Bonjour
Well the election was relatively quiet... What an answer to prayer! The results are to be announced on Monday, April 4th. Each candidate has expressed confidence that they won, so we shall see. Found a great website www.haitilibre.com which features fairly up to date news on Haiti. Doesn’t seem too biased either. Keep those prayers going!!!
David has been living in a metal shed (he’s moving up in the world) on a compound in Leogane. He's working on rebuilding a Mother/Child clinic here. He's happy to be working and when he isn't at the site he's puttering (his familys' favorite word) around here. It’s run by a large group of Baptist churches in Arkansas. They have teams coming in almost every week. It’s been a treat to meet more Christian brothers and sisters who want to share themselves and Gods’ word with the people in Haiti. A evangelical team just left yesterday. They held classes here each day instructing Haitians how to become strong evangelists. The classes were held just outside our “shed” so I was able to learn right along with the Haitians. Fascinating concepts and amazing testimonies from people. God is working here!
There are a number of kids on the compound and they, of course, love David. He was pretty sick a few weeks ago and each day they would come to peer inside and see if he was moving. They actually drug one of the women over one day to take him to the hospital. I tried everything I knew but could not get the fever down. I was able to take him to a large Drs. Without Borders facility here in Leogane. I spent most of the morning getting all my Creole sentences on paper so I would be able to communicate well… when we arrived we found the Drs. only spoke French! But the Lord provided and I was able to communicate, somehow, and they treated David. He’s much better now.
Ginny, Ariel and Sophony (pronounced so funny) have become fixtures at our shed. Sophony is 18, speaks quite a bit of English so she and I are taking turns teaching each other. I have a English/Creole picture dictionary and we quiz each other. Ginny is about 10 and stays here with her aunt while her parents work in Port au Prince. I am working on teaching her English, we have some flash/picture cards and have been using those to help. Ariel is three and like Auglide (from Petit Goave), is the queen of the compound. Her cries are met with immediate attention. The custodian, John Baptiste never stops moving or smiling. He's wonderful and has a great voice, he sings most of the day while he works.
Driving to Port au Prince the other day we passed a cattle auction. Each man who is selling a cow stakes the cow in a field and then people come to inspect them. The transaction is so fascinating as the method of payment can be pigs, chickens, goats, sugarcane you name it. Watching the motorcycle taxis cruising down the street with goats tied on the sides, chickens hanging off the goats and sugarcane piled 4 foot high... Took a walk the other day and kept seeing brightly painted signs for a new disco.. As I ventured farther down the street I came across the new club..… the establishment is comprised of a big boom box, a tarp on poles and three chairs. Must of cost more for the signs than the creation of the club But at night I can sure hear it!
Scientifically I’ve been told there is no true reason why hair and nails should grow faster in hot climates but they do! We arrived back here about nine weeks ago and, as I mentioned before, I looked like GI Jane, now I appear to have a mop on my head. David has shaved his head twice since we’ve arrived. I trim my fingernails at least once a week, and I know this because they are always dirty!
Sitting in the shed the other day and reading, I looked up to find a chicken had wandered in to visit. A rooster no less… as I learned from our days of raising chickens, if you don’t let a rooster know who is boss they will harass you forever. So I stood up and proceeded to “get” him out of the house by whatever means possible. .. which seemed to provide untold entertainment to everyone here. I can only imagine what I must have looked like…
One thing I have missed here that we loved in Zambia is all the beautiful handmade traditional clothing. The brightly colored ladies suits and mens shirts. I kept wondering why.. Got my answer... We have been reading a great book on the history of Haiti, so many things we don't understand or don't have answers for so we both decided to do research to help us. Apparently back in the 60s President Kennedy started a program of sending used clothing to countries, and Haiti was one of them. Unfortunately it began to undermine the local clothing industry, so much so that Haitians came to call hand-me-downs kenedis after the president. Well intentioned but....confirms our personal opinion that giving of ourselves and empowering people shows our Fathers' love and builds self respect and dignity. That's why we aligned ourselves with World Hope... opportunity, dignity and hope!
We are well, I'm happy being a "metal shed wife" when teams aren't here, trying to figure out what and how to cook meals on our Coleman two burner stove and the best way to conserve batteries on our fans:) Life is good! and we are more convinced each day that we are right where God wants us and we know alot of that is the result of all your prayers, thank you!
Well another team arrives today, many are first timers "newbies"... I can't wait to share Haiti with them and watch God work.
Blessings,
David and Beth
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