Education

School is in session!  When I have felt out of my comfort zone so often in Haiti, it has been a nice change to walk into a classroom each morning and be back in the teacher space.  I pick the fifth graders up at the gate and we walk to class together.  They are so friendly and happy to be at school, full of "good morning miss" and other sweet greetings.  We spend time working on reading comprehension as well as conversational English.  I try to mix traditional academic activities with some exciting language practice games. Below is the fifth grade class hard at work on editing their reading response for the day, they all want their English to be perfect!

The second grade comes in after I walk the fifth grade down to their French lesson and the fun continues until lunch time.  Below is a picture of Desaline, Angelica, and Wilderson drawing and writing about what they would bake in their oven after reading "Cookies" a story about Frog and Toad's baking adventures.  Not surprisingly kids in Haiti love the same stories and characters that kids in the states enjoy!

In our classroom I find comfort in the familiar interactions as students ask questions, share answers, and eagerly dive into their learning. 

After lunch the older students meet together on the porch for "tutoring".  Today I was working on grammar, science, and writing with different students.  Beverly and I would also like to expand their horizions so we have also worked on some computer skills during this time.  These teenagers are eager to learn more about the world around them and enjoy looking on Google Earth to travel around the globe. 

In a country that has a multitude of challenges, it is certain that the educated youth will be the ones to start and sustain the rebuilding of Haiti.  The students here are not only learning how to think and use their abilities, but also hear about the faithful love of the God who made them.  They can rely on their God to carry them through the inevitable storms of life.  Being here is a daily blessing filled with unique challenges and opportunities, and I am so thankful to be able to both learn from this experience and help educate these amazing children. Thank you for following along with me! Love in Christ, Jessie

Obstacles

When the earthquake struck Haiti in January, 2010, the building that the Christian Light Ministry orphanage and school was located in was damaged to the point that it was no longer liveable.    The physical loss was compounded by the loss of one of the young boys who was killed in the collapsing house.  His brothers and mother (who works as a cook and lives on the property) are amazing examples of the peace that comes from Christ alone. 

Since that time, it seems like one obstacle after another has faced the mission in their efforts to rebuild.  The system in Haiti is slow (what Beverly calls "island time").  They have been waiting for a shipping container that has been sitting in port since May that is full of school supplies, playground equipment, and other essentials for a safe and comfortable home for the children.  Although the efforts to rebuild have been slowed down by inefficiency, there are signs of great progess.  After the earthquake they purchased a property on the same street as the first building and have put up an impressive structure in a limited amount of time with less than organized help (random American mission trips and unreliable Haitian workers). 

Today, we were confronted with our own obstacle, that is, our own obstacle course.  Below you will see pictures of some of the big boys, Franciscot, Marc, and Tcharly, helping Sherrie and Beverly to take down the questionable workmenship of the Haitians who are working on the facade of the building.  Different times in the past few days we have been shut out of our bedrooms and  classrooms by their unorganized work.  Today we would take a deep breath and climb akwardly through the scaffolding to get to the red metal doors so we could access our supplies and our rooms.  Thankfully these physical barriers are temporary as the structure is steadily getting closer to completion. 

Although the physical barriers may come to an end one day in the near future, the cultural and political obstacles that hinder the growth and development of Haiti seem much more complicated.  Things which just seem like common sense to me are complicated here by a system tainted by a long, troubled history.  Although a peaceful and prosperous Haiti doesn't seem like something that will come quickly, I can see a Haiti filled with hope based on the love of Christ as a daily reality.  For people who  experience obstacles to complete daily tasks (find food and water, provide shelter for their families, and clothe and educate their children), many Haitians find peace and joy in Christ.  What a wonderful reminder as we face our own daily obstacles! 

Tonight Beverly and I were sitting down in the courtyard with the kids before devotions.  Beverly was playing pattycake with Misline and I found myself surrounded by the babies (the kids too young to go to school).  Magdala (age 4) was sitting with me singing, "Jesus Loves Me This I Know" at the top of her lungs.  Her little giggles were contagious and before long I was laughing hysterically along with this sweet little orphan child.  She was brought here a year ago, near death from malnourishment.  At age three, she was wearing infant-sized clothing.  Today she is full of sunshine- always smiling and always playing!  What a testimony to the power of God to transform lives faced with even the greatest of obstacles!  Thank you for your kinds words of encouragement and for following along on this journey with me!  Love in Christ, Jessie

Giving

Our first day of school in the new classrooms was great fun!  The fifth and second grade classes were hard working and respectful and the morning went by quickly.  After lessons I pulled out a few boxes from a large shipment of pillowcase dresses that were sent to the orphanage from the states.  There are hundreds of adorable dresses in this shipment, all made by hand.  When we opened the boxes the girls were beside themselves with happiness.  They were dancing around the room holding these beautiful little creations up to themselves.  What a simple way to give to those in need!  There are many, many dresses left which we will hopefully be able to give out to the local community.  Here are Carmelle, Wilna, and Rosemarline posing with their new dresses:

In the afternoons Beverly and I are offering English "tutoring"  activities for the older students.  Today we went on the balcony to play card games and use the computer to do some research.  Tcharly and Marc played Uno with me for a while, happily winning many rounds and rubbing it in my face.  After this Kervens asked for help in translating some of his French poetry into English.  This was a big step for a teenage boy who is extremely reserved generally.  He came to Christian Light Ministry's orphanage after his orphanage in Gonaives (northern Haiti) was destroyed by a flood in 2008.  His poetry was all about the enduring nature of love, and it was so pure and thoughtful I was so amazed at his willingness to share with me.  He asked if I wanted to make a copy of the poetry, which I said would be a great blessing.  This giving nature, the ability and desire to give of self is so humbling to me.  If only I could do this all the time, to give of myself and live fully with others around me in such a quiet and caring way.  Again the students are teaching me more than I could hope to give in return!  Thank you for continuing to follow along with my adventures in Haiti!  Love in Christ, Jessie

Overload

Sunday is church day in Haiti.  All over, the Haitian people were getting ready to go to church.  At the Christian Light Mission we were also on our way out this morning.  The little kids and the big girls get to ride in the truck to church while the big boys walk about 15 minutes through Port Au Prince.  We American teachers walked with the big boys through the streets/paths/puddles of Port Au Prince today.  I didn't take any pictures as I was simply overloaded and didn't think about how useful these might be for others to share in the experience.  To help you visualize the walk, picture twisted rubble-coated paths filled with stinking garbage everywhere and people of varying degrees of cleanliness with curious eyes for white foreigners.  The buildings are either fallen down cement or make-shift tents made from pieces of scrap metal and random tarps.  This was the basics of the beginning and ending of the walk to church.  Right in the middle we walked through what the locals call "The Ravine".  This is basically a trickling stream that flows down into the city from the mountains.   All along the Ravine are little shacks and houses and people crowd the water for drinking and bathing.  The water is dark with filth and you can almost smell the sickness.  Contaminated water has been the source of Haiti's cholera outbreak that has impacted thousands upon thousands of families.  Needless to say, by the time I got to church my mind was spinning!

I chose "overload" for the title not just because I have been struck today by the poverty I am surrounded by, but also because of the amazing positive experiences that stuck with me today.  As we walked into church the kids and volunteers spread out across the room.  Shenider, an 11 year old boy who came with his brother to the orphanage after being abused followed me in and sat beside me.  Shenider started the sermon by translating from Creole to English for me.  Then he started looking through the pages in my Bible and reading different notes that I have left in there.  By the end of the service he had fallen asleep on my shoulder (a no-no in Haitian culture- but I certainly wasn't going to disturb a peaceful child!)  Seeing a child who has had such a troubled life find quiet and peace while the pastor speaks about a God who loves us was another source of overload for me. 

In America where we so desire peace and comfort, it is difficult to process the extremes of the Haitian culture.  Although I am overloaded today, I am thankful for this experience and think that I should feel this way more often as life certainly seems fuller to me here!  I'm looking for depth of experience instead of looking only for peace and comfort all the time!  Anyway, thanks for continuing to follow along on this journey! The following pictures are from my newly painted and tiled 2nd and 5th grade classroom.  A few kids, and Snoopy the dog, were helping us settle in for tomorrow's lessons!  In Christ, Jessie