Hiking Haiti

hike: an extended long walk for training, pleasure or exercise across rural country or wilderness; to rise upward and out of place; to increase.

I know most everyone knows what "hike" means. But I found myself pondering this word and thinking about how much its definition explains our experience in and with Haiti. 

We still have a long way to travel on our extended long walk. We sometimes feel out of place. But I think we will always feel out of place until we are in our true home country...Heaven. Our prayer is that whether in training, pleasure, or exercise across this land and in this life that our thoughts will rise upward, that we may decrease so that the One who created us for this hike will increase.

 One of Eric's favorite quotes is "The most important thoughts you will ever think are your thoughts on God because they will determine everything else you will ever do."

We pray our children will learn this earlier than we did. 

Sunday we took at hike in the hills behind our house to get some exercise, breathe the fresh air, be together, think thoughts on God, refresh our perspective, pray and listen. 

It was a good hike.

We started walking down our street rounded the corner a few houses up and began our hike.

Heading up

We made a few new friends along the way.

Smiling, laughing, joyful Haitian children

never cease to amaze me. 

This little family lives in the last house towards the top.

We may not have much on the outside...

but we've got a lot of stuff on the inside!

Our neighbors that live on the right.

Girls returning from their church located somewhere in these hills. I asked them if I could take their picture because they look so pretty.

Sometimes people tell us they think it is amazing that we live here.
We think the Haitian people are pretty amazing!
And our God Who created this beautiful land is the most amazing of all...even though we have all messed it up so bad.
Our daughter had just voiced her thoughts on how hard it would be to walk in heels on these hills just before we came upon this little girl wearing heels while carying a toddler on her shoulders!
Perspective.

Rising upward we looked down upon the houses we had just passed.
Standing here feeling the cool sea breeze, we understand why they live al the way up here
(though we cannot imagine this climb while toting heavy water buckets on our heads each day).

We could see our house, our school and our hopeful future house down below!

Our mission field in St. Marc

"As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.
But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him...

And His righteousness to children's children"
Psalm 103:15-17

El Shaddai Learning Center

Here is little sneak peak at El Shaddai Learning Center, the school we moved here to work with in St. Marc. El Shaddai has been growing since its founding in 2001 by Pastor Gary and Dr. Carolyn Walker whom we came to help and work alongside. There are over 150 students from Pre-K through 12th grade and a growing waiting list as positive word about our school continues to spread around the community. Tuition is kept very low so that non-wealthy Haitian families can afford to send their children to an American English school--a growing interest/demand. 

El Shaddai provides employment to Haitain teachers that are adequately experienced and trained in English. Part of Eric's ministry is to work with the Haitian teachers each week in continuing education classes helping them to become better teachers. Many discipleship opportunities arise. 

There are a few American teachers presently at El Shaddai as well. Foreign (non-Haitian) teachers come for a semester or longer and volunteer with the school. If you or anyone you know may be interested in coming to work with us in the future, you are welcome! We also welcome visitors! 

Ready to go to class!

Teachers walking with students to the new building

This is the new building that was recently purchased for the K-6th grade students. The outside still needs paint but the inside has been newly renovated just in time for Jan-June semester.
The bus parked here takes many of the children home each day.

1st grade classroom
The other classrooms in the elementary building are similar.

Breaktime

Our resident street dog often follows the kids to school and enjoys attention during recess.

We do not yet have a playground, but kids make the most of their playtime!

Organizing a game on field day

School is a good place to make friends!

Pre-school building

Pre-K girls

Pre-K boys

Pre-K kids and hands on fun

This is the 7th-12th grade school building where Eric spends most of his days.
Sewing classes are held here each Friday and adult Bible school classes each Saturday.

Eric in his office...which is unusually empty at this moment.

These sweet ladies help prepare lunch for all the children each school day.

Lunch is served! 
Students are served a typical Haitian lunch of rice, beans, and sauce made of chicken and vegetables.

French class is in session!

El Shaddai is excited to offer specials in French language learning as well as Haitian history in addition to the accredited American curriculum we use that qualifies students to attend colleges in the U.S. upon graduation. It is very important for students to learn French because every official document in this country is written in French instead of Creole, the common language. The regular curriculum offers American and World History, but also leaves room for students to complete a course of study in the state/area where they live. We have a great Haitian history teacher and are excited to learn more about Haiti along with the kids! Eric has also been attending the French class whenever he gets a chance to step out of his office. He studies with our daughter Elita Marguerite for their exams. 

Students celebrate birthdays

Parent meeting

This picture shows about 1/3 of attendees and this meeting was scheduled at 10am. Parents in Haiti are extremely concerned about their children getting the best education possible.The school continues to grow and has already outgrown the new building. We pray that one day we will have a larger campus that will better accomodate more families in this community.

Eric teaching Haitian men at Saturday Bible School 

We are so thankful the Lord led us to El Shaddai and the people of St. Marc! Unless He has another plan, we hope to be here for a long time! So be prepared to hear a lot more about it!

Another T.I.H. Typical Day

"T.I.H." is the term used to explain pretty much all the hard to explain time and energy draining beyond frustrating experiences that most everyone experiences daily here in Haiti. Here is my all too typical day so far. And yes I am venting, but not expecting sympathy because after all This. Is. Haiti. 

I wake up at 2am. The batteries died an hour early leaving us without power. The small fan I shared with Esmée in our twin size bed was no longer keeping the mosquitoes at bay. I fumble around in the dark to find the mosquito repellent. Eric meets me in the kitchen with a flashlight. He is after the same thing. I innocently ask why he thinks we lost power early. I get the usual answer, "because we used up too much electricity too early!" I give the usual response which is, "we haven't used anything!" We dispute about what house members have issue with keeping our tiny refrigerator open longer than the 2 seconds it should take to grab desired food target and of course someone has turned on the cold switch on the water dispenser and heaven forbid everyone wanting to sleep with a fan. I think to myself, I really want a large freezer so I don't have to go to the grocery store so much and Eric really wants a washing machine because he thinks it will help with laundry soap waste/costs and appease his frustration with that. I wonder how exactly we would run such appliances if we are running out of power on a mini freezer/fridge and a water dispenser? This is 2am talking. 

I head to the bathroom to find the toilet has been used too many times. I glance longingly at the shower but dismiss that thought because a plunger, a pile of shoes, and 3 large buckets of laundry are occupying that space. I know that choosing the outhouse experience will surely dwindle all chances of me going back to sleep. I decide to try to sleep holding it. I try not to think about the fact that I am just pushing back the inevitable of waking up to the same situation which will be exasperated by 7 other people in the same predicament. I wonder if the toilet downstairs will actually get fixed today as promised. We have 4 friends coming today and I dread having to direct them to the outhouse on their mini vacation from Port au Prince. I tried to warn them. 

Um I guess my level of TMI tollerance has grown considerably.

I go check on the kids to see if the mosquitoes are attacking them as well. They are ok and I head back to bed. Roosters seem confused about waking hours, and dogs and pigs are fighting loudly in the street outside. I eventually doze off thankful that it isn't too unbearably hot but still longing for the fan. 

We wake up to the usual chaos of getting a large family off to work and school. Eric tells me not to use the kitchen sink because there is a water problem. I told him that I tried to tell him that last night after he had crashed on a pillow on the floor because we don't have a bed. Ethan is brushing his teeth and spitting into the kitchen sink while Evan is pouring cereal all over the counter. I reach to grab Evan a spoon and notice mouse droppings on the silverware. Great. Another mouse. The last one got trapped in a suitcase full of shoes in the girls room. Apparently the girls didn't need those shoes for a few days and mouse died. Worms found the mouse before I discovered that the smell was not stinky shoes. But that was last week. Back to this morning. 

Eric reminds me NOT to use any heating elements because our inverter charge is very low and it will blow the breaker. It has been a few days since I have fixed my hair (need a heating element to do so)...I agree. What's one more day? I send the kids out the door. The full leg of a goat greets me at the bottom stair. This is the fifth dead animal offering from our resident street dog in the past two weeks. I just stared at it thinking how thankful I was that I was not facing a rat or a chicken this time. I go upstairs to get much needed coffee and take it to my room to get dressed. 

I walk into the kitchen to put up coffee cup and notice that the microwave is running. I rush to turn it off saying, "OH NO!" Genise looks up alarmed. She said she thought it was ok to use it because she heard the generator noise. I told her that Eric told me not to use heating elements this morning without turning off the inverter and switch to the school first. I feel bad for yelling. Genise didn't know. I head downstairs to flip the switch hoping no damage was done by the few seconds of microwave. My phone rings. It is Eric reminding me of his request and informing me that I am responsible for blowing power in two of the school buildings as well. He has to leave work and come home to deal with the problem.

Two guys come over to try and fix the toilet downstairs. I feed the dog, clean up dog poop, change Evangeline's diaper, then help her parents carry the food and drinks to the elementary building. We are helping them set up a little snack shop business at the school and today was their first day. I think it might be more work than I anticipated and we now have no cooler at home. At least I didn't have to pack snacks for my kids today. 

I start walking home with a fussy Evangeline when Eric calls me to say that if I need money from the bank and groceries from the store I had better go now because Carnival holiday is going to be blocking the streets after noon and I won't be able to go later. A man on a moto is following me home questioning me (while I am on the phone) about whether Evangeline is my baby and if he can have my number. He speaks good English and I wait outside my gate for him to tell me his sad story. His wife is American and lives in FL. They have five children together but he cannot be with them because he got deported for getting in trouble "because Haiti didn't teach me not to do those bad things before I went to America". "They" say he can return in 10 years. He is on year 2. He needs work to support his family. He tells me of the jobs that used to employ him in the states  but is willing to do much less meaningful work for any money here. Could he please clean my house? I thought about the state of my house and almost agreed. I asked him if he was a taxi driver and he said, "yes". I told him I needed to go to the bank and the store and that was a job I could give him today. He said he would wait and I told him I needed to get the baby to sleep and would call him when I was ready. 

I finally get Evangeline to sleep and look at the clock. I am supposed to teach my class in 5 minutes. I promised Evan I would be there. But if I don't break that promise we won't have anything to eat tonight besides moldy bread and peanut butter. We have company coming in a few hours. I call Genise and tell her I need to go to the store right away. I missed seeing the kids today.

I called my ride but when he didn't answer after 5 minutes I employed another guy who was eagerly waiting. I hopped on the back of his motorcycle with my empty backpack and HEB keep food cold bag in tow. We wind through a myriad of mud puddles, paved roads, trash piles, and sidestreets. I still don't know my way around very well and cannot focus enough to see because the dust is killing my eyes. We make it to the bank in 10 minutes. I ask my driver to wait while I use the ATM machine. I try twice but it isn't working today. Now I have no way to get cash to give to Genise to purchase rice, beans, and street vegetables for dinner. We head to the DeliMart to see what else I can scrounge up for dinner. 

The DeliMart is the nicest grocery store in St. Marc. There are 4 small isles. The first isle contains nothing but hair and body products on one side and laundry/cleaning products on the other side. The second isle contains nothing but cheaply made and sickeningly overpriced childrens toys, ugly kitchen utensils, party accessories and paper goods. The last isle contains nothing but alchoholic beverages. That leaves 2 isles in the middle of mostly generic brand groceries that I would never have bought in the U.S. that I will end up paying 3-5 times more for the privilege of buying at DeliMart in St. Marc, Haiti. 

I am excited to find two heads of hydroponically grown lettuce that don't appear to be rotten and decide to spoil the kids by buying them a different cereal than the Haitian brand cornflakes they are completely sick of. $6.25 for kids cereal! Score! My excitement dwindles by the time it takes the cashier 20 minutes to run my debit card by hand because I couldn't get cash at the ATM. I carry out a full HEB bag (wishing it had HEB groceries inside), a full backpack, and another plastic sack of groceries. Three moto taxis greet me outside the door and I nod at the guy that has been waiting an eternity for my shopping spree in two isles. I don't know why I tried to explain myself. He took it out on me by driving me through the largest trash pile I have ever seen on the way home.

We arrive at my gate. I hand him 25 gourde (about 50 cents) for taking me. This is the standard rate plus an extra 5 gourde for making him wait. He just stared at me expecting more because I am white and just bought 3 bags of groceries so I obviously have money. A teenage boy sees me hand my driver the 25 gourde and comes over to stick his hand in my face and shout "MONEY". I ignore him at first and step inside the gate with my groceries. 5 more boys flock to my gate. I start toward the door when I hear "Hey you...Money!" yelled at me again. I turn around to see 6 faces peering at me through the gate eyeing my groceries. I set them down and go outside to face the boys. I explained to them in Creole that my name is not "money", and that just because I am white does not mean I have money; that just because he saw me give my driver money does not mean I have more money and that if I did he certainly should not be entitled to it. He then mocked me by saying that he knows I work at the school and the school gives us money. I told him the exact opposite is true. The school pays the Haitian teachers but the foreign teachers do not get any money for working. I told him that we have to ask for money too but that I would never ask for people to give me money like he did. I asked him how he would like it if I went to his house and stuck my hand in his face and shouted "MONEY" at him. He looked confused so I asked another boy if he would like someone to do that to him. He looked down and said, "no". Futhermore I explained that the Haitian verb meaning "to give" may not be rude in Creole but when it is translated to English this comes off as very rude to say "You give me" time and again as if a person MUST give it. I explained to the boys that foreigners would not be inclined to give them anything if they shouted "hey you...money...give me" and explained a better way to ask and increase their chances of getting. Their ears perked up and asked me how they could ask nicely so they would be able to get more handouts from white people. They all practiced asking me nicely for something to drink and something to eat if I happened to have something to give. I explained that I did not have something to give them today other than water. They all nodded toward my groceries. I told them that I have 5 children living in my house and 2 more children coming to visit tonight and that these groceries were for them. Then they specifically asked me for the box of Pops cereal they could see through the bag. I told them, "sorry, not today." They were still staring at me through the gate when I went inside and up the stairs. Anger stirred inside me. I was angry at their utter verbal rudeness and trying to take advantage of me because of my color. I was angry because this is what they have been taught by the mentality of most everyone else in Haiti. I was angry because I just want to be able to enjoy getting out of the house for an hour (even if I have to take a moto) and hate being accosted at every turn. I was angry because these groceries will feed my family for no more than 2 days and then I will have to go through this charade all over again. I was angry because I wish I could do more to actually help those 6 boys who honestly don't know any better. I wondered if they were really hungry or just trying to get whatever they could out of me. I put away the groceries, picked up Evangeline who was crying while her father was napping and her mother still working at the school. Typical.  I sat down and choked back tears. 

This. Is. Haiti. 

All this happened before noon. I think I will have another cup of coffee to survive the rest of this day. Little things like family and friends that send me Starbucks Via packs and who I know are praying for us really help us get through these typical T.I.H. days. I really don't know how we would survive without you. Thanks is not enough.

P.S. I just learned that the downstairs toilet is fixed. :)

Haiti Hospitality House

We have been reading about the life of George Muller with our family the past month. Tonight we read about how George Muller prayed for yet more money to be raised for another house to meet the needs of those in his care. God had already provided so much more than he could ever imagine and yet here he was asking for more. But he had seen God provide over and over and over again and George knew God could do it again. We believe that too and pray that we will continue to learn to have that kind of faith. 

Honestly my prayers lately have come from a place of weariness and desperation more than faith, but I know God understands that too. We moved several times in Haiti (um. exhausting.) in the past four months while waiting to move to St. Marc in January. We are still living out of suitcases. None of us really want to unpack because we do not want to have to repack--again. We are living in the house that was previously the elementary school building before the new school building opened in January. It needs a lot of work and we have found that this house isn't working very well for us and the Haitian family that moved here with us. We thought there were three bathrooms. There are three. One is an outhouse, one does not work, and the other is the one that the 8 of us are sharing and also where all of our laundry is washed daily. This doesn't work out well too much of the time. Today the girls came and reported (in a humiliated tone) that Evan had resorted to Haitian style peeing on the street outside. 

However, we are truly thankful for this house and to experience what it is like to use an outhouse! Landing here has provided an opportunity to get to know our community and live as inexpensively as possible while scoping out other options before the rent needs to be renewed for the year come April. We do not desire to renew the rent. My frustration with utter disorganization, tons of dust, millions of mosquitoes and the many dogs that are very drawn to this house led me to almost immediately start searching for an alternative. Nothing seemed right. I sensed God saying, "think about where you are, who you are, what I have called you to do, and what is best considering all these".   Because our desire is not only to work but also to live among the people we work with, "best" would be to stay close to where we are now near the school. We do not yet have personal transportation and I wondered, "maybe the hardship of not having a vehicle is part of God's direction in keeping us close to the school"? Eric and our children walk to and from school. We cannot imagine having to get up an hour earlier and take motorcycle taxis to school. I help with phonics at the elementary building and it is best that I can come and go from home as I am needed at the school. We have also been helping Genise (who lives with us) set up a new little (for her profit and the school's benefit) business selling drinks/snacks at the school. She needs to be close to the house to care for the needs of her four month old baby that I take care of whenever we need her to run errands and when she is scheduled to work the snack shop at school. All these factors played around in my mind and I decided not to look at any more houses that were not within a few blocks of where we currently are living. This narrowed options dramatically but I knew it was right. If there was not another house nearby that would be a better fit for us then perhaps we are just supposed to stay where we are and make the most of it. But I didn't think so. 

Since we have lived in Haiti we have hosted many guests in our home and have used our home for many things such as helping adoptive parents, fostering children, hosting friends from the U.S., Canada, and Australia that needed a place to stay or came to work with us for a season, Bible study, English classes, meetings, etc. One day I reprimanded one of my children for interrupting a conversation I was having with one of our houseguests. My child responded politely but then said, "but there is always someone here" and I realized this was true. 

We love to open our home for hospitality and the opportunity to use our home in one or more of the following ways is ever before us. We recently spent time with a visiting team that served in Haiti for two weeks. We noticed that the Walker family (founders of El Shaddai school) hosting the team were under extra stress during this time and we wished we could have helped alleviate part of the burden of hosting so many people.

-Opening our home to house teams/families visiting Haiti.

We have been asked to consider taking in a few extra kids for different reasons at different times from a nearby orphanage. We would like to be able to have a place available as needs continue to arise. We have also potentially offered our home as a "transition home" for children in the adoption process who are close to being ready to journey to their new families. El Shaddai has agreed to take Pre-K and Kindergarden children that do not require an English prerequisite if we did this. The goal would be to get the children in a smaller non-orphanage setting, immerse them in English, love on them, introduce American foods, etc. while in the comfort of their own culture. We believe that when a child does not have so many adjustments to overcome at once that they will be able to bond to their adoptive family faster which helps decrease the chances of attachment disorders. We would hire a live in nanny to help with the children's care as well. We have just the person in mind and this would create a needed job for her.

-Opening our home as a transition home for children in the adoption process.

And yet another option would be to open our home for housing teachers that would like to come and serve with El Shaddai Learning Center for a semester, year, or longer. Foreign teachers have to raise 100% financial support and so few are able to come. The Walkers currently house three American teachers and we would like to be able to help meet this need in the future as well.

--Opening our home for housing teachers to serve at El Shaddai.

I spent two weeks walking through the neighborhood and asking about houses labeled for rent. I was also shown several houses that suddenly became available upon my asking. I quickly became discouraged because every house was either too small, too strangely shaped, needed too much work, too expensive, etc. I finally called on the last house on my list of options. I have now looked at it three times and it is a definite possibility for "best"!

This is the backside of the house that occupies the same street where we currently live. It is located right across the street from the elementary school building where our children attend. There is no yard but there is a some space for playing around the house. The stairs lead up to the rooftop which holds the water cistern (and a beautiful view). These easy access stairs are so delightful compared to the steep ladder at our current house. The water cistern on this roof is a 500 gallon which would also be a blessing to have instead of the two 150 gallon tanks we have to fill now in order to have clean water. We are thinking that if this house is meant to house many the fact that there is already a large water tank in place is really super! But the #1 thing I was looking for in a house is windows with screens and glass that can be closed to keep out smells, mosquitoes, and dust. I know it won't entirely keep these things out but it will help dramatically. 
This house has such windows! 

This is the front side of the house that better shows its size.
The top half includes 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, living room, a space that could be used as an office, schoolroom or playroom, 3 balconies and an enclosed porch.
The bottom half includes 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen area, dining room, and living room.
All this = a lot of space that can be put to good use for God's glory!

The view of our seaside community from the rooftop is also a plus!
We think it would be a great spot to sit, read, listen, worship, and dwell on God's faithfulness!

If you think so too, please share this and the fundraiser we have set up through PayPal. You can find the fundraiser site on the top right hand side of this blog. The need is to raise $10,000 in the next month to rent this house (for an entire year) if this is the Lord's will. This should help us with some of the cost of acquiring electricity as well.

Our family would live on the smaller bottom half of the house which would give us and our children much needed privacy and the feeling of home even when houseguests abound. We never want to neglect our marriage and children in the name of "hospitality" and really need a place where we can be a family, rest, and be renewed so that we can serve each other and our community well. The top half would be used for things such as visitors/missionaries to Haiti, fostering children, and/or housing teachers. We think this is the best place to land when considering where we are, who we are, and what God has called us to do here in St. Marc, Haiti! We are excited about the possibilities! 

Once again...

If you would like to contribute and/or share this fundraiser please visit the February fundraiser -Haiti Hospitality House FundRazr button located at the top right of this blog and click on it for more details and/or to donate through PayPal. 

 "The greatness of the sum required affords me a kind of secret joy; for the greater the difficulty to be overcome, the more will it be seen to the glory of God how much can be done by prayer and faith."

 -George Muller