Life at Dorothy's has been a tremendous learning experience for me to prepare for our families move to Haiti.
The Mission house is large, not fancy, but functional. Dorothy has a dedicated staff who have been helping me to keep everything going and also to learn both practically and culturally the unspoken rules of life in Haiti.
I have already told you about a couple of staff, Hanania and Edrick. Both have been a tremendous help!
Edrick has shown me how to run the generator, the solar inverter, the water purifier, the water pump, the propane tank for the stove, and many other things which I would have been lost without knowing! About 2 days after arriving, the Haitian electric stopped working, it was later determined that the meter was "gone" and the wires disconnected. So, I have had no electricity except for the solar and occasional generator once a week while pumping water. It has caused me to think about all the things we use electricity for! I have figured out a system to charge my computer battery to almost full with the solar each evening before it runs out. I have no light after about 6:30pm when the sun goes down, so I use my flash light (although that has now burned out) and a camping head lamp that I bought before I came after seeing the many uses when I was in PAP. I walk around the house like a coal miner at night! It works though and is part of the "flexibility" that is needed in this culture!
Hanania has been the "cultural interpreter" for me. She speaks English very well and is very insightful. She has included me when she has gone to church and to a Wedding. She also has shown me how the shopping works. A very different process here! I will blog about that later! She is very talented and has clued me in on a number of cultural issues which are difficult for "blanc's" to know how to deal with. For example, begging, if the little kids come running up asking for money, she will shoo them away telling them "do not beg". But, if a couple of kids come up to us asking to wash the car (essentially wipe it down) she will work out a price and let them go a head. She never gives money to people on the street that she doesn't know, but she will help people who she knows are actually in need. There are many issues related to "helping"and when our "helping" actually hurts the culture more than helps. It is a difficult issue to grapple with when essentially 99.9% of the population has very real practical needs. It takes alot of discernment and prayer.
There are also some staff who work at the house. Gabo is a 60+ year old grounds keeper. He is stronger than most men half his age and it is clear he has had a harsh, hard life. Dorothy has him come each day to clean up leaves, sweep etc. (I think she wants to be sure he has food money to survive and some dignity in his old age) Nana comes 2 times a week to clean house. She is younger probably in her mid 20's with a family. It is unbelievably dusty here and the soot from burning trash and other pollution gets on everything. Nana bleaches out the bathrooms and floors to prevent mildew and mold and to attempt to keep the bugs at bay! Nadia, also younger, comes once a week to do laundry. Clean clothes are extremely important to the Haitian people. Very few Haitians have washing machines, it is all done by hand and hung out to dry in the sun. They have a very strong soap and will scrub until the clothes are spotless! Then there is Ma Louie. She is a very gentle, sweet older women who cooks the evening meal. She has been very excited to cook for me since I asked her to cook only Haitian style, not American. She has made some wonderful food for me! There are lots of fruits and vegetables and of course rice and beans. It has been GREAT! She does all the food shopping as well which quite honestly would be impossible for me at this point. It is all done at the open market and you really need to know what you are doing!
Each of these house hold staff is expected and imperative if you are a foreigner living in Haiti and actually most Haitians have people who they hire to do these things for them. Even ones who we would consider poor. It takes a long time to do the activities of daily living here and this is a system developed to help give employment to the more unskilled laborers and young people. It allows them meaningful work, but also allows the employer (or the missionary) the ability to do their job. If a foreigner does not employ at least some of these workers, they are thought of as cheap and not willing to help improve the country. It is a very different view than how we as Americans see having household help. Most Haitians want to work and are very thankful for the means to support their families.
At the house there is almost always the background noise of a church service, music, people working or talking, it is a constant buzz. As I have mentioned, people (and animals) are up early and so am I. I usually make some coffee and have some fruit and peanutbutter on bread for breakfast, before heading out to the clinic. I usually don't eat again until about 5:30 at night after we have gotten back and I've been able to get things put away, checked email etc. Sometimes people will come by to visit but usually by about 6:15, I lock the front gate before it gets dark. I spend the evenings either working on projects from the clinic or Global H2Ope or emailing or skyping with family. The connection is not always very good, but at least I can check in and see the faces and voices of Doug and the kids or my sister and parents. My computer can't last more than about 2 hours on battery so around 8:00, I go get a cold shower (which actually is fine with me because I have been sweating all day!) and then read a bit before falling asleep under my mosquito netting around 9:30 -10:00pm. I am usually awakened at least once a night with music or the neighborhood dogs barking, but by 5-5:30am, I am up and ready to begin another day!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
English Class
As I mentioned before, the clinic serves as more than just a medical facility, it also functions as an educational center. Learning English is an important thing in Haitian culture, both from a status aspect, but also, for potential employment opportunities. There are a number of Missions, NGO's and short term teams who come in that need interpreters. Those who can speak and understand English well have a good chance at making some income.
At the clinic, Eve serves as the Agronomy and English Teacher. He speaks well and is a very good teacher. He is strict! No one messes around in his class! I have been helping him on Fridays to work on pronunciation in the advanced class. It is really fun and quite challenging to me! I never realized how many exceptions there are to every rule! And since Creole is based on French, the sounds are different for the letters than they are used to. For example, r's are pronounced more as w's in French so "Row, Row, Row your boat", comes out as "whoh, whoh, whoh, youw boat". I had them growling like a lion to get the R sound. It was very difficult for them! (similar to how it is difficult for me to make the creole sounds!) They want to learn so badly. The students ages are everything from a 11 year old to a 60 year old. Most are in their mid 20's. Several of them have asked me to come and speak to young peoples groups on leadership. Many of the churches have organizations that are trying to mentor the young people into leaders for the community and country. It is very impressive. They all know their country has many problems and that the government is inadequate to take on those problems so they are starting with their own families, communities and themselves to take responsibility. These young people take nothing for granted and are very thankful for every good thing that comes their way.
Our class meets out under a very large mango tree with a chalk board that is nailed to the tree. We sit on rough, wood benches carried over from the clinic. Evidently, when the clinic was first built there was a VERY LARGE Boa constrictor that lived in the tree and everyone was afraid to go over there! At some point over this past year, someone was brave enough to "remove" the snake and now this tree has become the educational center for the clinic. It is a beautiful setting, so simple, yet so profound. The teacher writes everything on the black board and then the students must copy it onto a notebook. This means they must have a notebook and pen. It is a sacrifice for students to purchase those items to attend. Again, an example of the dedication to education that is prevalent in Haiti.
At the clinic, Eve serves as the Agronomy and English Teacher. He speaks well and is a very good teacher. He is strict! No one messes around in his class! I have been helping him on Fridays to work on pronunciation in the advanced class. It is really fun and quite challenging to me! I never realized how many exceptions there are to every rule! And since Creole is based on French, the sounds are different for the letters than they are used to. For example, r's are pronounced more as w's in French so "Row, Row, Row your boat", comes out as "whoh, whoh, whoh, youw boat". I had them growling like a lion to get the R sound. It was very difficult for them! (similar to how it is difficult for me to make the creole sounds!) They want to learn so badly. The students ages are everything from a 11 year old to a 60 year old. Most are in their mid 20's. Several of them have asked me to come and speak to young peoples groups on leadership. Many of the churches have organizations that are trying to mentor the young people into leaders for the community and country. It is very impressive. They all know their country has many problems and that the government is inadequate to take on those problems so they are starting with their own families, communities and themselves to take responsibility. These young people take nothing for granted and are very thankful for every good thing that comes their way.
Our class meets out under a very large mango tree with a chalk board that is nailed to the tree. We sit on rough, wood benches carried over from the clinic. Evidently, when the clinic was first built there was a VERY LARGE Boa constrictor that lived in the tree and everyone was afraid to go over there! At some point over this past year, someone was brave enough to "remove" the snake and now this tree has become the educational center for the clinic. It is a beautiful setting, so simple, yet so profound. The teacher writes everything on the black board and then the students must copy it onto a notebook. This means they must have a notebook and pen. It is a sacrifice for students to purchase those items to attend. Again, an example of the dedication to education that is prevalent in Haiti.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Clinique Medicale la Pistere
The clinic of Pistere first opened last year when I was here with the well drillers. The other nurse and I helped get the rooms, pharmacy, lab etc. set up and they had their first clinical days while we were there.
This past year the clinic has grown it's client base and has seen many hundreds of patients. It is open 4 days a week for patients and also offers community education classes. Every morning begins with a hymn, the Lords Prayer and someone on the staff saying a prayer. Everyone is given a number and they wait to be registered, wait to have vitals done, wait to see the doctor, wait to have lab work done, wait to see the doctor for results and wait to get prescriptions from the pharmacy. It can be a many hour process as there is only one doctor and one nurse. But, if you have been following the blogs at all you probably have noticed that the Haitian people do alot of waiting for many things so it is not uncommon. All clinics are set up like this and it is accepted. At most clinics, payment is expected upfront even before you see the doctor, but here, patients pay 25 goude after they see the doctor (about .75 cents), if they can not pay, it is free. Prescriptions are the same way, you pay what you can or nothing. The clinic must purchase the medications for the most part, so this is definitely a ministry and not a money making venture!
People in this area are very poor and in general most are malnourished. It is especially difficult to see the children come in so thin, but they are dressed in their Sunday best and scrubbed clean. Parents do the best they can, but it is a real challenge. Dorothy is hoping to be able to start a nutrition program and get food from the world food program, but there are always hoops to jump through. For now, she has hired a teacher who offers classes in "agronome" , (gardening), and has set aside land to use as a sample plot.
The cases that come into the clinic vary from high blood pressure and diabetes (both very common) to Malaria and Typhoid (also very common). There are colds, skin conditions, asthma, eye infections, and many other ailments. I have seen some pretty nasty wounds usually from machete's and a variety of other conditions needing attention! Healthcare in Haiti is pay as you go, so if a case is too much for us to handle, they are referred to the hospital. Unfortunately, many times people don't go because they can't pay the fees. So... the infections get worse, the fever gets higher, the diabetic goes into a coma, the baby gets dehydrated ...and they die. It is sad, but all to often true. This is why prevention and education is an important role that medical clinics must play. It is hard work and very challenging, but also rewarding when you can see someone recover or know that a child will get proper care.
My first project at the clinic is to write a computer program to track the inventory and the monthly reports for the board and to hopefully be able to supply the various nutrition and other agencies with the data necessary for them to begin providing assistance to the clinic. It should help to streamline the current hand written tracking that is going on in the pharmacy too.
The clinic is an important part of the community and will continue to grow and develop over the years. It is a little haven of hope in an area long forgotten and neglected.
This past year the clinic has grown it's client base and has seen many hundreds of patients. It is open 4 days a week for patients and also offers community education classes. Every morning begins with a hymn, the Lords Prayer and someone on the staff saying a prayer. Everyone is given a number and they wait to be registered, wait to have vitals done, wait to see the doctor, wait to have lab work done, wait to see the doctor for results and wait to get prescriptions from the pharmacy. It can be a many hour process as there is only one doctor and one nurse. But, if you have been following the blogs at all you probably have noticed that the Haitian people do alot of waiting for many things so it is not uncommon. All clinics are set up like this and it is accepted. At most clinics, payment is expected upfront even before you see the doctor, but here, patients pay 25 goude after they see the doctor (about .75 cents), if they can not pay, it is free. Prescriptions are the same way, you pay what you can or nothing. The clinic must purchase the medications for the most part, so this is definitely a ministry and not a money making venture!
People in this area are very poor and in general most are malnourished. It is especially difficult to see the children come in so thin, but they are dressed in their Sunday best and scrubbed clean. Parents do the best they can, but it is a real challenge. Dorothy is hoping to be able to start a nutrition program and get food from the world food program, but there are always hoops to jump through. For now, she has hired a teacher who offers classes in "agronome" , (gardening), and has set aside land to use as a sample plot.
The cases that come into the clinic vary from high blood pressure and diabetes (both very common) to Malaria and Typhoid (also very common). There are colds, skin conditions, asthma, eye infections, and many other ailments. I have seen some pretty nasty wounds usually from machete's and a variety of other conditions needing attention! Healthcare in Haiti is pay as you go, so if a case is too much for us to handle, they are referred to the hospital. Unfortunately, many times people don't go because they can't pay the fees. So... the infections get worse, the fever gets higher, the diabetic goes into a coma, the baby gets dehydrated ...and they die. It is sad, but all to often true. This is why prevention and education is an important role that medical clinics must play. It is hard work and very challenging, but also rewarding when you can see someone recover or know that a child will get proper care.
My first project at the clinic is to write a computer program to track the inventory and the monthly reports for the board and to hopefully be able to supply the various nutrition and other agencies with the data necessary for them to begin providing assistance to the clinic. It should help to streamline the current hand written tracking that is going on in the pharmacy too.
The clinic is an important part of the community and will continue to grow and develop over the years. It is a little haven of hope in an area long forgotten and neglected.
June 1st- Off to the clinic!
The Clinic staff showed up at the house at 7:30am, I was pretty tired after essentially no sleep, but was excited to get started. Hanania, Enock (very quiet accountant for the clinic) and I hopped in the red F250 Heavy duty truck with Edrick driving. We negotiated our way out of the "neighborhood" avoiding the children walking to school, parents going to work, motorcycles with passengers and cargo and of course the ever present potholes. At the bottom of the hill we picked up the "pharmacist" and "lab tech" and continued on our way. It is very busy on the road most of the time, but especially so in the morning. There are many Tap Tap's (smaller trucks with a lifted topper and a wooden plank on each side in the back for people to sit on. Usually 6-8 on a side and then people hanging off the back.) This is public transportation in Haiti. It is highly questionable at best, but there are no other alternatives for people. Any way, we continued on... horns honking, large trucks heading straight for us and then swerving at the last second, driving on both sides of the road to avoid potholes, having motorcycles weaving in and out all around us ...while simultaneously avoiding bikes and pedestrians. I have seen some amazing feats on motorcycles... it is not uncommon to see a dad with two or three children (little children too) on the motorcycle navigating their way to school. I have seen the driver and two more adult passengers with their large shopping bags on a single motor cycle. The cargo that is hauled is incredible, huge bags of charcoal 5' long and a diameter of 20+inches. 4 or more on the back. I have pictures of a motorcycle with two 12' by 14" planks, crosswise on the back of the motorcycle trying to get through traffic. Never has the statement "where there's a will, there's a way" been more true than in Haiti! I could tell you many other stories, but I'll leave it for another blog!
We continued on our way into Cap Haitian. We then stopped and picked up the Nurse and the Doctor as we squeezed alittle tighter. (This is 8 people in the cab of the truck if you are counting and FYI, no air conditioning) The air is dusty, smelly and in general would never be allowed in any city in the US, but... this is Haiti. We eventually make our way out of the city area and move into the more rural. Edrick stops at one place where there is an air compressor by the roadside to have the front tire inflated more... we continue a little further onto
another smaller town and we pick up the garden/English teacher...(up to 9 now)...and then we look for what seems to me to be mounds of straw, in reality they are ice chunks for the coolers at the clinic. We pick up 2 chunks and move on. Our last official stop is for bags of water (yes, bags...they are called Culligan and it is purified water in an 8oz bag. You bite the corner to get it open and then squeeze.) Now we are out in the more rural countryside between smaller towns. The road has been paved here in the past two years and there is a speed limit of 50 which is routinely ignored. They put in speed bumps (called Dos Dane which literally means Dead Policeman) to periodically slow the traffic as there were many fatal accidents when they first completed the road. There are official traffic signs which picture two cars, a red one on one side and a black one on the other to remind drivers to stay in their own lane, also largely ignored. The honk, "I'm coming" serves as warning to the many pedestrians, bikers, and motorcycles who also share the road. Another interesting road sign pictures two children running, yes, running across the road. (I hope to get a picture of it onto this site as it is classic.)
People will stand on the side of the road, wave their hand in an up and down motion and we will pull to the side as they scramble to hop in the back of the truck for a ride to the clinic. (this is also how you hail a Tap Tap) We generally stop 2-4 times to pick up additional passengers. We finally make the turn to head out on the dirt road to the clinic. It used to be very bad, but the Mayor put new dirt on it when the clinic opened. We pass by the huts, the donkeys, the kids waving by the cactus fence that serves as their yard marker until we come upon the clinic. A simple, but functional building that has brought healthcare to thousands of people who otherwise would have nothing. We are greeted by the neighbors and the security guard (if you can call him that!) and the patients sitting on the porch waiting for our arrival. It is now about 8:40am and time to start the day!
We continued on our way into Cap Haitian. We then stopped and picked up the Nurse and the Doctor as we squeezed alittle tighter. (This is 8 people in the cab of the truck if you are counting and FYI, no air conditioning) The air is dusty, smelly and in general would never be allowed in any city in the US, but... this is Haiti. We eventually make our way out of the city area and move into the more rural. Edrick stops at one place where there is an air compressor by the roadside to have the front tire inflated more... we continue a little further onto
another smaller town and we pick up the garden/English teacher...(up to 9 now)...and then we look for what seems to me to be mounds of straw, in reality they are ice chunks for the coolers at the clinic. We pick up 2 chunks and move on. Our last official stop is for bags of water (yes, bags...they are called Culligan and it is purified water in an 8oz bag. You bite the corner to get it open and then squeeze.) Now we are out in the more rural countryside between smaller towns. The road has been paved here in the past two years and there is a speed limit of 50 which is routinely ignored. They put in speed bumps (called Dos Dane which literally means Dead Policeman) to periodically slow the traffic as there were many fatal accidents when they first completed the road. There are official traffic signs which picture two cars, a red one on one side and a black one on the other to remind drivers to stay in their own lane, also largely ignored. The honk, "I'm coming" serves as warning to the many pedestrians, bikers, and motorcycles who also share the road. Another interesting road sign pictures two children running, yes, running across the road. (I hope to get a picture of it onto this site as it is classic.)
People will stand on the side of the road, wave their hand in an up and down motion and we will pull to the side as they scramble to hop in the back of the truck for a ride to the clinic. (this is also how you hail a Tap Tap) We generally stop 2-4 times to pick up additional passengers. We finally make the turn to head out on the dirt road to the clinic. It used to be very bad, but the Mayor put new dirt on it when the clinic opened. We pass by the huts, the donkeys, the kids waving by the cactus fence that serves as their yard marker until we come upon the clinic. A simple, but functional building that has brought healthcare to thousands of people who otherwise would have nothing. We are greeted by the neighbors and the security guard (if you can call him that!) and the patients sitting on the porch waiting for our arrival. It is now about 8:40am and time to start the day!
May 31st- Cap Haiten, Haiti
Just for reference, Cap Haitien is in the Northern part of Haiti and was the original capital of the country. For many years it was considered the resort area for wealthy Haitians to vacation. I can't tell you what the population of the area is now because it increased somewhere between 200 and 300 thousand after the earthquake. Some folks returned to PAP others remained here. It is now the second largest city next to Port au Prince, but because of the difficulty of road transportation, it does not have the same resources for supplies and employment that PAP has.
I am staying at Dorothy Frederickson's Mission House for "Soaring Unlimited". Dorothy is currently 71 years old and has been in Haiti as a missionary somewhere around 20 years. She manages many projects and partners with a variety of Haitian Nationals to provide a variety of important and life changing services including schools, English classes, and the medical clinic where I will be working. We met last year when I was in Cap Haitien. The "well drillers" have helped her with numerous tasks through out the years. Hanania and Edrick are both married, have young children and are in their late 20's. Hanania has worked for Dorothy since she was 12 years old and helped her with housekeeping. She is very talented in organizing and assisting Dorothy to get her projects up and going with in the Haitian culture. Hanania has a 5 month old daughter and her husband is a police officer in PAP. He comes home one weekend a month to be with the family. Edrick and his wife have a darling 3 year old boy. Edrick does all the driving for Dorothy and for the staff of the clinic. He is also an amazing maintenance man and can can repair virtually anything! This is a HIGHLY VALUED SKILL here in Haiti where parts and resources are limited! Edrick's wife is in school for social development, so their child lives with his Grandparents and they see him most weekends. This is a couple who are already saving and planning for their child to be able to attend college in Canada. Both Hanania and Edrick represent the best of Haitian culture, strong Christian faith, dedicated, full of integrity and they take responsibility for their lives and their families.
Dorothy is in Michigan this month doing support raising for her work but she is allowing me to stay in her very large house just outside of Cap Haitien. Hanania and Edrick are helping me to keep everything going and working!
After being picked up at the airport, Hanania and Edrick took me to Dorothy's and showed me the basics. Where the clean water was, where the solar power switch was, how to work the stove, and all the locks. We planned to meet the next morning at 7:30am to head to the clinic. My first night here was quite interesting. I was tired so after I got settled in, I decided to go to bed early. At 2:30am there was this loud and I mean LOUD music playing from the neighbors house. It was all in French of course, but I did recognize Celine Dion! I couldn't believe how loud it was... I thought, this is going to be a long month if this happens every night! I attempted to plug my ears and tried to sleep as much as possible until the roosters, dogs, people etc . started getting up as well! I prayed God would give me strength to get through the day and prepared for my first day at the clinic.
I am staying at Dorothy Frederickson's Mission House for "Soaring Unlimited". Dorothy is currently 71 years old and has been in Haiti as a missionary somewhere around 20 years. She manages many projects and partners with a variety of Haitian Nationals to provide a variety of important and life changing services including schools, English classes, and the medical clinic where I will be working. We met last year when I was in Cap Haitien. The "well drillers" have helped her with numerous tasks through out the years. Hanania and Edrick are both married, have young children and are in their late 20's. Hanania has worked for Dorothy since she was 12 years old and helped her with housekeeping. She is very talented in organizing and assisting Dorothy to get her projects up and going with in the Haitian culture. Hanania has a 5 month old daughter and her husband is a police officer in PAP. He comes home one weekend a month to be with the family. Edrick and his wife have a darling 3 year old boy. Edrick does all the driving for Dorothy and for the staff of the clinic. He is also an amazing maintenance man and can can repair virtually anything! This is a HIGHLY VALUED SKILL here in Haiti where parts and resources are limited! Edrick's wife is in school for social development, so their child lives with his Grandparents and they see him most weekends. This is a couple who are already saving and planning for their child to be able to attend college in Canada. Both Hanania and Edrick represent the best of Haitian culture, strong Christian faith, dedicated, full of integrity and they take responsibility for their lives and their families.
Dorothy is in Michigan this month doing support raising for her work but she is allowing me to stay in her very large house just outside of Cap Haitien. Hanania and Edrick are helping me to keep everything going and working!
After being picked up at the airport, Hanania and Edrick took me to Dorothy's and showed me the basics. Where the clean water was, where the solar power switch was, how to work the stove, and all the locks. We planned to meet the next morning at 7:30am to head to the clinic. My first night here was quite interesting. I was tired so after I got settled in, I decided to go to bed early. At 2:30am there was this loud and I mean LOUD music playing from the neighbors house. It was all in French of course, but I did recognize Celine Dion! I couldn't believe how loud it was... I thought, this is going to be a long month if this happens every night! I attempted to plug my ears and tried to sleep as much as possible until the roosters, dogs, people etc . started getting up as well! I prayed God would give me strength to get through the day and prepared for my first day at the clinic.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Devotional by Oswald Chambers
I am going to interupt the daily format I have been using to write this blog and share with you a devotional that is meaingful to me since my family and I seem to be living this experience. It is by Oswald Chambers from his book, "My Utmost for His Highest", May 30th. I hope you find it meaningful as well.
"Yes, --- But....!"
"Lord, I will follow you, but..." (Luke 9:61)
Suppose God tells you to do something that is an enormous test of your common sense, totally going against it. What will you do? Will you hold back? If you get into the habit of doing something physically, you will do it every time you are tested until you break the habit through sheer determination. And the same is true spiritually. Again and again you will come right up to what Jesus wants, but every time you will turn back at the true point of testing, until you are determined to abandon yourself to God in total surrender. Yet we tend to say, "Yes, but--suppose I do obey God in this matter, what about...?" Or we say, "Yes, I will obey God if what He asks of me doesn't go against my common sense, but don't ask me to take a step in the dark."
Jesus Christ demands the same unrestrained, adventurous spirit in those who have placed their trust in Him that the natural man exhibits. If a person is ever going to do anything worthwhile, there will be times when he must risk everything by his leap in the dark. In the spiritual realm, Jesus Christ demands that you risk everything you hold on to or believe through common sense, and leap by faith into what He says. Once you obey, you will immediately find that what He says is as solidly consistent as common sense.
By the test of common sense, Jesus Christ's statements may seem mad, but when you test them by the trial of faith, your findings will fill your spirit with the awesome fact that they are the very words of God. Trust completely in God, and when He brings you to a new opportunity of adventure, offering it to you, see that you take it. We act like pagans in a crisis--only one out of an entire crowd is daring enough to invest his faith in the character of God.
Blessings to you all, Susan
"Yes, --- But....!"
"Lord, I will follow you, but..." (Luke 9:61)
Suppose God tells you to do something that is an enormous test of your common sense, totally going against it. What will you do? Will you hold back? If you get into the habit of doing something physically, you will do it every time you are tested until you break the habit through sheer determination. And the same is true spiritually. Again and again you will come right up to what Jesus wants, but every time you will turn back at the true point of testing, until you are determined to abandon yourself to God in total surrender. Yet we tend to say, "Yes, but--suppose I do obey God in this matter, what about...?" Or we say, "Yes, I will obey God if what He asks of me doesn't go against my common sense, but don't ask me to take a step in the dark."
Jesus Christ demands the same unrestrained, adventurous spirit in those who have placed their trust in Him that the natural man exhibits. If a person is ever going to do anything worthwhile, there will be times when he must risk everything by his leap in the dark. In the spiritual realm, Jesus Christ demands that you risk everything you hold on to or believe through common sense, and leap by faith into what He says. Once you obey, you will immediately find that what He says is as solidly consistent as common sense.
By the test of common sense, Jesus Christ's statements may seem mad, but when you test them by the trial of faith, your findings will fill your spirit with the awesome fact that they are the very words of God. Trust completely in God, and when He brings you to a new opportunity of adventure, offering it to you, see that you take it. We act like pagans in a crisis--only one out of an entire crowd is daring enough to invest his faith in the character of God.
Blessings to you all, Susan
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
May 31st- PAP to CAP!
After being dropped at the commuter terminal and convincing several "assistants" that I was very capable of handling my luggage on my own, I proceeded to put my very large piece of luggage, which now contained my former carry on luggage and all the additional things I needed to get to Cap Haitien to stay for a month, onto a screening table that looked rather inadequate for the task. I walked through, grabbed the enormous suitcase on the other side and searched for the correct counter. Not that there was that many, it was just hard to focus with everyone wanting to "help"me since they were "official" and all. I spotted Tortug air ( Air France affiliate) at the end of the building (about 30 feet from where I was standing, it was not a big place). I was about 4 hours early for my flight because Pastor needed to catch his AA flight at the large terminal and believe me, you don't want to drive to this airport any more than absolutely necessary! Any way, I went up to the counter and presented my print out which the online site had said would act as proof of payment. In reality, they just asked me "did you pay", I said, "Yes" and they hand wrote a receipt. They also had me put my luggage on a scale which was questionable at best. It was determined that I was 5 lb over weight. Fortunately, I had strategically placed food items, nuts, dried fruit, etc. in places I could get to them, just for this situation. I told them, I would need to open it up and remove the food items. Eventually, someone in the back said "no problem" and just took my suitcase. I was rather unclear why they were loading my suitcase onto a plane going out before my scheduled flight though! I finally was told "don't you want to go sooner", I said, ..OK!.. As it turned out, the flight was very late leaving anyway and I am guessing my scheduled flight was cancelled. Praise the Lord for divine intervention again! The plane we were to take landed in PAP and the pilots got off. Younger guys, one clearly French and in desperate need of a cigarette it appeared.
As I waited in the sitting area, I spotted some "t-shirt teams" which I had talked to members of earlier in the day out on the street while we were waiting to approach the airport. (Or at least I tried, they had the deer in the headlights look which most new visitors to Haiti experience.) Anyway, I began a conversation with a couple of young guys to see where they were from and where they were headed. Pennsylvania to Port au Paix to "work on a school and orphanage and stuff". The Haitian man seated next to me spoke English and I assumed he was some kind of a professional doing business in PAP. He began to tell us about his son who he was going to be visiting in the states in a few days. His son had been accepted to Penn State and they were going to tour the school. The excitement and pride was nearly bursting out of him. He explained that he worked as a cabin attendant for Royal Caribbean Cruises, 6 months at a time on the ship with a couple weeks off before starting again. He cleaned 19 rooms everyday. He explained how he felt it was important to make the people feel comfortable and special and how each night he would make a new animal out of towels to be waiting for them when they returned after dinner. He shared how it was hard work, but he did it to save enough money to support his family and to send his son to college. He stated he wants his son to have an easier life than he has had and he is so thankful for the blessings that God has given him. He also talked about how the Haitian people must take responsibility for making their country better and he was hopeful for the future. Again... inspiring.
Anyway, back to the plane. It was a 19 seat commuter plane, in rather questionable condition at least from an aesthetic point of view. There were about 10 of us, 9 Haitians and me. The pilots reboarded and we were off! I was alittle nervous but ultimately we don't control our fate, God does, so I just looked out the window at the beautiful mountain ranges. And then we hit turbulence! It was rather disconcerting. The Grandmotherly Haitian women sitting kitty corner from me kept looking back at me like, "is it OK?" I just gave her a reassuring smile and prayed! Everyone clapped when we touched down 25 minutes later (yes, 25 minutes by air, 8 hours by vehicle! The road are horrible!).
The French pilot made a bee line off the plane with just a quick nod as I said "Merci" as he passed. I got off and saw him lighting up his cigarette with an anxious motion. We then headed for the door of the terminal. It is a very small terminal. Cap Haiten can only have small planes land and since we were just coming from PAP, we did not need to go through customs. So the 10 of us waited for our luggage to come over. I don't know if I can explain this well enough for you to get the true feel of how this works, but it is a true Haitian moment. They brought the luggage over on a cart to the door we just entered. We could all see our luggage sitting on the cart. But, the workers wanted to put it through a hole in the wall designated for luggage. Unfortunately, this arrangement did not allow for the checking of tags by the designated employee ..so....we waited while they discussed the problem, the 10 of us inside, the luggage guys outside and the checker yelling through the hole in the wall. Eventually, the Grandmotherly women I mentioned earlier got fed up and opened the door to the outside and grabbed her luggage....well, this started others thinking that they to could by pass the "rules" and just take their luggage without having it first pass through the hole! A large argument ensued between the employees and some of the passengers with strong language involved I am quite certain! I stayed in the background with another young man who was just shaking his head. We looked at each other and laughed. Finally, the checker gave up and the door to the outside was opened as we all just picked up our luggage and continued outside. What should have taken 5 minutes, took about 25 minutes. I am guessing there will further discussion on "proper procedure" when the next flight comes in!
Anyway, I walked outside and since I was put on an earlier flight, I had about 1 1/2 hours to wait for my ride. There is a covered walk way before you go out onto the street. There were far less "merchants" and children looking for "one Dah-lah" than last year when we landed. Probably, because it wasn't a flight from the US. But, since I didn't want to deal with any of it and since the dark clouds we flew through were approaching, I decided to just wait in the covered area for my ride. As I settled in to wait, I looked up and a white dove flew by the front of the building in plain sight. Two times in fact. I felt like this was Gods message to me that He was with me and that He was going to watch over me for the next month. It also symbolized to me that we, as a family, were following His direction, even though it has seemed irrational at times.
I visited (as much as you can when you don't speak the language) with the older gentleman who evidently keeps order when people exit the terminal and with a younger man who's first words to me in broken English were, "are you a Christian?" to which I said, "Yes, I have Jesus in my heart". He was very pleased and we talked about mutual acquaintances in Cap Haitian (again with my limited creole). It poured rain at one point, then cleared and about that time Hanania and Edrick showed up. All the workers knew Hanania and Edrick so after a round of greetings, we threw my suitcase in the back of the truck and headed for Dorothy's house!
As I waited in the sitting area, I spotted some "t-shirt teams" which I had talked to members of earlier in the day out on the street while we were waiting to approach the airport. (Or at least I tried, they had the deer in the headlights look which most new visitors to Haiti experience.) Anyway, I began a conversation with a couple of young guys to see where they were from and where they were headed. Pennsylvania to Port au Paix to "work on a school and orphanage and stuff". The Haitian man seated next to me spoke English and I assumed he was some kind of a professional doing business in PAP. He began to tell us about his son who he was going to be visiting in the states in a few days. His son had been accepted to Penn State and they were going to tour the school. The excitement and pride was nearly bursting out of him. He explained that he worked as a cabin attendant for Royal Caribbean Cruises, 6 months at a time on the ship with a couple weeks off before starting again. He cleaned 19 rooms everyday. He explained how he felt it was important to make the people feel comfortable and special and how each night he would make a new animal out of towels to be waiting for them when they returned after dinner. He shared how it was hard work, but he did it to save enough money to support his family and to send his son to college. He stated he wants his son to have an easier life than he has had and he is so thankful for the blessings that God has given him. He also talked about how the Haitian people must take responsibility for making their country better and he was hopeful for the future. Again... inspiring.
Anyway, back to the plane. It was a 19 seat commuter plane, in rather questionable condition at least from an aesthetic point of view. There were about 10 of us, 9 Haitians and me. The pilots reboarded and we were off! I was alittle nervous but ultimately we don't control our fate, God does, so I just looked out the window at the beautiful mountain ranges. And then we hit turbulence! It was rather disconcerting. The Grandmotherly Haitian women sitting kitty corner from me kept looking back at me like, "is it OK?" I just gave her a reassuring smile and prayed! Everyone clapped when we touched down 25 minutes later (yes, 25 minutes by air, 8 hours by vehicle! The road are horrible!).
The French pilot made a bee line off the plane with just a quick nod as I said "Merci" as he passed. I got off and saw him lighting up his cigarette with an anxious motion. We then headed for the door of the terminal. It is a very small terminal. Cap Haiten can only have small planes land and since we were just coming from PAP, we did not need to go through customs. So the 10 of us waited for our luggage to come over. I don't know if I can explain this well enough for you to get the true feel of how this works, but it is a true Haitian moment. They brought the luggage over on a cart to the door we just entered. We could all see our luggage sitting on the cart. But, the workers wanted to put it through a hole in the wall designated for luggage. Unfortunately, this arrangement did not allow for the checking of tags by the designated employee ..so....we waited while they discussed the problem, the 10 of us inside, the luggage guys outside and the checker yelling through the hole in the wall. Eventually, the Grandmotherly women I mentioned earlier got fed up and opened the door to the outside and grabbed her luggage....well, this started others thinking that they to could by pass the "rules" and just take their luggage without having it first pass through the hole! A large argument ensued between the employees and some of the passengers with strong language involved I am quite certain! I stayed in the background with another young man who was just shaking his head. We looked at each other and laughed. Finally, the checker gave up and the door to the outside was opened as we all just picked up our luggage and continued outside. What should have taken 5 minutes, took about 25 minutes. I am guessing there will further discussion on "proper procedure" when the next flight comes in!
Anyway, I walked outside and since I was put on an earlier flight, I had about 1 1/2 hours to wait for my ride. There is a covered walk way before you go out onto the street. There were far less "merchants" and children looking for "one Dah-lah" than last year when we landed. Probably, because it wasn't a flight from the US. But, since I didn't want to deal with any of it and since the dark clouds we flew through were approaching, I decided to just wait in the covered area for my ride. As I settled in to wait, I looked up and a white dove flew by the front of the building in plain sight. Two times in fact. I felt like this was Gods message to me that He was with me and that He was going to watch over me for the next month. It also symbolized to me that we, as a family, were following His direction, even though it has seemed irrational at times.
I visited (as much as you can when you don't speak the language) with the older gentleman who evidently keeps order when people exit the terminal and with a younger man who's first words to me in broken English were, "are you a Christian?" to which I said, "Yes, I have Jesus in my heart". He was very pleased and we talked about mutual acquaintances in Cap Haitian (again with my limited creole). It poured rain at one point, then cleared and about that time Hanania and Edrick showed up. All the workers knew Hanania and Edrick so after a round of greetings, we threw my suitcase in the back of the truck and headed for Dorothy's house!
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