Survivors of the non-fittest!

I was in a kind and loving mood and very ready to be the “blogger of the day” but the internet depleted me of patience and any accrued coping mechanisms. It seems so unjustified to complain about the frustrations of the internet while in Haiti especially when the majority of the country doesn’t even have the luxury of electricity. So let me just suck it up – lose the pout and share our day with you.

I won’t elaborate on the nightly rooster duet or the fighting dog serenade, mainly because I find I can now sleep through it - sort of compared to living by a train station. We laid in bed until SEVEN O’CLOCK like a bunch of lazy loafers. I made scrambled eggs with cheese and bacon. It wasn’t exactly Denny’s, but we pretended it was a Grand Slam and ate it with enthusiasm. As long as I have my coffee I can enjoy most mornings.

We decided to take advantage of our free time while the girls were in school so went to the Artist neighborhood and helped the Haitian economy. We weren’t very good at the bartering business. I was able to get the artist to drop $5.00 off his starting price, only to give it to him anyway. (Don’t worry Jim – it was a very small piece…but needed for our collection!) To watch these various artists kneeling on the ground, all bent over as they skillfully hammer away on a nail to achieve their intended pattern makes it very difficult to not accept their already low asking price. The hours and talent that is required is worth much more. Most of us will return home with a treasure of their labor.

Believe it or not – the shopping actually took a bit longer than we had expected. ( Nine women must inspect all the available merchandise to make the proper decision, you know!!) I have stressed to the team over and again how they are not to give money or anything for that matter to anyone when we are out and about. A simple handout can create disastrous conditions. Well, I am writing to confess that as we got into the back of the pickup to leave the artist area, there was a very old man sitting under a tree wearing only a well worn pair of pants. He had no teeth, a sunken face, with spindle arms which had almost lost the definition of the muscles he once wore. My heart so ached as I saw him sitting there, in his effort to escape from the scorching sun. In a flash I envisioned how many years this literally poor man had endured the struggles that come with existing in Haiti. So, I succumbed and shook his hand with a crumbled ten dollar bill. Before he even knew I had put a bill in his hand he was saying, “Merci’”, just for stopping to shake his hand. His face will never leave my mind…or rather I hope it doesn’t.

Once I confessed to the team I had just broken my own rule – out came the bag of candy we had brought and root beer barrels were handed over the bed of the truck to two young boys with pleading eyes. Well – before you knew it, we had a few more boys running behind the truck and we were throwing candy off the back of the truck like we were in the Rose Bowl Parade. That’s when you just wish you could be supernaturally suspended high above the country and be able to pour all the things they need to exist from the heavens. Instead – we’re receiving huge smiles and hearing laughter over a root beer barrel retrieved from the dirt. Further down the road, naked children looked equally as excited just to jump around and return our waves and smiles.
We did stop out front of the voo-doo temple and some jumped out to see the inside. There were roosters stacked in cages, which we assumed were used as sacrifices. Marie told us later they are usually used in “cock fights”. That didn’t seem quite as creepy.
Then – because we are wimpy Americans – totally overheated at this point, drinking warm water from our bottles, we stopped at a little air-conditioned small eatery where we ordered eleven orders of French fries for starters. We gulped down our cold drinks and certainly questioned how the locals can bare sitting outside to sell their wares, day after day after day and can’t even afford to walk into this place.
We returned to Marie’s stuffed, hot and tired – but after a round up of supplies we went to the orphanage for their second ESL lesson. Today we focused on colors and the girls were very responsive. (I got called out for not paying attention and the girls thought that was pretty funny!) All the girls were provided with the materials to make bracelets. The youngest strung glow in the dark beads, while Lori taught the older girls how to make much more complicated bracelets of beautiful beads and string. The girls did a great job and were very proud of their work – with good reason. So – they left the session all “dolled up” and feeling good about themselves. They each got their OWN little bottle of bubbles and they put on a bubble display that would make the Lawrence Welk show look lame. For those of you who are too young to know anything about the Lawrence Welk show…..just GROW UP!

It was getting dark by the time we returned from this adventure and trust me that we were grimy, sweaty, and exhausted campers. Once again Karen and Renee did a great job as we proceeded with ESL. We are planning to make the girls a pancake breakfast in the morning and then visit Pastor Wislet and the children at the second orphanage. We have spent this evening in heaps here and there as we digest the day. I am very proud of the team for hanging in. They are each empowered by our creator with huge hearts and sincere desires as we continue on our trek to spread the love that can both give hope and sustain one’s ability to persevere.
Lord, please forgive our spoiled brat impatience with the internet. You clearly knew we would never be able to handle the life of a true Haitian…that is an ability none of us have been able to comprehend or put into adequate words.
Proud to be called “Sister Patty”