The Almond Family in Haiti

Goodbye, My Sister

2009-01-12T12:19:00.000-08:00

Friday morning, Corey and I were able to take a long hike inside the village of Wozye- up and down mountain after mountain. As we got farther inside, we came across a woman from the goat project smiling and waving at us. We stopped to say hello and realized she was pointing up to the hills where her three goats were grazing and then back to herself again- saying "Those are my goats, my goats."

Luc, Anna Ray and I, we're on our way home now. Corey will stay another two weeks. As I prepare to re-enter the USA, I feel as if I've spent the last three months in the wardrobe- in Narnia. This land, this place and culture is so different than anything we know at home.

Last night as the sun began to set everyone came to say goodbye. Once again, they brought gifts- coconuts, papaya, eggs- and prayers for our safe journey home and our rapid return to Haiti. Luc sat on the stairs as they all left with only the help of a full moon to get home and I watched as all the children touched his face, his hair, and his arms saying goodbye.

I am excited to be home in a place that feels safer to me- a place where death is not seen and referred to daily. People here do not assume or take for granted that they will see the sun rise every morning. When you talk about tomorrow, it is literally translated as "tomorrow, if God wills that." So, off we go to our safe country where I assume that the right food, exercise, and consistent medical care will allow my children to see thousands of sun rises, and sunsets, and all the time in between.

Luc and Anna Ray are excited to go home to see their grandparents, aunts and uncles. But, I know that there are many things they will miss here too- the sand, the children everywhere always ready for a little chaos, sugarcane, chasing chickens, sos pwa (bean sauce), and the time that Haiti has allowed us to be together, to sit, to talk.

I worry about who will feed Woodlene- our neighbor child whose stomach is swollen and hair is yellowing. I wonder what wound will turn into a deadly infection. What will happen to Haiti and her people with the next election, next hurricaine, disaster? As we leave I mostly hope that I will always remember the men and women who greet me everyday with "Bonjou, ma soeur! Good morning, my sister!" For it is that greeting that everyday awakens me to the truth that is so easily forgotten.

Goodbye, my brothers. Goodbye, my sisters. Goodbye.

InKind's first goat distribution day in Wozye!

2009-01-06T10:53:00.000-08:00

Mme. Pierro's excited with her first three female goats!
Corey and M. Notis discussing the contract.
M. Attess

Sunday, January 4th, InKind distributed the first 18 female goats to six families in Wozye. We are hoping for a second distribution later this week! Thank you to everyone in the US for supporting us and this community.

Eating Sugarcane

2009-01-06T10:37:00.000-08:00

Luc and Anna Ray carrying their sugarcane back from the fields.

Enjoy!

2008-12-23T11:11:00.000-08:00

Luc, Anna Ray, and Mama on our front porch with some of the neighbors.

Luc enjoying the millet fields.

Anna Ray helps out with getting water for bath time.

Getting Goats

2008-12-23T10:47:00.000-08:00

The mountainous area Corey and Selise hiked looking for goats.

The walking continues...

Attese, one of our goat project recipients, carrying her goat pen supplies.

Luc and Anna Ray at the goat meeting.

This past week Corey and a local goat afficianado/herder have set to the task of finding 36 quality goats for the first InKind goat distribution in Wozye. This has proved to be a difficult and time-consuming task as we are quickly learning that there is no Wal-Mart for goats in Haiti. This morning he walked for 6 hours searching the market of some inner, mountain villages that are known for their goats. After six hours and a lot of sweating and climbing there were none to be found. They will go out again tomorrow to a village that is closer to Les Cayes and I imagine on and on. Although I am skeptical, the people here seem quite confident that this task is possible.

It's been fun to watch people here carrying supplies for their goat pens down the road and the endless discussions of various goat gaits, noses, and teeth. The two goats that C has found are beautiful creatures- one with a stark black coat and the other brown and tan. It's hard not to look at these animals and see the great potential hope and prosperity that they harbor.

The meeting of the first InKind families was long and excited. People are being asked to pay back 100-200 Haitian gourdes every month over the next 3 years for their goats. This is the equivalent of $2.25-$5.00US. They must all sign a contract agreeing to the amount they are able to pay back, build their pens, and plant their gardens with the appropriate grasses and we're off to the races. The money each participant pays back monthly will then go back to the cooperative for it's long term sustainability. Given that a goat's gestation is 6 months and the female goats ideally need 8 months rest in between pregnancies. We figure that a herd of 3 pregnant goats can quickly turn into a herd of approx. 18 in the next three years. So, essentially, the people in our project have A. started a savings account and B. it's set to grow 6x in the next 36 months. It's a pretty good deal.

Once again, it's hard to express our gratitude and the truest of all gratitude of the people here for your generosity.

Illness

2008-12-23T10:25:00.000-08:00

Our neighbor, Aona, resting in front of our house with a 102 degree fever.

The medical exam room

The pharmacy

A couple of weeks ago, our neighbor- a little boy who is about 10 years old- had a fever. His mother came to get me as the night began to fall and I promptly went to his house with my thermometer and stethoscope to see what was going on . I found him lying on a straw mat on the floor with his father sweating and shaking. His mother had taken a black marker and painted crosses on all of his toenails along with all of the toenails of his little sister. The fear and the concern in his house was felt everywhere. I was able to give him some Ibuprofen and Tylenol for the night and encourage his mother to take a taxi (moped) into the hospital the next day. The next morning I went over to check on him and he was off to school- all better!! This is how I became known as the great miracle worker- the great dispenser of Ibuprofen.

People have started coming to my house daily for blood pressure checks, bandages (i.e. a good basic clean technique Dial soap wash, and some neosporin), and carrying children that are coughing and wheezing. There is little I can do for them besides basic vital signs and dispensing some of the mass amounts of pharmaceuticals I brought for my own children.

Medical care here is scarce at best. There is a clinic in Roche-a-Bateau and a hospital in Port Salut each about 20-30 minutes from our village. Although this is not far, it is a world away for our community where there are no cars, no jobs and no income. Consequently people are left to their own remedies- boiling herbs, Voodou, resting, waiting, drawing crosses on their toes.

Last Thursday, we put Luc and Anna Ray to bed and all seemed well in the Almond household. About 2 hours into bedtime, Anna Ray began vomiting. She vomited all night long. As I lay with her, I began to understand a tiny fraction of the fears that people must have here. We also have no car, no phone for 911, and we are foreigners in this land. But, of course, we could and would pay for anything she might need.

I've had the opportunity to visit some clinics for a day while I've been here. One of the doctors I shadowed who does a mobile clinic saw 40 people with only a $5.00 stethoscope (note: no thermometer, no blood pressure cuff, no oto/opthalmascope), some Ibuprofen, antacids, 1 ampule of Ampicillin (he mixed this with water and then placed it in approx. 10 different patients eyes for infection), 4 vitamin B12 ampules for anemia, and 4 oral doses of ampicillin. Honestly, after that day I wasn't convinced that even I would pay the $1 US for that care.

It's amazing to me that somehow this whole island is still inhabited by people who are able to walk, run, laugh, and dance. But, it is and here we are.

Photos from the goat classes

2008-12-14T04:46:00.000-08:00

Goat Classes

2008-12-14T04:36:00.000-08:00

The first InKind goat classes in Wozye ended on Wednesday! The classes ran from 8-2 Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this week. Corey hired a woman from the village to make juice and bread for everyone for breakfast and provided a little money ($2.00 US) for lunch. The kids and I walked down to the classes on Monday morning to see how it was going. The class that was planned for 20 people had quickly grown to 45 people coming to learn about goat herding, goat pens, appropriate nutrition, biology, breeding, money management, and stewardship. A local pastor and veterinarian, Jacobsen, taught the classes with great enthusiasm and love for the people there. He taught that a good goat herder is witnessed when the animals come when they are called as they are well cared for and fed. There was a long discussion with various opinions about how to tell if a goat is pregnant. One man suggested that you cover the goats nose, cutting off the air supply, and see if it urinates. When they tried this on one of the goats at the class- indeed it did- urinate that is on the dirt floor of the classroom.

Corey will make the trip into Les Cayes on Friday with Jacobsen to buy the first Dominican goat for the project. We are hoping to distribute goats to the first ten families by the the end of December. They will be able to crossbreed their three female goats with InKind's Dominican goat making for a stronger breed.

The excitement for the classes, the possibility of development is palpable. Our neighbor expressed over and over again to me what a "beautiful thing, beautiful thing" this is. We're excited too for some clear forward motion and the opportunity to help a little tiny village who seems to have been lost in this little tiny country.

I was able to bring the news of the Tejas fundraiser for InKind in Colorado Springs and the news of all of you who are supporting this project and us in so many ways. People here are thrilled to know they haven't been forgotten. I can't thank everyone enough for your incredible support.

MESI!!!!

Photos of Les Cayes (taken by Mia)

2008-12-11T10:27:00.000-08:00

Anna Ray chases someone's fancy dinner behind the Hotel in Cayes.

Most of the gas pumps are empty, and surrounded by long lines of men. It's easiest to buy gasoline one gallon at time from a roadside vendor.

Corey inquires about borrowing a scooter at the Merci Jesus Shop.

A street scene.

It seems like all of the signs in Cayes are handpainted.

Cayes is the third-largest city in Haiti. We stayed at the Hotel Meridien; these are the pleasures we found.

In the restaurant next door someone fashioned these sustainable and lovely curtains.

Many businesses invoke God on their signs, both to give thanks, and as a bulwark against jealousy, saying: this was a gift.

Merci Dieu.

Luc and Anna Ray love sugarcane. Who wouldn't?

"All is vanity."

Tap-tap buses.

Bathing

2008-12-05T12:25:00.000-08:00

This afternoon Anna Ray and I sat by the river with the women bathing and washing their clothes. An older woman spent her afternoon in the cool waters of the river meticulously scrubbing her sandals clean with river rocks- washing her body and rubbing it smooth with river stones. The people here take great pride in cleanliness. They sweep their dirt floors, wash and iron clothes that will inevitably be soiled shortly thereafter in the mud and the dirt that surrounds us. They are careful not to fall and take great lengths to walk around any mud or water so as not to get dirty. At first, it struck me as odd all the attention that is paid to cleanliness. I am used to a world of Spray N Wash and clothes that are easily replaced if soiled. Our lives in the US are ones of ease and convenience. In Haiti, life is so hard. Washing clothes for a family requires a sometimes long walk to the river, hours of scrubbing them clean and rinsing out the soap, the long walk home, drying, and ironing. They iron their clothes with irons that are filled with hot charcoals and still manage to keep them clean and free of the ashes that would inevitably spill if I were to attempt this task.

I let Luc and Anna Ray get dirty. They love splashing through mud puddles, playing in the sand, building houses with dirt and rocks, chasing chickens. But, of course, I intend to leave our soiled clothes and shoes behind as we will be able to replace them when we get home.

It is only a culture of great wealth that pretends to be poor. I often think of the college students driving around Colorado Springs in their SUVs and Subaru wagons while wearing torn and tattered clothes. Here they have very little, but care for what they do have with great attention. It still continues to amaze me that people have hope here. They do hope. They hope and wait for better roads, for clean drinking water, for medical care, for food to feed their families. The weight we bear here is their hope. They hope that we are here to change things, to make them better, to cure all ills. Of course, we are powerless to do all these things. But, we will continue to hope with them.

2008-12-05T12:18:00.000-08:00

Luc gets his first haircut from Mama.
Luc and Anna Ray enjoying a bucket bath.

Trash

2008-12-05T12:04:00.000-08:00

Corey went to Les Cayes today to copy materials for the goat classes that will begin on the 8th of December. The kids and I spent the afternoon sitting on our front steps with our neighbors. I pretended not to notice the group of children who were carefully picking through our trash. Of course I knew this would happen as we had a similar experience in Fond des Blancs. When I packed us for Haiti this time I was careful to remove all the packaging and trash I could to throw away before we came here- hoping not to be publicly shamed by our vast consumption of things.

There is no public waste disposal system in Haiti. Any trash you have is piled outside your home and eventually burned with coconut shells and leaves piled up around it.

It was interesting to see what the kids wanted from our trash. They saved the Doritos bags from my birthday, an old BIC lighter that no longer works, the lid of a wet wipes container, and kindly returned a Ziploc beef jerky bag to me. Surely, they thought, we did not mean to throw that out as it still seals and can be used for sugar, flour, important paperwork, etc. One of the neighbor girls, Judlyn, turned the shiny aluminum side of the Doritos bag into a dress for her doll.

We are required to live transparently here and that is hard for me. The people in Wozye know exactly what we consume, how many beers/ cokes we drink, how much water we use. They take great interest in our activities. But, of course, they all know these things about each other too. They know who has new sandals, who gets to eat meat or fish at meal time, who is sick and who is struggling. It's hard to be asked to live in total truth and transparency. Yet that is what they ask of each other and what is necessary to live cooperatively, to live in community.

Photos of Wozye (taken by Mia)

2008-12-01T15:12:00.000-08:00

A beautiful chair outside the home of Pierre, the mayor.

The main road.

Phillipe is Sentidye's brother.

He's a dear friend to Elisabeth and Corey.

Johnny and a baby.

A taxi like the one Elisabeth, a driver and I took from Cayes.

The fishermen weave their own nets.

Corey and the pastor talk at a goat project meeting.

A whole parade of children helped us scrabble up a hill to get this delicious, rare treat.

A typical dinner at the Almond's: fried plantains and fish.

The world's staple and theirs.

Luc and one of his two best friends, Leline, on our orange-finding expedition.

This kind woman invited Elisabeth to attend at her baby's birth.

Trash for burning.

Judelon and Deacon, the Almond's next door neighbors and friends.

Luc and Anna Ray found the letter Z on this house.

The next-door neighbors.

Men fish the sea near Rosier all morning, every morning. They rarely find big fish, and so must collect ones like these, which are not much larger than sardines, and then cook them in the sun.

A weaver in the small Rosier market.

Sweet miss and I catch up on stories.

"Mama," Anna Ray likes to say, "you're the Queen of Me."

Elisabeth commented on the terrible truth: you can't find food in many villages on earth, but you can always find Coke.

This home in Rosier is an example of the Nike Swoosh school of architecture.

A neighbor's hopeful garden.

Anna Ray outside of church. Elisabeth carried Anna Ray's princess shoes in her bag.

2008-11-27T12:57:00.000-08:00

Getting Coconuts

Luc's Haiti toy

Our shelves that C put together with his Leatherman, some string, four rocks, and a lot of patience for my birthday.

Corey and Elisabeth turn 32 in Haiti!

2008-11-27T12:46:00.000-08:00

C got a cake with "Korey" written on it in pink icing from the people of Wozye- quite a gift considering they do everything over an open fire. And C went shopping from some American goodies for me- oreos, doritos, cheese, vienna sausages, and peanut butter.

2008-11-27T12:27:00.000-08:00

Luc and Anna Ray helping Manita, our housekeeper and best friend, shell the beans.

My sister Mia bravely arrived in Wozye on Saturday. Luc and Anna Ray spent the days before her arrival counting minutes and hours until she arrived. I counted along with them. They were anxious to teach her some Creole, show her the ocean, the pigs and the chickens, and the tiny kitten at the house down the road. Mostly they were anxious to see a face they know and love.

Having her here brought our reality- living on a busy road, no lights, no water, no car, no phone, no privacy- home in a hard way. Corey and I stayed up late last night discussing how to make this time in Haiti work as I was ready to hop on the plane with Mia when she leaves. Last night we had a game plan- get a car and move to Port Salut where there is the hope of electricity, phone contact, and a yard. Corey was on a mission this morning when he left us at 7:00a.m. to discuss our plans with the mayor and our good friend Philippe.

As word of our possible departure to the nearby town spread, we started receiving gifts. Pierre and Philippe sat us all on their front porch offering to buy us cokes, find a car, build a fence, fix the water all in the hope that we will stay. Our neighbors brought us their two eggs as they had also heard we might leave and want us to be happy here, to stay here, to have hope here.

I was moved to tears partly because I thought we had it all figured out. Mostly, though, because of the true generosity and welcome that we have received from those who have so little. Even when we lose hope for Haiti, the people continue on hoping and praying that life will get easier and last longer for them and for their children.

As I sit here writing, a young man named Sonny is climbing the outside wall of our home with bucket after bucket of water- filling the cistern for running water- asking us to stay.

I'm not sure where we will end up or if I will fly out of here on the next available plane. But, I do know that I am moved and that I am the witness to great grace and generosity in my life.

Life in Wozye, Haiti

2008-11-13T07:48:00.000-08:00

Getting Gas

2008-11-13T07:41:00.000-08:00

The price of gas here is still around US $8.00 a gallon. There appear to be somewhat conventional gas stations in Les Cayes. Although, at this point, I have yet to see the pumps open. So, gas is sold on the side of the road by various "vendors" who sit in front of their homes with a gallon oil jug filled with gas. To make the trip from Wozye to Cayes requires approximately ten gallons of gas and we seem to manage to keep the car running- one gallon at a time- as we happen upon these varied vendors.

Life is difficult in the developing world for lots of reasons. But, the lack of infrastructure or any structure seem to make commerce the hardest. To get somewhere- you need gas. But, you must first search up and down the roads and hope that the gas you already have will last you that far.

Corey attempts to travel to Port Salut every two to three days to return e-mails, update the website- work. This has proven more difficult than we ever imagined as they have the correct equipment but often don't have gas to fuel the server.

It's hard to imagine until you get here how difficult day-to-day tasks become for the Haitian people just to live, let alone succeed.

We are well and can't thank everyone enough for your continuing thoughts, prayers, and support for InKind's goat project.

New friends

2008-11-12T11:38:00.000-08:00

Elisabeth goes to market

2008-11-10T09:04:00.000-08:00

M'ap Souffri

2008-11-10T06:11:00.001-08:00

Today is Sunday and the only day of the week that we have a commitment involving an exact time and place- Church. Church starts at 10:00a.m. inside Wozye (undun Wozye). We got out our church clothes and Anna Ray's beloved gold shoes and headed out. By 8:45 we were on our way- holding hands as we walked the 45 minutes to the Church. Walking is a part of life here that Luc and Anna Ray have not learned to enjoy yet. I encourage them to walk by discussing how big their muscles will be and singing Disney princess songs with Anna Ray. They are somewhat willing with good conversation. The church involved lots of singing and the beautiful drums of Haiti. I understood very little which in some ways was more enjoyable. It started raining during the service and the deacon had to stop speaking and everyone sang as the rain on the tin roof made it too loud for us to hear anything else. The walk back was hard as the roads were full of ponds and mud. We made it, though, and congratulated ourselves with a cold Sprite and Coke (the cold part being the most special of all).

Everywhere we go people greet us with "Bonjou! How are you today?" The response that comes first to my mind is, "M'ap souffri." I'm suffering. Of course I never utter that as our lives are good and I am most definitely one of the most well fed women here. But there are times that I would be willing to cash in our 401K for central air, running water, some 409, and a salad with blue cheese dressing.

Yesterday we spent the morning at the weekly market here. The vendors all sell essentially the same goods- rice, beans, oil, chicken bouillon, spaghetti, onions, soap, barrettes, and candy. You can also find local remedies and amoxicillin in plastic baggies. One of our neighbors, Madame Micheline, was selling the clay cakes that we have often read of in the US papers. They are "cakes" made of clay, oil, and salt. The villagers who can not afford food eat these.

So, M'ap souffri... Luc has picked up on this common Creole phrase too. As we walked back from the market yesterday our hands slipping out of one anothers because of all the sweating we were doing, he told me "Mama, I'm suffering."

The hardest part of living here intellectually is realizing how much we have given up to live here and still how we have so much more than everyone around us. My eyes are different this time in Haiti as I have children too. The struggles of the families to survive hits much closer to home than it did before. More than anything, I am hoping to be a witness to the life and the struggles here.

We miss you all- Elisabeth

Corey assembles the kerosene stove

2008-11-08T18:49:00.000-08:00

Our kitchen

2008-11-08T18:04:00.000-08:00

Grandpa Ray hung the broom handle.

Meeting Luc

2008-11-01T16:40:00.000-07:00

A Whole New World (This is Anna Ray's theme song for our life here)

2008-11-01T10:21:00.000-07:00

Greetings all from Les Cayes, Haiti. Corey and I rode into Les Cayes today with a good friend of ours, Philippe, to do some "shopping." We spent three hours in the busy market in Les Cayes and were able to purchase a metal pan, a bucket, a camping stove burner, a palm branch broom, a juicer, a coffee mug, a cup, and some Louisiana hot sauce. We had a much longer list of needs, but it became shorter and shorter as the sun and sweat and crowding and chaos got the better of us.

As you all know, the kids and I made it safely to PAP where Corey met us and then made the trip to our new home, Wozye. Luc and Anna Ray are adapting much better than we had hoped for. We live on the second floor of a concrete home and have a balcony that looks out onto the road and the ocean. Haitian children often crowd the road by our house to watch our movement. Luc and Anna Ray take great pleasure now in standing on the balcony and singing, talking, and playing for the delight of the Haitian kids. After several hours of entertainment yesterday, Anna Ray wanted to share a piece of her bubble gum with one of the little girls. She brought the gum down to give to her and we all watched as the child took the gum and split the one piece between ten kids.

The heat here finds us sweating at 9 in the morning, so the kids and I have very much enjoyed swimming twice daily in the ocean. There are several little boys who join us to build sand castles and swim with Luc. Yesterday Luc was observing the naked body of a Haitian boy and his own naked chest and remarked, "I'm really white aren't I? And we don't carry things on our heads either."

So, life is good. I am doing my best to make some sense out of our dirt floor kitchen and how to keep clean without running water. When I'm feeling sorry for myself and dreaming of air conditioning, I try to open my eyes and look around. The poverty in Wozye is astounding. People are very very thin and have very very little. So, my job, as always, is to attempt gratitude. Monday C will start work in earnest on the goat project. We will post again soon. Much love from HAITI!!!

We're Off!!!

2008-10-26T14:42:00.000-07:00

Corey and his dad, Ray, arrived in Haiti on Wednesday. After a long wait in Les Cayes for a lost bag they arrived in Rosier on Friday! Upon their arrival, the Mayor (Pierre) and lots of neighbors came over to welcome them with fresh coconuts cut down from the trees, a camping stove to cook on, and a generator to borrow until ours is found in Les Cayes. C and his dad spent their first night sleeping on the balcony listening to the ocean crashing and roosters calling. C reports that life in Rosier is a great relief after 2 days in the polluted, crowded streets of Les Cayes. He's home.

Our main concern about life in Rosier at this point is access to communication. Corey can call out from the village on his cell phone but must walk the coastline to find enough bars to call home. The costs of setting up a satellite internet system run about $1800 for the equipment and $100 a month for service. We also are in need of some sort of transportation in case of an emergency and to access food, medical care, etc. in the city. The price of an inexpensive pick-up in Haiti runs about $3,000 to $5,000.

Luc, Anna Ray, and I packed up our house yesterday with lots of help from my mom, C's mom (Ila), my sister Mia and Nico, and Joe our next door neighbor. It was a long day but we are finally ready! I'm nervous about the two long days of travel with Luc and Anna Ray. Corey plans to fly back to Port au Prince to meet us at the airport. From there we will take a smaller plane to Les Cayes and then drive the two hours to Rosier. The longest part of our journey will be a 5 hour layover in the one-room, over-stuffed PAP airport. I will be packing lots of snacks and breakfast/lunch/ dinner for the kids as there are no places to eat.

My hope for these next days are that I might leave all of my anxiety and worry here so that I might approach the people of Haiti with the warmth and love that they will surely welcome us with. We will write again soon. Please keep us in your prayers. Elisabeth

Tickets, Please!

2008-08-26T11:11:00.000-07:00

We have been raising money to help us get to Haiti this summer and we are hopeful that we will reach our goal.

So far, we have about 1/5 of the year's expenses paid for, so we are looking for support from anyone who believes in what we are trying to do.

Corey is gathering volunteers and reaching out to people who want to get the message out about Haiti and our project. This last weekend, we were represented at the "Everybody Welcome" fair downtown Colorado Springs. We had a representative from the very village we are going to serve!! Our dear friend Sentidye (or Pierre as he also likes to be called) was there for us as well as Corey's dad Ray Almond.

Trouble in Haiti

2008-04-10T13:10:00.001-07:00

Corey and I got home last night to a phone call from our friend Elyse about the news out of Haiti. People are starving and there were protests across the country this past week. Especially concerning to us were the protests that became violent in Les Cayes. Haiti is maddening in so many ways. We want to be there to witness the realities of life for Haitians and hopefully help, but we also have a responisbility and desire to protect our children.

Anna and I spent the morning at the grocery store filling our cupboards with healthy foods, and fun foods. I made dinner for my family tonight and we ate until we were full with leftovers for tomorrow. I can’t imagine the desperation that I would feel if I couldn’t feed my family, if there was no work, inadequate health care. My heart goes out to the people of Haiti tonight who are hungry and desperate while food rots in the port cities. As we step into this year, my friend Elyse’s advice is that when you are dealing with Haiti it requires lots of flexibility.
Please pray for the people of Haiti.
http://www.inteldaily.com/?c=144&a=5899

Getting Ready for Haiti: Doctor's Visit

2008-03-20T15:08:00.000-07:00

The whole family went to see Dr. O'Donnell for an International Health Check-up. We all got typhoid vaccines, Corey and I got polio, and Luc and Anna Ray got TB tests and are to start getting the three series rabies vaccines. The Doctor also helped us with some antibiotic prescriptions and chloroquine prophylaxis to prevent malaria for the whole family! It was a long, but very very helpful visit. I will miss doctors whom I know, trust, and speak English!

FOR RENT

2008-03-20T12:51:00.001-07:00

Today we put the FOR RENT sign in our front yard. I spent most of the afternoon pushing Corey to complete the tasks of getting the sign up in the yard hoping that at least one chore of the many would be done and we could get on with our afternoon. Assuming that I would feel some ease and relief with the sign up, it came as a surprise to me and the family when I started crying as soon as I saw it standing in our front yard. It made our move to Haiti so final, real, and so public. It felt a little like getting married- the finality that comes with making such hard vows in front of so many people that we hope not to disappoint. I hope that our work will not be futile, but life-giving. I hope to share the love and joys of the Haitian people. I hope not only for health in my family, but growth. I hope that we are changed. Still... it’s hard to leave home.

Recent Trip: Where We Will Live

2008-03-20T12:47:00.000-07:00

David Sella

My first thought about Port Salut is ‘I like the road.’ Port Salut feels like a different country compared to the remote villages of Rossier and Fond des Blancs. We stopped for lunch on the beach- lobster, fish, french fries, and coke. There were many Haitians eating, picnicking. This is the first time that I have seen Haitians recreating in a formal recreation area and the first time that I have ever seen Haitians eating in public. There normally is so little food to go around that eating is not the same recreational sport, doesn’t have the same festive tone that eating does for us in the US. The beach is clean and sandy. The ocean is full of varying brightness of blues. Hatians having a good time. The man next to me is wearing a Carnaval mask dancing with another young man- women, men, children sitting in the back of the truck, chattering, jeering, encouraging.
David Sella

Our Life

2008-01-15T12:22:00.000-08:00

We are a family of four- Corey, Elisabeth, Luc, and Anna Ray. Luc is 4 years old and Anna Ray is 2. Luc is full of energy and imagination and will. He loves Legos and dinosaurs. If given the opportunity he will build and re-build Lego toys all day long. During play, Luc so literally transforms himself into a dinosaur that we often find him imitating a “Papa T-Rex” in full nudity as “Dinosaurs, don’t wear clothes Mama!” Anna Ray also has a mind of her own. She loves her babies. She feeds them and rocks them and when they misbehave they go to ‘time out.’ Anna Ray loves stories that involve cats, princesses, and people crying. Thus, she and I have spent many hours over the past days learning the rhyme “Three little kittens who lost their mittens and they began to cry… “ She can recite it by memory. Luc and Anna Ray are sweet and funny and well loved by us and both sets of grandparents and a great-grandmother in CSprings.

Corey and I first lived in Haiti in 2002-2003 before Luc was born. The Haitians began praying for C and I upon our arrival that we would get pregnant. They figured something must be terribly wrong with us as we had been married for two months and still no babies!?! Their prayers were answered and we returned to the USA when I was 7months pregnant with Luc. Since our return we have been seeking out a way to return to Haiti with our children and each other. Life is good and our memory is long. Haiti and its people have remained in our hearts since that year away and here we are getting ready to go again. This time is different, though, as our lives are no longer our own but belong to our children too.