Yesterday marked two weeks since I arrived back in Haiti. It’s been a busy, challenging, and adventurous time so far. As I mentioned before, my main responsibility this trip is to run the guesthouse for God’s Planet. From January to the end of February there are five teams who have organized a mission trip. The first team of 11 people came on the 9^th for 4 days. They were from Grace Point Baptist Church in Cleveland, TN. It was nice to have some fellow Tennesseans around! In just those few days they had a packed schedule. Their main ministry site was at Sarah’s orphanage, Living Water Haiti. When I came to Haiti in November, I stayed with Sarah and the kids. It has been great having the opportunity to see all that she is doing here and what she hopes for the future. The Grace Point team added two more rows of block to her perimeter wall. This will enhance the safety of the property as some thieves jumped the wall last month, stole her water pump and killed her sweet dog Mia. The team also put a roof over two rooms Sarah is adding in the back yard. One room will be for the gate/grounds keeper, the other room will be used as a much needed storage room. In the afternoons, the group organized a Vacation Bible School at Sarah’s house for her kids and any from the neighborhood who wanted to come. The first day, there were nine kids (five were Sarah’s). By the end of the week there were over 30! One of the men from the group also led a pastor training seminar each day. This is a great ministry to Haitian pastors who have limited resources when it comes to training and materials.

While groups are here I’m in charge of hospitality and making sure they are fed and have what they need. We hired a lady named Josien to help with cooking and cleaning, but NeNe and I pitch in a lot to get everything done. A typical day might look like this:

I wake up around 6am to have breakfast ready at 7am. (Although each group can decide what time they want breakfast.) The sun is rising by then, so there is enough sunlight to start getting things done. But NeNe will start the generator soon after so we have more light in the kitchen and for the groups to get ready for their day. We can use the stove without the generator but the oven needs it. Sometimes we have city power during the night and intermittently throughout the day, but lately we haven’t had it at all. Without city power there is no electricity except from the generator, which is very noisy and is a gas guzzler. When groups are here, we have to buy more gas at least every day and a half. Sometimes Sarah’s husband Yves gets it in his car, but most the time NeNe will take a motorcycle taxi to town and fill up the five gallon jug. During the day time, the generator isn’t really needed. The groups are out at their ministry sites and the house has plenty of light. But it’s important that I keep an eye on the food in the fridge so it doesn’t spoil. Think of power outages at the States and what can happen to the food in your fridge if it’s out for several hours at a time. It would be overkill to run the generator all the time, so I just keep a good eye on the food, especially the meat in the freezer to make sure it stays cold enough.

We usually cook a warm breakfast… pancakes, French toast, oatmeal, eggs, bacon, breakfast casserole, etc. Lunch is typically sandwiches, either cold or grilled. Chips are pretty expensive, but sometimes I’ll splurge or even buy papitas (fried banana chips) which most of the last group loved. Some groups bring their own snacks to eat with lunch or throughout the day. Dinners include a variety of American and Haitian meals… spaghetti, chili, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, grilled chicken and veggies, and Haitian meals like rice and beans and/or chicken or beef with sauce. The groups are typically 15-20 people so a lot goes into preparing the meals and even just the shopping itself.

I do a lot of the shopping at a supermarket called DeliMart. It’s similar to a small supermarket in the States, but with crowded narrow aisles. The prices are similar to the States too, with some exceptions. A dozen eggs is around $4, but you can get a pound of ground beef for less than $2. In some ways you save compared to the States, in some ways you don’t. You can even get meat and cheese sliced in the deli section for sandwiches. Yves and Sarah have gotten to know one of the workers who has now become like family to them. Sometimes he’ll get us a 10% discount, which can add up especially on our bigger trips. The air-conditioning is fierce in that place. A nice welcome probably for many, but it’s almost too much for this cold-natured gal compared to the heat outside. One perk of shopping here, sometimes I’ll spot a fun treat like a Mountain Dew or Baby Ruth. :)

While we do get some fruits and vegetables at DeliMart, we get most of them at an outdoor market. Now this is an experience! Yves will drive the bread truck down ridiculously crowded and narrow streets packed with pedestrians, vendors and their stands, and other vehicles pushing to get though. We park and walk through the dirt or mud streets to find the items we need. From one stand we may by onions, potatoes, and carrots. From another, oil, butter, and vinegar. And so it goes. It’s hot, dirty, and we are all sweating and thirsty by the time the shopping is done. There are vendors selling chickens, live or already cut up. And some areas I struggle to keep my gag reflex in check, like when we went further down the street and I could see puddles of evidence where such vendors had been earlier that day. The smell can be overpowering at times. I hold my breath and walk as quickly as I am able. To us who are used to, shall we say, a cleaner shopping environment, it can be difficult to overlook the appearance of the food and other items. There is no shortage of flies and dirt. But I can attest to the fact that with a proper wash, it all tastes as good, if not better, than fruits and veggies bought anywhere else. And you can get a hefty bag of items for pennies compared to the grocery store.

At some point during the day I will be more than ready for a shower. Most of us are so spoiled in the States with temperature control and a nice shower head. Here, the water is cold to cool depending on the time of day. And while that is refreshing when you are super hot or super disgusting, it would still be nice to turn it up a few degrees most the time. Or at least have the option! Shower heads are pointless here. They only limit the weak water pressure even more than it already is. So you basically have a nickel sized hole and the water comes out like a kinked garden hose. I am thankful for decent bathrooms here. We have toilets and sinks and showers that are comparable to the States. Decent toilet paper is affordable enough at DeliMart, you just don’t flush it down, so bathroom garbage is emptied regularly. And speaking of garbage, everyone burns their garbage. Most homes like this one have a concrete walled area out back for this purpose. NeNe burns the pile regularly. Every once in a while you hear a “BOOM!” as an aerosol can or who knows what explodes.

Josien sweeps and mops the common areas daily. The groups head out after breakfast, return for lunch, and then head back out until dinnertime. The upstairs of the guest house is where the volunteers stay. Josien will mop those bathrooms and take out the trash each day. It’s a rather big house, with the capacity to sleep 40 people, so it’s not feasible for Josien to clean the entire house every day on top of helping prepare the meals. But we strive to keep the main areas downstairs clean throughout the week. Our days are full enough doing everything we are doing. Josien will often finish with her duties mid-afternoon, go home for a while, and come back an hour or more before dinner to get it on the table by 6pm or whenever the group has requested. It’s a long day for her. She works every day but Sunday. Meanwhile, NeNe happily fills in the gaps where I need him, most often with cooking, though some groups are eager and welcome to help in the kitchen as well.

During the day while groups are out, NeNe and I will walk around, visiting with his friends and family. We’ll buy a bottle of coke for around 50 cents or some fried banana and sit around or play with the kids. Most of his family lives a short walk away in a cluster of small homes. These homes are similar to the tiny tin shacks in Katutura, but are made of wood. One or two beds typically take up most of the space, with some minimal storage and a small place for cooking. His niece Maxolyn lives in one home. She calls me her “matant” (aunt). She is 19 years old and has three sons, Jobens, Naiday, and Jeff… the oldest probably 4 or 5 years old. All four of them plus the boyfriend sleep in one bed together in the small home.

At night, I may chat with some of the groups, play cards with NeNe, or enjoy a quiet evening—if the evening grants me that! The guesthouse is next to a bar/store/club, and Haitians seem to love their music! They blare it throughout the week, sometimes as late as 11pm. There’s also a group of young guys who have set up a little party zone down the street, equipped with an unfortunately effective outdoor sound system. Typically sleep comes easily as I’m pretty worn out by the end of the day. But there are so many noises throughout the night… Confused roosters crowing at all hours of the night, voodoo drums and loud singing and chanting, and mosquitoes buzzing around my head. I’m thankful for a night of rest and gear up to do it all over again…

The next four teams are all from Ohio and coming down mostly to help build a new orphanage for a local pastor. His name is also NeNe. Pastor NeNe has over 30 children at his orphanage, and he and his wife have several kids of their own. I visited this orphanage during my last trip and attended his church one Sunday. He is currently renting the place they’re at now, but rent is expensive and the home isn’t well designed for their needs. They’ve had assistance acquiring some land behind the guest house, so the volunteer teams are going to help build a new orphanage there. The first group from Ohio will arrive Friday, and each team will stay for one week. Teams will be departing and arriving on the same day, so needless to say, it will be a busy four weeks.

Thank you for continuing to pray for me as I minister to both the groups and this community. I’ve only been sick once so far, and there’s no telling from what. I don’t shy away from the delicious street food or kissing all over these precious children, so I can’t really complain if I get sick from time to time. But I pray that those times of sickness will be few so that I can have energy to accomplish and enjoy all that I’m here to do.

Me and the lovely ladies from Grace Point

A couple of the guys from Grace Point making necklaces with Makely. Richard (in the middle) was such a sweet man! He loved on the Haitian workers as much as anyone else. When he was in Hondurus, the people had named him "Chocho", so he had all of us calling him that as well. He was dearly loved and will not soon be forgotten!

Sarah's kids showing off some of their new goodies. A family and elementary class in North Carolina put a special package together for me to bring them. They are holding photos of that class. So sweet!

Me and Crystelle, one of NeNe's cousins. She is such a cutie and always happy to see me! The feeling is mutual. :)

Jeff was quite shy at first but he's warming up to me more and more each day.

My friends from Maryville, Josh and Amanda Armstrong, were in Haiti for a few days. Amanda hung out with me at the guest house for a couple days. We had a great time and she loved getting out and about around the community.

Crystelle put herself in charge of rationing out the candy.

One day I brought a few toys and some blow up balls for the kids to have. They loved throwing and chasing the balls around.

Sarah added a new girl to her orphanage this week. She is so sweet but quiet. I'm sure she'll blossom soon being in this new environment and with Sarah's other wonderful kids.

NeNe took me on a walk one day to take a look around the neighborhood. We came to this and he told me to cross it. Umm... right... :) But I did, with his help, and only got a little muddy.

These were some kids who wanted their photo near where people were getting water and bathing.

My little buddy Jobens. This is one of my favorite photos!!

Fried plantains. Yum! And marinad, it's like a fried spicy bread. Also delicious! I love Haitian street food!!!