This is What's Happen'
The past couple of weeks we continue to learn how to live here. We have lots of great support but some stuff, okay, a lot of stuff is just not the same.
The kids enjoy making things in the kitchen. Along with Mark, they have baked bread, which does not stand a chance in this household, biscuits, and cinnamon rolls. There is no grocery in our area and it certainly is not open at hours we are used to. This bread is so much better if I do say so myself and flour is readily accessible too.
I so appreciate technology. B. is face timing with her BFF, as you can tell from the smile and Dolly is reading a downloaded book. What a blessing!
Chikungunya hit My Dear and then Dolly. It is a virus spread by mosquitoes and causes fever, rash, and joint pain. It can fade and return and some suffer for a year. Folks are hobbling around Haiti and you just know. It seems to hit areas at a time. I think we may be in the clear now. My Dear said that his fingers are just not the same.
Dolly slept in a cot in our bedroom to be near us in fear of being sick. You can see the furry legs in the chair that were never far from her. Her friends were at camp the week she was sick. She soo wanted to go to camp. But when they heard she was sick, they made a video from camp and posted it to Facebook. She was all smiles! The children checked FB each night to see pictures of their friends at camp.
It is not perfect, but she was proud! She asked me to take this picture for Miss Andi to see her new haircut. Miss Andi you will be one of the first stops when we visit the states. Who knew what a privilege a real haircut is! I have since learned there is a place we can go here in Haiti for an "American" haircut. I also know that it will cost me 4 times as much as it did in the states and I can't ride my bike there like we did with Miss Andi. As a kid, I often wondered why missionaries had long hair with gray in it. I wonder no longer! NOT EVEN kidding...if you do hair, consider coming to bless missionaries and other relief workers. If you can do it, we don't care if you have a license or not.
The children and I pitch in to help around the mission in different ways. Many teams from the states will leave clothes or items that they do not want to take home. As a mission, we see that the items are recorded, laundered and distributed to pastors to use as they minister in their communities. We also share them with employees of BHM as there is need. Here, B. is recording the count.
Dolly is cleaning up the food supply of used and unused and restocking the cabinets for the next team.
Yep, those are all skirts! Counted and ready to bag up and haul to the washroom where the ladies will scrub them by hand along with the linens and hospital laundry. I think I may need to learn a thing or 2 from these ladies. The laundry is always so clean! I think they could teach me to tackle the stains the kiddos create.
My Dear and Billy hitched a ride with another missionary to go down the mountain a bit to look into getting an internet provider. They were thrilled to see this place across the street. For those of you who know My Dear, we like our pizza. It was not as cheap as in the states but the kids were so happy for familiar. This is the only chain restaurant we have seen.
A day in the "big city" with my seasoned Haitian living friend Chelsea brought us this beauty. We saw Barbies and Legos too! But it was this drain train that the dishwashers saw that caught their fancy. Billy assembled it when we got home and for a few washes, they were happy to do dishes again....but the fame wears off people! Dolly thinks it would make a great bunk bed for dolls.
Dolly had been cleaning out this garden before she got sick. So as she felt better, we headed up to the greenhouses and she and Miss B. picked out a couple of plants. The greenhouse is a ministry of BHM.
On our shopping trip we bought some kitchen gadgets. These limes make yummy juice as we learned in Atrel. The girls have enjoyed making juice with our new tools. My mom would love that Miss B. chose the color orange for a juicer! These tiny limes are cheap at market. Add water and sugar and you get yum! It doesn't take many limes either. My Dear enjoyed making lemonade for our guest in the states, now we have a new treat for guest as they come to Haiti.
My Dear stays busy up the hill and since I am home with the camera there are not many pictures of him. He is teaching a Bible study every morning, which he loves. He has gotten a water treatment system working. He meets with artisans to train them and whose work they sell in the store. He is working on a grant for reforestation. He is conducting interviews for 2 open positions in the restaurant. He is creating UPC symbols to put on bakery items so that they can be sold in grocery stores. He does some ordering for the restaurant and for the store. He barters with artisans once a week as they come in to sell their items to the store. Bartering is just the way it is here. He is creating a conference room for meetings as they work to create unity and to urge one another on in Christ. They give the employees jobs but also want to invest in them spiritually, not just physically. I have noticed a few more smiles on the employees faces lately after starting their day with Bible study! As with most positions, he does those other things that just need to be done!
Because of the beautiful scenery, cool climate, great shopping, and yummy "American" food (for Haiti anyway) many volunteer teams come to Mountain Maid as a treat in their volunteer work. My Dear has meet several folks. Yesterday, he shook hands with a couple who own a commercial greenhouse in Canada. Thank you God for connections that you deliver right to us and resources for My Dear to operate the greenhouse to its full capacity.
While visiting the top of the hill yesterday a 12 year old girl with cerebral palsy sang Jesus Loves Me in English to us as we ate our lunch. Be still my heart! If we were in the states, that little girl would be in my classroom. Also this week, My Dear had a meeting with a community of deaf persons. He said he was unable to snag me but knew I would love to sit in on that meeting. I am reminded that God uses it all! He has and will continue to use the training, education and experiences we have had all through our lives. He reminded me of that through the song of Miss Josephine who quickly won my heart.
The kids enjoy making things in the kitchen. Along with Mark, they have baked bread, which does not stand a chance in this household, biscuits, and cinnamon rolls. There is no grocery in our area and it certainly is not open at hours we are used to. This bread is so much better if I do say so myself and flour is readily accessible too.
Without a dishwasher, the kids take shifts on dish duty. Miss B. is getting good use out of her apron and step stool and look! We finally got some liquid hand soap and they had Dawn dishwashing liquid too, not at the Walgreen's sale price but....THANK YOU GOD!
I so appreciate technology. B. is face timing with her BFF, as you can tell from the smile and Dolly is reading a downloaded book. What a blessing!
Chikungunya hit My Dear and then Dolly. It is a virus spread by mosquitoes and causes fever, rash, and joint pain. It can fade and return and some suffer for a year. Folks are hobbling around Haiti and you just know. It seems to hit areas at a time. I think we may be in the clear now. My Dear said that his fingers are just not the same.
Dolly slept in a cot in our bedroom to be near us in fear of being sick. You can see the furry legs in the chair that were never far from her. Her friends were at camp the week she was sick. She soo wanted to go to camp. But when they heard she was sick, they made a video from camp and posted it to Facebook. She was all smiles! The children checked FB each night to see pictures of their friends at camp.
I was not quite prepared for this hair thing. I knew it would be something to deal with. My girlfriend gifted me some hair cutting scissors she used at her salon. She gave me a less than sharp pair to use. Like I said, she is my friend and knew I had lost a few too many fingertips already!
The children and I pitch in to help around the mission in different ways. Many teams from the states will leave clothes or items that they do not want to take home. As a mission, we see that the items are recorded, laundered and distributed to pastors to use as they minister in their communities. We also share them with employees of BHM as there is need. Here, B. is recording the count.
Dolly is cleaning up the food supply of used and unused and restocking the cabinets for the next team.
Yep, those are all skirts! Counted and ready to bag up and haul to the washroom where the ladies will scrub them by hand along with the linens and hospital laundry. I think I may need to learn a thing or 2 from these ladies. The laundry is always so clean! I think they could teach me to tackle the stains the kiddos create.
My Dear and Billy hitched a ride with another missionary to go down the mountain a bit to look into getting an internet provider. They were thrilled to see this place across the street. For those of you who know My Dear, we like our pizza. It was not as cheap as in the states but the kids were so happy for familiar. This is the only chain restaurant we have seen.
A day in the "big city" with my seasoned Haitian living friend Chelsea brought us this beauty. We saw Barbies and Legos too! But it was this drain train that the dishwashers saw that caught their fancy. Billy assembled it when we got home and for a few washes, they were happy to do dishes again....but the fame wears off people! Dolly thinks it would make a great bunk bed for dolls.
Dolly had been cleaning out this garden before she got sick. So as she felt better, we headed up to the greenhouses and she and Miss B. picked out a couple of plants. The greenhouse is a ministry of BHM.
On our shopping trip we bought some kitchen gadgets. These limes make yummy juice as we learned in Atrel. The girls have enjoyed making juice with our new tools. My mom would love that Miss B. chose the color orange for a juicer! These tiny limes are cheap at market. Add water and sugar and you get yum! It doesn't take many limes either. My Dear enjoyed making lemonade for our guest in the states, now we have a new treat for guest as they come to Haiti.
My Dear stays busy up the hill and since I am home with the camera there are not many pictures of him. He is teaching a Bible study every morning, which he loves. He has gotten a water treatment system working. He meets with artisans to train them and whose work they sell in the store. He is working on a grant for reforestation. He is conducting interviews for 2 open positions in the restaurant. He is creating UPC symbols to put on bakery items so that they can be sold in grocery stores. He does some ordering for the restaurant and for the store. He barters with artisans once a week as they come in to sell their items to the store. Bartering is just the way it is here. He is creating a conference room for meetings as they work to create unity and to urge one another on in Christ. They give the employees jobs but also want to invest in them spiritually, not just physically. I have noticed a few more smiles on the employees faces lately after starting their day with Bible study! As with most positions, he does those other things that just need to be done!
Because of the beautiful scenery, cool climate, great shopping, and yummy "American" food (for Haiti anyway) many volunteer teams come to Mountain Maid as a treat in their volunteer work. My Dear has meet several folks. Yesterday, he shook hands with a couple who own a commercial greenhouse in Canada. Thank you God for connections that you deliver right to us and resources for My Dear to operate the greenhouse to its full capacity.
While visiting the top of the hill yesterday a 12 year old girl with cerebral palsy sang Jesus Loves Me in English to us as we ate our lunch. Be still my heart! If we were in the states, that little girl would be in my classroom. Also this week, My Dear had a meeting with a community of deaf persons. He said he was unable to snag me but knew I would love to sit in on that meeting. I am reminded that God uses it all! He has and will continue to use the training, education and experiences we have had all through our lives. He reminded me of that through the song of Miss Josephine who quickly won my heart.
Comments
It's nice to smile at your everyday blessings and pray for you!
Take care, my friends!
Mary C.