Stephen & Beth in Haiti

Seamonkeys

2012-01-30T16:25:00.002-06:00

They've hatched. And now, they're carrying eggs! Seamonkeys are the latest first grade buzz around here. We check on them every day during snack time and feed them several times a week. It might be the coolest thing I've ever purchased worth $3.00. Thanks for that one, Wal-Mart. We've discussed how they're real and alive. We've discussed how they look more like shrimp than monkeys. The million dollar question: What are they, exactly? What we know for sure: They ARE cool to watch.

Pinterest in Haiti, well maybe

2012-01-29T14:00:00.007-06:00

One of the crafty missionaries here made the cutest wreath out of sticks, fabric and a glue gun. Since the nearest Michaels and Hobby Lobby is two days away, I was pretty excited about trying to make something "Pinterest-like". Trying is the key word.

Some of you Pinterest addicts may have seen this picture floating around. It makes me laugh every time. Isn't this how it always goes?

I wish I had a picture of how the wreath is supposed to look. I don't. But, here you can see it flapping in the wind.

This picture is complete with a friend giving it the thumbs up.

I guess you could say I have my very own "Nailed It".

It doesn't get more humbling than this...

2012-01-28T05:57:00.001-06:00

This week our group of visitors from Port Charlotte, Florida transformed the Sonlight Preschool room into a day spa. They had a special afternoon for the ladies of Sonlight with cookies, the most awesome mints, tea and coffee. I can't believe they offered to give us pedicures! What is more humbling than washing someone's feet? And our feet are on concrete floors and black sand playgrounds which counts for double on the "humble foot washing scale".

The leaders from this group, Ken and Nancy Horn, also head up our stateside grocery shopping and they make sure it gets on the boat; which is no small feat. They shop for about five to six months of food for 10 households here at Sonlight. This takes a trailer, several trips and a whole lot of love!

Pray

2012-01-26T18:04:00.001-06:00

This Sunday afternoon we learned that Roger and Norma Alexander's daughter, Lori Angel, passed away suddenly from a sickness (to be determined). Her husband, Mark Angel, died in a drowning accident in 2007 during a mission trip. They leave behind their 9 year old daughter, Riley.

Roger & Norma, Carmen (sister), John & Bella, Scott (brother), Lindsay, Cameron & Ethan all returned to the States. Cara (sister), Tom and Chase are also in the States awaiting the arrival of their second child.

We are asking for prayer for the Alexander family, and especially Riley. To quote Norma...

"Riley is a combination of her Mama and Daddy so she WILL BE strong. She talks, she cries, she is sad, BUT she also knows what she will have to do, and talks about it! Brave, strong, sweet, caring, and she will be alright. She will know sadness, anger, and all the other emotions that go with death, but she has a multiple of people who will help her, love her, care for her and do all in our power to help her. We want everyone to know how wonderful were her friends, the church family, the hospital personnel, and anyone who answered any need were in this time of need. Lori will be MISSED. Lori was LOVED. Would we wish her back? Of course selfishly we would, she was Riley's mother, but for her future, we hold no regrets!"

We feel blessed here at Sonlight that God sent us an amazing group of visitors this week. We have a teacher, retired special ed. teacher, retired administrator, and a generator expert among the absolute servants on this team. A couple who has traveled here many times,Ken and Nancy Horn (Ken being the generator expert) will be staying until John comes back to make sure we are not without a working generator. We remain blessed here and in good hands.

Thank you for joining us in prayer.

Bittersweet

2012-01-22T12:14:00.003-06:00

The Bitter:

I found out Friday that one of my first grade students moved to Miami. We will miss Kamberly (Kam). It is so difficult when students leave with no forewarning. It is common to simply move without telling anyone ahead of time here. I have heard that this is in part due to voodoo thinking. By not telling anyone about their planned future, they are not giving anyone opportunity to do evil to their plans. I also assume that when someone gets their chance to move to a different country they do so quickly. It doesn't seem right to be moving her desk or taking out her textbooks. I will miss her energy, wit and her love of singing, hair barrettes, and jumping rope. My students have been praying for Kam and we will continue to do so.

The Sweet:

Lindsay Dorfils, our student who had a partial thyroidectomy last May had a blood test done for her thyroid calcium levels this past Monday. Her blood levels are not perfect but amazingly close to "normal range". If you have had any experience with regulating thyroid levels, you know that this is God's doing. Because she still has part of her thyroid, it is even more difficult to regulate because one can't be sure how much stimulating hormone the remaining thyroid tissue will produce until the tissue "kicks in" and starts doing its job. She will remain on medication until her next blood draw in 12 months! In some people, the remaining tissue actually produces enough for the whole body and some people need no medication at all. In her case, because she is young, there is a possibility of this. Please pray for continued health in the next year.

$42

2012-01-22T12:05:00.002-06:00

I came across a statistic while reading a "Haiti Earthquake" issue of Relevant Magazine.

"To cover the estimated $13 billion in estimated damages to Haiti, every person in the U.S. would need to give about $42."

Wieman, R. (2010). Is there any hope for Haiti now? Relevant Magazine, Jul_Aug 2010 (Issue 46), 44-53.

Oakland Christian Church

2012-01-18T18:40:00.002-06:00

This week Oakland Christian Church from Oakland, Illinois is serving here at Sonlight. We have really enjoyed having familiar faces and people we love here in Haiti. Here are a few things they have been doing around Sonlight.

They've done fun crafts with our students. Red paint = one on one fun!

They've tutored our students and passed out sponsor gifts.

They've organized the Sonlight Bible College library.

They've laid bricks on top of SonCenter for future missionary apartments.

Tranblemann tè

2012-01-13T18:50:00.005-06:00

In my first five months of living in this place I was trying
to learn every word in Kreyol. This word wasn’t in our “Intro to Kreyol”
packet. It would never have dawned on me to learn it until January 12. After that
date, I heard it everywhere, coming from everyone’s mouth. It was on everyone’s
mind. It will always be a word linked with sadness and grief and a reminder of
Haiti once more being impoverished and needy.

It was a Tuesday in the evening. I was working in my
classroom moving boxes. I felt it. I heard it. I thought it was a semi buzzing
on our dirt road. After a few seconds I walked outside to see what kind of semi
would be making such commotion. It was humorous; at first. I’d never been in
one before. Later that night I learned that I had been saved from terror. I was
annoyed that our family in the States knew more about what was going on in this
country than we did. It made international news, but we, here were isolated. Phone
lines were down. Our only confirmation of the reports from the internet was the
bus loads of people with life-threatening conditions being trucked out of
Port-Au-Prince by the hour. I wondered how a person with broken bones could
survive 10 hour ride on the bumpiest dirt road on the planet.
If you think like my husband, this will help:
The January 12, 2010 earthquake
in Haiti yielded an [estimated] 316,000 deaths with a population of 9,719,932
(That’s 3.25% of the population).
Port-Au-Prince is the center of commerce, the place
people go to find jobs, to make money, to send back to places to feed family
members.
Ask any Haitian if
they know someone who died. They will likely name a family member or several.

In terms closer to home:
During World War II- 405,299 Americans died when the US
population was 133,402,000 (That’s .307% of the population).
As of current, 6,280 Americans have died contributing to
the War on Terror in our population of 294,043,000 (That’s .002% of the
population).
Will we ever forget 9-11? A total of 2, 996 people died
in 9-11.
I will never discount the fact that those deaths were due
to attacks on our nation. But, when I really think about WHY so many people
died in Haiti I think of:
shoddy building
materials/lack of medical care/lack of food and water
due to poverty
an entrapment of the thousands
of survivors of years of brutal slavery

Sounds like a
slippery slope? It is.
When you let your
heart think about it...it starts to FEEL like an attack. Like victims of a war.

It was two whole years ago. The tent cities and buildings
that remain flat as pancakes are visual and physical representations of what it
is in the hearts of Haitians: fresh.

Now, two years later, a person doesn’t enter Haiti without
learning the word in Kreyol. It has become a part of Haiti. It is one enormous
survivor story of so many stories that rest here.

Jesus the Frog...or maybe Elizabeth

2012-01-10T19:01:00.001-06:00

This week we are talking about animal and plant habitats. We're hatching sea monkeys tomorrow and I challenged my first graders to "fill our terrarium". MK's (missionary kids) Ally (1st) and Ethan (K) went hunting after school today. PS- I feel for them. I, too, was a kid who arrived at school way before the other kids and was the LAST to leave because my mom was (and still is) the secretary. After school today Ally and Ethan found a frog.

Me: What should we name it?

Ally: Jesus

Me: Really? Jesus? That's a pretty important name.

Ally: Or maybe Elizabeth

Jesus the frog

By the end of the afternoon we had Jesus the frog, a lizard with a bloody broken off tail (war wound from being caught by Cameron), a crab with pinchers and a hermit crab. Oh, and a spider for "dinner".

Yep, we're back.

2012-01-08T16:18:00.001-06:00

Inaugural plunging of our toilet...

Seeing my students after they've grown an inch...

Sweeping a dead lizard up from our living room floor...

Passing people who stop and ask, "How are you?" and actually mean it...

Setting my [new] alarm clock to realize the rooster will crow anyway...

Realizing that pretzels and oreos are precious one again...

Cheering when the power comes back on...

Giving up on styling my hair...

Awesome weather...

Yep, we're back

...in Haiti!

We had a wonderful stay with family in the States this Christmas. It seems like the weeks went by way too fast, but it also feels like it has been an eternity since we've been in Haiti. Over the years culture shock has changed to "culture transition" which becomes easier every time.

Our friends who stayed here in Haiti over Christmas break told us about a new restaurant with ice cream, pizza [with cheese!] and burgers. This is RARE here. The co-owner even speaks english! Amazing. We went with them yesterday evening and had a great time complete with Celine Dion's (Haiti's favorite music artist) greatest music videos blasting on the big screen. The best part was that the restaurant is in a side street second story building. If you've ever eaten in public in the third world you know how great that location is. People tend to congregate and watch Americans wherever we go and in a world where people are hungry, it is altogether more entertaining to watch us eat. We're usually asked for our food or money and it becomes a session of guilt for eating in front of people and I wonder why I went out in the first place or if I'm selfish for eating meat, ice cream, goat, or...you fill in the blank. Ugh.

Moving along...

The ice cream was tasty and I enjoyed my favorite Haitian drink: Couronne!

Here we are:

The Pack-Off

2012-01-04T17:01:00.000-06:00

Shopping in Wal-Mart is fun. Packing things is not. I dread it. It gets tense. We generally get 4 bags at 50 pounds each. So, we pack, weigh, readjust and weigh again. The worst part is pulling out the things we can "live without". We must be getting pretty good at eye-balling what we put in our shopping cart. This time we were pretty close.

This break we will fly back with a Missionary Flight Organization. We get 260 pounds per person including our own bodies! So, the Christmas dilemma was: do we eat [cake] now or pack [cake mixes] to eat in Haiti.

We were able to pack a good mix of school supplies, clothes and food to take back. We fly to Miami tomorrow and Haiti on Friday.

More Christmas Break in the States

2012-01-03T14:31:00.003-06:00

Here is a taste of our Puricelli Christmas in Salem...

The whole Squibb family (Stephen's Mom's side) in Squibb Tank shirts.

Just the Puricelli clan.

Nieces and [the] nephew after church.

Wrestling with "Uncle Steve".

The newest Puricelli.

Christmas Break in the States

2011-12-29T18:45:00.006-06:00

It has been great fun being home for Christmas.

So far we've...

...had fun with our niece, Jillian, and nephew, Reid...

...watched Jillian's preschool Christmas program (she played a GREAT angel)...

...saw SNOW and photographed Jillian's snowman and snowpuppy before it melted...

... and made a Sanner family handprint tree!

Sonlight Christmas Program

2011-12-24T08:25:00.001-06:00

Here's a video of the Senior boys' rap they wrote...

Christmas Program

2011-12-23T10:44:00.001-06:00

Here's the First Grade Performing at the Christmas Program.

Down in a Lowly Manger

2011-12-16T11:42:00.005-06:00

Last night my little ones stood proudly as they sang Go Tell It on the Mountain at the Sonlight Academy Christmas Program. Boy am I glad I have first graders; if they mess up, it is cute! And, if you know me, you know that I'm not a musician, nor a director of any sorts. Programs make me appreciate every ounce of energy people like my grandma (Gran), Mary Buckner (and friends and family-you know who you are) put into practicing, playing and singing! In the end, my class did a great job and were [of course] cute!

Today we had a shortened day of school. It was our Christmas party or "Happy Birthday Jesus" party (in our class). We read the Christmas story once again, ate Christmas cookies and students unwrapped their gifts. I always get emotional on this day. I'm not sure if it is that I get to be the one to: distribute the hours of work put into toy drives or read the messages sent from sponsors or tell the story of God coming down to us in the form of a baby [crazy]. Or maybe its that I am humbled by a group of people who live so joyfully with so little.

I was reminded by a good friend and Sonlight grad who shared a tear-filled message yesterday during our staff devotion of the HUMBLE nature of our God. These are her thoughts, matured by her lot in life. God did not choose for Christ to come to a rich home or family . He didn't give him a new crib; his first bed was an animal trough. He wasn't born in a hospital. He didn't even have a home nurse/midwife or aunt to help (as a lot of Haitians are used to). Mary was alone.

There is a maturity about those who have little. There is a connection with Christ that comes with that understanding. I see it here. It humbles me.

Sonlight Christmas Party!

2011-12-14T17:57:00.001-06:00

There is no shortage of Christmas celebration here at Sonlight! We've been as busy as people in the States. Last Sunday, we had our annual Sonlight Staff party. Norma made pizza and cake. Two rare foods in Haiti. For entertainment, two Sonlight teachers taught our whole staff how to line dance (in two different languages). This was a blast. I wish I had pictures to post, but I was too busy getting in on the action. I laughed so hard my face hurt. It was a great way to have fun with people you see working so hard day-to-day. I loved it. The first picture is of the entire Haitian staff here at Sonlight. From teacher's assistants, to construction, maintanence, household workers and kitchen staff. I snapped a picture of my classroom assistants too. Somehow I couldn't convince Stephen to get a picture with his assistant, Jeffney; imagine that?!?

Christmas Gifts are Sorted!

2011-12-11T06:43:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was Christmas gift sorting day. It is one of my favorite things to do. Sponsors send their children gifts and we also give things that churches/individuals donate. Stephen has the ability to sort quickly [not without careful thought though]. I, on the other hand, toil over who needs what, who would enjoy this most and making sure that every student's gift pile/amount is about the same. It takes me a full day to open packages, sort gifts, write down items that need to go in thank you notes for sponsors and put them all in a drawstring garbage bag. Yesterday, every time I opened a sponsor package, I'd get a little bit emotional at the thought they put into buying gifts for their child. And, for some reason yesterday, if they sent a letter with the gift, I was on the verge of tears :).

Alot of the teachers were sorting gifts at the same time this year which makes it fun to run back and forth to each others rooms to show fun gifts our kids were sent from sponsors. It is overwhelming enough that sometimes you just need to show someone.

Marc [6th grade teacher] opened a package sent to a student who is in love with Harry Potter. It was the entire book set!
Alexa [2nd grade teacher] by the way who also toils...thanks for spending the WHOLE day with me, Alexa...was sent an air cannon. We needed to test it out [on Marc] to make sure it worked :)
Have you seen a 3D T-shirt? We have now.

It is humbling. It is fun. These kids will LOVE the things they unwrap. They NEED/USE/PLAY WITH the things they unwrap.
Merry Christmas!

When I Grow Up...

2011-12-09T20:07:00.003-06:00

Thought you'd enjoy these first grade student answers to "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Roosenide--- "I want to be Jesus!"

Alexander (a boy)--- "I want to be a mom."

Admathai--- "I want to be a docton to help pepl in my cominity."

We've been talking about communities, neighborhoods and being a good citizen. Every morning I start class with a 'Morning Warm-Up' question to get our brains thinking in english. Today's question was "How can I be a good citizen in my community?"

I asked Armani to read it aloud from the board. He read, "How can I be a good SKELETON in my community?" To his benefit, we did study skeletons in science last month.

SKELETON-CITIZEN

Po-tay-to/Po-tah-to

And that was just another day on Rue Chalet [Roo Shall-ay]...

And So This is Christmas...

2011-12-08T14:51:00.005-06:00

This year I let the first graders decorate our tree. It is very eye level-centric.

My students are throughly enjoying Christmas! Christians in Haiti celebrate Christmas with songs and the recognition of the birth of Christ. There's no "Hallmark-ed-ness" to the holiday. I've seen a couple artificial trees for sale downtown, but other than that, you don't see much change with the holiday season. Gifts are rarely exchanged. In the absence of all of those things and in 80 degree weather, its hard for it to feel like Christmas. BUT, it gives us a chance to recognize the miracle of Christmas [without the hindrance of spending a ton of money on gifts, parties, etc.].

At Sonlight, since we have access to construction paper, glue and GLITTER, I am not ashamed to say that we've been doing some holiday decorating. Here is what we've been up to...

Ruth is touching fake snow.

Delft is weaving his contruction paper stocking (or as my kids say "socks").

Here they all are...hung with care [with hopes that Mme. Stephen soon will be there].

Rachelle and Andgelo (celebrating his half birthday today) stand in front of the tree with my version of a nativity scene...a doll in a basket. It has worked. The kids love walking by and kissing the baby on their way to our class bathroom. While I'm on the topic, does anyone have a plastic (unbreakable in luggage) nativity set they want to donate?

Meet Sterjovski Noel. In English, his name would be Sterjovski Christmas, so I've started saying it in English because he thinks it's GREAT and it always makes me think of Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and Dumber, played by Jim Carey.

Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noel and Jwaye Nwel! (English, French and Kreyol)

Field Trip!

2011-12-07T16:50:00.004-06:00

Port-de-Paix is hosting its 3rd annual "Bonne Fete, Port-de-Paix" celebration (a recognition of the founding of the city). The festival has Haitian crafts, paintings, jewelry and foods. They also have a little "zoo". Here is a run down of the animals for you:

a large snake

rabbits

a duck

geese

a turkey

an ox

two billy goats

a large white dog

a peacock

and four HUGE sea turtles

If you've read my earlier post about how excited I was to have rabbits visit my classroom for a day, you'll know just how unique some of these animals are here. Due to our recent study of peacocks and this unique opportunity, I asked to take my whole class to see the animals. Although the snake had already gone back to Port-Au-Prince and the duck died in its cage (don't worry, it is still on display), my students had a wonderful time and even pet some of the animals.This is Jeff-Indy (the student who wouldn't go near the rabbits) petting the the peacock..success! Christina and Lyse saying hello to the largest sea turtle. Amazing!

No yellow bus needed (it's a good thing because we don't have one). We walked about 20 minutes each way, single file with my three classroom assistants guiding. My assistants are incredible.

This was a fun chance to see God's creation and thank Him for making such unique animals!

RAIN

2011-12-06T20:26:00.003-06:00

Yesterday night into this morning we had a lot of rain! I love a good rain. There's nothing like going to bed listening to the sound of it. I love how it brings about something to "break up" your week or month. Here, rain is pretty well good for two things and two things ONLY.

1. It keeps the dust down (think dirt roads).

2. Its a source of free water you can collect on your own roof (no hauling or buying water).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The not so great side of rain...

1. Its rare if you own an umbrella.

2. Electrical dryers don't exist and clean clothes can't get dry (everything is hung outside).

3. Its impossible to go anywhere without getting wet (even with an umbrella). Most people walk. Some ride on motorcycles; even more ride in the back of Chevy S10's called "Tap-Taps".

4. Roads are not paved, there are no guarantee of every street having a ditch or dare I say drainage system. Scaling walls is survival.

5. When you take a bath with a bucket (maybe even outside) with no water heater, its COLD!

6. Leaky roofs.

7. Worst of all...RAIN MEANS HUNGER. Cook stoves (mostly used outdoors) require open fire and charcoal. When it rains charcoal cannot be made or sold. Many vendors (in the open air market) don't go downtown to sell their foods because its RAINING. And, folks don't have cabinets, tupperware containers with non-parishable foods. Food is, for the most part purchased and consumed each day.

On a day like today, I'm amazed when each of my students show up at school. Are they late? Yes! Are some of them soaking wet? (I keep extra clothes on hand) Yes! Are some of their little mouths chattering? Yes! But their education is important to them. And they get here.

This is Vialy, coming to school with a sweater and hat. Adorable. It was about 78 degrees, but he was COLD!

Our room with coats hanging on the window panes.

A picture of my mom and I scaling a wall after a rain during her visit last year.

PS- Everytime I do this I think of Psalm 18:29 "With my God I can scale a wall." Look it up. Its there. If there are Americans out walking, there are Haitians watching and saying, "Step here. You can't pass that way. Jump there." A white person falling in the water would likely make the news here. I'm trying to avoid that. Psalm 18:29 (although gravely taken out of context) is my prayer every time.

Happy Birthday, Markey

2011-12-06T20:11:00.000-06:00

Happy 8th Birthday to our niece, Markey! This message brought to you by Roosenide & Rooseline (twins) and Ally (your twin look-alike).

Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit

2011-12-02T15:55:00.004-06:00

My grandpa always says "rabbit, rabbit, rabbit" on the first of the month for good luck. He's been known to make up a funny phrase, saying and even dream or two in his amazing lifetime. Somehow it stuck. On the first day of every month, I always wake up thinking about how he says that. Stephen always thinks about how he [my grandpa] flips the mattress on the first day of all the even months and turns the mattress on the first day of every odd month. You're starting to tell my grandpa is one incredible guy.

By the way: "rabbit, rabbit, rabbit" is totally legit. I wikapedia-ed it. It checks out. Turns out it was an English saying that was brought over by the New Englanders.

So, to celebrate December: Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit, everyone!

Amazingly enough, I was given the offer to have pet rabbits visit our first grade class today. Seems normal. Here in Haiti, its not. All pets have a purpose. Dogs scare intruders. Cats kill mice. Rabbits do nothing. After all, why feed an animal, when it does nothing for you...especially if people in the household aren't full. I'm not quite sure if rabbits here are just a luxury pet or if they're seen as an oversized rodent. Anyway, a guy in Sonlight Church's youth group has them. A family member who went to the Bahamas (close to us) brought them back from a pet store there.

I loved it. It brought me back to 4-H days of showing the rabbit I owned in the 4th grade. Sylvania (named after our family TV at the time) spent many a play date with my best friend, Lisa's rabbit, Snow Ball. I remember being shocked when Sylvania had babies later to find out that Snow Ball was a boy.

I'm pretty sure Jeff-Indy thought I was asking him to hold a rat. He got close, but just couldn't touch it.

When I wrapped one like a baby, Gamael was okay with the idea of holding it.

And now you know it doesn't take much to entertain us.

Just another day on Rue Chalet [Roo Shall-ay]...get it, it rhymes.

Behold THREW UP the Heavens

2011-12-01T17:04:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was one WACKY WEDNESDAY
-------------------------------------------------
I can never get enough sweet letters from my students. Here are quotes from two letters I received yesterday-
"Mme. Stephen, I love you. You love to eat meat." -- Ruth (In a land where meat is precious, this is a compliment).
"Do you like to eat feet?" --Lyse
Can you tell we're doing long e sounds with ee and ea?
------------------------------------------------
We're learning "Go Tell It on the Mountain" for our Christmas program. There are quite a few words. When we are supposed to sing "Behold throughout the Heavens..." Biana kept singing (she's a loud singer) "Behold THREW UP the Heavens". And just what exactly are we telling on this mountain, Biana? Its too stinking cute to correct.
-----------------------------------------------

Celebrate!

2011-11-27T06:23:00.003-06:00

(Mr. Andre, Lay Shnaika, big sister Samira, Mme. Andre and Lay Shnailey)

Yesterday evening, a Sonlight elementary French teacher, Mme. Andre had a party for her twin daughters' first birthday. Lay Shnaika and Lay Shnailey have been surrounded by prayer a lot this year. I can remember while Mme. Andre was still pregnant, her overwhelmed view of having TWO babies at one time. DOUBLE the mouths to feed, DOUBLE the clothes to find and DOUBLE the space needed!

Birthing twins "naturally" is a feat; she was blessed with a healthy delivery. However, Lay Shnailey was born with a hole in her heart and has other breathing troubles. Sonlight's mother daughter team Cara and Norma suggested she go to a hospital in Port-au-Prince for testing (before they knew of her exact complications). After emailing the hospital, the missionary nurse said that heart surgery of that type could not be done in Haiti. At that point, I and some of you, prayed like crazy that God could take care of this little baby by either healing her or paving a way to necessary medical care. Her family was very concerned. They LOVE their children. By God's grace and healing, the hole in Lay Shnailey's heart is slowly growing back. She will get a check up in December. There is a lot to celebrate in the year these little girls have spent on earth and I was happy to take part in it!

Mme. Andre made traditional Haitian food: chicken, fried plantain, pikliz, pasta salad and rice and beans. It was a lovely meal! And...the girls had their first taste of CAKE!

Madley and Marth

2011-11-26T06:35:00.005-06:00

Madley, a graduate of Sonlight and super involved member of Sonlight church, also started a school this year. He has been working as a high school classroom aide for several years after he graduated. He, along with his sister, Marth, also a Sonlight grad went in on the venture together. Madley's school is a Christian school also teaching in French as well as English.

The school is in an old orphanage building and he has done a great job of filling the walls with painted alphabets, number charts and kid-friendly pictures.

There is a 3 year old class, 4 year old class, Kindergarten, First and Second, with the hopes of advancing those students each year until 12th grade.

Aren't the little ones cute?

A picture of Madley and Marth with 3 year olds and 2nd graders.

Since visiting both of these schools, I have recognized several kids on the street who go there. Because they are learning english, it is fun to ask in clear, slow language, "How are you?" and to hear their response, "I'm fine, TANK you. How are you?" My hope and prayer is not that Port-de-Paix could be bustling with little english speakers, but that because of these two Sonlight graduates, Port-de-Paix could be filled with more and more children who know God. And those children will grow into faithful servants, just like Madley, Marth and Monine.

Thanksgiving Day Hike

2011-11-25T06:01:00.001-06:00

I'm not sure who at Sonlight first started the Thanksgiving Day hike tradition, but Sonlighters have hiked to the top of a mountain above Port-de-Paix to the "Thanksgiving Day Tree". My first year here, when my parents visited over Thanksgiving, they hiked it with us and were troopers! (I still can't believe we made you do that, Mom- I'm sorry.) This year, we headed for the trek again. Here we are over looking Port-de-Paix and across the ocean is La Tortue, the small Haitian island, just North of us. It was a great way to burn extra calories from Norma Alexander's famous Thanksgiving meal. The only thing missing was family!

Monine

2011-11-24T05:15:00.004-06:00

Haiti does not celebrate Thanksgiving, but Sonlight took a three day break and we will be eating together today! We take national holidays off of school, but there are many days that Sonlight is in session when other schools are not.

I wanted to take advantage of our day off, so we visited a school started by a Sonlight Academy graduate, Monine. She along with her husband, Johnson just opened a school [Living Water Christian School] for 100 local children who would not otherwise attend school. Through a contact she made working for a different mission in Haiti as a translator, she found a church in California willing to support her endeavor. They rent a home and use every inch. They started with three classes, preschool, first grade and second. They teach in French, but have one class devoted to English. Other subjects include Math, Writing, Grammar, Creole and Bible.

When I asked if I could visit, like a true teacher, she said, "Mme. Stephen, can you teach their english class when you come?" She suggested I teach the children about Thanksgiving, so I did.

The students sit in shoulder to shoulder bench/row seating, a common sight in Haitian schools. At this point, the teachers have books, but the students do not. They are hoping to buy books when funds come in. Students have pencils and notebooks purchased by Monine and Johnson personally, and take notes of what is to be learned. One first grade student had a fever for a couple of weeks, and they planned to meet with his family and fund a trip to the doctor.

I was amazed and proud. They are doing a great work for God here in Port-de-Paix!

Thankful...

2011-11-21T17:39:00.005-06:00

My students thought of things they are thankful for and posted them on a banner in our hall...

(a shortened list)

soccer

sparkle (our spelling game)

the Bible

our clock

God

family

take the bacon (a recess game)

red rover

when I cross the street :)

As for me, I am thankful for the three women pictured below (Mme. Bazile, Mme. Islande and Miss Sabline). They are the aides in my classroom and they are amazing! When I tell people I have 29 students, they often gasp in amazement. These ladies make it possible. Even if its someone to share a smile, laugh or sigh with in class, they keep me sane. We are a little family; I spend more time with them than I do Stephen most days! They have taught me more about Haiti than anyone. I am so THANKFUL for them!

Mme. Bazile

Mme. Islande

Miss Sabline

Fish-y

2011-11-17T17:51:00.003-06:00

This week our reading curriculum has a story with Max and Ruby. Max tries to catch a big fish, but has no luck and buys one at the local market. We have quite a few ladies that make fried foods on our street, so I ordered one fried fish for every first grader.

They eat the eyes, tail, and skin in all!

I'm not sure if they enjoyed eating it, or if I enjoyed watching them eat it more...

I told Ally it would be a crazy looking special snack and she didn't have to eat it. She did take quite a few bites but passed on the head and tail.

This picture is just to show you my favorite hair do in Haiti. I call it the "God's Promise to Noah" hair do. :)

It was starting to feel like the old folks home...

2011-11-15T17:36:00.002-06:00

Meet Ruth Mitsee. She goes by Mitsee. In my most recent Bible study, I read that the word mitzi in Hebrew means small or bitter. Mitsee is definitely small, but far from bitter. She is HAPPY all the time!

Everytime I looked at Mitsee this past month, I thought she was one body part away from heading to the old folks home. She has four FRONT teeth missing. This makes eating anything (but rice) and speaking terribly difficult. To top it off, we just learned the "sh" and "th" sounds this week. :)

Also, Mitsee needed glasses! Finding an eye doctor who can provide glasses isn't the most easy process here. There is no place in Port-de-Paix that could do that for her. Sometimes there are visiting doctors in a neighboring town that bring donated glasses and they do their best to match up the pair of donated glasses that would help you most. Thankfully, Mitsee's mom took her to an eye doctor in Port-Au-Prince! She was tested there, but it took quite some time for her glasses to come. Yesterday, they were sent up (by bus or plane-not sure which) and this morning she wore her glasses to school! Best of all, she was so HAPPY they were purple!

The Sweet Spot

2011-11-14T18:16:00.001-06:00

Apparently, coconuts have a sweet spot. I married a tennis player. Now that I know what a sweet spot is, I can definitely tell you that a coconut has one. Our trees are bursting at the seems with coconuts this time of year. And because fresh coconut, like fresh anything, tastes rediculously better, I'm trying to make as many things with coconuts before they go out of season.

Alincia, who works in our home gave me a brief lesson on cutting a coconut. First you cut the tip; it makes a nice hole just big enough for a straw. I'm pretty sure God planned all that out just so we could drink coconut milk with a straw. Then, if you crack it just right, [on the sweet spot] it will open and you can eat the good stuff. I tried, and tried. Alincia's advice: (my version translated from Creole to English) Just bang it. I banged and banged. I admitted defeat. Someday.

I had a dream of making a pie like Neimerg's in Effingham, IL. If you've ever had one, you know what I'm talking about. Long story short, I made homemade pie crust, pie filling (with fresh coconut) and my own meringue! My meringue turned out ten times flatter than Neimerg's. Next time I'll use 20 egg whites instead of 3. How do they do it? For my first 100% homemade fresh coconut pie I give it the rating: Not bad and Definitely Repeatable!

Home Visits

2011-11-12T14:57:00.001-06:00

Today I visited the last of my students' homes. With 29 students and two sets of twins, that makes 27 homes and 27 families. When I go home with my students, I have a whole new understanding of their little lives. I can find out who has a long walk home, and some walk a LONG way (even scaling walls to avoid mud). I can find out if they have a bed (and if they do, it is more than likely shared with atleast one other family member). I can see who lives with them at their home and by visiting their home, you can get a glimpse of family dynamics. I've even had a father tell me that he has two families, and when he heard I was coming to visit, he wanted to make sure he was at 'this' home. Some consider it a big deal to visit with their child's teacher, while others seem not to care at all. I've been offered everything from a package of crackers to a big Haitian meal with goat, rice and plantain and some families, I know, cannot afford to have drinking water (let alone juice or coke) for everyone in the family (or enough water, anyway), and I was happy to simply visit.

In some situations, I leave feeling saddened by the conditions in which my students lives, or the apathy of the parents to his/her needs. And, I'll make this clear: in the US today, if a child is not fed, its probably negligence of the parent. With food pantries, government help, and school lunch (and even breakfast) programs, it is difficult to understand how children there could be hungry, all the while, I know hunger exists! Here in Haiti, not being able to feed your child doesn't necessarily mean you are a negligent parent. It is a hard concept to wrap my brain around. We all want to think that if we're intentional parents, we can meet their basic needs, but worldwide, this is simply not the case.

In some situations, it leaves me feeling so good about where my kids go when they leave me. The family pictured above is a very active family at Sonlight church. They are often at our Tuesday night prayer meeting and their kids come to children's events. With seven children, all going to school, they can't afford many "extras" (and they've taken in several family members too). Their mother informed me that this will be their last baby. When I told her that an American, Michelle Duggar, just announced the pregnancy of her 20th child, she laughed out loud. From my understanding, 7 children would seem just as trying as 20. When you get pass the 4 child mark, you've got a BIG family!

The Greatest Generation

2011-11-11T18:34:00.004-06:00

Was it Tom Brokaw who wrote The Greatest Generation? I think he nailed it. I'm proud to call Norman Buckner my grandpa. He put his life on hold, to (as he puts it) prevent us all from having to speak German. Thank you, Grandpa for being a HERO to your country and family AND thank you to all Veterans!

Elephanwhat?

2011-11-10T19:14:00.005-06:00

Among the many bazaar and seemingly extinct diseases, elephantiasis is a known sydrome in Haiti.

Definition- The word elephantiasis is a vivid and accurate term for the syndrome it describes: the gross (visible) enlargement of the arms, legs, or [uh hum...unmentionables] to elephant size. Thank you, Web MD. I could have included the description too, but I think the definition is succinct and informative.

People who work for the Haitian government administer donated, preventative medicine (Thank You, US AID) for every student in every school.

Today was our day! Marie Christie (9th Grade) took it like a champ.

Something in this medicine causes obvious drowsiness. We took the medicine at 10:30 and by 12:00 they started dropping like flies. Laissa (with her head down) was one of the first "to go". Some even stood up at their desks because they wanted to stay awake. It was an abnormally quiet afternoon!

Glimpses

2011-11-06T15:31:00.003-06:00

Glimpses of the life from Stephen's latest photography outing...

Okipe

2011-11-05T15:56:00.004-05:00

Okipe- busy = this week! I'll give you the highlights.

The boat came with some school supplies donated by a Sunday School class that supports us. Also, Christmas gifts for my students came!!! A ball for every boy and a doll for every girl. Amazing story if you knew how they got here.

I've been visiting more and more student houses. Ally and Riley and their mom, Susan (Mme. Brad) visited Rooseline and Roosenide with me. Ally and Roosenide have become best buds in first grade. LOVE this picture and had to post it.

I visited a home with a spider that was pert near terantula status. The dad smacked it with a shoe, missed, and it jumped toward me. I tried not to yelp, but I did anyway. I could really use a handbook on what to do in situations like these.

Today I visited four houses of students who live a few miles down the road (a 30 minute ride by tap-tap). It was a fun morning that ended with fresh coconut and a rainy/muddy ride home on a motorcycle (taxi).

Bon weekend tout moun.

Napoleon Dynamite Comes to Ayiti

2011-11-05T15:35:00.004-05:00

If you haven't seen Napoleon Dynamite, don't read this. If you have, just know that I busted a gut when Andgelo, a first grade student handed this letter to me. Go ahead, admire my beauty.

If you can read the words here is your translation key: "evre" = every; "spoco" = sparkle, a spelling game.

Letters from my kids help me keep my sense of humor and warm my heart. Now that they are learning how to write more words, they dig writing letters.

Celebrating

2011-10-31T18:35:00.001-05:00

In a nation where people are held captive by the evil spiritual world, its not in my nature to want to introduce a holiday that represents more of that. That being said, I love any chance I can get to celebrate the fun side of October like making pumpkins into Jack-O-Lanterns (which we did in class). I purchased the closest thing to a pumpkin I could find here. I couldn't find any gourd that was orange, and I was determined to make it work.

The Bridges (an American missionary family that serves here) had a costume party. I dressed up as a creme mayi vendor (ice cream pops that are sold here). Steve dressed up as a papita vendor at the end of the day (sold out). Papita are plantain, cut in strips and fried until they're crispy. The man who sells them by Sonlight places them in a cover used for an oscilating fan. :) My student, Pippi Longstocking (Ally) is also pictured.

Henrico

2011-10-30T20:07:00.004-05:00

Yvory, Kermann and Henrico (pictured above) have been best friends since they started preschool at Sonlight. They are in 11th grade this year. Kermann has already accepted Christ into his life and wanted the same for his best friends. Stephen started meeting with the three of them last year. Over time, Kermann and Stephen started talking with Henrico about his faith. They knew he was wrestling with the idea that Christ could be his Savior.
Yesterday, Henrico was baptized.

I include this picture to show you the trash that covers our coastline. The symbolism of water in baptism has always held special meaning to me and many. It visually demonstrates an outward cleaning of a spiritual change on the inside. It shows that when we go under water, we die spiritually to ourselves and when we rise out of the water, we become new creations in Christ. Here, in Haiti, where the water is far from clean, being baptized [in THIS water] paints an even more meaningful picture. There is nothing magical about the water; its demonstrating a change WITHIN you. Although our surroundings may be trash-covered, we are called to be inwardly clean and pure. And, baptism is just the beginning of that journey!

Stephen, Kermann, and Henrico are now praying for their friend, Yvory (top picture, on the left) to grow to a point of understanding and that he, too, would give his life to Christ.

40 Days

2011-10-27T19:13:00.009-05:00

Today was our 40th day of first grade. There's something significant about 40 days. Its all over the Bible. It rained for 40 days while Noah was on the ark. Jesus fasted in the desert for 40 days. He appeared to the apostles 40 days after he rose from the dead.

This morning after we did our calendar chant, "We have, we have, a lot of praise. We've been in first grade 40 days!", I wondered if somehow something big would happen. Would they magically or [divinely] understand their short and long vowel sounds? Would they remember that there are 12 inches in 1 foot (our newest math concept)?

As much as I'd love to report that something huge happened today, I must report, today was a normal day of goofy-ness and learning.

Monkey-ing around at recess.

Enjoying our science "taste" experiment: sweet, salty, bitter, sour. It's days like these that are not extraordinary, but make the daily memories that I will cherish!

Real V. Make Believe: The Desk Fairy

2011-10-20T17:36:00.001-05:00

This week we're diving into the difference between real and make-believe. This gives me a great chance to talk about God and His son Jesus. One of the fun things I try to do with my class to keep their desks clean is random overnight visits from The Desk Fairy (thanks to Amanda Wurdeman for this idea). I tell my kids that she finds one of our "warm fuzzies" (a fun thing my first grade teacher, Mrs. Cazel used for encouragement) and puts one fuzzy into the cleanest desk she sees.

Usually, to beckon 'The Fairy' I tape a warm fuzzy to the board. This also helps me remember to be the 'The Desk Fairy'. One night I FORGOT. I blamed it on the downpour we had the night before. Fairies can't fly in rain, right?

The next morning, Rood (pictured) said, "Mme. Stephen, I think The Desk Fairy is make-believe. I think YOU are the desk fairy!"

BUSTED.

We had a fun class talk that concluded with this:

GOD = REAL

The Desk Fairy = make-believe

They may be small, they may be young, but they can sniff out TRUTH! And, probably in a more genuine, pre-life-junk-clouded way than we can.

Lost in Translation

2011-10-19T18:02:00.002-05:00

ESL (English as a Second Language)/ELL (English Language Learners)/BUZZ Acronym *of the moment* students are little miracles. My current class of first graders have been learning english as long as I have been learning creole. Take a guess at who knows more?! They have a bazillion synapses firing compared to my three.

But, there are moments that things get 'lost in translation'. At this stage in the game, they are literal comprehenders. Today at recess, Jeff Indy was kicking sand (our soil) under his feet while he was walking to the line. I responded, "Jeff Indy, please pick up your feet."

I looked back over. He is standing with this hands to his feet, literally picking one up...as serious as the noon-day sun.

When I laughed, he laughed, I'm guessing with a little relief that his teacher really didn't mean that.

Fall Festival 2011

2011-10-16T19:52:00.002-05:00

We had a great time with Sonlight high school students at our Fall Festival this past Friday. We didn't take a lot of pictures so I'm linking Marc and Brooke's blog (fellow missionaries). Click here.

Twin Power

2011-10-12T17:09:00.005-05:00

Twins in Haiti can be a complicated affair. The very translation of the word "twins" in Haitian Creole is complicated. There is a word for twins that are two girls (jimel), twins that are two boys (jimo) and twins in general (marasa). Some people here say that twins have special powers and might be able to read each others' minds. The added cost of twins is especially difficult (here and everywhere); finding two sets of clothes the same size instead of utilizing hand-me-downs, and buying double of anything that's needed at the same time.

In Haiti, its common to name your twins with similar names. This makes their future first grade teacher work especially hard to differentiate pronunciations when calling on them to answer questions in class. I have two sets of twins in first grade this year!

Meet Rooseline and Roosenide. They come to school wearing exactly the same uniform right down to the socks and hair dos! It took me a week to figure out how to tell them apart and now I can decifer them by personalities. Rooseline is diligent and protective, always looking out for her twin. Roosenide is carefree and could easily be the first grade class social committee president. People in their neighborhood simply call either of them "jimel" (twin girl) and they answer. If I'm calling out directions on our playground, either answer quite nicely to "Roose". :)

Alexander and Alexandra are first grade twins as well. They have a wonderfully supportive family and couldn't have more different personalities. Alexander is soft spoken, yet happy-go-lucky; Alexandra is sensitive and loves to repeat and recall in a loud, confident voice. Their family is very active in Sonlight Church and the children of their family sang a "special" during offering last Sunday.

The babies are daughters of the elementary French teacher, Mme. Andre. She is my age with three daughters. The youngest two are twins and will be 1 in late November. Their names are Lay Schnika and Lay Schniley. Their names have recently been shortened to Nika and Niley. Niley was born with a hole in her heart that has been growing back. For those of you who are/were praying for her, THANK YOU! She is now pulling up (Nika will soon follow) and she is saying, Mama, Dada and Alleluia (with her hands waving in the air...how cute is that?!). The girls are being held by Ally (one of my students, read previous post) and her older sister Riley.

He Knows How to Sell 'Em

2011-10-06T20:02:00.001-05:00

There is a group of boys on Rue Chalet (our street) that will rip your heart out. They are hungry...a lot. Their clothes are dirty and ripped. They don't go to school. I could go on...

It is not uncommon for one of them to find a shell in the ocean to sell. If I hear "Mme. Stephen" on the street, its usually a request for me to buy one. More recently, the boys have found a new craft. Bracelets. They cut and wrap pieces of old plastic bottles with thread and they're getting good. They can now make words. For about a week Roberson, one of 'the boys' asked me to buy a bracelet he made that said, "Sonlig". He said, "Its Sonlight" while pointing to the Sonlight Academy sign outside our school gate. Regardless of the fact that the 'h' and the 't' didn't fit on the bracelet, he was going to sell it. For several days I didn't have money on me. Roberson was persistent.

One day last week I heard, "Mme. Stephen, I have a bracelet for you." Fully expecting to see the Sonlig bracelet resurface, I dug in the bottom of my teacher bag for some money. I looked at the bracelet. This one TRULY WAS for me. No excuses. I'm buying this one.

Just another day on Rue Chalet... (shout out Susan Hammond).

Sidewalks

2011-10-04T21:05:00.001-05:00

Sidewalks. I take them for granted in the States. We all do. I'll get back to sidewalks in a moment.

One of my neighbors looked out the window of my house and said, if you haven't shown the view from your house, you really ought to. I'm sure its on our blog somewhere, but just to refresh, here it is. The first thing you might notice to the left is an unfinished house with no roof. Since there is no trash system in Port-de-Paix, people leave their trash in unfinished homes. Can you see the trash FILLING the home from the ground to the top of the retaining wall? The owners of the home burn this trash atleast twice a week. We pray for the wind to blow the opposite way. You might also notice the mess of electrical wires running down the street. Now notice the lack of sidewalks. On a rainy day, this street is filled with mud. Its difficult for people to walk down the street on a good day; add mud and
its nearly impossible. On the list of "ways to make this street better" a sidewalk doesn't top the list. I'd vote trash removal as #1.

All this is to say that Sonlight just got something pretty great. Something that's pretty rare here. It has revolutionized our walk home and the cleanliness of our tile floors. From the school to our apartment behind the school we always walked through a path with black sand. It was impossible not to get your feet dirty. We would get sand in our shoes and consequently on our floors.

Now, we have sidewalk! No more dirty feet, no more sand in our shoes. Even the school [guard] dogs use it!

Ally

2011-10-02T14:49:00.010-05:00

This year I have a "MK" (Missionary Kid) in my class. Ally has been so much fun to have in class. She has made one of the biggest adjustments of any kid I know. She is in a new home, new school with a new teacher in a new country with new foods where everyone including her peers speak a new language. Ally has handled of things new with more resiliency than I could ever know.

I enjoy having Ally in my class for selfish reasons. She is the only one who understands the jokes I say. She is the only student who fully understands english (since we are an english immersion school). Many of the students look to her after I give complex directions, and this is so helpful!

Having Ally in my class, has reminded me of some of the differences of Haiti. For example, Haitians have no issues going to the bathroom [subtly] in public. When one of my boys went to the bathroom (we have a bathroom in our classroom) he left the door open. All of the students (myself included) didn't notice he forgot to close the door. Ally raised her hand to say, "Mme. Stephen, he forgot to close the door." I remembered how strange it was to notice someone going to the bathroom on the street here and then to be in the practice of turning my head instead of gawking.

Ally is learning French like her peers, except she is jumping into the third year. Other first graders have had French in Preschool and Kindergarten, but Ally is taking it in stride. She has been learning the days of the week in French this past week. Every first grader wants to help Ally with flashcards we made for her to practice during bathroom break time. I've posted some fun pictures of Ally in my class.

Ally is a whiz with scissors, which is so much fun! Scissors aren't necessarily a Haitian home staple, so some of them haven't had a lot of practice with them outside of school.

Ally working with Alexandra on French flashcards.

She has even been asking her talented mother to braid her hair just like the other girls. I betcha can't tell which one is her. :) [This reminds me of a new class rule. You can only touch Ally's hair if you ask her first. The kids are so curious to see what it feels like!]

In case you couldn't tell...

Happy Birthday, Scout!

2011-09-28T17:40:00.001-05:00

Happy 2nd Birthday to our nephew, Scout. We miss you!

Offices

2011-09-26T19:54:00.004-05:00

With 29 students, our classroom is packed! That means we sit in groups just so we can have walking space. The past two years I struggled with ways to get students to "keep their eyes on their own papers". A second grade teacher visited and gave me her classroom solution (Thank you Meg Taylor). Two file folders glued together and laminated. I loved the idea so much I made them this summer and they even made our 100 lb. luggage weight limit. That is dedication folks...apologies for patting myself on the back. I could've packed five pounds of coffee or another pair of shoes.

My cousin who teaches second grade, uses them in her class too. She called them cubicles. I loved that. But I didn't know how I could explain what a cubicle was, so I changed the name to "offices" which has a direct translation in Creole. My students now love it when I say they can "set up their offices". I think they like the feeling of their own space, which is a rare find here in crowded Port-de-Paix.

After setting them up for the first time, one of my spirited aides (who knows I always carry a camera) said, "Mme. Stephen, this is so cute. Take a picture." She is right. They are pretty cute.

Samdi Fun

2011-09-25T15:14:00.003-05:00

Saturday (Samdi) is our one true day off from any duties. We've been busy every Saturday! Here's what we've been doing:

Eating local cuisine. Snapper and fried plantain. Its worth the work (de-boning). If I don't look at the eye, it tastes better.

A two hour trip (14 miles) to a nearby beach. Watched young men pulling their fishing nets in.

Watched kids who were walking on the beach.

Watched creative kids with recycled toys.

Watched kids watching us.

Visited friends in the neighborhood. Did a baby photo session "Haitian style".

I was in Heaven. Who doesn't love a good baby photo session?

Coning in Haiti

2011-09-21T20:49:00.000-05:00

This summer I realized how "out of touch" with American culture I was when I heard my mother talking about PLANKING. You, know, planking. The rage. The thrill. Well, if you don't know...welcome to the club. Planking, in short, is when a person lays flat across two objects to form a bridge. The more obscure the place, the better. The more it is captured and posted online, the better. In an attempt to NOT be one of those culturally "out of touch" missionary women who start wearing cotton homespun dresses and long braids, I made it point to learn about the latest fads with no greater tool than facebook!

Today, on facebook, I read about CONING. Coning, by definition, is when a person takes an ice cream cone from the restaurant server, not from the cone [at the base] but from the actual ice cream. Is this not HILARIOUS?! And...harmless, except for the worker who has to clean up the mess. (Side note: if you go coning, bring wet wipes and offer to clean up the mess.) The introduction of coning to my social dictionary evokes memories of my love/hate relationship with ice cream.

If you were an early reader of the blog, you might remember a post about the ice cream machine attached to a generator on wheels. Two men made a business of it here in Port-de-Paix. Soft serve at its best. The only issue was their choice of "mix ins" (shout out Cold Stone lovers). Instead of gummy bears, we discovered maggots. Apparently, maggots like ice cream too. And, if a health department existed here, they may instruct the men clean out the machine before making new ice cream!!! My consumption of ice cream in Haiti abruptly ended.

At the beginning of the school year, like manna from Heaven, a lady with an inconspicuous cooler announced her state of the art product in front of the gate of our school. "Men creme mayi!" My rough translation in my head..."Here's cream corn!" Cream corn? Really? I asked an 8th grader what cream corn was. She laughed. "Mme. Stephen, its ice cream." What? How can cream corn be ice cream? AND most importantly, if it is ice cream, score! {Side note: my educated assumption is that the number one ingredient is hydrogenated corn oil, hence its name cream corn.}

I had to take a picture of our new ice cream because the packaging is state of the art and incredible! It comes in freezer pop packaging--otherwise know as "CONING-PREVENTION PACKAGING". This is perfect for Haiti; easy to transport, and it melts in the package (almost instantly by the way) not on your hand. I tried the coconut flavor-its a go! Most flavors were island-y with the exception of the corn flavor (with a tempting picture of cornbread on the package).

1 point for ice cream
2 points for the ice cream lady
50 points for whoever invented coning

Saturday Shopping

2011-09-18T15:19:00.002-05:00

Shopping for clothes and shoes and most any other items in Haiti is a lot like a morphed session of shopping at a garage sale and a car lot. Vendors buy bundles of clothes and shoes by the crate/box from ships that dock at Port-de-Paix. They then sell the clothes for profit (most all of them used clothes that were donated, no sells from Goodwill and Salvation Army stores). I'll do my best to give you detailed observations from my day.

Clothes are piled in no order of sizes or types on homemade wooden tables lining the dirt paths of downtown Port-de-Paix. I found a shoe (used) I really loved. The lady told me I could try it on for size. She placed an old top half of a styrofoam container on the muddy ground for me to lay the shoe down so I could try it on. Humbling. I tried it on and like it. I asked how much it is. She quoted a price that is probably double what she is expecting to get out of them, and what I would've paid for a new shoe at Target. (I HATE bartering. Its work!) I offered her under half the price. She offered half the price. We settled. I asked for the matching shoe to complete the pair. We looked in the large pile of shoes only to find the same shoe in a half size smaller AND they are both for the right foot! Ha! Luckily, she laughed. I laughed. I walked to the next table. Can anything be easy here?

I came across a table next to a produce vendor filled with TOMS shoes. They were all black, children's sized shoes. I wondered if they were the shoes that are supposed to be the "free" shoe donated to people in need in the Third World. I looked inside the sole. Sure enough: "Not for Resale" was printed on the inside. My Creole speaking friend asked the lady where she got all of them. She said she bought them in Port-au-Prince. I'm guessing its not how TOMS intended to distribute them, but I guess we can all rest easy that someone now can make an income from them.

We ended the trip with "fresco" or shaved ice. The gentleman selling them was pushing a wooden cart with a large block of ice wrapped in a rice sack. He used a metal grater to shave the ice and placed the ice with his bare hands in each cup before pouring juice on them. Each cup is $1 Haitian which is roughly 1/8 of $1 US. He took our money, once again with his bare hands before grating and sculpting the next cup with...his bare hands. I had to laugh at the thought of any shred of public health observance here.

We're not in Kansas anymore...

Welcome back, Miss Sabline!

2011-09-16T18:37:00.000-05:00

One of my classroom assistants, Mr. Junior moved to the Dominican Republic to go to college, so I have a new assistant, Miss Sabline. She is diligent, GREAT with first graders and is a real go getter. Even more exciting is that she is a 2009 graduate of Sonlight Academy. It is amazing to see how the years of time spent here by our ministry's founders, the Alexanders, has produced so much fruit! I'm so glad she is working at Sonlight and she is a daily reminder that teaching young first graders is an essential piece of the puzzle of developing believers of Christ in Haiti!

Ti-VanGoghs

2011-09-14T17:48:00.004-05:00

Meet my little (or "ti" as they say here in Haiti) VanGoghs! This is our class stationary with student self-portraits. It took three tries for one of my students, as he wanted to draw himself as a ferocious cat the first two times. Third time's a charm. Aren't they precious?

Crafts Come to Haiti

2011-09-11T15:55:00.000-05:00

This past week the student my parents sponsor, 5th grade Wilny, asked to come after school to bring a gift. Over the summer one of our neighbors here in Chalet, and mother of 3 Sonlight students started craft lessons. This is quite a novel entrepreneurial venture for Port-de-Paix; almost HGTV-esque. More power to her for creative ways to earn income. She charged a fee to teach children how to make placemats out of yarn. BTW-placemats are in vogue here in Haiti, as are table cloths. Wilny made a tasteful beige and colorful "Brazil" (Haiti's favorite soccer team) colored placemat for me. They even had homemade tags (also a big deal here, as most things are used and don't have tags). They said, "by Wilny--Made in Haiti".

A True Pencil Pal

2011-09-07T18:40:00.000-05:00

My heart is full. My kids have COOL pencils. I was one of those kids with practical parents (which I'm very thankful for now). As a child walking down the "Back to School" isle at Wal-Mart, I dreamed of Lisa Frank pencils. If you were ever a girl, you know who Lisa Frank is and you know exactly what I'm talking about. Conveniently, my grandmother worked for a real estate company that gave away complimentary pencils. So as my counterparts were sporting rainbow and unicorn covered lead, I advertised for a real estate company. Now you know my troubled [yet not life-altering] history with pencils.

Backtrack two weeks. Sonlight teachers were in the hustle and bustle of classroom readiness and pencils were just one box to check off on the endless "need to get done list". There were enough pencils in our storage for our school to operate, but we're teachers. We think ahead. We like to see a set of pencils for three months down the road when our erasers are gone and our kids are writing with nubs. We don't have Wal-Mart, and our kids don't have "Back to School Supply Lists". Many households in Haiti don't have pencils and I often see church members taking notes with a pencil that may be all of 1/2 centimeter in length. Pencils are precious here.

Just when we're starting to get low...GOD PROVIDES. Not just any pencils...but cool pencils! This summer, Stephen and I spoke at a church in Shelbyville, IL through a connection with a former student from the States, Natalie. It just so happens that she was a pencil collector. She sent her ENTIRE collection of pencils. A lifetime of collecting. And...each pencil is uniquely different. Not one is plain yellow. Teachers at Sonlight have been sifting through to find pencils for their classes too. Today one teacher said, "Who knew a tub of pencils could be so cool?" Lesson learned again; God provides in ways that are COOLER than we could imagine, even with something as small, yet necessary as a pencil. To top off my week, I have delighted in writing my lesson plans in...get this folks...a GENUINE Lisa Frank pencil. Thank you, Natalie and thank you, God!

The Hum of the Generator

2011-09-06T18:47:00.002-05:00

Here at Sonlight, all of our electricity is created by a 150K generator. Many families in our town receive electricity generated by Sonlight too. This takes a massive amount of upkeep and one very smart person to fix problems that come with 24 hour/7 day per week use.

Generators are loud. But, the hum of the generator is one we like to hear. Occasionally, when we see lights flicker we know that something is going on in the "generator room", but when the solid hum starts to go into a lower register, we get worried. Last night was one of those nights. It was really a false alarm to the average Haitian missionary home dweller (although I'm sure there was a part that needed fixed that caused the blip). The power was only off for a matter of minutes.

If you ever wanted to know what material possession you would save if your home were burning, come to Haiti for a dry run. If it involves electricity, we frantically run to unplug and save our beloved material possessions from power surges and possible final 'burial' by our incenerator. Last nights line up:
Stephen went for (in this order);
1. Computer
2. TV
3. Cell phones
I bolted to the kitchen (in this order):
1. Coffee pot- PLEASE SAVE THE COFFEE POT
2. Microwave (because it was next to the coffee pot, I guess?, and let's face it, they're great)
3. Radio- beats me...
We had a good laugh on this one.

When Its Time to Change...You've Got to Rearrange!

2011-09-05T19:55:00.000-05:00

The first half-week is complete. Already, my classroom has changed. Two of my students (a brother and sister) moved to Miami. While I am happy for them, I was sad I wouldn't have them this year. I added a new first grade student today who couldn't be more precious. This puts my current class total at 29 and I think we're here to stay.

Each night when Stephen and I talk about what happened during the day, it seems my list is much longer, or atleast, everything that happens with my kids, I know about. Andgelo (pictured) fell on the playground and lost a front tooth. This child never stops smiling. He walked up to me [smiling] with bloody gums/lips to announce he lost his front tooth! It was hard not to keep a straight face. Here in Haiti, there is no tooth fairy. Tradition holds that if you cover your old tooth in mud/dirt/ash (making it ugly) and throw it on the roof of your house, the new tooth will come in a beautiful one. Unfortunately [or fortunately] for Andgelo, it currently buried somewhere in our sandy school yard never to be found again. I'm sure, given its current dirty-ness, somehow, that makes up for throwing it on a roof.

School Starts Tomorrow!

2011-08-30T14:22:00.000-05:00

We have been busy trying to make our classrooms look like more than concrete squares, and its been a lot of work! School starts tomorrow and I'm ready to meet my new class of 17 girls and 13 boys. That's a wonderfully even number of 30 this year (and it's divisible by 3)...a teacher's dream! Yesterday morning we had our school inscription (registration day). I was able to meet many of my students and their parents. Pictures to come...

Isn't She Lovely

2011-08-21T15:24:00.000-05:00

We got to meet our newest niece, Katie Mehrle, the day she was born before we left to come back to Haiti. She is beautiful; I am convinced she will be ready for her first haircut next week. Check out her hair!?! We are so glad both our niece and nephew were summer babies and we could see them before Christmas break.

Since we have been back we've painted my classroom, and the bedroom/bathroom in our apartment. We have a week to settle into our classrooms and plan before registration next Monday. I must say that coming back for a third year is much easier than the years before. Haiti is familiar now. Although, not all Haitians are familiar with us...today at church a young mom sat next to me with her 23 month old son. When he saw me he screamed bloody murder, really! It was as if he saw a ghost. For the whole service, any time he turned his head to look at me, he cried. The mom tried hard to ease him in, apologetically looking back at me. Chances are, that is the closest he's ever been to a white person, if he has seen one at all. At the close of service, I bent down to compliment him and he screamed and stomped. Maybe next Sunday? We'll see. All this to say, we're back!

Introducing...

2011-08-03T12:22:00.000-05:00

Is there anything more precious than a newborn baby? We're happy and proud to announce that my niece Jillian has a new baby brother, Reid. I was able to see him come into the world last week and his big sister Jillian has been enamored with him since. We're not used to boys on the Sanner side of the family, so he will be teaching us all about them. This makes going to Haiti that much harder!

So, tell me a little bit about God...

2011-07-19T15:26:00.001-05:00

After being around little ones at Vacation Bible School this week and last, I've really started to miss my students in Haiti! I have been more "school minded" looking for fun things for my classroom, laminating posters and searching ideas for new songs, games and lessons. I've posted a video of Christopher who responded to my request, "So tell me a little bit about God..." This brings me great encouragement that our students at Sonlight are not only learning English (keep this in mind), but they are also learning about the most important thing. And, eventhough we might not know all the details about God (like the 12, um, 12...he means disciples), we know that God gives us life in eternity with Him! Everytime I watch it, it makes me smile. Oh..."ainjers" = angels.

Happy Birthday!

2011-07-16T18:59:00.002-05:00

Happy 27th Birthday, Uncle Stephen!

Inside Out and Upside Down on Main Street-VBS

2011-07-15T12:12:00.002-05:00

We've enjoyed VBS at Oakland Christian Church this week. Here are a few pictures.

Kari in "Haiti Land" (above)

Stephen telling kids about taxis and tap-taps in Haiti.

Vacation Bible School

2011-07-14T10:53:00.000-05:00

Wow! Its been a while since I've blogged. When you're in the US, there are so many other things to do! This week has been one of our busiest weeks with Vacation Bible School at Oakland Christian Church. We've had the pleasure of going to several churches so far, but this is our first VBS of the summer. Talking about Haiti makes me realize how much I miss being there.

Cancer Free~4 Years!

2011-06-24T18:04:00.004-05:00

Today I had an appointment with the doctor that has managed my thyroid cancer. We received good news! The cancer is still gone and this year my thyroglobulin levels were lower than last (which means the likelihood of cancer coming back is slim). Last year we were a little disappointed to find out that my "numbers" actually grew which is the opposite of what I needed to prevent reocurrance of cancer, but this year it looks like I'm in the clear.

The plan: I will have another scan next year and if my numbers continue to decrease, it will be my LAST ONE! Wahu! I will still need to visit this doctor for an ultrasound every year to check for tumors, but this does not involve injections, radioactive iodine or holding still for an hour and a half at a time.

It looks like I will never be cut loose from getting an annual check-up, but I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. Celebrating 4 years of being cancer free is reason enough to celebrate. We're headed for good Italian food on The Hill in Saint Louis. Zia's! Thanks for all your prayers.

Salem Fun

2011-06-14T19:56:00.004-05:00

Some of my favorite pictures Stephen took while we were in Salem with the Puricelli family.

There were happy times...

There were three year old moments...

But in the end, everyone was happy.

You Know You're in Decatur, IL when...

2011-06-14T13:12:00.002-05:00

It is medical appointment week (and if you count dental stuff...it is medical appointment month). This week is the annual cancer scan week and one medical appointment (yesterday) was in Decatur. It would be wrong to go to Decatur without having lunch at Krekel's. So, we did. Is it me, or are the cicada's in Decatur way worse?!? Apparently, when I was inside Krekel's a nice teen girl tapped me on the shoulder to announce I had a live one on my back. I said, "thanks" but I couldn't see it to knock it off myself. Steve swatted it and it started flying and making that evil sound with its evil red eyes. Lets just say we had the attention of everyone in the restaurant. The girl who was kind enough to tell me it was on me was yelping. Then, my hero, a 16-year-old boy crawled under the booth to pick it up by its wings and without saying a word he tossed it out the door and (without washing his hands) sat back down to his burger.

After our number was called, and we turned in our cardboard square (if you've been there, you know what I'm talking about), I had to publicly thank everyone in the whole place. Central IL folks are good people.

Our Visitors

2011-06-07T16:26:00.002-05:00

Each year Sonlight hosts work teams of people from the States for one week at a time. Some people work on maintanence projects or on our new building. But, many work in our classrooms doing one-on-one tutoring, craft projects and many other things. Its great for our kids to hear English from a different person and to get one-on-one talk time in English. This year we tracked all our visitors and we had 23 people from 8 different states!

Oh 3 Year Olds!

2011-06-05T15:28:00.001-05:00

Stephen and I are spending the week in Salem with the Puricelli family. Three year olds are a hoot!

Finley

Haley
(and her mom, Libby)

And...our 21 month old nephew, Scout, who has learned to climb and JUMP!

Haitian Food

2011-06-03T07:52:00.002-05:00

There are no pictures in this post for a good reason. Yesterday I had the grand idea to make some Haitian food for dinner. Rice and beans with sauce, fried plantain, avocado, maybe a mango. Truth be told I was craving fried plantain. Stephen and I drove to Mattoon (20 miles down the road) thinking our selection of foods would be greater at County Market and Wal-Mart, and it was, but we couldn't find plantain...strike 1.

I did my best to make tomato sauce in the same way I'd seen Alincia, (the lady who works in our home) make it. I ended with a blobby-too-tomato pastedy-globular mess. Strike 2.

To top things off mid-meal I rubbed my eye. Can you see this coming? Haitian food requires hot peppers...ones where you really should wash your hands after cutting. I ran to the sink, ran water into my eye for a good ten minutes, thought I was blinded, but wasn't. Just as I could start to open that eye, like a true Gomer Pyle, I touched my OTHER eye. Two eyes blinded! What a mess.

I will not give up on Haitian cooking. I will not give up on Haitian cooking. REPEAT. REPEAT.

Central Illinois

2011-06-01T08:08:00.000-05:00

We're back!

We arrived in good old Sullivan, Illinois 1:00am Sunday morning, and made a surprise visit to Westside Christian Church in Springfield where my brother-in-law, Eric is now worship minister. Wow, what a great church! We're proud of Jen and Eric. As good as worship in my own language was, the three year old that ran down the isle to give me a hug, was pretty thrilling! We had a great afternoon making a royal mess of her new sandbox. My sister is looking quite different with a baby due in July. Illinois sunsets are hard to beat!

Dinner and a Show

2011-05-27T13:21:00.000-05:00

Its the end of the year! Yesterday, I said good-bye to 27 little people I spent 156 days with in the last nine months.

To celebrate the end of the year, the gentleman who owns the Holiday Beach Hotel across the street held a huge dinner and show for Sonlight Staff. He has known Roger and Norma Alexander for many years. Sonlight visitors stay in this hotel which provides the better portion of his business. The food was great: goat, shrimp, lambi (conch shell), fried plantain and many other Haitian staples. Just what we needed before we go home!

After dinner Jerry had a show for us. A talented, local lady and her guitarist sang/played songs including "Happy Birthday" in English (twice). And, a local dance group of young men called "BCG" performed too! Although we're not sure what "BCG" means, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if they were to see an episode of GLEE or HS Musical, their world would be changed forever. All in all, they had some cool moves!

We're packing up our house today. We'll be flying out early in the morning. We're coming to America! Catch you on the flip side.

Bible College Graduation

2011-05-26T13:46:00.001-05:00

Sonlight Bible College had their first female graduate this year...Annadette Preval.

Here are the six graduates this year.

Pictured is Lenny Lowe. He's been the director of Sonlight Bible College for the past 7 years. Lenny started the program at Sonlight. This is his last year at Sonlight as he is moving back to the US to pursue graduate work.

Its Inventory Night!

2011-05-25T16:04:00.003-05:00

We're flying home on Saturday! Before we completely pack up our classrooms and homes (partly due to dust/partly to prevent theft), we are preparing for last day parties/report card day, and the DREADED inventory night.

We keep a list of all of our needs throughout the semester. We we run out or run low, it goes on the list. The trouble with lists is that when we get to the States it makes for an terribly long AND expensive shopping trip. But, when you shop twice a year, it definitely balances out, not to mention only buying what you can pack in four suitcases...

Our family rule...always stick to the list! When you're in the middle of Wal-Mart its easy to think we don't really need it, until we return back to Haiti and think, what in the world were we thinking...it would've totally been worth the extra $10 or $20!

Inventory night means the list is refined. We go through our house and mark what we have and how many of each, so when we're back in the States, we know exactly what to get. Its a pain now, but so worth it.

Happy Inventory Night to us!

Sonlight Says Goodbye

2011-05-24T14:41:00.003-05:00

The seven graduates lining up for a picture together. There were some many people taking pictures, I couldn't get a better angle.

This year's valedictorian, Don Laurent, accepting his diploma from Carmen Niehaus, principal of Sonlight Academy.

Don Laurent addressing the class as the valedictorian.

I read the opening scripture at the start of graduation. Everything is done through translation so both students and parents can understand. Marc Cadet was my translator.

This past Sunday was graduation day for the Sonlight Academy seniors. This year there were 7 graduates. Graduating high school in Haiti is a big deal because so many do not have the opportunity to go to school, let alone graduate. It's always exciting to see students graduate, but it is hard to say goodbye.

...Stephen

Sonlight Church Family Conference

2011-05-21T07:45:00.000-05:00

This week seems to be the busiest week of the entire year. We have grade cards due, sending packets of our students' work to their sponsors in the States, graduation, packing up our entire classroom and houses into plastic tubs and enjoying our last week here in Haiti! Despite the big rush for the American staff, Haitian church events still go on. This week Sonlight Church held their annual Family Conference. Topics of the messages include Godly relationships, marriages, and raising children. Stephen was asked to speak on marriage and he did a great job along with his trusted translator and good friend, Marc.

Happy Flag Day, Haiti!

2011-05-20T15:49:00.003-05:00

Every May 18, Haiti celebrates Flag Day. School is cancelled. This year our 8th grade class marched in a parade in Port-de-Paix. I was away with the 7th graders visiting their classmate Lindsay, but I snapped some pictures of them getting ready in front of our school before we left.

When the 7th grade girls toured Northwest Haiti Christian Mission in Saint Louis, we saw kids young and old perform military style drills and formations for a performance to be held later that day. Each group was dressed in a different uniform. They did an excellent job!

PS: The pictures posted out of order.

7th Grade Girls Mission: Never As Planned

2011-05-19T20:05:00.003-05:00

Apology: Our blog hasn't been posting, so we're a little behind (but being behind is right in step with living in Haiti). My 7th Grade Girls have completed a study on a book "You Were Meant to Make a Difference" by Max Lucado and his daughter Jenna. Each week I gave them a "mini mission" and told them that at the end, we would do something BIG- field trip style. I looked up a mission, Northwest Haiti Christian Mission about an hour away. I, in my limited Creole, organized a tap-tap, lined up a tour of the mission with hopes that students could spend time in the baby orphanage or with the eldery in the nursing home wing, or in the wing with children with mental disabilities. I even had permission slips printed in Creole (translated with help from my aide who graduated from Sonlight). I must say I was feeling empowered. Since their classmate Lindsay just had surgery, and lives an hour away in the same town as the mission, I thought we could stop by her house for a quick visit. I notified her mother we would be stop by. I was proud of my thoughtful scheduling. Oh and I forgot to mention this all happened Wednesday (yesterday) during Haiti's Flag Day (like our July 4th) on a day off of school. Mistake #1 Haiti does not schedule ANYTHING.

When we arrived at Lindsay's house, her mother brought out a HUGE basket of mangoes. What a nice gesture, I thought. We bit into them apple style and if you've ever consumed mango that way you know its sticky! A large bucket of water and a towel was placed out for hand and face washing afterward. Just as conversation lulled and I thought we would be on our way, Lindsay's mother informed us that she was make a full Haitian meal for ALL of us. Rice and beans, chicken (a big deal), salad and fried plantain!

As it was nearing the time for our tap-tap driver to pick us up, I knew we would be there for atleast another hour. I was wrong, it was another two hours. Cooking in Haiti takes time. Charcoal ovens; enough said. EVERYTHING in Haiti takes time. The girls had a blast laughing, talking and taking funny photos. The food was amazing and such a gracious gift! By the time we ate our meal, we didn't really have time to go on our "mission" at the mission, the purpose for our trip. We did tour it, so the girls could see it.

I was reminded yesterday that we exist in each other's lives to help each other. Maybe the big "mission" that we plan isn't where God would have us serve. I know He wanted us as Lindsay's house to bring her encouragement. I know that spending time with her was way more important than getting to go to a place the kids may have thought was brand new and exciting.

Being content with helping and encouraging the ones we are near has been a theme for me. Life can get overwhelming with many exciting ways to serve. And, life can get overwhelming when there are SO MANY people who ask for things from us here: money, medicine, food, and jobs. But, I am reminded to serve the ones God has given me: my family, my 27 kids, my 3 aides and the ones God puts in my path.

Senior Skip Day

2011-05-18T07:36:00.000-05:00

A Sonlight tradition is the Seniors take a skip day (and go to the beach) that only they and the principal know about. Tuesday was that day. What I find funny is that the seniors think that they are really pulling a fast one on the teachers. They think that when there are no Seniors at school that they have some how won. The dirty secret is that it doesn't bug the teachers at all. We really don't mind an hour off in our day.

I took the hour off and went down to first grade and took a few pictures. The first grade discovered this week how funny it is (in a first grader's brain) to put their pencil in front of the lens of my camera while taking the picture of another student. The other notable moment was that Beth and the students were writing a story (they have been working on real versus make believe) and they named the character in their make believe story Lovestache. Where do they come up with this stuff?...Stephen

Lindsay is Home

2011-05-14T19:06:00.001-05:00

I visited Lindsay today at her home in Saint Louis. Going to her home requires a bumpy, crowded, dusty tap-tap ride about one hour down the road. Lindsay did this every day to and from school. The good news is that she is doing great. She is experiencing a little soreness, but not beyond what is expected. I was very pleased with how small her incision was. For this I commend the surgeon for his skill!

Thank you so much for your prayers. Please pray for a full recovery of her incision. She will be testing her thyroid hormone in a month to see what level of thyroid medicine she will need. Please be praying that when she takes her medicine it will "even out" quickly and give her energy. Her mother, Floricia and little brother, Florvensky are pictured.

Kleenex

2011-05-10T18:09:00.003-05:00

Do you remember the days when everyone at school was required to buy a box of Kleenex and throughout the year they would all be used one by one?

One of the things my mom said after visiting my first grade room the first time was, "How do you teach first grade without a box of kleenex?" Here, many people and students just cannot afford paper products, and they are difficult to find. So parents of my students will send a hankerchief or washcloth with their child if they have a cold. I have even seen preschool-aged children with them pinned to their school uniform...its a precious sight. For the past two years we've used toilet paper, myself included. Last week, a group brought us kleenex. Nice, soft, kleenex. I took a box to my room.

Christopher, the child with the cold that has never stopped (there's always one in every class) was the first to use them. After blowing his nose with them he said, "Mme. Stephen, do these have water in them?" The softness of Puffs Plus just rocked his world.

One day I will be sad to miss the simplicity of Haiti, roughness and all. But for now, we're lovin' the softness.

Lanterns and Chopsticks

2011-05-09T18:25:00.002-05:00

This past week our reading curriculum focused on a story about a Chinese Moon Festival. It was a great chance to introduce the kids to a different culture in which the only familiarity is Jackie Chan. He is BIG STUFF on this island. Almost as big as Michael Jackson. Back to Asia; my kids made lanterns that are now hanging from our ceiling. Also, we ate our Friday snack (popcorn) with chopsticks. It was the first time most of them had seen them, let alone tried to eat with them. Kids in the States at least have the luxury of a Chinese restaraunt.

For some, eating with chopsticks came with ease...

For others, I thought we might have a near gagging situation! :)

Disclaimer:
My time at EIU taught me to always be culturally sensitive and to never focus on stereotypes. I thought for a moment, that making the hats (pictured) might be erring on the side of stereotypical Chinese clothing that is irrelevant in todays society, however, we studied a story called "Hats, Hats, Hats" by a respected multi-cultural author, Ann Morris. I LOVE her books. She has real photographs of shared things like hats, shoes, bread, and houses, to name of few, of cultures around the world. Her book showed people wearing this cone shaped hat (although from woven material). So, we did the best we could to make something similar. My kids had a blast. I have to admit, it was a chore to get my kids to say things other than "Jackie Chan" and for some, to NOT do Karate moves (also popular here) while wearing the hats.

Moms Rock!

2011-05-08T14:45:00.003-05:00

Happy Mother's Day!
Haiti, like the US is filled with hard working moms, single moms, and plenty of aunts and grandma's raising their nieces, nephews and grandchildren. Visiting my first graders has opened my eyes to so much, but one of the things I like most is knowing who my kids spend their afternoons, evenings and weekends with. (And, yes, I do think of them as MY kids.) Of my 27 kids, 15 live with a single mom, grandparent or aunt; this is probably a similar statistic to that in the US. A unique struggle in Haiti is the openness of fathers having other women in their lives (sometimes in their homes with their wives) and in some situations, fathers have many sets of children with different women. This is not totally unique from the US except that there seems to be no shame in it. There is no effort to hide it. One of my students has a father who was quick to tell me that he had been living with his other family, but when he heard I was coming to visit, he came to my student's house. My response: shock...silence. This guy was proud of his polygamous lifestyle. After I got home, I really started thinking about his wife, the mother of my student and of her self-worth. To know that her husband has multiple families with children similarly aged is strange, but heart-breaking.

Sonlight Church is holding a family conference next week. Christians here are trying very hard to teach the importance of fidelity, responsibility and strong family relationships.

To balance my prior comments, I do know that many of my students have wonderful, loving families. My last home of all my students to visit was the Jeannot family. Their father picks up his children every day from school and is careful to ask about homework and special events. I knew that Lens had a very caring father, but when I visited his home, I learned he has a strong household of extended family including aunts, cousins, and grandparents. They live in a modest home on the coast. The waves of the ocean splash against their back retaining wall. Lens' mother is not only caring but beautiful. When I arrived they had a platter of American foods they had purchased at the local "store" downtown. How thoughtful! I was so surprised to see it.

With each home visit, there is always some awkward cross-cultural moment of me realizing I am not Haitian. Awkward moment of the Jeannot family visit: on the dresser in their bedroom (also where we sat to visit, like a living room) they had pictures posted. One of the pictures was one I had taken last summer in IL in the middle of cornfields with a Curious George doll. I do a lot with Curious George books and my students each take George home for a weekend and report on what they did, and I made a big deal about how George went with me to IL last summer, you get the point. I thought it would be fun for the kids to have a picture. I never dreamed I would see that dumb picture in so many family photo albums and (gasp) front and center on a dresser of a parents room! Scary. This summer I think I'll take a nicer photo of Stephen and myself to pass out. Pictures are a big deal here. I would hate to leave my legacy in Haiti as the teacher who stood in a cornfield with Curious George.

Pictured: The Jeannot Family and the food they gave me. Can you tell the boat just made a trip? Our store now has fresh apples and grapes!

Bringing Back Evans Hall

2011-05-07T17:31:00.006-05:00

Nothing feels like home more than an old friend. This past week during Spring Break, my old friend from Evans Hall, freshman year at University of Illinois came to visit. Becoming more serious in our walks with God and having a heart for overseas missions are just a couple of the ways we've both changed in similar directions over the years. One difference might be her Horticulture degree and skills. If there is an opposite of a green thumb, I've got it.

Karyn now works for a mission organization ECHO (Education Concerns for Hunger Organization) in North Fort Myers, Florida and has traveled to four African countries within the year. Karyn used her expertise in tropical plants to teach Sonlight students about the Moringa tree or "Miracle tree" that grows most everywhere here. If you dry the leaves, ground them up and eat about a teaspoon a day, it has virtually the same vitamins as a multi-vitamin (and more). You can even purify water with the seeds. Amazing.

It was so nice to have her here!

Lindsay's Surgery was a Success

2011-05-06T18:57:00.002-05:00

...and now the recovery begins.

I talked with Dr. Dankle this morning. He said that Lindsay had a subtotal thyroidectomy. He removed 80% of her thyroid. With having 20% still remaining, there is a chance it might take over and produce enough hormone for her body. God's design of the human body baffles me in a good way! The plan in short: she will not be on replacement meds for six weeks. At that time she will go back to Cap Haitian for a blood test to decide if/what does of medication she will need. Dr. Dankle brought a year supply for her in case she does need it. Terrific news.

Lindsay left the hospital today and is staying at the home she stayed at while conducting the consultation. She said they have a bed for her to sleep in (not always the case), and she is happy to be away from the hospital and to not have the IV anymore. She was clearly on pain medication; also a good thing right now. Her mom said the tap tap ride (about one hour on a very bumpy road) was a bit painful, but she is doing fine now. We should find out when she will come back to Port-de-Paix in the next few days. For now, she will stay at the home of her "hosts" and recover.

Thank you for your continued prayers and concern. Please continue to pray for her recovery!

Recent pictures

2011-05-06T17:34:00.000-05:00

Just some pictures I have taken recently around our neighborhood.

The Chair

2011-05-06T17:31:00.000-05:00

Buying anything in Haiti will attract attention. This chair was no exception. Beth has had her mind set on buying a chair like this for a long time. The only problem is the size they usually come in is too large for our balcony. On a recent Saturday we saw a guy balancing serveral chairs on his head walking by and we stopped him. We measured his chairs and they were all too big...as the case always is.

At this point, we had attracted quite a crowd. We had five or six onlookers standing besides us. I also heard a neighbor child yell into his house, "the white people are buying a chair!" Soon after, five children poked their heads out from the nearby gate. Beth and I were trying to tell the chair man that the chairs were too big and if he made a smaller one, than we would buy it. At first he was more interested in selling us the chairs he already had made. But, after some discussion he agreed to make a smaller one.

One week later the chair man returned with the smaller chair, just the right size for our space...Stephen

More Glimpses of Break Out Fun

2011-05-05T20:48:00.003-05:00

Lindsay's Surgery

2011-05-05T19:01:00.002-05:00

I talked with Lindsay's mom at about 1:45pm today. She said Lindsay's surgery went very well and was complete at about 1:00pm. That's about all we could communicate in Creole...oh and at the end of every sentence she said, "By the Grace of God". I could sense relief. Our American missionary neighbor who is fluent in Creole called back to talk with her and ask more questions and reached another family member at the hospital. She said all was well. Lindsay had even had a little to drink.

I've called the doctor and am waiting to hear from him.

In the meantime, the much dreaded Haitian Sensation has hit yours truly. I played off the stomach upset last night, but couldn't ignore it this morning when it all came up at 6:55am (we're supposed to be at school at 7:00am). What's even more wonderful: our running water wasn't working.

To end with good news:
Our water is on.
I'll be back in the saddle tomorrow.
Lindsay's surgery was a success!

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRAYERS! I'll continue to keep you updated on Lindsay!

Break Out 2011

2011-05-04T19:30:00.006-05:00

During Spring Break, Stephen was the main organizer of Break Out, a student conference for our middle and high school students. With almost ALL of our students in attendance, four short term visitors spoke and played music for the event. It was a huge success!

James Hauser, Youth Pastor at Southeast in Louisville, KY spoke on the topic "Who Do You Follow?" He also traveled with John Hamilton, a college student and member of Southeast. John played music for worship and taught a "Break Out" session on Relationships. Dave Jarrett, Worship Minister at First Christian Church in Salem, IL lead worship all week. Casey Elmore, Children's Minister at FCC in Salem, IL also played music and taught a "Break Out" session on Forgiveness.

In addition to Break Out, the guys taught and lead worship for high school Sunday School, a Sunday night service and were a HUGE encouragement to us. Stephen needed the memories shared with James; I needed the fun they had everywhere we went. Never a dull moment with "The Break Out Guys"!

More pictures of our kids at Break Out to come...

Lindsay's Wednesday Update

2011-05-04T19:20:00.002-05:00

I talked with Lindsay on the phone today. I desperately wish she was close enough I could visit her. Being only 45 miles away, this would be easy in any other place. Here, it would take a full 8-12 hour day. Give or take the 4 hours for animals in the street, flat tires, stops for people getting off and on.

Lindsay said her medication is being administered through an IV. Its uncomfortable but the doctors say her heart rate has slowed which is a very good thing for her (it was too fast to perform a safe surgery). She said she has really enjoyed speaking english with all the American doctors. I'm sure they've found her to be a bit of a novelty here in Haiti, being 14 and fluent.

She said her mother is pretty scared and worried. We talked about how probably the hardest part of being sick is dealing with the fears and sadness of the people around you. Nothing was more difficult than seeing my parents worried, my husband distraught and the friends I love look at me with that tilted head "pity vibe". But, her spirits are good.

She also said to tell everyone who is praying "Thank you so much and I love you." Precious.

Prayers needed for:
Thursday morning operation
Easing the fears of Floricia, her mother

Lindsay Update

2011-05-03T18:43:00.000-05:00

Wow! How can I express to Lindsay's mother just how many people are praying for her? I have received so many emails asking about how things have worked out at the hospital. Thank you. As they say, nothing in Haiti is ever easy. And, this too, has proven true for Lindsay.

Long Story Short:
Lindsay was admitted in the hospital in Milot, Haiti Monday afternoon. She will take medications to suppress her thyroid hormone and control her heart rate prior to a scheduled surgery Thursday morning.
Long Story 'Long':
Lindsay and her mother, Floricia, traveled to Cap-Hatian, Haiti from Port-de-Paix this past Saturday. This translates to a long, all-day, grueling ride in the back of a pick-up truck known as a "tap-tap". They stayed with family of a cousin. On Sunday they left Cap-Haitian to travel to Milot, the hospital site, which takes about one hour by tap-tap. Upon arriving at the hospital, they had to register and wait. Because I pre-arranged her situation with the American visiting doctor, he was willing to take her at any time with no wait, but they were waiting in a group of 150 people, as the Haitian staff instructed them. When Haitians hear that an American doctor is at their local hospital they come and wait and wait. For most its their last chance for medical help. Sunday had passed and Dr. Dankle and Lindsay never connected. Lindsay called me to tell me the hospital closed its doors to people who hadn't yet been seen. At this point, I didn't have a phone number for the doctor here in Haiti, but had sent him my number. I was getting nervous.

Early Monday morning, the doctor texted me to say he hadn't seen Lindsay. What a doctor! Lindsay and her mother were back at the hospital Monday morning at 7:00 and still couldn't break through to speak to an American doctor. They were overwhelmed and flooded by other Haitians waiting for their chance. My specific instructions to her mother, I bluntly stated in Creole, "Do not stop asking for people until you talk with a White person. Do not sit down, keep looking!" We talked on the phone about every hour that morning. They perservered. God perservered.

Dr. Dankle assessed Lindsay and admitted her into the hospital so he could administer medications that afternoon. I was able to talk to him on the phone again. I ended my conversation by saying, in the states, I was never able to talk with my own thyroid doctor directly; all this aside from the fact that its difficult enough for a spouse or parent to inquire about their family members' medical needs, but a teacher AND over the phone?! He responded, "Well, this is Haiti. There is no HIPAA law here." For once, I praised Jesus for a lack of law here.

I talked with Lindsay this afternoon (Tuesday). Aside from feeling incredibly tired from the medications, she said she misses her friends in 7th grade. I had the opportunity to tell her classmates how she was doing during my planning period. Mike Shelda, a classmate, said, "Mme. Stephen, we should pray." We did. If you did too, thank you!

I will keep you updated. I plan to talk directly with Dr. Dankle after her surgery.

The Hunt

2011-04-21T17:47:00.000-05:00

So, trying to explain how an egg hunt relates to Jesus dying on the cross is a bit of a stretch, but my kids sure had fun with it. Sonlight had a lot of eggs donated and our class had enough eggs to really have a fun hunt.

Peeps and Jelly Bean Sandwiches

2011-04-21T17:41:00.000-05:00

Y'all know I love a good peep! My kids do too.

Diapers are for the Weak

2011-04-19T17:56:00.000-05:00

WARNING: This post contains the word "pee".
We always joke that here in Haiti conversation always somehow turns to bathroom talk. Maybe its that its altogether normal to have diarrhea or maybe its that we literally walk across the excrement of our neighbors (in a ditch) when entering homes. It is a part of life but even more so here.

Today I visited one of my students, Saul. His family is pictured above. His mother awoke his 8th month old cousin so I could see her and she could see me, a white person. In Haiti, diapers are rare and those that use them might only dawn one for a church service or necessary outing. You're getting the idea that this baby was not wearing a diaper. The inevitable happened. I've been peed on before by a babies in Haiti, but this was a super soaker. I couldn't act like it was just a leak; it was rolling down my leg and filling my shoes leaving a puddle on the floor. His mother was mortified. I couldn't even pretend not to laugh.

Life must be so boring with diapers.

Coming and Going Party

2011-04-17T20:18:00.000-05:00

We celebrated two big events this weekend. Our friends Gepson and Cady got engaged Friday morning! And, Marc (Haitian) and married to Brooke, a US missionary since August 2010, received his much prayed for traveler's visa for this summer. He will be able to travel with his wife to meet the entire extended family and see the US for the first time. So, yes, our party was themed Coming and Going. Two are 'Going to the Chapel' and one 'Coming to America'. And, oh yes, Neil Diamond and The Dixie Cups were singing in the soundtrack of the evening.

Lindsay's Mountain

2011-04-15T18:33:00.002-05:00

I read a book by Francis Chan titled Forgotten God last fall. One major truth I took away was that many times we don’t recognize where the Holy Spirit could be at work in our lives. Many times God can move mountains through us, if we allow Him to. On a post-it note, my memory life-line, I jotted down three “mountains” that whether using me or any other means, I would hope God could “move”. One of those three mountains was Lindsay Dorfils. Allow me to introduce you to her.

Lindsay is a spirited 7th grade student at Sonlight Academy. About two years ago, she noticed her neck getting bigger. She was feeling tired, her heart felt like it was beating fast, and her eyes, over time, began to bulge. I talked with Lindsay about what we thought was a thyroid condition. Although her family had voodoo related reasons for her problems, her father had taken her to several different medical doctors in Haiti. No one really knew how to help her. The ONE thyroid specialist in Haiti (I have researched this) saw her and recommended surgery. After the earthquake in January 2010, Dr. Rodolf’s hospital and means of performing a surgery were destroyed. Lindsay’s medical situation was put on hold. Imagine the self-consciousness of any 7th grade girl and add to that a face distorting condition; talk about feeling miserable inside and out. When I think about how she told me someone off-handedly told her that her face looks like an animal, the 7th grade girl in ME gets her locker room game face on and is ready to destroy some “mean girl” attitude. Can I hear an AMEN?

When I moved to Haiti, I had three years of thyroid management under my belt. Give me a TSH, T4 or T3 and I can tell you how it would make a person feel. I thought having it 4 months after my wedding was difficult, but praise the Lord I wasn’t in 6th and 7th grade. Currently, there is a national shortage of thyroid specialists in the US, and to find a GOOD one is tricky. Stephen and I traveled to Texas to see one! If there was ever a mountain it was finding relief for Lindsay. Her name remained on my weekly-prayed for “mountains” list for over a year.

This past November my parents visited Sonlight for Thanksgiving. Call it a fresh perspective, or someone who was less jaded by the obstacles of Haiti, or the HOLY SPIRIT, my dad returned home and Googled “Thyroid Doctors and Haiti”. Huh. That just seems laugh-able, right? He came upon a doctor in Wisconsin who had traveled to Haiti. My mom started a conversation with her through email. She wasn’t planning to return to Haiti this year, but thought a thyroid doctor she knew might be coming. Fast forward through almost weekly emails from November to present.

Dr. Steve Dankle, thyroid surgeon from Wisconsin is coming to a hospital in Cap Haitian, Haiti! He has reviewed Lindsay’s medical records and has agreed to see her with what we hope will result in the removal of her thyroid which has a toxic goiter. Currently, Lindsay’s heart rate is irregular and at times very fast, called thyroid storm. This is more reason/need for her to get the surgery to remove her thyroid, but it could present a risk if it happens during surgery. Dr. Dankle will see Lindsay Sunday, May 1 for a pre-operation physical will the hopes of performing the surgery Monday, May 2. She will stay for one week for observation.

I am asking for prayer for this “mountain”. Please pray for Dr. Dankle’s travels to Haiti. Also, pray that Lindsay is in a suitable condition for surgery, and if this occurs, that God would cease any thyroid storm during the actual procedure. Who knew that God would use Google? Who knew that God would send an overworked, in demand doctor to Haiti? Who knew that God could use a “I’m sick of anything thyroid-related missionary” to relate to a 7th grade girl? Mountains…God is moving them. I can feel this one shifting.

I am putting together notes of encouragement and prayers for Lindsay for her hospital stay. If you’d like to write her you can email me at bethpuricelli@gmail.com.