Home for Christmas :-)

It's a winter wonderland outside, and nearly every day i have been out walking through it :-D
I arrived home last tuesday, when i was thankfully able to leave on my scheduled flight. Due to unfavourable election results in Haiti, there had been some unrest and American Airlines had cancelled flights for a few days. thankfully, my tuesday flight remained as scheduled, and over the weekend leading up to my departure things in Haiti had remained calm.
The night before i left, one of the other volunteers (who was also leaving on tuesday) and i went through the rooms at the toddler house to say goodbye to all the kids. I had an easier time of it because i knew that I WOULD BE COMING BACK (in January)! :-D I got to give the kids hugs and kisses and say 'I'll see you after Christmas!'  Knowing this made the goodbyes so much easier! What i didn't know was that while i was home for Christmas, some of the kids would finally be able to go home to their Forever Families in France! I'm so happy that they get to spend Christmas at home with the families who have waited so long to be able to love on them. I'm so glad i had the great honour and privilage to be a small part of these precious children's lives for a few short months! They are all such wonderful kids with so much potential! I know they can go far. I pray that as they grow up, they would find their wings, achieve their fullest potential, and live in the beautiful plan God has for each of their lives! Ti moun yo, mwen kontan ampil mwen te konnen nou et renmen nou! Bondye beni nou anpil! <3
It's been good to be home with my family, and to see friends and church family again! I'm so thankful for the supportive network i have here at home! Their prayers and love mean so much!
i look forward to Christmas and all that goes a long with the season....the food, the family, the fun, the snow. But the most important thing i need to remember is that the Christmas season is all about, and in honour of, the One who gave up EVERYTHING in order to become the greatest gift that anyone could ever recieve. The gift of a Savior to rescue each of us from the our desperate, broken selves. To be so loved by the One who created the galaxies and the grain of sand, to have Him know every detail of my life....that is the greatest gift of all! Over 2,000 years ago a baby was born in a humble stable among the livestock, to a mommy and daddy who loved Him, taught Him, and raised Him. But this wasn't just any baby. This baby would make the greatest sacrifce in order to give the gift of eternal life to every person who chooses to accept it. This baby would change the world!
May each of you have a blessed Christmas!

Praying for Change

Today the elections take place in Haiti. There are somewhere around 60 candidates for the position of President, so we hope and pray that the best possible leader would be elected! Haiti is ready for change, and right now there are so many opportunities and so much potential! My prayer is that a leader who has the best interests of the Haitian people would be elected; one who would be well suited to bring about change for the better; one who would look at the job not as hopeless and too daunting to accomplish, but one who would see the potential and help Haiti become a strong, upstanding nation that no longer depends heavily on foreign aid to fulfill the needs of her people. A leader who can help Haiti take the next step of recovering from the earthquake and the cholera and the multiple other challenges these strong people have been faced with.

I pray that God would have his hand in this process. I know He has a wonderful plan for Haiti, and that He can use whoever the leader may end up being to help facilitate change in the country I love so much!

a container out of Port

On Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. we got word that one of the containers was out of port and trucks were on their way up with the contents. We had to go up to Fort Jaques and unload the two trucks! we got up at about 5:30, made quick work of the two big trucks full of plastic containers and cardboard boxes,  and were on our way back home at about 7:30!  were SO many people helping out! After we finished getting the contents into the barn, there was a huge mountain of boxes in the middle of the room. once done with the trucks we got to eat hamburgers and fries which tasted amazing after all the hard work!

Thursday and Friday were spent up there, sorting through all the cardboard boxes which were mostly full of clothes. we sorted them into bags for women, men, ect. it took the better part of both days, but that mountain of cardboard boxes is gone, and we got started on some of the plastic containers! it's a great sense of accomplishment to see the difference between before and after!

Hurricane Tomas

On Thursday evening we started seeing signs of Hurricane Tomas. It rained steadily through the night, and Friday morning the sky was heavy with clouds. Around 7:15 a.m. we got some heavy winds for a little bit. Some laundry that was hanging on the line outside was blown off, and debris flew through the air. On our way down to the main house we drove by a tree that had been blown down into the street and was hanging onto the hydro wire.

We had rain throughout the day, but by mid afternoon the rain had let up. Later in the evening we got heavy winds again. It was billowing around the house, and when Betty and i went out on the balcony, we could see that it was bending the trees and it would have definitely blown anything away that was loose.

Saturday was overcast, but it didn't rain much more.

All in all, Tomas spared Haiti her worst. Leogan, where the epicentre of the earthquake was, may have been the hardest hit spot in Haiti. There was extensive flooding, with thigh high water in some areas! Many have lost what little they had.

Here's the link an article that gives good information about the situation here.

http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2010/11/hurricane_tomas_floods_earthqu.html

Please keep Haiti in your prayers in the coming days, weeks, and months, as the people recover not only form the earthquake, but also from the hurricane!

My Birthday

Yesterday I celebrated my birthday in Haiti.

It started out at 5:45 am when i got up to get ready to say goodbye to Chantelle, my friend that i travelled here with. She was getting picked up early to go to the airport. that was the one downer to the day; otherwise, it would have been perfect!

I went out on the balcony; the morning was a little cool, and perfectly clear! i could see the crevices in the mountains that are beyond Port Au Prince. it was so beautiful! i have never been able to see those mountains so clearly. i think it was because the early morning sun was shining in such a way that it accentuated the dips of the mountain :-)

When i went to the kitchen, there was a birthday sign for me, made by Betty and Anna :-) Then Molly made us pancakes for breakfast! they were so good! After breakfast i opened my gifts. My mom and sister had sent gifts with me, so i got to open them after they'd sat in my suitcase for over a month; it was pretty exciting!

When it was time for the work day to start, Anna and i decided that we would put all the kids in computer class on Paint and give them the project of making birthday cakes for me and for one of the boys who was also having a birthday! :-)

the rest of the day went as normal.

When i came down from the balcony into the dining area, there were balloons on every chair. Molly had made me a beautiful Spice cake with cream cheese frosting (i got to choose what i wanted ;-) ) it was amazing!!!!

After dinner i called home home to talk to my family; it was good to chat again :-)

When i arrived back at the Toddler House, i went into our room, and my bed frame was covered in cards that the kids had made for me :-) apparently it took up a good portion of the day! :-) that just topped off the day for me!

and THEN we had home - made rocky road fudge, made by my amazing co-volunteers! :-)

i reminded once again that i am incredibly blessed with so many amazing friends and a wonderful family! God has blessed me so much, and i'm so thankful for each and every one of them!!!!!

The day couldn't have been better :-) Thanks to everyone who made it so special!! I love you all!

Church in a Tent City

Sunday morning shortly after 7:00 am, some of us volunteers and staff of GLA headed down to Petionville to attend church at the Sean Penn Tent Camp, home to approximately 50,000 earthquake victims. 

We turned onto a beautiful, tree canopied street and arrived at a gate with the sign ‘The Petionville Club’, a golf course turned tent camp. It's a little difficult to find the words to describe what i saw, but i'll do my best!

We drove by tents used for medical purposes, and progressed down a winding gravel road that led down into the camp. The outer edge of the camp was lined with barbed wire fences. There were water drainage ditches that had been dug and lined with what appeared to be sand bags. I can’t imagine what the camp must be like when it rains! Tents, if they could be called that, lined the street. Many of them were simply crudely constructed shelters of tarps and poles. Those must be like ovens in the heat of the day! there are barely any trees to provide shade. One thing i now realize is that i never noticed an odor. Others have commented on how tent camps smell so horrible, but that’s one thing that escaped me. 

We arrived at the church, which was a blue and white striped tent located somewhere in the midst of all the tent houses. When we arrived, the Haitians wanted to empty some benches for us. That’s a really awkward feeling, to know that some people are being moved to make room for the white people! I think they were trying to be considerate by placing us at the front by the fans, but i would have preferred to be at the back where i could see more people and would not be in everyone’s line of vision! 

What struck me was how well dressed the people attending church were! somehow, even in the midst of such primitive conditions, they still manage to look great for church! On the flip side, there were also kids playing outside who wore too big shorts that were nearly falling off,  and long, holy shirts being worn as an outfit. People carried buckets of water back to their homes. I wonder what these people do all day every day? Is it simply an attempt at survival every day? Or are they able to go out and work? And where would so many people find jobs??

The service was wonderful! Even though i couldn’t sing along or understand most of the songs, i could still feel the spirit of worship of these people. one song that i was able to sing along with was ‘oh, oui, mwen renmen Jezi!’ ‘Oh how i love Jesus!’ 

After the singing, a woman went to the front and began speaking in creol. i was able to understand that she was explaining about the cholera outbreak and giving advice on how to best avoid contracting the disease. 

Following that, the message was given by Edward Smith, an American man who counsels victims of crime and disaster. It was interpreted by one of the men from GLA, so i was able to understand the message. There were many ‘Amens’ and ‘hallelujiah!’s! :-)

We left immediately after the service, so did not have a chance to interact with the Haitians. 

I hadn’t realized how emotionally draining the experience had been until the evening when i finally realized that i just really needed to get alone and have a heart to heart with God rather then trying to push the feelings away. i went out onto the darkened balcony alone and sat in the rocking chair, looking toward the city. i asked God ‘why?'. I prayed for those whose lives were turned upside down in a matter of minutes. For those who don’t know where to go from here; how to make a new way in the world. I didn’t get a definite answer to WHY, but i once again came to the realization that no matter what, God is still in control. Even when nothing makes sense, He is still God in the storm. He’s still God with the stars shine, and when the clouds roll in; when the thunder rolls and the lightening strikes AND when the earth shakes. He is God in everything, and nothing goes without Him noticing. When the rain falls, He’s there, and when the tears pour down, He’s there to be the shoulder to cry on. Not one of the 1.5 milling people living in tent camps goes beyond the notice of God. He knows their deepest longings and needs. I still don’t understand why this tragedy happened, but i know that when it feels like the world is crashing down around us, God is there, and if we allow Him to, He becomes our world. 

please don’t forget to pray earnestly for these people who have now lived in tents for as long as 9 months!

Cholera Outbreak in Haiti

Please keep Haiti in your prayers in the coming days and weeks! There's been an outbreak of Cholera in the north of Haiti. It's still a few hours away from where i am. The first cases were seen on Tuesday, and already at least 194 people have died from it! it's spreading fairly quickly, and i fear what would happen if it were to hit Port Au Prince and the tent cities! There are about 1.5 million people living in about 1.000 unsanitary tent camps. People living close together without proper waste disposal or clean water.......it would spread like wildfire. SO we need to be utilizing the power we have in prayer! God can do great things when believers unite in prayer for a common cause! DO NOT underestimate the impact that you can have on a situation like this!

There are lots of articles that can be found about this on the internet, so i won't say much more. Please pray that we here at GLA would remain strong so that we could be available for whatever part God may have for us to play in helping the people of Haiti. I just hope against hope that this will peter out quickly!

Here's one article that i found to be quite informative.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/10/23/1887953/more-haitians-sickened-by-cholera.html?

And here's one that explain Cholera and its symptoms.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholera

I was just listening to some music as i wrote, and this song happened to be one that played. it's called 'Let Your Mercy Rain' by Chris Tomlin. This song is for Haiti! it would be better if the physical, weather rain would hold off for a while, though, i think. that could simply make matters worse!

God, You have done great things
God, You give grace to the weak
And bless the brokenhearted
With a song of praise to sing
You reached down and lifted us up
You came running, looking for us
And now there's nothing
And no one beyond Your love

You're the overflow
You're the fountain of my heart
Let Your mercy rain
Let Your mercy rain on us

You're the faithful one
When the world's falling apart
Let Your mercy rain
Let Your mercy rain on us

How deep, how wide, how long, how high is Your love ... is Your love
How deep, how wide, how long, how high is Your love ... is Your love
Oh, God

Let it rain


Praying that God will continue to do great things in Haiti.


Emelyne

The Demise of the Rats and Roaches

Over the past week we saw what we (if we are optimistic) hope to be the beginning of the end of the rat and roach infestation that seems to plague this place. This could also be considered 'the year of the ant', as they seem to be everywhere as well! Anyway, last Thursday everybody was out of the house while some guys sprayed for roaches. All the babies, nannies and volunteers were out on the balcony from around 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. Thankfully it wasn't too hot! Many of us had hoped that when we went back inside we would see the ugly reddish-brown bodies of thousands of dead roaches lying on their backs; however, apparently the stuff that was used was supposed to make the roaches thirsty and want to run away, thus limiting the amount of cleanup that would have to be done. We heard for those who were involved in the spraying that there were areas from which there was a great exodus of roaches. How i wish i could have see it!

This past Wednesday, the group of us volunteers (8 girls) cleaned out the entry way at the main house, as it had been discovered that rats had been nesting back in one of the corners. it was pretty gross in there, but the finished product was a great reward! especially because there is now nowhere for rats to hide! before we were able to get everything moved back into the room, the rain started pouring down, as it often does this time of year. after about 45 minutes it had let up enough for us to finish.

On Thursday morning, another volunteer and i cleaned out one of the cupboards in our kitchen at the toddler house, as cockroaches have inhabited that space for at least two years! i remember that last time when i was here, i would always knock on that door before opening it so that i wouldn't have to see the roaches that i knew lived there. anyway, we cleaned out all of the contents, sprayed Baygone, shut the door, and worked on washing everything that had been inside. some roaches tried to scurry away, and when they did, we were ready with flip flops and paper towels to squash any hope of escape. I must have squashed at least 20 cockroaches in the space of two hours! that cupboard is now beautiful and roach free....and Haiti has about 30 fewer roaches!!!

So, on top of having the priveladge of being in Haiti, loving and teaching these beautiful children, i also have had the opportunity to help clear out at least some of the spaces that catered to some of the lowest and nastiest members of creation. i know some people would defend them and say that they have a purpose, too, but i have a hard time believing it. if they do have some purpose, well, i think we've come to the point of too much of a good thing! lol.

Sword flights and letters

Imagine that this was posted yesterday, cause that's when i wrote most of it!

Happy Thanksgiving to all you Canadians! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

This morning I spent two hours helping with the preschool classes, along with another volunteer (which is something i do every day). Near the end of the first group of little students, some of them were given oversized stacking nails in a foamy mat with holes. some of the little boys started stacking them up, seeing how tall they could make them. then they took them out of their holes, and for a little bit some of them engaged in a little, un-dangerous 'sword fight' :-) I make no claim to understand the way boys work, but it is my understanding that boys were created to be warriors; no one needed to teach them. The important thing is for them to learn to chanel that warrior blood and direct it in positive directions!

Later, the next group of young students was working on writing their letters. some days it seems futile to even try to get them to do their work, as their minds are set against it, but today the three that i was working with were doing very well! One of the students, a little girl, was sitting beside me and as she worked, she would squeeze my arm gently and ask me in her sweet little voice to 'gade' and see what she was doing. When i would smile and congratulate her on her work, her face would light up and her beautiful brown eyes would sparkle. One of the others, a little boy, sat across from me, and as he worked, he would look to me for direction or confirmation. when he was doing a good job and got his letters correct, his face would split into a wide smile. :-D it's moments like those that make it all seem worth it!

If things aren't going well, often all it takes is an innocent smile and a hug from a child to renew the purpose and passion of serving God in this place!

A Sunday in Haiti

Three weeks. 21 days. Approximately 510 hours. That’s how long i’ve been in Haiti. And i don’t want to think about how quickly the remaining time will go!

This weekend was an interesting one! Sunday morning we were all prepared to head off to church when we discovered that the car wouldn’t start, so we (all 12 of us) were going to pile into the ATV which has six seats plus the bed. But then we found that the one tire was flat! (it was flat before we all piled in). A couple of us got a ride with people from the main house, but when we got to the main road we found that a big truck hauling a bulldozer had gotten tangled in the power lines and had downed poles for quite a distance! As one person in the car said, ‘the wires are holding up the poles’! we were able to get around the initial hold up, but for a good distance there were poles that had snapped or wires that hung really low. Despite all that, we made it to church and had a great service! 

Sunday afternoon the rain poured down. As the kids here say, ‘lapli ap tombe!’ We had to come up from the main house in the back of one of the pickup trucks that has a high cage around it, and we all got soaked! it was kind of fun :-) cleaning up afterward....not so much! lol.

Eventually the rain let up and we were able to go ahead with our plans for a BBQ and Campfire up at the property at Fort Jaques. 

When we got there, a bunch of us walked to the fort at Fort Jaques. The view from there over the Port Au Prince and the water is amazing! Some of us decided to pay for a tour of the fort. It was worth our ‘hefty’ 35 gourds! ;-) Sadly, there was some damage done to the Fort by the earthquake. As i recall, we used to be able to walk around the entire perimeter outside the fort, but we are no longer able to do that; parts of the one wall have crumbled. Inside the fort, some of the rooms have become blocked off by rubble. We climbed over some of the rubble to see inside one of the rooms. I didn’t realize just how maybe-not-so-smart that was until our guide told me not to touch the wall because the earthquake made it weak :-S Anyway, it was really cool to see the inside of the fort, to walk around the top and look out over the city; to see the canons; to hear a little of Haiti’s history. We learned that this particular fort never actually got used; it’s over 200 years old. 

We returned to the property, and there were a few people from another organization who were there as well. We had a great supper that included all the typical BBQ foods :-) mmmmm-mmmmm! After eating we went to the newly completed fire pit. The Haitian men who built it did a beautiful job! it’s like a sunken amphitheater around the fire pit; the stone work all fits perfectly like a puzzle. We had a great time hanging out on a beautiful, perfectly warm, Haitian evening filled with the wonderful people who make up the GLA family :-) The people i have the opportunity to know and work with are a huge part of what makes the experience of working at GLA so good! 

At the end of our evening (at 8:15 p.m. it’s completely dark and feels late around here) those of us who hadn’t left yet piled into the back of the pickup and had an open air 25 min. ride back to the Toddler House. I love riding in the back of trucks and having the wind in my face as we sometimes fly but mostly bump along the road down the mountain :-) Box cruises are something i wish were legal in Canada! Imagine flying along our smooth, pothole free roads! But it may just be Haiti that brings out the charm of such an experience. Some experiences just can’t be replicated!

Isaiah 58:6-12

"Is this not the fast that I have chosen;
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor
Who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and He will say, 'Here I am.'
If you take away the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday,
The LORD will guide you continually, 
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
Those from among you
Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of streets to Dwell In."
       ~Isaiah 58:6-12

I love these verses! They challenge me to live in such a way that is even more devoted to God and following His will.

When sorrow gets a face

One morning this week as another volunteer and i were walking down from the Toddler House after doing computer class with some of the older kids (that's one of my duties), a young teen started walking with us. He (i am using this in a gender neutral sense) spoke very good English. He told us a little about his life - how since the earthquake he hasn't seen his mother (he said that the building she was in collapsed); how he would like to go to school but cannot afford it; how he lives on his own....this is when it's the hardest for me. When sorrow gets a name and a face and i hear the stories of those who have been affected by the devastation....that's when it really breaks my heart. It's one thing to see a crumbled wall, or a street that appears (and feels) to be made up of a bunch of rocks and broken bricks that have simply been laid in the streets and packed down by traffic, but it's another to look into the eyes of those who have lost so much, to hear them speak of their lives, and to realize that there's too much pain for me to even hope to make much of a difference. But God hasn't called me to solve the world's problems or to put a bandaid on gaping wound; He has called me to love, and by the power He gives me, with the opportunities He provides, to make a difference in this section of the world, in my little piece of Haiti. One never really knows just how far-reaching their efforts may become, and that's not something we need to know. What we need to concern ourselves with is fulfilling our purpose and answering the call God puts on our lives. He takes care of the rest. And what a great place it is to be in, knowing that I am where i belong, in the hands of God! 

Thus far

I know it's been a week since i've updated my blog, but it's not because i didn't want to. As life in haiti sometimes goes, we didn't have internet access for a few days, and then when we did, it wasn't letting me write a post. Anyway, that's no longer the case, so it's time for me to update you all on what's happening. As there's been so much that happened, i may not go into much detail about some things, and for that i apologize, but nor would you like to read a novel! lol.

it's been a busy week; i've experienced a lot of new things, heard stories of people's experiences, and seen the results of the earthquake. things here at GLA have changed quite a bit, as there aren't nearly as many kids here as there used to be, but that's something i wouldn't want to change back. those kids who went home and left this place emptier are exactly where they need to be! One day last week some of us volunteers were in the nursery relieving the nannies so they could have Bible study, and i opened the door to the balcony that, a year and a half ago, bustled with activity and rang with little voices. it was empty and completely devoid of the sound of children playing. There was, however, a powerful generator filling the silence. ;-S I could almost see the kids i used to know running around, and hear them yelling, see them running toward me and grabbing onto my leg. But all that has changed. I no longer get mobbed when i open the door to the nursery, and it's incredibly quiet compared to what i used to know. however, i'm getting used to it. I love being here, and there's nowhere else i'd rather be right now!

last week we spent a couple of half days filling relief bags at Fort Jaques, and spend part of one morning going to a community and distributing some of the bags.

Saturday some of us took a walk in the community, and even there some things have changed. one path that i know i took last time is no longer accessible. somebody built a gate! who does that??? haha! it was kind of disappointing, because that path led to streets that showed some aspects of life that we don't really see on 'our' streets.
That evening i took a little baby out of the nursery and cuddled with him. a beautiful sunset with a beautiful baby.... life couldn't be any better - until he rested his head on my chest and fell asleep. then it was perfect. :-) it was one of those moments where it feels like 'God's in His heaven; all's right with the world' (Anne of Green Gables)

Sunday we had church in the morning. it was a wonderful, encouraging service! in the early afternoon it rained, but later on some of us went to the waterfall. we climbed back further than i've ever gone before, and it was beautiful! i love discovering more of what i thought i knew. makes me wonder why i never tried to venture further.

And that's all i've got time for right now.

God bless!

on my way :-)

well, i'm on my way! i'm super tired after getting like no sleep last night - my brain had a hard time shutting down - but i'm here and ready to go! i'm sitting at my departure gate in Toronto, and boarding should start soon :-D in about 12 hours i should be nearing GLA!!!!
The goodbyes (which really suck! but i'll see everyone in three months, Lord willing, and time flies, and i wish it didn't go so fast, so i won't complain) are done, and from here on out it'll be 'hello'! (which are great!)
So, here's hoping that my flights are smooth! can't wait to meet my friend in Florida and travel the rest of the way with her! :-D
next time you hear from me, it'll probably be from Haiti. :-)

counting down....

Just a few more days, and i'll be back in Haiti! i'm really excited about being back, and to see what God's plans are for this trip.
I feel that God has called me to Haiti, and it's the one place where my heart seems to find the right rhythm. i know that it doesn't matter where i go; if God has called me there, i will be exactly where i belong - in the centre of God's will. And there's really not better place to be! Following God isn't always easy. there are challenges and bumps along the way; there are times when i have no idea what the next step is, and i'm simply waiting in limbo. However, i have discovered that often God has something to teach me through the waiting, and it may simply be to learn to 'worship while i wait' and to 'be content in whatever place i am'. God always comes through, and it's amazing to see how He works!
Now, the next step of my journey of life is to return to Haiti, the country that captured my heart nearly three years ago. A country filled with beautiful, vibrant, strong people who have experienced incredible hardship. A country that i believe God has a wonderful plan for - one that i pray will soon come to fulfillment. i will be seeing the devestation caused by the earthquake, smelling those distinctly 'Haiti' smells, seeing those familiar streets, hearing the wonderful sound of Haitian voices speaking Creol. and then i will be surrounded by kids who have experienced things i cannot understand; i may not understand, but i can love them. and i believe that is what God has called me to do.
As Anne Shirley says at the end of the Anne of Green Gables book, "i don't know what lies around the bend, but i'm going to believe that the best does".