Single “Blanc” Female Seeking Partnership

Got your attention? Haha, good ☺

It has been great spending time with family & friends over the last few weeks but the “vacation” is drawing to an end and it’s time for me to get organized for the next year. I’ll be returning to H2H Grande Goave next month (July 2007) and staying until July 2008.

What will I be doing there?

My main focus will be playing a big sister / aunt role in H2H’s Children’s Home. I’m intentionally avoiding calling it a “mother” role because that’s still a bit scary ☺. I will also be starting a Sunday School program in Pastor Luc’s Church & teaching ESL full time. In the mornings I will be working with the children in the H2H school and in the evenings teaching classes for the adults of the community. I’m sure some of you are chuckling after reading this… yes, I once taught a Sunday School class about “Moses’ Ark” and yes, I vowed not to follow my parent’s footsteps in becoming a teacher… I’m learning that being out of your comfort zone is a great way to ensure you are putting your trust in God!

Why am I going?

My response to this question is a little harder to put into words. Describing the need is easy… there are 90 kids (I say kids but they range from 4 to 24 years old) living in H2H’s Children’s Home in an environment where “orphans are raising orphans”. There is a Pastor living there who oversees the day-to-day operations & a lady who cooks for the kids but they are lacking someone to fill the nurturing role. They need someone to look after them when they’re sick, tuck them in at night, teach them to care for each other, help them transition into adulthood & just love them! Do I feel qualified to be this person? My honest answer is no. But… I feel like God has put this task in front of me & I believe that He will give me the tools & resources I need to see it through. The 4 weeks I spent at H2H on this trip were challenging but as each obstacle was overcome I was overwhelmed with the sense that God was not just guiding me but He was walking along with me; making sure all my needs were met. Two stories come to mind when I try to explain why I feel the need to go back to H2H.

First story. Within the first few days of living at H2H one of the boys, Lookens, became sick with malaria. I was out in the yard & a gang of kids burst out of the boy’s dormitory giggling & holding their noses. I went to investigate & found Lookens with a high fever and covered in vomit. As I cleaned up Lookens & the mess… struggling to not add to it myself… the kids started to trickle back in to watch. Each curious child was given a job… fetching cool water, rags, new sheets, new clothes, etc. and not one of them questioned my instructions. Over the next four weeks other children were sick with one thing or another. Each time I encouraged the others to take care of those who needed help. There were times I felt physically exhausted and, also frustrated, because I was never sure that my message of ‘helping one another’ was getting through. Then, in the last few days of my stay, I got sick. I had bronchitis, which was accompanied by a fever. As I laid in bed missing my mom, Lookens arrived with his troops & started giving orders… “Get the rags! Get a bucket of water! When was the last time you ate? I don’t care if you’re not thirsty, you need to drink!” My fever come down and so did the communication and cultural barriers I had been feeling.

Second story. On my last night in Haiti I was sitting on the roof of the Church with my team from Pacific Community Church. We all held hands and took turns praying for each other. As they finished praying for me and we were about to wrap up, I realized Woody, one of the boys from the orphanage, was still holding my hand so I asked him if he would like to pray as well. He didn’t respond, he just started praying. At that point two things struck me. I realized how much Woody had matured over the past 4 years (since PCC teams have been going to H2H) and I also realized that I understood his entire prayer in Creole! Both of these things were huge encouragements for me.

Now let’s get back to the Single “Blanc” Female Seeking Partnership…

One of the things I’ve learned over the past few months is the importance of having a strong support network while I am away. Living in a place like Haiti can be lonely and those phone calls, emails & blog comments brought me so much comfort and encouragement. I am looking for people who share my passion for the kids at H2H & want to be involved in a partnership relationship by providing financial, spiritual & emotional support. If you are interested please email me (rebeccalarkin6@hotmail.com) or call me (604-288-2292).

The financial support I need is $1,100 per month. This includes my flights, in-country expenses & supplies for the year. I am breaking it down to a monthly figure because some have indicated that it would be easier for them to deal with support on a monthly basis. Certainly one time contributions are welcome as well. I know that some will find themselves in a position to help financially and others will contribute their encouragement and their prayers. Every contribution is so much appreciated, not only by myself but also by all the children in Grande Goave! I wish all of you could visit Haiti and see what a tremendous impact you all have made in the lives of Lookens, Woody and all the other children that you have touched. Thank you again for your generosity!

Rebecca

All funds should be sent to H2H and tax receipts will be issued. Checks should NOT have my name on the check but should be accompanied by a note indicating your intention to sponsor me.

Checks should be mailed to:

H2H – Fraser Valley Branch
c/o Shawna Medley
3325 Firhill Dr.
Abbotsford, BC
V2T 5L4
604-852-6431

Rebecca has returned to Sunnybrook Farm...

Ok, not quite, but I'm back on Canadian soil & staying at my parents house in Crescent Beach.

I want to start this by saying THANK YOU to all those who have supported me financially, through prayer and through emails and blog comments. I may have been the one physically in Haiti but each of you played a major part and on behalf of the kids at GLA and H2H I want to say THANK YOU again!!

My last 4 weeks at H2H have been amazing... challenging, stretching & heart wrenching but truly amazing!

The first 2 weeks I spent reconnecting with the 90 kids that live in the H2H Children's Home, the teachers, pastors & leaders of H2H and jumping into the Haitian culture with both feet! I have been to H2H on 3 previous mission trips but once I crossed over from "visitor" to "family" it became a whole new world.... washing laundry by hand, waking up at 4:45 am EVERY morning, wearing skirts 24/7, eating only 2 meals per day and having no other "blancs" around - which meant no more English! There were certainly difficult moments but looking back I realize that they had my heart with the first hug.

For my last 2 weeks I was joined by a team from my home church, Pacific Community Church. As always, it was an eventful time - focused on the kids & team bonding. Unfortunately, staying up late with the team (especially the late night girl talks) and getting up early with the kids caught up with me and I ended up with bronchitis... nothing a good dose of antibiotics can't resolve :)

It is difficult for me to describe how I feel about the next stage of my involvement in Haiti. The decisions that led to my initial involvement in Haiti, and now getting prepared to return to Haiti for a year have been made but I feel like they were not made by me. I feel like I have very little control over what's next in my life but I've never been more confident about the direction in which I am heading.

It is great to be home with my family & friends but I am already anxious to get back to Haiti. I will keep you posted with my plans to return to H2H Grande Goave in July.

A quick hello...

Sorry for the late update... I have had very limited access to internet since I've been in Grande Goave. I'm in an internet cafe at the moment. They have a good connection but their computers are very outdated which makes emailing & blogging frustrating to say the least. I am hoping to bring a laptop back with me in September which should make it a lot easier. Sorry to all those who have emailed me & haven't heard back yet. I do have a cell phone now and I'd love to hear from you... any excuse to speak english is good for me :) My # is 509-661-4161. It's free for me to receive international calls but I'm not sure the costs on your end.

I am doing great! The transition to H2H has been a good one and I feel right at home. I am picking up the language much faster now that I am speaking with older kids & adults. I can usually get my point across but understanding them is still very hard... creole is a slang version of French so there are many contractions & abbreviations.

My days are kept very full. We wake at 5am, have a quick church service & do daily chores before school starts at 8am. I spend most of my day with the kids but I visit Luc & Michelle as much as possible. I have so many stories to share but they'll have to wait :(

I have changed my flights so I will return to Canada with the team from PCC on May 26th. I haven't booked my return flight to Haiti yet but it will likely be late July as a friend of mine here (Jay Michal) is getting married on July 27th.

I'm looking forward to seeing all of my friends and family! I'm expecting lots of coffee &/or sushi dates :)

Thanks for the emails & the calls, I really appreciate all the support I am getting. I am having an amazing time but it can get lonely, especially with the language barriers.

See some of you soon!!!!

Final days in the Kenscoff Mountains

Well, tomorrow morning I leave GLA & move to H2H. This last week at GLA has been great!! I've had some of my favorite moments with the kids & I've gotten to do a few new things too!

A few days ago, with broken Creole, I tried to explain to Ronaldo (one of the older boys) why the kids at H2H need me. I told him that he has Molly, Joyce, Danielle, Brittany & the other volunteers and the kids in Grande Goave don't have anyone right now. I didn't think he understood but I underestimated him... so far I have heard him explain it to 2 other kids :)

I have had an amazing time at GLA and I feel very blessed to work with these kids & meet the community. While I am sad to leave it is a happy ending for me... I have gotten to see the kids I've worked with grow & improve in amazing ways and I know their future is bright. They will all be placed with great "forever families" and in the meantime they have a home where they are loved immensely!

Though many of you don't know Joyce & Molly (the girls who run the Toddler House) I want to quickly tell them that they are doing an amazing job & they are personally changing the lives of hundreds of kids! Their love for the kids is inspiring and their commitment to their roles (despite constant challenges) is an example I will strive to follow while at H2H. Thank you so much for being courageous enough to follow your heart.

Molly, Joyce & Timothy (Molly's brother who visited a few weeks ago... HI Timothy!!!)



To the "forever families" who are following this blog, there is so much I want to say to you... the kids that are coming home to you (soon!!!) are so excited to join your family. Those of them who can talk, speak of you with pride and those who can't talk, beam when they see pictures of you. It was truly an honor to care for your children & I will continue to pray for them, and for their new families.

Now for a some new pictures of the kids:

Thamar... at least she matches :)



Cindy Love... Taylor, I think she's your Haitian twin :)



Kenley & his new toy.... which he LOVES!!



My final adventures in the Kenscoff Mountains...

Saturday I went on the Feeding again and another volunteer, Brittany came with me. We decided to do a bit of shopping & go for lunch before meeting up with the group so we left early & took a tap-tap up to the Baptist Mission. About half way up the tap-tap ran out of gas!! The driver was definetely a pro... he left just enough gas to turn around so he could roll down the hill to the closest gas station. Everyone piled out of the truck & started to walk. We didn't last long walking up the moutain... but I'm happy to say that we lasted longer then most of the others!! We quickly came up with Plan B, which was called "Hitch Hiking in Haiti". Not something that I'd recommend but desperate times call for desperate meaures :) The Feeding was great again. We went to a place that I had been before so it was nice to be greeted by familar faces.

Sunday I went to Haitian church with the kids. I sat in the back with them on the floor b/c it was packed. A few minutes into the service one of the Pastors came over to me & asked me to follow him. I had no idea why but I wasn't going to argue... he wanted me to have a seat and unfortunately for me... the only seat available was in the front of the church with the choir!!

Today I was able to visit an orphanage in Port-au-Prince that was founded by Mother Theresa and still run by Nuns. It was an amazing experience & a great way to spend my last morning here.

And FINALLY, how could I end without giving you an update on the little premie who is pictured in the Before & After pictures below. She has returned home with her mother!!

I will still have access to internet while in Grande Goave so please continue to email me... it is a great source of encouragement for me!

Grande Savande

Well, if it's possible to slow down time & jam a week into 3 days... I just did it!

We left on Saturday morning at 6:30am and made it to Bouva around 4:30pm. Bouva is a small mountain community 20 minutes (via truck) above Grande Savande (which is a small community by the ocean) & it's where we stay as there aren't facilities in Grande Savande. It is also a community full of friends & family of Pastor Luc.

About half way through the drive Pastor Luc gave our driver instructions to pull into a house where he knew some blancs lived. I asked why & he said it was time for me to have a pee break. As thoughtful as that may sound to those of you who haven't been to Haiti... what's wrong with the bush that everyone else uses? I didn't want everyone in the truck to think that I needed a toilet when the rest didn't. After a typical father/daughter argument I caved & we pulled off the road... amazingly, the "blanc lady" that lived in that house was Leslie, a girl I went to Prairie Bible College with for 2 years. It was crazy! Her & her husband moved to Haiti a year ago and run Clean Water for Haiti. I had no idea she was in Haiti!! It was great to have a quick visit and she laughed that I was being forced to use her bathroom. The rest of the weekend Luc kept reminding me how important it is to "always obey Pappa Luc" because even if he doesn't know what he's talking about God still tells him what to say... I have a feeling that reminder will continue to come LONG past this weekend :)

The drive through the mountains to Bouva is beautiful. You overlook the ocean and you pass mud huts tucked under huge cactus trees. The kids up there see very few blancs so they are excited when we pass and they run to the truck hoping for candy or presents... which we are always eager to give :) I was sitting in the cab for most of the ride (we had 10 of us jammed in the cab & the back) but Paul, a friend from PCC, was sitting in the back. He laughed as we rolled into Bouva and said, "Maybe the sun is getting to me but I'm not sure what I heard more of... "blanc, blanc" or "Rebecca, Rebecca". Haha. My 5 minutes of fame :)

While in Bouva we sleep in the church & small guest house beside it. There is no electicity there so our teams bring a generator with us. As this was just a quick visit with no team we did it the Haitian way without a generator. We cooked over an open fire, had torches for the evening church service and played cards by candle lite.

Bouva Church:





Our neighbors & our dinner:






Our kitchen:







The BEST coffee:





After a quick meal we had a lively church service, which left me dripping in sweat from dancing. There is no water or plumbing for washing so I headed down the the creek with one of the Haitian ladies to wash up. My idea of "washing up" was much different then her idea of "bathing" but I didn't want to make her uncomfortable so I followed her lead... I became a little more Haitian everyday :)



Samantha in her Sunday best... a dress the team gave her last year:



I woke on Sunday morning with crack of dawn... about 5:30am... to a little voice wispering my name in the window. When I stumbled to the window (I am very clumpsy when I'm tired) I saw a small herd of kids waiting. They had been at the creek getting water & news had spread that we were there. Just like gossiping at the water cooler I guess :)



We had another great church service and then headed down to Grande Savande to look at the progress on the new church, visit with Pastor Jean Francois, meet with the builders and of course play with the kids. The kids waited patiently for the meeting to be over and they swarmed me as soon as the men left. They were shocked that I was able to talk to them. The swarm was growing and a girl fought her way to the middle to see why everyone was gathering... when she poked her head through and saw me she started to hyperventilate!! The kids all laughed at her shock but it was actually a little scary. I had to sit her down & put her head between her legs & it took her awhile to calm down. She had been one of my favorites on previous trips & I had brought a picture I had taken of her last year. I was a little nervous to give it to her because she was still breathing so hard :) She was my tour guide for the rest of the afternoon. We drove back to Bouva as it got dark and spent the evening playing the famous Haitian card game "Casino". Canada VS Haiti... you can guess who won.

The community of Grande Savande:






The new Church:






The hiperventilator:

Some of the other kids:

We woke just after 5am and got an early start home.

It was a great weekend with the gang from H2H and while I will be sad to leave GLA, I am excited to get back to Grande Goave. I will be transfering to Grande Goave next Thursday. My tenative plans at the moment is to return to Canada on June 1st (with the team from PCC) and spend a few weeks gathering supplies & raising money and then return to Grande Goave until next summer.

As my days here at GLA are counting down I am taking advantage of every moment! As my weekends have been filled with travelling I haven't gotten much R&R so I am feeling a bit weary. Hopefully I'll be able to recharge my batteries this weekend!

Home sweet Home

I had an amazing weekend at H2H in Grande Goave! When we drove through the gates I felt like I had arrived home. For those of you who are not familar with H2H, here's a quick glimpse...
My church, Pacific Community Church (PCC) in Cloverdale, BC (Canada) has partnered with an organization called Heart 2 Heart (H2H) who have a complex in Grande Goave (southern Haiti) which contains a Children's Home (~85 kids), a community school (~300 kids) and a church for the community. PCC sends short term missions teams to Haiti once a year and we spend 1 week in Grand Goave and 1 week in Grande Savande (Northern Haiti) where we are building a new Church for H2H. I have been on two missions trips with H2H/PCC and this weekend was my third time visiting them. My primary goal in coming to GLA was to learn creole so I can be more productive on future teams. I have a heart for Haiti in general but I have a soft spot for Grande Goave & Grande Savande in particular.

The ever welcoming gate... from the inside:

Here are some of the school kids:

Hmmm... I'm not sure how to summarize my weekend. It feels like we did a months worth of activities over 4 days. As the days all blur together anyways, I'll just give you some of my highlights.

- Being greeted by Wilkenson. We arrived at night & seconds after getting out of the truck I felt 2 arms wrap around me. I knew before I turned around that it was Wilkenson. He is the reason I am currently at GLA. He was my shadow on both of my mission trips to H2H and on the last trip he was devasted when we left... ok, I'll admit it, so was I. It broke my heart that I couldn't communicate with him to comfort him or to explain to him that he was just as important to me as I was to him. I promised myself that I would learn Creole, at least enough to communicate with Wilkenson, before I came back. GLA has been a great place for me to learn Creole, as the toddlers & Nannys are eager teachers. This weekend Wilkenson & I talked for hours & with a little help from my dictionary I was able to tell him what I needed to, it was amazing! And it wasn't a sad goodbye this time because I was able to tell him I'd see him in a couple of weeks - I wish I had a picture of the look on his face when I told him that.

This is Wilkenson:

- Visiting with Pastor Luc & Michelle. Luc & Michelle are a Haitian couple who run the Children's Home & the complex. Michelle has been battling cancer for the past few years and was recently in the hospital in FL as her cancer had relapsed. She was on life support and the doctors had gathered the family to say their goodbyes. When they turned off the life support she started battling back & she was well enough to return to her home in Haiti to spend her final days. Michelle is struggling with bouts of pain but overall she is lively & happy to visit with friends and family. She even made a guest appearance at church on Sunday and blessed us with some preaching. While I couldn't understand all she said, it was a special thing to see the Spirit speak through her... not something I have seen so evidently before.

- Taking 65 kids to Tyno Beach in a rented tap-tap... just carrying on Roger's tradition! As they boarded the tap-tap I noticed a bunch of them had brought water jugs. I was impressed... the kids were thinking ahead! As soon as we got to the beach they dumped the water & put the empty jug in the back of their shorts as a floatation devise. I should have given them a hard time about wasting water but I was laughing too hard as they waddled to the water.

- Making a new friend. There is a deaf girl at H2H that I hadn't met before, because she has attended a special school in PAP for the past few years, and she was estatic that I could sign with her. I was very rusty (it has been several years since I took the sign language course) but it didn't matter... when I surprised her by asking her if she thought the boy sitting beside her was cute, I made a friend for life :)

- Walking through the village of Grande Goave & being greeted by kids & adults that I had met on previous trips. I still got the typical "blanc, blanc" but I heard "Rebecca!" almost as often! With our whimpy stomachs we can't eat the same food as they eat at the Children's Home so we walked through the village to Pastor Luc's house for our meals. It was a great excuse to visit people along the way & I often had a pack of kids by the time I got there. Just a few sketchy moments... we walked through a rara one evening (although it was very peaceful) and we had a crazy guy follow us yelling "they're thiefs!", "tie them up", "send them away". LOL. Even that was a highlight because the little boy holding my hand kept repeating "monti!!" which means liar in Creole :)

- Pastor Herrod (pronounced A-wal) saying in broken english "Movies mean quiet, I like movies". Luc & Michelle haven't been living in the complex as Michelle needs some R&R so Pastor Herrod was moved in to care for the kids. Doesn't sound like a big task but imagine 85 kids from 6 years to 18 years... and then imagine looking after them when you're mid-twenties without any experience with kids! He's definitely earned my respect!

- Getting ring worm. Yup, you read that right. Why a highlight? Why not. The first one appeared on Thursday as we were waiting to be picked up & my friend was eager to point out new ones each day. As I didn't have any medicine with me they were pretty bad by the end of my stay but now that I'm back at GLA the meds are working great.

- Driving back through Port-au-Prince. In typical Haitian style, we travelled with 5 guys in the back of the truck & a live chicken (kind of like packing a brown bag lunch except you light a fire instead of using a microwave) between us in the back seat. Our driver, a "big boss" in the Police (aka Pastor Luc's brother & my new self proclaimed Uncle Hoslais) drove us & he was tired of the traffic so he crossed over the center barrier and drove on the wrong side of the road!! Man, I thought our drive home from the West Coast Trail was scary!

Here we are playing chicken with the taptaps... I put my hand out the window to take these pictures & almost lost it a few times!






While I had a great time there this weekend (maybe even my best ever in Haiti so far), I was also overwhelmed with the need the kids have for a role model. With Luc & Michelle residing in the town, instead of in the complex, the kids are missing having someone to show them affection, play with them, teach them how to care for the younger ones or the sick ones, & give them a boot when they get lazy.

When I came to Haiti in February, my plan was to stay at GLA until May 15th and then meet a team from PCC at H2H and spend 2 weeks there before returning to Canada with them. I still may stick with that plan but I'm also considering heading to H2H (Grande Groave) a few weeks early to help where I can. I would then return to Canada with the team from PCC, raise the necessary support, gather additional supplies and return to H2H for a year (or as needed). This would be a big step for me & there are still details that would need to be worked out before I could commit to it.

I am traveling with leaders from H2H to Grande Savande this weekend to check on the progress of the church we are building and to visit with the community surrounding it. I expect that I'll solidify my transition date from GLA to H2H after this weekend.

Thanks for reading this novel and thanks for all the emails & comments you leave, they are a great encouragement.

Just a few pictures to end off with..............

The famous twins... Wood & Woody:

Craft time with some of the boys:

Road trip!

Just a quick note to let you know that I'll be travelling to Grande Goave (southern Haiti) this afternoon to spend the weekend at H2H with Pastor Luc, Michelle & their many kids :) For those of you who don't know about H2H... it's an orphanage for 85 kids, a school for ~300 and a community church. My church in Surrey (PCC) has worked with H2H for the past 5 years at their location in Grande Goave and we are currently building a new location in Grande Savande (northern Haiti). My experience with H2H initiated my stay at GLA because I feel I need to learn Creole to assist with the building in Grande Savande as they speak very little Engligh there. I am very excited for this weekend!!!! I'll be back at GLA Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.

A new skill for the resume

Since I'm teaching the Nannys to knit they figure they should teach me somthing that they find easy & I find difficult.... yup, I'm learning to braid hair! Sounds easy doesn't it? Ha, think again. Courtney.... you better get ready because I'm going to need to practice when I get home!

Here' my first attempt. The preparation....



The end result... which lasted about 3 hours... at which time it was "redone properly". Talk about a piece of humble pie :)



A team from Miami was here for 2 days last week and we had a music party at the Toddler House. Each of the kids got a musical instrument - so fun! Here are some shots.

Party started outside:















Then the rain started...



We toughed it out for awhile, then moved the party inside, when the Nannys took over the dance floor.



And finally, since I feel like I don't talk about my morning time with the toddlers much, here is a shot of our pipe cleaner fun! NO, that's not a voodoo doll on the left!! It's Ronaldo's self portrait and Clifford the Dog is on the right.

Amazing!

The best thing about "blogging" from Haiti is that you (the reader) have no way of knowing if I'm telling the truth. Luckily for you, I am telling the truth... most of the time...

In the last update I said the little premie I told you about on March 10th went home to her mom. I thought that because I stayed away from the ICU for a week & a half because I was sick & when I went to check on the babies this week I couldn't find her & there was a miscommunication with one of the Nannys... the joys of learning a new language.

I couldn't find her because this is what she looks like now!!!!






I asked every Nanny in the ICU to comfirm that this is the same little girl and I still find it hard to comprehend. Words cannot describe this miracle... here she is just 3 weeks ago:




Here are some more shots of my little guys:








Coloring time for Matthew & Merline:






And I'll end this with a wish & a story:

I wish there was an easy way to clean my camera lens...




Now for the story. Being the responsible person that I am... I am helping Molly w/ some of the "end of day" chores. Yesterday was my training & tonight was the trial run. As Molly and I walked to the front gate I slipped on the wet tile and face planted... smooth... consistent... that's me! All in a days work :)

Back in the land of the living!

Thanks for all the emails & prayers... I am feeling much better!!

It's been a while since I've posted a real update, so here's a snapshot of what I've been up to.

Last weekend, I went on the Feeding again on Saturday. It POURED rain so I don't have many pictures, and the ones I do have are mostly of the kids in the back of the truck hiding from the rain. The beginning of a rain fall is quite funny, everyone starts running for cover... young & old. Most people are terrified of rain because it leads to illness, which isn't a good thing here because it's difficult for them to recover without the meds & care we often take for granted at home.

The rains starts.....




Getting worse....



Now raining so hard it hurts! There weren't enough bags to go around so I was one of the brave ones without one... hmm... wonder if that had anything to do with getting so sick? Nah...




Amil (one of the few who speak a bit of English... also the one who gave me the present last time) & his buddy.




This was leaving one of our stops. It was a bit chaotic & they chased the truck as long as they could... hoping to get an extra bag of rice.




I was pretty much sick for the rest of last week so that's an easy update. We did get a few more new kids this past weeks but I'm not sure the exact numbers. Here's the newest premie. BTW, for those of you who have been asking, the tiny girl in the blog entry a few weeks ago has gained strenght and has now returned home. Great news!






I started feeling better on Friday (good timing!) and this weekend was great. Saturday we went to the market in Petionville in the morning. I've been there a few times now so I decided to wander through some vendors off the man road while the other were in a store... big mistake... I almost got plowed by a car!! I've never jumped so quickly in my life!

In the afternoon a few of us took a tap-tap up the mountain to the Baptist Mission. We have some new volunteers so they got to do some vendor shopping and we got to eat some long anticipated ice cream sundaes. The regulars (Molly & Joyce) didn't come with us so it was up to me to get the girls home safely on the tap-tap.... all went smoothly except we got off a few blocks too late which meant walking up a steep hill in the pouring rain. Hmm.... hopefully the anitbiotics stay in my system for awhile :)

For those of you who don't know what tap-taps are, here's a picture of a broken down one... which is common. You sit in the back of the pickup and "tap" on the side when you want to get off. You'd be amazed to see how many people can cram into one!

Just as I was drifting off last night I was startled back awake by what sounded like a marching band in our living room! Luckily it wasn't in our living room... it was out on the street, but unluckily it was a voodoo rara (similar to a parade) which wound through our neighbourhood & lasted several hours. I watched it from our balcony & it was quite an experience. I have heard voodoo chants/ceremonies on previous trips to Haiti but I've never watched one. Apparently last night was the first of many this week, leading up to Easter. Hopefully the rains will keep them to a minimum.

We were all tired today so we thought it would be a good energy booster to go for a hike. It was fun but turned into more than I was banking on. Here's of picture (although a bad one) of the church that we walked to. To get there we had to go down an enormous ravine and back up the other side. For me, it was like the Grouse Grind... glad I did it but don't need to do it again :)




This was a lady we passed on the way up. It's common to see women carry huge loads on their head but I thought this one was ironic because her husband walked in front, leading her, carrying a drink :)




Here are some kids that were playing soccer at the church, there was only 1 kid when I started to take the picture but everyone wanted in... you can't even see the original boy :)



Oh, and how could I forget.... MATTHEW LOVES ME!!! I didn't see him much this week b/c I was sick but when I went on Friday he ran to me & played with me for hours! That was worth being sick for :)

Thanks again for all the emails of support, I really appreciate them.

Rebecca