Hello...?

I am still here...in Haiti. I just ran into some technical difficulties with my computer. Getting it fixed is not gonna happen here so I have limited access right now to the orphanage computer. Also, I don't have access to the pictures saved on my computer, just the ones in my camera. Thanks for understanding.

This past Saturday I had a very interesting day. I woke up at 5:30 a.m. so I could go with Anne(American), her translator - Alex, and the agronomist and a guide to a waterfall that supposedly cascades at the back of a valley. Well the first thing we did was try to get the horses ready. Anne's horse had a saddle (or piece of carpet that worked as a saddle) and was ready to go. Alex's horse was the one that lives here at the creche. It took him and 5 guys to get a rope on it in the form of a makeshift bridle (the saddle was a piece of green carpet that looks like artificial grass or a putting green) and my horse was waiting for its saddle but then someone took off on it. We went to find it and did but it was taking too long to find a saddle so I said I would just ride it like that. This would not have been much of a problem riding bareback in the US but in Haiti, the animals are on their own to find food and so this horse had not been very lucky lately. His spine was a pain in my hind - literally! Finally we were all ready to go and began our caravan through the fields of Haiti and crossed a barranca of sorts that was a river at one time. We came upon the market place in TiSuess(sp?) and the sight was straight out of a movie! Massive amounts of Haitians all at market selling, buying, trading, washing clothes, washing themselves, and socializing. We continued our trek following the trickle of river and had a trail of Haitians following us. As the horses were quite uncomfortable after awhile we took turns riding and walking. At one point the three locals were on horses and the 2 "blancs" were walking. People stopped them and asked, "How come the blancs are not riding the horses?" This was very confusing to them. We zigzagged through the valley crossing the water often but alas we did not make it to the waterfall. We asked many along the way how far or how long a walk was it but got many different answers. Some said it was a 2 day journey and others didn't know...yet they were all heading in the same direction as us:-) Finally the guide and I stopped and sat down on one of the saddles while Alex went on to catch up with the others and to turn them around. We must have been quite the site sitting there. The blanc with the 80 year old man sitting on rocks in the middle of the river, eating apples together. Not knowing much Creole, somehow I was able to make friends with him. We shared not only an apple but also some sunscreen and then we sang a song Alex taught me on the way back. The song says, "One kilometer by foot, uses, uses, one kilometer by foot uses up my shoe. Two kilometers by foot, uses, uses....and on, and on. The guide sang it with me and everytime we came to the end of the song we woulld find a used up dead shoe in our path. It was fun to get the old man involved in my self entertainment.

Haiti is a place that does not lack in adventure...ever! On Sunday, Gina took us to the supermarket. It is about a 45 minute drive from here. So we are all getting ready to get in the car and then the car wouldn't start! At first we all pushed it to try to pop the clutch but after many unsuccessful attempts Mommy gave us a jump with her truck. At one point we had an 80 year old man helping us push the car! So finally we were on our way down the bumpy road and came upon a huge truck in the middle of a road with a rock stuck under it. The driver could not move the truck and so a traffic jam developed. As we had to get to the store before it closed at noon, we became a bit desperate and impatient. Finally, some guy showed us a way to go around. Now this was not a side road. It was 4 wheeling through a cemetery! Gina put the car in 4 wheel drive and we all jumped out to guide her through the rocks and dirt and weeds and tombs. Finally she made it around but only after running over a voodoo doll in the dirt! I knew it wasn't meant for me because it was green - not blanc! And off we were to the supermarket!

So I wanted to post pictures of the teacher training as it has been going extremely well. The teachers are very open to trying all the new methods I am introducing to them and are all very talented. The first week I focused on classroom management, last week was all on Language Arts, this week is on Math methods and on Friday I will teach them how to integrate physical education with the core subjects. Unfortunately, a lot of the Haitian people have a spirit of poverty that has been passed on to generation after generation and the mindset is difficult for me to understand. Many will sit and wait for someone to come along and help instead of trying to solve the problem themselves or try to figure out on their own how to make things work. A good example is when I am teaching the teachers a new method and I happen to be using the supplies I brought along. They say how can they do it if the supplies are not available to them. Slowly I am teaching them to use the materials that ARE available to them and that are free! Since the first week they have gotten very good at adapting methods and at unlocking their individual creativity. I am so proud of the progress they have made. They are an incredible group of people.

I also wanted to talk about the Adult Bible study. I was a little unsure as to how I would commence it and so I first tried talking to different people I am seeing on a regular basis about God and their church going practices as a conversation opener. Unfortunately my ability to converse is very limited without a translator:-) After the teacher classes Last week I started to bring my guitar and played and sang some worship songs. They seemed to like it so one day I decided to bring one of the creole bibles with me to see if anyone would be interested in studying it with me. God sure did go before me on this one! Their response was overwhelming! Four of them said yes! we would like to study it with you. So I shared some verses with them and how God has seen Mario and I through every step of the adoption journey. We had agreed to stay again on Wed. after the teacher training to study again. Today they reminded me about the bibles and the study for tomorrow. My hope is that the Lord will give me a discerning spirit on what to share with them and that He would begin to open their hearts to a relationship with Him. I hope you will pray for this with me.