That’s right – 3 more days and I’ll be home! I hate to say it, but I’m betting I’ll be totally worthless at the Child Care office Monday and Tuesday. I’m mentally making lists, packing, cleaning, watering, and planning. My head is so full of home that I’m fairly sure it won’t be willing to reconcile or correspond to anything. We’ll see...
Monday morning, I went into the office early and put the finishing touches on the storage room. I wanted it to look fresh and clean for Marie Lucie and the pastors. I think it was a big success. When I get back, I’ll be tackling the old filing cabinets, outdated forms and procedures, and supply room where Pastor Joe used to work. In any case, it was nice to have this project finished! I can’t remember what I did on Monday night...I really can’t. It’s blank. Too much has already happened since then. Very often, I can’t remember what I’m wearing if I can’t see it. Whenever I would wear my winter coat in Indiana, I couldn’t recall what I had on underneath it unless I physically unzipped my coat and looked. So, it’s no big shocker that I have trouble recollecting my Monday when it’s Sunday.
Tuesday is blank, too. Sorry. Oh, wait. I remember now. Tuesday was tea at the Moses’ house and some of the S.E.E.D team came and joined us. Mary Honegger and I chatted about sea containers. It’s all coming back to me now. Bob and Mary were having supper that night at Johannes and Lusie’s house, so Doris invited Sheila and I to join them at the Nami for supper. It was a lovely night. I got to talk with Ricot, Mandy, and Micha, which was a lot of fun, and meet some more of the team. It was such a nice treat! On the way home, it started to rain and I noticed that someone left a light on a Child Care. I got plenty wet getting to the door. Then, since I was wet anyway, I decided to play in the rain. As it turns out, I have a kindred spirit in Sarah Reinhard. I met her at the swings in the pouring rain. After a charming, soaking bout of swinging, we decided to play chess at my place. Sarah and Bethany brought Dominos and taught me how to play while we drank cappuccino. It was a great way to spend a rainy night.
Wednesday, Bible study was packed! I’ve never seen it that full. Val and I ended up sitting in the very back of the classroom on top of a desk. Art Mueller gave us a history lesson about missions and the need for senders and goers. I spent a good hour after the service with Larry Kaufmann discussing Child Care, Haiti, and missions in general. Thursday, Bob and Mary came to Child Care to say hello and Regan met her little boy, as well. Thursday afternoon, I tagged along with Regan, Alisha, and Tess to the LSM home in Fond Frede. It was super fun watching the little girls color pictures. I traced their hands on their papers and they decorated them beautifully! We went into town after that and bought snacks and supplies for the weekend. That night, the girls came over for movies and popcorn.
Friday after work, I cleaned out my closet and made lists for the supplies I need to stock up on when I get home. I said goodbye to Mme. Marie and Mme. Emilio. I won’t be seeing them again for a month. I spend some quality time with Regan on Friday night. It’s been so nice to have her here this week!
Saturday was a beach day! Sun, lobster, surf, books, sleep, snacks. Yes.
Sunday, Regan and I went to Renault. The new permanent building is beautiful! They just put the roof on this week. The team was super fun! We had the most peaceful exit I’ve ever seen. Dwayne, from the Wray’s team, did an amazing job working the gate with me. He’s big, intimidating, and quick – a perfect combination for a Renault gate worker. In any case, I think Regan had a good experience and I loved being there for my last Sunday in Haiti for a while. After Renault, we went directly to the LSM home at Torbeck to take pictures of the girls in their Sunday best. After many hugs from the girls, I took Regan to Tet Simon. We soaked our feet in the spring and just relaxed for a few minutes. After working through Renault, being smothered in little girls and covered in road dust, it felt amazing to take a shower this afternoon and sit for a while. The girls are coming over in a minute to watch a movie, and then I’m going to call it a night. I have a couple of busy days planned for next week!
I’m going to keep blogging this next month. I think it’s good to record my thoughts and activities before all the days go totally blank....were was I? Oh, yeah – blogging. Maybe some of you readers will show up in my pictures these next four weeks!
Please pray for traveling mercies on Wednesday. I have some tight connections. Thanks! Homeward bound...
http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/Feb20093?feat=directlink
Abby
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
25 Random Things About Me
Dear Friends and Family,
Well, I thought I would be in an organizing frenzy this week like a piranha on a goat carcass, but life has a way of removing your desire to feed. Monday and Tuesday were just normal days of writing letters and data entry. Wednesday, I went to the beach with the Waibel team. The Waibel team consisted of Matt and Lisa Waibel and six of their children! We had a great time and made it back for Bible study that night. Thursday, I left work early, and Tess cut my hair. She really is a very talented girl. Then, we all went to supper at the Nami. All of a sudden, I realized that it was Friday, and I had yet to start my major revamp of the storage area. So, I stayed a little later that night and got the heavy stuff moved out. My plan was to plunge into my project early on Saturday morning, but Regan from LSM dropped by to say hello, and we ended up chatting all morning.
Thankfully, after lunch at the Gutwein’s house, Regan and Tess offered to help me deal with the mess I had made on Friday. I was so thankful! In a couple of hours, we had that place lookin’ good! Tonight, I’m going to head up there for a final cleaning. I want it to look fresh for Monday morning. Today, Regan, Sarah, Beth, and I went to Torbeck for Sunday School. Then, we listened to the Bluffton services and enjoyed cheesy mac and chicken for lunch. I spent the afternoon working on my update, playing chess with Sarah, and cleaning at Child Care. I'm heading back up there in a bit - I lost power and there are no lights attached to the batteries. I don't mind meeting Bob, the resident Child Care tarantula, when the lights are on, but in the dark...well, I decided to wait until we had power again before I continued.
I like to keep track of my friends using Facebook, and there has been an interesting application going around for a few weeks – 25 Random Things About Me. I enjoyed reading the lists from everyone else, and because I am certainly prone to peer pressure, I did one myself. I decided to share them with you – maybe you’ll learn something about me you wish you hadn’t, but I hope you enjoy the glimpse into my mind (and don’t come out too twisted).
25 Random Things About Me
1. I hoard books. I literally can’t stand to give/discard/lose a single one, even if I thought it was poorly written, cheesy, and/or twisted.
2. I wish I were naturally musical. I would love to play the violin and make people weep, but I’m too lazy to actually put the effort into practicing.
3. I sometimes dream about living on a little farm by myself. I would raise goats and chickens and knit by the fire while listening to old reruns of Paul Harvey and A Prairie Home Companion.
4. My iPod is filled with a very eclectic mix of music, everything from Dean Martin to Guns N’ Roses, Tupac to Elvis, ABBA to Amy Winehouse with a little R.E.M and New Bethel. Lots of variety.
5. I think the space program is a huge waste of money. Who cares if there is water on Mars? But, I love to look at pictures from the Hubble telescope. It gives me perspective.
6. Sometimes, I waste a lot of mental energy thinking about imaginary numbers. We have an infinity of real numbers. Why do we need imaginary ones?
7. In the third grade, I totally made up a book and turned in a fake book report on it. It had something to do with worms bouncing on a trampoline. I did not get caught nor have I confessed.
8. My dad loves his job. He says things like, “Thursday is my day off. They won’t let me work," and looks genuinely sad. I want that.
9. I’m always unsure how to answer the question, “How do you like Haiti?” The question, and the many possible answers, keep me up at night.
10. I hate feeling incompetent or unprepared. God has trapped me in my worst fears like Jonah in the belly of the whale. I’m looking forward to being vomited.
11. Children that I used to baby-sit are now married and having children of their own. That makes me feel old and a little sad.
12. I like to think I’m immune to peer pressure, but I recently jumped off a waterfall simply because I was taunted.
13. I would let my sisters pick out my husband and marry him sight unseen. That’s how well they know me and how much I trust them.
14. On that note, I miss my family dreadfully. I was blessed with an amazing family, all of whom I would choose for friends. Molly is my best friend (dearest seester), Joe is one of the wisest men I know, Will is wonderfully eccentric and hilarious, Carson is a musical vagabond, and Grace is incredibly smart and gorgeous, the whole package.
15. I want my future home to replicate the feeling of Grandma Gerber’s house. She always made you feel welcome and wanted. We played with her marble roller and toasted Shrinky Dinks in her little oven. I love playing Christmas BINGO and going there the first night of Street Fair for chili and potato soup.
16. I color pictures as therapy. I love the idea of using all the crayons in the box on a single picture or doing the whole page in shades of green.
17. I do not believe in soul mates.
18. If something takes me longer to cook than it does to consume, I consider it a waste of my time. But, I am secretly jealous of those people who truly enjoy cooking and do it well.
19. I handle Haitian tarantulas better than I handle Indiana wolf spiders. Figure that one out.
20. I’ve worked as a massage therapist, a secretary for a pulmonlogist and ENT doctor, a florist, an EKG/ECHO tech, a telecommunications operator, a health food store clerk, and a nanny. Now, I’m in a missionary field office working on accounting and correspondence, and I’ve never balanced my own checkbook.
21. I am constantly amazed at God’s sense of humor.
22. I love to dance. I’m no good and everything jiggles that isn’t supposed to, but I dance anyway.
23. Whenever I go to the dentist and get a healthy dose of nitrous oxide, I lay very still and soon it feels like my arms are twisting behind me and rotating at the shoulder. I love that feeling.
24. My financial goal in life is to never have to fill out anything more complicated than a 1040EZ form for my taxes.
25. I eat some form of peanut butter everyday. See #18.
http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/Feb20092?feat=directlink
These are some catch-up pictures and a few from this week. Sarah was kind enough to give me copies of my waterfall jump and some from past events - New Year's Eve and our island adventure. Enjoy!
Much love,
Abby
Well, I thought I would be in an organizing frenzy this week like a piranha on a goat carcass, but life has a way of removing your desire to feed. Monday and Tuesday were just normal days of writing letters and data entry. Wednesday, I went to the beach with the Waibel team. The Waibel team consisted of Matt and Lisa Waibel and six of their children! We had a great time and made it back for Bible study that night. Thursday, I left work early, and Tess cut my hair. She really is a very talented girl. Then, we all went to supper at the Nami. All of a sudden, I realized that it was Friday, and I had yet to start my major revamp of the storage area. So, I stayed a little later that night and got the heavy stuff moved out. My plan was to plunge into my project early on Saturday morning, but Regan from LSM dropped by to say hello, and we ended up chatting all morning.
Thankfully, after lunch at the Gutwein’s house, Regan and Tess offered to help me deal with the mess I had made on Friday. I was so thankful! In a couple of hours, we had that place lookin’ good! Tonight, I’m going to head up there for a final cleaning. I want it to look fresh for Monday morning. Today, Regan, Sarah, Beth, and I went to Torbeck for Sunday School. Then, we listened to the Bluffton services and enjoyed cheesy mac and chicken for lunch. I spent the afternoon working on my update, playing chess with Sarah, and cleaning at Child Care. I'm heading back up there in a bit - I lost power and there are no lights attached to the batteries. I don't mind meeting Bob, the resident Child Care tarantula, when the lights are on, but in the dark...well, I decided to wait until we had power again before I continued.
I like to keep track of my friends using Facebook, and there has been an interesting application going around for a few weeks – 25 Random Things About Me. I enjoyed reading the lists from everyone else, and because I am certainly prone to peer pressure, I did one myself. I decided to share them with you – maybe you’ll learn something about me you wish you hadn’t, but I hope you enjoy the glimpse into my mind (and don’t come out too twisted).
25 Random Things About Me
1. I hoard books. I literally can’t stand to give/discard/lose a single one, even if I thought it was poorly written, cheesy, and/or twisted.
2. I wish I were naturally musical. I would love to play the violin and make people weep, but I’m too lazy to actually put the effort into practicing.
3. I sometimes dream about living on a little farm by myself. I would raise goats and chickens and knit by the fire while listening to old reruns of Paul Harvey and A Prairie Home Companion.
4. My iPod is filled with a very eclectic mix of music, everything from Dean Martin to Guns N’ Roses, Tupac to Elvis, ABBA to Amy Winehouse with a little R.E.M and New Bethel. Lots of variety.
5. I think the space program is a huge waste of money. Who cares if there is water on Mars? But, I love to look at pictures from the Hubble telescope. It gives me perspective.
6. Sometimes, I waste a lot of mental energy thinking about imaginary numbers. We have an infinity of real numbers. Why do we need imaginary ones?
7. In the third grade, I totally made up a book and turned in a fake book report on it. It had something to do with worms bouncing on a trampoline. I did not get caught nor have I confessed.
8. My dad loves his job. He says things like, “Thursday is my day off. They won’t let me work," and looks genuinely sad. I want that.
9. I’m always unsure how to answer the question, “How do you like Haiti?” The question, and the many possible answers, keep me up at night.
10. I hate feeling incompetent or unprepared. God has trapped me in my worst fears like Jonah in the belly of the whale. I’m looking forward to being vomited.
11. Children that I used to baby-sit are now married and having children of their own. That makes me feel old and a little sad.
12. I like to think I’m immune to peer pressure, but I recently jumped off a waterfall simply because I was taunted.
13. I would let my sisters pick out my husband and marry him sight unseen. That’s how well they know me and how much I trust them.
14. On that note, I miss my family dreadfully. I was blessed with an amazing family, all of whom I would choose for friends. Molly is my best friend (dearest seester), Joe is one of the wisest men I know, Will is wonderfully eccentric and hilarious, Carson is a musical vagabond, and Grace is incredibly smart and gorgeous, the whole package.
15. I want my future home to replicate the feeling of Grandma Gerber’s house. She always made you feel welcome and wanted. We played with her marble roller and toasted Shrinky Dinks in her little oven. I love playing Christmas BINGO and going there the first night of Street Fair for chili and potato soup.
16. I color pictures as therapy. I love the idea of using all the crayons in the box on a single picture or doing the whole page in shades of green.
17. I do not believe in soul mates.
18. If something takes me longer to cook than it does to consume, I consider it a waste of my time. But, I am secretly jealous of those people who truly enjoy cooking and do it well.
19. I handle Haitian tarantulas better than I handle Indiana wolf spiders. Figure that one out.
20. I’ve worked as a massage therapist, a secretary for a pulmonlogist and ENT doctor, a florist, an EKG/ECHO tech, a telecommunications operator, a health food store clerk, and a nanny. Now, I’m in a missionary field office working on accounting and correspondence, and I’ve never balanced my own checkbook.
21. I am constantly amazed at God’s sense of humor.
22. I love to dance. I’m no good and everything jiggles that isn’t supposed to, but I dance anyway.
23. Whenever I go to the dentist and get a healthy dose of nitrous oxide, I lay very still and soon it feels like my arms are twisting behind me and rotating at the shoulder. I love that feeling.
24. My financial goal in life is to never have to fill out anything more complicated than a 1040EZ form for my taxes.
25. I eat some form of peanut butter everyday. See #18.
http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/Feb20092?feat=directlink
These are some catch-up pictures and a few from this week. Sarah was kind enough to give me copies of my waterfall jump and some from past events - New Year's Eve and our island adventure. Enjoy!
Much love,
Abby
Sunday, February 1, 2009
An Island Adventure
Dear Family and Friends,
Check out that beautiful baby! That’s right...Baby Gerber, courtesy of Joe and Heidi (Knobloch) Gerber. I’m going to be an aunt again!!
That’s my most exciting news by far, but I did have an amazing adventure on Monday. The Reinhard family had planned a one-day construction project on Lazile Rameau for the visiting Grubes, and they let me come along. We started out early on Monday and drove to the Zanglais area loaded down with the makings for ten benches. Along the way, we stopped to drop off a piece of tin that went missing from the last construction team. Whenever there is a walk-in project where the team and their Haitian helpers need to carry in all the supplies, it’s not uncommon to have a piece of tin or tool “walk” away from the site in-route. Once, Tim had a completely pre-constructed rafter disappear in-route to the worksite!
After that delivery and subsequent reorganizing of the supply trailer, we headed to the area the Pastor had indicted he would meet us and direct us to the boats we would take to the small island. We carried everything to the little beach where three Haitian boats were docked. I thought, “Oh, good. We’ll only need two, one for the people and one for the supplies, but it was nice of them to bring three.” I’ve been here for nearly six months, and I still don’t think like a Haitian. Why would you need two boats? The people can sit on the lumber and tools, and there is always room for one more person. That’s right – we piled all the tools, lumber, water jugs, bags, and people into a single boat. In addition to the twelve of us, several Haitians took the opportunity to appropriate a free ride home to the island. All in all, there were 21 people on that boat, and we were riding low....really low. Praise God, the sea was relatively calm. Everything and everyone made it safely to the island. Some of our wood got wet and needed to be sun dried before we could varnish it, but there no other problems. See, there IS always room for one more.
The people of this island were poor, even for Haitians. Their little village was constructed of mud and thatch. They planted corn in the rocks, up and down the mountainside. The little MEBSH church was one of the nicest building on the island, but it only had two, skinny little benches inside. The people would come to service and just stand. It was a blessing to be able to fill their sanctuary with ten quality benches. After we finished the benches, we took a boat tour to a tiny little rock island where we snorkeled and swam. The beaches were covered with hermit crabs. I think the girls brought home 82 or something like that. They were everywhere. On the island, two fishermen were cracking open shells and removing the little slimy creatures inside. It’s a good protein source. (Gross.) Joan found two large sea urchins while snorkeling and Gabriel had a good time digging a “shelter” for them.
The next stop was on the mainland in an idyllic cove. The village people there apparently found us extremely entertaining as Sarah built a sand castle and Gabriel was buried in the sand. It’s very common to have a large audience for just about everything out on a worksite. I imagine it’s like being a celebrity. The Haitians watch us, even if we’re just sitting and resting. In any case, after a good time on the beach, we headed back to our original island to collect our gear, move the benches into the church, and have a quick supper. We were breathing easier on the way back without all the lumber and extra Haitians! As we drove home, we sang hymns and chatted. It was a very pleasant day!
Bright and early Tuesday morning, the sea container was unloaded, and I got my filing cabinets and two boxes of goodies from my family. My sister, Molly, sent me some wonderful snacks – Twizzlers, Skittles, chocolate covered caramel corn, movies, books, magazines, Crystal light, Lemon Heads, and other delights! My mom sent me a whole box of diversions and some lavender flowers for Luise. I had a Tootsie Pop last night that tasted faintly of lavender! Did I mention that I love my family and they are fabulous people? Well, they are! Tuesday Tea was at Joan’s house, and I caught up on all the compound news, bought bread from the breadman and eggs from SEED, and generally enjoyed myself. Everyone is so busy these days with teams that tea has become a good time to fill people in on what’s going on, who’s going out, and who’s coming in.
Wednesday, the MEBSH leadership had organized a time of discussion at their offices, and all the missionaries were expected to attend. Pastor Luders, the president of MEBSH, talked about the body of Christ, how each of us needed to effectively communicate to the other for the greatest glory for God. We spent time discussing concerns and giving updates for each department. Marie Lucie translated for those of us who lack in Creole.
Friday, I finally got the filing cabinets to the Child Care office, thanks to Mark. He helped me load them in the Ranger and drove, very carefully, up to the office. I had planned to take a long walk on Friday afternoon to shake off a lingering case of the Haitian blues, but I got stopped four times in the first lap by people who were asking for more than a smile and wave. I wonder what they would do if I actually gave them my shirt one time? You know, that kind of thing gets pretty old, pretty fast. I gave up and went home. Thankfully, Tess came over and asked if I wanted to come watch a movie with the girls. As it turned out, their inverter gave out before we started, so they came over to my place. That was even better – nothing like junk food, a chick flick, and a bunch of friends to kick your depression to the curb. Am I right, ladies?
Mandy and Ricot are a young couple from Canada. Ricot is Haitian, and he and Mandy moved here to explore the possibility of full-time mission work. For now, they live at SEED. Mandy invited me to go to Rainbow beach with them on Saturday, and I gladly accepted. We were joined by Micha, a German here doing his year of civil service. We had a very interesting discussion about the differences between German, Haitian, Canadian, and American politics on the way there. The day was perfect! We drank coconuts, read, swam, walked the sand, and slept. Saturday night, I watched a series called Sue Thomas, F.B. EYE with Tess and Alisha. Apparently, Sue Thomas is a real deaf person who worked for the F.B.I. reading lips and doing undercover agent work.
Today, I listened to the Francisville service with the Gutweins and enjoyed lunch with Beth, Susanne, Irene, and Sheila at Beth and Susanne’s home. It was a great time of fellowship and German chocolate, an excellent combination! I don’t have a lot of plans for tonight – just some reading and maybe a few emails. I’ll be an organizing whirlwind this week, but for now, it’s nice to relax.
http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/Feb20091?feat=directlink
I took a bunch of pictures this week. I hope you enjoy them! Much love and congratulations to Joe and Heidi!
Check out that beautiful baby! That’s right...Baby Gerber, courtesy of Joe and Heidi (Knobloch) Gerber. I’m going to be an aunt again!!
That’s my most exciting news by far, but I did have an amazing adventure on Monday. The Reinhard family had planned a one-day construction project on Lazile Rameau for the visiting Grubes, and they let me come along. We started out early on Monday and drove to the Zanglais area loaded down with the makings for ten benches. Along the way, we stopped to drop off a piece of tin that went missing from the last construction team. Whenever there is a walk-in project where the team and their Haitian helpers need to carry in all the supplies, it’s not uncommon to have a piece of tin or tool “walk” away from the site in-route. Once, Tim had a completely pre-constructed rafter disappear in-route to the worksite!
After that delivery and subsequent reorganizing of the supply trailer, we headed to the area the Pastor had indicted he would meet us and direct us to the boats we would take to the small island. We carried everything to the little beach where three Haitian boats were docked. I thought, “Oh, good. We’ll only need two, one for the people and one for the supplies, but it was nice of them to bring three.” I’ve been here for nearly six months, and I still don’t think like a Haitian. Why would you need two boats? The people can sit on the lumber and tools, and there is always room for one more person. That’s right – we piled all the tools, lumber, water jugs, bags, and people into a single boat. In addition to the twelve of us, several Haitians took the opportunity to appropriate a free ride home to the island. All in all, there were 21 people on that boat, and we were riding low....really low. Praise God, the sea was relatively calm. Everything and everyone made it safely to the island. Some of our wood got wet and needed to be sun dried before we could varnish it, but there no other problems. See, there IS always room for one more.
The people of this island were poor, even for Haitians. Their little village was constructed of mud and thatch. They planted corn in the rocks, up and down the mountainside. The little MEBSH church was one of the nicest building on the island, but it only had two, skinny little benches inside. The people would come to service and just stand. It was a blessing to be able to fill their sanctuary with ten quality benches. After we finished the benches, we took a boat tour to a tiny little rock island where we snorkeled and swam. The beaches were covered with hermit crabs. I think the girls brought home 82 or something like that. They were everywhere. On the island, two fishermen were cracking open shells and removing the little slimy creatures inside. It’s a good protein source. (Gross.) Joan found two large sea urchins while snorkeling and Gabriel had a good time digging a “shelter” for them.
The next stop was on the mainland in an idyllic cove. The village people there apparently found us extremely entertaining as Sarah built a sand castle and Gabriel was buried in the sand. It’s very common to have a large audience for just about everything out on a worksite. I imagine it’s like being a celebrity. The Haitians watch us, even if we’re just sitting and resting. In any case, after a good time on the beach, we headed back to our original island to collect our gear, move the benches into the church, and have a quick supper. We were breathing easier on the way back without all the lumber and extra Haitians! As we drove home, we sang hymns and chatted. It was a very pleasant day!
Bright and early Tuesday morning, the sea container was unloaded, and I got my filing cabinets and two boxes of goodies from my family. My sister, Molly, sent me some wonderful snacks – Twizzlers, Skittles, chocolate covered caramel corn, movies, books, magazines, Crystal light, Lemon Heads, and other delights! My mom sent me a whole box of diversions and some lavender flowers for Luise. I had a Tootsie Pop last night that tasted faintly of lavender! Did I mention that I love my family and they are fabulous people? Well, they are! Tuesday Tea was at Joan’s house, and I caught up on all the compound news, bought bread from the breadman and eggs from SEED, and generally enjoyed myself. Everyone is so busy these days with teams that tea has become a good time to fill people in on what’s going on, who’s going out, and who’s coming in.
Wednesday, the MEBSH leadership had organized a time of discussion at their offices, and all the missionaries were expected to attend. Pastor Luders, the president of MEBSH, talked about the body of Christ, how each of us needed to effectively communicate to the other for the greatest glory for God. We spent time discussing concerns and giving updates for each department. Marie Lucie translated for those of us who lack in Creole.
Friday, I finally got the filing cabinets to the Child Care office, thanks to Mark. He helped me load them in the Ranger and drove, very carefully, up to the office. I had planned to take a long walk on Friday afternoon to shake off a lingering case of the Haitian blues, but I got stopped four times in the first lap by people who were asking for more than a smile and wave. I wonder what they would do if I actually gave them my shirt one time? You know, that kind of thing gets pretty old, pretty fast. I gave up and went home. Thankfully, Tess came over and asked if I wanted to come watch a movie with the girls. As it turned out, their inverter gave out before we started, so they came over to my place. That was even better – nothing like junk food, a chick flick, and a bunch of friends to kick your depression to the curb. Am I right, ladies?
Mandy and Ricot are a young couple from Canada. Ricot is Haitian, and he and Mandy moved here to explore the possibility of full-time mission work. For now, they live at SEED. Mandy invited me to go to Rainbow beach with them on Saturday, and I gladly accepted. We were joined by Micha, a German here doing his year of civil service. We had a very interesting discussion about the differences between German, Haitian, Canadian, and American politics on the way there. The day was perfect! We drank coconuts, read, swam, walked the sand, and slept. Saturday night, I watched a series called Sue Thomas, F.B. EYE with Tess and Alisha. Apparently, Sue Thomas is a real deaf person who worked for the F.B.I. reading lips and doing undercover agent work.
Today, I listened to the Francisville service with the Gutweins and enjoyed lunch with Beth, Susanne, Irene, and Sheila at Beth and Susanne’s home. It was a great time of fellowship and German chocolate, an excellent combination! I don’t have a lot of plans for tonight – just some reading and maybe a few emails. I’ll be an organizing whirlwind this week, but for now, it’s nice to relax.
http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/Feb20091?feat=directlink
I took a bunch of pictures this week. I hope you enjoy them! Much love and congratulations to Joe and Heidi!
Abby
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