I'm off to HFC this afternoon. I'll be spending the next few days until Christmas with the kids there. On Christmas Day, my family is flying in, so I will pick them up and bring them back to HFC so they can celebrate with the kids too. Then we'll be heading back to the Delmas 75 area to introduce them to the rest of my Haitian life.
I won't have internet access for several days, so let me take this opportunity to thank you for your constant encouragement and prayer and to wish you a very Merry Christmas !
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Personal psalms
When I substitute taught Bible class to the seniors at Quisqueya, I gave them the assignment of writing a personal psalm. I told them that I didn't want them to just write churchy mumbo jumbo, but to really talk to God honestly. Here are a few of my favorite lines from what they wrote:
"God, sometimes I wonder why you created things that no one understands. For example, why did you make the Atlantic Ocean so deep? What's at the bottom? Why did you give us myths like El Dorado? The fact that these things are unresolved is killing me. Why, Lord, why?"
"God, you are my sun and my light.
You are the music in my life,
The chocolate in my chocolate milk."
"Above all things, Lord, give me a better relationship with you."
"Next year I will go off to college and I will work hard but God, without you, I won't succeed. God, please guide me and give me wisdom so that I can do the right things in college."
"God, you are like my generator in times of darkness when my inverter has no charge."
"God, why did Eve eat the apple? Why didn't you stop her? The Bible says that God knows everything. I guess you knew she was going to take a bite. Why does the Bible make you sound so surprised when you found out?"
"God, sometimes I wonder why you created things that no one understands. For example, why did you make the Atlantic Ocean so deep? What's at the bottom? Why did you give us myths like El Dorado? The fact that these things are unresolved is killing me. Why, Lord, why?"
"God, you are my sun and my light.
You are the music in my life,
The chocolate in my chocolate milk."
"Above all things, Lord, give me a better relationship with you."
"Next year I will go off to college and I will work hard but God, without you, I won't succeed. God, please guide me and give me wisdom so that I can do the right things in college."
"God, you are like my generator in times of darkness when my inverter has no charge."
"God, why did Eve eat the apple? Why didn't you stop her? The Bible says that God knows everything. I guess you knew she was going to take a bite. Why does the Bible make you sound so surprised when you found out?"
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
A routine week
I met this little girl the first time I ever walked the Ravine and I love her! She is rarely sick, but she is often playing near where I consult with patients. She exudes joy!
At Sherrie's school, the children are preparing for their Christmas program with songs and dances. The littlest Gonaives orphans waited patiently for their turn to perform. I'd never seen them this calm - usually when I show up, they come racing towards me, whooping and hollering and jumping for hugs.
Another of my regulars in the Ravine is this young girl, probably 12 or 13 years old. Every week, she brings one of her younger siblings for us to check. She never complains about her own ailments, even though last week, we noticed that she has chicken pox! She is one of the heroes of Haiti, one of the valiant young women that keeps this country alive.
I was stopped in front of little Lovemika's house when this little boy marched up to me. "Mamie di pou'm di'w mwen malad nan tet!" he proclaimed. In Creole, it made perfect sense, and I knew that he was referring to the patches of head fungus on his scalp, but when I translated his words directly into English for Mary, without really thinking, it came out like this: "My mother says to tell you that I am sick in the head!"
My favorite patient at Dr. Ed's this week was 17 year old Douglas. Douglas is a student at Quisqueya Christian School where I sometimes substitute teach. He is a senior and he is the star soccer and basketball player. A week ago, Douglas was favoring his knee and when I checked it out, I guessed it to be an abcess. Dr Ed drained it for him, but within 6 days, the abcess looked even worse and Douglas was in a lot of pain. Today, he came to clinic and lay on the exam table, begging me, "Miss Furth, don't let him cut me open. It's going to hurt, Miss Furth!" I stood by him and rubbed his back as our big tough athlete writhed and howled in agony. Every now and then, Dr Ed would wink at me and make a comment about amputation. Douglas would jerk his head up and look wide-eyed at me, "Miss Furth, is he serious? I need that leg!" He's a good sport, so despite our joking, he limped out of the clinic today smiling.
At Sherrie's school, the children are preparing for their Christmas program with songs and dances. The littlest Gonaives orphans waited patiently for their turn to perform. I'd never seen them this calm - usually when I show up, they come racing towards me, whooping and hollering and jumping for hugs.
Another of my regulars in the Ravine is this young girl, probably 12 or 13 years old. Every week, she brings one of her younger siblings for us to check. She never complains about her own ailments, even though last week, we noticed that she has chicken pox! She is one of the heroes of Haiti, one of the valiant young women that keeps this country alive.
I was stopped in front of little Lovemika's house when this little boy marched up to me. "Mamie di pou'm di'w mwen malad nan tet!" he proclaimed. In Creole, it made perfect sense, and I knew that he was referring to the patches of head fungus on his scalp, but when I translated his words directly into English for Mary, without really thinking, it came out like this: "My mother says to tell you that I am sick in the head!"
My favorite patient at Dr. Ed's this week was 17 year old Douglas. Douglas is a student at Quisqueya Christian School where I sometimes substitute teach. He is a senior and he is the star soccer and basketball player. A week ago, Douglas was favoring his knee and when I checked it out, I guessed it to be an abcess. Dr Ed drained it for him, but within 6 days, the abcess looked even worse and Douglas was in a lot of pain. Today, he came to clinic and lay on the exam table, begging me, "Miss Furth, don't let him cut me open. It's going to hurt, Miss Furth!" I stood by him and rubbed his back as our big tough athlete writhed and howled in agony. Every now and then, Dr Ed would wink at me and make a comment about amputation. Douglas would jerk his head up and look wide-eyed at me, "Miss Furth, is he serious? I need that leg!" He's a good sport, so despite our joking, he limped out of the clinic today smiling.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
HFC news
Our boys played a big soccer game against the nearby high school, Maranatha, this Friday afternoon. 2 years ago, when I was living at HFC, we played against Maranatha and lost 3-1. And when I called Mathurin the night before the big day, he said our chances were 50-50. I wanted so badly to go and cheer my boys on, but our overheating car couldn't make the journey and my Haitian taxi driver is in Miami, so the best I could do was call the next day for the play by play.
Jawar, the boys' coach, was not at the game because he had given them the week off for exams. So the level-headed, well respected, soccer fanatic Mathurin stepped up to the plate. With Duckhein, Alex, and the other older boys, he fashioned a plan of attack. In the first half, mainly younger and less experienced players such as Drisk, Camille, Jefthe, and Wilson played with a core made up of Bernadin, John Peter, Miscardet, Jacques, and Dorval. Then they brought in the big guns for the second half: Duckhein, Peterson, Samelo, Argusto, and Mathurin.
The strategy worked. In the first half, Alex scored, but the Maranatha team came back and scored, tying the game at 1-1 going into the second half. From then on, it was our game! Mathurin scored a beatiful header on a pass by Samelo, and Duck scored on a shot near the goal. Our boys pranced away from a 3-1 victory, chanting, "Marion G Austin is the best! We're the champions!"
On Saturday evening, when I talked to the boys, they were still on a high from the joy of winning. I hope they will be able to buckle down and prepare for the last 2 days of exams. At least the exams are being conducted in the usual way, with two or three subjects each day, instead of the five or six shorter exams that had been thrown at them every day during the November exams. Everyone is very glad to have the old way back.
Our kids got an early Christmas gift: the Bergeron family sent money for each of the children to choose and buy his or her own gift. This week, Michaelle and Lamarre took the kids out in small groups to buy their gifts. Many chose clothes or new shoes. Emmanuel said he was the only one that wasn't pleased with what he got - the store did not have the precise pair of sneakers he was hoping to find. That's Emmanuel. He is very hard to please! But from all the other kids, "Thank you, Bergerons!"
One more thing. The internet is down at the orphanage, so don't worry if you have not received any emails recently. I think all we need to do is pay this month's fees and it should come back up again. In the meantime, if you would like to send a SHORT message to one of the children, you may email it to me and I will give it to him/her when I go to HFC at Christmas.
Jawar, the boys' coach, was not at the game because he had given them the week off for exams. So the level-headed, well respected, soccer fanatic Mathurin stepped up to the plate. With Duckhein, Alex, and the other older boys, he fashioned a plan of attack. In the first half, mainly younger and less experienced players such as Drisk, Camille, Jefthe, and Wilson played with a core made up of Bernadin, John Peter, Miscardet, Jacques, and Dorval. Then they brought in the big guns for the second half: Duckhein, Peterson, Samelo, Argusto, and Mathurin.
The strategy worked. In the first half, Alex scored, but the Maranatha team came back and scored, tying the game at 1-1 going into the second half. From then on, it was our game! Mathurin scored a beatiful header on a pass by Samelo, and Duck scored on a shot near the goal. Our boys pranced away from a 3-1 victory, chanting, "Marion G Austin is the best! We're the champions!"
On Saturday evening, when I talked to the boys, they were still on a high from the joy of winning. I hope they will be able to buckle down and prepare for the last 2 days of exams. At least the exams are being conducted in the usual way, with two or three subjects each day, instead of the five or six shorter exams that had been thrown at them every day during the November exams. Everyone is very glad to have the old way back.
Our kids got an early Christmas gift: the Bergeron family sent money for each of the children to choose and buy his or her own gift. This week, Michaelle and Lamarre took the kids out in small groups to buy their gifts. Many chose clothes or new shoes. Emmanuel said he was the only one that wasn't pleased with what he got - the store did not have the precise pair of sneakers he was hoping to find. That's Emmanuel. He is very hard to please! But from all the other kids, "Thank you, Bergerons!"
One more thing. The internet is down at the orphanage, so don't worry if you have not received any emails recently. I think all we need to do is pay this month's fees and it should come back up again. In the meantime, if you would like to send a SHORT message to one of the children, you may email it to me and I will give it to him/her when I go to HFC at Christmas.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Rich meets poor
I have been substituting half days at Quisqueya Christian School for the past few weeks. It's not what I came to Haiti to do, but it has worked out nicely because it has meant I am more available to help around the house as Dorothy continues to recover slowly. I have taught 11th and 12th grade Bible, 9th grade physical sciences, 10th grade biology, and 11th and 12th grade marine biology. The teaching part is fine, but what I really enjoy is getting to know my students during breaks, after school, and at special activities like the Christmas bazaar and basketball games.
A few of my students are the children of missionaries, but the majority are the children of wealthy Haitians, the offspring of the upper class. It's odd to be spending my mornings with the infant rescue kids - babies who are born into desperate situations, many of whom would have died without Dorothy's assistance - and then to spend my afternoons with youth who have chauffeurs and maids and iPhones. They are mostly great kids, especially the seniors and the freshmen: smart, respectful, enthusiastic, curious, full of big dreams to make a difference in the future. But they live in a different Haiti.
So I invited 5 of my students to accompany me on an afternoon trip to visit the Gonaives orphans at Sherrie's. They came eagerly and many of their classmates pestered me to plan another trip so they could go too. For 3 hours, the richest of the rich played with the poorest of the poor. It was amazing to watch.
The girls were thrilled to have Abir and Katherine entirely to themselves. They were in awe and kept whispering to me, "Miss Keziah, they're so beautiful! Your friends are beautiful!" My senior girls had brought nail polish and did mini-manicures for the orphans. One by one, they came running to me to show off their beautiful nails. You could see in their eyes how special they felt having my students devoting their full attention to them. For one afternoon, they were the center of the universe.
Abraham, one of my freshman, simply could not fathom how small the Gonaives children are. I pointed out Maxime, the oldest one at age 16. "He's 2 years older than me?" Abraham gawked. "But he's tiny! How is that possible?" Oh, Abraham! You have been so fortunate to be born into your family. You've never lived alone on the streets, you've never known real hunger, you've never had to come begging at a pastor's door because your only friend and food supply has disappeared. Maxime has.
Fares, a senior, had introduced me to his baby brother at the Christmas bazaar on Saturday. I watched as he cuddled the 4 year old boy, threw him in the air, bought treats for him, and lovingly protected him from the crowds. He clearly adores that little boy. Today, as Fares and I sat talking, an orphan boy the same size as Fares' brother came walking up to Fares and just wrapped his arms around him. Fares instincively hugged back and asked me how old the child was. "He's 6 or 7," I told him. The look on Fares' face was indescribable - a mixture of surprise, sorrow, and compassion. Such different stories: two little boys of similar stature, one well cared for and deeply loved; the other, 3 years older, neglected and starving for affection.
As we drove away from the orphanage this afternoon, Fares looked very seriously at me and said, "Miss Furth, I am going to be a radical and I am going to change this country." He is smart, he is talented, he is perfectly positioned to have great influence as he gets older, and hopefully, with the images of those orphans in his mind, he will have the compassion to make the kinds of changes that matter.
"I will be waiting and watching, Fares. Change this country."
A few of my students are the children of missionaries, but the majority are the children of wealthy Haitians, the offspring of the upper class. It's odd to be spending my mornings with the infant rescue kids - babies who are born into desperate situations, many of whom would have died without Dorothy's assistance - and then to spend my afternoons with youth who have chauffeurs and maids and iPhones. They are mostly great kids, especially the seniors and the freshmen: smart, respectful, enthusiastic, curious, full of big dreams to make a difference in the future. But they live in a different Haiti.
So I invited 5 of my students to accompany me on an afternoon trip to visit the Gonaives orphans at Sherrie's. They came eagerly and many of their classmates pestered me to plan another trip so they could go too. For 3 hours, the richest of the rich played with the poorest of the poor. It was amazing to watch.
The girls were thrilled to have Abir and Katherine entirely to themselves. They were in awe and kept whispering to me, "Miss Keziah, they're so beautiful! Your friends are beautiful!" My senior girls had brought nail polish and did mini-manicures for the orphans. One by one, they came running to me to show off their beautiful nails. You could see in their eyes how special they felt having my students devoting their full attention to them. For one afternoon, they were the center of the universe.
Abraham, one of my freshman, simply could not fathom how small the Gonaives children are. I pointed out Maxime, the oldest one at age 16. "He's 2 years older than me?" Abraham gawked. "But he's tiny! How is that possible?" Oh, Abraham! You have been so fortunate to be born into your family. You've never lived alone on the streets, you've never known real hunger, you've never had to come begging at a pastor's door because your only friend and food supply has disappeared. Maxime has.
Fares, a senior, had introduced me to his baby brother at the Christmas bazaar on Saturday. I watched as he cuddled the 4 year old boy, threw him in the air, bought treats for him, and lovingly protected him from the crowds. He clearly adores that little boy. Today, as Fares and I sat talking, an orphan boy the same size as Fares' brother came walking up to Fares and just wrapped his arms around him. Fares instincively hugged back and asked me how old the child was. "He's 6 or 7," I told him. The look on Fares' face was indescribable - a mixture of surprise, sorrow, and compassion. Such different stories: two little boys of similar stature, one well cared for and deeply loved; the other, 3 years older, neglected and starving for affection.
As we drove away from the orphanage this afternoon, Fares looked very seriously at me and said, "Miss Furth, I am going to be a radical and I am going to change this country." He is smart, he is talented, he is perfectly positioned to have great influence as he gets older, and hopefully, with the images of those orphans in his mind, he will have the compassion to make the kinds of changes that matter.
"I will be waiting and watching, Fares. Change this country."
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Walking the Ravine
I walked the Ravine today for the first time since Dorothy got sick. It was so nice to be back at one of my "regular" nursing jobs and to see some of the babies that I normally see every week. Mary and her friend, Sharon, accompanied me, and we saw about 20 babies and children. Despite the high numbers, we moved through rather fast thanks to Mary's extremely efficient organizing of the patients as they waited for me to see them. At one point, she actually had them in a line! That, my friends, is nothing short of a Haitian miracle.
Vanesse, my little burn victim, has not come for her dressing changes in nearly 2 weeks. Her father apparently refuses to let her come anymore. Today, I stopped at her house in the ravine so that I could at least look at her scar, but she was not there. Her older sister (below left) told me that Vanesse is in the countryside with her mother until January. She said that the wound is dry now and healing well. Unfortunately, the family does not necessarily know what a burn scar should look like, so what they think looks good may actually be healing poorly. There's nothing I can do now, though. Nothing but pray and wait for her to come back.
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