Fog

A few of us sit here in the midst of the long night service. A long day of painting was followed by children’s service at 3:30 pm, and then we set up a new sound board and did some training. We came back tonight to oversee the first run of the system, and it is working great. A thousand voices in a-cappella drowns away the frustrations of the day. It empowers, and renews the spirit. These committed people are going to pray the night away. A praying church is a growing church, and this church is growing! Tonights topic was the third week in a study on faith. My adopted sister’s brother was teaching, and I was astounded. He began with a song and his deep voice carried over the PA system to the hungry faces of the congregation who in rapt attention began to sing with him. The harmony of their spirits is a most compelling and convicting symphony of worship. Then he commenced quoting scripture by memory for about 15 minutes straight. As Rob sat translating, and I watched the faces of the crowd, I marveled they could actually sit for teaching at 9:30 at night. They are packed in so tight, their legs and bodies literally intertwine. I think if someone jumped upright, ten other people would probably fall over. Beth and Lee stationed themselves on the stairs, and it was so packed that every time someone went up or down Beth had to stand. She said it was like musical chairs for the hour and a half we were there. There are really no words that can describe the long night service setting. The needs of these poor people are so great, the only hope they have is in God. At least their vision and understanding is clear. I still struggle with the fog of prosperity, and while I am fully aware of the financial needs represented in our country and the terrible struggle of many, I am also aware that the recourses we have are much more promising than anything these dear people will ever realize in their lifetimes. But they have riches we know nothing of, and they are of the spiritual kind. I would feel squeamish in trying to preach to them about faith. For goodness sake, I am harboring snacks in my tent, 10 inches from my knee, what kind of faith does that take. A little boy who had not come into children’s service attempted to force his way through the gate as the children were being dismissed and hastened out and home. I had to be very firm with this young violater to keep him from entering and stealing from another child. After the dust settled and the kids where gone, he showed back up, and I had to recognize his bravery. In spite of my stern reprimands to keep him at bay, he showed up by my side 30 minutes later begging for something. I remembered I had a couple snacks in my backpack, so I made haste and got him a couple. It was as if I had given him a hundred dollar bill. He was so grateful, I and felt bad for all those who didn’t make it into the Childrens’ service. We cared for 500 kids, and it was a taxing job this time around. So now I’m back the house, the day is done, and my eyelids are refusing cooperation to stay open and focused.  We gave everything we had covered with one coat of paint a second coat, and tomorrow, some of that will get a third coat. Time to rest for tonight. Greetings and blessings from St. Marc!

Paint

I mentioned in my earlier blog about grabbing a paint brush. In Haiti, there is not good, better, or best paint. There is only awful! We are applying something they call oil-based paint. It’s runny, thin as melted butter, and the ‘off white’ covers about like a see through sealer. 14 gallons went on walls today. The second coat tomorrow should maximize our efforts of today. The green color in two rooms though is refusing to hide behind the light color we are laying over it. But as I was testing a second coat in the boys room tonight a couple of the orphan boys came in and stood behind me to watch Pastor paint. They ooh’ed and ahh’ed as they watch the wall transform from dingy green to a very clean ‘off white’ and I was re-energized for the task at hand. We will likely spend most of this trip with paint brushes and rollers in hand, the payoff is the delighted looks on the faces of the children and Naromie as the improvements are so drastic. We are washing the walls before we paint, so there isn’t anything by way of a dull moment, there are lots of nasty discoveries! Sometimes we have to take a break, the heat is hard to bear following the cold that is settling back home. We had a pump system installed to move water up to the tank on the roof, the mason came and did a roof patch as well as finishing the stairs that had to be resurfaced. The carpentry starts tomorrow, we have several doors to hang and shelving to build and install. By tomorrow night the entire downstairs should be sealed with the first coat of paint, and the rooms done today should be finished with their second coat. The Mission house was a bit of a trick to arrange last night, but tonight has been a smooth transition. This is an amazing gift to the team, and the space here has a very homey feel. There is some good de-compressing going on tonight, and Chrissyanne had a little Haitian food for those adventurous palate’s. It was tasty. One of her specialties is the ‘rice cake’, and it will be ready Saturday. It takes several days to make, I actually sent money ahead to have her get started. Saturday will be a delicious day! Deloris had a great devotional at noon, and we were inspired and spurred by challenging words. We are so dependent on renewal, the circumstances are so draining, and we push hard. We are grateful for the prayer support and comments that also keep us close to home in our hearts. It adds great joy in the difficult moments. The young girls are stepping up, they are proving to be great cooks! Taylor, this trips ‘newbie’ is doing very well, and actually declared she slept better here last night than she does at home. I think she was just trying to make me feel good. Day two is now closing its doors, and archiving to the history banks, it was a good day, and we are grateful for the opportunity to serve this culture. It’s time to pause the keys and get some sleep, thanks for the prayers and support. May God bless you all!

Enthralled

Morning has come! We are all more rested this morning. The generator quit at about 4:38 am and the house went quiet, the air went still, and the heat wrapped me like a way too warm electric blanket. In the stillness I heard some rustling, and team captain Rob was up and putting gas in the tank, in a few moments, the generator purred to life, and the fans took off, and in the drone I drifted back to sleep for a bit. By the time we got downstairs house cleaning was fully underway. Each person here at the mission house seems to have a designated task. And they work so hard. I watched as one of the young girls collected a chair, and reached high above a doorway, felt around and came down with a bag of soap, she used a left over piece of plastic from a cornbread muffin bag from our flight into Haiti to put a few finger pinches onto it, and then to go and mix somewhere for some sort of cleaning. Did I mention nothing is wasted here. (I caught them going through our trash last night, recycle here means something different than in our country.) I know it’s a tiny detail, and obscure to most, but I marvel and am enthralled at the difficulties  that these people are subject to and take on with such a graceful ease in their existence. It makes we wonder how I ever get off griping and complaining about anything in my life. I type away on a speedy Macbook Air, hooked up to a battery powered internet router, while people around me scrub clothes, and floors and pans with their bare hands because they have no washing machines, dish washers, or clothes dryers. Strip away technology and life is quickly reduced to something radically different. My trips into Haiti are a safe guard against the callouses that are our culture. We get demanding about what is right and fair, and to a point, there is nothing wrong with that. Here though, you can make your demands, but they fall on deaf ears. A rigid, and course, and cruel climate scoff at you, its derisive face contorts and the Caribbean Island that at one point perhaps glowed with such promise, has become a tomb for the dreams of many. As we drive and walk the streets, I allow the pain of these people to tear at my heart, to rip at the callouses, to bare the raw flesh of my existence. To truly empathize there is nothing like getting in another person’s shoes, but be prepared, they don’t come close to fitting, and these that I wear now feel like wooden clogs to my being. Clumsy, uncomfortable, heavy, and very, very rigid. Already the pain is doing it’s healing, the exposure is purging, the antiseptic of denial while burning, also sterilizes the wounds the pulled callouses leave behind. It’s time to grab a paint brush and improve the wall color, the orphans are loving their new arrangements here. I think they feel safer, and the space is much more functional for everyone. The facility handles people well, we feel blessed to have located such a place for the dollars we had to invest. The air flow is fantastic upstairs and downstairs, it keeps the house so much more functional as a dwelling. So I leave you again for now, be blessed this incredible day!

Test

TSA. Need I say any more. We arrived to a security line backed up way too far for the early morning. 10 people decided not to show up for work. On the same day? Really? They figured out they had a problem with the Port Au Prince flight and created a separate line. That didn't fix much as half the plane was in line! Lest you were wondering, the whole team made it, but our plan from last night crumpled in the security line. You could feel the steam and frustration. It's the testing that goes with this journey. Travel in the states is no problem (compared to Haiti travel), because where we are headed the alternatives drop like bricks. It's time to pull up the steel britches. You have to get in a place of total surrender, and often we get these divine pricks to test our readiness. As we flew along, over the public announcement system in the airplane comes the news that we are now being charged $10.00 per passport for a tourist entry fee. Like I'm here for the tourism! I get that all the time, people saying oh so your going to Haiti for vacation. Right! When you leave here you need a vacation. The one plus is that we were just a very short line at the passport entry point. We were through passport control in a matter of just a couple of minutes. The airport extravaganza has changed considerably over the last year or so, and Claudy's brother was there to see us through customs once we found a lost carry-on, there is just no such thing as smooth sailing in Haiti. But the trip through customs today was as worry free an encounter as I have ever had! It was a little like crossing the Red Sea on dry ground! The waves parted, and customs agents walled up around us, and we crossed through with a friendly wave. We bussed our way up through the greenest countryside I have witnessed in my 14 trips, the air was pretty cool, there was a lot of chatter as we tried to catch up on all the happenings of the last few months. And then we arrived. At first survey, it is incredible what has developed. The new orphanage and house for Rob's family is really suitable. It's much cooler than the old location, and much more space. The team set to unpacking and organizing all our goods and food for the week, an inventory of projects for while we are here were set in motion, and we have had tons of hugs and fun with the orphans. Did I mention they are on school break this week! It should prove to be a very special time with them. Weariness has settled upon us all tonight. We are readying dinner, and then will shut things down for the night. The first day always has a surreal lag to it. Time stutter steps along as the heat and the exhaustion of the travel lays siege to the human constitution. So it's time to call quits to this blog for tonight. The brain has begun to refuse to function with any great clarity. More to come tomorrow! Blessings from St. Marc.  

Rush

Finally, sitting at the gate! I have left this poor blog vacant for so long. No excuses, just a very blinding pace for several months. So much has happened. Some good, some unsettling. The last few weeks have been consumed with Creole classes and packing preparations. The rush to the finish line of this trip has been one extraordinary run! But God’s faithfulness is and continues to be a marvel and joy to us. We arrived at the airport this morning a few minutes late but the team was already firing on all cylinders. Ray was checking baggage, Brandon was the muscle, and we just flowed right into the process. We had one extra bag to check today at the steep price of $150.00. The AA ticket counter personal were wonderful to work with and on the final bag she announced she was waving the fee! I was shell shocked. The airlines have never given me anything. Finances have been tight and one of the prayers I have been praying is that we would have enough on this trip to accomplish what we are too accomplish. I have learned it’s in the little things God comes through the biggest sometimes, and this was one of those incredible moments that I brushed up once more against the divine sleeve of God. I’m glad in my rushing I have maintained awareness of the presence of His gentle and watchful care. Sometimes I wonder at the pace, I wish to pull back the reigns, to slow to a more casual gait. But as I sit and ponder now climbing up through the clouds, pressing our way south to the land of the impoverished,
I am reminded that soon enough I will no longer be up to the rush. My eyes will weary of seeing as the decay of time lays claim. My body will surrender to the force of gravity that pulls and drags each day. I refuse to be morbid, but I also refuse to not be real. That is why on days like these I also refuse to begrudge the rush. The alternative is…well…morbid! How’s that for perspective! We also have to be careful sometimes that it is us doing the rushing and not God. He is never in a hurry, is never late, nor early, He is always on time, always ready, always has His plan. Some perhaps will argue that rushing is in large part due to poor planning, and that can be partially true. But God equips all differently, some are geared for rushing because they can. And God loves to push us to our limits and beyond. So I’m a runner, and while I sometimes get out of breath, I love the racing! Not all I travel with are this way, and together we will make a great team, some are the home run hitters, some are great base runners, some are great coaches, some are great equipment tenders, some are good at stat entry. We have it all, and today, we begin the journey of another great God adventure to His field called Haiti. Claudy after teaching Creole classes for 2 months is going home with us. He has provided such an amazing gift in language training for 26 American students the last few weeks. I think he is happy to be returning home, especially now that winters chill has bit him a couple of times. His brother who works in customs is going to meet us in Port and see us out of the airport. This is also another great and timely gift. We will not have to pause at customs, nor have any worries about the difficulties that we have encountered there over the years. In doing some calculating, this is now my fourteenth trip, and I would be remiss not to ponder the faithfulness of God and be humbled.
In moments like these I am pushed to the sitting position, forced to a different awareness, to a calmer state of mind. I am forced from the drivers seat, the pilot takes over, and I’m along for the ride. A gentle reminder that I’m always along for the ride of life. I love these moments of awareness. And so D-day has come, we are under way, and covet your prayers for every step we take, every hug we share, every project we embrace. On a different note, I think I have the cell phone comment posting problem resolved. I worked with Alisa this morning, changed a setting and ran a couple of tests, and it looks like it worked. I do moderate the comments because I have the blog fully open for posting to keep it simple for all who are not tech savvy! So if there is a delay in your comment going up, it is simply due to the moderation process and when I get internet to check in. Blessings to all!

Strong

woke with a feeling of dread in my stomach as I remembered it was our last day here. I never want that feeling to take over and make my day miserable but I seem to look at things through new eyes when I know my time here is drawing to a close. We had planned to take a walk up the mountain behind the church but time got away from us this morning. Robinson has 5 nephews that are our guardian angels while we are here. They fill the coolers with water and ice, keep the generator going, load and unload the car, carry our bags, help with the children, set up fans and just about every other little job you can think of. They are all right about my age and they are some of my very best friends here in Haiti. They all grew up in the village of Desdunes  but in an effort to get them out of that situation their grandparents had them move to St. Marc. The grandparents live in the states but all of these kids live in the grandparents house here in town. They are all by themselves trying to go to school everyday and make it through life. As we were talking to them this trip, Mom asked why they weren't going to church. Come to find out, they have no church clothes and no money to get any. I know at home that we believe we can go to church dressed in whatever because God excepts us just as we are and that is true but the Haitians follow the same standard my Dad and Mom taught me. If you were going to meet the president wouldn't you wear your very best? Then why wouldn't you do the same when you go to God's house? That is how the Haitians think and it is very important to them that they look nice. Mom promised that she would do her best to get dress clothes and shoes for all of them and they were so excited! Then they asked if there would be any way we could get them a Bible. It breaks my heart that I don't have these simple things to give them but I have high hopes of being able to help them.

We had our big school meeting today for all of the kids being sponsored for school from back home. We got there and were greeted by all kinds of children! The only problem being that three quarters of them weren't the school kids... They were kids who wanted to be able to go to school. So many hurting kids who just want to learn. We had about 50 of our 79 kids show up to write their thank you cards and get pictures. One of the young men that Grandpa Berg has been sending to school will be graduating this year and then next year I think we have 2 or 3 kids who will be graduating! It is so amazing to see all of our hard work to get sponsors for these kids paying off! Besides God, education is one of the only things that is going to help Haiti. Mom is so respected here in Haiti and Rob asked her to speak to a couple of young people from the church who are struggling right now. They are like any other young person anywhere who have struggles and quite often Rob will ask Mom to talk to them about their choices and decisions. She is like a mother to all of these kids and young people! As we got ready to leave the church, we had to say our final goodbyes to Claudy. It was the start to the many goodbyes we have had to say. The orphans came back to the mission house with us to eat dinner and have a little time with us. They didn't know we were leaving until we got to the house and told them. We have learned it is better not to say anything to them about leaving until close to time. It is so hard for them to let us in when they know their hearts will be hurt all over again when we leave. They are such strong kids and it took everything in me not to cry when we told them we had to leave in the morning. Samuel started counting on his fingers how many months until November and when I walked around the corner, Dina was wiping tears from her eyes. A lot of times when they hear we are leaving, they become very distant but I was so proud of how they handled themselves! We got more hugs in one evening from them then we have gotten the whole week which is really saying something! They refused to leave our sides all evening long. The Haitian kids love food! Any kind of food! They ask and ask and ask for food and will eat anything so when we pulled out popcorn and cookies you would think these kids had been given a million bucks! It was so much fun and a great way to spend our last night with them. When it was time for them to go, they gave us big hugs and got into the car. Manius went with them and saying goodbye to him was just as hard as saying goodbye to the kids. We waved until Rob, Manius and the kids were out of sight and then the four American women stood outside the gate and sobbed. Every trip gets harder and harder for me to leave. Poor Vanel stood at the gate watching over all of us until we could pull it together. We are finishing packing up and sorting through the things we are leaving here and taking with us. Klarissa has given us a wonderful show tonight dancing in a way that only she could! We got some pretty spectacular video footage! Now we are showering and ready to fall into bed. It will be an early morning and a long trip home. This past week has been amazing. I will come home if I must but my heart stays here in Haiti.

Much love,
Krystle

Priceless

Today has been a whirlwind of excitement! After we got up and around we went to go see the church up in the mountains that West Side Church is helping to have built. We picked up Pastor Isa and Claudy on our way out of town. I don't know what has gotten into us in the last couple of days but we just keep laughing like it's the last time we ever will! Especially Emma and I! She has become like a little sister to me! The four guys in the truck didn't know what to do with us but it was a great trip to the church! When we got there, about 20 children came running out to greet us. They were all very poor and malnourished and it just breaks my heart to see them having to live like this. It was just amazing to see how much a balloon and a lollipop affected all of these sad children. There were smiling faces everywhere! We gave them out to the adults as well and there they all stood laughing and blowing up their balloons! The church is looking awesome! It's unbelievable how quickly they are getting the work done! It's going to be a really great blessing for all of these mountain people to have it! On the way back down the mountain, we stopped to hand out candy to every person on the side of the road. It's crazy how happy it made each and every one of them. I like to believe that to stop beside someone who is just trying to carry water home, crush stones to sell for money or washing laundry in the river, to give them candy is a blessing. Even though it's not much, I like to think that this simple act is letting these people know that they are not forgotten. They are special. They are loved beyond their wildest dreams by their one true Father. It's like the song from Mary Poppins! "Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down!". A piece of candy from a complete stranger to help bring a bit of sunshine to another dreary day.

When we got back to town, it was time to get Vlad from school. Robinson let us get out and walk in with him and then got us special permission from the principle to be surprise visitors to Vladimir's class! His face was priceless when the four of us walked through the door! His class has probably 50 other children but he was so excited and happy as we took pictures of he and his classmates! His teacher dismissed him from the table and he walked out of there like he was the coolest kid there! It was great! After a very quick lunch at the mission house, we took off for more adventures! Grandpa and Rob dropped us girls off to the church to wait for the water tank to fill so they could pass out water and we could get pictures. While sitting there waiting, we got visited by about 35 kids. We each had at least two on our laps while the rest crowded around to touch us or comb our hair! This is one of my favorite things about Haiti. When I was here back in 2012, I taught Sunday school to over a hundred kids every Sunday morning. I would have 4-5 hours every week that were spent with all of these kids but on team trips I usually don't get any time with them. This is yet another side of Haiti that I will never be able to explain. To have all of these children love you so deeply when you don't know half of their names is something truly precious. They aren't expecting anything from you, they just want to be near you, to see you smile, to get hugs and kisses. Emma and I played ring-around-the-rosy and London bridge is falling down until we were sweated wet and could hardly stand up! The kids were beyond thrilled! When we told them we had to leave, they all gave us a hug and kiss goodbye multiple times for many of them. They waved and waved until we turned the corner in the Toyota. Times like these make me so sad. I love my home in Michigan so much but I love my home here in Haiti just as much and leaving after only being here for a few days breaks my heart. There are people here that are my family just as much as my Dad, Mom and brother and seeing them for a couple of weeks out of the year isn't enough. When I said goodbye this afternoon to all of the kids, I was saying goodbye to most of them for the next 6 months. From the church, we went to the orphanage to spend some time with the kids. We made crafts and blew bubbles but then we pulled out a new soccer ball, basketball and volleyball. We had different games going on all over the yard! Mom played volleyball for a few minutes, but then I took her place to play with Kenley and Emma played with Titi. It was a blast and the kids loved it! They were all asking if they could come back to the mission house after school tomorrow. They don't know yet that tomorrow is our last day with them. It is so hard for them to understand why we have to leave and why wouldn't it be? It's hard for me to understand why we have to leave. I just ask for extra prayers as we get ready for our last day here on the ground.

Before going home for the night, we went to visit a couple of the Monday night prayer services. There are four of them held at four different homes with a total of 400-500 people every week. The first one we went to see was behind the church, up the mountain just a little ways. The path up was steep so Rob had us go up in a "chain" holding each others hands. LOL is all I have to say! We must have looked like quite the group! Manius is the president of the first service we visited. This tiny house up the mountain was filled to the brim with people! It's just amazing! The second one we visited was downtown but it was just as full. Emma and I were talking about how we wished we could have things like this back home but people hardly make it to church Sunday. Back home, our faith is being smothered by the business of life. I totally understand because I live there and I know how life works but I have to wonder why we choose to rush through so many things. Like I said in one of my previous blogs, Haiti is a good perspective change for me. Lots of things I am thinking about tonight. Love to everyone back home!

Krystle