I always say things like, "I'll get to rest tomorrow...or next week." The rest doesn't usually come. I usually find ways to fill my time. But here, it seems something is ALWAYS trying to fill my time. I like the crazy. I function well in this kind of crazy so it's ok.

The team that was here pretty much rocked! They did a ton of work up with the Lutheran Church and started work at Providence Guesthouse with the rebuild. The wall is officially going up. This will once again bring safety to the grounds keeper there and the belongings that are still there after the earthquake! They were a great group of guys, and I was honestly sad to see them go!

My dear friend Lindsey was here for a week. I love my life in Haiti, but it very rarely feels normal to me. Having Lindsey here brought some of my normal back to me! We got to laugh, eat tons of candy, and sing to kids...in Kreyol. Lindsey is such a good friend and I was so happy to have her here for just a little bit.

We also had the added excitement of me going to the Embassy with one of our kids to finalize a medical visa. I was nervous...but it all worked out and our little girl took off for the States with Lindsey yesterday to get the medical care she needs. I won't lie...when Lindsey called to tell me they made it to Florida, I had quite the feeling of accomplishment that we actually were able to help this one little girl. There are 37 other children here that still need an advocate...so the work doesn't stop yet.

Now...there's a hurricane coming...or maybe it's just a tropical storm. We're getting ready for it here. The wind has already started and the sky is grey. I'll be around home for the next couple days. Hopefully we'll be able to get a lot of work done and the storm won't bring too much crazy. We'll see. I'll try to update more in the next couple days. I'm sorry for not updating more in the last week...I'll try to stay more on top of it!

Pray for all of those in inadequate housing, or no houseing at all...the storm will be a lot harder for them to handle. I've already called friends that I have in tents or other less-stable housing to tell them to come stay with me.

More to come.

2010-10-26T06:57:00.002-05:00

Out with the team...

I was out with the team yesterday. They worked really hard up at the Lutheran School at Delmas 89. Seriously, taking a work team of 8 young adult males somewhere, definitely makes me feel like I have little to add to the manual labor end of things!

I got to see a ton of people yesterday that I know and love here in Haiti though, so THAT was awesome.

As far as the cholera goes...I saw a lot of efforts throughout the city to educate people. I haven't heard news of what the spread it like, but the death reports seem to be dropping...maybe they're slowing down, or maybe they're not being reported. I really can't say.

Things in PAP seem to be running as usual, except sometimes you see trucks with people with sound systems telling crowds what to do to protect themselves from cholera. It's nice to see these efforts. Everyone here can probably handle a little more medical information on what to do when they have illness caused by bateria/other stuff in their water. And they can definitely stand to know more about this illness Cholera because they haven't seen it on this island in a long long time.

I even had Haitians telling me to be careful yesterday and making sure I knew about Cholera! One man reprimanded me for biting my nail. Fantastic... (don't worry, i was probably hand sanitized!)

So we're off to the city today to see what we can find. Thanks for checking in...thanks for following along. Thanks for your care and concern for the people of Haiti.

2010-10-24T22:34:00.001-05:00

Can't imagine...

I've been reading the news before bed. I just read a report from people in some tent cities here. People were quoted as saying that they didn't have money to buy the soap the aid workers were telling them they needed to wash their hands. Other people said they had no where to get drinking water. As Gertrude says, "can you imagine that."

2010-10-24T21:24:00.002-05:00

Catching up...

I'm not sure how many people actually check into this blog...or why you read the stuff I write. But I'll try to catch you up on the last two days here...and hopefully it will be helpful!

I've been trying to keep an eye on the news as much as possible to have an idea of what's going on with the whole Cholera thing here. What I'm hearing/seeing online is that there are lots of cases of Cholera north of Port Au Prince. I've heard that cases of Cholera have been confirmed found in Port Au Prince, but they originated in the area north where the outbreak started. I have not seen confirmation that there have been any cases originating here. BUT it is hard for me to get my hands on news here. The only news I get here is what I read online, so I only get news when I'm at the house and we have internet and I don't have a bunch of other things going on.

I have a great group of guys that came yesterday with the Haiti Mission Project. It's a group of guys from Canada, and honestly, they're great! I'm so happy to have them here. I didn't know any of them before yesterday, but I think they're fun and they're willing to do just about anything, so that is super helpful. But it also gives me another thing to be busy with, leaving less time to read websites, blogs, and tweets. Feel free to fill me in if you have confirmed information that I don't have!

Yesterday after the team got in, we took some information to the streets. I also took almost all the bar soap I could find out of our store closet and handed it out on the streets, encouraging people to wash hands with soap and water, and to use sanitizer if they have it. We had sheets of paper with instructions in Creole of how to prevent cholera. We asked them if they knew how to read, if they said yes, they got paper. If they said no, myself and one of the nannies explained it to them, and we also shared information on what to do if they got cholera. I spoke a lot of creole. I have been trying to learn the language and it can sometimes be hard. But yesterday I went to the streets armed with the words I needed to know and was somehow able to communicate what needed to happen. It's always a bit humbling to see people get totally excited about having a bar of soap. A bar of soap. Huge smiles. I feel like a jerk for giving out a 50 cent bar of soap and they act like it's such a great gift, and for some people maybe it is.

Most everyone we talked to had heard of Cholera...but most of the time when I said, "if you get cholera..." they would immediately say, "I will die." It was a GREAT teaching moment to be able to tell them that they don't have to die from cholera, that it can be treated and they can treat it easily if they boil water and make their own Oral Rehydration Solution...I taught people how to do that and encouraged them to spread the word.

I told them we would be back when we had more supplies. I can't wait to get more soap and sanitizer later this week to give out. Even if the cholera doesn't spread to where we are, these are still great things for people to have on hand, and knowing how to fight dehydration from intestinal illnesses is always good information here!

It was good to feel helpful. Gertrude took a bunch of flyers I printed up to her church today...she came back empty handed. We're not a big organization, honestly Gertrude and I are only two people, but there are hundreds of people in Haiti who now have the information they need to prevent and treat Cholera. The hundreds we told seem small in comparison to the 9 million here...but we did what we could. And for that I am happy.

Today it was great to worship at the church at Delmas 89. I love it up there. There's something about feeling like you're a part of a church community...walking in, and just worshipping. Then we went to the beach. Having the team here gave a great excuse to head up to the beach for my first time since being here. I love the ocean here...the beauty, the fun, the crazy, the calm. I love it.

I came back tonight to find the work that awaits and the same worries that kept me awake the past couple nights. Trying to remember that I am one person...I don't have to save Haiti, or fix Haiti. I'm here to serve, and I can't serve everyone. I can serve those that I've been given the opportunity to serve. So I'll continue to do what I can, and strive to do just a bit more.

It's raining hard in Port Au Prince tonight. Every time it does this I think about the people living in tents...and tonight i think about the contaminated water in this country and praying that it miraculously stays put, and doesn't infect more people.

Big day of work tomorrow...

2010-10-24T07:19:00.002-05:00

Quick Post...

I didn't get a chance to post last night, but if in case anyone is checking my blog I wanted them to know what we've been up to. The word is that there are a few isolated cases in Port Au Prince. I'm not sure those reports are confirmed or not. I haven't heard anything about widespread cholera in my neck of the woods.

I had team arrive yesterday. We past out well over 100 bars of soap and information tracks in our neighborhood about Cholera. We gave out everything we had. I'll write more about that later.

I've printed out tons more to hand out at Gertrude's church in our neighborhood and I'll carry some up to the Lutheran Church where I worship as well.

It's hard to get news here. I don't have TV and I don't understand the radio. I can check online news when I have internet, or the time to read all of the internet stories. I'll be gone most of the day today, but I'll try to write a more informed post later.

Thank you for your prayers, thanks to those who have donated to help us in our little corner of Port Au Prince.

2010-10-22T19:47:00.004-05:00

Cholera: Education and Resources...

So this Cholera thing is pretty crazy. I want all of you to know that I am by NO MEANS an expert at infectious diseases. I know virtually nothing about tropical ailments. I really am not the person you need to be getting your NEWS from. I'm just a girl, living and working in Haiti, a country that happens to be experiencing a Cholera outbreack. If you're interested in following people who really know what they're talking about when it comes to the illness, I suggest you check in with the link that I blogged about in my latest entry. Also it would be good to check in with groups like the World Health Organization and Partners in Health. You can find more technical stuff from them.

Now...on with my "not-so-professional" take of the situation.

I live just outside of Port Au Prince. There are tent cities around the corner...we're not too far from Cite Soley (a big slum you've probably heard of) and we're on National #1...and huge road that goes from downtown PAP up north into the areas where the Cholera has broken out. There have been many fatalities and it seems that it started with contaminated water up in a river that many people live life out of...cleaning, drinking cooking. It won't take long for Cholera to spread that way. The hospitals were not equipped to handle this outbreak.

We've been hearing reports all day of cases being found closer and closer to Port Au Prince. There are unconfirmed reports of cases here already. Many people in this country are still living on top of each other in tent cities. Many people use the bathroom inches from where they find their water supply, and there aren't sewers, water treatment plants, or septic tanks. If the Cholera spreads here, it could be a pretty big (nasty) deal.

Cholera does NOT have to take lives. With proper rehydration and treatment it can be taken care of. And with proper education it can be prevented in a lot of cases. Sometimes it's hard to get good information Haiti. Someone can start a rumor and it can make it's way throught the country in no time. I heard Haitians today talking about how this started because someone in the Dominican dropped something in the river to make Haitians sick. Education is key!

Today I met with our staff here at the orphanage/guesthouse. At first it was difficult to convince people that this was a serious issue that they needed to be informed of, and to take precautions against. I told them what Cholera was, how it is spread, what it does to your body, how to prevent it, and what to do if they got it.

I was able to hand out kits to all of our workers (24 total) that had anti-bacterial soap, hand sanitizer, clothes, and salt and sugar to make rehydration solutions if anyone they knew got sick. We talked about "boiling the crap" out of their water...and only using clean water. I did a mini clinic on how the hands over everyone in our house should be washed. And we talked about cleanliness, cleanliness, cleanliness. By the end of the meeting the ladies were ready to listen to everything we had to say. They were especially excited when they got their own supplies for their homes and families.

Honestly...it wasn't much. Just some information and small amount of resources. We used what we already had. I wish it could have been more. I wish I could do more to help educate our area. Tomorrow I'll go into the streets with papers with instructions written in kreyol for prevention and treatment.

If you looking for ways to help you can give through the Haiti Mission Project. If you would like to donate money to go specifically towards medical care, we support Heartline Ministries that is equipped with doctors and staff that treat people in some of the poorest areas of PAP. If you want to send stuff...it's probaly easiest if you live in the MN area. A HMP board member is travelling down next week.

We need hand sanitizer (smaller bottles can be more widely distributed)
Antibacterial soap (pump and bars, foam soap for kids)

Rehydration salts

Gatorade packets

if anyone can get their hands on self contained water filtration bottles (like from REI) that would be great
Cholorine tablets for cleaning drinking water

Those are the things that are within our power to distribute and help. If you live in MN or if you would like to send things along, let me know, I can get you an address. If you'd rather donate money for these supplies, it can be done through the HMP as well. See our website at http://www.haitimissionproject.org/

Thanks so much for working with us in this, and for praying. Please pray that this illness does not spread to the sprawling tent cities. I'll try to update here as much as possible when I hear more information. I can let you know what we're doing and what things look like in our neck of the woods!

2010-10-22T07:04:00.002-05:00

Cholera 2...

If anyone is interested here is a blog of a Doctor that we know who works ALOT in Haiti. She loves and respects the Haitian people and has genuine concern for them...AND she's way smarter than me. Read her information if you're interested in the particulars, or if you're in Haiti and are looking for ways to help.

http://sleepydoctor.blogspot.com/2010/10/cholera.html

Thanks...I'll keep you posted with what I know. Hoping it doesn't spread.

2010-10-21T22:15:00.002-05:00

Cholera...

It's amazing the things I am learning about infectious diseases while I'm here. You may have heard by now that there is a Cholera outbreak in Haiti. I'm not sure how much is being covered on US news stations, but I thought I'd put up a quick entry.

If you're like me, you knew very little about cholera before today! I was hearing rumors of people being sick in Haiti and dying, but I also heard a rumor about a baby with four heads the other day too...you have to sometimes be selective in what information you believe. However, as the day went on more and more reports came out that people were indeed dying north of here, and it was a large amount of people.

Following the earthquake disease control was a huge issue. Honestly, many of us are suprised it took this long for this type of illness to break out. Here's what I know. There have been 135 reported deaths due to this string of illnesses and it has been confirmed as Cholera. There are approx 2000 more said to be sick with the illness.

Cholera is spread through human waste and contaminated water. In the living conditions in which many exist here, it would not take long for it to sweep through a camp. We're praying that it can be contained.

Right now the deaths that are closest to where I'm living are about 40 miles away. It's clear to see that it wouldn't take much for it to get to Port Au Prince and once here, it wouldn't take long for it to become a big problem.

Cholera can be deadly, as is proven in the past two days here in Haiti. But it doesn't have to be deadly. It can be treated and treated easily with immediate rehydration, replenishing of electrolytes, and antibiotics to shorten the course of the attack. We're trying to spread the word to people we know in the countryside how to handle this potential epidemic. Gertrude was on the phone with friends and family tonight with me in the background telling them if they got sick to drink tons of fluids, keep drinking and get to a doctor immediately, in case they need IVs or Meds.

This epidemic does not have to claim more lives.

Tomorrow we're meeting with the nannies here to take extra precautionsn to keep our little home safe. We have lots of little hands here that will be washed often with cleaned water. We're boiling all water before purifying with UV filtration, and we're sending nannies home with info for their families.

Mostly we're praying that it stops before it spreads...that it does not get worse before it gets better...and that lives will be spared, and the world will rise to the occasion to help provide a more livable existance for many people here who still live in tents on top of months worth of mud and filth.

Don't worry mom...I'm drinking clean water and have meds should I need them! And the phone number of good doctors! If only everyone in this country could say the same thing.

2010-10-19T15:40:00.007-05:00

Better late than never...

Last week was the first week of school and I took a bunch of pictures to share with you all...of course a bajillion things got thrown in front of this blog, but today was a gloriously non-eventful Haiti day. Well, I think our cook for the kids quit. So that was drama, but Gertrude and Brinel cooked and I even helped chop some onions and carrots. No worries...we got this!

So school! School here is an interesting situation. As far as I know there are tenchically no public schools here in Haiti. Not the way those of you in America understand them to be. That means if you're going to school here, you're paying. It usually ends up costing between 300 and 600 US dollars a year for a child to go to school. It can be a HUGE price for most families and a lot of kids don't go to school all the time. They might start and not finish a year. They might go one year and not the next. Most of the times it's a toss up.

We have 10 kids here who are school age. My friend Joanna found sponsors for all of these kids through the Haiti Mission Project, and all 10 of our school age kids were ready for school. Backpacks and supplies were sent, uniforms were sewn and ribbons, belts, and shoes were bought.

The morning that school started there was a flurry of excitement...trying to find pants, and belts, and lunches, and bottles for water, and pencil sharpeners. It was a little insane, but the kids were SO excited to be getting ready for school. And some of the kids who weren't going, were sad. We have some kids here that would benefit from the Special Ed system in the US. My one little buddy looked so sad as he watched the other kids head off...he even had an old back pack on his back because he wanted to be caught up in the excitement too. Some of our kids with special needs are wicked smart...I wish we had resources for them here.

But there are ten young minds that are getting an education for a better future...and that's no small thing!

2010-10-16T09:59:00.004-05:00

And there was much rejoicing!!!

So I came down with strep throat the other day. Crazy. I clearly do not have the immune system I need to live in a house with 38 children. Luckily I live in a country where antibiotics are not so hard to come by...I did have to wait two days and it was a little touch and go there for a while, but...I did get them!

The first day when I was feeling particularly horrible and not all that happy, Gertrude came in my room with the good news that we finally had the passport for this cute little munchkin! All it took was a month of fighting. Sometimes I had to make myself look like a complete and utter fool...speaking English that no one understood, and speaking kreyol that no one understood. I was talked about, ignored, laughed at, come on to, and even once told that if I had a baby for a guy at immigration he would give me the passport. Needless to say it has NOT been an easy process. Partly because I don't know what I'm doing, and partly becaues a lot of the sysyem is whack.

But we've got it. And now we can focus on obtaining the medical visa so this girl can have some work down on her legs and feet to see if she can become a little more mobile! I'm sure she is really confused and no idea what's going on. But I know there are people ready to receive her on the US side that will love her and take really good care of her! So...we're rejoicing in that!

2010-10-13T20:46:00.008-05:00

Posting Pics: Party People...

If you want a more chronological view of these photos, start at the bottom and work to the top! Enjoy! We had a great time. A great way to start the next decade of life!

2010-10-12T06:32:00.002-05:00

Fet Mwen...

For many people, turning 30 is a huge milestone. It's seems to be an age in the United States that some people have troubles accepting. I'm not sure...maybe it's the whole "being done with your 20s" thing and no longer have the excuse of youth on your side when you mess up and make mistakes in life. Maybe it's the fact that you feel like adulthood is here, and you're not so far from mid-life. I know a lot of people think, "By the time I'm 30, I will________." You can fill in the blank with anything; be married, have kids, pay off college, have a great car, own a home, make my first million.

As I closed in on my 30th birthday, I didn't have much to show for it on a worldy standpoint. I am officially unemployed, technically homeless, have little money to my name, unmarried, without children, and hoping to pay off my student loans sometime in this decade. Actually, listing all those things in one sentence makes me feel a little lame. BUT, then I look at my life, and I know there is a different story. I reached 30 without fear and without worry. Maybe it's because the year of 29 was a bit tumultuous for me. I saw the death of loved ones, endured stress and some significant emotional hurt, and watched as a place and people that I dearly loved sustained more than a month worth of earthquakes that devastated parts of the country and her people. Ok, it was tough, but the year wasn't without it's good points...I'll give it that. God has brought me to THIS stage of my life through the trials and hardships that I faced last year. And on my 30th birthday I looked back on my life and thought, "Rachel, your life has been anything but lame!"

If you know me, you know I love my Birthday...and you know I love to celebrate ANY birthday. (but especially mine!!!) I knew it would be a bit of an interesting experience trying to create the ridiculous birthday drama around myself here in Haiti. I've lived here a month. I don't have LOADS of close friends yet, and the ones that I do have live far away from me in this city. I don't have loads of money. And, maybe most importantly there are no restaurants to go to and get free things for your birthday. But we do live in a house with a bunch of kids that love a little excitement...and Gertrude is a great cake maker, so we threw a party!

I started my day at my church here in Port Au Prince, worshipping with people I haven't seen in a long time. I got to speak a lot of kreyol as I practiced with familiar faces after the service. Then I came home and decorated while Gertrude finished the cake and some of my favorite ladies spent most of the day in the kitched preparing a feast of some of my favorite Haitian foods and good old American pizza.

Then the party started. My friend Oriol, who drives for the guesthouse brought a musician who played a Pan Flute and they prepared some music for my birthday. Oriol played a song and Gertrude and I sang. The kids drew me a picture and sang a song and did some recitations. And I had many friends show up. We ate, we drank, and we were most definitely merry. And of course we finished the night with a birthday cake and candles. What more could a girl ask for.

So here's the truth...thanks to the generosity of those who give to support my time here, (thank you from the bottom of my heart! This is beyond amazing), I get to spend part of my life here in Haiti, helping, serving, loving orphans and widows, and giving to the poor, and laughing, and loving, and celebrating life with people who seem to know better than anyone how to make it work with what you've been given. Far Beyond Lame...so I say...Bring on the 30s. If the first day is any indication, it's going to be a great year! Or decade even!

When I was at Concordia, our theme one year was "Life is Praise." Some of my friends continually bring up that theme. And so I do it too...Life is Praise, and I couldn't be more thankful that God has blessed me this far in my life, and I know that the one who provided for me yesterday, provides for me today, and will continue to provide for me throughout all of my days!

Pictures from the party to come...and more blogs on Immigration/Emigration, and the first day of school for the kids! So...come on back!

2010-10-08T22:19:00.002-05:00

I read a lot...

I've always loved reading. Well, at least I feel that way...I'm sure there were times as a child when I hated to read, but I don't remember those times. Since being here I have finished two books. (Eat, Pray, Love, which I did not enjoy too terribly much. You can skip it probably. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't my favorite book of all time...and the White Queen, a historal fiction piece on the royal family in England before the Tudors...it was ok, but I wouldn't tell anyone to run out and buy it either.) I'm partway through two other books as well, Madame Bovary and When Helping Hurts. I packed up a whole lot of books that I've wanted to read for a long time, and books others have suggested.

I also spend a lot of time reading things online...blogs, news sites, the weatherchannel.com...all sorts of things. I follow a lot of Haiti news online, and I read a lot of blogs from people who work/worked in Haiti. Usually they say things that I think are so profound, and then I look at what I write and think, "man. I have no idea what I'm talking about."

Sometimes I wish I had great thoughts to spill out here for you to read...but sometimes I'm afraid to say anything about Haiti...to give my take on things, because someone down the line will google Haiti and find this blog and think I know what I'm talking about. When the reality is, none of us know what we're talking about. The people I like to read from Haiti who are folks who struggle every day and still say they have more to learn than they already know.

Henry David Thoreau is attributed as saying, "How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live." I guess I want to busy myself with the standing up to live part...I just wish that sometimes I had something a little more profound to share. Believe me...I think about loving orphans and defending the fatherless a million times a day. I think about adoption and if it's better the adopt internationally or keep kids in their birth culture. I think about the church and how it shows mercy and serves the world. I think about government and how it could and maybe should work for the people. I think about Haiti...and wonder how they are ever going to dig out from this crazy time. I think about people in tents. I think about giving them houses. I think about my life as a North American, and United States Citizen. I think about my responsibility as a member of the global community. I think about international aid. It's no wonder that at the end of the day, I'm convinced of the fact that I have so much to learn.

I had a professor once who said something like, "I was dumber at 30 than I was at 19." He was saying that when you're nineteen you think you know everything, and by 30 you have realized there is so much you just don't know. I am two sleeps away from my 30th birthday...and I feel what my professor told me so many years ago. But I am eager to learn and glad to have been given this opportunity to live and serve in this country. I know it is a blessing and a privilege.

2010-10-07T18:08:00.003-05:00

I get by with a little help from my friends...

Today was a slow day. I had some plans, but the cars weren't working...so I revised the plans. The weather has been "cool" and rainy and I had a bit of a headache today. I'm planning a big party for my 30th birthday this Sunday. (By the way, you're all invited if you want to book a plane ticket to PAP, I'll pick you up!) I decided to have the kids help me make paper chains for decorations.

I did all the prep work and told Gertude I would take a nap first since my head hurt. I went to lay down and she went to visit her mom. I awoke to the sound of tapping on my door. I called and answered "yes". I heard nothing so I rolled over. Then I heard my door opening and turned over to see 8 of the kids from the orphanage stading by my bed telling me to get up. The nannies had told them that I needed their help and they were all eagerly awaiting some fun time with me.

Let me tell you, managing 8 children under the age of 10 and trying to teach them how to do a new craft when you don't speak the same language. BUT, it was fun. I put on music. We danced, we glued, we got ready for a party!

My favorite part is when the older kids called my mom on the cell phone. They wanted to talk to her so badly, but all they could say in English was, "Hello, what's your name, how old are you." So cute. I think my mom was laughing. It was good!

Gertrude cooked some of my favorite food tonight...my stomach is full, my heart is full...I had a full day!

2010-10-06T23:12:00.004-05:00

Up Late...

So, it's late. Well, it's only 11:15, but for a place where roosters start crowing at 3am, it's late. I guess you could say I'm doing what any normal person would be doing at this hour. I'm reading up on the medical tests you can have run at the Lab here in Haiti. And then I'm looking up all the initials for the tests to figure out what they actually check for. And then I'm looking at some of our kids' lab reports to figure out what's going on.

Folks, I am not a doctor. I'm not a nurse. The most I know, which is decent considering I have a theology degree, is what I learned in my high school anatomy and biology classes.

I really must say, I'm learning a lot, but I might be in over my head on this one and I think it's time for bed.

Goodnight!

2010-10-04T18:29:00.000-05:00

And sometimes things work…

Sometimes things are hard here, and it can sometimes take ages to accomplish what you think is a simple task. But, sometimes things work out! Today seemed to be the day where things were working out! We went to the Immigration/Emigration offices again today and we got the passport for little Carly! Three weeks later, but we got the passport!!! I’m hoping that everything goes right and we are able to pick it up from the offices next Monday like they said we could. This is a huge blessing. It has been a long, frustrating 3 weeks trying to work our way through whatever system there was, but there is more than a little bit of joy at having almost finished the task.

I was also able to pick up test results for the little boy we had tested for HIV. I have his full medical analysis in my hands and I’m now able to send it on to the adoption agency we work with. He also tested negative for many other illnesses, and for that we are grateful!
The transformer is in and working, tonight we’ll wait and see if the city electric comes on! If it does, we’ll have lights and fans without having to run the generator! This is also great news, because it costs us about 35 dollars a day to run the generator.

I also got to stop by the Lutheran church where I worship while I am in Haiti. It’s not very close to where I’m living right now and I haven’t been up there yet. I plan to be there for worship this Sunday, and I am so excited to be back there. When I walked through the door the first person I saw was Elucie…I hugged her and got to see all the work they’ve been doing on the part of the building that fell in the earthquake. It looks great…really really great.

I was then able to direct my driver through Port Au Prince to a “suburb” where my friend Joanna is working. Navigating PAP is not like driving in the states. You’re lucky if you find street signs, the traffic is almost always horrid, and the roads are terrible most of the time. The fact that I could give directions anywhere means that I’ve been here long enough to figure a thing or two out. This is VERY exciting for me…next step is driving in the city. Maybe I’ll give it another week or two before I try that! I did however get a SWEET sunburn on my arm that was on the window side of my seat. The sun was hot today and it burned my one arm. It’s going to look awesome having one dark arm and one pasty white arm, but today was super productive and a sunburnt arm in a price I am willing to pay!

2010-10-02T19:21:00.002-05:00

Good Day...

Today was blissfully quiet compared to yesterday! I read about 100 pages in my book, slept in until 8:30am, and got to spend the afternoon and evening hanging with my good friend Joanna Thiele at the Heartline Hospital. It's been fun meeting lots of people that I've heard about and read about for so many years. Also fun to see healing.

All in all...a pretty good day

2010-10-01T18:13:00.002-05:00

Sometimes it seems nothing is easy…

I haven’t written in a few days because I kept waiting for the end of the story before I started to tell it…but it seems that end of the story might be a little bit down the road. While I’m in Haiti I’ll be working on a lot of different things. It’s been a bit frustrating the past few days because it just seems like nothing comes easy. Nothing works the way you think it will. That’s part of the “charm” of Port Au Prince. When travelling with my friends here, we’ve always had a saying, “hurry up and wait.” This seems to be the new theme of my life.

Shortly after arriving here I began the process of trying to get a passport for a young girl at the orphanage who needs to have some medical work. She has everything she needs for the medical visa, except the passport. You would think it would be easy to get the right paperwork together for such a thing. That’s what I thought when I started, but I was oh so wrong. This girl’s mother has died and her father has given her to the orphanage because he is unable to care for her. He

has been pretty cooperative in trying to help us get the paperwork we need. Because she still has

a birth parent living it is necessary for us to have him with us in the process…I think…at least that’s what they tell me. Many days in the past three weeks have involved me getting up, putting on dress clothes to go to the Immigration/Emigration offices, trying to hunt down the father, making sure he has everything he needs, packing the father and daughter into a car and trekking across PAP in horrible traffic to get to the offices. There is always a HUGE line of people waiting to get in, but since I am holding a child, people assume we’re there for adoption and let us in right away. We push through lines until we reach the office of the director, where we sit with paperwork and wait for something…as far as I can tell there is no real system. Maybe there is, but I’ve spent hours in this office and can’t seem to figure it out. From what I can tell, the “secretaries” let you in when they feel like it, and if they don’t feel like it, they don’t let you in. It’s in this office where I’m given the run around a million times, “you need this,” they say. I have it. So they tell me something else I need. I try to tell them I don’t really need that paper and that I just need them to help this little girl who is crippled. They won’t let me see the director…so we try other ways. I’ve had many moments where I’ve though they were going to help, and I’ve had many moments where I’ve completely lost it, both in English and in Kreyol…I only know like 30 words in Kreyol, so that’s probably fun to see. I’ve been asked to bribe people huge amounts of money, and I’ve been told it won’t cost a thing. I have been all around the city trying to hunt down paperwork, and here we sit three weeks later, still waiting. We’ll try again on Monday. I do think we’re getting closer, and eventually they’ll get so sick of seeing me that they’ll just give me the passport to shut the crazy American up. AND, after all of this we still have to wait a couple weeks for the visa. The doctors and guardians in the state have been waiting to help this girl since January. My personal goal is to get her to the states before Thanksgiving…we’ll see! She’s sweet, and probably has no idea what’s going on. The “process,” or lack thereof, is hard.

We’ve been trying to put in a transformer at the Guesthouse/orphanage so that we can get city electric. City electric in PAP is pretty notorious for not really working all that well, but in the area where we live, it’s not so bad. This will be huge as we spend almost 800 dollars a month to run the generator. Gas is not cheap here! Gertrude bought the parts they said she would need to install the transformer…she spent over $1000 dollars US. Of course when it came time to install it yesterday she was told that she would need to spend another $500 US in order to have ALL the parts. These might not seem like huge amounts of money to people in the states, but in Haiti, where people make 3 or 4 dollars a day…it’s HUGE. I wish I had bazillion dollars and could just help. It’s hard to watch friends struggle to make ends meet.

I’ve also been helping Gertrude’s sister try to get home. She is a nun in Tunisia and was in PAP for the funeral of her brother. If you can imagine, flying from Haiti to Africa is a bit of an ordeal. She’s a nun, and her family is Haitian. She has no money. I spent so much time trying to book her a ticket that didn’t cost a million dollars. We found one. She was supposed to leave today. She got to the airport and wasn’t allowed to board because even though her final destination was Rome, she flew through the States and did not have a US Visa…she was denied flight, and we’ve spent most of the day trying to figure out how to cancel flights so we don’t lose $680 dollars. It’s hard. I still don’t know how we’ll get her home.

Add to all of this the number of people starting school next week. Most schools cost between 300 and 500 dollars a year, plus the cost of books and uniforms. Many people have sponsors from the States, but I’m realizing how little we really understand the Haitian School system and how much the students still lack even if they do have a sponsor. Also, not easy.

All of this is incredibly frustrating, and I am a “fixer” by nature…to find things that you cannot fix is just annoying. But, it’s crazy…there’s always hope here. People don’t freak out. I freak out…Haitians don’t freak out, at least not that I can see. If I was turned away at the airport, you can bet I’ll be on the phone crying to my dad…but this lady handled it with amazing grace and poise. The passports haven’t come, the inconvenience drives me mad, but people here just try again. Today Gertrude gained her composure and did what she had to do to make this transformer work.

And a great story to end with. There is a little boy here that was thought to maybe be HIV positive. He’s had lots of tests and we had to wait 6 months to give this test to this little boy. I took him yesterday. He cries every time he sees me, so I wasn’t sure I was the right person to take him, but I did. I walked in to the lab, ordered the test and proceeded to the lab room. He sat on my lap. The man wrapped the band around his arm and searched for his vein…the child began to freak out. As soon as the needle pricked him he peed all over my lap…Yep, me covered in pee so a boy could have his HIV test. Today we got the results…NEGATIVE! NEGATIVE!!! This child who we thought had a devastating illness has tested negative. I couldn’t be more excited. Even in the midst of chaos, there is joy to be claimed and celebrated.
So…even though NOTHING seems to be easy here, I am happy to be here, and I am happy to call Haiti my home.

2010-09-27T20:28:00.010-05:00

Some pictures...

I haven't posted many pictures since getting here...so, here are a few to check out!

My house in Haiti/also home to 38 children and some other folks.

This is a picture of our sweet friend Venia...This was her home in May. The Haiti Mission Project is helping to fund her rebuild. The photo below is what it looks like now. Almost done!!!

This is my friend Patrick's family. His father died in the earthquake. This is his stepmom and two of his step sisters. Some generous donors through the HMP are making it possible for two of his sisters to go to school. The one on the left is one of them. She was pretty stoked when I showed up to help get school stuff ready. That was a fun day!

More to come!

2010-09-25T09:38:00.004-05:00

I live here...

It's becomming more and more real to me that I live here now. That's kind of a strange concept for me to wrap my head around. My days are filled with normal "I live here" things like cleaning my room and doing laundry. Ok, to be honest, there is somewhere here who is going to do my laundry...so technically, it's not be...but it needs to get done, which means that I've been here longer than what I could pack in a suitcase.

The roads in parts of the town that I hadn't been in much before are becomming familiar. I'm assimilating a little more to the pace of life here. I have as much of a routine as can be expected and I have legitimate friends that I hang out with. It's life...in Haiti.

This past week I spent time trying to get a passport for a little girl who is trying to get a medical visa. Oh man, there are not enough words for me to express how frustrating this task is. It seems it takes me an entire day to just accomplish ONE task that brings a little bit closer to actually getting the passport. The hard thing is that instead of calling a governmental office and getting an answer, I have to get in a car, drive 35 minutes through PAP traffic (on a good day...a bad day it's an hour), fine a place to park near immigragion, hoof it up the road, push through lines of people, get to the office I need to get to, and then wait 2 hours in a room where no one knows the system (not that there is one), and then THINK I'm finally going to get the passport, only to be turned away because we're missing some piece of paper, or something is spelled incorrectly. Good gracious. BUT, this is the process, and this is how it goes. I'll be trying again on Monday. Hopefully we'll be successful, and then we can move on to the US embassy for the visa.

I also got to do some great stuff with my HMP work. I was able to see a woman's house that we are financing the rebuild on. It's getting close to being done. She and her family are still living ina tent. And I got to spend time with another friend who has sponsors for his sisters to go to school through the HMP. I was able to pay the school registration fees and first semester tuition thanks to generous sponsors of the HMP who make it possible for kids to go to School.

I also got to go out to dinner at a nice little restaurant in town. It's funny...you never know what food they will actually have on hand that the menu lists, and it takes forever, but it's pretty decent when it's all said and done. I even got to have a glass of wine and some ice cream. It was fantastic. Thanks to my new friend Kim for taking me out, it was a great treat!

If you were watching the news you may have seen that there was a big storm in Haiti yesterday...I think they were calling it a tropical storm microburst or something like that. It truly came out of nowhere. I've never seen anything like it. I was inside a restaurant with a friend and all the sudden you could see dust swirling up into the sky, all the way into the trees. The trees were bending in the wind, and then rain came...it POURED. It was incredible. And cold! I had goosebumps. Yep...goosebumps in Haiti. The hard reality for me, is that I witnessed a freak storm. I was indoors and had a car to deliver me from the restaurant to my home. I had a roof over my head and walls to protect me from the crazy. I can't imagine how it hit those living in tents. It's in moments like this that it's easy to see how unacceptable the tent cities are as permanent living conditions. These are not homes. Apparently some people died in one tent city. I'm in a bit of a news vaccuum so I don't know specifics. I wish I could give everyone a home...but it's just not that easy. I don't think it's ever "that easy" when it comes to Haiti, and serving in Haiti, and bringing relief, and helping development. Let's face it, if any of us REALLY had the answers we would have fixed this already. But the answers aren't easy, and so the struggle continues. My struggle of trying to wrap my head around helping seems pretty insignificant next to the struggle of those who are trying to do life in the midst of such difficult situations. Yeah, I gave up my cushy life in the states for 6 months...i don't have access to everything I'm used to having...and there are SOME sacrafices...and yet, when I look at my life here, it's a pretty cushy Haitian existence. I continue to see how I am blessed beyond measure and try to figure out ways to help, without doing more harm than good. It's a challenge I'm ready and willing to take.

2010-09-22T07:04:00.002-05:00

There's a first time for everything...

I've been experiencing a lot of "firsts" lately in Haiti. I went to my first Haitian Funeral. There are not enough words for me to adequately explain it. It was simply amazing, something like I have never seen before. My friend Gertrude gave the Eulogy for her brother. I didn't understand much of what she was saying. It took me a while to find the word to describe to her how she looked and sounded when she stood in front of the church filled with people. I came up with it a couple days ago...Regal. That woman had some serious poise.

I also got sick for my first time in Haiti. I usually have somewhat of a steel stomach when traveling. Others in my group will get sick, but I never do. This summer when traveling through Europe I got a bit sick, and this past Friday I got what can only be described as some version of the tropical plague. (of course that's not an OFFICIAL diagnosis) All I know is that I was sick, and it was not pretty. I layed in bed for 3 days. Gertrude did an amazing job of taking care of me and made me eat, even when I didn't want to, and drink about every kind of juice she could possible find and make. There was no way I was getting dehydrated. Yesterday I finally felt back to the land of the living!

Yesterday I went with a young man that I've known for many years. He used to work at the orphanage here, and met my friend Lindsey and I in a week that contained many comical events of the two American girls trying to paint children's rooms with oil based paint in the 412 degree weather. Clearly he remembers me and finds great delight in talking with me...me in my broken Kreyol, and he in his broken English. Us communicating is really something to behold! He came by yesterday to take my by his church. He's a leader there and they lost half their building in the earthquake. He wanted to know if my organization could help, so I told him I'd take some pictures. Ladies and Gentelmen...on my way to his church I experienced my first haitian transportation on a motorcycle. I've been on motorcycles in the states but this is different. These bikes are smaller and many times there are 3 people on each bike. It's pretty entertaining. I, of course, was in a dress knowing that this conservative Christian man was taking me to his church. Great....so I climb on a bike, in a dress, sandwiched between the driver and my friend. I realize about 5 minutes in that I'm clutching the poor man in front of me...normally people don't hold on! So...I released my grip, and setteled down as I became more convinced that I was safe. When we got to the church he asked me to take out my nose ring because "not nice people in Haiti have nose rings". So...I did it...because I like him. Maybe when our language barrier is less I'll try to convince him I'm not some kind of modern day Jezebel. It was somewhere in the midst off this trip that it all sunk in...THIS is my life...I LIVE in Haiti now. I get this amazing opportunity to help people. And I get to do wacky things like this!

After that I went with Kim Sorrelle, from an organization called Rays of Hope for Haiti, and Gertrude and Patrick to look for a new used car for Gertrude. Kim is hilarious and has this, "I'm going to tackle any problem that comes my way," kind of attitude that I find entirely refreshing and exciting. From what I can tell, she doesn't speak a ton of kreyol, but she never lets the language barrier get her down and goes full speed ahead. I think she's the exact person you want with you when buying a new used car in Haiti. Let me tell you though...this is not like going to the used car section at your local lot. We went to about 5 different places yesterday and saw a total of about 12 used cars. Yeah, in a city of 3 million people, there are approximately 12 used cars. I wish we could all sit around the table and I could regale you with the stories of this extravaganza...but I will share only this one for now. My favorite moment came when Kim asked if we could test drive this old truck that they wanted to sell to us for 13,000 US dollars. They said yes, so she got in the drivers side and tried to start the car. It wouldn't...that's when they got a battery of the car next to it and put it in this truck. As they were working on that I walked around to the drivers side and noticed the front tire was flat...like wheel on the ground flat. I mentioned it to them and Gertrude said the tire on the other side was flat. I walked around to see that noticed that the new battery was being held in the car by cement blocks. Clearly we could have walked away with an AMAZING deal...a car with two flat tires and no battery for the low low price of 13,000 US dollars. Needless to say, shopping for cars is a tiny bit different! Maybe we'll find a car tomorrow.

Thanks for reading!

2010-09-20T07:31:00.002-05:00

Kids...

I live in a house with 38 kids. Yep, 38. They all live downstairs in the same amount of space the Gertrude and I are taking upstairs. I'll be honest, I'm not always sure how it works out. The kids range in age from 2 to 18, but most of them are under the age of 10. Some of the children here have dissabilites ranging from not being able to quite walk properly to being wheelchair bound without the use of words or limbs.

Living with one child is interesting, living with two becomes a little crazier, add a third, well you get the point. But, 38 children is a whole new ballgame. This means that from the hours of 5:15am until about 8:00pm there is a constant awareness of the home below me. Children playing, crying, yelling, singing, fighting, praying, laughing...etc. It's all right below me.

I was putting together some paperwork for the orphanage and I was reading through the abandonement papers. Ok, they were in French so my ability to read them entirely was a bit scewed, but they were so sad. I decided I was never allowed to read the papers if I was feeling particularly emotional. These children who bring me so much joy, even in the midst of the sometimes chaos, had been abandoned. Many were found on the streets. Most of the children share the same name, because when they were found, they didn't know their family name and new one had to be registered. Many of the children have no date of birth listed. Some children were abandoned because of their disability. And yet the smiles, the hugs, the joy that comes from them are immeasurable...someone is missing out on having them as their child. And then many of the children have not a problem in the world. They're strong, funny, goofy, naughty, and smart...and someone is missing out on having them as their child. I don't know the reasons that went along with their abonement and I can't begin to judge the parents. I can't imagine that it's ever easy to leave a baby or child, the decision must be beyond torturous for some. I won't begin to judge them. I've never walked in their shoes. It just saddens me, that the smiles, and laughs of these children can never bring joy to their families...

I'm excited that I get to work in a place to make the home for these children more amazing. We've been working on plans for the new land out back. There are a lot of people excited about new dormitories that we are hoping to build, and I won't lie...this feels so significant, giving space to these children to be children...to have room for their clothes, toys, shoes. To have room to run and play and pull all sorts of things that kids pull, within the walls of this safe place. And, to have the ability to help connect some of these children with homes that have a mom and a dad that will give them more than they ever dreamed. I want that for them all.

2010-09-16T06:29:00.003-05:00

One Week...

Today marks my one week anniversary of being in Haiti. Usually at this point I am packing my bags and getting ready to head to the airport to return home. It's strange...I haven't really even begun to unpack yet.

It's been an interesting week. My friend, and fellow HMP supporter, arrived last Saturday...It's been GREAT having him around. We haven't been in Haiti together in a long time and it's been great hanging out with him and getting a little work done. He's funny and we've been able to laugh a lot in the midst of some potentially frustrating situations.

Gertrude arrived home last Sunday. It's crazy to see how differently things work around here when Gertrude is home...she is definitely the boss, and she runs a tight ship. She is unbelievably good at keeping things in order here. She's also had the added stress of having to plan her brother's funeral. She has 5 other brothers and sisters who have been around the house, including one sister who flew in from Africa where she is a nun. The days following have been constant flow of family and friends coming through for business matters, or to give their condelences. This poor woman has had very little time to mourn the loss of her brother. I don't know what the process is here for mourning, but I told her the other night of how when my grandparents passed away, the time that I wasn't helping with things around the house or going to churches or funeral homes, I was curled up in my mom and dad's bed sleeping, because grief exhausted me. I've been encouraging her to sleep...not that she's had much opportunity. The funeral is tomorrow. Tonight family and friends will gather at her mother's house to pray for a couple hours and then they will head to the morgue to view the body, and then the return to the house to pray and be together. Tomorrow morning we will get to the church very early (like 6:30am) and then funeral will begin at 7. It's very interesting to see the process unfold. The morgue wants to charge a ridiculous amount of money for the casket. I know that this is what happens in the States, but here, I just can't imagine who has the money for it. In Haiti there is no fixed price, for anything, at least as far as I can tell...so it's like a game of bargaining whenever you buy anything. I can't imagine going to a morgue and bargaining for the prices for the funeral for a loved one. Probably not your most mentally clear moment. After the funeral, the family will travel south for a day to the family bureal ground to bury him. It seems to be a long exhausting process.

Other than that, Andrew and I have sorted through a lot of donations here at the guesthouse. We checked most of the kids here for their sizes and sorted clothes out that might fit them. We also packed up a bunch of donations to send to the south part of the island. We were also able to accompany a little boy to the hospital for some tests. The excitement on this kid's face when we were leaving for the doctor...priceless. Here's a picture of Andrew and our little friend waiting outside of the hospital.

We're looking forward to today. We're going to see some old friends and get around PAP a little bit. Hopefully we'll be able to accomplish all the things on our very long list of things to do...we'll see!

2010-09-15T08:18:00.003-05:00

Grrr...blogger

I just typed a big update and blogger lost it. I've learned my lesson. From now on, I'll write the updates in Word so I don't lose them. Sooo...frustrating!

So quickly, all is well. Andrew Brown is here, we're trying to get some work done. Gertrude is back...but she is pretty busy with family business. I've seen some good friends, and that makes me happy!

pictures and updates to come!

2010-09-11T22:15:00.001-05:00

Cultural Experience…

Again..something I wrote, last night.

I’ve always been the kind of person who believes that when entering someone else’s country, you should not expect them to speak English, unless, of course, their native language is English. However, as an American it has been an easy road for me when traveling…even though I’ve always tried to learn a few words in the language of the place where I will be traveling (with the exception of the Czech Republic, which I could, by no means, remember how to say ANYTHING in that language) I have always found someone whose English skills far exceed my…fill in the blank…language skills.
In the years that I have been travelling to Haiti, I would say that my Kreyol skills are probably my best foreign language skills…unfortunately that’s not saying much. I still speak a simpler version of the language than most 3 year olds. Today I put every bit of my Kreyol language to the test.
At breakfast this morning, I was sitting at the table with Suze, Gertrude’s sister and we were having a conversation in my broken, BROKEN, Kreyol and she mentioned to me that her brother passed away the night before…I asked her to repeat herself and she said again what I had thought she said. Her brother, a man who used to drive for our guesthouse and work with us in Haiti, the man I assumed would pick me up at the airport, had passed away. (I don’t know all the details because no one here right now really speaks English, but I can say that he had been sick and had a tumor apparently. This was a new illness, and I’m assuming it moved very quickly. He was young and has a family that will now have to learn a new way of living.) I searched my brain but I couldn’t find any words in Kreyol or French that could help me in this moment. Not finding any, I did the best I could and said, “Desole.” Which means, “Sorry.” It didn’t seem like enough.
The rest of the day was filled with family coming through. I got to see our good friend Ti Jean…he is always sure to put a smile on my face, and he went to buy me Digicel phone cards so my cell phone here works now! I’m excited to get to spend more time with him! I also got to spend a little time with a guy who used to work for the orphanage here. I haven’t seen him in a couple years, and it was fun to talk with him a little more. We talked a lot…he in his broken English and me in my broken Kreyol. I learned a lot!
When I finished dinner, Suze asked me if I wanted to go with her to her mother’s house.
I said yes to the invitation and joined Suze and her daughter on the walk through the streets to her mother’s house. I should have known it would be a spectacle…it always is. If you look at me, and you look at a picture of the average Haitian, you would notice many differences, most notably, the color of my skin. The first time I travelled here and had someone refer to me as “Blan”, the Kreyol word for white, I was almost offended. Maybe offended isn’t the best word; I was more taken aback at the fact that it was possible that my skin color made me different. I won’t get into a discussion her about how that has affected the lives of people throughout the world and throughout time. That’s another blog altogether, but I will say that it was difficult for me, because I grew up in an environment where the color of skin did not matter. It’s taken me a long time in the streets of Haiti to get used to the people yelling out “Blan.” I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite thing, but it certainly doesn’t bother me as much anymore…because mostly it’s not meant in a derogatory way, and I am, in fact, “Blan.”
As we walked through the streets we gathered more people behind us and heard more and more people calling in our direction. Eventually we turned the corner to Suze’s mother’s house. There were people gathered all around. Suze told me we were going to the house to encourage her mother…at least that what I thought she said. We walked upstairs to find an elderly woman curled up on a mat on the ground with a fan blowing on her. She was clearly mourning. When I walked in, the other women moved. Again, my ability to give words of comfort failed me as I searched my brain for what words to say. All I could manage was a kiss on the cheek and a “good evening Madame” and “sorry”. I was then ushered outside to sit amongst more people quiet and somber…clearly I had nothing to add. I did feel rather helpless in the whole situation. So as we prepared to leave, I did the only thing I knew how to do, I prayed. I asked Suze, in Kreyol, if I could pray for her mother, but that I would have to do it in English. She said it was a good idea. So I knelt by this woman’s mat, told her I was going to pray for her in English, held her hand and prayed that God would bring peace and comfort that only the hope of the resurrection can give. She thanked me…and I left. Maybe sometimes it isn’t so important to know the language, or even the right words to say…sometimes, we’re still able to give encouragement and comfort those in need.
Just another day in Haiti…

2010-09-10T18:36:00.000-05:00

Worlds Collide…

I wrote this last night...

I think it’s so interesting to travel nowadays. I realize I am only 29 years old, but the reality is that I have been travelling internationally for over 13 years. In those 13 years the world has seen a significant change in technology and has given many, many ways to stay connected to one another. And, even though I’m typing out this blog post in a word document on my computer because the internet isn’t working at the moment, the fact that I am in a different country, one called a “third world” nonetheless, and able to communicate with family and friends is no less impressive to me.
Today has been a great day. I woke up super early this morning and my lovely roommate, brought me to the airport bright and early. She dropped me off at 6:30am and my journey began. I had three suitcases to check, one to carry on, and my “personal item” which was packed to overflowing! I know the luggage was probably overweight, but the sweet lady at the American Airlines counter let my 12 lbs of overages pass, AND even told me to stick some stuff from my carryon into my suitcase that still had space but weighed a lot…All in all, not a bad experience at the American Airlines counter. After schlepping all my stuff through the O’Hare airport and boarding my plane, I was delivered to the Miami International Airport. While I realize the changing world around me, there’s something to be said for the comfort of things that stay the same. I feel that was at the MIA airport. It’s always cold and you can always count on that voice over the speaker to tell what time it is E V E R Y F I F T E E N M I N U T E S….not a quick way to pass the time, and luckily I only had to be updated on the time 6 times on this layover.
I also love that most times when you walk up to your gate in MIA to Port Au Prince there’s a little part of you that already feels like you’re in Haiti. There’s always the teams in matching t-shirts…often times I’m a member of one of these groups, much to my chagrin, but watching team dynamics never ceases to entertain me…even when I’m one of the people causing entertaining team dynamics. There’s also always a handful or two of people with the zip-off pants…you know the ones I talking about…the ones that turn into shorts. Some day I’m hoping to witness someone get off the plane in PAP and whip off the bottom half of their pants…I won’t lie, today I was wishing my blue jeans zipped off into shorts! It was a balmy, sunny, 96ish degrees when I stepped foot into PAP. There’s always families trying to travel with a TON of luggage returning home, and there’s often times a few people that look like they are stuck somewhere between confused and terrified at the prospect of the flight they’re about to take, and a few ladies and men dressed in Sunday finest for their flight, making me feel like a complete scrub in my blue jeans, non-descript grey t-shirt and Birkenstocks. Then there’s the flight to PAP…people trying to find seats, baggage not fitting in overhead compartments, announcements in English and Kreyol, the beverage service and snack packet with spreadable cheese, cold raisins, and the Toblerone. Then there’s the landing, looking out the window on PAP…seeing the concrete; grey concrete scattering out over the hills, now interspersed with blue, grey and white tarps and tents that so many people call home. The crazy jockeying for position at the baggage claim trying lug all the ridiculously heavy bags off the conveyor belts that sometimes work well and sometimes cause too many problems…The men all trying to help you, hoping for the big tip of the day; money to take home to their families, or maybe for other pursuits, and hoping to spot your driver and keep from having to tell too many people “No Mesi” “No thanks” “I don’t need help” “My ride is coming.”
Today the man picking me up was a man I never met before. I was so excited to see a sign with my guesthouse on it, that I jumped at the opportunity to get in his car, until I realized I should check out the situation a little more before getting in the car with someone I didn’t know, who didn’t speak the same language as me. I used my extremely minimal Kreyol skills to ask questions about people he would know if he was indeed the person I was supposed to get in the car with. When he, and his story, checked out with me, we headed off…turns out he is the brother of the woman I will be working with, a wonderfully nice man, deserving a prize for helping me lug my 200 lbs of luggage up to my room.
So, I’m here…It’s hot. It feels like home. The lights are out and the generators aren’t working…I know, because the fans aren’t running. I can hear the music from the neighbors and it sounds like someone outside has a cough. In Haiti, you are never away from your neighbors, you are always “outside”, and always very aware of your community…at least in my experience. I’m excited to sleep. I’m hoping the generators come back on and provide a little bit of fan time for me as I fall asleep, and I’m hoping don’t sweat through my mattress…gross I know…but this is my new reality!
Sorry the post is so long tonight. If you made it this far, thanks for sticking with me. I have a few days to relax, and then the real work begins! I couldn’t be more excited!

Arrived Safely

2010-09-10T06:33:00.002-05:00

Good morning to all of you reading this out there. This is Rachel's friend Danielle who has the priveledge to work alongside Rachel in the Haiti Mission Project. I got the opportunity to chat with her last night after she settled in a little bit. She had said she was going to post and reassure everyone she was doing great. The internet must have gone out before she had the opportunity to do so. She asked me to post for her in any case she was unable to do so and let you know she is safe. She was picked up in the airport by relatives of friends, (I will let her tell you the story), and was delivered to Gertrudes, the Creche and Orphange where she will be working the next several months, safely. Thank you God for your provision over her.

Please continue to pray for Rachel, Gertrude, and the kids, and all that God has planned for the next few months.

Thanks

Dani

2010-09-07T22:28:00.003-05:00

Dear American Airlines...

I know this is more baggage than I am supposed to bring, but...

I'm going for 5 months, AND the big grey bag is filled with paperwork for a bunch of orphans in Haiti, AND I'm already paying you an extra 100 dollars to check that luggage, so can you just let my 52 lb bags pass for 50 lb bags, just this once???

That's the speech I am rehearsing in my head over and over again...hoping that I don't get charged tons of overage fees. I'm sure I have overpacked and I'll get to Haiti and wonder why I thought so many of the things that seems ABSOLUTELY necessary while packing even made it on my "maybe" list. If the American Airlines folks don't seem to be impressed with my rehearsed antics, perhaps I will drop my father's name and his elite status with the airline...not sure that will help either. So I guess I'm just wishing, and praying, and hoping that I can save my 50 dollars of overage fees for something more important down the line. I'll let you know how that turns out. I'm also hoping to not lose any zippers on any bags, or have giant holes ripped through them because of all the weight...we'll see!

I leave for Haiti in a little less than 36 hours...so excited!

I'm in Chicago tonight and tomorrow night catching up with some friends before heading out. I love that the time until my departure is measured in hours now instead of days. I have a lot of things on my "to do" list to accomplish tomorrow...but I think I can do it!

2010-09-02T10:13:00.002-05:00

Surrounded by Love...

I'm in Minnesota for a couple days for Haiti Mission Project (HMP) board meetings, getting bank stuff in order before leaving for Haiti, AND celebrating my Godson Noah's 5th Birthday. Last night we had a long HMP meeting. I can't say enough how much I love and respect the 4 people I work with on the HMP board. Lindsey Burken, Andy Jolivette, Joanna Thiele, and Danielle Tietjen are fantastic friends and wonderful, intelligent, caring people. We've been working together for a while, and it was so great to sit around last night and listen to each of my fellow board members talk about the work of the HMP, our individual work in Haiti, and our hopes for the future. I am honestly excited for the future of what we are doing in Haiti and I'm so proud to say that I am part this group...they inspire me and encourage me into new things! Not only is it fun to talk about the future of the HMP, but also they are a huge encouragement to me as I get ready to move to Haiti for 5 months. They were so great and prayed for me before we ended the meeting. I was sitting in a chair, surrounded by 4 people I love and respect and heard them praying for me, for my friends and family, and for my upcoming trip. Now I feel ready!

One week from today I'll already be in Miami, waiting for my flight into Port Au Prince. I can't wait.

2010-08-30T12:39:00.002-05:00

One Week...

One week from today I will be heading to Chicago. That is the final leg of my summer before heading to Haiti. One week from today I leave...I still have suitcases to go through, lists of things to accomplish and loads of people I would love to spend time with. I have to figure out how I am going to get all of my stuff into 2 50lb bags...including all the donations and stuff for the orphanages I would like to bring along.

Many people have asked what I will be doing in Haiti. I find it difficult to package it into a small 5 minute story...but I will try to make an attempt to do that here. I will leave for Haiti in a little over a week. I will be staying in the country for a little over 5 months (YES, I would love it is you ALL came and visited me.) I plan on returning the first part of February.

I will be staying with a good friend of mine in Haiti. I met Gertrude years ago on my first trip to Haiti. We became fast friends...laughing, dancing, singing, working, talking for hours, and trying on ridiculous high heels we find in donation bags! I love Gertrude, but those things are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the reasons why I want to spend 5 months working with this woman. The Haiti Mission Project, has become involved in the work that she is doing to support people in Haiti. I will help Gertrude as she "remodels" the projects she works with and manages in Haiti, post earthquake. The guesthouse she once managed lost it's building in the earthquake, but life doesn't stop and we can't wait to run the guesthouse until it is rebuilt, so she has relocated it. On one single property now sit two buildings that house two orphanages, home to 37 children (some with special needs), a guesthouse, and a trade school that teaches women to sew, cook, and make jewelry in order to provide for their families.

I will help Gertrude with some of the business and administration of these projects, all the while allowing her to maintain ownership of the management while helping her create systems that make things function and flow better. I will also be helping to sort our adoption paperwork for our children. And while I am there, I will also be helping to receive some teams that are coming to work alongside the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti. Some of the goals are lofty...perhaps too lofty for 5 months, but I am looking forward to challenge and the adventure and can't wait to get started!

I am doing this as volunteer work. If you've noticed on the side of my blog there is a place where you can donate to my work. I certainly appreciate any financial help that anyone wants to offer on this venture, but I also understand that money isn't really something most people have to throw around these days...and more than financial support I appreciate your words of encouragement and the support of prayer from those of you who are the praying type. This is a differently adventure for me...I can't wait to share my stories with you, and I hope that you will continue to read along with me through the coming months.

2010-08-17T19:35:00.005-05:00

Sharing Haiti...

If you've spent any time with me in the past 6 years, you know that I LOVE to talk about Haiti. (A friend is trying to convince me that we "love" people and "like" things...she has a lot of work to do in order to convince me on a few things...talking about Haiti is one of the "things" that I LOVE)

This past weekend I took a little trip down to Southwest Missouri where I used to work. In fact, I was able to see some of the first people who supported my endeavors in Haiti and share updates about what the Haiti Mission Project has been doing. In the past 5 years the Haiti Mission Project has come a long way! It's fun to see growth. It's also fun to see friends and loved ones. Thank you to everyone who let me share about Haiti this past weekend, especially those who have listened to me talk for hour and hours, and still are willing to listen!

I'll share a quick story...My trip had many highlights, but I'd like to share this one! My Godson Lucas and I got to spend a day together. Lucas turned five last month and is a pretty cool kid! His parents do a great job raising him and he's growing up to be one smart little cookie. He knows all about how his "Auntie Rae-Rae" works in Haiti and was really interested in what was going on there after the earthquake. He also knows that I am going to live there for a while, and I was telling him how I would be working at a place where there were lots of little boys and girls around his age without parents. He thought that would be a fun place to visit and find people to play with. As we were running errands later in the day we walked past a toy section. Of course he was drawn in by the Batman and Superhero section. Since his 5 year birthday present is somewhere in my storage...somehwere...I told him he could pick out any toy he wanted and I would get him one for his birthday. He walked the aisles and kept saying, "You know what I think? I bet the kids in Haiti would like to have this. Let's get this for the kids in Haiti." When he finally settled on a padded Batman hockey set he tried his hardest to convince me to buy them all so, "ALL the kids in Haiti can have one Auntie Rae-Rae!" After convincing him there was no way I could fit them in my luggage, I was able to get him to move on!

I love watching other people get involved in Haiti. I love to see other people fall in love with the people of Haiti, and it's great to see people, young and old, think of ways to love their neighbors all around the world!

Here is the video I shared with people this weekend. A guy with the Haiti Mission Project put it together and it shows some of the people we work with in Haiti. You may have seen it before...enjoy!

2010-08-14T09:13:00.002-05:00

Tickets Bought...

As of 11:59pm last night, I officially have plane tickets for Haiti! I'm pretty stinking excited!

2010-08-12T23:54:00.008-05:00

The Beginning...

I'm the type of person who thinks that life is a journey, and I believe everyone has a story to tell. The details of my story aren't likely to be recorded in History books or even written about in the daily news, but I still believe it's a story worth telling, and I hope you enjoy following along.

The first page, the beginning of this chapter in my life is this: I am moving to Haiti!

My intention is to use this blog as a way of sharing with friends, family, and other interested people, the work that I'm doing in Haiti...of course, when I say "I'm", I really mean "we're". I've been working in Haiti for the past 6 years, but I've never been alone in my work. On my first trip to Haiti I was surrounded by a group of young adults that included close friends and people I'd never met before. We worked to help build an orphanage with the Haiti Lutheran Mission Society (www.haitilutheran.org) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti, and we also volunteered at many other hospitals and orphanages. As time went on, our relationships grew, both with the returning team members, and with our friends in Haiti. Soon some of our team members worked together to create the Haiti Mission Project (www.haitimissionproject.org), an organization raising awareness to make a difference in Haiti. In 2008, I was one of the founding board members of the Haiti Mission Project (HMP) as we became an official 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. For the past years we have been sending mission teams and work teams to the Port Au Prince area and sharing our love for Haiti, as well as raising awareness and funds Stateside to help support the people with whom we work in Haiti! It's been fun to watch the organization grow.

You probably know there was a big earthquake in Haiti last January...I'm not sure how anyone could have missed it. If you've watched the news at all, even in the more recent months, it's clear that the earthquake not only created an immediate need for aid and support but also a need for ongoing action. That's why I have committed to live and work in Haiti until the beginning of February 2010.

Some people think it's cool and exotic that I am going to Haiti. Some people ask me what I'm doing there. Some people think I'm crazy for opting out of full-time employment so that I can "volunteer" for 6 months, and a lot of people ask me if what I'm doing is even safe.

The truth is that, for me, going to Haiti is like going home. I'll be working with a Haitian woman who has been my friend for years. (I'll tell you more about the Who and What I'm working with later.) I probably am a little bit crazy for leaving full-time employment for volunteer service, espcially since the cost of life doesn't just stop when you stop working, which I'm sure many people, both in Haiti and the US, understand all too well. The goals for my time in Haiti are probably far to lofty for what I can actually accomplish in 6 months time. And, for me, Haiti isn't any more dangerous than some places I have already lived and travelled...Yes, I will be safe. People have always taken great care of me in Haiti and I am so excited to be able to spend my time in this way and to help in a time of need.

Thank you for reading this and supporting the work we are doing. Check back every couple days and see what's new. I promise to try to be entertaining and informative! I do NOT promise to always have proper use of commas and I will probably end a sentance or two with dangling prepositions...so if you're into grammar, you can correct me. I could probably use your help!

More to come...