Dear Baby Steve

Born into this earth as the son of a prostitute, you had no home. Mother and son, displaced and alone with only each other. You were born with a disease by no fault of your own. She tried her best to take care of you, I believe. You were so tiny, at three months old just the size of a newborn. It was not easy, that life of yours. Your mama struggled just to feed you while moving from house to house staying with anyone who would open their doors.  I cried the first time I held you because I knew. I knew that your life would never be easy. 

With mere human perspective, I could say you were taken far too soon.  You were not honored by man in your lifetime, and you will be remembered by few. But tonight, I reflect and in my moment of sadness I find comfort because I know:

He had a humble beginning, too, much like you. Born in a stable in a hog trough surrounded by animals.  His entry into this world was meticulously planned by His father.  He did that for you, dear Steve. He came humbly as a baby because of His great love for you.  He knew when you would be born, the number of hairs on your head, and the number of days you would have on this earth. He knew, precious one, that for you to have eternity with Him, He must come and die just as He did.  Here, you were the least of these in the dregs of society. In His kingdom, you are crowned with royalty. Tonight you are in a seat of honor worshiping with the angels singing: holy, holy, holy.  You were loved beyond measure, and loved you will be for eternity.   

Holiday Spirit

At Academie La Saline, we've been getting in the holiday spirit with songs, dances, stories, and crafts.  We are all preparing for December 18th which is our Christmas party!  There has been lots of excitement in the air!

Weekend Getaway

This fall, two of our dear friends and members of our community moved from Gonaives to Cap Haitian.  We were all sad to see them leave and miss them daily.  Thankfully, over Thanksgiving weekend, my friends and I had the opportunity to take a bus to go visit them.  It was refreshing to leave the city and reassuring to see that they are living well in their new location.

Over the weekend we met their new friends and had a Thanksgiving meal together.  We got to hike and visit the Citadelle (a national landmark in Haiti).  

Then, we spent a morning helping them round up and catch all of their newly purchased chickens so that they could be vaccinated.

It was a great weekend with great friends!

Pergolatory

The building that I live in is three stories tall.  The first floor apartment is Mami, my dear sweet 73 year old Haitian neighbor.  The second floor is mine and my roommate's apartment, and the third floor is my friends' apartment.  Although we have two separate apartments, the four of us eat most meals together and basically live together.  

One of the perks of the third floor apartment is that it has access to our neighbors roof.  It has a nice view and a great breeze.  Since they moved in upstairs, we've had a dream to make that roof somewhat of a sanctuary.

We made lots of plans and ideas about what to do and how to do it.  We debated on what the structure we wanted was actually called.  Some people said arbor, some of us said pergola, and others said gazebo.  In the end, one of us got confused and called it a pergolatory....and it stuck.  We assumed it would take most of the year to finish it.  When our dear friend Emory came to visit and heard about our idea, he quickly got to work helping us make it happen.

In a matter of days, what we had drawn on paper appeared on the roof just as we imagined it.  However, it was not completely finished.  We still had to treat the wood for termite and rot protection and cover it with grass mats for shade.  Our project was paused momentarily until we had the funds and time to finish it.

The Lord is good and loves to bless us so much.  Last week, I got a phone call saying that someone had donated money specifically so that we could finish this rooftop project.  We were so surprised and overjoyed to hear this news!  It blew me away that God loves us so much that he put it on someone else's heart to help us with this project. 

Now, we have a beautiful breezy sanctuary to retreat to.  We are looking forward to many times of peacefulness, rest, laughter, and worship under our beautiful "pergolatory".

You are mine.

As someone who isn't a parent yet, I would assume that choosing the name for your child would be both exciting and overwhelming.  Last week, I had the opportunity to do just that.  Not for myself, but for a family that is very close to my heart.

I met this family three years ago when I moved from Port-au-Prince to Gonaives.  Two of their  children were in my class that year and just a few weeks after school started, their youngest son became very sick and passed away.  I've been involved in their lives ever since.

Their son, Ifocoeur was in my class for two years.  He is outgoing, goofy, a natural leader, has a smile that lights up a room, and loves the Lord.

I will never forget last year the many times he shared with me how his heart is broken for his parents.  His father is a bokor (Vodou priest) and Ifocoeur longs for him to leave all that and know Jesus.  Many days we've sat together in tears praying for his parents.

The Lord has continued to bring this family to the forefront of my mind, and I know that He is relentlessly pursuing them.  I can't even begin to tell you all of the ways that God has been speaking and revealing His love for this family.

Prior to the baby being born, I have been visiting the family often and praying for them.  I truly believe the Lord has a huge plan for this family.  When the baby was born, I went in the morning to see the beautiful baby girl.  During the visit, they asked me if I would name her for them.

I was (and still am) shocked and humbled to have been giving such a huge honor and responsibility….to name a baby, to name someone else's daughter, to choose what she will be called for the rest of her life.  The human side of me was stressed and slightly overwhelmed at the pressure of coming up with a name for this precious little girl.  But, I realized that it was the Lord's favor that gave me this opportunity.

After racking my brain for names that would have meaning and significance (and still be able to be pronounced with a Haitian Creole accent) I had come up with zilch, zero, zip, nadda, nothing!  I started praying hoping that He would magically give me a name but all God told me was "She's mine."  And to that I said, "God, "mine" isn't' very pretty sounding and neither is "pa'm" (creole)".  So, I opened my bible and found Isaiah 43:

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze….You are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life…

I sat staring at the words in this chapter thinking how perfect this scripture is for this baby and for her family.  I know that although she is in the middle of a family that is currently devoted to "bagay mistik" (mystic things/practices), the Lord has already called her by name.  He has already said, "She's mine."  He has a plan for her life and she is in His hands.

So, with excitement and joy in my heart (and nervousness) I went to their house to tell the family  that the Lord says to her, "You are mine" and so her name is Aremine (pronounced 'ah-meen).  Words cannot describe how thankful, blessed, and humbled I am to have this opportunity to be a part of the lives of this family and to have been given the authority to say that this child is the Lord's.

Bunnies, bunnies!

This past week was very exciting for our students.  When a lady walked past the school selling rabbits, we couldn't resist buying two for our kids to take care of.  The 3rd graders (the kids I taught last year) have one and my 1st grade class has one.

Thankfully we had enough scrap wood at the school to build two rabbit cages condos.  One cage has four stories and the other has three.

After voting both classes chose names for their rabbits.  Third grade "Princess Love Cinderella" and my class named our rabbit "Prince Peanut".  Other names that they suggested include: Super Rabbit, The Lorax, Peter Rabbit, Window, Mouse, Skinny Rabbit, Gruffalo, Cotton Tail, Special Rabbit, and many more.  It has been really fun watching the kids excitement.  For all of our students and even most of our teachers, this is their first experience seeing a rabbit in person.

In Haiti, animals are typically not treated well.  I've been enjoying teaching the kids how to treat Price Peanut gently and what his needs are.  They have been really receptive to everything.  During reading centers, they read stories to him.

The kids are excited to help take care of the bunnies.  One of our boys used his snack money (5 goudes which is about 12 cents) to buy two small carrots to give the rabbit.  Other kids have went in search of grass to bring to school.

 All in all, week one of classroom bunnies has been a very positive experience for everyone!  I think we might be the only school in all of Haiti that has classroom pets!

Cemetery Adventure

I arrived at my apartment after school and found that three of my students from last year had beaten me there and were eagerly waiting for me (as if I had not just seen them 20 minutes prior).  My motorcycle had a flat tire and I figured asking them to help me push it to my tire repairman down the street would be a good way to channel their neverending energy. I had no idea it would turn into a little adventure!

I live on the same street as the city cemetery.  Most Haitians that I've met are afraid of the cemetery, zombies, etc so they don't like to go in or near it.  I don't know what got into the boys today, but they began begging me to take them inside.  Knowing this would be highly entertaining (and not wanting to disappoint), I agreed.

So in we went.  I noticed as we walked through the cemetery gates that I suddenly had three small boys clinging to my arms and sides but all the while saying, "We're not scared!  We believe in Jesus!" That became their mantra as we wandered around the empty cemetery.

Ifocoeur said that he wanted to look around to find his little brother's grave (among hundreds of unmarked graves) so we wandered around as the boys asked me question after question.  David became thoroughly freaked out when he saw a grave with the name "David" on it.  He claimed he was going to change his name, and ironically he sudden began complaining that he had to pee.

"We want to see some bones," they said.  If you've ever been in the Gonaives cemetery you know you need not look far to find broken caskets and skeletons laying around. Sure enough just a few minutes later we saw a pile of bones up ahead.  The looks on the boys faces were priceless.  "Well, do you want a closer look?" I asked them.  They responded, "You go first, Katie! You first!!" as they shoved me in front of them.  I could tell they were loving that "haunted house" feeling of being completely terrified but also enjoying it at the same time.  Somehow in my attempt to explain to them that there is no reason to be afraid of bones, I got roped into proving it to them by touching one.  I guess that's what I get (add that to my list of things I've never imagined myself doing)!

Eventually, Ifocoeur realized that it was impossible to find his brother's grave so he gave up and announced, "This one looks like it might be his.  Let's stop here and talk to him."  I asked him, "Do you want a few minutes alone with your brother to talk to him?"  He looked up at me like I had three heads and said, "WHAT!!!! NO DON'T LEAVE ME HERE ALONE!"  So the four of us said a few words to his brother before deciding to leave and head back to the tire repairman.

I know that the boys were mostly afraid of someone (aka a zombie) coming up out of a grave and chasing them.  That is something that I tried to teach them many times in class last year: You don't need to be afraid of zombies or evil spirits.  If you have Jesus, you have  the power of the Holy Spirit...that means you have authority over all of those things that scare you.  As much as their mantra of "We're not scared because we believe in Jesus" made me laugh, it also made me proud to know that they listened to things that I taught them last year.  I'm not sure whether our impromptu field trip to the cemetery helped the boys conquer their fear of the cemetery, but I do think that is an adventure they will remember and laugh about for a very, very long time. 

Wrecked

I've always struggled to put into words how this place, Haiti, makes me feel. The range of emotions seems impossible to describe, impossible to convey to people who are not living it and breathing it. 

In this moment, the word "wrecked" seems to say so much. The poverty and sickness that I see daily wrecks me and breaks my heart.  The pain, suffering, and injustice that is all around has left me weeping before The Lord. The physical conditions of this country frequently wreck my health. 

And at the same time...

The Father wrecks me daily with His love in ways that I never experienced before. The children wreck me with their hope, their smiles, and their innocence. I'm wrecked when I see a friend and mother of four who already struggles to feed her own children choose to take in three homeless children.  

Sometimes I wonder, "when will this get easier? When will I have a moment to breathe?" Then I remember that it's in our weakness He is made strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9) Blessed are the poor in spirit and blessed are those who mourn. (Mathew 5)

I think being wrecked is exactly how He wants me to be. 

New School Year!

I landed back in Haiti just 12 short days before the start of the new school year.  It is always a pure joy, and at the same time a shock to be back on Haitian soil.  The three hour ride from the airport to Gonaives (in the back of the truck) is always a good time to wrap my head around the fact that I seemed to have jumped from one world to another in a matter of hours.

When my friend, Tia, and I arrived at our apartment, our neighbor boys and several students appeared at our doorstep within minutes to greet us.  Its a beautiful thing to have loved ones excited to see us.

The past two weeks are a blur of unpacking, cleaning, setting up my classroom, and adjusting back to the Haitian pace of life.

The heat during this time of year makes it difficult to get things done, but we couldn't let that stop us at school because we simply had way too much to do!  Two weeks ago when I walked into my classroom, this was how it looked…

Many moto trips to and from the school taking supplies to our classrooms…

After lots of hours of hard work this was the result!

The first day of school was a blast!

This year, I only have six students.  I know...crazy.  I almost don't know what to do with myself in class because it is so much calmer and easier than what I am used to.  So, with my extra time I have been helping other teachers and helping in the preschool room.

I am very excited about what this school year will hold for the students and for me.  Praying for God's presence to be in all that we do at school this year.  

Support Information

Hello friends!  For those of you who may not know, I am currently in America for our school summer break.  I am using this time to rest, visit with family and friends, and to work part time to earn money to return to Haiti for the new school year.

Many of you have inquired about where you can send money to support me and/or our school.  Our school runs completely off of donations.  While our Haitian teachers are paid to work at the school, none of the American teachers are paid, that means that all the money I need to live for the year comes from what I earn during the summer months and from your generosity.  If you are interested in financially supporting me, you can click the link at the top of this page (under the photo) that says "Support Me." Donations to me will help cover the costs of my flight to/from Haiti, my rent/utilities while in Haiti, and money for food/water.  I need approximately $400 per month to cover my basic living expenses.

If you would like to donate, but would rather sponsor a child or send money directly to the school, you can click the link above that says "Child Sponsorship".  Money sent to the school will pay for all of the school's operating needs such as meals for the children, uniforms, books, payroll for the Haitian teachers, medical care, building maintenance, and school supplies.

I want to thank you all so much for your willingness to donate.  If it weren't for all of you, I would not be able to serve the children of Jubilee every day.  I pray that the Lord will bless each and everyone of you just as you have all blessed me.

Much love!

The Twins

For those of you that have been following my blog since 2010, you may remember two special little girls, Frances and Francesca.

They were born in Jubilee and their mama died during labor.  At that time, I was living in Port-au-Prince and volunteering at Faith Hope Love Infant Rescue.  The twins were brought to us in Port when they were only three weeks old and weighing 3 or 4 pounds.  Francesca needed a feeding tube and was hypothermic.

For the first week or two they were at FHLIR, they slept in my bedroom with me and I took care of them day and night.  We were crowded at that time and didn't have enough cribs, so they slept in a laundry basket and a plastic box.

They grew and grew during their year at FHLIR.  When they were a year old, they moved back to Jubilee to live with their aunt.

They will be four years old in October!  So hard to believe!  I'm hoping and praying that they will have the opportunity to be in our preschool class next school year.

Francesca

Frances

The students were trying to get the girls to look at the camera

Baby Birds

This week, I read my students a book about birds.  Afterward, we had a brief discussion about why we shouldn't kill birds.  I will never understand it, but in Haiti (specifically in Jubilee) they seem to kill nearly every living thing they see: lizards, geckos, birds, frogs, snakes, etc.  I believe that is one of the reasons that the only real wildlife in Haiti is farm animals and rats.

During our discussion, most of my 2nd graders admitted to killing birds when they see them.  They told me they usually make slingshots to hit them with rocks.  I encouraged them to start appreciating the beauty of birds instead of killing them.

The next day, my students arrived to class very excited.  They were all crowded around on girl, Valentine.  She proudly smiled at me and announced that she had a bird for me in her backpack.  I was shocked but didn't believe her until she opened her backpack and pulled out a cardboard sidewalk chalk box that she had dug out of the trash the previous day.

Valentine explained that Santia, another girl in my class, saw her mom throwing a birds nest outside after finding it in their house.

The girls remembered what I had taught them the day before so they ran out and saved the nest and the two baby birds that were inside it.  They put them in the box and ran to school with them.

I noticed the girls had put some spaghetti inside the box in an attempt to feed the babies.

I sat my class down and explained to them how mother birds feed their young.  Then, I explained that because these babies did not have their mother, they probably would not live very long.  We kept the box of birds in the class all day.  We were serenaded by their chirping and I prayed all day that they wouldn't die during class.

One of the pitfalls of having our school located directly adjacent to the city dump is the fact that my classroom literally has hundreds upon hundreds of flies everywhere.  However, my students decided to go on a fly killing spree that day to get "food" for the baby birds.  Seeing them so excited about taking care of living creatures made my heart so happy.

At the end of the day, Valentine took the box of birds home with her.  Before leaving she informed me that she knew where the mama bird was, and she was going to go catch the mama so she could reunite them.

The following morning, my kids arrived with smiling faces.  When they got inside the classroom, they couldn't wait to tell me what they had done.  They said that after school they went together in search of the mama bird.  They found her (I'd love to know how they were so sure it was the mama, haha).  So, they got a basket and used a stick to prop it up.  They tied a string to the stick and put some bait of some sort under the basket.  When the bird landed under the basket, they trapped the bird and then "reunited" her with her babies.

I love my students soooo much.  I am so thankful that they are so ingenious and were able to have the feeling of saving the baby birds (even if it wasn't really their mama).

Happy Mother's Day!

Just a couple weeks ago, I was talking with one of the Haitian teachers at our school.  He said, "I have a question for you, but I don't know how to ask.  What makes you the way you are?"  I laughed and asked what he meant.  He responded, "You're different than other people...you're even different from other Americans.  You treat everyone like equals.  You're patient and gentle.  You are always thinking about others.  What made you be like that?"

I thought about it for a second and responded, "My parents."  (Dad you're included in this, too!  But, its mother's day) 

Ever since I was a child, my parents always taught me about God, faith, and how to live a life for others.  As far back as I can possibly remember, my mom taught me to put others first and to show God's love.  The beautiful thing about my mom is that she doesn't just say the words, she lives it.

Giving, serving, loving...its a lifestyle for my mom.  It is in her very being, and her desire to do all that stems from the deep wells in her heart that are filled with the Father's love.  I remember a long time ago when there was an immigrant family in town.  They had many kids and lived in an old house without electricity.  My parents would take our family to visit them and give them food and clothes.  As a child, it didn't faze me that two Saturday's a month, my mom was volunteering her time at the local recycling center.  It was by no means glamorous.  She got no glory from it.  But, she did it faithfully and joyfully.  For years, my mom organized and lead youth mission trips around the U.S. every summer.  It was a lot of work and stress, but my mom chose to do that because of her love of the teens in our church.  Whenever there were people that would normally be overlooked because of their unkempt and shabby appearance, my mom saw them.  For years, she would spend time with a woman that most other's didn't even give a second glance.  She would visit her, drive her places if needed, and just love on her.

As a pre-teen, my mom and I would often butt heads.  Every time I locked myself in my bedroom, upset.  My mom always came to find me, hug me, and in tears, we would apologize to each other.

As an adult, my mom is just as supportive as ever.  Unlike many other parents, she has never pressured me to get married or tried to convince me to leave Haiti.  In fact, the times I've been frustrated and wanted to leave Haiti, she has helped remind me why I'm here.  Despite the fact that I have been a volunteer for the past four years and make absolutely no money, she is proud of me.  I don't have a fancy house, nice clothes, or anything to show for myself, but she's proud of me.  Because of her trust in God and her unshakable faith, she doesn't overreact or put her worries on me.  I know that I can call her up and tell her about the good and the bad that happens here.  Even when I tell her stories of scary, dangerous things that I've had to face, she is unwavering.  Deep down, I know my mom wants grandkids.  I know she wants to have her daughters close to her.  But as always, she puts her own wants aside for the sake of what is best for others.  She knows that I'm in Haiti to serve, and so she chooses to put my students above herself.

I think about the amazing example that my mom is and was for me in my life.  If I ever get married or have children, I will be fortunate enough have incredible blueprints for how to be a good wife and mother.  To me, my mom's life is marked with humility, laugher, joy, faith, kindness, patience, and gentleness.  I can only hope to live up to the incredible example that she has set for me.

I love you, mama.  Happy Mother's Day!