In Haiti, Nothing is Miscellaneous!

Through the week in pictures -
                                                                                                                        

Last fall during our  2-week trip to Haiti, we decided that when we moved here the following January, we would need to do two things each day:  to INTENTIONALLY look for the Lord's hand in what was going on and to INTENTIONALLY look for  something beautiful in our day.  On Wednesday this week, I was on the back porch hanging up clothes and someting caught my eye outside.  This lovely flower was literally yelling to me, "Look at me!  Here is BEAUTIFUL!  Don't miss me!"  So, in one lovely white blossom, on the first day of Lent, I was able to see the God's creative hand and the beauty He created.


Lunch on Monday was enjoyed on our wonderful back porch with neighbors Julian and Marie Cattle and their girls Ella and Rebecca; and Station Manager Greg and Heidi Edmond and their children Haley and Luke (not shown). 
This is one of the best parts about our dupex! The porch is the site of Julian's office, gym, washing and hanging clothes, classroom for creole lessons, various social events ( can you see the colorful Christmas lights above Greg and Heidi's heads?) and even the site for trimming hair!


And, then - there was the time of a big PANTAN - a surprize!

When I was readying the chicken for baking, look what I found in the breast cavity!! 

(And, no, I didn't serve them to Larry!  :) )

Above a shot of one end of the new guest house.  It is really taking shape and they are now looking for a Haitian artist to paint a mural on the bottom part of this end of the building.  It will be the first thing seen as one enters the compound and is the perfect place for some thing Haitian.                                                         At left, a gathering of the "big bosses" - Greg Edmond, Barry Gould (WISH), Caleb Thompson ( project manager for the guest house) and Julian Cattle (project manager for the hospital), along with Peter ( block mason and right hand man), a short term missionary from Canada.   These powwows happen from time to time when great building minds solve problems!

The hospital build is coming along very well, as well! 

Check in later for those pictures and more - the computer isn't letting me post them this try!   

Have a great week!

Where are all these people coming from???

Monday, January 30, Larry and I, along with Fre Michelet, our program secretary, met with the men and women who were interested in attending the English and computer classes the Wesleyan mission has been offering for about five years on La Gonave.  We had a pretty decent turn out of 27 people.  We held our first classes the following Wednesday night. 

Were we ever surprised when we walked over to the hospital where the English classes are held  - 20 additional people surrounding Fre Michelet in the courtyard of the building, bustling to get their names on his list!!  Fre Michelet sorted it out for us handily, and our program grew in the blink of an eye! 

The following night, there were 10 more who wanted to take the classes.  We were then up to 57, with the bulk of them, beginners.  Whew!  Larry was immediately booked to teach a beginner English class!

We had to draw the line when there were 15 additional who just came into the classroom and sat on the benches the next class period!!!  (  Where in the world was Fre Michelet? )  Word had definitely passed along.....BUT  there was no possible way to serve them all. 

So ... we had to turn a whole bunch of potential students away; that was difficult to do!  But, to do those who had registered first justice, we just couldn't pad our classes any more.

I think we are about settled now ....  (famous last words?)

Greg Edmonds and Larry built tables for the English classes

which are held in the chapel room at the hospital..... 

..and the tables are appreciated by all!  They just need a little coat of white paint now!

Larry's maxed-out classes are held in the hospital administration building.

So, we're off and running now!  What a privilege it is to be working with these energetic and enthusiastic men and women who so appreciate what we are hoping to teach them!  To have them come up and thank us repeatedly for coming to Haiti and "helping" them - especially when their goal for being in our classes is to help their country!   To start each session with prayer and have them pray for us as well as themselves -  Humbling.

May the Lord work wonders in our classes and in our relationships with our students,

to His glory and to the benefit of our students and their very needy country.

This is a really busy place!

Here at the Mission Wesleyenne on La Ganove, there is MUCH activity! 

One of the goals of the ministry here is to provide for those desiring an experience of doing ministry in a third world country.Short term mission work teams come on a regular basis, from Canada, all parts of the US and even Europe!  These teams are housed in the GWOKAY ( pronounced "gwoh k-eye" and meaning big house or guest house ), have their meals there, and get their clean reverse-osmosis filtered water there (no singing in the shower or drinking water out of the spigots, or you might be coping with Haiti's version of Montezuma's  revenge!).  We are currently expecting a general work team from the mid-west today and a medical team tomorrow.  Larry and I are looking forward to welcoming a general work team from South Carolina district the first week of March! 

The work the teams do ranges from providing medical and dental clinics, serving Haitians in different sections of Anse-a-Galets and in the villages up in the hills, or surgical and diagnostic work in the hospital alongside the doctors and nurses here.   Those experienced in building will participate in the projects here on La Gonave, or might be housed in Port-au-Prince and help with the church rebuild projects there that have been ongoing since the earthquake, or assist in building shelter for nationals.
The construction teams on LaGonave work on the three projects that are going on simultaneously,  providing the sound of progress no matter where you stand on the compound, pretty much all day long, six days a week, except for the hour in the middle of the day, when you will find the workers sitting in the shade eating huge portions of beans and rice! 

The new gwo kay will be completed this spring and will double the space the current building offers.  It was designed by a team of architects in Scotland where a large portion of the funding comes from.  That interesting looking trough running longways at the peak of the roof will be lined with a special material and is a state of the art design that, if all goes as planned, will be effective in cooling the building.  In this land of no air conditioning and VERY hot weather, that would be wonderful!  Workers care currently installing ribs on the plywood roof in preparation for the metal sheets ( seen piled up at the corner of the building ) to be installed next!

Another major ongoing project is the new hospital.  When we arrived three weeks ago, the trench foundation for the wall was almosy completed, and within a couple of days, the concrete block wall was in progress - all accomplished by hand and not machine (with the exception of the concrete mixer).  It is now completed and work is to begin within the walls on the foundation for the building.   Our neighbor, Julian, is the project manager for this undertaking.  He contracted out the block work to a Haitian, training him to make his own profit by hiring his own men for the project. 

Our duplex is located just to the right out of sight in this picture.

We were fascinated to watch this man sift the sand through this screen, use the fine sand in the concrete and what was left for the foundation of the wall.  Julian made the comment that he was so pleased with the wall that he was not even going to put a coating of "smooth" on before painting it; he was simply going to paint over the blocks, the Haitians did such a good job. 

It has been very interesting seeing these projects underway.  Now, with the wall finished, the work on the building will be out of sight!  We will have to enter the worksite to check on the progress instead of just looking from our front porch.

Then, across the street from the main compound is another part of the Mission Wesleyenne.  There, a "triplex" is being built.  This will afford an apartment on each end with a school room for the missionary children in the middle. 

And, not far from this triplex and across the street from the main gate into the Wesleyan compound is the public library that is being constructed by WISH, West Indies Self Help, an organization housed next door to the Wesleyan compound and run by Global Partners missionaries.

Busy, productive, encouraging activity!  An exciting place to be!

And, perhaps you can understand that when Sunday comes, it is VERY quiet here.  

And on that day, 

on that day only,

a "Wesleyan Hour"

 ( one of those GREAT Sunday afternoon naps!)

is truly a possibility! 

A few things we have learned during the first week on the mission field

1.  There's some great cooking going on in the guest house.
        For example - mouthwatering lobster bisque - YUM!

2.  The trays in the bottom of the toaster attract ants no matter how diligent one is to wash them after each usage.
        Solution - send the toaster back to the gwa kay ( big house or guest house ).

3.  Crocs are perfect shoes for the dry season.
        Why?  They can be washed off in the shower right along with your legs and feet when you return from a walk!

4.  Resident dogs can't resist playing with anything left on the front porch.
        Solution - leave shoes inside by the front, not outside by the front door.

5.  At 6:00 a.m., when the electricity comes back on, the lights that were left on when the electricity was turned off at 9:00 p.m., tend to wake one up as they blaze back on!
        Solution - turn all light switches to "off" before going to bed, even though the lights are off

6.  Sometimes there are breaks in the pipes carrying the cool, fresh water down the mountain.
        Solution - keep a few containers filled with water, just in case.

7.  Walking through the guest house before a meal affords not only good aromas but sometimes yields a lovely surprise - hearing a cook's pure, sweet voice singing a familiar hymn in creole.

8.  Missionary Midnight!
        What's that?  9:00 p.m. - lights out when the electricity is turned off!

9.  The caribbean night sky is beautiful!
        Artificial lights off; God's lights burning brightly!

10.  Sunrise is, too!
        Asleep soon after 9; awake as the day breaks!

11.  The breeze and shade are real blessings!
        Thanks be to God for them.

12.   Married women take the name of their husbands in a different way.
        Marty is known as Madam Larry.

13.  The Wesleyan Church in Anse-a-Galets is filled with song and worship and beautiful people.
        It starts at 7:00 a.m. and ends whenever the minister finishes preaching.

14.  Missionary Church begins at 10:30 and picks up where the singing left off in town.
        The role of minister is filled by Greg Edmond or a pastor on a visiting work team.  The sermon
        is much shorter!

15.  God's Spirit is present at both services!
        Response from the heart:  Praise the Lord!

 Can't wait to see what our second week has to offer!