I have tried so many times to keep a journal but I always give up after a few days. Today I was cleaning out the backpack I brought home from Haiti & I found a little notebook with only 1 page written in... my latest failed attempt at a journal! I read the lonely 3 entries and immediately came to the computer. I clearly remember why I started this journal... I was feeling discouraged about being in Haiti as it felt like I was not having an impact. Here are the 3 entries...
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May 26, 2008:
What have I done in Haiti?
Rebecca, it's not about you. It's not about how people see you. It's not about making people like you. It's about what I am doing. You are only an instrument - I am the musician. Just be willing... Just be willing...
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June 7, 2008
"In decision making always begin with "Yes Lord." Do not proceed to seek God's direction if you cannot honestly say, 'Whatever you want from me, Lord, I will do it.'"
(this was a direct quote from a book I was reading but I can't remember what book!?!)
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June 13, 2008:
Read 2 Cor. 5:1-10 (read it!!!). Lord, may the reality that I am living a temporary life on earth sink in. May this reality change the way I live. May I not be a hypocrite in the way I live.
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To be honest, I'm not sure why I'm sharing this with you. Maybe I needed a reminder of the way God has spoken to me in my times of discouragement. Maybe someone out there needs to realize that God is talking to them right now...
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
I’ll take a pass on the rice & beans but CAN’T LIVE without the kids!
On one hand; rice & beans everyday - on the other hand; the kids I love… hmmm…
Decision time has come & gone and I’m going back to Haiti with a suitcase full of Wendy’s mandarin-chicken salads!!!!
So, here’s the general plan…
- laser eye surgery today
- fundraising completed as I lay in bed recovering
- 5 weeks of intense physical & mental training
- back to Haiti in late August
Believable? Well, most of it is true… I am getting laser eye surgery this afternoon, I’m doing bootcamp 5 days/week all summer long, I am taking cake decorating classes with my grandma and I just met with H2H last night & agreed to go back to Haiti indefinitely!!
So that leaves the fundraising… I need to build a monthly support base that will cover my expenses while living in Haiti. I’ve always struggled with the idea of asking friends & family to support my “Haiti addiction” so I’ve decided I’m not going to. What I’m looking for is people who believe in H2H’s mission statement & want to be involved in accomplishing it.
H2H’s mission statement:
“To minister the love of Jesus in Haiti, meeting the educational, physical, medical, spiritual and emotional needs of the children and their families in such a way that they become empowered to reach their full potential and to live healthy, happy, productive lives as capable Christian family, church and community members.”
Not everyone can support a child financially, be a team member or relocate to Haiti. But some of you can & some of you want to. Over this past year in Haiti I have interacted with so many people who are personally involved in affecting the life of a child in Haiti… many of whom have never been to Haiti! Anyone who wants to be involved, can be involved, you just have to find your place. I don’t want to ask people to support me financially, I want to ask you to get involved. If you’ve been following this blog all year, what draws you to it? It certainly isn’t because I’m a good writer… I have report cards to prove that! I’ll take a stab in the dark & guess that it’s because something has inspired you. Don’t just sit back & be content with letting other people inspire you – get involved. If you’re inspired by a kid – support him! If you’re inspired by what teams are doing in Haiti – join a team! If you’re inspired by what I’m doing – support me! Whatever your place is, find it! And don’t think this is all about money. Yes, money is required to do what H2H does but it’s so much more than that. It’s about the people – it’s about the kids who lived in a mud hut before coming to H2H; it’s about the “kids” who lived in H2H who are now teaching at H2H; it’s about the man with Parkinson’s disease who was treated by a medical team & can now feed & dress himself again! And it’s not just about the people in Haiti, it’s about the people in Canada too – it’s about the business men who plan their career around their mission trips to Haiti, it’s about the sponsors who have met their sponsor child, it’s about the 3 year old who has shared her aunt Bob (yup, that's me!) with another country. Ok, I’ve rambled a lot & gotten off the topic of fundraising…give me a break… I’m a few hours away from getting my eyes balls reshaped by a laser beam! But really, what I’m trying to encourage you to do is stretch yourself a bit – find something that stirs your passion & do it! If you’ve already done it – do it again!
So, if what I’m doing inspires you & you want to be involved I’d really appreciate your monthly support because I can’t continue to do it without your help. Your donations will be made through H2H (www.hearttohearthaiti.com) and tax receipts will be issued at the end of the year. Email me if you want more details or have any questions.
Decision time has come & gone and I’m going back to Haiti with a suitcase full of Wendy’s mandarin-chicken salads!!!!
So, here’s the general plan…
- laser eye surgery today
- fundraising completed as I lay in bed recovering
- 5 weeks of intense physical & mental training
- back to Haiti in late August
Believable? Well, most of it is true… I am getting laser eye surgery this afternoon, I’m doing bootcamp 5 days/week all summer long, I am taking cake decorating classes with my grandma and I just met with H2H last night & agreed to go back to Haiti indefinitely!!
So that leaves the fundraising… I need to build a monthly support base that will cover my expenses while living in Haiti. I’ve always struggled with the idea of asking friends & family to support my “Haiti addiction” so I’ve decided I’m not going to. What I’m looking for is people who believe in H2H’s mission statement & want to be involved in accomplishing it.
H2H’s mission statement:
“To minister the love of Jesus in Haiti, meeting the educational, physical, medical, spiritual and emotional needs of the children and their families in such a way that they become empowered to reach their full potential and to live healthy, happy, productive lives as capable Christian family, church and community members.”
Not everyone can support a child financially, be a team member or relocate to Haiti. But some of you can & some of you want to. Over this past year in Haiti I have interacted with so many people who are personally involved in affecting the life of a child in Haiti… many of whom have never been to Haiti! Anyone who wants to be involved, can be involved, you just have to find your place. I don’t want to ask people to support me financially, I want to ask you to get involved. If you’ve been following this blog all year, what draws you to it? It certainly isn’t because I’m a good writer… I have report cards to prove that! I’ll take a stab in the dark & guess that it’s because something has inspired you. Don’t just sit back & be content with letting other people inspire you – get involved. If you’re inspired by a kid – support him! If you’re inspired by what teams are doing in Haiti – join a team! If you’re inspired by what I’m doing – support me! Whatever your place is, find it! And don’t think this is all about money. Yes, money is required to do what H2H does but it’s so much more than that. It’s about the people – it’s about the kids who lived in a mud hut before coming to H2H; it’s about the “kids” who lived in H2H who are now teaching at H2H; it’s about the man with Parkinson’s disease who was treated by a medical team & can now feed & dress himself again! And it’s not just about the people in Haiti, it’s about the people in Canada too – it’s about the business men who plan their career around their mission trips to Haiti, it’s about the sponsors who have met their sponsor child, it’s about the 3 year old who has shared her aunt Bob (yup, that's me!) with another country. Ok, I’ve rambled a lot & gotten off the topic of fundraising…give me a break… I’m a few hours away from getting my eyes balls reshaped by a laser beam! But really, what I’m trying to encourage you to do is stretch yourself a bit – find something that stirs your passion & do it! If you’ve already done it – do it again!
So, if what I’m doing inspires you & you want to be involved I’d really appreciate your monthly support because I can’t continue to do it without your help. Your donations will be made through H2H (www.hearttohearthaiti.com) and tax receipts will be issued at the end of the year. Email me if you want more details or have any questions.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Preslet
This is Preslet. He's a 12 year old boy in our community (Grande Goave, Haiti) who was severely burnt 4 months ago. I met him last month when the last medical team was here. The doctor made a house-call to visit Preslet as his mom doesn't want him to leave the house as she doesn't want him to be seen in this condition. The details of how he got burnt comes in several versions but the simple version says there was a domestic dispute that got ugly, really ugly.
I wanted to share this story with you for a few reasons.
First of all, the first "meeting" with Preslet is ingrained in my mind & it will hopefully stay vivid as a reminder to me. He hadn't had visitors since being burnt, other than a few family members, so a bunch of white people entering his house was overwhelming. As we walked into his room I watched his face as he scanned the group... as soon as he met my gaze his eyes lit up! I had no idea why but his reaction made me join him on the bed & I started chatting while the doctors looked him over. It turned out I wasn't a stranger to him... we used to talk regularly when I walked to the market. He was so excited to see me! As we left his house I was blown away by how God had prepared our friendship long ago, in passing smiles & seemingly meaningless chitchat, for a relationship that would help him as he recovers from this horrific experience. I visited him several more times before coming back to Canada. My lesson in this is to be open to the small opportunities as they may be the start of something much larger!
Secondly, I wanted to share this because this may be one of those small opportunities for you to get involved & help someone who desperately needs it. Preslet's burns are healing very well & his mom has done an amazing job at keeping them clean. Once the burns are healed completely he should be a good candidate for operations that would stretch his skin (there's probably some official medical term for this but you get the idea) to allow his joints to move freely again. His right elbow, armpit & neck are the most affected areas. When I go back to Haiti (late August) I'd like to give Preslet's mom some money to help cover his hospital bills - he was in the General Hospital in Port-au-Prince for almost 3 months! - and when the burns are healed I'd like to help connect him with a doctor that could do, or assist with, the operations. We will have medical teams going to Haiti regularly so a doctor with this specialty could be part of one of those teams. If you would like to help please let me know.
I wanted to share this story with you for a few reasons.
First of all, the first "meeting" with Preslet is ingrained in my mind & it will hopefully stay vivid as a reminder to me. He hadn't had visitors since being burnt, other than a few family members, so a bunch of white people entering his house was overwhelming. As we walked into his room I watched his face as he scanned the group... as soon as he met my gaze his eyes lit up! I had no idea why but his reaction made me join him on the bed & I started chatting while the doctors looked him over. It turned out I wasn't a stranger to him... we used to talk regularly when I walked to the market. He was so excited to see me! As we left his house I was blown away by how God had prepared our friendship long ago, in passing smiles & seemingly meaningless chitchat, for a relationship that would help him as he recovers from this horrific experience. I visited him several more times before coming back to Canada. My lesson in this is to be open to the small opportunities as they may be the start of something much larger!
Secondly, I wanted to share this because this may be one of those small opportunities for you to get involved & help someone who desperately needs it. Preslet's burns are healing very well & his mom has done an amazing job at keeping them clean. Once the burns are healed completely he should be a good candidate for operations that would stretch his skin (there's probably some official medical term for this but you get the idea) to allow his joints to move freely again. His right elbow, armpit & neck are the most affected areas. When I go back to Haiti (late August) I'd like to give Preslet's mom some money to help cover his hospital bills - he was in the General Hospital in Port-au-Prince for almost 3 months! - and when the burns are healed I'd like to help connect him with a doctor that could do, or assist with, the operations. We will have medical teams going to Haiti regularly so a doctor with this specialty could be part of one of those teams. If you would like to help please let me know.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Sitting on the plane... going home
Wow, it’s hard to believe my “year at H2H” is over and I’m sitting on the plane going home. Hmm… I only packed in a little carry-on backpack... I’m still digesting what that means so I’ll avoid that topic at the moment.
Dr, Blackburn, Dr. Sam & their team were here last week & had an eventful trip doing dentist clinics at H2H and medical clinics in the local hospital. We also took a road trip to Tetebef… ok, not really a road trip, it’s more like climbing Grouse Grind a few times in the heat of the day with backpacks of medical supplies. It was my first time going & I’m so glad I did – it was beautiful & such a huge blessing for the people up there.
Here are some pictures from Tetebef:
The view from halfway up the mountain
Almost there! Ok, here's the confession... yes, that's my shadow sitting on the horse... so when I say it was like hiking the Grouse Grind twice I'm speaking on behalf of the team :)
The locals making fresh coffee for us, which was very much appreciated!
The crowd that was waiting
Pastor Luc & Dr Sam examining their first patient of the day
The medical students "experimenting"
We also went to Basin Blu (in Jacmel) for an afternoon:
The adventure getting to the waterfalls
The highest waterfall at Basin Blu
Me & a few of my friends
After the team left I only had a few days with the kids & it was an emotional rollercoaster ride for all of us. One of the older kids captured this picture with my camera & I just discovered it while I’m sitting here on the plane. This is my little Junior, after he was told the kids were just joking about him going to Canada in my suitcase.
My goodbyes were not final – just a “see you in a few weeks!” I’m still unclear what God has for me next but I can’t imagine these kids not being in my life so I’ve told them (& H2H) that I’ll be back in September but not sure the length of the trip. Might be to say more final goodbyes & clean my room or it might be the start of something much bigger… time will tell!
As I said, I’m on the plane going home so for those of you who are “at home”… I’m super excited to see you so call me soon!
Dr, Blackburn, Dr. Sam & their team were here last week & had an eventful trip doing dentist clinics at H2H and medical clinics in the local hospital. We also took a road trip to Tetebef… ok, not really a road trip, it’s more like climbing Grouse Grind a few times in the heat of the day with backpacks of medical supplies. It was my first time going & I’m so glad I did – it was beautiful & such a huge blessing for the people up there.
Here are some pictures from Tetebef:
The view from halfway up the mountain
Almost there! Ok, here's the confession... yes, that's my shadow sitting on the horse... so when I say it was like hiking the Grouse Grind twice I'm speaking on behalf of the team :)
The locals making fresh coffee for us, which was very much appreciated!
The crowd that was waiting
Pastor Luc & Dr Sam examining their first patient of the day
The medical students "experimenting"
We also went to Basin Blu (in Jacmel) for an afternoon:
The adventure getting to the waterfalls
The highest waterfall at Basin Blu
Me & a few of my friends
After the team left I only had a few days with the kids & it was an emotional rollercoaster ride for all of us. One of the older kids captured this picture with my camera & I just discovered it while I’m sitting here on the plane. This is my little Junior, after he was told the kids were just joking about him going to Canada in my suitcase.
My goodbyes were not final – just a “see you in a few weeks!” I’m still unclear what God has for me next but I can’t imagine these kids not being in my life so I’ve told them (& H2H) that I’ll be back in September but not sure the length of the trip. Might be to say more final goodbyes & clean my room or it might be the start of something much bigger… time will tell!
As I said, I’m on the plane going home so for those of you who are “at home”… I’m super excited to see you so call me soon!
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