Our Ordinary Journey

We're home

2011-10-09T16:01:00.002-04:00

Many of you know by now that we flew home unexpectedly two weeks ago. We were made aware that another missionary was working to take us to court in Haiti. While we don't believe we did anything wrong, we didn't believe that fighting a court battle was a good use of donated funds or our time, and most importantly, we didn't believe that a fight would bring glory to God, which was why we were there in the first place. We were also worried about the stress of the situation and it's impact on our kids. We decided that since we were employees of our organization and did not have the ability to negotiate to give the other missionary what he wanted, the best way for us to bring peace to the situation was to leave the country.

We are sad that our time in Haiti ended so suddenly, without the time to tie up loose ends, say our goodbyes, and find closure for our family, but we are content to be home and are starting to put together our life here. Less than a week after arriving home, Peter was offered a position with the engineering firm where he worked before our move to Haiti. We know that in this economy that is no small thing and are thankful that God provided a job for us so quickly. We spent the week looking at houses in Portland and had an offer accepted for a nice home on a quiet street yesterday. We are looking forward to moving into our own house and settling in, but we're really enjoying the time we get to spend with my parents while we live with them in the mean time.

The ministries that we worked with while in Haiti are continuing. Last Monday, 93 students who have been sponsored in Borel started school with books, backpacks and uniforms. We are thankful for the help we have received with finishing up the last minute things that we didn't have time to take care of before we left. The ecosan toilet is operating well and continuing to serve the Pierre Payen hospital. The water filter project was just ready to begin making filters, and will continue as well. The board of Clean Water for Haiti Charities Organization of Canada, along with the leadership of Project Help-Haiti, are looking into some new options for the project which are exciting and involve more leadership by local Haitians. We were able to finish the work yard just before leaving and it is a beautiful space in which to build filters.

We are prayerfully considering how we can continue to serve the country and people that we grew to love during our time there, even though we aren't able to live there any longer. Upon reflecting on our experiences in Haiti we recognize that we gave and were given to. We loved and were loved. We shared ideas and learned from others, especially how to better live in community. We know that our time there was God ordained and we are thankful for the journey. Thanks for following along with us.

God bless.
Peter, Sara, Noah and Abe

Update on the sponsorship program: 93!

2011-09-16T15:30:00.002-04:00

A big thanks to each of you who has sponsored a student through the sponsorship program here in Borel. As of yesterday, we have 93 students with sponsors! Yesterday morning as I was gathering information and taking pictures of 7 kindergartners to enroll them in the program, I realized that this might be my favorite job ever. I mean, come on. Look at these faces!

Merina - Age 6

Schnaider - Age 5

Besides the cute kids, it has also been fun getting to know and work with several directors of local area schools. After our initial 50 students were chosen by a local ministry partner, all additional sponsorships that came in were divided between schools in our immediate area and school directors were asked to nominate students who they knew to be in great financial need. The director of the secondary school in front of the mission, Met Miguel, went through school on a sponsorship through Project Help many years ago. When he heard that a new sponsorship program was starting up he jumped in to help. I've been so thankful for the help of all of the head masters and directors because ultimately they understand the school system here better than anyone and they will be helping to support sponsored students and hold them accountable for attending school and working hard.

School is starting October 3^rd, so we only have 2 ½ more weeks to pull everything together. We hired a local sewing “boss” through one of the school directors, and he has done a great job of making a uniform for each student. There are 10 different schools represented in our program and each has a different uniform for kindergarten, primary school, and secondary school, so his job of buying the right fabric and sewing the right uniform for each student is not easy. My closet is full of uniforms and as soon as I empty it out, he refills it.

We're providing each student with a backpack. Peter and I always try to buy as much as we can locally to help feed into the economy, but for backpacks I was worried that I wouldn't be able to buy enough new ones for each student. Most students would buy their school bags in the market, shipped second hand from the states. I looked into buying them online but couldn't find anyone flying in with enough luggage space to deliver them. I checked with the managers of the two biggest grocery stores in St. Marc and explained the sponsorship program, and they agreed to help me in finding all the backpacks that we need. Yesterday I gave out bags to 3 students who start school before the rest. When I asked if I could cut the tags off for them, they all were quick to say no, and wore them out with the tags on. They were so excited to be getting something new.

We'd love for you to pray for these kids throughout the school year. I believe that each student was ultimately chosen by our heavenly Father. We hope to encourage them and their families, while lifting one financial burden. Also, we'd love your prayers for us as we work to finish paying for school and collecting uniforms, books, and supplies for 93 students. I know it will get done, but 2 weeks doesn't feel like much time in which to make it happen. Also pray for the relationships we are working to build with the students that they would develop at a healthy pace.

Work Yard History

2011-09-15T17:12:00.002-04:00

We are excited to say that a lot of progress has been made on the Project Water work yard over the past month and we are on schedule to meet our goal of producing filters by mid-October. As of today, the storeroom walls and roof are finished, the well and pump house are built, and the metal roof covering the filter production area is one day away from completion. This progress has been made in spite of a long list of obstacles (a list that includes things like generator break downs, roads being blocked by people protesting because of a lack of electricity, and the challenge of building flow in a new work crew) and because of the hard work that everyone involved has put into it.

Every day a steady trickle of people passes through to see the progress that we are making and to ask about what we will do in the “big house” when it is done. Through talking with our employees and these visitors, we’ve been able to piece together a rough history of the place that will be Project Water’s home. This history is an interesting window into the pasts of both Borel and Project Help’s mission compound.

In the 1930s, before Project Help or its founder, James Wallace, came to Borel the mission property and surrounding area were owned by the American Fruit Company, which grew fruit crops for export to the US. American Fruit owned and farmed a large amount of land throughout the Artibonite Valley, including what is now the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in nearby Deschapelles. During this time, the Project Help compound was used for equipment maintenance and worker housing. We have actually dug up several engine parts that may have been thrown out and buried as a part of American Fruit’s work.

The timing of the things that happened on the property between when American Fruit left and now is unclear, but the uses during this time were many. The ground in our work yard is fairly fertile and has often been used to grow pumpkins, corn, and potatoes. Our filter production area is built over a concrete slab and one large block wall that were part of a stable that has been used to raise cows and pigs. Our storage room is built on an elevated slab that was part of the stable, but then later housed a sugar cane press. We’ve heard several stories about people walking by on the path behind the building, yelling, “Give me cane!” and holding out their buckets to receive hosed out cane juice.

With all of the uses Project Water’s home in Borel has had over the years, a few things have held constant. With each “movement in the line”, as a neighbor called it, the site has been actively connected to the needs and people in the area. The longtime residents of Borel feel that the history of this property and the mission campus in general is a part of their history. As we build our work site, we imagine building on this history to create a ministry that the residents of Borel can see as their water project, a project that is here to understand and help with the problems that they face in everyday life.

First week of school!

2011-09-12T11:19:00.003-04:00

We’ve heard from many people this week asking how the first week of homeschooling went and letting us know they’ve been praying for us. Thank you! I believe that those prayers were answered. The first week of school went really well despite a crazy week in other respects. Excitement was high in our house as the boys went to bed Sunday night. Peter made a sweet little school table for the boys that we sneaked into the house so they would find it first thing Monday morning. On Monday they were so excited that they were up, had eaten breakfast, gotten dressed, cleaned their room and were sitting at their table waiting for me by 7:00 am. It was hard to convince them that school was over when we finished all of our activities for the first day, so they kept doing worksheets and coloring for a couple more hours.

We’ve had fun learning about the first 5 days of the creation story and numbers 1 through 5. What we lacked in construction paper and glue sticks that I didn’t think far enough ahead to pack and bring in with us back in March, we made up for in experiences that are easier to find here than back home. For example, the mama chicken who laid her eggs in a bucket in the shop and has been sitting on them for a couple of weeks, finally emerged with a new batch of chicks on the same day that we learned about God creating birds. Yesterday we went to the beach and Noah used his snorkel to look for sea creatures. We found a tiny little fish and a crab. Just wait until we get to the “insect” unit. We are going to have plenty to observe and study.

We have some new neighbors and friends that have helped some with school and definitely helped in calming my nerves about home schooling. Ken and Betty McIntyre retired from teaching and felt like God was calling them into missions. They arrived here in Borel on Wednesday and have already encouraged us greatly. Ken retired as a college math professor and Betty is a former elementary school teacher and reading specialist who most recently has been working as a mentor to teachers to help them improve their teaching. She has given me some great pointers and ideas for helping Noah learn to read. As a bonus, our boys already think they are wonderful and adore them.

I know that every parent thinks that their kids are smart and gifted, but it has been fun for me to watch how eager they both are to learn. They haven’t accepted that thing that so many of us grow to accept that makes us feel like we aren’t capable of or good at something. One of the qualities that I would most like to change in myself is that I always hesitate to try something new if I don’t know that I’m going to succeed at it. It can be crippling sometimes and I don’t want to pass it along to them. They both totally believe that they can learn and do anything I ask them to. I hope they can hang on to that confidence while at the same time discovering that failing at something is part of learning, and it isn’t something to be afraid of.

Stalled out

2011-09-08T13:58:00.004-04:00

There are times when living here starts to feel normal to me. I don’t always notice anymore that the kids playing soccer outside my house are naked from the waist down or that we are weaving around potholes that could swallow us whole as we drive down the road. Sometimes I forget that back in the States there is power all the time and I can drink water right out of the tap. There are times when living here starts to feel normal, and then there are times when I am reminded that this life we are living is very, very different from my former life. My jump in the car, sail down the freeway, run into the store to grab something, former life. The last week has had more than its fair share of reminders that, “yep, we’re still in Haiti.” We are feeling stalled out. Everything takes at least 6 times longer to accomplish than is reasonable. Plans mean nothing but tears of frustration. The little engineery time-lines that Peter likes to make just push us closer to the edge when we realize that we are not even on the line anymore, but have veered off onto some other alternate universe time-line where people wait in bank lines for half of their lives.

A glimpse at our week:

People in neighboring town are frustrated over lack of electricity so they begin blocking the road which is our only road to St. Marc and banks, grocery stores, construction supply places. Sometimes they block it with rocks, sometimes with big trucks with flattened tires, sometimes with brand new shiny tractors, sometimes with the vehicles of unlucky passersby. We must time our trips according to their protests. Need to go to the bank. Can't. Need to buy construction materials. Can't.

Finally get a day to go to the bank when the road isn't blocked. Arrive as the door is opening and find myself to be 187th in line. Wait for half an hour to get in the door. Wait another hour before a rumor starts to spread down the line that the bank is out of cash and will not let people withdraw money. Entire line erupts in yelling and tousling. Hide behind tall man in front of me. Hear people throwing punches. Watch armed security guards drag people out of line and out of the bank. Smile a little inside knowing that my wait in line just went from 4 hours to 3. Remember that waiting in line for 3 hours at the bank is not normal and check myself.

Internet provider sends out an email letting people know their modem must be powered on between 12 and 1 on a specific day for updates. We know we will forget to start the generator at that specific time so Peter sets his alarm on his telephone. Plans change and instead of me leaving for the day, he leaves for the day. I completely forget about the generator. His phone battery dies so he can't call and remind me. I remember at 1:15. This little mistake means that we have no internet for a week and have to send the modem to an office about 4 hours away.

Yesterday -
Plan: Cut steel for molds.
Actual: Try to figure out why the generator isn't working. Watch an electrician take the entire generator apart to find the problem. Feel heart sink when it is discovered that the problem is big. Make a 4 hour trip to St. Marc to get one piece of steel that shop needs to finish the gate for the work yard but forgot to put on the list of needed materials. Go try to find brand new missionaries arriving at the compound to pull them out of a giant mud hole their vehicle fell in on the way to the mission. Can't find them. They get out by digging in the mud with pieces of wood. Eat dinner at 9:00.

Today -
Plan: Put roof up over the work yard.
Actual: Go to Port au Prince to buy a new generator. Check at two stores and find out that neither one will have the generator we need for at least a week (in Haiti language that really means more like 2 or 3 weeks optimistically). Eat in an actual restaurant for consolation.

By this morning so many things had not worked over the past couple of days that we just laughed with each new development. "Oh, a flat tire? Of course. The accountant with the funds for the new generator can't be reached? That makes sense in my life today. There are no generators here? Well, that's fine. I had already assumed that would be the case." We laughed because the alternative was crying or yelling at the universe, "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FREAKING KIDDING ME!" Before leaving this morning Peter asked me, "Do you think it is more likely that the big truck will break down in Port or that the generator won't fit on the small truck?" Or option C - there will be no generator to pick up. Really, why are we even playing this game today?

The literal and figurative road blocks this week feel more extreme than usual. If it is not big frustrations slowing us down it is a million tiny distractions. I sometimes visualize the unseen world and wonder if the battle is heating up. And then I wonder if it is not the enemy but our Father slowing us down. Teaching us patience. Teaching us humility. Teaching us that all of our plans are silly if based on our own skill, stamina, and might. Ultimately I guess it doesn't matter. We're called to be joyful. To be patient. To trust. I feel like swearing. But I will try to be patient instead. And maybe the most frustrating part is that I know that all of this is trivial, that some people have real problems, and still it is throwing me off my game. This week it feels like a mental health professional could make a bundle off of me.

Pretty pink potty

2011-08-26T16:26:00.004-04:00

The construction phase of the toilet project at the Pierre Payen Hospital is finished! It might be the prettiest outhouse in all of Haiti. It is big and pink and hard to miss if you visit the hospital. It sits right outside of the maternity ward and our hope is that the soon-to-be and new moms will find it a place that makes them feel like they are cared for. It is open to clinic patients and all of the hospital staff as well.

We think that this....

...beats the pants off of this...

...any day of the week when it comes to helping people feel valued, cared for, and dignified.

But, here is where the real magic happens...

The poop (since starting this project we have become much more comfortable with that word) will be dumped in these bins and covered with carbon rich materials such as banana leaves, saw dust, and ash, and will sit and compost for several months. The temperature will reach a point that kills all of the harmful microbes in the waste. It will then be a safe and beneficial soil additive for local gardens. No more cholera infested waste leeching into a nearby river. No more typhoid caused by shallow latrines filling up with rain water and running through someone's yard or house....at least here. Neat, right?

Monique, our eco-san toilet technician, will be responsible for emptying the barrels into the compost bins, processing the compost, and keeping the toilets themselves clean and sanitary. The granting organization included funding for a part time position to keep the toilet and composting facility running. Monique is a mother of four who currently also works party time cleaning the maternity ward after births. She is excited about the technology and is not afraid of handling the waste. If you think of her, could you say a prayer of encouragement for her? She is a neat lady and we're really glad that she is working with us.

Working on this project has been a special blessing for us. When we went home last December a friend asked Peter what he dreamed of doing in Haiti in the future and Peter said, "toilets" which brought some giggles. We never dreamed we would have the chance to work on a sanitation project so soon. We are thankful to Project Help-Haiti for asking us to be involved and to the granting organization for seeing the importance of community sanitation in this place where waterborne disease is such a problem.

The other side of Compassion

2011-08-23T19:48:00.003-04:00

I have been a Compassion International sponsor since I was a kid. My parents sponsored a girl from Uganda starting when I was about 12. I still remember her name - Anyango Faith. She was probably about the same age as me. We would write letters to her as a family and always got excited to get her letters back to us in the mail. When I left home and went to college I sponsored a boy from Peru named Manuel until he aged out of the program. We now sponsor a little guy from Kenya named Martin who we try to correspond with, but have found it tricky since we're in a place without mail service and with spotty internet.

Since moving here it has been fun to see the other side of the Compassion program. When we lived in Pierre Payen one of our neighbor boys, Mandela, was sponsored through Compassion. He brought me his sponsor's picture and name, and her letters that he had been saving. I never knew if the kids we sponsored felt any kind of connection to us or cared about getting our letters. The letters were obviously important to Mandela and he asked if I would try to get in touch with his sponsor to let her know that he was a friend of mine, that he was doing well in school, and that he loved Jesus. Four of the Project Help schools are host to Compassion programs, including the one here in Borel. We've gotten to know several families who have kids in Compassion.

There was no way to capture on film how many people were in our front yard.
Can anyone spot my blond-haired, Creole speaking son in this picture?

Last week there was a Compassion International Camp held here at Project Help's compound for some of the sponsored kids who had been selected to come from around the country. The 300-ish kids were so very excited to be here and lots of sugary drinks were consumed, which caused it to be loud, and chaotic, and LOUD, and there were times during the week when I didn't handle myself with much grace - example: when the kids decided to play soccer on the grassy area outside of our house at 5am with empty plastic bottles and I stormed outside in my pj's to beg them to **please** wait until at least 6am to drive me crazy. One really fun surprise was that Mandela, our neighbor from Pierre Payen, was invited to the camp. We didn't know he was here, and he didn't know that we lived at the compound until the second day when he spotted Peter. He came right over to our house to say hi to the boys and give me a hug. We didn't have any responsibility for the camp itself and because we and the students were busy, we didn't spend time with them for most of the week. The final day, though, the kids had more free time and spent it playing soccer and basketball in front of our house so the boys and I went out to visit and play. I asked if I could take a picture of a couple of boys in their Compassion shirts and explained that I was a sponsor for a little boy in Africa.

And then the kids swarmed around me full of questions. They were hungry to know what it is like on the other side. 'How does someone become a sponsor? How do sponsors choose which child they will sponsor? Can a sponsor come and visit us here? My sponsor doesn't write many letters, but my classmate's sponsor does - why?...' It was fun to talk with them and ask them questions about their experience as students in the Compassion program, while at the same time sharing with them this one sponsor's heart. It was clear to me that just as important as the financial help with school was the communication and the relationship. They all knew their sponsors' names. They all wanted to know if their sponsor could come and meet them. It was all about wanting to know their sponsor better. As I stood there talking to them and learning their names, it reminded me again that in both Compassion and compassion that we are called to practice daily, it is the relationship, and not necessarily the giving, that really changes us, teaches us, helps us grow, both as givers and receivers. And there are people needing compassion all around us, all the time, offering endless chances for relationships, for growth, for knowing Jesus better. I read this truth recently here: (Go check it out. The whole thing is good!)

...because when you know “poor” people by name, whether they live in Los Angeles, or Port-au-Prince, something changes inside you. In fact think Jesus tells us to love our neighbors, not just for our neighbors sakes, but for our own as well, because he knows what happens inside our hearts when we let in those who are vulnerable, needy and even repulsive near us. WE become vulnerable, needy and dare I say it, even repulsive too. Our own motives and shortcomings and entitlement and laziness come to the surface and stare us in the face. And that IS uncomfortable.

toilet tech, tropical storm, sluggers & school

2011-08-15T14:08:00.009-04:00

Sometimes when we are busy and there is lots to report, I start to get overwhelmed and experience blogging paralysis, making me more overwhelmed,... You can see how I can easily fall into a pattern of never writing anything. So here is the quick and dirty recap of the past several weeks in no particular order:

The toilet project in Pierre Payen is almost finished. The four of us went down on Friday to start painting it. I'm sure you can imagine how helpful Abe was with his paintbrush, so one day was about all I could handle. Even more exciting than starting to paint, we have found a woman to work as the ecosan toilet technician. Her name is Monique and she is a single mother of four. Her current part-time job at the hospital is cleaning the maternity ward, so you can imagine she cleans up more than her share of gross things. She approached us after hearing about the position and let us know she was in no way afraid of poop. After piecing some things together, Peter asked her if she had worked at the hospital during the first cholera outbreak. She replied that she did indeed work, cleaning out the vomit and diarrhea buckets when everyone else was afraid to come to work. That pretty much sealed the deal. After all of the people who literally turned and walked away after learning what the job entailed, we think Monique might actually be a saint or an angel sent along to encourage us. Pray for Monique and us as we all learn this job together.

Our first real threat of a hurricane for the season came and was on a direct course toward Haiti. We were not too worried about the wind or rain for ourselves. Our house is strong and weatherproof. But, we live in a place where the water table is very high and the ground was already saturated. Neighbors had struggled with flooding homes from average rain storms for several weeks, so we worried that Emily might bring rain that would do a lot of flood damage and spread cholera in our area. We waited and watched Storm Pulse (isn't that a badass name for a hurricane watch website?) to try and guess when the weather would hit. Meanwhile, lots of prayers went up and Emily eased up to a tropical depression and took a sharp left, missing the country pretty much altogether. I know that hurricane paths are hard to predict, but I choose to believe that it God heard all of the prayers for mercy for this little island and reached down to bump Emily out of the way.

Two board members from Canada came down for a week to see the new project site, meet with Project Help-Haiti leadership, sweat a little, and encourage us. It was really nice having them here and being able to share the beginning of the project with them. They literally came for the hottest week we have experienced since moving to Haiti, but they were good sports. I don't think we will see them again in August of 2012. They learned their lesson. They came with lots of treats, including a foam bat and baseballs. They are from Canada. Baseball isn't really a big thing up there. They have the very exciting sport of curling, instead. (If you are from Canada and this is not true, feel free to send me an email to correct me) They had no way of knowing that just a few weeks earlier, when we were really struggling with homesickness and discouragement, Peter said to me, "I know this is silly, but one of the things I'm really sad about is that the boys will never play little league and I'll never get to coach. I've dreamed about coaching since Noah was born." God is good and likes to give good presents to his kids. Noah and Peter have been smacking balls around just about every afternoon. They are so happy, which makes my heart happy. Just a little taste of "our normal" is sweet sometimes. Maybe we'll start a Haitian t-ball league. Maybe.

I have decided that it is time for me to stop living in denial and face the truth that I have a 5 year old son who is already sounding out words and doing simple math problems. When we moved to Haiti and I got the question about what we would do about school, I said, "We'll home school the boys, but luckily I don't have to worry about that yet." Well, it is the middle of August, September is right around the corner, and I have to admit to myself that kindergarten is starting in less than one month. I was home schooled. I have a master's degree in education. I should know how to do this, right? Then why am I scared to death? I've been reciting this very helpful and healthy mantra, "It is only Kindergarten. How badly can I screw this up?" Truthfully, I'm a little bit panicky. We bought a curriculum that is all-inclusive, and still I wonder how to do this without the aid of libraries and field trips. Plus, how did our baby suddenly become a school-aged kid?

Daily we plod along, waiting for progress, waiting for signs of hope, waiting for deliverance for this country, but when we look backward, over our shoulder, we see that these things are all along the path. We don't need to wait, we need to see. We need to celebrate what God is doing right now.

"Oh Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago."
Isaiah 25:1

Florimise

2011-08-10T17:34:00.003-04:00

Back in November I wrote about one of our neighbors named Florimise. I met her after bandaging up a burn on her son's hand. When I asked how he had gotten burned he told me that his mom was sick and that he was cooking for the family. I asked if he would take me to meet his mom and that started our relationship. I stopped by to visit her a couple of times a week for the rest of the time we lived in Pierre Payen. I washed clothes for her, brought food sometimes for her family, sat and prayed and visited with her ~ the things I hope someone would do for me were I in her situation. She was too weak and frail to go to the hospital, so I brought a doctor to see her. His unofficial diagnosis was advanced cancer, and he explained that there weren't really any treatment options in the country.

Last week I learned from a friend that Florimise passed away on Friday. She leaves behind two young boys, Donaldson, 9, and Mikayel, 7. I asked my friend who will care for the boys, but he didn't know yet. Please pray for them. It was clear that their mother loved them very much, but their lives have been very tough up to this point and will most likely not get easier. My heart aches for them. I pray they feel loved in their new home, wherever that is.

These are the times when I hate living here. This is the stuff that makes me question what I think I know about God and His promise that He is kind and loving and wants good things for His children. I think I'm growing more comfortable with the fact that my faith comes with doubt and lack of answers, but still, as a missionary, others often assume that I wouldn't be living this life if my relationship with Christ was anything less than rock solid. I'm so far from rock solid. I want justice. I want miracles. I want happy endings that point to God and provide a good teaching moment for me in my faith. These messy, unfair, incredibly sad situations make me aware of just how shaky I am. Sometimes I feel pressure to have it all figured out, to be able to give answers to others for things that I am totally incapable of understanding myself. We north Americans like to have answers and nicely wrapped up faith. I'm positive this pressure is almost entirely self-induced. I pray that I can be open to growth in the uncertainty and steer clear of bitterness and anger.

Please pray for Donaldson and Mikayel this week and in the coming weeks, that they will be provided for, cared for, loved, and comforted.

TS Emily

2011-08-03T16:27:00.003-04:00

I was blissfully unaware that a tropical storm was heading our way until yesterday afternoon. Steve let us know it was projected to make landfall sometime today or tomorrow. We've been checking the storm tracker from time to time today and it looks like it will arrive late tonight. The original track had it coming inland and missing Port au Prince, but the current projection shows Port within the affected area.

After preparing for Tomas last year and then feeling silly for worrying about it after seeing how much of a not-big-deal it was for our family, we know that this storm will probably be nothing more than maybe an inconvenience for us. Our house is mostly watertight and Emily might actually bring some cooler weather for a couple of days. However, for millions of people all over this country, a tropical storm means a flooded home, a roof torn off, ruined belongings, illness due to contact with contaminated water. It hasn't rained here for a few days, and yet there is still standing water in our yard showing how high the water table is right now. The river is full. The canals are full. There is nowhere for the water to go but into homes. Some homes are a tarp on sticks. Any kind of tropical storm strength wind will surely knock them over.

Why do they name hurricanes and tropical storms things like Emily, Cindy, Arlene? They should sound destructive and threatening, not like the name of your 3rd grade best friend, or your grandma's 3rd grade best friend. It makes them sound sweet and playful. The wind and clouds are just starting to roll in and the temperature has dropped noticeably. I know that many are asking for prayer for this country tonight, and I'm asking for the same. Please remember them tonight when you lay down in your dry bed, in your house with windows and doors.

75

2011-07-24T16:47:00.012-04:00

Back in January a man named Terry Bailey visited the Project Help-Haiti campus in Borel and felt like God was placing it on his heart to raise some funds to help local students and their families pay for school. He was imagining that he might be able to find sponsors for 10 or 15 students for the upcoming school year, but God had something else in mind. A couple of months ago as I saw the program growing, I offered to help Terry take care of a few details on this end. By that time the sponsorship goal had grown to 50 students. This week Terry is visiting Haiti and helping to get things in place for the upcoming school year. There are now 75 students being sponsored through this program that was just a dream in January.

75 students.

Oscer (4)

75 beautiful minds.

Berns (9)

75 hope-filled hearts.

Emerson (16)

75 Strong spirits.

Makinalie (12)

75 joyful smiles.

Emelda (18)

75 future leaders.

Rosemond (12)

75 growing relationships.

Robenson (24), Fenik (11), and Enderson (7) with their father

My role has grown from casually taking care of a few things, to acting as volunteer in-country program coordinator. What a gift and a privilege to be able to work with this program, help to navigate through this first year, and be able to partner with students, teachers, and sponsors. This week Terry and I met with the students and their parent or responsible adult as well as meeting with some teachers and headmasters of the local schools we are partnering with. During one such meeting at a small local primary school, with rough-hewn wooden benches for desks, the headmaster said, "We tell the students everyday: 'You are a student today, but you'll be a teacher tomorrow.' We want the students to feel like they have a place in society, like they are valuable. This is what is going to change our country." We then stood in the middle of the school yard and prayed together for the students that will be coming to learn in September, for their families, and for the teachers that will serve them.

Met Milford & Met Fritz (head master and teacher at a partner school) with Terry

We have had fun matching students with their sponsors. If you have donated toward sponsoring a student in this program, you will soon be getting the name, photo, and some information about your sponsored student. Please know that your gift is far bigger than financial. Like the headmaster said, we hope these students know that they are valued, that they see themselves as important to the future of their country. You can pray for them and encourage them in this.

God is faithful and good.

Sick

2011-07-13T09:17:00.009-04:00

Last weekend, 3 of the 4 of us were sick in some way. I'll not match names with illnesses to avoid embarrassing anyone, but one of us had a fever of 102, one of us was throwing up every hour for about 16 hours straight, and one of us had a serious case of stomach pain and (ehem...) diarrhea, leaving this sick person curled up in a ball in bed. I will spare you pictures. This is one post where you really don't want to visualize what we, or our house, looked like. It was not pretty. There were gallons of oral rehydration solution and pedialyte consumed. Bleach and Pinesol were splashed on every surface in our home. It is still not clear that the fourth member of our family will escape the swamp of germs we were living in. I'm sure that we are still well within the incubation period of said germs.

I think that overall, we've been really lucky with how little we've been sick over the past 18 months. This is where Peter, when he reads this post, will roll his eyes and disapprovingly say, "Why do you say things like that? Don't you watch baseball?" He believes that people who watch baseball should know better than to test fate in this way. But, really. There are so many germs here that are foreign to our wimpy North American immune systems, we don't really stand a chance. Plus, there are more things that could be potentially very serious. Of course, everyone in our area is worried about cholera. When I got up to take care of the puker at 11pm, the security guard saw all of our lights go on and came over to make sure we were ok. I told him that we were fine, but that one of the boys was throwing up.

This could probably be turned into one of those logic puzzles. You know, the ones where you have to use the text to figure out who was suffering from which illness... so now you know that it was one of the boys that was throwing up.

Anyway, I told the security guard that one of the boys was throwing up, and he said in a very firm and a little bit worried voice, "Take him to the hospital!" To which I replied, "I'm just going to sit with him and watch him for a while." He looked alarmed and said, "No! Don't watch him! Don't wait! Go to the hospital! You don't know what is wrong with him. You don't know if it is cholera." The thought of showing up at the hospital in the middle of the night with a sick kid and trying to be seen by a doctor, while not causing a scene, sounded like a nightmare so I decided to not take the sweet man's advice. Throughout the day the next day, we had lots of people offering helpful tips...."If he is still throwing up in 4 days, take him to the hospital," "If he starts throwing up blood, take him to the hospital," "If he can't walk or talk, take him to the hospital." It was as if they thought we were being foolish by not taking him immediately, and would probably not notice the signs of a very serious problem without their help. But I don't blame them. They are used to seeing someone go from vomiting to gravely ill very quickly. They know we are not. They are used to how long it takes to be seen once you arrive at the hospital. They know we are not. It is kind of them to worry about us and I'm thankful that they try to look out for us.

Our first week in Haiti, still less than a month after the earthquake, we met the former director of the CDC in Haiti. He scared our pants off with the way he laughed at us and told us it was ridiculous that we had brought our small children to Haiti. Of course, that was our biggest questions while we were in the decision making phase of moving...could we live with ourselves if something happened to one of our kids? I still don't know the answer. Hopefully I'll never have to find out. But, during that conversation with Mr. CDC, and many times since, I've been reminded of one of the biggest imbalances between our family and the families we serve - one that makes it hard for us to truly understand them, and them, us. One that I don't know how to right or bridge. It has to do with money, but it is bigger than that.

It is access. We have access to the hospital when we need it. We have access to other missionaries with connections to doctors, access to antibiotics and pedialyte, access to flights home and specialists, and (for better or worse) access to webmd.com. Access to simple things like clean drinking water, a toilet, and soap.

Access.

It is not fair.

It is no wonder that people treated us like we were crazy as they were urging us to the hospital. We didn't have to make any agonizing choices about whether or not we could go. We could go. Why wouldn't we?

We are all recovered from our various illnesses. We didn't need to go to the hospital this time, but it is both reassuring and uncomfortable at the same time to know that we could have.

Congratulations Class of 2011

2011-07-10T18:41:00.005-04:00

On Friday I had the honor of attending the graduation ceremony for the 2010-2011 graduating class of L'Institute Mixte de Bon Samaritain de Borel (the school right outside of our gate). 10 women and 11 men received diplomas while family and friends watched and cheered. It was a special day for many reasons.

In Haiti, graduating from high school is not something the majority of people have the opportunity to do. It takes a lot of sacrifice on the part of the students and their families. School is expensive and takes time away from work that needs to be done in the gardens to feed the family. Each year, students must pass a national exam in order to go on to the next grade. For over a month now, students have been coming to study under our outdoor light in the evenings, just so they can have a few extra hours of study time each day. The pressure is great and there is no promise of a pay-off in the end. Graduating from high school does not necessarily lead to a job. Jobs are scarce and the majority are unskilled labor jobs. University is expensive and difficult to get into. But these men and women have big dreams and Friday was a day to celebrate those. This ceremony signified an outstanding amount of dedication.

Our friend Harrison (graduating) and his father - they really are happy.

The ceremony was a sweet mix of big party and somber occasion like only Haitians know how. There was plenty of Celine Dion, mixed with fiery speeches, choreographed processionals, and of course, dancing. There were lots of pictures taken. One thing that I still haven't gotten used to is the fact that Haitians don't smile for their pictures, leaving me looking like the Cheshire cat with my "cheese." The students were stoic to the end, but then one started to cry, and soon several were crying, and when I looked up on the stage and saw tears in the eyes of their headmaster I felt myself start to get a little choked up. As I looked around, my heart fixed on the kids in the room that were seeing the excitement over those who were graduating. Maybe they'll see this as something worth sacrificing for, too. I pray that they see themselves as worth it. And I had another thought that Peter and I have talked over time and time again: It is these graduates, who have put their minds to overcoming great odds to reach for hope, who have the capacity to bring lasting change to their country. We, as foreigners, should just be here to come along side them and support them.

Congratulations, graduates! Show us what is next.

Re-posting

2011-07-05T18:05:00.002-04:00

This blog post was written by a doctor serving at the Albert Schweitzer Hospital, just a couple of miles up the road from us. We have been to the hospital many times in the last several weeks and each time we go, there are visibly more people in the cholera tents that sit along the main road. Last night we had dinner with the Chief Information Officer for HAS and he was comparing their current occupancy with a brand new hospital that is being built about an hour away. It is being described, at 500 beds, as soon-to-be Haiti's largest hospital, but with all of the cholera patients, HAS, which would normally only be half the size, is larger than the new Partners in Health hospital under construction.

I have seen again, and again, how neighbors help neighbors here. We think that we, as missionaries, come to be generous, but I'm schooled over and over by the poorest of the poor who bring me a gift or share a few dollars so a neighbor can eat. Please read his post. His words are true. And please pray. The patients at HAS are under tents tonight in a downpour. Those who haven't contracted cholera are at higher risk tonight with the rains. As I write this caregivers are being exposed to the bacteria. As I type, people's homes are being flooded by contaminated flood water. Jesus, come quickly.

The Harvest

2011-07-02T18:32:00.005-04:00

We have a 15 year old friend named Samuel. He likes to come and help Peter with projects and so when Peter decided to plant a little garden in our back yard, Samuel came to our rescue. He knew just how to mound up the soil, which plants to put next to each other, how to procure plants that he thought we should try. Noah and Abe, our grocery-store kids, don’t yet understand that gardens take work and time, that they do not spring up overnight. After planting our little plot of land with Samuel’s help, our boys wanted to know when they will be able to pick corn from our garden. We don’t even have any sprouts yet. There will be a long period of waiting, tending, and hoping, before our garden produces anything, if it ever does.

Living in an agricultural area of Haiti I am growing to better appreciate the way that the Bible invokes images of agriculture to explain God’s kingdom. I see in our neighbor kids how ingrained the processes of planting and harvesting are. Seasons, coming and going. The expectation of hard work. Waiting. Cycles. In my reading I came across this scripture: Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9) It is familiar, but new, thinking about our neighbors dripping with sweat as they break up soil with picks and hoes, planting fields by hand under the hot Haitian sun, waiting and watching, hoping for the promise of a harvest. Sometimes I wonder if we, as north Americans, can fully understand how much work and time, hope and prayer, Paul was hinting that it takes to see a harvest of our labor in our own lives and the lives of others. We so easily get discouraged when we see few “sprouts” of change or when those sprouts take time to grow into a bigger, more noticeable change. I wonder if the people in Jesus’ time would have better understood the investment that it takes to yield a harvest? I feel like our neighbors here do. Maybe the people who read Paul’s letter understood that the harvest takes time. Maybe they had a better grasp of how little control we actually have over how large a harvest we reap. I bet they saw themselves more as laborers than as controllers in their harvests. After all, you can plant seeds, but you still need the sun, the rain, and the bees for much to happen. Those are things we can’t control. Only God has control over those things.

Let us not grow weary in doing good…

If we are honest, doing good is harder work than not doing good. It requires more of us. It demands that we stay open to needs. It means sharing what we have – time, resources, kindness – which may leave fewer of those things for ourselves. Doing good can leave us feeling tired if we do it with our own strength alone.

For at the proper time, we will reap a harvest...

Not at the time when I would like to reap a harvest. Not at the time when I throw a tantrum about not seeing a harvest. No. At the proper time. God’s time. At the perfect time.

If we do not give up.

So as brothers and sisters in a family united by faith, we all continue to try to do good, sewing seeds of love, seeds of hope, seeds of peace, seeds of truth, not on our own, but with our heavenly Father holding us up when the sun is hot on our backs and we grow weary. And we continue doing this so that we can be present to help with a bountiful harvest in God’s perfect time. So we can be witness to the moment when God takes hold of someone’s heart and life. Because we know that it is this moment that makes the hard work so supremely worth it. That is where the joy lies.

Be patient, don't get discouraged.

2011-06-23T09:36:00.009-04:00

While we were home in February waiting (sometimes patiently, sometimes not so patiently) to see what God had next for our family and our work in Haiti, some Canadian friends and supporters invited us to visit them to talk about the possibilities and challenges of starting a new mission to help Haitians in their daily water problems. We made the trip, had a productive and encouraging visit, and eventually the ideas for Project Water and our present work were born.

Revelation Revealed
As a part of our "Canadian tour", we were invited to visit Vernon Alliance Church, in Vernon, BC. VAC is a long-time supporter of missions in Haiti and around the world, including Clean Water for Haiti Canada, Project Water's Canadian parent organization. VAC is known for offering a great worship experience, but on the particular evening that we attended church, our friends offered an apology. That weekend marked the beginning of a long sermon series on the book of Revelation called "Revelation Revealed", and they were worried we might not enjoy it since we wouldn't be there for the following weeks.

The message was magnetic and eye-opening and revealed the underlying beauty of the letter's message, so much so that it inspired me to listen online to the rest of the series and to read Revelation again, through the new lens that Pastor Stuart was offering. One of the Pastor's key points about Revelation is that the letter is made up of a series of groups of events and that all of these groups are different views into the same message. This approach is not unique to Revelation; it is used in several books of the Bible, particularly the books of the prophets.

Thinking more on this style, I've realized that this is a technique that God uses in our lives, too. He guides us through various challenges and circumstances in our lives in a way that shows us the different sides of some basic truths. In this sense, much of our work in Haiti over the last year and a half has lead me back to one simple message: be patient and don't get discouraged.

Hardware vs. Software
Construction is going well on the Pierre Payen EcoSan toilet project. You can see from the picture above that we have poured the slab and laid about half of the blocks for the toilet building. The stairs in the picture lead up to a landing and two toilet stalls. Next to the stairs is a staff room that will have a place to bath and change clothes. It will likely take another month to complete the remaining work, but we couldn't have hoped to be in a better spot at this point in the project.

While the building work (or hardware, in the lingo) is going smoothly, there is a bigger challenge coming that we will need to face before we can call the project a success: the software. The "software" of the project is all of the people related issues that go into making the project a success. In this case, that would be teaching people to properly use the toilet and convincing them that the idea of putting poop on your garden is not crazy and will, in fact, be beneficial in several ways.

You may not be surprised that maintaining good public perception of the project is a daily struggle. In the best cases, where I have been able to explain to someone how the toilet works and where they have understood what I have said, people are reluctantly willing to wait and see what happens. In other cases, where people are misinformed or stop listening when I say, "the poop falls into a barrel," I have had to be happy with the idea that some people won't want to know anything about the process. The two phrases from the week that best speak to this are "Haitians are afraid of poop," and "Sanitation workers in the US do it for the money. They are all millionaires."

Every person who walks by and asks, "What's that?" presents a new opportunity for someone to make a joke about pooping in a barrel. It has been easy in this environment for me to come home feeling discouraged and thinking that the project will not succeed, not because there is a problem with the technology, but because people won't accept it.

Keep the Faith
Odds are that you yourself are not too enthusiastic about poop and, though you might not work in a sewage treatment plant, you wouldn't be surprised to know that the people who do aren't paid like top executives. There is also a good chance that if I were to explain to you the science that turns poop into compost, you would patiently sit, nod your head, and listen and in the end, while you might love the idea, you would at least accept that it might be based on science. You could say that our job in Haiti boils down to finding ways to help Haitians with their water problems and then finding the right way to have that same conversation with them. Of course, in the process, we are being constantly reminded to be patient and not to get discouraged.

The truth is that the project is going very well and that we are lucky to know what challenges are ahead of us. It will take a year to see the full cycle of the system (from poop, to compost, to food), assuming there aren't any problems along the way, which we know there will be. This will give us plenty of time and opportunity to work to change people's perspectives of not just this system, but human waste and how it should be handled in general. In the meantime, the project budget allows us to hire a person to clean and maintain the toilet, which means that the hospital's patients will have a clean, smell free toilet to use.

I guess that is really where most people stop caring about how a toilet works anyway.

Fathers

2011-06-19T07:14:00.012-04:00

Two of the greatest blessings that I've experienced in my life are the two men that I've spent the most time with. My dad was a pastor while I was growing up, and while being a pastor's kid comes with it's own special frustrations, what that meant was that he was available much of the time. His office was in the church 100 feet from our front door and and we were included in much of his work. If he needed to go visit an elderly person, help someone with a long standing illness do yard work, or invite a lonely neighbor over for dinner, we were his sidekicks. We felt that we had a very important role to play. He and my mom showed us the joy in serving and the importance of actively loving our neighbors. As I got older, he taught me the fun of watching college football, proof-read papers, helped me move into my first apartment, married Peter and I, modeled grace. Thank you, dad.

And, as I was beginning my life as an independent adult, God provided another man to love me unconditionally. Peter is by far more patient, more forgiving, more gentle, more affectionate than I. Sometimes annoyingly so, only because it highlights for me the areas where I still need lots of work. When we found out that Noah was in the works, Peter made a decision about how available he wanted to be for his family. And so we waited until Noah was born (so the company could pay the hospital bills), and then from the hospital room Peter accepted a new job that would allow him more time at home. Since moving to Haiti we have even more time as a family, and the boys get to be involved in the work Peter does, watch his work ethic, the way he cares for others, and maybe if they are lucky they will pick up on some of his handiness, too. Having him around during the day has been one of the greatest parts of living here.

Through the lives of the kids we know here in Haiti, we have seen that a large number of men start families and then leave. Many men don't stick around to father the kids they have "fathered." Generalizations are harmful and that is not my intent. We have just seen this to be the reality for the majority of the kids we care about. As an example, the last couple of weeks I have been interviewing the students who have been accepted into our student sponsorship program to gather biographical information that I can pass along to their sponsors in a couple of months. I have interviewed 34 kids, and there have been 4 who live with both their father and mother. The rest live in a home with single mothers, grandparents, and aunts. There are only 2 who do not have 1/2 siblings through other relationships their fathers have had. With these kinds of numbers the cycle of fatherlessness to me seems nearly impossible to break. Haitian friends have shared with us that they, too, see this as a problem in their country. I watch Peter invest in the young men who spend time here with us, playing basketball with them, working alongside them, pushing them in school, and caring deeply for them. He models gentleness, hard work, and leadership. I pray that the young men who God has placed in our path who don't have a father will come to see fatherhood differently through their relationship with Peter, so that some day when this culture tells them that they are not responsible to their kids, they will make choices that will start to slowly change the cultural (lack of) expectations for fathers. Of course this isn't unique to Haiti, and it is complex so I don't pretend to know the answers. I just know I am thankful for the men in my life this father's day and my heart hurts for the kids who don't have men who care about them in their lives.

Student Sponsorship Opportunity

2011-06-10T20:58:00.007-04:00

As someone who grew up in a family of educators, I was taught early on that education mattered a great deal. I went to college and then went on to get my masters degree in education, so that I could put back in to the system that gave me so much.

I've known for a long time that there are kids all over the world who do not have access to education because they are girls, because they live in remote places, or because they live in poverty. But it wasn't until I moved here and started to understand the economics of this place that I really began to grasp how difficult it is for a family to afford to send one student, let alone several siblings, to school. It wasn't until I moved here and met students who longed to go to school and couldn't, that my heart broke over the unfairness of it. School is expensive for Haitian families, and often students' educations are interrupted due to lack of funds.

I have a wonderful opportunity for you, readers. A new sponsorship program is starting here in Borel. Most of the students in this program attend the school on the other side of the wall from my front yard. I can hear them during the school day singing, playing, and reciting their lessons. Many of them come and play with our boys every day. The cost to sponsor a student for one year is $200 US, which will cover their tuition, books, and uniform. All administration of the program is done by volunteers (including yours truly), so every dollar will go towards the education of your sponsored student. At school the students will receive one meal a day, something that they might not get outside of school. As a sponsor, you will have an opportunity to correspond with your sponsored student. You will also have the added benefit of having me here to pass along your hugs and encouragement, and check on their attendance and performance for you.

I believe that education, more than any other development tool, is the key to helping Haiti. Our goal is to find sponsors for 50 students, and to date we are about halfway there. Together we have an opportunity to make a big difference here in the town of Borel. If you are interested in sponsoring a student, leave us a comment or send us an email at thecraigs@projectwaterhaiti.org. We'll get back to you with more information.

Doctor Aunt Maureen

2011-06-04T20:07:00.004-04:00

We know that we are in the place God has asked us to be for now, but some days it means missing things with family that are important to us. Today was one of those days. Peter's sister, Maureen, is graduating today from the University of Washington Dental School. As of today, she will now be referred to as Doctor Aunt Maureen.

Maureen, We love you and we wish we could be there today to party with you and let you know in person how proud we are of you. Please accept the fact that I'm sitting outside of my house in the dark, being devoured by bugs, because it is the only place I can get a good enough internet signal to write this, as proof that we are really, really stinking proud. We know that you see becoming a dentist as a way to serve those who are under-served and we believe that you are going to be a blessing to a lot of people, maybe even some of our neighbors here. We think of you every time we brush our teeth, and lots of other times, too. Can't wait to give you a hug!

2 weeks later

2011-05-31T20:07:00.003-04:00

I just realized that it has been 2 weeks since our last post. Really? How is that possible? I feel like we landed in Haiti 2 weeks ago. Time goes fast here.

So, here's what we've been up to:

We moved! We have been working on our once fixer-upper, now super cute, new home since we got back to Haiti. Our friends Dave and Jen Sund came to visit us in April and helped us with some of the big projects which was a huge, huge help. Because Steve gave us the use of his house while he was in the States, we had lots of time to paint rooms and find neat, locally made furniture. Peter and I were talking and realized that we have been living in other people's homes for close to half a year now. We have been blessed by the willingness of Steve Mossburg and my parents to share their homes with us, but it feels really good to be able to settle in to our own space. You moms will hear me on this - I'm so much more aware of how messy and disgusting my children are when their mess and slime is all over someone else's house. So, I can finally chillax about their spaghetti sauce hand prints on our table and wet, smelly socks on our floor. Our internet connection is terrible with all of the rain we have been getting, but I'll try to post a few pictures soon.

The UN slept in our dorms over night. A huge UN truck pulled up to the gate on Saturday evening, and armed soldiers started jumping out and pulling out boxes. Peter went out to see what was going on. I went out with the boys to see the truck. The soldiers were in town to provide security for a locale deputy election on Sunday in the school in front of our house. They were from some latin american country (Peter and I couldn't agree on which one after they had left). I kept instinctually trying to speak to them in Creole which was useless. They were very nice and the boys had fun staring at them and watching them come and go. We have been in Haiti for too long and staring at people is now perfectly acceptable behavior in our family.

Peter has been hunched over the computer. Usually our time here is much more physical than it was back home. When people ask Peter how he's lost so much weight he usually tells them his secret is malaria and mixing concrete by hand. Really it is probably more like no Burger King and mixing concrete by hand. In either case, the life that he used to live, working in a cubicle in a fancy high rise office in downtown Portland, are usually distant memories. But recently, in preparation for the start of construction on the EcoSan toilet project and site work in the Project Water work yard, he's been flexing his engineering muscles, scribbling equations, drawing on graph paper with rulers, and talking about scales and take-offs. (can you tell that I really don't have a good understanding of his profession?)

Sara has been spending time at the Hanger Clinic at the Albert Schweitzer Hospital. The Hanger clinic opened after the earthquake and provides prosthetic legs and physical therapy to amputees free of charge. There is an old man who comes to the mission every day to cut the grass. One of his legs was amputated after an accident cutting down a tree which resulted in a bad infection. He had been asking Peter and I to buy him a leg since we arrived, so I finally decided that I could take him to the Hanger Clinic to be evaluated. No one, not even he, knows how old he is, nor is anyone sure how long ago he lost his leg, although he could tell us that it was when Duvalier was in power. Which one? Who knows, but either way it was a really long time ago. He doesn't appear to be in good health, and he lives alone, so I really thought that they would tell me that he was not a good candidate for a new limb, but he would know we had tried. After taking a look at him and taking a cast of his amputation site they announced that we could return in one week to try on his new leg. I gave him a stern lecture on the way home about using it. He assured me that he would. I later learned that he had a leg that someone gave him that he never used. When I asked about it he said it hurt to wear and it wasn't any good. He has gotten his new leg and begun therapy to learn to walk on it. I don't know if he will use it or if he is too old and has been an amputee for too long to get used to something new. In any case, I think our time hasn't been wasted. We've had a good time together and I've gotten to know him better. He was given a new set of crutches and a new shoe. The prosthetists and therapists are gentle and kind and give a lot of themselves. Everyone there has something in common that makes them different from most people around them, and you can sense the community as soon as you walk in the door. I've met some other really special amputees and have seen the determination that it takes to be able to survive here in a place where there are no sidewalks for wheel chairs to roll nicely along and walking with crutches means maneuvering around big rocks and holes. I have been blessed by my time spent in the clinic.

Noah has become fluent in Creole. Almost. It was like something clicked and he is now very much conversational. He easily follows all of the conversations we have with people and then translates them for us. The school kids that come by everyday are now only speaking Creole with him, so I'm sure that his language skills will quickly pass mine. Abram has continued to be the messy, goofy, sweet boy who tells us that he loves us and then runs out and covers himself in mud. Sigh.

That's what we have been up to! Thank you for continuing to pray for us. The next couple of months will be very busy with a lot of traveling, especially for Peter, so we'd love specific prayer for safety in the insanity that are Haitian roads. Also, for those who have been praying for those involved in the protests in Verrettes, there was still unrest there as of last week. Some schools are still closed. Students need to be preparing for the national exam, but there have been many distractions and delays. Please keep praying for them.

Lending my voice

2011-05-18T23:27:00.003-04:00

On Thursday morning last week I drove to the neighboring town of Verrettes with a Haitian man who works here at Project Help-Haiti to take care of an errand. As we approached the town I saw students, dressed in their school uniforms, blocking the road with school benches. They were yelling and angry. There were maybe 30 or 40 students all in their yellow-checked shirts and navy dress pants. Somehow their uniforms made them look younger, though some of them were probably in their early 20's. When they saw the magnet identifying the mission on the side of the truck one of them said, "They're with a Christian mission. Let them pass," and they moved one of the benches out of the way to let me down a side road. As I pulled through, another student was coming toward us rolling a tire. Tires mean fires so it seemed like the protest was likely to escalate.

On the side road, we saw another student in the same uniform walking away. We pulled over to ask him what the manifestation (protest) was about. He explained that a very well-loved physics teacher had been fired unjustly. The students were angry and wanted him restored to his position. The Haitian man I was with agreed with the student that this was unfair and should be protested, but he warned, "Tell them not to break anything. Remind them not to be the criminals." We went on and finished our errand and then drove back the way we had come. Maybe 30 minutes had passed, but there was no sign of anyone on the road. The school benches were still there, but pushed to the side. It seemed like the protest was over.

In the afternoon some of the students we know came by to ask if we had heard about what happened in Verrettes. They started telling me about students being shot by the police and the UN. Some had been killed. Many were in a neighboring hospital. The protest was spreading. We drove back to Verrettes the following day, and saw evidence that the manifestation from the previous day had indeed grown after we left town. There were 4 or 5 places where the road had been blocked by burning school benches and big rocks, one blockade not yet fully extinguished. All schools in Verrettes have been closed since last Thursday. We heard that there was more shooting on Monday involving students and the UN. We've been seeing UN convoys rolling past us on their way up to Verrettes all week.

I want to root for the students. I want them to know that I'm proud of them for standing up for their professor and their education. I want people outside of the Artibonite to know how brave they are. Maybe it is the part of me that longs to see the underdog stand against oppression. Today is Flag Day in Haiti and a good reminder that this country, with all of it's struggles and problems, was brought into being by people who were willing to fight against their oppressors. I know that often times here in Haiti, manifestations get out of control. What was originally being protested is often lost in rock throwing and tire burning. The students were probably joined by people who just wanted to be angry. The UN and the police have a job to do and need to keep peace. Still, I can't help but wonder if there was a better way. These students, and students in surrounding communities, will soon become the leaders of this country. They can either be leaders who see the UN and the national police as their ally or as an enemy. And, so often it is the young people in a country that bring change, with their passion, sense of justice, and their ability to hope for better. The students of Verrettes have touched me. Maybe it was seeing some of their faces last Thursday. Maybe it was all of the stories of young people in other times and other parts of the world, fighting for justice and change, that I came across in the course of my history degree - young people like the students in the Soweto Uprising and the Tian an Men Square protests. Tonight, I can stand with the students of Verrettes by lending them my voice to share their story with you.

Work Yard Work Party

2011-05-14T18:21:00.002-04:00

Today we hosted a work party of young men from the community who volunteered their time to come and help clear the Project Water work yard. Lots of fun was had, and lots of work was accomplished. After everyone finished working for the day, we fed all of our volunteers a big meal of Haitian spaghetti.

They thought I was crazy for filming while they are working (which you may see in their puzzled expressions while on camera), but those who have seen the finished product this afternoon loved seeing themselves on video. All four members of our family have enjoyed getting to know this great group of young people. We're thankful for all of their help today and blessed by their friendship everyday.

EcoSan Update

2011-05-09T14:53:00.007-04:00

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how I view the connections between Haiti's many water resource problems, how we want to address these problems through Project Water, and where the EcoSan toilet technology, a form of composting toilet, fits in the picture. Sara and I were excited to learn this week that a proposal we wrote on behalf of Project Help - Haiti (PHH) to build an EcoSan toilet at the Pierre Payen hospital was accepted, and PHH has been awarded a grant that will pay for the construction and operation of the new facility. PHH has given us a chance to help manage this project. We are excited to be able to serve the hospital's patients in this way and to have the opportunity to gain experience with the EcoSan technology.

The new latrine will serve the hospital's maternity ward, replacing an existing pit latrine. As far as pit latrines go, the hospital has a nice one, but as far as sustainable water resource solutions go, pit latrines have their limitations. On one hand, a pit latrine is just a hole in the ground with a small building around it, so it does a good job of providing a collection point for human waste at a low cost. On the other hand, a pit latrine is just a hole in the ground with a small building around it, so when it is full, you either have to move the waste or move the building. In either case, there is a lot of untreated waste that will be buried somewhere.

In the hospital's case, the sanitation problems caused by this particular latrine are compounded by the fact that the Pierre Payen River (pictured above), which is used by local residents for bathing, washing clothes, and to meet other household water needs, is located on the other side of the hospital's wall from the latrine. It should be noted that this kind of arrangement isn't unique in Haiti or in Pierre Payen. Recently, I saw the water passing by the hospital running grey. This water is hydraulically connected to the wells that local people are using to collect drinking water, and eventually, a few hundred feet past the hospital, drains into the ocean.

Building a new EcoSan latrine at the Pierre Payen Hospital will not turn the Pierre Payen River into a blue medal fishing stream, nor will it guarantee local residents that their well water will be uncontaminated. What this project will do is address a serious problem in a comprehensive way. We are praying that the project will open the door to more projects of this type in this part of Haiti and that the experience gained by everyone on the project team will allow us to better serve the Haitian people.

Congratulations Project Help!

** To learn more about the EcoSan technology, please visit the website for the technology's pioneer organization, SOIL.**

Mothers

2011-05-07T14:06:00.008-04:00

Being a Haitian mother is hard. Harder than I will ever fully understand. The decisions that they are forced to make, the heartbreak of watching their children suffer, the cultural myths and lack of education they have to battle - all far beyond my ability to comprehend.

To begin with, just delivering a baby is dangerous. There is next to no prenatal care. Expectant mothers often suffer from poor nutrition and dehydration. Access to hospitals for delivery is not a given, many women laboring at home with an older woman or traditional birth attendant. Those who do go to a hospital often find themselves laboring alone in a room full of women laboring alone. Haiti has by far the highest maternal mortality ratio in the Western Hemisphere, more than 5 times higher than the average for the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean. Mirlande is the mother of one of the kids we love a lot. She recently gave birth to her fourth child, each with a different man, none of whom are involved in helping her care for her children. They all made promises that she believed, hoping they would help provide her and her children with a better life. They helped support her for a time, but each time she found herself pregnant, they left. I spent quite a bit of time with her during her pregnancy and wanted to be with her to support her in the birth of her newest, but had to leave Haiti just two days before his Valentine's Day arrival. I was relieved to hear of a healthy delivery and healthy baby, but know that the challenges for this mom and her baby boy are only just beginning.

Visiting Mirlande and baby last month

Often stories are told of white people being handed babies, money being exchanged for children, or restavek girls being abused by the families that are supposed to house them. It is easy to be mad at the moms abandoning their children or putting their kids in situations where they are hurt, but imagine having to decide which child to send to school. Imagine hearing your children tell you that they are hungry and having nothing to give them. Imagine having to play russian roulette with the water you give your children - give them water that might make them sick or don't give them any water and know they will become sick from dehydration. For most of us, we can't imagine.

And then there are the cultural beliefs that hold people captive. Misinformation about breast feeding that discourage women from giving their babies this free, perfect gift. Lies about birth control that keep women in a cycle of poverty. Lack of education about medicine that hinder or delay treatment. Information brings power. Truth brings light. Compassion International put together this quiz highlighting the misinformation and misunderstandings that are so common among mothers here. Give it a try and see how you do.

There are some very good programs working to fight alongside mothers against poverty and lack of access to health care and information here in Haiti. Heartline Ministries has a program for expectant mothers in Port au Prince offering prenatal check-ups, vitamins, educational classes, and often in-house delivery by two missionary midwives. Compassion has child survival programs in several locations throughout Haiti, offering mothers information and support, and offering the children ongoing health care and immunizations. Peter and I have supported one such center in Kenya since his trip there in 2008. This mothers' day, while you celebrate your own mother, and perhaps celebrate being a mother, would you please try to imagine yourself in their place and prayerfully consider supporting mothers in Haiti through programs like these?

Mango Madness

2011-05-06T15:39:00.008-04:00

Mango season in Borel is coming to an end. The tree above the house we are staying in is almost empty which will not make me sad when I finally have a night of sleep uninterrupted by a steady stream of mangoes crashing on to the tin roof.

During mango season there are hundreds of mangoes on the ground around our house at all times. People come in to the mission first thing in the morning to pick through the mangoes that fell overnight. They take buckets, and in some cases, garbage cans full of mangoes home, but there are still more here than we can eat. Haitians like to make jokes about how many mangoes their friends eat in a day, kind of like "fat" jokes. Example: "I saw this guy eat 25 mangoes this morning." "Don't laugh at me! You ate 73!" I don't totally get the humor, but they think its funny.

The sad mangoes that are available in Oregon grocery stores are not the kind of mangoes we have here. On the Project Help-Haiti property alone there are at least 5 kinds of mangoes. Friends keep bringing different kinds of mangoes that we haven't tried yet, so I have no idea how many varieties of mangoes there actually are in Haiti, I just know that there are still some that I've never tried. Everyone has their favorite and likes to discuss the merits of their preferred type of mango. Recently I was introduced to mango batiste. This type of mango has no strings! You know when you try to cut a mango and you can't find where the fruit ends and the seed begins, or you take a bite and come away with a smile full of orange strings? This type of mango is like eating a peach - no strings! As soon as I told someone that it was my favorite kind of mango, I started receiving bags full of them. Delicious.

Our kids love mangoes and I have no way of tracking how many they eat in a day. I feel like every time I look at them, they are eating a mango. For about a week I was trying to limit their mango consumption because it was causing (ahem...) digestive issues. It was useless, and I eventually gave up. Their systems have adjusted. They like to eat them "the Haitian way" (I call it the messy way) which is sitting outside, peeling the skin off with their teeth, juice running down their chins and arms, and sucking the pit clean. They are slippery so Abe usually gets one peeled and then it shoots out of his hand and he has to start over again. I would feel bad about being wasteful if there weren't so many just laying on the ground and rotting. Some people eat the mangoes by squishing them around inside of the skin until they feel like a water balloon, and then biting a little whole at the top and sucking all of the juice out (avoiding the mess and the strings in your teeth).

If all of this talk of mangoes is making your mouth water, I have good news for you. I just read this story about Haitian mangoes being bought at a fair price from small Haitian farmers and maybe making their way to a grocery store near you.