Round 2!
Well I would like you all to know that I have survived my second week in Haiti and I am happy to report there has only been one gecko sighting in Cay 7! Thanks for your prayers :) I have had a rather busy week starting language lessons and trying to find the new normal. However, in my search for normal, I think I am realizing there never was such a thing in the first place. Otherwise life would be “bleh” and I don’t think anyone wants their life to be “bleh”. It’s much more exciting to look back on each day and say to yourself “Welp, never dreamed THAT would happen. If this was today, what is tomorrow going to look like?!” OK, I’m done philosophizing. At least for now.
On Monday, another missionary at the hospital, Janella, was kind enough to teach me how to make homemade yogurt. It is quite tasty if I do say so myself. And I have to admit I may be a bit proud that I actually made something that most people buy in a grocery store. Call me the local Haitian IGA.
Monday was also a big day because (drum roll please).... I started Creole! Ki jan ou ye? M pa pi mal, wi. Lave mayo yo. M prale lapòs. Ki sa k anba bra ou la a? M pral chache yon moulen kay sè m pou moulen yon ti kafe. (Translation: How are you? I’m not bad. Wash the t-shirts. I’m going to the post office. What’s under your arm? I’m going to get a grinder at my sister’s to grind some coffee.) Just a sample of the few exciting lines in my textbook! Thankfully, I have been blessed with a very talented teacher and I really do look forward to my daily lessons.
Fast forward to the weekend. I had the opportunity to spend the weekend in Cayes. Cayes is a city about an hour away from the hospital where many missionaries live. I spent the weekend with my dear friends Leah (go figure we have the same name) and the Yordy family. I got to know Leah when I was in Haiti this past March and the Yordy family goes to the same church in the States as I do. It was a fun weekend filled with a lot of hanging out, games, and relaxation time. God has richly blessed me with many missionary families that make me feel loved and wanted.
Some of you may have heard of the Renault feeding program in Cayes. This is a Sunday School program started by a missionary family currently living here in Haiti. Teams go into the slums of Cayes and have Sunday School for the children living in the area. At the end of the program, each child receives a rice packet before they leave. There were about 1,200 children in attendance. It is an amazing experience that no words can really describe. Praise God for the blessings He has poured on this program and may it continue to grow and change lives in the slums of Cayes.
Looking ahead to another great week filled with new experiences and exciting surprises!
Prayer requests:
More wisdom and more discernment in building relationships with the local Haitian people.
Patience in language learning.
Two very special people that came to visit last week! (Mandy and Bri Yordy)
Yes, I took a picture of my homemade yogurt a freshly squeezed fruit juice.
Chloe and Brenna (two missionary kids at Bonne Fin) styling adorable hats and faces at the Domestic Center in Cayes.
Hanging out and playing games over the weekend at the Yordy house in Cayes.
Some of the kids at Renault Sunday School. The singing was indescribable!
Hanging out with Bri and the other Leah at a childrens camp run by a missionary family in Cayes this past Sunday.
And a very special HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my FIVE year old nephew Charlie! Happy birthday from Haiti bud!!