One of those Haiti days...

Some days in Haiti you just feel like nothing works the way you want it to. I have a 7 year old girl who is waiting on a medical visa for heart surgery in the USA...That is not working the way I want it to. The Embassy for some reason has decided that they have a bajillion questions that really aren't relevant and keep making us chase all around for answers. It's been over a week now.

I got word from some people in the United States who have two Haitian children who were evacuated on humanitarian parole following the earthquake. The adoptive families in the States didn't have the proper paperwork and now those two children have been taken to a detention center in Florida...they are 5 and 6 years old. I cannot move quickly enough in this city to help them get the proper paperwork because everything here takes so blasted long. I know it's not my responsibility but now there are two children spending Christmas in a detention center without anyone they know. Sometimes things just don't work the way you want them to.

We had a container with Christmas presents for our children that were supposed to be here alraedy. We even had word that they arrived. We went on Monday to pick them up from the place, but we were told that we couldn't go in on Monday...so we went back yesterday. We were shuffled around to many offices and the consensus was that our container WAS there but there wasn't anything for us on it. so I have been scrounging around looking for presents for all the kids. Unfortunately some of them will get not-so-awesome presents because it's just stuff i have pulled out of closests, because I want them all to have something to open.

And...my fiance is coming to Port Au Prince...in fact as I write this, he is already here...but the car for the guest house here is not an hour and a half later than they said it would be and my fiance is sitting on the side of the road somewhere waiting for me.

some days you feel like you can't win. BUT...it's Christmas. I will think on God Incarnate, and remember that the children will have fun no matter what...AND I will celebrate the fact that I have successfully cooked a turkey today in an oven with no numbers on it, and without the proper equipment I would usually use. It smells delicious and looks beautiful. My father would be proud!

I'm heading to Les Cayes to spend Christmas with the future inlaws...should be nice. I will have limited internet access...we're hoping they hold off on any more election findings until after New Years. We'll see.

Merry Christmas to you all. This year, more than even I am feeling so blessed to have such an amazing community of family and friends (even on days when it seems like nothing goes right!). Thank you to all, and I wish you every blessing in the coming year. I will probably try to write some posts while I am gone, but probably won't post until i have internet connection. Take care!

Paypal...

I've heard from a couple friends that the paypal link on my page isn't working. Apparently just before Thanksgiving some card numbers were compromised through my bank, and mine was one of them. Since my paypal account is linked to that check card, they aren't allowing me to accept donations until I have a valid check card number.

As you can probably guess, I have not received my new card, because of my being in Haiti. My wonderful mother is on top of the situation for me, and it working on getting a new check card to my correct address, and then we can address the paypal issue.

Thanks to the friends who have brought it to my attention! I appreciate it.

IF you wanted to send me a donation, at this time you can do it by mailing a check to the 3506 address listed on the side of the page as well! Thanks again for the support, and hopefully I'll have a working checkcard again soon!

Back in the Saddle...

It's been a crazy few weeks. It's always a strange transition for me back to the United States when I'm coming from Haiti, and now it's a strange transition for me coming back to Haiti. In some respects going home, which I consider to be either place now, feels like you've never been away, and yet like you've been gone for a lifetime! What's strange here is that my life in the United States is SO entirely different from my life in Haiti. And yet, I love them both. Both have ups and downs. It was good to be in my USA home...and it's good to be back in my Haiti home.

The transitions this time have been MANY. I left my first prolonged trip in Haiti for the States as a single woman, and now I am promised to be married...that in and of itself is a strange transition.

I left Haiti, and a world of getting by for the Holiday of Thanksgiving, a time of excess, and thankfulness.

I left the United States for Haiti heading to a different part of this country I called home, and instead of being the American who can kind of speak kreyol and jokes with everyone, I was Madam Lionel. (In Haiti, when you are married...or engaged as it seems...you don't take your husbands last name necessarily. You become known as Madam "first name of your man"...so there, I am Madam Lionel.) I of course always joke when people say, "oh you're madam lionel." I say, "Actually...he's Mr. Rachel." Usually people laugh...

I was only supposed to head down to Les Cayes for a few days. I had a lot of work to do in PAP and was anxious to be back after being gone for almost two weeks. I have a rythmn at my home in PAP...or at least, as much of a rythmn as one can have here. I didn't take money with me to Les Cayes...I didn't take a lot of clothes...I didn't take a book...and I forgot my conditioner!

I had to learn a new kind of dependence in Les Cayes...Only two people that I met in Lionel's town spoke English...that's fine...we're in Haiti...it's not their language...but when everyone is speaking Kreyol at the speed of light, I found myself feeling very left in the dust. Here in PAP, my Haitian friends know that I can mostly understand what's going on if they speak slowly enough and use the right words. In Les Cayes, no one knew that...and kreyol was FLYING. I was lost. I relied upon my fiance to tell me what was going on.

I didn't have any money. No money to buy phone cards. No money to buy food. No money to buy a coke when I wanted one. I had to rely on my fiance to buy things when I needed them.

I didn't have many clothes with me...I had to rely on Lionel's sister to wash them for me.

I didn't have conditioner. Ok...there was no one to rely on for this one. I just had to give up my vanity and be ok with my crazy Haitian hair. But when you're trying to make a goI od first impression, and you don't feel like the best representation of yourself, it can be a little frustrating.

Then there was the whole election craziness. We ended up being in Les Cayes for over an entire week. I had no idea when we would be able to head back to Port Au Prince. On top of it all I had a Dr. in Haiti need help getting a medical visa. I was trying to do the paper work by using the internet I was taking from a hospital up the hill from Lionel's house twice a day. It was frustrating. I felt completely disarmed. Usually, I can make things happen. It seemed I could do anything.

The house where were staying had indoor plumbing but there was so water pump...meaning I couldn't even flush the toilet on my own for the first 4 or 5 days. This independent girl had reached her limit.

I couldn't cook, I couldn't clean, I couldn't travel, I couldn't carry my own water...I felt like a complete failure. (No one else felt this way...just me.)

I was horrible to live with.

And yet, it was good to be in Les Cayes...to learn a different side of life. To talk with people...to practice kreyol...to hear about people who want the best for their children, who need jobs, who laugh, and care about politics, who want to see more from their country.

I'll write more later about some of the political crazy going on here...and I'll tell you more about the crazy weird, frustrating, week we've had with the US Embassy and immigration, trying to get a Medical Visa for a 7 year old girl who needs heart surgery. It amazes me. Most of my frustration this week in Haiti had nothing to do with Haiti and everything to do with Americans. As a member of the Western, more developed nations, it's easy to think that everything works better in our countries that it does here...but that's simply not the case. There are so many breakdowns in American systems, and this week there is a sick little girl who is losing because of it. It's not fair that she has to grow up in Haiti with an absent father and a mother that can't care for her. It's not fair that she has a hole in her heart. It's not fair that she can't go to school. And it's not fair that the Embassy is not giving her a visa when she has doctores and families ready to pay for her every move in a three months stay in the United States. But...this is life in Haiti.

More to come.
It's good to be back.

Back in Port Au Prince...

I just wrote a long blog detailing my last week and a half, then the internet switched and I lost it all. I am far too tired to retype it tonight, but can't wait to get back to blogging and sharing with you what's going on...for now, take a look at this.

Just go to www.haitimissionproject.org/shirt

Still in Les Cayes

Hi y'all, this is Lindsey. Rachel is still in Les Cayes due to rioting related to the elections. She's safe. It's pretty crazy, but Lionel and his family are taking good care of her!

Please continue to pray for Haiti. May God bring peace, honorable governments, and wisdom.

Back, Kind of...

I've been away from my computer for a while. I had intended to keep blogging from the United States while I was away, but my boyfriend proposed to me, and apparently the excitement of everything was enough to keep me away from the computer.

I have been dating my fiance since February. We met last January in Chicago and bonded over our connection to Haiti. He is from Les Cayes and was living in the United States this past year. He has just returned to Haiti with me so that he can see his family and we can spend a little more time living in the same country! Plus, I think he was jealous that I was in Haiti and he was living with snow in the wintery Midwest.

We just returned to Haiti last week and came down to Les Cayes for the wedding of one of his best friends and for me to meet his family. I would love to write more about all of it, but we don't have a lot of internet access here in Les Cayes so that will have to wait until I return to Port Au Prince on Wednesday.

We're hoping there isn't too much election craziness in the next couple days. We're expecting an announcement tomorrow about the election results. I'll post more in a couple days.

Friday November, 19th...

I was looking at the date this morning and wondering how November is already over half gone. I guess sometimes time really does fly. I have only a few more days until I head back to the States for a holiday with my family. I'm getting excited to see all my loved ones.

We've been pretty busy around here. I'm sure you're hearing snippets of news about Haiti lately. The reality is that there is a lot of newsworthy activity going on here, but I'm afraid most major news channels only want to cover the sensational end of the stories here. I'm not a journalist, and honestly, how could I ever know the whole of the story here, but it's easy for me to see an abundance of newsworthy activity here...

A seemingly unsurmountable occurence of poverty
An upcoming election
The lack of suitable recovery following a major catastrophic event
An epidemic that has killed more than 1000 people

And now, fighting in the streets. What I've found out in my time here, and in my relationship with this country is that the real story is not always easy to find. You have to ask a lot of questions from a lot of people, and be patient, then maybe the answers will start to come. Questions and Patience. I've been reading a lot of reporting from news entities and am sometimes upset, and sometimes offended at the way the Haitian people are portrayed. I wish the international community would approach people and situations here with a little more dignity. As people we share a commonality, and sometimes we're unwilling to share the small courtesies with each other that we expect for ourselves. But...I don't think I'll write anymore on that now, I'm far to0 opinionated and way too uninformed to try to write opinions of the greater state of Haiti for the whole internet to see here.

What I can say is this, the cholera is bad and is taking a lot of lives. Where it is hitting families and communities it is hitting hard, and many people are dying senseless deaths. It's sad. It's sad to hear of parents carrying a child to a hospital and then carrying them back home, lifeless. It doesn't make sense in my head, and it probably shouldn't, but it is a story that has been repeated countless times over here in the past month.

There is fighting in the streets...most of the fighting has been up in the North of the country, and most people are saying that it is only directed against the UN forces that the people are upset with. Yesterday there was some rioting in Port Au Prince in the downtown area. It was a holiday here and given the situations with the election and Cholera, I'm not too surprised that it happened. I haven't seen any signs of violence when I've been out in the street with one exception...and the exception that we saw was what was left after a fight in the streets, most likely after someone stole something. I've never found myself in danger, nor do we intend to. We try to make wise choices about where and how we move around the city. I talked to my dad today and told him not to worry...we play it safe, even if our daily routine hasn't been touched.

Things are going well with work at the orphanage. We got the phone call that one of our children's paperwork is done for his adoption. Now we just wait for the passport and visa...and the lawyer is doing that this time! It's possible he'll be with his family soon!

Today I have a meeting with a lady here who is helping with four of our children that are alraedy linked with families. Their paperwork is progressing as well! These things are all very exciting. So we're trucking along, trying to do what we can do. We've had a steady stream of visitors here which adds another exciting element to life around here, but Gertrude and I did find a little time for our own shennanigans up on the roof last night and tried doing the limbo with our clotheslines. It's always good to end an evening in this house laughing with Gertrude!

too tired...

I'm too tired to write. I've got great stories, and real thoughts on the cholera epidemic...and other great things to share.

but I am just too tired tonight and the internet connection wasn't cooperating earlier.

so...just checking in to let you all know that I am alive, and well, and excited to share stories with you all.

Arriving...

We have a couple teams here this week. I'm usually a team girl. Normally when I am in Haiti I have a bunch of people with me, or I'm with a bunch of people. This time is, of course, different. I'm definately not one of those "longer term" guys who things the "shorter term" guys "just don't get it." I like teams and I think they are an important part of telling the real story of Haiti back home, and hopefully their leaders are helping them begin to see the real stories here. I like short term teams...

But I can't help feeling a little bit like I'm just starting to arrive in Haiti. It's been a little over 2 months since I got here, and I'm starting to feel like I'm part of the workings here. People who work here have started to ask me questions. People in charge here are trusting me to give information to the workers. Kids come to me when something is wrong, or when they need to be soothed. Part of that is due to my slight increase in language knowledge...and part of it is because I am becoming a fixture in the lives of people around me.

A team last night was talking about the work being done here by big aid groups, and I had to keep my emotions in check, because it's hard to drive around here every day and see big aid groups with fancy cars and big budgets, and then see the people unwilling to leave tent communities that are unsafe and unsanitary because they really feel they have nowhere else to go. I can't point fingers...totally. I know that there are no easy answers to Haiti. I know that this is not an either/or situation. It's complex and it's difficult. What I do know is this, it is great to watch the work of people here who love and respect the Haitian people and don't come at it with an Us vs. Them mentality. I'd rather be a We.

Had a great visit with my brother while he was here. It was fun to drag him around to lots of parts of Port Au Prince...next step, getting my parents here!

Sometimes I come up with CRAZY ideas...

If you've ever spent time in Port Au Prince, it's no secret to you that it takes a long time to get things done here. Part of the reason is that it can take hours to drive across town. We've been without a working car for quite some days now...almost a week I think. We had a bunch of kids that needed medical tests, and I figured if we were dropping big money to rent a Tap Tap for the day, I should make it worth my while. So we found the children we needed to run blood tests on and made our lists.

This morning I knew things were going to be crazy when we couldn't even get out of the house without some elements of chaos. 10 children total. We had 10 children ranging in age from 2-9, one with what I think is Down Syndrome, one with a pretty big case of what we think might be autism, among other things, and one child who can't walk, or sit up on her own.

I got to the lab with two nannies and ordered tests for all the kids. They were so nice to me and offered to send the lab worker out into the hall. This was great, because I knew I would have some screamers. Since some of the children we had were difficult to manage to say the least, I had the two nannies stay with the group at the entrance to the hallway and I took the children one by one down to their tests. These were all blood tests and TB tests...all of which involve needles. Yikes.

Now, I'm not a mother, and I don't know what it's like to watch your child get shots, or have blood drawn. But I can imagine that one of the only things worse than holding one child through something like that, is holding 10 children through something like that...especially kids that can't all communicate with you. It was not easy. There was kicking, screaming, crying, chewing on my arm, yelling, a couple kids swatted the needles out of their arms. Basically, we were pretty much a circus...me, the crazy white girl, torturing children. A couple kids I had to wrap my legs around as well as my arms to hold them. I only had one child not cry...she was the youngest one. No children peed on me this time, but my clothes were soaked through with sweat...partly mine, partly theirs.

There must be some bonding process that goes on in these things. The children were all so happy to go one by one with me...then terrified that the needles stuck them...fought kicking and screaming...then unwilling to let go of me after it was all finished. Tonight I went down to see them before they went to bed and the kids who went with me today were asking when they get to go with me again...and other kids want to go along next time. Apparently they've forgotten the traumatic moments.

After we were done with test results, I had to have identification photos made of a few of our children in the adoption process. Think passport photos. This was ridiculous. First of all the put the boys in oversized suit jackets. Hilarious. The one boy threw a huge fit and it took us about 12 photos to get one we could use. The young girl, after witnessing the boy crying started to get afraid. The photographer did not like the outfit I picked out for her (which was totally hip and cute!) and asked me to find her another shirt. So I had to go out to the car and leave another of my girls half naked so the other girl could take a photo that satisfied the photographer. I sat the young girl on the seat for her photo and went to soothe the boy who was crying, only to turn around and see that she had peed all over the photographers stuff...either she was scared...or mad that he didn't like her outfit!

We got all that business sorted out and I made it home in time to help a young lady here with her Spanish homework. I still remember a little Spanish...enough to help her with what she's learning now. But her books are in French to teach her Spanish. So I had to take the Spanish, translate it to English so I knew what it was saying, then translate it to Kreyol so she knew what it was saying, and then help her translate it back into Spanish...all while following directions in French. There's part of me that's pretty excited I was able to pull that off...there's another part of me that just has a big headache!

Just another day in Paradise. My brother comes tomorrow. Can. Not. Wait!

Sanctuary...

You know...sometimes life is surrounded by chaos here. Tonight I was reading reports of cholera spreading all over the country. We just had a hurricane dump rain on most of the country and tear apart homes and lives in other parts. And now...more cholera. Seriously. Sometimes I wonder how much people can endure.

It's easy to look around here and see the harsh reality that makes life hard for so many people. And yes...I realize that I have NO idea what most people go through here on a daily basis. I have a comfortable bed, pillows, clean sheets, three meals a day, indoor plumbing, showers whever I want, electricity, soap, and coca cola! But I have eyes that see, and ears that hear.

Sometimes it is easy to look around and only see the hard stuff. And yet, I see so much beauty. Tonight I am sitting on my porch. The temperature is really comfortable. I have wireless internet that let's me write this here. In the distance I can hear a church and her people singing. I sang a bunch of babies to sleep. And it's in those moments that you realize that there really is a sanctuary where you can go and rest. Tonight I can relax here...tonight I can sleep peacefully.

Today has been a hard day for me. Trying to work in the midst of Haiti, and still try to communicate to people that things here and things other places work VERY differently. I've been angry, sad, happy, upset, frustrated, joyful....all sorts of things today. I'm missing my loved ones...a lot.

And yet...there is rest...there is sanctuary.

Tomorrow I take 10 kids for a bunch of medical tests...better get some sleep!

Response...

I came to a realization this morning. Well...it's been building for a few weeks now. I have a much more heightened sense of my responsibility to respond when a neighbor is in danger or needs help here.

Last night I got an email from an aquaintence I had met back in Chicago. We met around Haiti stuff. She works with the Lutheran church out in Jeremie. I work with the Lutheran church in Port Au Prince. We really didn't have much in common in our work in Haiti, except for the fact that it was in Haiti. Somehow I ended up on her email list.

She was saying that there was some significant damage out in Jeremie revolving around the people they work with there. I immediately emailed her, and any other contact that might know the pastor there, to see if I needed to help out, bring supplies, do anything since I am living here in Port Au Prince. Now I wait to hear back.

I was thinking about it as I sent out more emails this morning. I am so quick to respond to my neighbor's needs here. Death, Cholera, Hurricane... Why am I quicker to respond here? Maybe it's because I'm less distrated by MY life here. And I have a bit of the sense of, "If I don't do it, who will?"

I guess I'm hoping that this desire and need to respond to my neighbor's needs would be something that follows me every day. How great would our communities be in the United States, or in our churches, if we were quick to respond to our neighbor's needs. It's not that I think that this doesn't happen in the life I knew before Haiti. I remember last year when my grandparents fell sick and passed away my parents' community of friends and church gathered around them in a wonderful way. I watched the kids I worked with in each of my congregations love homeless people in shelters or soup kitchens. I watched my brother's desire to respond to the needs of his community after a tornado. It happens...a lot. Maybe it's just easier to see the need here in Haiti. Maybe the needs are more Front Page here and less easy to ignore or be distracted from.

At any rate...I hope that when I'm not in Haiti my eyes will be just as focused on the people around me and how I can be a part of responding to their needs. Maybe today we can all spend a little more time getting to know the people in our community and how we can best serve them.

Good Day Sunshine...

It rained again last night. This morning it was grey...but it didn't take long for patches of blue to pop through the clouds and for the sun to follow. I'm hoping that the hot Haitian sun dries up all the flood waters.

I still haven't been out of the house and have no reports of what things are like out in the streets of Port au Prince. Our car here isn't working. Our staff has been able to get in and out for work, so I'm figuring that's a good sign.

Staying in the house for three days has made me a little stir crazy, but it's given me the opportunity to get a lot of paperwork done, especially since the electricity has been working and we didn't lose internet during the storm (miraculously!)

I was able to send off a bunch of paperwork for kids that are in the process of adoption and get sponsorship letters sent off from 15 of our kids. These were all things that needed to get done and just weren't happening with all the other things going on, and sometimes uncooperative internet signal. It's nice to feel productive.

It's going to be a big week this week. I have lots of papers that I need to hunt down for kids, and we have a couple groups coming. My brother comes on Wednesday. There are no words for the excitement that I have at FINALLY getting to share Haiti with someone in my family. This is will be the first time that any of them have made it to Haiti, and I can't wait for them to start seeing what it is that I always talk about. Should be fun.

I'm a little sad that I won't be experiencing "fall back" tonight. I love getting that extra hour of sleep, but Haiti doesn't change time...so I'll go to bed on Central Time and wake up on Eastern Time.

For all of you that get to change time...happy extra hour of sleep! Lucky.

Passed...

Well it seems that the worst of the storm passed us. We still have some wind and spotty rain. It comes and goes, but nothing too hard.

I have heard some reports from the radio that a river close to us is flooded. This river is probably a couple miles from where I'm staying. (it's hard for me to tell real distances here because the amount of time it takes me to travel a couple miles here is significantly different than the amount of time that it takes me in the United States.) I know this area well, it's a place I cross many many times when I am in Haiti. The river bank is filled with shaks and markets. I hear the water is almost as high as the bridge...but I haven't seen it, so for me it's all hear-say. If it's true, it's likely that many poor people have lost whatever little belongings they had...and Port Au Prince will have more displaced people.

I've also heard reports of flooding in Leogane. That's a city south of Port Au Prince. It sits close to the water, and I'm not surprised to hear of flooding there. They were hit really hard by the earthquake too. I've heard of some protesting in the streets there.

The good news is that we haven't seen anything too bad here. And if the rain holds off like it is, maybe we can avoid some further flooding.

On a different note. I looked at Gertrude today and laughed because I was shivering...in a long sleeve shirt. I told her I was cold. I decided to check the weather. 79 degrees. Either I've assimilated or weather.com was wrong. I just bought a ticket home to visit my family for Thanksgiving...St. Louis November might be hard for me to handle! oh man. I checked the weather there...it's in the 40s today. Good gracious.

I'll never make it as a photographer...

I am the world's worst photo taker. But the rain slowed for a second and I snapped a couple pictures. The first one is off the roof...it's blurry, but towards the back theres a field that covered in water. The other picture is the street in front of my house. Sorry I'm no good at taking pictures!

Rain Rain Rain...

I fell asleep around 11:30pm last night. It felt weird going to sleep when you know a storm is coming. But thanks to a little help from some Benedryl left with me, I was able to rest a bit.

I woke up off and on throughout the night to hear the rain. A long, steady rain. It's been raining here in our area of Port Au Prince for over 12 hours. Not a drizzle, but not a crazy hard rain like we get here sometimes. A long, steady rain. This morning when I woke up we had a little wind, but not as windy as yesterday. Every once in a while I see the trees moving wildly outside my bathroom window, but that's it.

It was strangely quiet here last night. In Haiti, I always know I have neighbors, people, music, animals tell me they are present in my neighborhood most nights, and most nights it's all night long. Last night I fell asleep only listening to the sound of rain. If I closed my eyes, it felt like spring day at my house in Chicago. But I knew outside my walls it was a different story.

I checked the weather this morning. It looks like Tomas is back up to a hurricane and it looks like the people in the far west of Haiti might be feeling those effecs this morning. I looks like the people out in the bigger cities of Jeremie and Les Cayes might be getting some pretty strong weather, if the storm tracks I'm looking at our correct. There are lots of little towns out there in the hills. Flooding could be a real problem. It's likely that people out near Jacmel are getting the outer bands of the storm as well. They may be seeing weather more like us. Remember this is what I'm determining from looking at maps, and I've never been in a storm like this so I don't really know what I'm talking about, AND I can't really turn on NBC and listen to Al Roker.

It's possible that the real strong stuff could stay out of Port Au Prince if the storm moves more north and less east. That would be great news for all of the people living in inadequate housing. The hard thing is that there is no escaping this rain. Every day I drive by hundreds upon hundreds of tents. I don't say that to be sensational...I say it because it's true. I drive by temporary housing, or "Permanent" housing that is made out of nothing more than 2X4 frames and some tarps or canvass. Really hoping the storm moves more north than east.

I thinks it's CRAZY that I still have internet...most days even the threat of clouds means it won't work. So...go figure! I'll try to keep people updated.

I'm going to run up on the roof and see if I can get a view of our neighborhood. If I can grab a picture I'll send it along if the internet holds.

p.s...the kids are fine. They are all downstairs in their room singing. Maybe I'll try to find a way to show them a movie today...But our tv exploded...imagine 38 kids gathered around my laptop with me telling them not to touch it. oh man!

Home...

I've been at my house all day today. We didn't go out at all. This is the first day in quite some time that that has been the case for me.

I spent most of the day scanning paperwork and answering emails. We actually had city electricity all day as well, which meant lots of time on the computers, and our internet was actually working. All good things.

The wind started early today. The rain started later this evening. It's been pretty steady but nothing crazy bad yet. I'm hoping the crazy bad stays away.

Our kids are all safe here, and we've contacted everyone we know who might not have adequate housing. It's not like in the states when a hurricane comes. Usually people board windows...buy bread, water, and milk. Not here. We haven't done any of those preparations, but I think everything is under control...just riding the storm out, and praying for everyone without homes tonight. It's a lot of rain...

Does the Crazy ever stop...

I haven't written in a week. Not because I'm lazy, or because I don't care...but because things have been significantly crazy. In my life I always say things like, "I'll get to rest tomorrow...or next week." The rest doesn't usually come. I usually find ways to fill my time. But here, it seems something is ALWAYS trying to fill my time. I like the crazy. I function well in this kind of crazy so it's ok.

The team that was here pretty much rocked! They did a ton of work up with the Lutheran Church and started work at Providence Guesthouse with the rebuild. The wall is officially going up. This will once again bring safety to the grounds keeper there and the belongings that are still there after the earthquake! They were a great group of guys, and I was honestly sad to see them go!

My dear friend Lindsey was here for a week. I love my life in Haiti, but it very rarely feels normal to me. Having Lindsey here brought some of my normal back to me! We got to laugh, eat tons of candy, and sing to kids...in Kreyol. Lindsey is such a good friend and I was so happy to have her here for just a little bit.

We also had the added excitement of me going to the Embassy with one of our kids to finalize a medical visa. I was nervous...but it all worked out and our little girl took off for the States with Lindsey yesterday to get the medical care she needs. I won't lie...when Lindsey called to tell me they made it to Florida, I had quite the feeling of accomplishment that we actually were able to help this one little girl. There are 37 other children here that still need an advocate...so the work doesn't stop yet.

Now...there's a hurricane coming...or maybe it's just a tropical storm. We're getting ready for it here. The wind has already started and the sky is grey. I'll be around home for the next couple days. Hopefully we'll be able to get a lot of work done and the storm won't bring too much crazy. We'll see. I'll try to update more in the next couple days. I'm sorry for not updating more in the last week...I'll try to stay more on top of it!

Pray for all of those in inadequate housing, or no houseing at all...the storm will be a lot harder for them to handle. I've already called friends that I have in tents or other less-stable housing to tell them to come stay with me.

More to come.

Out with the team...

I was out with the team yesterday. They worked really hard up at the Lutheran School at Delmas 89. Seriously, taking a work team of 8 young adult males somewhere, definitely makes me feel like I have little to add to the manual labor end of things!

I got to see a ton of people yesterday that I know and love here in Haiti though, so THAT was awesome.

As far as the cholera goes...I saw a lot of efforts throughout the city to educate people. I haven't heard news of what the spread it like, but the death reports seem to be dropping...maybe they're slowing down, or maybe they're not being reported. I really can't say.

Things in PAP seem to be running as usual, except sometimes you see trucks with people with sound systems telling crowds what to do to protect themselves from cholera. It's nice to see these efforts. Everyone here can probably handle a little more medical information on what to do when they have illness caused by bateria/other stuff in their water. And they can definitely stand to know more about this illness Cholera because they haven't seen it on this island in a long long time.

I even had Haitians telling me to be careful yesterday and making sure I knew about Cholera! One man reprimanded me for biting my nail. Fantastic... (don't worry, i was probably hand sanitized!)

So we're off to the city today to see what we can find. Thanks for checking in...thanks for following along. Thanks for your care and concern for the people of Haiti.

Can't imagine...

I've been reading the news before bed. I just read a report from people in some tent cities here. People were quoted as saying that they didn't have money to buy the soap the aid workers were telling them they needed to wash their hands. Other people said they had no where to get drinking water. As Gertrude says, "can you imagine that."

Catching up...

I'm not sure how many people actually check into this blog...or why you read the stuff I write. But I'll try to catch you up on the last two days here...and hopefully it will be helpful!

I've been trying to keep an eye on the news as much as possible to have an idea of what's going on with the whole Cholera thing here. What I'm hearing/seeing online is that there are lots of cases of Cholera north of Port Au Prince. I've heard that cases of Cholera have been confirmed found in Port Au Prince, but they originated in the area north where the outbreak started. I have not seen confirmation that there have been any cases originating here. BUT it is hard for me to get my hands on news here. The only news I get here is what I read online, so I only get news when I'm at the house and we have internet and I don't have a bunch of other things going on.

I have a great group of guys that came yesterday with the Haiti Mission Project. It's a group of guys from Canada, and honestly, they're great! I'm so happy to have them here. I didn't know any of them before yesterday, but I think they're fun and they're willing to do just about anything, so that is super helpful. But it also gives me another thing to be busy with, leaving less time to read websites, blogs, and tweets. Feel free to fill me in if you have confirmed information that I don't have!

Yesterday after the team got in, we took some information to the streets. I also took almost all the bar soap I could find out of our store closet and handed it out on the streets, encouraging people to wash hands with soap and water, and to use sanitizer if they have it. We had sheets of paper with instructions in Creole of how to prevent cholera. We asked them if they knew how to read, if they said yes, they got paper. If they said no, myself and one of the nannies explained it to them, and we also shared information on what to do if they got cholera. I spoke a lot of creole. I have been trying to learn the language and it can sometimes be hard. But yesterday I went to the streets armed with the words I needed to know and was somehow able to communicate what needed to happen. It's always a bit humbling to see people get totally excited about having a bar of soap. A bar of soap. Huge smiles. I feel like a jerk for giving out a 50 cent bar of soap and they act like it's such a great gift, and for some people maybe it is.

Most everyone we talked to had heard of Cholera...but most of the time when I said, "if you get cholera..." they would immediately say, "I will die." It was a GREAT teaching moment to be able to tell them that they don't have to die from cholera, that it can be treated and they can treat it easily if they boil water and make their own Oral Rehydration Solution...I taught people how to do that and encouraged them to spread the word.

I told them we would be back when we had more supplies. I can't wait to get more soap and sanitizer later this week to give out. Even if the cholera doesn't spread to where we are, these are still great things for people to have on hand, and knowing how to fight dehydration from intestinal illnesses is always good information here!

It was good to feel helpful. Gertrude took a bunch of flyers I printed up to her church today...she came back empty handed. We're not a big organization, honestly Gertrude and I are only two people, but there are hundreds of people in Haiti who now have the information they need to prevent and treat Cholera. The hundreds we told seem small in comparison to the 9 million here...but we did what we could. And for that I am happy.

Today it was great to worship at the church at Delmas 89. I love it up there. There's something about feeling like you're a part of a church community...walking in, and just worshipping. Then we went to the beach. Having the team here gave a great excuse to head up to the beach for my first time since being here. I love the ocean here...the beauty, the fun, the crazy, the calm. I love it.

I came back tonight to find the work that awaits and the same worries that kept me awake the past couple nights. Trying to remember that I am one person...I don't have to save Haiti, or fix Haiti. I'm here to serve, and I can't serve everyone. I can serve those that I've been given the opportunity to serve. So I'll continue to do what I can, and strive to do just a bit more.

It's raining hard in Port Au Prince tonight. Every time it does this I think about the people living in tents...and tonight i think about the contaminated water in this country and praying that it miraculously stays put, and doesn't infect more people.

Big day of work tomorrow...

Quick Post...

I didn't get a chance to post last night, but if in case anyone is checking my blog I wanted them to know what we've been up to. The word is that there are a few isolated cases in Port Au Prince. I'm not sure those reports are confirmed or not. I haven't heard anything about widespread cholera in my neck of the woods.

I had team arrive yesterday. We past out well over 100 bars of soap and information tracks in our neighborhood about Cholera. We gave out everything we had. I'll write more about that later.

I've printed out tons more to hand out at Gertrude's church in our neighborhood and I'll carry some up to the Lutheran Church where I worship as well.

It's hard to get news here. I don't have TV and I don't understand the radio. I can check online news when I have internet, or the time to read all of the internet stories. I'll be gone most of the day today, but I'll try to write a more informed post later.

Thank you for your prayers, thanks to those who have donated to help us in our little corner of Port Au Prince.

Cholera: Education and Resources...

So this Cholera thing is pretty crazy. I want all of you to know that I am by NO MEANS an expert at infectious diseases. I know virtually nothing about tropical ailments. I really am not the person you need to be getting your NEWS from. I'm just a girl, living and working in Haiti, a country that happens to be experiencing a Cholera outbreack. If you're interested in following people who really know what they're talking about when it comes to the illness, I suggest you check in with the link that I blogged about in my latest entry. Also it would be good to check in with groups like the World Health Organization and Partners in Health. You can find more technical stuff from them.

Now...on with my "not-so-professional" take of the situation.

I live just outside of Port Au Prince. There are tent cities around the corner...we're not too far from Cite Soley (a big slum you've probably heard of) and we're on National #1...and huge road that goes from downtown PAP up north into the areas where the Cholera has broken out. There have been many fatalities and it seems that it started with contaminated water up in a river that many people live life out of...cleaning, drinking cooking. It won't take long for Cholera to spread that way. The hospitals were not equipped to handle this outbreak.

We've been hearing reports all day of cases being found closer and closer to Port Au Prince. There are unconfirmed reports of cases here already. Many people in this country are still living on top of each other in tent cities. Many people use the bathroom inches from where they find their water supply, and there aren't sewers, water treatment plants, or septic tanks. If the Cholera spreads here, it could be a pretty big (nasty) deal.

Cholera does NOT have to take lives. With proper rehydration and treatment it can be taken care of. And with proper education it can be prevented in a lot of cases. Sometimes it's hard to get good information Haiti. Someone can start a rumor and it can make it's way throught the country in no time. I heard Haitians today talking about how this started because someone in the Dominican dropped something in the river to make Haitians sick. Education is key!

Today I met with our staff here at the orphanage/guesthouse. At first it was difficult to convince people that this was a serious issue that they needed to be informed of, and to take precautions against. I told them what Cholera was, how it is spread, what it does to your body, how to prevent it, and what to do if they got it.

I was able to hand out kits to all of our workers (24 total) that had anti-bacterial soap, hand sanitizer, clothes, and salt and sugar to make rehydration solutions if anyone they knew got sick. We talked about "boiling the crap" out of their water...and only using clean water. I did a mini clinic on how the hands over everyone in our house should be washed. And we talked about cleanliness, cleanliness, cleanliness. By the end of the meeting the ladies were ready to listen to everything we had to say. They were especially excited when they got their own supplies for their homes and families.

Honestly...it wasn't much. Just some information and small amount of resources. We used what we already had. I wish it could have been more. I wish I could do more to help educate our area. Tomorrow I'll go into the streets with papers with instructions written in kreyol for prevention and treatment.

If you looking for ways to help you can give through the Haiti Mission Project. If you would like to donate money to go specifically towards medical care, we support Heartline Ministries that is equipped with doctors and staff that treat people in some of the poorest areas of PAP. If you want to send stuff...it's probaly easiest if you live in the MN area. A HMP board member is travelling down next week.

We need hand sanitizer (smaller bottles can be more widely distributed)
Antibacterial soap (pump and bars, foam soap for kids)

Rehydration salts

Gatorade packets

if anyone can get their hands on self contained water filtration bottles (like from REI) that would be great
Cholorine tablets for cleaning drinking water

Those are the things that are within our power to distribute and help. If you live in MN or if you would like to send things along, let me know, I can get you an address. If you'd rather donate money for these supplies, it can be done through the HMP as well. See our website at http://www.haitimissionproject.org/

Thanks so much for working with us in this, and for praying. Please pray that this illness does not spread to the sprawling tent cities. I'll try to update here as much as possible when I hear more information. I can let you know what we're doing and what things look like in our neck of the woods!

Cholera 2...

If anyone is interested here is a blog of a Doctor that we know who works ALOT in Haiti. She loves and respects the Haitian people and has genuine concern for them...AND she's way smarter than me. Read her information if you're interested in the particulars, or if you're in Haiti and are looking for ways to help.


http://sleepydoctor.blogspot.com/2010/10/cholera.html

Thanks...I'll keep you posted with what I know. Hoping it doesn't spread.

Cholera...

It's amazing the things I am learning about infectious diseases while I'm here. You may have heard by now that there is a Cholera outbreak in Haiti. I'm not sure how much is being covered on US news stations, but I thought I'd put up a quick entry.

If you're like me, you knew very little about cholera before today! I was hearing rumors of people being sick in Haiti and dying, but I also heard a rumor about a baby with four heads the other day too...you have to sometimes be selective in what information you believe. However, as the day went on more and more reports came out that people were indeed dying north of here, and it was a large amount of people.

Following the earthquake disease control was a huge issue. Honestly, many of us are suprised it took this long for this type of illness to break out. Here's what I know. There have been 135 reported deaths due to this string of illnesses and it has been confirmed as Cholera. There are approx 2000 more said to be sick with the illness.

Cholera is spread through human waste and contaminated water. In the living conditions in which many exist here, it would not take long for it to sweep through a camp. We're praying that it can be contained.

Right now the deaths that are closest to where I'm living are about 40 miles away. It's clear to see that it wouldn't take much for it to get to Port Au Prince and once here, it wouldn't take long for it to become a big problem.

Cholera can be deadly, as is proven in the past two days here in Haiti. But it doesn't have to be deadly. It can be treated and treated easily with immediate rehydration, replenishing of electrolytes, and antibiotics to shorten the course of the attack. We're trying to spread the word to people we know in the countryside how to handle this potential epidemic. Gertrude was on the phone with friends and family tonight with me in the background telling them if they got sick to drink tons of fluids, keep drinking and get to a doctor immediately, in case they need IVs or Meds.

This epidemic does not have to claim more lives.

Tomorrow we're meeting with the nannies here to take extra precautionsn to keep our little home safe. We have lots of little hands here that will be washed often with cleaned water. We're boiling all water before purifying with UV filtration, and we're sending nannies home with info for their families.

Mostly we're praying that it stops before it spreads...that it does not get worse before it gets better...and that lives will be spared, and the world will rise to the occasion to help provide a more livable existance for many people here who still live in tents on top of months worth of mud and filth.

Don't worry mom...I'm drinking clean water and have meds should I need them! And the phone number of good doctors! If only everyone in this country could say the same thing.

Better late than never...

Last week was the first week of school and I took a bunch of pictures to share with you all...of course a bajillion things got thrown in front of this blog, but today was a gloriously non-eventful Haiti day. Well, I think our cook for the kids quit. So that was drama, but Gertrude and Brinel cooked and I even helped chop some onions and carrots. No worries...we got this!

So school! School here is an interesting situation. As far as I know there are tenchically no public schools here in Haiti. Not the way those of you in America understand them to be. That means if you're going to school here, you're paying. It usually ends up costing between 300 and 600 US dollars a year for a child to go to school. It can be a HUGE price for most families and a lot of kids don't go to school all the time. They might start and not finish a year. They might go one year and not the next. Most of the times it's a toss up.

We have 10 kids here who are school age. My friend Joanna found sponsors for all of these kids through the Haiti Mission Project, and all 10 of our school age kids were ready for school. Backpacks and supplies were sent, uniforms were sewn and ribbons, belts, and shoes were bought.

The morning that school started there was a flurry of excitement...trying to find pants, and belts, and lunches, and bottles for water, and pencil sharpeners. It was a little insane, but the kids were SO excited to be getting ready for school. And some of the kids who weren't going, were sad. We have some kids here that would benefit from the Special Ed system in the US. My one little buddy looked so sad as he watched the other kids head off...he even had an old back pack on his back because he wanted to be caught up in the excitement too. Some of our kids with special needs are wicked smart...I wish we had resources for them here.

But there are ten young minds that are getting an education for a better future...and that's no small thing!

And there was much rejoicing!!!

So I came down with strep throat the other day. Crazy. I clearly do not have the immune system I need to live in a house with 38 children. Luckily I live in a country where antibiotics are not so hard to come by...I did have to wait two days and it was a little touch and go there for a while, but...I did get them!

The first day when I was feeling particularly horrible and not all that happy, Gertrude came in my room with the good news that we finally had the passport for this cute little munchkin! All it took was a month of fighting. Sometimes I had to make myself look like a complete and utter fool...speaking English that no one understood, and speaking kreyol that no one understood. I was talked about, ignored, laughed at, come on to, and even once told that if I had a baby for a guy at immigration he would give me the passport. Needless to say it has NOT been an easy process. Partly because I don't know what I'm doing, and partly becaues a lot of the sysyem is whack.

But we've got it. And now we can focus on obtaining the medical visa so this girl can have some work down on her legs and feet to see if she can become a little more mobile! I'm sure she is really confused and no idea what's going on. But I know there are people ready to receive her on the US side that will love her and take really good care of her! So...we're rejoicing in that!

Posting Pics: Party People...

If you want a more chronological view of these photos, start at the bottom and work to the top! Enjoy! We had a great time. A great way to start the next decade of life!

Fet Mwen...

For many people, turning 30 is a huge milestone. It's seems to be an age in the United States that some people have troubles accepting. I'm not sure...maybe it's the whole "being done with your 20s" thing and no longer have the excuse of youth on your side when you mess up and make mistakes in life. Maybe it's the fact that you feel like adulthood is here, and you're not so far from mid-life. I know a lot of people think, "By the time I'm 30, I will________." You can fill in the blank with anything; be married, have kids, pay off college, have a great car, own a home, make my first million.

As I closed in on my 30th birthday, I didn't have much to show for it on a worldy standpoint. I am officially unemployed, technically homeless, have little money to my name, unmarried, without children, and hoping to pay off my student loans sometime in this decade. Actually, listing all those things in one sentence makes me feel a little lame. BUT, then I look at my life, and I know there is a different story. I reached 30 without fear and without worry. Maybe it's because the year of 29 was a bit tumultuous for me. I saw the death of loved ones, endured stress and some significant emotional hurt, and watched as a place and people that I dearly loved sustained more than a month worth of earthquakes that devastated parts of the country and her people. Ok, it was tough, but the year wasn't without it's good points...I'll give it that. God has brought me to THIS stage of my life through the trials and hardships that I faced last year. And on my 30th birthday I looked back on my life and thought, "Rachel, your life has been anything but lame!"

If you know me, you know I love my Birthday...and you know I love to celebrate ANY birthday. (but especially mine!!!) I knew it would be a bit of an interesting experience trying to create the ridiculous birthday drama around myself here in Haiti. I've lived here a month. I don't have LOADS of close friends yet, and the ones that I do have live far away from me in this city. I don't have loads of money. And, maybe most importantly there are no restaurants to go to and get free things for your birthday. But we do live in a house with a bunch of kids that love a little excitement...and Gertrude is a great cake maker, so we threw a party!

I started my day at my church here in Port Au Prince, worshipping with people I haven't seen in a long time. I got to speak a lot of kreyol as I practiced with familiar faces after the service. Then I came home and decorated while Gertrude finished the cake and some of my favorite ladies spent most of the day in the kitched preparing a feast of some of my favorite Haitian foods and good old American pizza.

Then the party started. My friend Oriol, who drives for the guesthouse brought a musician who played a Pan Flute and they prepared some music for my birthday. Oriol played a song and Gertrude and I sang. The kids drew me a picture and sang a song and did some recitations. And I had many friends show up. We ate, we drank, and we were most definitely merry. And of course we finished the night with a birthday cake and candles. What more could a girl ask for.

So here's the truth...thanks to the generosity of those who give to support my time here, (thank you from the bottom of my heart! This is beyond amazing), I get to spend part of my life here in Haiti, helping, serving, loving orphans and widows, and giving to the poor, and laughing, and loving, and celebrating life with people who seem to know better than anyone how to make it work with what you've been given. Far Beyond Lame...so I say...Bring on the 30s. If the first day is any indication, it's going to be a great year! Or decade even!

When I was at Concordia, our theme one year was "Life is Praise." Some of my friends continually bring up that theme. And so I do it too...Life is Praise, and I couldn't be more thankful that God has blessed me this far in my life, and I know that the one who provided for me yesterday, provides for me today, and will continue to provide for me throughout all of my days!

Pictures from the party to come...and more blogs on Immigration/Emigration, and the first day of school for the kids! So...come on back!

I read a lot...

I've always loved reading. Well, at least I feel that way...I'm sure there were times as a child when I hated to read, but I don't remember those times. Since being here I have finished two books. (Eat, Pray, Love, which I did not enjoy too terribly much. You can skip it probably. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't my favorite book of all time...and the White Queen, a historal fiction piece on the royal family in England before the Tudors...it was ok, but I wouldn't tell anyone to run out and buy it either.) I'm partway through two other books as well, Madame Bovary and When Helping Hurts. I packed up a whole lot of books that I've wanted to read for a long time, and books others have suggested.

I also spend a lot of time reading things online...blogs, news sites, the weatherchannel.com...all sorts of things. I follow a lot of Haiti news online, and I read a lot of blogs from people who work/worked in Haiti. Usually they say things that I think are so profound, and then I look at what I write and think, "man. I have no idea what I'm talking about."

Sometimes I wish I had great thoughts to spill out here for you to read...but sometimes I'm afraid to say anything about Haiti...to give my take on things, because someone down the line will google Haiti and find this blog and think I know what I'm talking about. When the reality is, none of us know what we're talking about. The people I like to read from Haiti who are folks who struggle every day and still say they have more to learn than they already know.

Henry David Thoreau is attributed as saying, "How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live." I guess I want to busy myself with the standing up to live part...I just wish that sometimes I had something a little more profound to share. Believe me...I think about loving orphans and defending the fatherless a million times a day. I think about adoption and if it's better the adopt internationally or keep kids in their birth culture. I think about the church and how it shows mercy and serves the world. I think about government and how it could and maybe should work for the people. I think about Haiti...and wonder how they are ever going to dig out from this crazy time. I think about people in tents. I think about giving them houses. I think about my life as a North American, and United States Citizen. I think about my responsibility as a member of the global community. I think about international aid. It's no wonder that at the end of the day, I'm convinced of the fact that I have so much to learn.

I had a professor once who said something like, "I was dumber at 30 than I was at 19." He was saying that when you're nineteen you think you know everything, and by 30 you have realized there is so much you just don't know. I am two sleeps away from my 30th birthday...and I feel what my professor told me so many years ago. But I am eager to learn and glad to have been given this opportunity to live and serve in this country. I know it is a blessing and a privilege.