Do We Have Reentry?

I find myself in the awkward position of having nothing of to say. I have been in a kind of culture shock since returning from Haiti. I suppose I should have expected this, the training manual noted:

You have experienced significantly different people and places and you have changed. This experience will continue to change your attitude, outlook, and life values. You will have new perspectives and a new appreciation for what God is doing in the world and how you “fit.”

The Bible is not silent on the topic of the poor, nor is it silent on how a Christian is to respond to poverty. I have been doing a word study on poverty in the Bible.

Two things I asked of You, Do not refuse me before I die: Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, That I not be full and deny {You} and say, “Who is the LORD?” Or that I not be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God. ~ Proverbs 30:7-9 (NAS)

This entry will not be profound, instead I will tell you what is going on in my life ~  

My husband and I celebrated our 6th Anniversary on Saturday. For those of you who are not regular readers of my blog, my husband is wonderful and I Still Do! It was a very low-key event. We usually make an effort to at least go out to dinner, but Ron is traveling this week. He will be eating three meals a day at restaurants. What he really wanted was a home cooked meal. So, I made baked potatoes. Ron made steaks on the grill. We had Key Lime Pie for dessert. Marissa put the dishes in the dishwasher. My daughter is more convinced than ever that her parents are too boring for words and so unromantic that we are beyond hope.

Ron works for a company that designs, builds and installs automated packaging equipment. When they are building a machine, the company sends test product so that trial runs can be done using the actual product. After the machine is complete, the test product is distributed to the workers. Last week Ron got a handout of soft drinks. There were 8 Dr. Peppers included in that handout. No one in our house drinks Dr. Pepper except Marissa.

Saturday night, Marissa woke me up a little before midnight. She apologized profusely and explained that there was something wrong with her heart. I felt her pulse and it was bounding and taching along at more than 150 beats a minute. Do you know how hard it is to untangle yourself from your bed sheets when you are trying to hurry?

I had her hold her breath, plug her nose and bear down, “Like you are trying to have a bowel movement.” This act, a valsalva maneuver, interrupts a fast heartbeat that originates in the atria. (CAUTION: People with severe cardiac disease should not perform a valsalva maneuver unless they are instructed to do so by a healthcare professional. In fact, preventing this is the reason patients with heart disease are routinely prescribed a stool softener.) It worked like a charm. Marissa’s heart rate slowed to less than 100. We sat in the living room chatting for several minutes; her heart rate fell to the 70’s. When she went to bed, she asked if I would sleep in the living room. Our bedroom is on a different floor and she didn’t want me far away. “In case it happens again.”

When Marissa moved in with me, she woke me up almost every night (sometimes more than once in a night). Sleep was a crutch and a luxury. She rarely needs me during the night anymore. How bittersweet! My baby is growing up. I am grateful her heart rhythm problem seems to be entirely related to a self-inflicted, caffeine-induced, Dr. Pepper overload. I am thankful too for my years of experience in cardiac nursing!

Marissa will probably kill me when she sees this photo. I found it in “My Photos” on my computer; I figure if I find it in one of my files it is fair game. She took this by herself with a tiny digital camera that her grandmother gave her for Christmas. She is holding the camera out, pointing it at herself and snapping. Isn’t she beautiful?

Random Photos

Sunday in Haiti really was a day of rest for me. Our team accompanied the Bernards to their church service. It really was a blessing to worship in Haiti. The kids were so good. After church, part of our team was going to the orphanage. But, on the way they were going to go to the airport and look for bags that had been missing when we went to Haiti.

I decided to stay at the Guest House and get to know my kids. Good choice! The team never made it to the orphanage… they got stuck looking for bags at the airport.

         

           

          

The final photo includes Dr. Bernard and his wife Claudette. Dr. Bernard is the Director of Newlife Link, the creche (orphanage) from which Ron and I are adopting. He is also the Managing Director of Hope for the Children of Haiti. He and his wife live at the Guest House. He tells us it is a hotel, but it feels more like you are visiting their home.

 Other team members:

A view from the inside of the tap-tap. Aimee and I shared a wing of the house and shared a bathroom. She kindly watched David and Beverly so I could take a shower!

 

My First Impression

The team and I left the airport traveling in a converted extended cab truck. Riding in the “tap-tap” is an experience similar to the world greatest roller coaster. The difference is that while in a roller coaster my brain trusts that the engineers designed it to have the appearance of being thrilling and dangerous while being totally safe. I never got the impression that driving in Haiti is totally safe. Did you know that you could fit 31 people in the back of a tap-tap? Plus, 5 in the front… 36 people in one vehicle. There is still room for a couple of people to stand on the bumper and hang onto the roof. Just think how the US could decrease their emission if we embraced this truth The photo on the left is a photo of a tap-tap. Our tap-tap was boring brick-reddish-orange. Most of the tap-taps in Haiti are brightly colored like this one.

As we traveled through Port-Au-Prince, the crowded streets, run down building and the lack of infrastructure struck me. The roads were narrow and poorly maintained. Broken down vehicles were left where they sputtered to a stop creating additional blockages. There didn’t appear to be any discernable traffic laws. I didn’t see one traffic light or stop sign. The only safety equipment that a vehicle in Haiti must have is a working horn. Whoever honks the loudest and whichever driver is the most bold (aggressive) gets to occupy a given space on the road.

The smell, the sounds,
Will be written on my mind,
Will be written in my heart…
As long as I live!
This Is One Of Those Moments
(Barbra Streisand, Yentl)

I had seen photographs of Haiti’s poverty. Photos do not adequately communicate poverty. As I traveled in the back of the tap-tap, the environment assaulted my senses: the smell, the noise, the gritty feeling on my skin. The road was lined with vendors. Some were selling unrefrigerated meats. Women were carrying huge baskets or tubs of produce on their heads. When I looked out the side of the tap-tap, I saw poverty and hopelessness. Oddly, when I spoke to the people, I only saw strength and hope. I would wager that we could all learn a lesson from the people of Haiti.

After what seemed an eternity, we finally arrived at the orphanage. I wasn’t really prepared for this first visit. I don’t think anyone could have told me what to expect in a way that would have adequately equipped me for what I found. As our tap-tap drove through the gate and into the orphanage, the cheers of the older kids greeted us. They were in the courtyard awaiting our arrival. By their actions, the older kids pleaded for individual attention from our team members.As I made my way into the orphanage, little hands surrounded me. Children were lifting their hands in hopes to be picked up and loved. The kids were thrilled with my camera and wanted to be photographed. Why they even fought over being included in the pictures.

I found Beverly first. I don’t remember whom, but someone asked one of the nannies to bring David to me. David must not understand that having your picture taken is fun. As soon as he saw the camera pointed at him, he started to cry. Now I know why so many of my monthly updates show a less than cooperative little boy. He really is less than cooperative with having his picture taken. Meeting David and Beverly was so emotional. I am not even going to try to put my thoughts into words; I will leave you with this photo of the three of us. Please pretend I am fresh and not hot and sweaty!

We were supposed to all attend a kindergarten graduation ceremony that afternoon. I was late as I was waiting for the kids to be readied.

Haiti is a much more formal culture than ours. Both Beverly and David had to be cleaned and dressed for the occasion. This is a picture of Beverly’s mom. She works as a nanny at the orphanage and was fixing Beverly’s hair for our adventure. Isn’t she beautiful? I wish I could have arranged for us to speak through an interpreter during this trip. Isn’t God amazing. All this time I have been worried about bringing my child home and God has been gifting Beverly’s mom!

We were late getting to the ceremony and had to take a seat in the very back of the room. I heard the ceremony, but didn’t see it until one of my team members posted some videos that she took during the ceremony on her blog.

And more graduation photos.

That evening, we all got into the tap-tap again and escaped. High above the congestion, business and dirtiness of the downtown Port-Au-Prince is an oasis. The Guest House was gorgeous! The air was clean… the food was fantastic. The Bernards are consummate hosts. Anyone desiring to be a Proverbs 31 woman should go to Haiti and be awed by Claudette.

Getting to Know You

I am home! I am still trying to get my mind around my trip to Haiti. In the meantime, let me introduce you to my kids. (Our adoption is final. I am no longer trying to adopt kids from Haiti. I have adopted two kids from Haiti. We are awaiting passports and visas.)

Beverly is curiously shy. When she realized I was at the orphanage, she would run into the room I was in, look at me and grin and then run away. She played this game several times. She has a lot of friends in the orphanage. She seems to be a bit of a follower, but that may be because she is one of the younger girls in her room.

Beverly is very thin, but this is not because she isn’t fed; she plays with her food. I was able to watch her eat her afternoon meal. She held the spoon by the spoon and “ate” with the handle. She could use the spoon correctly. Whenever she was confident she was not being watched, she turned the spoon the right way and quickly scooped food from her plate onto someone else’s. She moved the food around on her plate, chatted and giggled. She just seemed uninterested in the whole thing. Frankly, her meal didn’t look that appealing. I wonder if it just didn’t taste good.

Beverly likes to draw. I asked her, “Eske ou kapab fe potre yon tres bel fle? Yon soley?” (Can you draw a very beautiful flower? A sun?) And she drew me this picture. When I wanted her to add leaves to the flower, she shook her head and handed me the pen. Perhaps she didn’t understand my not very impressive and most certainly mispronounced Creole. Anyway, don’t you think she draws well for three?

Beverly is very feminine. She likes pretty things and sits quite still to have her hair done. One pretty thing we will not be investing in any time soon is clothes with sequins on them. One of the dresses I brought to donate to the orphanage had sequins. Beverly wore it one day and spent the entire day biting off the sequins.

David is very busy! He is so very cute and so very loud. To get my attention, he yelled at the top of his lungs, “Hey!” He is in a room with 16 little boys. There wasn’t a toy in sight. So “play” is very physical. The boys slap, pinch, push, wrestle and laugh and giggle. He taught me that language courses designed for the traveler are really of little use for the adopting adult. The Creole course I have been working through taught me to ask for the bathroom, the bank and even how to barter while shopping. Not one lesson bothered to teach me how to say, “Don’t bite,” “Stop pulling out Beverly’s hair bows,” “Share your toys.” Oh well, I don’t think he would have listened anyway. David also loves to cuddle, and bo (kiss) Mama. 

When he gets home, my blog time will be limited to the hours he is asleep. One day, I was fixing Beverly’s braids and David walked up with a big grin on his face. In each hand, he had a small, broken light bulb. The nightlights that lined the hall had all been relieved of their bulbs. He didn’t know how to unscrew them, he just pulled until they came out. Doesn’t he sound like he is going to be great fun?

Some other entries from other women on the team:

Our Team

A Big Surprises for the Kids at NLL/HFC

Lightening in Haiti

The Little Girl on the right is Beverly

Out of Office

On Friday morning, I take a flight to Fort Lauderdale. On Saturday, I meet the group of ladies I am traveling with to fly to Haiti. It is getting down to the wire. I have decided not to blog until I get back home. I have a lot to do and Marissa is demanding a lot of my time. She doesn’t like changes in routine and she is getting pretty anxious about the 7 days I am not available. I am trying to help her just float…

Before I leave, I have been asked to share five things I dig about Jesus.

• The Old Testament promises the Nation of Israel a Messiah. There are several verses that contain Messianic prophecy. Jesus fulfilled them all.
• God made Himself a servant. Jesus was not just a human example to follow. He is divine: fully God and fully man, embodying the very thoughts, reasoning and motives of God.
• At Passover, Christ drank the cup of Judgment so that I don’t have to.
• Jesus opened the way for me to approach God directly. Even though I sometimes behave as if the veil has been sewn shut, the Holy of Holies is open to anyone who desires fellowship.
• Jesus is the Great Shepherd. He perfectly uses His authority in my life to guide and protect me as I move toward Christ-likeness.

I will be flying home on Friday, July 6th. I will blog about my trip when I get home.  I hope everyone has a safe and happy Fourth of July! Thank you all for my prayer coverage.