A Monday afternoon in the ravine

Cassandra, Madame Joseph, Fideria

The whole family! 

She is too cute! Look at her smile :) 

Hiking Day 2

I promise I love Amber for more than just being able to copy her blog posts! :) 

Hiking in Haiti (Part 2)

Our second day started off fairly normal...well, normal enough considering we woke up in hammocks in the middle of a pine forest in Haiti surrounded by trees and fresh air instead of the usual cloud of smog, dust, urine scent, and noise of Port-au-Prince. The sun was peeking through the trees, the air was clean and chilly and smelled of pine. We rolled out of our hammocks, rubbed our eyes and were ready to greet the new day. Then, a man began walking out of the trees towards our campsite. We were the only ones around, and my heart started to beat a little faster as he walked toward us. He greeted us and began to talk with Irene, who is fluent in Creole. I picked up a word here and there, but couldn’t put it together. Irene thanked him and he walked away. She told us what he had communicated to her. He said that if we were staying another night we needed to move our campsite further from the road. He said that we were visible from the road and that, back in December a group of people who were camping had been robbed and murdered at night. We don’t know if that is true or not, there is no way to tell, but needless to say, we were both alarmed and thankful at the same time. Grateful to have made it through the night, we settled in for a breakfast of coffee, granola, and other snacks to fuel up for our hike that day. We didn’t know how big of a hike we were in for though…

Stretching out their sore muscles and getting ready for day two.

Stopping to check the map and figure out where we were and were we needed to go. 

After packing up camp and refilling and treating our water we were off. The day before we had hiked about 14 miles, but the nights sleep had refreshed and rejuvenated our tired bodies. The scenery of the second day was even more beautiful than the day before. For hours we wandered, mostly downhill, through fields covered in mist and fog. Green, lush farmland where crops were growing and farm animals were grazing was everywhere. Just after the town of Seguin, we entered an area that didn’t quite seem like Haiti at all. Throughout the misty farmland were rocks...not just any rocks, dark rocks that seemed to jut up from the earth like teeth, and they were everywhere! How did they get here? 

Crazy rocks!

They were everywhere.

Outside Seguin.

We had gotten a late start and were slow moving for most of the morning, but we stopped around 1pm for a quick lunch before getting going again. We picked up the pace in the afternoon and got faster and faster each time we checked the map. We were far from our destination and night was closing in. I don’t know how the others felt, but I wasn’t too interested in camping out again after the warning we had received that morning and with the attention we received as we walked through villages. 

Early in the hike, still in good spirits.

These ladies put us to shame walking in sandals with heavy baskets on their heads. 

Nathaniel & Josiah feeling victorious after finding a lake!

It isn’t a rare thing for us to get hit up for money and stuff in Port-au-Prince, but in the countryside it was a completely different story. Everywhere we went we heard people as small as one to as old as 60 or 70 shouting at us “blan blan!” (Means “foreigner” or “white person”) and then saying “Ban m ti kado.” (means “give me a little gift”). It was frustrating to see decades and decades of “white Santa Claus” played out in front of us. These people wouldn’t have been asking us for stuff if white people hadn’t been giving it to them before. We’ve all seen it, the North Americans come into the third world all “high, white, and mighty” and begin to make it rain on the poor of the third world with no regard for the harm it might cause to local businesses or harm to the dignity of those they are “blessing.” But that is another topic for a different day….

We all wanted to quit at this point in the trail....

The ocean in the distance was our destination...this photo was taken about 4 pm...Still a ways to go.

Later in the day we had picked up the pace significantly and felt as if we were “racing the clock.” We reached the bottom of the mountain and began a slightly easier walk on level ground heading for Jacmel all the while looking for taptaps (Haitian version of a taxi) to take us all the way into Jacmel. We wouldn’t be able to walk the whole way and were counting on a taptap to be there. Right about then, God totally provided. We looked up to see a taptap reversing at a frightening speed down the road to pick us up. We negotiated a price, climbed in, and he began driving us to Jacmel.

I should mention here that the reason we had our spring break last week was to celebrate Karnaval break. Karnaval is supposed to be like Mardi Gras on steroids. Drunken rowdy people doing drunken rowdy things with some (or a lot) of voodoo influence on the purpose and celebrations. One popular part of Karnaval are the Rah Rah bands. Essentially a Rah Rah band is drums and other marching band instruments, people, and a whole lot of rum (and potentially drugs as well). It can get rowdy. It can get really rowdy if you are in the middle of one, in a tap tap with white skin and a whole lot of bags. On our taptap ride from the town where we were picked up to Jacmel we drove through about 6-7 of these bands. After the first one someone wisely said we should lean forward and try and show as little white skin as possible. This was good advice and we were clearly protected because nothing happened as we drove through each of these crowds. (We have heard of people driving through these crowds and their cars being shaken back and forth.)

Our sleeping quarters in Jacmel. 

We made it through the crowds, through the little villages, and into the cute town of Jacmel. We were staying at a Salvation Army church and, after a tour around the town looking for it, pulled up and unloaded our belongings. We set up camp on the roof and settled in for a loud night. The church was having a camp and this was the last night. So we had church camp + Mardi Gras + normal Haitian night sounds (roosters, dogs, car horns) all mixed together. We were able to piece together a few hours of sleep, thankful to have arrived at our destination safe and sound. Thank you God for your protection. 

Our Hiking Adventure

Amber wrote a great blog about our adventure this week! Here is her post about our 1st day hiking. 

Check out her blog http://alertsfromamber.blogspot.com/.

When discussing what we would do during spring break (here it is called Karnaval break and coincides with Mardi Gras) we decided that we would attempt a hike we had heard a lot about. We wanted to go to Cap Haitien or the Dominican Republic, but those trips were too complicated or too expensive or both. So, we opted to save some money and have a bit more of an adventure and hike from Port au Prince (well, we started significantly south of the city) to Jacmel (the place we drove to earlier this school year). We had heard many different guesses on how long the hike would take and how difficult it was, but we assumed it would take about two days to get to Jacmel and we would camp just outside the small mountain town of Seguin. 

On Monday morning nine of us began the journey. Katie, her friend Lauri, myself, Jill, Josiah, Nathaniel, Damon, Robbie and Irene all loaded up into a taptap to begin the climb up the mountain to begin the journey. An employee at the school owns a taptap and graciously agreed to give up a few hours of sleep on Monday morning to drive us an hour up a mountain. Each minute we drove uphill was less that we would have to climb….or so we thought. We began the hike in the small suburb of Port au Prince known as Kenscoff. The air was noticeably cooler and some of us put on jackets to begin the hike. For the next few hours we hiked uphill and then downhill with the views getting better and better the longer we walked. We talked, we snacked, we stopped to use the natural restroom, we shouted “bonjou” at people we passed by who returned the greeting with a look of confusion on what these nine blan were doing walking up a mountain with huge bags on their backs. 

Around the Kenscoff/Furcy area.

Ayiti bel!

The long hike uphill...

Beautiful view from the top.

This plant looks like something from Dr. Seuss.

Walking on the edge of the pine forest.

The first day we hiked a total of 14 miles with a total increase of 3,300 feet in elevation. After hiking up and up and up and up a hill, we reached the top and were greeted with a site you wouldn’t expect to see in Haiti….a pine forest. We had heard of the pine forest, but it wasn’t what we had expected. I expected a small grove of pine trees but instead saw a forest stretching far and wide filled with tall pines, their needles scattered along the ground. A dirt road cut through the forest and the cool, piney air was all around. What a refreshing site, but one problem stood out...we were almost out of water. It was getting around the time when we would need to set up camp but we hadn’t found a good water source. We had heard of a pump near where we were, but hadn’t found it yet. We stopped for a break and saw a small structure a few yards up the trail. Katie and I went to check it out and yippee, water!! A cement structure was pumping water from a nearby river and we were able to fill up our water bottles. We found a campsite nearby, hidden in the woods and set up camp. 5 hammocks, 2 tents, and a small camp stove later we were ready for the night. I’ll take a second and note the blessing that the Pruitts were on this trip. They are experienced hikers and backpackers and we honestly might not have survived the trip (at least not well) if we hadn’t had them. Robbie doctored our feet along the trail when we were developing “hot spots” on our feet from ill-chosen shoes (ahem, me…), they had water purification drops, camp stove, trail mix, and many other fabulous camping supplies that made our trip much more enjoyable. 

We found water!!!

The hammock set up.

Robbie in his cooking chair.

Delicious dinner.

Jill and I stacked our hammocks...she was very close to me.

After a great dinner made by Robbie, some tea, and some laughter, we climbed into our hammocks and tents at the early hour of 7:45 and settled in for the night. After hearing that the air was much cooler in the mountains we were prepared with sweats and socks and other warm clothes, but I still spent much of the night curled up in fetal position trying to stay warm. The night was fairly quite in the woods compared to the bustling noise of the city that we are all used to. No cars, no horns, no people, fewer roosters. Sleeping soundly, no major injuries, all nine of us still accounted for….our first day was a success. 

Our attitude towards sin

Over the past week my 2nd graders have become experts on saying hurtful things, tattle tailing, being very dramatic and crying. 

This afternoon as a class we had a very important meeting about our behavior and the classroom environment. I explained the importance of being kind and saying encouraging things to each other. We also talked about loving each other even when it is hard. 

After our discussion, I asked my students to raise their hand if they had bullied or been mean to another student over this past week. Almost everyone raised their hand. I was amazed at their honesty and quickness in admitting their own faults.

Next, I asked each student to go immediately to the person they had hurt, apologize, and ask for forgiveness.  

Out of the corner of my eye I could see 2 girls apologizing and hugging. Suddenly they both broke into tears.  They were hysterically crying. I went over to hug them and asked what was wrong. Annabel said between sobs, "I know what I did was so hurtful to Rebecca, and it makes me so sad that I did it." 

WOW! My eyes filled up with tears as she explained this to me. Instantly I thought of my own heart and attitude toward sin. Is my first reaction to fall at the feet of Jesus completely remorseful for my actions? Does my own sin and brokenness bring me to my knees before the Lord? 

God, I am totally undeserving of Your love. I deserve nothing but death. Thank you for sending Jesus to die in my place on the cross. Because of that sacrifice I can experience life with You.  I pray that Truth would resonate deep in my heart, and cause me to live my life totally surrendered to You alone. 

Heart for the Kids on the Street

Everyday there are boys on the street that wash cars with old dirty rags. As they do this they beg for both money and food. I do not know if they truly are hungry or in need of money, but I do know they do not often get whatever they are given. They are forced to give what they receive to their "boss". This is just common knowledge on the streets of Port-au-Prince. 

For whatever reason this past week I have really noticed the boys and have paid close attention to what they do. Today one of the 14 year old boys stuck out his hand and asked me for money. I reached out my hand and shook his to introduce myself. It took him by surprise, but we did have a short conversation. After finding out a little about him, I said I wasn't going to give him money and said goodbye. He then smiled a huge smile at me and walked away. 

My heart breaks for those boys. How unfair that they live that life? How frustrating that they are out begging day after day for food and money? Will they ever do anything else? Why does that have to be normal and comfortable for them? 

God, I pray that these boys would know you. I pray that you would bring joy and life into their hearts. I pray they would find value in You alone. Bring them freedom and show them Your love! 

Living in Haiti is hard. It is beyond frustrating to see all the injustice and poverty. God, help me find comfort in knowing one day You will restore all creation and it will be the way You intended. With all my heart,  I pray that day would come soon! 

God still has the whole world in His hands!

"I am able to face the uncertainty of this life, knowing that God is certain and in control."

Today in church we watched a sermon by Andy Stanley. The Lord used it as a reminder to me that God is faithful and trustworthy. 

Take 30 minutes and watch his sermon!

http://praisesermons.com/index.php/videos/viewvideo/1119/strength/andy-stanley-god-is-in-control

Saturday (random) Thoughts

I must be getting old because I cannot sleep in any more. I was wide awake at 6:35. So it was a perfect morning to do yoga with Tiffany.

After yoga Amber, Katie, Tiffany, Jarrett,  Nathaniel and I all went to Petionville to do a few errands. We went grocery shopping at Giant. Giant is a little bigger and has more food options than Eagle, so it is nice to go there every once in a while. While we were out Nathaniel had to go to a book store down the road to get some French books for his class. Amber and I tagged along with him to get some coffee! 

Now I am currently sitting on my couch with a diet coke listening to country music. It is funny how music can take you back to specific times in your life. The music I am listening to now makes me think of Sarah and Katie, my best friends at Appalachian.  I loved the Saturdays we spent driving on the Parkway talking about life! I am so blessed to have such great college memories with those girls! :) 

Time sure flies by. Those times were less than a year ago! 

I am amazed at God's faithfulness. I am in awe of His unfailing love. I am humbled by His death on the Cross. 

I pray I would keep my eyes on Christ alone. I pray that I would experience Him be more than enough for me! 

A quick thought...

Being in Haiti around missionary couples and families has been such an encouragement. Over the past months the Lord has revealed to me glimpses of how He desires a marriage to be. 

It has been incredible to see ways that couples personalities and talents work together to further the Kingdom. It also has been amazing to see families leave the comforts and "normality" of life to serve God alone. 

I do desire to be married one day and have a family. It excites me to be able pray with my husband and consider how the Lord would have us serve Him together. 

Right now the Lord has blessed me with singleness. Some days are much harder than others to see this as a blessing!

In the meantime, I pray God would prepare me to be exactly who He has created me to be. I pray I would learn to be joyful and content in all seasons of my life. 

Beach Weekend

This weekend we had a Staff retreat at the beach. It doesnt get much better than spending a few days in February at the beach in the sun.

Here are some pictures! 

                                                            

 No weekend can be perfect... I am literally covered in jellyfish bites. They itch like crazy. Be praying they go away soon!