Counting the days ...

Well, we have been in Haiti for 22 weeks and two days and will return to the states in less than two weeks, on July 12.  WOW!  In so many ways, the time has flown; now, as we are filled with the anticipation of heading home, I have a feeling the time will move at a snail’s pace!

It’s just the right time for a break -

Things are slowly but surely powering down for summer here on the compound.  Two of the missionary families are away on home missions already.   Another three families are taking off when we do, leaving just one family to hold down the fort through July.  Work on the guest house and the hospital has slowed to a fraction of the activity of even last month.  There are no visiting mission teams scheduled in July.

It’s as if the intense heat has blanketed the calendar and nothing is moving!

 The next two weeks will be chock full of cleaning, organizing and storing our teaching equipment and materials; packing up and storing personal items;  deciding what stays and what goes with us when we head home.  Larry is preparing his class computers to be used by a team teaching computers to youths on the mainland.  We will be working with the last of the mission teams for a while.  We also hope to get a day trip or two in for some last minute exploring.

And, then, six weeks or so in the Carolinas!  Whoohoo!  Making the kid circuit in NC and then heading to Clemson and Georgia.  It will be so very good to see the family and friends we have missed!  A week at the beach with the kids and their kids, this year being the 32^nd annual family vacation at the Isle of Palms.  Worshipping at Sunday services at ALIVE Wesleyan, at long last!  Rest and recuperation!

Looking forward to it!

The work is not done here, tho – and we will be heading back the end of August, to begin classes anew in September – privileged to be giving these amazing Haitian adults a hand up, not a hand out - hopefully equipping them with tools to improve their lives and their country - in the name of Christ.  

Lord willing!

DEGAJE!!!

 
The Haitians have a great word - degaje.  It means "to make do, to get by".  It's the term for creative problem solving, "red-neck engineering", etc.

We have recently experienced a bit of excellent degaje and found it to be a wonderfully effective descriptive!

Larry has now finished the hot water system for our apartment! YEA!

                                                                                     




The heated water travels into the house  through the bathroom window and.....







                                                             
                                                            VOILA!

That garden hose knob on the right is the welcome addition to our shower, providing steaming hot water to mix into our typically COLD shower experience!

Ahhhhhhhh........

THANKS, LARRY!  

(.....and you, too, Leo!)







                                                         
                                                                                                 
                                                                             

We'd been waiting for this!

First, son Drew was here to film the Wesleyan work in Haiti - a marvelous 31/2 whirlwind days with him. I got to be the sound person, with earplugs in, listening for any discrepancy in the audio during interviews - then zipping through the streets around  Port-au-Prince with a wee, fish-eye lens camera on the front bumper of the land rover, sitting in the Wesleyan Church of Anse-a-Galets filming awesome Haitian song groups in concert or in the Cessna flying over La Gonave, camera held out the open window!  Larry served as assistant, or groupie, standing by while Drew was filming in Cite Sole, standing in the middle of the busy street or in a framed in church on a hill in the midst of squatter housing that sprang up after the earthquake.

Drew on the street in Cite Sole

Between filming segments, over a meal or winding down at night, we had precious catch-up times - the kind that parents treasure when their all-grown-up kid comes to visit!  And, we got to see our all-grown-up kid at work at his profession, too!  How fun is that!

The finished product is being shown during The General Conference of The Wesleyan Church in Lexington, KY, at the Global Partners area.

But, we got to see it first.  And, I will post it when I've received the OK to do so.

We put Drew on the plane on Monday, the 21st, then hung around in Port-au-Prince overnight, at the Gilles' guest house.

The next day, daughter Meg and her family plus friend Joanna Hiteshew from Spokane, WA, arrived for a week's visit.  Another whirlwind time!  And, how much fun!

Dry at the beginning of the crossing!!!  Little did we know.....

Dividing and conquering, men and boys slept in one of the new guest house rooms and women and girls in our apt.  That was after we crossed over on the Wesleyanna in the roughest crossing Larry and I had ever made!!  We were all drenched and thankful to step onto terra firma when the time came.  The captain said, " Lanme se fache!".  (The sea is angry!)

We celebrated two birthdays, had a morning trek over non-roads to Fontina village, toured the orphanage and then had 30+ children down to the mission for an afternoon of play the next day, attended Haitian church and Hannah  played a special piece on her violin at missionary church, explored a bit of Anse-a-Galets to find a Haitian flag for Ben, maneuvered through Port-au-Prince in the back of the big team Contair truck, went swimming and snorkeling in the beautiful waters off the mainland and again off La Gonave.  In the midst of it all - we just enjoyed each other, and being together!   Leave day came much too soon!

BUT, Hannah remained behind with us and has already been easily and eagerly absorbed into the life of the mission compound - especially by the families of young children here!  We could change her name to Mary Poppins!

It is our joy to have her with us during this time - not only for the special, fun young lady that she is, but for the package deal that includes live symphonic music several times a day!

That's all for now!  A beginner-level short-course for the month of June begins tomorrow night - gotta get planning!  More later....