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.

I made it...

I made it.  And the lesson that I learned yesterday is that God always takes care of you.  The only real part of this journey that I was actually afraid of, was getting through the Haitian airport, collecting my bags, passing immigration and customs, and finding my driver – by myself.  I was really worried about that part of the trip.  I had detailed instructions from the GLA volunteer coordinator, but even still, I was alone.  And I was going to have to get through without knowing any of the language.

When I got on the plane in Chicago, I ended up next to a nice man named Erik who – as it happened – had a final destination of (wait for it…)  Port Au Prince.  Wow, God!  You were listening!  He was on his 5^th mission to Haiti.  He helped me navigate the swarm of people, pass the checkpoints in the airport, find my bags (that story in a minute) and get to my driver.  Without Erik, I might still be there.  To say that the airport scene was chaotic doesn’t do it justice.

When we got inside, our bags were just tossed randomly about the room.  There were a few on a baggage carousel, but the rest were just everywhere.  You had to walk around this warehouse room, with 200 other people, all shouting and pushing, looking for the bags.  Erik stood at the back because he found his bags first, and waited for me.  (Thank you, God – Erik is 6 foot 3, so finding him in the crowd wasn’t too hard.)  After that, we went out and met our driver’s and said goodbye.  He was going one way along the coast, and I was headed for the mountains.

This is the first time I have been among the minority.  It is such a strange feeling.  I have met most of the volunteers and staff, and everyone at the mission is extremely nice.  I have met friends now from Alaska, Michigan, Canada and Ohio.  And the food is really good!

On the 1 hour drive up the mountain from Port, I saw 6 tent “villages,” a collapsed parking garaged, and trash everywhere.  There were goats, pigs, dogs and cows along and in the streets, and in people’s “yards.”  It was a devastating scene.  The amount of garbage that is piled up along the roads and in the creeks is staggering.  It is so sad to see.  There are children everywhere with ratty clothes and well-worn (or no) shoes.

I slept okay last night.  The tree frogs are really loud, and there are people everywhere.  The sounds of kids crying, roosters, tree frogs, dogs barking and the generator are the sounds you hear all night.  Even though, I actually did sleep a few hours.  This morning I got up and went to the computer lab with 7 of the older kids and helped them with their lessons.  Then I spent 3 hours in the preschool working with Miss Kiki and the 15 or so preschool kids that take lessons from her.  We worked on letters, counting, songs and coloring.  After I get done here I am going to spend the afternoon with two babies on the play balcony.  The small wading pool is out, so perhaps we will get a chance to let the kids swim!

Day 2 is halfway over… 

On my way...

My brother and his wife are amazing people.  They are funny, and kind.  They try to give their kids every experience possible.  They want the best for those around them, and they graciously agreed to let me spend the night at their house near Chicago last night.  The kids played, we talked and sat out on the back patio, and it was just a relaxing evening – a great way to spend my last night in Illinois.

So, last night I slept on their couch in the cool, finished basement, with Miles’ feet in my face.  He kept holding my hand, and when I had to get up to go to the bathroom at 2:30am he jumped right up and wrapped his tiny arms around my neck.  “Don’t go without me, mom!” So, I had a guest. I hope he is okay when he wakes up a few hours from now and realizes that I didn’t just sneak off to the bathroom without him.

In the basement last night, my mom had her air mattress, Miles and I had the couch, and Elliott the cat was in the laundry room, occasionally “reminding” us that he wanted out.  He had the company of three chickens – Roast Beef, Sweet Potato, and Nugget.  (Remember the part about my brother wanting to give his kids great experiences?  In a few weeks the clucking trio will make their way to the backyard coop and the fresh farms egg collecting will begin.  Good stuff, huh?)  I was surprised that the chickens were quiet all night.  Maybe they were afraid of the cat.

Anyway, Garth is getting ready in the bathroom and in about 15 minutes we will leave for the airport.  I guess I’d better go get a bagel or something to eat.  Flight isn’t until 9am.  I should get to Port Au Prince about 2pm Central time.  I am hoping to get a chance to call home when I get there and make sure everybody survived the day without me.  Right now I am wondering if I will have cell service????

What I learned today:

Did you know that there is actual sunlight at 4:45am?  I don’t mean you can see the sun, but I do mean that if you went outside you could see what is going on because there is already light coming over the horizon.  I’ll be honest – I had no idea.  

On my way...

The reality is that I am not the best when it comes to technology.  Blogging is a new thing for me.  I am going to try this to see how it goes.  I wanted to give my family and friends a chance to know what I was up to during my trip to God’s Littlest Angels.  It is Sunday night, and I leave Tuesday morning to drive to Chicago for my Wednesday morning flight.

Just a quick recap of the best things that have happened in the months that I have been planning this trip:

The best gift

Today at church my pastor gave me a prayer blanket – I can’t say I have ever seen a prayer blanket before, but the idea was so neat.  The kids all said a prayer for me, and then gave me the blanket with my family and church friends there.  It was amazing to feel the love and prayers of the people I care about.

The best bargain

I needed a rolling suitcase for the trip, so Rob and I took the kids to the Goodwill last weekend to shop.  The idea is that I can take two suitcases down there, and then leave one behind.  Some friends who have been to Haiti recently said that people in tent cities are using the donated suitcases to keep their belongings in.  After 20 minutes of searching the store, we found a great suitcase – Atlantic, in decent shape, with wheels and lots of storage pockets.  It was listed as $17.99.  While still a deal, I couldn’t help but feel the pinch of yet ANOTHER $20 leaving my wallet in preparation for this journey.  At the checkout, the cashier started to ring up the suitcase and typed in 25.  As I was starting to correct her, that no, indeed the sticker clearly read $17.99, she said, “I guess it’s your lucky day.  Everything with a yellow sticker is 25 cents.”  Well, needless to say we went and grabbed the other rolling suitcase and cleared out of there with two “new” pieces of luggage for a whopping 50 cents.  Yippee!  (Oh, and $5.00 worth of beanie babies that Carmen and Miles couldn’t live without.)

The sweetest prayer

Every night before bed, my kids say their prayers.  In his sweetest 3-year-old voice, Miles always says, “Dear God – help the kids who don’t have shoes.  Help the kids who don’t have Mommies and Daddies.”  It melts my heart every time.  Then I chuckle because he follows up this sweet, heartfelt prayer with a story for God about his imaginary friends, Car-ray and Far-ray.

As the day draws near for me to leave for Haiti, I am nervous and excited.  I have read and researched, talked to tons of people, and made every plan and preparation possible.  Even so, I have no REAL idea of what to expect.