First Year... Check!

It seems like only yesterday I landed here in the beautiful country of Haiti. My mind was full of wonder and my heart could not contain more emotion. I remember before I even stepped off the plane, the overwhelming feeling of Haiti in the state it is in. There were no more than a few words of Creole on my lips and I was sweating more than I thought was possible. Through all the adjusting and learning, I know now more than ever that I am right where I am suppose to be.

Last week I completed not only my first year as a full-time teacher, but also my first year teaching here in Port-au-Prince. I owe a lot of thanks to all of you who were there to support me both here in Haiti and from all over the world. The group of second graders I had this year were an amazing and unique bunch and defiantly made for an exciting year. I am proud of the progress my second graders made this year even through the recovery from the earthquake, the closings due to hurricane threats, and evacuating the school to be locked up in our homes for days during the political riots.

If my teaching year was not enough excitement, I have also found myself as the country director of an incredible organization called H.E.R.O. (Housing, Education, and Rehabilitation of Orphans). We are now proudly providing education, school materials, meals, and uniforms to over 70 street children and housing 5 orphaned children in our transition home for orphans! Everyday is a new challenge and is also filled with its new rewards. I cannot thank all of you enough for being there for us as we continue to offer opportunity to those who need it most.

I currently have two volunteers on the ground here with H.E.R.O. and things are going full speed. Tyler Fair is one volunteer here who I have interned with in South America and he is already speaking Creole and making a lot of great relationships here. Our other volunteer is Toni Burns from the cold state of Alaska. Toni is an amputee who does not get slowed down by it. Yesterday she was ripping through boards with a handsaw and diving right into all we have been doing. It has been an incredible week so far and the adventures just keep on coming.

Every day that passes here I feel more and more blessed. My life here is surround by some of the most incredible people I have ever met and I love waking up every day ready for what is next. I have fallen in love with the people and culture of Haiti more than I ever thought I would. I am days away from my summer travels to Chicago and Peru and I really cannot wait to see all my friends and family that I miss so much. The reality is that I will also be missing Haiti during that time and knowing that I will be back here soon is comforting. My life has been torn by so many places, but I only feel more complete through it all. Thank you for keeping up on my life and I look forward to updating you all on the up coming travels ahead!

Here are some photos from the week so far:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.565286070697.2056219.67600728&l=7f1a5937ec

A Growing Home

My life is Haiti is one that is always busy, but also very rewarding. It is very easy to just be go, go, go here and forget to take a second to take it all in. Times like these when I sit down to update all my friends and family all over the world are when I really can’t help but count my blessings as I hear the sounds of laughter from the children in our home.

We now have six beautiful children living in the care of our home for orphans here with H.E.R.O. They keep things every exciting as they play games, do their school work, try their best at English, dance, take karate classes or just be kids having a great time. I also get to see my Creole skills improve daily in a way much more exciting than any class and all while getting to know the children more and more.

This weekend was one of sorrow and celebration. Yesterday I attended the funeral of a mother of one of my students. It was a tough week in second grade and there were a lot of moments that I was really impressed with my students. Death is a more common topic here in Port-au-Prince, but is still never easy, especially when dealing with children affect by it.

The celebration came today as we loaded up the children and headed up the mountains for a birthday party of a third grader at my school. We all had an amazing time and the kids had their fair share of fun. It always amazes me the amount of languages spoken at these events while four languages will be used in one conversation and I do my best to keep up. Haiti is definitely an interesting place to be right now.

Please keep Haiti in your prayers this week, as the announcement of the new president should be released in the next couple of days. This could bring more riots or the kind of change that Haiti needs. Only time will tell, but I know that the Lord is in control and we must continuously pray for this country.

Thank you all for your continued support and interest in what is going on here in Haiti. You all give me strength when I need it and I see your prayers being answered here every day. As always, please head over to www.haitihero.org to see how you can continue to stay involved with our projects!

Six Months

Today marks six months of life here in Haiti. I could never express in words all that I have learned and experienced in these six months that have gone by so fast. Even in the face of the struggles that exist here, all I can think about are all the blessings that have been poured out. We now have two children living in our home for orphans and our school program for street kids has doubled in size!

Yesterday we were able to give our students with good attendance a trip to the beach. Everything ran smoothly and everyone had a fun time. Even though these kids have lived in the Caribbean their entire lives, this was their first time at the beach for most of them. It was much more than just a day at the beach, but a chance to give these children a day just to enjoy life and be kids.

I am filled with so much hope for Haiti when I see these kids coming out day after day to class. I truly believe that education is the key to changing Haiti long term and it is incredible how much the kids also believe in education. This is the first time for these children to receive steady, formal education that doesn’t have to halt every time their families run out of money for school because they are just trying to provide food for their families. I always am reminded of Nelson Mandela when he said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

I want to thank you all for your prayers and support that has made all of this possible. It does not go unnoticed and I am constantly reminded of all the blessings in my life. I can’t imagine life here in Haiti without all of you to support me and the Lord surrounding me.

Enjoy the photos from the beach and around the house with the children!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2052360&id=67600728&l=09dab2ef20

Meet Robenson!

After much hard work and dedication, the first orphan has moved into our home! It almost feels surreal as I write this. What an incredible feeling it is knowing that there is a child sleeping in a nice bed tonight with a full stomach instead of being in the slum he came from. What is even more exciting, is knowing that we are providing for him so much more than food and shelter. The opportunities now in front of Robenson are far greater than I’m sure he or even I are able to grasp at this point. More than anything, we are providing for him a loving family that I am so blessed to be a part of.

There were times over the past several months when I wondered if I would ever be able to write this blog. But the Lord is good all the time and has seen us through it all. Some days were filled with so much frustration that comes along with working here in Haiti and all the different things that can fall through one after another. Looking back now they don’t seem to matter at all. The time and work put into this line of work can never be matched by a paycheck, but is paid in full and then some when I look at Robenson and see him smile.

I can’t help but let me mind wander where life will take Robenson and all of the other children that will pass through our care. Will they be doctors, teachers, engineers, photographers, or the president of Haiti? The possibilities are endless and they give me hope for Haiti more than anything else.

As always I ask for your continued prayers and support. Our home is now up and running, our after-school street children program is growing, another quarter is ending at school, and the list goes on. The blessings are too many to count and I can’t thank the Lord enough for the opportunities he has given me. Please continue to follow us on www.haitihero.org and contact me if you would like to be put on our mailing list. Thank you all so much for your support and I look forward to keeping you all informed as our programs continue.

Riots and Lock-Downs

This past week has been filled with many frustrations as well as hidden blessings. As many of you probably know, the country of Haiti has been in a state of civil unrest. Since the announcement of the election last Tuesday evening, the streets of Port-au-Prince have been in riots and the violence has been growing. I was only able to leave my apartment twice in the past week just to get groceries and to get some supplies from my school while the riots died down at times. The rest of the time I have been confined to my apartment only to watch the city burn outside my window and wait for signs of hope from the news and local connections.

I found the time to be very frustrating as all of our programs and schooling were put on pause for the time. It is hard to know that there are children out there ready to be put into our housing who will continue to live in the slums because of the political situation that is out of our hands. I completely understand the reaction of the people based on the fraud that took place on election day and I support their standing up for their rights, however it is difficult when so many good things are put on hold because of it. I was safe through out the riots, but my heart goes out to so many here who were not as fortunate. Not a day goes by where Haiti is not in need of much prayer.

The blessings from all of this came in very interesting surprises. Being in a lock down with no end in sight gave me the opportunity to catch up and reflect on a lot. I have found myself getting extremely busy here lately and needed to take some time to unplug and refocus myself. Now that I have had this time, I want nothing more than to get back to working with the children of Haiti.

Mirlíene is an excellent student and loves coming to the after-school program

Another exciting piece of news is that H.E.R.O. (Housing, Education, and Rehabilitation of Orphans) is proud to announce that we will now be offering sponsorships for our children in our street kids program. I have the amazing opportunity to teach these children and I am continually impressed by their work ethic and excitement for education. There are countless lessons to be learned from these children and I am so blessed to have them in my life. If you feel that you can help us offer education and meals to these students, please visit: http://www.haitihero.org/sponsor.html.

Today also marks four months for me in Haiti. It is incredible to think of everything that has happened in these short four months and what God has in store for me in the upcoming years. I have learned more than I ever had in mind and can’t imagine the lessons I have yet to learn from my life here. This weekend I will be traveling to Chicago to be with friends and family for the holidays. Please pray that the riots do not start up again and keep the airport closed like they have been. Please also pray for me as I take the trip, as trying to explain Haiti to North America has been one of my biggest struggles of moving here.

As always, keep Haiti on your hearts and know that I appreciate you all very much.

For an incredible look into what is going on right now in Haiti, please check out the website of a photographer I met here: http://bendepp.photoshelter.com/

We Have Only Today. Let Us Begin.

Haiti continues to take me on a rollercoaster of ups and downs. So much of what I do here is completely out of my hands and I find comfort at the end of every day knowing that God is the only one in control. I know more than ever that the only timing is the Lord’s timing.

This week I enjoyed my first Thanksgiving in Haiti. We had a wonderful celebration at Union School and all of my students enjoyed the festivities. As a school we decided to tone down the normal Thanksgiving meal and give the money we would have spent on the meal to some local charities. It was very heart warming to see second graders getting excited to lend a hand. Thanksgiving day was spent up at the school nurse’s house (Nurse Betty) where we had a Thanksgiving spread that would rival anything being consumed in the States. I kept the American tradition of overeating and napping and there was even the football game on in the background.

I was very fortunate to have enjoyed the Thanksgiving dinner as the next day I had to get an infected molar removed. After getting a double root canal on Monday during my lunch and prep periods at school, the infection did not setting down enough and as a result I have one less tooth in my mouth. The pain is residing, but it has not been the most enjoyable experience of my life and I am glad to know it will only get better from here.

These past few weeks have been all about the Lord’s timing as we work hard at H.E.R.O. This past week we made the final strides to prepare the home that will be used as a transition home for orphans coming into our program. Monday marked a disappointing day as our two first children did not move in as planned. After a twist of stories and some last minute thoughts of an aunt to the children, the two children remain living in sub-par conditions with her as she keeps them from entering the program. We know this situation is out of our hands, but it is heart-breaking to see it unfold this way. Now we wait patiently as the country of Haiti comes to a halt for the elections and not much can be done for a few more days.

The last thing I will leave you with is an experience I had yesterday with my good friend Kez from my church. Kez is a nurse here who does a million and one things. Because I had the day off on Friday I went along with her as she did ‘home’ visits to the children in several neighborhoods. By ‘home visits’ I mean more like tent, street, sidewalk, ravine, etc visits. It was incredible to see how her visits with a backpack of meds, a stethoscope, and a notebook of jotted notes on each child could do in a country like this. Along with the medical attention she brought to these people, was a sense of strong hope and love. It was a wonderful and intense morning. Here are some pictures to give you a glimpse into her life.

Remember to keep Haiti close to your heart.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2050130&id=67600728&l=a78e9a026e

Another Side of Haiti

This past month has been filled with so much I hardly know where to begin. I have been able to experience more of Haiti, witness more hardships, and count more blessings. My life in Haiti is proving to be more eye opening than I ever imagined.

I want to thank you for all of the prayers over the past few weeks with the cholera outbreak and hurricane threats. The teachers and I were safe from the epidemic as we have access to clean drinking water and took extra precautions. The reality is that most of Haiti does not have the same connivances as we do and do not have clean water available to them. In the midst of this tragedy we were then informed of the threat from Hurricane Tomas. As school was canceled on Friday, we waited anxiously in our apartments as the rains came down and we couldn’t help but think of the 1.6 million people in their tents. The day ended with an overall feeling of relief as the storm passed Port-au-Prince with only some rain. Our hearts still go out to the other parts of the island that were hit and all the people living in conditions that are so heavily affected even by the lighter rains.

This past weekend also allowed me the opportunity to see another side of Haiti. Some other teachers and I made the hike from just outside of Port-au-Prince to the southern coast by Jacmel. It was like experiencing a whole new country after being here in Port-au-Prince for so long where we can so often feel overwhelmed by the craziness and congestion of the city. The countryside was beautiful and I was so glad to be hiking it and not just driving past it all. It was incredible to have little interactions with families going about their lives as we came on through. The reality is that the poverty and hardships of Haiti run deep and even when my spirits were lifted by the beautiful scenery, my heart was still breaking for the people.

Life here in Port-au-Prince is still going at full speed. Second grade is still an amazing time and I am gearing up for my parent-teacher conferences starting tomorrow. My ESL students are doing a fantastic job and we have been hitting some heavy topics in their conversations. The after-school program for street children is up and running and the children are very eager to learn. Our residence home for street kids and orphans is almost ready as one job after another is done. You can’t help but look around and see how much the Lord is at work here.

We are nearing the opening of the housing here in Port-au-Prince and we should be moving in the first children in just over a week. Wiseley and Melissa are the first two children that will be taken into our care with H.E.R.O. The brother and sister lost their mother before the earthquake and their father tried desperately to find a home for them. The earthquake then took their father’s life leaving them orphaned and under the care of their aunt who cannot provide for them. It is hard to describe all the emotions that are building as all of this is falling into place and we make these children part of our family.

Me with Wiseley

Thank you all for your support and I am excited to fill you in as I continue my life here in Haiti. Please keep us in your prayers and God bless you.

Here are some pictures I took on my hike and a video update I made. Enjoy!

Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2049530&id=67600728&l=5565a1d96f

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NneLgwAhzrc