Started as a simple walk around...

Started as a simple walk around…

August 24, 2012

This afternoon I took a walk with the kids around the parish.  First we stopped at the playground, and after the kids had their fill of swings and Zakari climbing a tree, we walked over to the community of Nouvo Bidaw.  I thought that perhaps Bidaw residents had moved because of the threat of Isaac and as I predicted, several families had moved in, even if only temporarily.  The kids and I walked around the perimeter of the settlement, greeting everyone sitting on their porches.  At Ethela’s house, her neighbor, Magali, beaconed me to come onto her porch, and then to go inside her one-room house.  There lying on the bed was a tiny, tiny infant girl.  Her mother and father sat close by.  I commented about how tiny the baby is, to which they responded that she is three months old.  They said she is sick and cries all the time.  I asked if Mommy had breast milk and yes, she has milk and feeds the baby.  This baby, to me, looks severely malnourished.  They want to get medical care but have no money for a doctor or medicine.  Later, a neighbor told me that they had taken the baby to a child health care center but never bought the prescribed medicine because they didn’t have the money.  Ethela then told me that the mother has no money and the father has no money.  I took the risk of being crass and said they should have thought about that when they were “making their baby”!  Of course, they didn’t, as many young people don’t think about the consequences of their actions.  This baby will suffer because the parents were not educated about planning a family.  I talked at length with the parents, told them that I had given money to other people for hospital visits, only to find out that they never took the child to the hospital.  I was reluctant to get burned again.  Ethela’s friend, Magali, said that she would be responsible, would accompany the couple and baby to the hospital and report back to me.  So, I agreed to help, telling them that Jesus said to help the poor. 

Isaac is coming!

Preparing for Isaac

Hurricane Isaac is on its way to Haiti.  Looking at the National Weather Service reports, it looks like he will arrive tomorrow afternoon but we will probably start feeling high winds and rain earlier in the day.  I got into preparation mode as soon as I heard a hurricane was headed this way.  One problem we have here at Kay Timoun is the poor design at entrance doors.  Water flows under the doors and into the house.  So this morning I told Junior how we are going to handle this problem.  We will fill used rice bags with sand and when the rain comes, we’ll pile the bags at the back door entrance.  We will have enough food and water to last for three days.  That’s not difficult…we always have 5 gallon bottles of water in the depot and usually enough rice and beans to feed a small army.  But just to be safe, we bought another 55 lb. bag of rice and a case of spaghetti.  I told Wonel to buy a double order of bread tomorrow morning to make peanut butter sandwiches with a freshly ground batch of peanuts.  And we have on hand a huge bag of avocados, probably 50 or more avocados. 

I compare this preparation with preparing in Florida.  Here there is no patio furniture to bring inside, no car to worry about, no electricity most of the time so we are equipped with battery lanterns.  There is no food in the freezer that might spoil.  When water leaks through the windows, we’ll just mop it up; there is no carpet and not much furniture that might water stain or mildew.  Life here is simple so people can be at a soccer game the night before a hurricane (I hear them cheering as I write) and not worrying about protecting their property.  Most have nothing to protect.  They just pray that their house doesn’t get blown down or washed away. 

 

 

A day at the beach and more....

August 18, 2011

Saturday morning.  Acolyte training for Ana, Gastina, Rachelle, Wozlo, Estemi, and Christian is this morning at 8:00 AM.  The girls and Estemi are doing their chores as I write.  Christian is still asleep.  Yesterday was a busy day for everyone here at Kay Timoun.  The kids had special school classes in the morning.  Ste. Marie Madeleine does not offer summer school but I hired a teacher to tutor the kids.  After lunch we packed into the parish SUV and were off to the beach.  This group of kids played in the calm ocean waters the entire time at the beach.  They require constant supervision because they can’t swim.  Everyone competes for my special attention wanting to be carried into the deeper water.  The older children played catch ball with some water balls that were donated to Kay Timoun.  I was totally exhausted at the end of the afternoon.  The kids went on to a movie that was showing in the parish school in the evening and I took advantage of the quiet time, read for a while, and then went to bed. 

Now, as I write again in the early evening, everyone is at a soccer game being played on parish property on the site where the new church will be built.  Goal posts have been built and there is a game about every night.  Again, I’m taking advantage of quiet time…it’s seldom quiet here.  And I am in great need of solitude at this moment!

This afternoon as I sat quietly while the kids were at the game, I thought about how the kids have changed since coming here to Kay Timoun.  When they first came and were living together as a group, they fought over everything, always wanting to be first for the simplest things, like water.  The boys punched and kicked one another over any little irritation.  The girls competed for clothes and whatever else they thought they needed.  They grabbed food from one another, always looked to see if somebody was getting more than they were getting, and then took liberty to take the other’s food.  All the kids spent a lot of time in “time out”, learning how to get along with one another.  No hitting is permitted here.  The staff is not permitted to hit a child and a child may not hit another child.  It took a long time for them to learn, but they finally got it!  All is not perfect and children still hit occasionally, and are punished for it.

The kitchen is finished and Ethela is cooking all the meals in the kitchen.  Today I reviewed again with her the importance of cleanliness in the kitchen.  I gave her all the necessities to keep a kitchen clean, plus a short lecture on cholera.  I must follow up after every meal or else it just won’t happen! I insist on cleanliness in every part of the house.  With Wonel doing most of the work, the house is clean!  It’s really challenging with the girls because they have never been taught how to clean a bathroom or how to keep a bedroom clean.  They have never lived in a “real” house.  They are learning! Our next project is to fence in an area for a garden so the goats don’t eat our plants.  I reviewed this with Junior today.  It will be a “live” fence made of parts of trees that actually grow after being planted.  The cross bars will be bamboo.  Again, Kay Timoun is contributing to the economy of Bondeau by buying locally and hiring local people to work.

Occasionally I drive to Miragoane on errands.  Last week Junior and I went to buy wood for the kitchen door, nails, and hinges.  I also like to shop at Trinity Market where I can buy familiar foods like Bumble Bee tuna and the best treat of all, ice cream, which I ate immediately.  It tasted so good!  Driving through the streets of Miragoane, I must maneuver around hundreds of motor cycles, many with three or more passengers, hoard of people walking in the middle of the street, many balancing buckets or huge boxes on their heads, goats and people riding donkeys, vendors selling everything from telephone minutes to antibiotic drugs, and most irritating, big trucks that because of their size think they can dominate the street.  I didn’t mention all of this on a pothole filled narrow street!  Slow down and beggars knock on the window, looking desperate for a handout.  I, too, am learning the ways of survival in Haiti!

 

Wonel

Yesterday I was cleaning up the kitchen with Wonel.  He had taken the refrigerator all apart and was washing each shelf, each drawer, and each part that is attached to the door.  He had already moved the stove away from the wall and had thoroughly cleaned around the burners and each knob.  The day before he had taken everything off the kitchen shelves, cleaned all and rearranged neatly back on the shelves.  He heard me trying to teach the girls how to be neat with their clothing, after teaching them how to clean their bathroom.  I just wasn’t getting through to the girls.  He took over, went to their room, took everything off their clothing shelves and showed them how to fold and make neat stacks of clothing, tee shirts in this stack, shorts in this stack, underwear here, etc.  He had done this same routine with the boys.

I often wonder how a young man, Wonel is about 22, growing up in abject poverty in a community that has no running water in homes, no electricity, no toilets or showers, knows without being told how to clean modern appliances like a refrigerator and a stove.  How does he know how to clean a bathroom shower and toilet?  How does he know to wash the kitchen floor after each meal?  How does he know how to keep a kitchen counter spotlessly clean?  After washing the dishes, he dries the sink! How does he know how to keep a big house like Kay Timoun clean?  In addition to all of that, he also knows how to cook.  He helped me prepare a breakfast of scrambled eggs, fruit, and bread one time and has since, been cooking breakfast two times a week.  Our meals here are for seventeen people, so it’s not like he is scrambling a couple of eggs!  He wins over my heart again and again when I wake up to freshly made Haitian coffee.

So, as Wonel and I worked together in the kitchen, I asked him how he learned all the things that he knows.  He looked up with a smile and said that his grandmother taught him.  He said she taught him everything!  Thank you, Grandma!  I didn’t mention that when Cawol comes back from market, Wonel trims all the vegetables before putting them in the refrigerator.  I also didn’t mention that Wonel has never been to school, yet he reads and writes, does math, and helps the children with their school work.  I recently noticed him studying English.  He reads the bible daily.

An amazing part of Wonel’s story is that just one year ago the people in Bondeau thought he was crazy!  And his actions were that of a very mentally disturbed person.  He had to be taken out of church because he disturbed the service.  He came to the guest house after dark and caused a disturbance, so much so that I was afraid of him!  Now I wonder, after knowing Wonel if that craziness wasn’t all an act.  Last year when I visited Bondeau, Wonel would take walks with me…short walks, because remember that I was still a little afraid of him.  We got to know one another and I trusted him more and more each time we walked together.  I made a point of placing my hand on his shoulder and saying, “Bondye beni ou!”  He’d answer, “Oui.” (God bless you.)

Wonel came to me after a few children had moved into Kay Timoun and I had hired the people who were going to work here.  He asked me for a job.  I had already hired all the people I thought I needed and had my payroll budget.  Not knowing Wonel’s many talents, I asked if he’d be willing to work only for food.  He quickly answered yes and began work.  Needless to say, Wonel was on the payroll for the first month’s pay.  He is reliable, up at the crack of dawn every morning beginning his day.  He not only helps the kids with their school work, he has learned to navigate the small laptop.  He plays soccer with the kids in the evening.  He plays dominoes when the sun is hot and kids are indoors or in the shade. 

Many thanks to Wonel’s grandmother!  Wonel is a blessing to me and to everyone here at Kay Timoun.  I thank God for Wonel!

Sorry...Wonel's photo won't load. 

Kay Timoun-some kids thrive, others struggle.

August 11, 2012

Gastina is so proud that she was asked to read at church tomorrow.  She practiced and then read for me beautifully.  Some of the kids here at Kay Timoun are making great advances.  Six children are training to be acolytes.  Others are struggling. Estemi, in particular, is having a hard time with the structure and discipline of Kay Timoun.  He has always been “on his own”, even though he has a very loving father.  So, it is difficult for him to understand that he must give time each day to study.  He would much rather just hang out with the boys his age.  As a whole, the girls are much easier than the boys. 

It has been a rough week all around here at Kay Timoun.  Hope next week is easier!

Wonald woke everyone up at 6:00AM on Friday for Eucharist Service at 6:30, new for Ste. Marie Madeleine, introduced by Pere Phanord.   All of Kay Timoun attended mass, although some of us showed up a little late.  The service was well attended; I counted 60 people. 

Sorry, photos will not load.  Check Kay Timoun Facebook page.

Joy of sweet singing!

August 6, 2012

As I write this, three year old Odiana is resting on my lap and singing a hymn that we all know, only she is singing it in Haitian Creole, “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name.”  I love hearing the children sing throughout the day.  They have no radio or TV so they don’t hear all the popular songs of today.  The songs that they know are all hymns that they sing in church.  I thrill at the sound of their sweet voices singing.  They love music and seem to have a natural talent.  Even six year old rough and tumble Benjami sings beautifully with a clear high voice, always hymns that he knows from church. 

Those who have been following my blog know that a mother and her twin babies and a two year old boy visit us every day, seeking food for the twins and little boy.  Latest on the menu for the twins has been Quaker Instant Grits, which I threw into a box to come to Haiti.  I cook the grits well, add a little margarine, sugar, and thin the mixture with canned milk.  The babies love it, gobble it down, and give the sweetest thank you smile, happy with a full belly.  These twins are less than six months old and probably should not have solid food.  But “Mama Marassa” (twin’s mother) has very little breast milk, being undernourished herself.  The little two year old is also very thin.  The children here at Kay Timoun make him a peanut butter sandwich and give him whatever fruit is available.  I note how compassionate they are toward the visiting family.  Wozlo gave Mama two of her dresses, not old cast-offs, but two of her newest dresses.  Today Gastina told me that she was giving her Crocs to the little boy.  Gastina and Wozlo have been raised in abject poverty and, in their own way, are giving back for the blessings that they are receiving.

Pere Phanord was heading out to make home visits this evening as the children and I returned from a walk and buying special treat, a cold Tampico. 

Sorry...photos won't load!

Sunday, a new day!

August 5, 2012

This morning is a new day!  Pere Phanold celebrated his first mass here at Ste. Marie Madeleine.  It poured rain early in the morning and continued till about 8:30AM.  People in Bondeau don’t come to church when it rains because they have long distances to walk, some coming from high on the mountain.  There is very little pavement, only the main road is paved, so that most people have mud surrounding their homes when it rains; many live with mud floors in their homes when it rains.  So, I expected that attendance would be very light. 

Pere made a few changes to the classroom that is used as a church.  He had plywood applied as a ceiling for better insulation; he had the entrance area all cleaned, rocks removed from the entrances, and dug a trench to catch runoff water from the roof.  He brought folding chairs out of storage to use for the congregation, a great improvement over congregation sitting on school benches.  He removed the life-size crucifix that hung on the wall.

There were a few unfamiliar faces, people who came with Pere Phanold from Ste. Matthew.  Some served as acolytes.  Ana, who stays with me at Kay Timoun, was an acolyte and read the second reading from Ephesians.  She read beautifully, and needless to say, I was very proud of her.  In fact, I was proud of all the kids.  I kept a close watch as they were sitting in the front rows. 

I began with “This morning is a new day!” because yesterday was one of those days that I’d rather forget.  We did not have electricity for the entire day and into the night.  It was hot and humid.  There was no water in the house and the children had to carry water to wash dishes, take a bath, and carry water for me, too, so I could bathe.  As I write this, the generator is running and my computer is charging.  Water is in the tank on the roof and hopefully, I’ll be able to take a shower later on today.  The rain has cooled the air and cloud cover is keeping us all from burning up!  Praise God!  Mesi Bondye!  The children are visiting their parents this afternoon and I’m enjoying a little quiet time.  Again, Mesi Bondye!  Thank you, God!

                                                                             Ana

                                                     Deacon Anita reading the Gospel

                                                       Wonold and Vangelia at Kay Timoun chapel 

Welcome Pere Phanold

July 31, 2012

Welcome Pere Phanold!

Monday morning…up at 3AM for a 6:30AM flight from Fort Lauderdale to Port au Prince.  Pere Kesner met me outside the airport in Port au Prince, only to say farewell.  He was on his way to his new assignment at Bon Sauveur, Cange, his childhood home and now home of Partners in Health, Zamni Lasante.  I would be driven to Bondeau by Pere Phanold’s driver.  Pere Phanold is the new priest in charge of Ste. Marie Madeleine.  We stopped in Leogane and Ste. Mathieu, the parish Phanold is leaving.  I had been there nine years ago.  At that time, there was a small wooden church, a tiny presbytery, and a small school.  It was sad to see that the new big church had been severely damaged by the earthquake.  Services are outside under a canopy.  Two school buildings are in use.  I waited while Pere Phanold’s helpers packed a truck with his belongings, and then we were off to Bondeau.

We arrived in Bondeau mid afternoon.  The children at Kay Timoun were eagerly waiting for me to arrive.  There were lots of hugs and kisses.  I was so glad to see them, too, and happy to be at my Haiti home.  Pere Phanold and his vestry stayed the afternoon, walking around the grounds.

Junior had been coordinating the building of an outdoor kitchen while I was gone and today, Wednesday, the work of building began.  It will be made totally of natural materials, palm trees that have died will serve as the four corner posts.  It was long and hard work in the hot sun for most of the day.  Our cook, Ethela, has been cooking on the patio or on the walkway in front of the children’s bedrooms.  She needs a place where she can cook.  Plus, it just is not safe to have a charcoal fire around children.  Although they have had charcoal fires all their lives, I’d rather be safe and have the cooking done in a separate area, away from the children.

Pere Phonold officially begins his service to Ste. Marie Madeleine today.  A bus full of people from Ste. Mathieu came here and gave him a glorious farewell.

                            The first corner post for the new kitchen is planted deep in the ground.

                                                     Odiana loves her new ball.

                      Lisie stopped by for a visit.  The macheti wound on her leg is almost healed.