Pray for rain, pray for safety

Its a odd thing here, the rain that is. Its not a foreign concept to these people, but the emotions that go with rain. They hope for rain to cool everything off, to take a break from the hot heat that comes all year long. But then there are those that end up being flooded out of their homes temporarily, or are stuck in a mud house that melts with the rain. Sure they want the cool feeling of the rain, but not at the expense of their homes. And what about those that still live in the tents? What do they think of the rain? Do they pray to God asking him to hold off the rain and the wind, so they can have a shelter yet another day? And then there are those of us, that have a safe shelter from the rain, that pray to God to send it, to cool our bodies so we can have a good nights sleep. Here, there is a mixed emotion that comes with the rain, I experience it as well when I pray for the rain, yet feel guilty about it, thinking about those that would suffer if God helped me with my prayer. Yet God has answered the prayers of millions here, when after the earthquake the people of Haiti fasted and prayed for 3 days. Every hurricane has gone north of us, and became a small tropical storm before it even hits us. God protects us from the rain, yet knows when to give us a cool off. Pray for rain, and pray for safety of those whose housing situations are not ideal

First Week of school

Well It has been a busy week with school starting and getting into the groove of that. Also on the first day of school marked my one month anniversary of being in Haiti. Back to talking about school… Well Sunday I was nervous about starting school, as it was my first time going back as not a student. After being so worried, I realized there was absolutely nothing to be afraid of! The first day we kept all the little kids together which was preschool all the way to grade one. That day we sung songs, read stories, starting off with the creation story and then my favourite Robert Munch book Purple Green and Yellow. It was cool seeing them to react to the things I love. The first Day flew by before I knew it, it was over. The next day I got into teaching, I love my grade ones, though we had to over come language challenges we breezed through our first week. Between French, English and Creole, we some how understood each other. The school program we use is actually a homeschool program, called ACE (Accelerated Christian Education) and to start off grade one we do a 12 week lesson on all the sounds of each letter of the alphabet, with the first week being the A sounds with the three sounds that go it, then the do certain work sheets everyday, to understand how to tell the difference and how they work into other words. Then at the end of the week they take a test on it all. And to my surprise all my students did very well even the ones I didn’t think we comprehending it. Carolyn was very impressed since I don’t have an interpreter. It brings a sense of joy when you see it get it, when you don’t think they understand you. Oh and there is also an annoying song that goes with every lesson. Even though everything is laid out for me with this program I am able to get creative with how to drill it into their heads, for example after they learned all three A sounds I had them all sit in a circle and I had a ball I would throw to one of them, followed my me saying a word that had one of the three sounds in it (or no a sound to see if they are one the ball) and have them say which one they hear and throw the ball back. It made them really listen and think for which sound they needed to listen for, and it helped them on their test. Oh and a couple highlights from my week other than them doing really well on their tests was Friday afternoons are a slightly free/fun day since we have chapel and it’s a short day, so we put together a giant world map puzzle then I gave them paper and paint to paint their own version of the world but what I got was even better, they all painted the same four flags, Haiti, Brazil, USA and Canada just for me, so now those are going to be hung around the class room because I love the paintings. And the second highlight was when one of the boys in my class pulled out a couple toy cars to play with, and one of them made me laugh wishing I brought my camera like I planned to that day, it was a VANCOUVER CANUCKS toy bus, all the way here in Haiti. I tried to explain that I am a fan of that team and showed them on the map where it was. It was just a great moment to end a great first week of teaching. Which I absolutely love to do.

A poem

Living Sacrifice

Walking in to the room

sun shines through

the stained glass.

He’s reminding me

He’s everywhere.

The old pews

are well worn

and perfectly lined.

He’s reminding me

He’s here.

Kneeling down

before the cross

it’s quiet.

He’s reminding me

He’s in the silence.

Lifting my heart to him

with my hands held high

I sing softly.

I remind him

I’m his to use. 

Wrote this awhile ago, thought I would post just because

Pray for a miracle

This past week I have learned about how far faith can take a person. I am talking about the ability to pray to heal, headaches, sicknesses, diseases, to be able to grow limbs. When I was told Dr. Norm Dobbs, a psychologist from the states, was coming to pray to heal the people in this country, I was told he wanted to pray from limbs to grow. The first image that came into my head was as the man was praying for people an arm or leg would suddenly grow out of the person. I know this is a silly concept but this is God we are talking about, anything is possible if we have faith in Him. He calls us to pray for healing. I have yet to witness a limb grow, and neither has Norm, but in small doses things are happening. Not only is he praying to heal he is also praying to save, and saving people is he. One of my first experiences in Haiti was going into the mountain community of Jeanton to talk with people up there that she has connected to and wants to bring God into their lives. While there we hiked up a hill (really a mountain) to see a Boko, (witch doctor). He is a blind old man, who serves the people as the local Boko. At first he was very hostile towards us, even though he knew Barb. Well Norm and Barb hiked up there, and prayed for a few hours with him, amongst the spirits and the other nonsense that comes with voodoo, and a light shone through, demons where gone, and light and God came to him, that afternoon, he was no longer the local Boko. I have heard of other small miracles Norm has done through prayer, such as down in the children’s ward at the hospital he prayed for a couple lifeless children, and on his way back they were acting as happy normal children despite the pain. Tonight I witnessed Norm’s praying first hand while at Dr. Kerry’s. He has a little three year old Haitian boy in his care who has cerebral palsy. He was in the worst shape and has survived the earthquake, this afternoon Norm sat there praying for him, to gain strength. It wasn’t instant results, but he will be healed, and he will continue to be prayed for. It doesn’t take anyone special to go and pray for healing, to go and do God’s work, you just need to believe, you just need to put your self out there. Just have faith and put your hands, the ones God gave you to do his work, and pray. Pray for heath, pray for happiness, pray for life, pray for limbs, you never know you might just see one grow out of thin air.

3 weeks in...

Well I'm just shy of being here for one month and love being here more everyday. Not much has been happening besides getting ready for school to start in a week, other than we are moving to a bigger house only 2 days after school starts YIKES! As well our principal is stuck in the states due to health problems even he isn't sure what they are, he went to the hospital the day before he was suppose to fly back to haiti. Last week I got to meet Bev and Al who run the orphanage, they are an amazing couple. As well we have Carolyn and Gary's friend Norm here for a couple weeks, on a mission to pray for people's health he is very eager and wanting to see result. Yesterday We decided as adults to leave the kids at the orphanage and go for lunch and for a swim at one of the local resorts, Xaragua. It was a perfect afternoon of food, the beach and pool, sun tanning, friends and of course Haitian coke, which is to dye for! Today after church we were invited by the pastor and his wife to a beautiful meal that she had prepared for us. I'm starting to like haitian food even more every time I have it. Well that is all for now, a busy week ahead of more visitors coming in and getting the school ready, and my self prepared for my first class, which I have to say I am a little nervous about. Well here's some pictures for to keep you all satisfied for now.

Heading out on one of the employee's new motorbike

Haiti 2010

Busy Haitian Beach

Attempt of the self portrait Xaragua Resort, Haiti 2010

Xaragua Resort 

Nothing beats a nice cold Haitian Coke