It's the final couple days I'm here, which is hard to believe. It's been an amazing experience for sure! It really gave me a taste of the ministry they do here, which really is a great ministry for these kids.
There is pretty much never a day here where there is no one who comes with a wound or ailment. There is always something. There was a little school girl named Joane who stepped on a thorn and came to us a week after the fact. She said her aunt had got it out, but it still hurt. So Helen looked at it, then they took her to the doctor, which they gave her a shot.. but the wrong one!!.. it's sad that you need to be nervous to send people to the doctor here sometimes. Anyway, she came and lived with us for a few days and we became little buddies- language barrier and all. It was a lot of fun.
On Tuesdays they have a service with all the children homes, and Tom was supposed to lead it. Something came up so we asked me to speak. ha! I don't really love doing stuff like that, but they convinced me just to do a simple object lesson or something. So i talked about joseph and forgiveness... which is something that is applicable to kids who live in such large families. So it wasn't so bad.. There was a guy translating so that was good.
So the container i was talking about that Tom went to Port Au Prince to get never came with them this time!... so frustrating for them. But just yesterday, everything fell into place, and they don't even have to pay as much money for it as originally thought! So God is good.
Most days consist of school work with the three punks, sometimes sports with the kids, then supper, then i crash at 830 most nights.. it's sad. but i'm so exhausted by then.
Well, thanks for praying! And now just one more day, then a travel day home... i'm looking forward to staying put... for a little while at least.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
so i've only been here four days, and it feels like it's been forever! Monday and today have been more getting into what I'm going to be up to. I've been helping Tom and Helen's three kids who are all in grade eight with their homeschooling... man, that has been an experience. They are really hard to keep focused! And i've had to completely relearn grade 8 math. boof. But it's good... i actually don't mind teaching as much as i though I would.
Today, Tom and Mono(their Haitien worker who is amazing. He is such a huge help to them and is a super honest guy) had to go to Port-au-Prince. They've had a container that is still being held and it's been there since two days before the earthquake, and they are having SO much trouble releasing it. You often have to pay bribes to get stuff done in this country, but I don't think Tom wants to do that so they have found a connection with some Americans and or Canadians to help them get it out. So we are praying that it goes well!
Also, a HUGE prayer request is about the children. The original reason that Helen sent this message out for help was because they were supposed to be recieving 50 newly orphaned kids from the earthquake. So i was going to come to help her out with that, but they still haven't received any. unicef isn't releasing any children for reasons that I don't know, and Tom has been trying to contact them and get them to come inspect our facilities so we can bring them here but it's not happening. It's terrible because these kids are still in these huge camps and not getting proper care and lots of them are still dying. It's so awful.
Today, after I'd done some school with the three, i went to the PE class outside and played some European handball with them . It was so fun... and nice to get some exercise. I can't leave the compound at all by myself and we always take the truck cause everything is far away. (Oh, there is a school on the compound that has about 30 some kids. Some are community kids and some are Kids Alive kids.) After school, we went to the children homes for a little service they have with everyone which was neat... except i don't speak Creole so i get a little lost. One of the natural children of the house parents, who is 5, came and held my hand and sat next to me... he was a little cutie. of course we couldn't talk. But that's ok. We were praying and i opened my eyes to see his little hands in my face... he was touching my nose ring.. he thought it was hilarious! Then I got to cuddle with one of the little guys, Elyse Emmanuel, back to the house...SO adorable. it made me miss Amani.
Anyway, I'm really loving it here... it's been better than i expected.. i really didn't know what to expect I guess, but i'm just really feeling like i'm useful, which I kind of lot i'd feel a little useless cause the kids aren't here.
Really pray for the kids... and really this country in general. As if it wasn't poor before, people are more poor and hungrier than ever. It's heart breaking. On Sunday, we took out some boxes out to a poorer area of town and gave some clothes and shampoo and toothbrushes/toothpast and rice... it was hard to see the how these people lived.. you can't even imagine unless you see it. It's awful conditions.
I could write for a long time. but i should go. Thank you if you read this and thanks for praying!
love karianne
Today, Tom and Mono(their Haitien worker who is amazing. He is such a huge help to them and is a super honest guy) had to go to Port-au-Prince. They've had a container that is still being held and it's been there since two days before the earthquake, and they are having SO much trouble releasing it. You often have to pay bribes to get stuff done in this country, but I don't think Tom wants to do that so they have found a connection with some Americans and or Canadians to help them get it out. So we are praying that it goes well!
Also, a HUGE prayer request is about the children. The original reason that Helen sent this message out for help was because they were supposed to be recieving 50 newly orphaned kids from the earthquake. So i was going to come to help her out with that, but they still haven't received any. unicef isn't releasing any children for reasons that I don't know, and Tom has been trying to contact them and get them to come inspect our facilities so we can bring them here but it's not happening. It's terrible because these kids are still in these huge camps and not getting proper care and lots of them are still dying. It's so awful.
Today, after I'd done some school with the three, i went to the PE class outside and played some European handball with them . It was so fun... and nice to get some exercise. I can't leave the compound at all by myself and we always take the truck cause everything is far away. (Oh, there is a school on the compound that has about 30 some kids. Some are community kids and some are Kids Alive kids.) After school, we went to the children homes for a little service they have with everyone which was neat... except i don't speak Creole so i get a little lost. One of the natural children of the house parents, who is 5, came and held my hand and sat next to me... he was a little cutie. of course we couldn't talk. But that's ok. We were praying and i opened my eyes to see his little hands in my face... he was touching my nose ring.. he thought it was hilarious! Then I got to cuddle with one of the little guys, Elyse Emmanuel, back to the house...SO adorable. it made me miss Amani.
Anyway, I'm really loving it here... it's been better than i expected.. i really didn't know what to expect I guess, but i'm just really feeling like i'm useful, which I kind of lot i'd feel a little useless cause the kids aren't here.
Really pray for the kids... and really this country in general. As if it wasn't poor before, people are more poor and hungrier than ever. It's heart breaking. On Sunday, we took out some boxes out to a poorer area of town and gave some clothes and shampoo and toothbrushes/toothpast and rice... it was hard to see the how these people lived.. you can't even imagine unless you see it. It's awful conditions.
I could write for a long time. but i should go. Thank you if you read this and thanks for praying!
love karianne
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Arrival
Well, here I am, in the northern part of haiti. It feels so surreal to be here!
The flights down went fairly smoothly.. just some minor annoying hiccups. I don't really ever want to overnight in Ft. Lauderdale airport again though. The flight from Ft. L to Cap Haitien was this little 30 seater. I ended up sitting beside this girl who, along with her husband, is the director of this little orphanage in Haiti. She's only 27, but she's expecting her first child and is also in the process of adopting 3 Haiten kids.. so it's a little insane for her right now! But it was so good to talk to her and she kind of helped me feel more excited about it and it made it feel more real.
So walking off the plane, i just smelled Uganda. it smells the same! [humid + garbage] .. but somehow.. i really love that smell! The airport was a little 1 room building with a small divider to separate customs from the rest. my bag didn't make it on that flight, but thankfully they threw it on the next flight. Haiten airlines aren't exactly as thorough as big airlines when it comes to bags...
As we drove farther and farther into Cap Haitien, I was totally overwhelmed. Just the garbage, sewage, stray dogs, pigs...the hoards of people. SO many people. And all of them hungry. It's absolutely awful. It's indescribable.
I hadn't eaten anything, so Tom stopped by this bakery and bought me a surprisingly delicious raisin bun... which i nearly lost on the ride because it was so bumpy. I can't even desicribe how bumpy. It's like having mogals in the road, so it kind of made my head spin.
Tom and Helen are absolutely wonderful, as well as their 3 kids here. They have made me feel so at home. Today was such a full day. I arrived at 8 this morning, then went to one of the children's home where a Christian Haitien couple lives with about 9 orphaned kids between the age of 4 and 11. They were adorable... and only spoke Creole. So it was a lot of face making and cuddling and awkward moments. It's just been good. I'm tired.. but i'm looking forward to tomorrow.
We are having a sunrise service for Easter with their English fellowship. Then maybe the Haiten church too. But then we are making Easter gift boxes for some really poor families that include some rice and clothes for the kids... it's so fun making them! Man, this has turned out to be long, but yet it's such a quick overview of what's happening.
Well, God has been SO faithful through this whole trip and I just really want to be used by Him to bless these people and kids. It's not for me, it's all for Him.
Thanks for praying, and i love you all!
Karianne
The flights down went fairly smoothly.. just some minor annoying hiccups. I don't really ever want to overnight in Ft. Lauderdale airport again though. The flight from Ft. L to Cap Haitien was this little 30 seater. I ended up sitting beside this girl who, along with her husband, is the director of this little orphanage in Haiti. She's only 27, but she's expecting her first child and is also in the process of adopting 3 Haiten kids.. so it's a little insane for her right now! But it was so good to talk to her and she kind of helped me feel more excited about it and it made it feel more real.
So walking off the plane, i just smelled Uganda. it smells the same! [humid + garbage] .. but somehow.. i really love that smell! The airport was a little 1 room building with a small divider to separate customs from the rest. my bag didn't make it on that flight, but thankfully they threw it on the next flight. Haiten airlines aren't exactly as thorough as big airlines when it comes to bags...
As we drove farther and farther into Cap Haitien, I was totally overwhelmed. Just the garbage, sewage, stray dogs, pigs...the hoards of people. SO many people. And all of them hungry. It's absolutely awful. It's indescribable.
I hadn't eaten anything, so Tom stopped by this bakery and bought me a surprisingly delicious raisin bun... which i nearly lost on the ride because it was so bumpy. I can't even desicribe how bumpy. It's like having mogals in the road, so it kind of made my head spin.
Tom and Helen are absolutely wonderful, as well as their 3 kids here. They have made me feel so at home. Today was such a full day. I arrived at 8 this morning, then went to one of the children's home where a Christian Haitien couple lives with about 9 orphaned kids between the age of 4 and 11. They were adorable... and only spoke Creole. So it was a lot of face making and cuddling and awkward moments. It's just been good. I'm tired.. but i'm looking forward to tomorrow.
We are having a sunrise service for Easter with their English fellowship. Then maybe the Haiten church too. But then we are making Easter gift boxes for some really poor families that include some rice and clothes for the kids... it's so fun making them! Man, this has turned out to be long, but yet it's such a quick overview of what's happening.
Well, God has been SO faithful through this whole trip and I just really want to be used by Him to bless these people and kids. It's not for me, it's all for Him.
Thanks for praying, and i love you all!
Karianne
Monday, March 29, 2010
Preparation
Ok, so I have never blogged before, but I thought I would make this as a way to keep everyone updated on my little trip here.
So I arrived home from Spain yesterday, and walked out of international arrivals to see 15 or so wonderful friends there to greet me! It was really amazing! Now begins getting ready to go. Just for those who don't know, I'm going to work with an organization called Kids Alive in Haiti. My roles are pretty unknown at this point, but I do know I will be working alongside the director's wife doing whatever is needed I guess. I'm really looking forward to it! I leave this Friday, so there is lots to do.
I'm hoping while I'm in Haiti to be able to update once or twice. I'm only there for two weeks, and I don't know what kind of access I have to internet. I do appreciate all your prayers as I go.
Karianne
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