Belated Christmas Post

So in the States it seems that Thanksgiving to Christmas is the main Christmas season.  But here, with no Thanksgiving celebration, Christmas Eve through New Years (and a few days past, I've heard) is the main Christmas season.  And my family seems to be following suit.  There wasn't much of a ramp up to Christmas this year until Christmas Eve.
On Christmas Eve we had a wonderful dinner with friends from Haiti Health Ministries.  Great food and great fellowship.  Then as a family we watched Home Alone - a Christmas classic.  Christmas morning we opened gifts.  Luke got my used ipad, the girl's each got one Haitian - made American Girl bed and a wardrobe for their dolls to share.
My mom flew in early evening on Christmas Day and since her arrival we've been playing a lot of Caring and Sharing Bingo (a family game) and introducing my mom to our many friends here.  Yesterday my mom and I walked a Haitian mile to Madanm Christians orphanage.  The children were excited to meet my mother and put on a great (and extremely long) Christmas program for us.  Here is a wee clip.

Teresa's family flew in yesterday and today my mom was reunited with all 5+ of her grandchildren.  Oh Happy Day!  Then, I've heard there is some fun New Years celebrations.  We shall see.

Eloise the Poet

Eloise has been writing quite a bit since we've gotten to Haiti.  We find her journals all over the house.  Last night Chris and I discovered this poem she wrote and that it was worth sharing.

he doesn't like you

she doesn't like me

evry time you look at him you get angry

evry time I look at her I get angery

this song dosen't have a happy ending rite now

so let's make this a song that has one

folloe your dream's and desstenies

come and let's see the thing's alaround you and me

then you can make lot's of friend's

and do thing's that youve neve don before

this song is coming to a end 

I have to say good bye

oh, make freind's with . . . he and she and I

By: ELOISE Thmpson

Treehouse

Last week over 500 volunteers with Habitat for Humanity were here in Haiti.  They came with Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter as well as Garth Brooks and Tricia Yearwood.  We got to enjoy a lovely (yet a bit extravagant) dinner of sea bass and real veggies in an air conditioned dining hall.  Then we got to listen to the Garth Brooks concert as well.  It was quite refreshing.

When Habitat departed they were encouraged to leave their tools and extra supplies with Christianville, where my sister lives.  Uncle Ryan took all the kids "shopping" at the Habitat leftover "store".  My kids were thrilled to actually shop and "shop for free even" as Eloise said.  They picked out hard hats, hammers, tape measures, rope, and more.  The experience got them all geared up to build something.  After much planning they decided they wanted a treehouse.  So we started it yesterday and got quite a bit further today.  Hoping to finish this weekend.

Chris sawing plywood with a hand saw.

The girls testing out the support system!

Thanksgiving as an Expat

Thursday morning started like most other days, with language study.  For one of our exercises Billy, our language tutor, had us listen to a popular, secular Haitian song.  As we listened he would pause the song and we would try our best to translate.  The lyrics of the song couldn't have been a better reminder on Thanksgiving morning.  Here are a few:

"Even though you have no food to eat, house to live in, and you sleep on the street - don't despair my brother, your life has not ended"

"Even though you are sick, and the doctors have no cure - don't despair my brother, your life has not ended"

"Even though you have no friends to support you or family to take care of you - don't despair my brother, your life has not ended".

For many Haitians life may be all they have.  So today I am thankful for breath.  I am thankful I'm alive.

To celebrate the holiday we had a total of 25 people over to my house for dinner!  It was a wonderful time of fellowship.  Everyone contributed something and we even had a real turkey, ham, pies, and ice cream!  The tables were decked with fresh cut flowers, most from my yard. And the children provided a dance party as entertainment. It wasn't the Thanksgiving I was used to but it was wonderful.

Girl's Bible Study

Ashlee and I (Sara) have started a girls' Bible Study with the 10-15 year old girls at the Community School of Bellevue.  Bellevue school is the school where my children attend also.  We've started meeting with the girls every Thursday afternoon from 1:00 to 2:00 as school ends at 1:00. We've had two weeks of Bible Study so far and we have about 20 girls who attend. The topic we are covering is finding our identity in Christ.  This week my children put on a skit about the different "masks" they wear throughout the day.  Then the girls each made their own mask.  The girls love crafts!

Please keep this Bible Study and the female youth of the Community School of Bellevue in your prayers.  Please pray that Ashlee and I would be able to connect with them and grow relationships with each one.  Please pray the girls would feel comfortable discussing with the group.  And please pray ultimately that the girls would each come to know who Christ has uniquely created them to be.

Living Next Door to Cinderella

To most Americans Cinderella is a fairy tale. For many Haitians it is a reality. This country is full of Cinderellas. Girls, and boys, sent from their home to live with another family. Forced to do all of the chores while the children they live with run off to school and they stay behind.

 A 12 year old girl came over to my house about a month ago. She picked cherries with me from my tree and patiently chatted with me through my broken Creole. She came in my home and taught me how to make cherry juice. Over the past month she has come in my house for a wee bit of time a few times each week. I invite her in to play with my girls. She immediately picks up the girls rooms, arranging the toys and making the beds, and then grabs a broom and begins to sweep. I plead with her not to clean their room - to just sit and play with them. Cleaning is all she knows. Eventually she will sit and brush the dolls hair. But shortly after her name is screamed out from next door.

This week she came over and played Legos with all my kiddos.  Later the kids moved to a different room to play something else.  I took my eyes off the situation for just a few minutes.  She snuck away from play to Luke's room and picked up every last Lego.  This prompted a series of questions from Luke that night about her compulsory need to clean.  We ended up having a long talk about child slavery.

She told me she lives with her maternal aunt and goes to school here while the rest of her family lives in the north of Haiti. I've never seen her in a school uniform. She doesn't go to school. I'm not so sure she lives with her aunt. I hear her name called out again and again all day long. We've heard her scream out as she is hit  repeatedly with a switch. My heart is heavy. My heart breaks each time her name is called out.

Please pray for wisdom for us.                                               Pray for the restavecs in this country.                                                                                                           There are too many Cinderellas here.

Halloween Festivities

Luke the Nerd, Kate the Princess

Eloise the Princess with Luke and Kate carving pumpkins from our yard!

The Final Products

Kate making invitation and decorations for the party.

Friends and cousins joined in for festivities, dinner, and treats.