Hospital Visits

Hi! I'm Ciara one of the nursing student. Today we went to visit local hospitals/clinics as well as a local nursing school. The first hospital was a Cuban hospital. This was interesting because there was Cuban nurses who only spoke Spanish and Haitian nurses that only spoke Creole. The facility was built in July 2012 so it is very new and nice. On Monday's and Friday's they hold a vaccination clinic, therefore it was very busy with babies and children getting their vaccinations. Their supply didn't contain all of the vaccines, but some like Hep B, Typhoid, Polio. No MMR right now. We noticed the nurses re-using the same needle for all vaccines. This seems to be due to a supply problem. The hospital is 100% free for all people. This makes it difficult to sustain supplies. During our tour it was mentioned that patients will come from all over, including Port au Prince because of it being free and providing a variety of services. They have a ER/triage area, OR, physical therapy, OBGYN, and HIV testing area. Again, very nice.

We also got to visit St. Michelle hospital in Jacmel. They are in the process of rebuilding many buildings. We met a Haitian nurse that Barb and Dr. Rick know well. She is very kind and offered for 3 of us to observe a surgery tomorrow and 3 on Wednesday. This hospital is much larger than the Cuban hospital. The area I was most interested in during the tour was the pediatrics area. It was interesting because it contained almost entirely premie babies, rather than a variety of pediatric cases. There was at least 10 premies. Their resources are so limited that the premies are swaddled, but they don't have heat lamps, bili lights, etc. They are placed in nets and bundled up. I would be curious to know the survival rate of this population.

The last stop was to the local nursing school. We found out they have 250 nurses between the 4 class years. This means the classes are pretty big. The first class we introduced ourselves. I told them my name and all the girls laughed because of Ciara the singer. I've gotten that quite a few times since we've been here. The school is big, but classrooms pretty crammed tight. They all wear uniforms and are in different colors based on year in school. Then we got to visit the lab this morning (new day I'm finishing post). The lab is very very nice. They have so much equipment, beds, wheel chairs, bed pans, etc. to practice with. I actually feel like their lab has more resources then the actual hospitals.

Well goodbye for now, I'm sure one will blog after surgery today to tell about their expire need. -Ciara

The Learning Curve

When my tired head hits the pillow I start to laugh to my self, I think this could be Saturday Night Live Sketch.  At the end of the day we decide to buy some diesel fuel to use in the generator. It seemed this would maybe be a one hour project.
First is the long discussion about what do you put the fuel in when you buy it. In the conversation is the maintenance man, security guard, school administrator, orphanage director and myself. The first idea was to fill buckets. I do not think that is going to work. I suggest in my american mind how about a truck that comes and fills it up from the station. I am quickly told this does not exist. So then we go to  getting a drum. But we do not have money for a drum. Then there is the trip out to see if a drum can be borrow.  All this accomplished in over an hour.
At last the maintenance man arrives in his pick up with a drum in the back. Everyone with him smiling at this accomplishment. I think oh good it is 5 pm so we will fill it and get back to the hotel early.
The men get is all set up to pump into the tank. They crank and crank, they move the hose. They tip the tank, they move the truck closer. They continue to look at the gauge and no diesel fuel will flow. Oh did I mention we are in the sun the entire time and it is about 89 degrees. After about 90 minutes I  decide to find a solution. Before they start to pour the fuel from the drum to a bucket and pour into tank. I realize they have not vented the drum. The best part is I have no way to communicate what I want them to do. I say the spanish word for open over and over. Thinking this of course will help!  Funny is universal. They finally understand and the fuel flows. As I look at my watch and my very hot sticky hungry nursing student, it is 7 pm. The generator running with the lights on we pull away and wave good bye for today.  Good Night Moon.

We arrived last night and this morning we hit the ground running!We began by visiting the orphanage  and meeting the children for the very first time! We play soccer and keep away and we got to hold many of the younger kids while the older kids were in school. After our visit we began our journey to Bassin Bleu! Barb told us all it was an easy hike... but let me tell you it was work! It was very HOT and the hike was long and at times seemed straight uphill. At the start of our hike we crossed a river where the local Haitians were washing their clothes, vehicles and themselves. And it was odd that the river was surrounded by landfills! the amount of trash is almost overwhelming and very eye opening! As we hiked we ran into a group of students who were journeying home. Five days a week these students make this walk! I can't even imagine walking up that hill so often. For awhile we walked next to these students in silence with an occasional giggle here and there. After awhile we realized they spoke english and we were able to have conversations with them regarding where they go to school and where we go to school. It was so fun to walk and be apart of the culture! When we finally reached the top it was such an accomplished feeling! We were all very thirsty and our quest for water left us empty handed. =( When we reached the top we hired a guide, Wallace, who led us a little further to Bassin Bleu. He pointed out the cocoa tree and the black bean tree and Horse Bassin and Yes Bassin on our way. Bassin Bleu was gorgeous! The water was very cool and it was a great reward after our long hike! We spent about an hour playing in the water and cliff jumping before we began our voyage back home. Wallace was able to find us all some water which was gratefully appreciated! As we began our decent we decided to hire a local man to climb a tree and cut us down fresh coconuts! We patiently waited as he cut them open for us to drink and then again so we could eat the coconut meat! It was so yummy and refreshing! The view from the top was breathtaking and it was weird to think that this beautiful country was so impoverished! This day was an amazing way to start our trip and we were so grateful to have the opportunity to experience the Haitian culture!

Power and Water

Greetings from Jacmel. The power is up and running now with generator in place and EDH.  This is when I wonder if I should not just leave lists for my husband when something does not work at home! It has taken me a lot of brain power to understand it all and then reteach to the adults at the orphanage.  I have worked hard with Sam Geyer by my side taking notes.  We think we got it BUT if anyone reading this has this knowledge skill set we would welcome a mission trip.
The water continues to be not seamless at this point.  We do have a plan to use outside well for the cottage water - showers, sinks, toilets and the purified well for kitchen and staff house for drinking.
This will take time.  It seems the purifier takes a lot of power to run and it is slow.  We also have to figure out how we use so much water. We are down to kids standing in the shower too long. This sounds familiar to me, since I have so many teenagers in my family.
As I sit in the staff house with the ceiling fans running I  know we have made progress.

Day Trip to the Beach

Greetings from Haiti.  Yesterday all the children at La Concorde were able to go to the beach and swim. We had both Denver School of  Nursing groups together for the day. Because of so many adults we were able to safely take the children for a wonderful experience.
We first took all the children under 5 years of age.  We then took the older children and last we took the preteens. It was a tiring day for nursing students but an exciting day for all of the children!
Many were very afraid of the water but some were part fish. It is the kind of experience where prayer is so helpful. And counting heads.
The last group was dropped off at 6 pm and all the children were ready for bed.
And so was I.

MARCH Buena Vista University LOVE Takes Root Trip

Five students from BVU spent the last week in Jacmel Haiti with LOVE Takes Root. They were accompanied by Dean of Education John Bedward. Also on the trip were Barb Wilkerson and Sam Geyer. The focus of this trip was learning about the Haitian education system and the schools in Jacmel. Also looking at the future role of student teachers at La Concorde school.
Our trip although through the night was without any glitches. We drove over the mountains and arrived in Jacmel to a beautiful sunset. Sam was the happiest to be out of the car and settle her stomach!
During the week we observed the school at La Concord. It is presently in the dining hall. They have 4 classes. Because they only have 2 chalk boards they sit very closely together to share the board and it is very noisy. The students work with only one break during school day. The children work very hard at studies. They have national examinations to measure progress.  We also visited and observed the most respected schools in Jacmel. We were able to observe class and learn about the structure of each school.
We were also excited to see the new primary school being quickly built on the orphanage site!  We had discussions on learning environments and enhancement of curriculum. Elisee is taking the lead on the school and has done an excellent job networking in the Jacmel area.
The students also hiked up to Papa's mountain cabin and hiked to Basson Blue.  As always the week goes so quickly the experience takes weeks to process.
The students were tired and sad to leave. They have made new friends and have learned about themselves.

Our Time in Haiti- Mission Trip Jan. 2014

Today was our last day in Haiti. All of us had such a wonderful time and learned so much from the children. We continued our efforts to stop the scabies, ringworm, and intestinal worms. Clean sheets were placed on the children’s beds on Wednesday and the children were given more medication for ringworm. The children were so excited to take their medication- mostly because it comes with sweet applesauce. Jessica and Casey made many new friends who LOVED to do their hair. Tammy, Jessica & Casey were able to spend time with all the kids creating VBS crafts that were well loved and decorating each dorm and the school room with flowers and stars and the words: “Mete toujou konfyans nou” which means “Always believe in Love & God”. Everyone loved the words and meaning. Jamie & Peggy had a great experience lecturing at the nursing college on Wednesday. The students learned all about the heart and CPR. We had one student volunteer to lay on a table and let us demonstrate hand placement for CPR. It was a learning experience for all of us and we were so thankful to have Franz there to translate for us.

On Thursday, we taught the kids to play UNO! They loved the cards and all wanted to play. It was such a wonderful experience for all of us to spend time with children and The Bastien family. Elizee learned all about the medications and will continue where we left off. Detailed instructions were left with the medications and a plan for any new children was developed. On follow-up today the children reported that overall they feel less itchy- what a blessing. And our one child with the infection on her hand seemed to be doing better with no pain today and Elizee will continue her antibiotics and e-mail Jamie any questions. We ended our time with the kids by getting them treats- crackers, cookies, and juice. Everyone loved the treats and the children blessed us with a thank you song when we left. God certainly blessed our group! Our only wish is to bring EVERYONE home with us!

DAY 2 Mission Trip Jan 2014

Day 2 the journey continued.

This was a very big day for our group. We needed ALL the sheets washed and ALL the clothes washed in boiling water. There were women there that did all the wash. Our group gathered all the sheets and clothing and put them in bags for the washers. Then we put vinyl mattress covers on all the beds.

By this time…the kids were done with school. We colored pictures for their sponsors back home and took lots of pictures. We also started treating for ringworm, this took some organization as we again needed to figure out dosing for each child and then the children will need to continue on medication for the next two to three weeks.  They were so happy to again get their spoon full of applesauce!

Next was a shower for each of the kids and each received their brand new red t-shirts that say, “ Jezi Renmen Nou”…which means Jesus Loves Us! The girls also got new pillow case dresses from St. John’s Lutheran Church in May City, Iowa…BIG HIT!!

Lastly we played games, the children sang BEAUTIFUL songs about Jesus…again a few tears came back.

We discovered one little girl with a very bad infection in her hand. As the children were singing, I spotted her crying and holding her hand. We started a course of antibiotics after seeing the very bad infection, put on antibiotic ointment and a gauze bandage and gave her a dose of ibuprofen. A hug and a kiss after that seemed to make things a lot better!

We are now back at our hotel and ready to eat supper.

Tomorrow will bring another busy day, Jamie and Peggy doing nursing lectures at the school of nursing and Tammy, Jessica and Casey will be doing VBS crafts and playing games.

We are loving the children, Bastian family and the beautiful view of the ocean.

DAY 1 Mission Trip Jan 2014

Day 1: We arrived in Haiti Sunday afternoon. Our whole group felt blessed to be here and that we were all here together for a greater purpose. As night fell, we drove through Port-au-Prince, where poverty filled the streets. We stopped to pray on the edge of Port-au-Prince to ask for blessings on this journey. As we drove to Jacmel, we must admit the curvy road gave us all some nausea and nervous moments. But then we saw the beautiful lights of Jacmel in the distance and grew excited to arrive in Jacmel. But it was a long journey! Our group had the benefit of coming during Carnival, which we learned is a pre-Mardi Gras type party. As we drove into the town square in Jacmel huge crowds of people dancing and running through the streets stopped our van. It was quite a sight to see and we wish we had pictures to share, but we were so fascinated by the crowds running and dancing through the streets, no one thought to grab a camera. Our guides Franz & Bobby were also amazed, and just in case, locked the van doors as our van was in the middle of a crowd. Our first day at La Concorde was a wonderful and fulfilling experience for all of us. As we pulled into the orphanage and saw the kids, tears filled our eyes. We loved meeting all of the children, who were so welcoming and glad to see us. Jamie was able to meet with Franz and mama and the local builder to come to a consensus on future building plans.

Tammy, Jessica, Casey & Peggy got a tour and got to meet quite few children along the way, who were only too happy to have Jessica & Casey carry them from building to building. The girls and boys dorms were so colorful and inviting. Tammy, Jessica and the girls spent time making bracelets while Jamie & Peggy went to the local hospital to meet with the OR charge nurse and discuss plans to meet the nursing students and present on their topics of choice. Miss LaHat was gracious and invited Jamie & Peggy to speak for 4 hours on Wednesday on heart attack, heart emergencies, and CPR.

The other big thing that happened was we treated all the children and adults for a very itchy skin condition—scabies. It was a lot of work to get all the children lined up, weigh each one, figured what they need and given them a spoon full of applesauce. Some kids needed the pill crushed, and others did not. But they were all very polite and cooperative to get the treatment

Day 1: We arrived in Haiti Sunday afternoon. Our whole group felt blessed to be here and that we were all here together for a greater purpose. As night fell, we drove through Port-au-Prince, where poverty filled the streets. We stopped to pray on the edge of Port-au-Prince to ask for blessings on this journey. As we drove to Jacmel, we must admit the curvy road gave us all some nausea and nervous moments. But then we saw the beautiful lights of Jacmel in the distance and grew excited to arrive in Jacmel. But it was a long journey! Our group had the benefit of coming during Carnival, which we learned is a pre-Mardi Gras type party. As we drove into the town square in Jacmel huge crowds of people dancing and running through the streets stopped our van. It was quite a sight to see and we wish we had pictures to share, but we were so fascinated by the crowds running and dancing through the streets, no one thought to grab a camera. Our guides Franz & Bobby were also amazed, and just in case, locked the van doors as our van was in the middle of a crowd. Our first day at La Concorde was a wonderful and fulfilling experience for all of us. As we pulled into the orphanage and saw the kids, tears filled our eyes. We loved meeting all of the children, who were so welcoming and glad to see us. Jamie was able to meet with Franz and mama and the local builder to come to a consensus on future building plans.

Tammy, Jessica, Casey & Peggy got a tour and got to meet quite few children along the way, who were only too happy to have Jessica & Casey carry them from building to building. The girls and boys dorms were so colorful and inviting. Tammy, Jessica and the girls spent time making bracelets while Jamie & Peggy went to the local hospital to meet with the OR charge nurse and discuss plans to meet the nursing students and present on their topics of choice. Miss LaHat was gracious and invited Jamie & Peggy to speak for 4 hours on Wednesday on heart attack, heart emergencies, and CPR.

The other big thing that happened was we treated all the children and adults for a very itchy skin condition—scabies. It was a lot of work to get all the children lined up, weigh each one, figured what they need and given them a spoon full of applesauce. Some kids needed the pill crushed, and others did not. But they were all very polite and cooperative to get the treatment.

Day 2 the journey continued.

This was a very big day for our group. We needed ALL the sheets washed and ALL the clothes washed in boiling water. There were women there that did all the wash. Our group gathered all the sheets and clothing and put them in bags for the washers. Then we put vinyl mattress covers on all the beds.

By this time…the kids were done with school. We colored pictures for their sponsors back home and took lots of pictures. We also started treating for ringworm, this took some organization as we again needed to figure out dosing for each child and then the children will need to continue on medication for the next two to three weeks.  They were so happy to again get their spoon full of applesauce!

Next was a shower for each of the kids and each received their brand new red t-shirts that say, “ Jezi Renmen Nou”…which means Jesus Loves Us! The girls also got new pillow case dresses from St. John’s Lutheran Church in May City, Iowa…BIG HIT!! Lastly we played games, the children sang BEAUTIFUL songs about Jesus…again a few tears came back.

We discovered one little girl with a very bad infection in her hand. As the children were singing, I spotted her crying and holding her hand. We started a course of antibiotics after seeing the very bad infection, put on antibiotic ointment and a gauze bandage and gave her a dose of ibuprofen. A hug and a kiss after that seemed to make things a lot better!

We are now back at our hotel and ready to eat supper.

Tomorrow will bring another busy day, Jamie and Peggy doing nursing lectures at the school of nursing and Tammy, Jessica and Casey will be doing VBS crafts and playing games. We are loving the children, Bastian family and the beautiful view of the ocean.

The Rest of the Story

Greetings,  I thought that since we have just been using the blog to post the exciting information from mission trips it would be good to hear about the daily work to keep the project moving forward. Not too glamorous but important.
Communication is the main focus. Communicating from Haiti to US, from Facilitator to Board, from Committees to Board, from organization to anyone who will listen!  There are phone calls, Letters, E-mails, Texts messages, Facebook, web page and of course conversation and meetings.
The logistics at times can be frustrating.  Not to mention a different language, culture and conversations with accents. But then you can take a deep breath and smile. Some how that is communicated through all types of modern day media. And it works. The good works shine even in the not glamorous work. And it keeps you going!  Journeying on with a glorious smile!

Reflections

The return to the US was uneventful except for the thoughts that are clashing in your mind. When you first arrive in Haiti you take a deep breath and quickly adapt to what is, actually every time you go this process is faster to occur. But the returning to the US seems to become more complicated. Leaving the children at the orphanage was not as difficult because the conditions of these children's lives have greatly improved. (The exception would be Lauren who fell in love with a very wonderful but malnurished 2 year old.) But the knowledge that education is necessary both for the sustainablity of La Concorde to be independent and that the future of all of the world children is education, makes you realize the work is far from done. You also realize with all the luxury of our lives, that we each have a reponsiblity to keep working.
The greatest work to be done is relationship and gratitude. The relationship of each person that is a part of this project is key. There are so many who have contributed in so many ways. There is no measure it is the whole that makes so much happen. Just as Christians learn the body has many parts, but all of its parts form one body. We move forward as one body helping another body. Empowering others to be independent and whole. The relationship and trust with our partners in country is a great gift to be cared for well.
The gratitude is the realization that the plan for each of us so greater then any of us.  So again I jump back in, work, wrestling meets, basketball practices, farm animals, 4-H, meals, college applications, friends, book clubs and all, BUT will continue to work with those clashing thoughts and work on! Looking forward to relationships in 2014!

Christmas in Haiti

The Wilkerson Family had the privilege of spending Christmas week at the LOVE Takes Root Haiti project at La Concorde Orphanage. This Christmas Journey was an amazing experience.  Not only did sixteen of our family land in the same place,the same week, but then we were able to share with our extended Haitian family the birth of Jesus.  A little different from the commercial bombardment of our US departure. The first day in Haiti was spent meeting and greeting along with all the update with new facility. The joy of hugs and hellos.  The second day was setting up all the gift bags for each child to receive something on Christmas and planning and setting up a Christmas party at La Concorde. This sounds like it would be simple BUT I thought organizing and making Christmas equal for 9 children took a lot of energy try 50 children! With the help through the heat of the day we came through. Then it was the day of the party. We showered, did hair and dressed each child in a new sweat suit donated by Ron and Nancy Quincy. Wow they looked great! A stage was built, chairs rented and many children from the neighborhood were invited. The children preformed wonderful songs including Jingle Bells. The excitement was in the air. Each child was called by name to receive a bag of new dress, soccer shirt, soccer ball, soccer shoes, legos, a blanket and candy.  Thanks to the Rubino family, the Howe family and all the sponsors. Also a thank you to Janis Strickland for a donation along with the sponsors for a feast!  We had a long table of chicken, prickly, lasagne, and cake! The dining hall was chaos with gift bags everywhere. Each child opened their sponsors cards, which most of them were signing cards, please imagine. They love the sponsor letters and pictures. The visiting children also received a gift of pen, crayons and candy. The music continued the candy was all gone and the night had become dark. A huge surprise was when the Bastiens called for Rick and Barb, they had a very large wrapped gift. We opened it confused and it was a hand drawing of  us at our daughters wedding. Yes they went on facebook and found a photo to have a Haitian paint for us. Overwhelmed would explain the moment. The joy on their faces of giving a grand gift was truly the best Christmas present ever. Upon taking a dark tap tap ride home,  we all fell into a hot sticky bed and quickly fell asleep. It was a Holy day filled with peace,love and joy!

A Trip of Faith

Life is back to normal, hustle and bustle no time to rest, no time to love a child who needs a hug that day. This was not the case a week ago for 9 individuals who traveled to a new world and met the most amazing people, many of whom weren't over 3 1/2 feet tall. Faith Lutheran Church's mission team spent 5 days at the Love Takes Root orphanage building a Sukup house and growing in God's love along side the 40+ children. Here is our story.... Day one. We arrived in Port Au Prince on Tuesday and made our way through the winding road over the mountain and into Jacmel (only two of us got car sick). We first went to the orphanage and were greeted with the most amazing singing. The warmth we felt from the moment we entered the lunch room was immediate. The children are amazing and so strong in faith already. Day two. Up and at 'em and ready to begin our building of the Sukop house, which was to be used for food storage at the orphanage only to discover...NO bolts. God had a plan and today it was for our group to talk about and share Him with these children. (We did get the materials of the Sukup house moved to the location we were going to build it). We did VBS with the children as well as put some needed slip guards in the shower areas and put some door knobs in the doors. We played with sidewalk chalk too! Now we were no longer strangers we were friends and children in Christ. What a day! Day three. No bolts so more VBS and play time with the children. More door knobs went in as well. Joan was busy doing some basic medical needs for the children and Theone was busy taking more pictures of these beautiful children. They posed so cute we all got a chuckle from this. Day four. Bolts are here! So the work of the Sukop house began. It was over cast this day so we were blessed to work in the shade instead of the full blast of the sun. We met the contractor Dave, who was a Saint to our building crew. We hired 5 of his workers to help us with our project. They were amazing young men who worked very hard with us that day. We finished nearly 85-90% of the building that day. As we winded down our day and took a minute to rest the children all gathered around our sweaty messes and shared Gods love with us. Kathy, Joan and Theone also did more VBS with the children this day. We also took out the parachute and played with the children....so many many smiles and laughs I think my cheeks still hurt from this day! Day five. Our last day at the orphanage. We were again blessed with Ed and Dave to help finish the Sukop building. We finished fairly early this day so we were again able to do more VBS with the children. A few of our group also attended the church service at the Orphanage...Pastor Lee was able to give an amazing message to the children too. This was a hard day for our Faith group. We needed to look into those big brown eyes and say goodbye. It was amazing how in five days they had touched everyone of our hearts. Our sons, Connor and Reid grew so much in their faith this week I can't begin to even explain. Many hugs and tears were shed this day. Faith Lutheran's mission group went to an orphanage in Haiti to share the love of God and spread the word of Jesus to children who don't have the access to this like we do and we came back more filled with the spirit ourselves! Al said it best...we entered a country with so much need we thought we could never do enough and left an orphanage feeling that Yes we can make a difference. Thank you Rick and Barb for allowing our group to experience this awesome trip. It has forever changed our lives and we hope it has impacted a little bit of those children's lives. Until our next adventure to La Concorde....God Bless!

Moving With God

Hi ho, hi ho, off to move mama into her new home! Another day full of grace, happiness, and celebration. As mama says, "God is good...all the time!" We had another early morning, we watched the young fisherman row his boat across the sea in search for his supper. Then into Dave's truck we pile, and we travel to the orphanage, sadly for our last full day with the kiddos! We again were greeted by the children, all awaiting our arrival. We were quickly put to work...Marty, Diane, Carolyn, Vicki, and myself scrubbed all the windows where mama, papa, and the rest of the caretakers will live. While the windows are far from spotless, they were cleaner than before (let me say it took a lot of elbow grease to scrape the paint and plaster off the windows and sills!). While we were scrubbing windows Ron and Denny finished the soccer goals...they turned out amazing and the kids love them...now no more cheating in the middle of the game! The guys also went and got 30 banana "baby" trees to plant at the orphanage, they plan to plant them tomorrow. The children are doing great, they are adjusting to their new life so well. We had a jump rope contest today, sadly Marty didn't win...while My Love did great, Michel (one of the helpers at the orphanage) came in first.. he even danced while jump roping! Marty handed out sweet tarts and smarties to all the children, they sure do love their candy! Sadly many of the children are sick, two of the littlest children have high fevers and are so miserable, we have been giving medicine to them and hopefully they will be healed. Speaking of sick people...we have a few ourselves, Vicki went back to the hotel early (she took a moto there...I'm so jealous! Maybe I can ride one tomorrow!), and Marty and Carolyn didn't feel very well all day. During the afternoon we started to carry all of mama's belongs to her new room. We carried the dresser, mattresses, and the very large and very heavy armoire into her room, she felt so blessed for all the help. Today Marty and I also went to a diner/supermarket and bought the children ice cream...it was a unique experience. We had to trade our US dollars in at the UNI for gourdes (Haitian money) then went and bought 7 different flavors of pint size ice cream containers. We plan to give the kiddos the sweet treat tomorrow. Carolyn and myself handed out bracelets to the girls and crosses to all the children, they loved them! Before we knew it was time to head back to the hotel. However, we just stopped at the hotel to grabb money, because Dave knew a place where we could get souvenirs for a better price. It was a short trek to the selling area, it was an amazing little community all nestled in the mist of the city, we all bought a few souvenirs to remember this amazing experience! Arriving back at the hotel we said our good byes to Dave and thanked him for his gracious help throughout the week, and wished him luck as his ministry continues to grow. We ended the day as we always do, a quick dip in the pool to find relief from the blistering hot sun, and an excellent dinner, while a few members (Vicki and Carolyn) of our group didn't eat much as they still are not feeling well. As the day ends, I ask many of you to pray for all the sick ones, Vicki, Carolyn, Marty, all the children, and anyone else who is ill. I hope they feel well tomorrow, and ask that God heals them tonight. Also please pray as we travel back to Port au Prince tomorrow afternoon, we should be back in the US before noon on Friday! Tomorrow will be a sad day for us as we have to leave these children, but I believe they have the faith and will power to achieve their highest dreams. "God is great, all the time!" Good Night and God Bless! <3

Labors of love

Today is Tuesday, how can the time be passing so quickly. We try not to think about it. We arrived early again but this morning most of the kids were lined up outside awaiting our arrival, what a heartwarming sight! I don't think my heart can hold all the love I am feeling. This morning was the unofficial first day of school at LaConcorde. It will not officially start until after the teachers arrive on Sunday. Ellisia first took the more advanced children. It was surprising to see the class was comprised of both older and younger children....it was done by aptitude not age. It was amazing to see how much they had already learned in math. They are very bright children....I must remember the promise I made to my husband when I left....no bringing a child home! But how could you even choose one, they are all so special! The remainder of the kiddos were taught next. Ellesia is very patient with them all, such a good teacher. I learned from our first group that the kids are fascinated by sunglasses so Marty, Diane and I brought them each their own pair. They looked so cool sporting their new shades. Katie and Carolyn gave them fun dinosaurs, what great fun! Late morning we started several projects that we had been assigned. We are thankful that the water issues have been repaired. So Denny and Ron worked on the soccer goal posts. Tom, Diane, Marty, Carolyn, Katie and I started clearing away a plot for the children's garden. Once cleared each child will plant their own plot. It was very hot and dirty work but it was a labor of love. Tom hacked away at the shin high weeds with a machette. The rest of us sat on our hineys in the grass. Well surprise imagine having a tarantella.crawl out from between your legs! It happened to Diane TWICE!!! and here I was looking for snakes. The few kids that were helping us came running at Dianes squeel. It was quite a sight! After we all calmed down it was time to leave for the day. Our ride home from one of the construction workers was done with country music blareing. Once again the pool felt so wonderful.

Daily routine

Today we had a full day with the kiddos. We arrive before breakfast and find the building all spic and span with Mama and the girls preparing the meal. They have a quiet efficiency to their work. The children are all slowly emerging from their beds. Breakfast is quietly served and eaten. We presented Mama with the aprons and oven mits and kitchen towels we had brought her. She was very appreciative and happy. Of course the quiet didn't last. During music time we handed out the musical instruments we brought. What a hit! Make a joyful noise unto the Lord! For almost an hour we heard they joyful music. Their jam session ended with singing praises to the Lord. What a beautiful thing to witness. Denny and Diane gave each little girl a cute handmade doll and each boy a baseball hat with LaConcorde on the front and each boys name on the back. They loved their gifts. We thought with the rain the previous night that we would not be able to go outside but we found a place for Marty and Katie to throw the football. Great fun. The children saw their first cateydid bug. The big green winged bug was very fascinating to everyone. Marty kept poking around at it until it flew up and landed on her shirt. At first she just danced around with it on her but it soon headed for her face and then it wasn't so funny for her. Young Erickson ran up and flicked it off her...everyone cheered as it flew into the tree. Some of the guys worked on the water system again which continues to be a problem. Denny planted grass in front of the school. It will be so nice when it has grown and the mud disappears. We organized the supply room and explained to Ellisia and Mama what we had done. I hope the construction guys can install shelves soon so it stays organized. We finished the day with a walk on the beach collecting shells and taking a swim. Our meal was probably the best so far, lobster with butter YUMMY!!

The ocean is calling

If you have gone on a mission trip before you know that part of the experience should include taking in the sights and interacting with local people. A storm blew through the previous night so the surf was high but that didn't stop us from taking our trip to the beach. The day was still overcast so there were not a lot of other "tourists" at the beach that morning. You might think is a good thing...NOT! We definantly interacted with the locals. I think everyone in Jacmel was there trying to sell us something...everything from paintings and jewelry to shells and food. After trying unsuccessfully to convince them all that we didn't want to buy we made our way to the beach. I thanked God for the beauty of his creation that was all around us. It was awesome swimming in the ocean with the waves washing over us and the beautiful view of the mountains as a backdrop. How wonderful it is to be alive. Denny tried to convince everyone that he was lighter because the saltwater made him more boyant. Carolyn found a cool shell in the surf so the search was on to find shells. I have to say she was the winner though. We had chosen this particular beach because Denny Ron and Tom had been there before and said you could get a huge lobster dinner for 11 bucks. I knew since they are men they probably exaggerated somewhat. So the lobster was huge but it cost us 15 bucks....there goes my extra shell buying money! HOW am I going to get the shell guys to believe that I have no more money. The lobster was very tasty even though I almost ate the eyeballs...YIKES I SAY! After another swim we climbed aboard our faithful tap tap and headed to the hotel to change. The guys gave us 15 minutes and believe it or not we were pretty close. Then we were off to see the kiddos again. We arrived to learn that they had water issues during the night so the guys tried to fix the problem. The rest of us kept the kids occupied so Mama could rest. No outside activities today since it rained. Marty made the mistake of trying to paint fingers and toes by herself. Even some of the boys wanted painted. I handed out some small airplanes for the kids to put together and it was pandimonium! Note to self...come up with a better system when handing out our gifts. Needless to say it was a little noisey in there but everyone had fun. We did some other activities and it was time to head back to the hotel. Its amazing how fast the time is going by.

Oh the glory of the mountains

Friday Barb took the nurses and some of group two for a hike up the mountains. They saw many interesting things along the way including a man purposed to be cursed by voodoo. Marty said ie was pretty scarey. They also saw many goats and pigs that are usually tied to a tree. An older boy named James travels up the mountain ..every day to feed his goat. Papas cabin was described as something out of the wild west. Very primative but effecient. Papa stays at the cabin several times but is now at the new orphanage. The remainder of our group played with the children while Mama rested. Mama has not been feeling well which is quite a concern as she is the backbone of the orphanage. About 3:00 we got to see the children have their dinner. American children really could take some lessons from these Haitian kids. They are to stay away from the tables until all the plates with food are placed on the tables. Then either Momma or Ellisia call them and they quietly seat at the tables and they are quiet thru the whole meal and eat every crumb. Barb and Rick and the group were somewhat subdued most of the day as this was their last day with the kids. The nurses had gifts to pass out and the kids exploded with excitement. But then came the sad time of goodbyes. By the time we left everyone was crying both children and adults. We all loaded up in the back of our tap tap....all 19 of us in the back of a small toyota pickup! Don't anyone tell my mom or I wont get to come back! The pool was calling our names so many relaxed with a cool swim before dinner. Every dinner at the hotel is an experience. Very good Creole cooking. Most everyone turns in early as we are warn out by the heat and trying to keep up with the kiddos. So we said goodbye to our friends. May God watch over them and help heal the sadness in their hearts.

Greetings from group 2

We are having trouble with our wifi connection so I will try to type quickly.... What an experience! God is good all the time! Many of us had never flown internationally. The view of the ocean was amazing. The airport in Port au Prince was an eye opener. We are definately "different" but that is ok. We have never seen anything like the streets of Port au Prince...their driving is CRAZY! Everyone driving in a hurry with no traffic laws. Horns blaring wildly. Quite something just hang on and "enjoy" the ride. They took us to see the old orphanage. Very depressing to see that most of the people are living in those conditions. It took about an hour to get through the city. Then the real experience began....our trip over the mountain. The view from the upward winding road was spectacular....as long as you didn't look down...YIKES I SAY! After our sensory overload in the city the beauty of the mountains was a welcome sight. Everything is so luscious and green with flowering trees everywhere. Could this be what Eden looked like? Once there we checked in to our hotel. Another slice of paradise right on the ocean. Waves breaking against the beach and sea birds calling. What more could you ask for....how could someplace so beautiful be painful for so many. We were so glad there was enough time to go meet the children. A crier by nature I was surprised that their joyious faces didn't make me cry...they were so happy to meet us all that came to my face were huge smiles. These children have been transformed from the shadowed being they once were. There is much dancing and singing and all the things children do. It was a God moment for me...so precious I will never forget it. It was nice to see Rick and Barb again and meet the nurses. We had a late meal together and learned some of the things that need to ne done. And so ended our first day.