H2H Valley is now online!

I knew there would be a buzz of excitement once the satellite was installed but I wasn't expecting the magnitude of the buzz! We're still working on the H2H website & I'll post a link once it's done. Thank you to all who helped make this happen! We're still looking for a sponsor to help cover the monthly costs ($79.00).

Here's Pastor Luc sending his first email:



And for those regular blog watchers... I am very pleased to announce that I am no longer a "Happy Haitian" ;)

A very Happy Haitian

Have you ever done something & known instantly that you made the wrong decision? I hope many of you are saying yes… if not, just nod your head in agreement so I don’t feel so isolated. Thank you.

Well, a few days ago I went into Port-au-Prince and on the way home we stopped at a road-side “food fair” for some nourishment. After all, what is tastier than a plastic cup filled with lanbi (the little guys that live inside a conch shell) basted with home-made hot sauce so secret they make it under a sheet? Nothing, of course!

Those of you who only nodded in agreement to be polite are probably now shaking your head in amazement… ‘Eating shellfish off the street in a third-world country?!?’ I agree with you completely! And I’ve had plenty of time to ponder over my folly as I have been chained to the toilet for the past 2 days ☺

Making mistakes is not such a bad thing though… there are always lessons that can be learned. Today for example, one of the Pastors in church asked the congregation to pray for me & my diarrhea… what a great lesson in humility ☺

Diarrhea is a pretty common ailment for team members when they come to Haiti & to make light of the situation we have labeled the ailment as “Haitian Happiness”. I think it is safe to say that I am the Happiest Haitian around!

The joy of giving

Each time I’ve come to Haiti I’ve been able to deliver gifts from sponsors to their sponsor children. I feel guilty that I get to do this. A sponsor makes sacrifices to include this child in their life & goes to the effort of putting together a gift and all I have to do is throw… opps, I mean gently place… the gift in my bags. It doesn’t seem right that I’m the one who gets to experience the excitement of the child opening what may be the first gift they’ve ever received or even better, a gift from someone they consider their friend. Seeing the interaction between sponsor & their sponsor child is such a unique experience.

I have many pictures of these exchanges – here are just a few...

Junior:



Louson:



Samantha:



Sonson:

Made it!

The second half of the trip went just as smoothly as the first half & I'm now in Grande Goave, Haiti. I got here in the early afternoon & I've spent most of my time playing with the kids. It feels like I never left here... I even fell up the stairs carrying my luggage... not just a little stumble either, I dropped everything & just barely saved my face from some unwanted cosmetic surgery! Maybe it's the playing, or maybe it's the time-change, but I'm exhausted. It will definitely be an early night tonight. Speaking of bedtime... I decided while I was home to make a quilt to bring back with me. I know what you must be thinking... you've been living in Haiti for the past 6 months, can't you think of something more exciting to do? Don't you have friends & family to visit? And, why would you need a quilt in Haiti anyways?!? All good points but in my defense, it really only took 1 day (although I only slept for a few hours that day) & I've had this "great idea" to quilt the Haitian flag since I first saw it. Anyways, in typical Larkin fashion, I ended up not just making the quilt, I outfitted the entire bed :) I don't get much down time so I'm hoping by making my room a bit homier it will increase the quality of the down time I get.



It's a new leaf - 2 blogs in 2 days!!! Don't miss the one below :)

"Pappa's House" will always be home

Speaking like the unbiased aunt I am... my neice Courtney is still my favorite kid!! Her first 3 words were; Mom, Dad & Bob... apparently Rebecca isn't a suitable name for her favorite aunt (remember, I'm completely unbiased here). Here Courtney is "bobbing" in the hottub with "her Bob"... yes, she came up with that one on her own!



Well I'm writing this blog curled up in a hotel room bed (king sized bed even!!) in Miami & I fly to Haiti tomorrow morning. It was a GREAT 3 weeks in Vancouver!! I haven't lived with my parents for a long time but I think their house will always feel like home. It was a busier trip then anticipated but I feel very rested & I'm excited to see the kids tomorrow morning. I couldn't help but to call them every few days but talking on the phone just isn't the same :)

My flights today went smoothly but I have a packing tip for you... those little sacs of tuna (I bought them at Walmart) are really tasty but when you put 25+ sacs in your carry-on bag they are well over the liquid allowance!! However, never underestimate the power of any sentence that starts with; "I'm on my way to an orphanage in Haiti..."

Thank you so much for making the time to see me while I was home & for sending me back with full suitcases. And a special thankyou to all of you who started sponsoring a child while I was home. I hope this will be the beginning of a relationship that is just as rewarding for you as it is for your new child.

I have talked to so many people about the amazing Christmas I had with the kids but I don't want the rest of you to miss out so here's the official update on CHRISTMAS IN HAITI 2007.

My mom sent 3 bins of Christmas presents for ALL the kids at H2H valley - that's almost 100 gifts!!! And we're not just talking about a little trinket, each child received socks/underwear, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, a "main" present, several "smaller" presents, hair stuff, school supplies, candy, etc, etc. The older boys even got a knitted hat courtesy of Grandma Rose! I gave out the presents in the early afternoon & then we had our Christmas Feast! I'll skip right to the pictures....

Some of the presents ready to be handed out:



Some VERY happy kids (Albert, Marilyn, Rosmita, Samuel, Junior & Jason showing off his new underwear!):











And, of course, you can't have a Christmas Feast without food, decorations & the Christmas tree!!







We even had the UN stop by a few days before Christmas with some treats:



Probably not sustainable to do every year but man was it fun!!! Thanks to all who contributed!!