My babies...

Last night was our first Bible study, at the home of Pastor Joel and his wife, Yvonne.  They live “down the mountain road.”  The mountain road sometimes seem just to wind around and around, corner after corner, with stone walls or shacks lining each side.  Although GLA is only 14 miles from the Port Au Prince airport, it took us over an hour to drive up the “mountain road” away from the sea.

Bible study is every Thursday, and I was able to attend with the staff and 3 other volunteers last evening.  They are studying Revelation – and I am disappointed that they will not be here next week for another session.  They are heading to the states today for a wedding, and will be gone 10 days.  They are amazing people who have a heart for Haiti.  After just a few short days here, I can understand why some people feel called to spend their careers and lives in the midst of the chaos.  There is so much to do, and everywhere you look there is someone who needs help.

Yesterday I spent time teaching preschool in the morning, and helping in the computer lab.  I also spent time in the afternoon with one of the babies (Davidson) assigned to me – the babies assigned to me are known as “Jessica’s Angels” while I am here.  They are my babies and it is my job to take them to the play balcony each day for sunshine, play and interaction.  Much of the rest of the time they spend in their cribs.  GLA is known as one of the best – or THE best - orphanage is Haiti.  Even so, there are too few people to care for the kids.  They spend many hours in their cribs, because they just have to wait. 

Yesterday, Wadley, my other baby, slept all afternoon and I did not get a chance to get him out.  Today I picked him up right at 1pm and he was wide awake and ready to go.  One of the other volunteers said that since she has been here – 3 weeks – she has not seen him out of the nursery to play.  There are no toys in the nursery – just cribs, the smallest ones look like little boxes stacked on top of each other with gaps in between.  The nannies are wonderful people, and they try so hard and love the kids, but there are just more babies that nannies – and that is why the volunteer program here is so great!

Wadley came right upstairs with a huge grin on his face.  Although he is about 3 years old, he does not speak.  He laughs huge belly laughs, and yells with delight, but he does not speak words and rarely makes babbling sounds.  He walks hunched over, and has a herniated belly button (like most of the kids here) but he is as joyful a kid as I have ever seen.  While he played in the small blow up pool, he smiled the whole time like he had struck gold.  He had all of my attention for the two hours I had him, and he lived up each minute!  He kept trying to drink the pool water, which is not filtered like the water here that we drink.  So, I kept having to yell at him – “Pa Bway!”  I have no idea how to spell it, but phonetically that is how you say, “Don’t drink!” in Creole. 

I have learned a few phrases – ones that come in very handy with little kids.  Don’t drink that.  Sit down.  What is your name?  And so on…

Another day begins tomorrow!  I have heard that Saturday is cleaning day at the house, as well as shopping and a lunch out at a restaurant.  I also plan to come back to the house, even though we don’t have to, and read a book to Wadley.  J  Maybe tomorrow he will speak his first word.