Our family and group 3 has been home for almost 24 hours now. We have begun processing our experiences as I am sure Groups 1 & 2 continue to do. We do plan on meeting again as a large group to swap stories, thoughts, ideas, memories, and encouragement. We will also be reporting back to Unity CRC on July 10th, Willmar CRC on July 17th, and likely Emden CRC as well (date TBD).
My prayer is that God will be glorified more and more and his kingdom served in greater and greater ways as we allow these experiences that God has provided to move in us deeply living out more and more our gratitude to him.
I ask for your continued prayers for COTP--the children, staff, and volunteers, for the people and the country of Haiti, and also for those who traveled to COTP to be able to process well, digest, and then act on the amazing learning experience God gave each of us.
Thanks again for all of your support! To God be the Glory!
Kirk
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Home Again, Home Again
So we had a smooth re-entry into the states, arrived home around midnight, and dropped, exhausted, into our VERY comfy beds!
This morning I stand in my kitchen feeling bewildered. I am nearly immobilized, having little sense of what I am supposed to be doing. Laundry? Weeds? Visiting? Bills? Sleeping? Groceries?
Let me say that I am glad to be home again. The house is clean and quiet. I slept with blankets on last night for the first time in a month, and am enjoying feeling cool and dry (actually a little too cool!). An unplanned visit from my father-in-law was a welcomed sight and I've already had some time to visit with my mom as well. The kids ran across the back lawn for some breakfast as soon as they thought Grandma would be awake, so the reunion has been lovely, but I'm feeling strange and unsettled inside. Tears feel near, without clear explaination, and my thoughts are a messy jumble in my head.
What am I SUPPOSED to make of this experience in Haiti and how now shall I live? What purpose did God have in bringing my family and others from this community to fellowship with, serve, and learn from our Haitian brothers and sisters? Why do I stand in the middle of my kitchen this morning feeling dissatisfied instead of simply relieved?
I am feeling some of the same sense of disorientation I felt the first couple of days in Haiti, trying to find my place in a strange, new world, only now the strange, new world is my own. I'm "supposed" to feel at home in my home, in my community, with "my own kind", but I am feeling a little lost and homesick today. I'm missing babies, and Nannies, and staff. I'm missing the cool air under the mango tree, laughter in the volunteer house, the singsong language on tongues and the music of worship across the compound. I'm missing the mountains on the horizen and the gentle rustle of palm fronds, and even the children at the gate.
I am NOT missing mosquitoes, roaches, being peed on, or sweat! : )
I am praying that God will speak his truth into my life today, breathe into my thoughts the way he would like me to think, and above all, lead me in the way of righteousness. Perhaps "unsettled" is exactly what He wants me to be feeling today. Maybe my normal is not okay and His Spirit wants me to feel disatisfied with the status quo I've lived in. Or maybe this is a passing state of "adjustment", which would be far easier to stomach.
I am looking forward to talking with some other Haiti-connected folks in the coming days and weeks to see how they are experiencing readjustment. May we be open to the God's use of this experience in any way He sees fit.
A shout out to our Haiti friends who may be reading this - love and miss you guys. And huge thanks to all of those who made this trip possible - we're grateful. I hope many others will have the opportunity to experience this in the coming months and years - should we all be so blessed!
Christina
This morning I stand in my kitchen feeling bewildered. I am nearly immobilized, having little sense of what I am supposed to be doing. Laundry? Weeds? Visiting? Bills? Sleeping? Groceries?
Let me say that I am glad to be home again. The house is clean and quiet. I slept with blankets on last night for the first time in a month, and am enjoying feeling cool and dry (actually a little too cool!). An unplanned visit from my father-in-law was a welcomed sight and I've already had some time to visit with my mom as well. The kids ran across the back lawn for some breakfast as soon as they thought Grandma would be awake, so the reunion has been lovely, but I'm feeling strange and unsettled inside. Tears feel near, without clear explaination, and my thoughts are a messy jumble in my head.
What am I SUPPOSED to make of this experience in Haiti and how now shall I live? What purpose did God have in bringing my family and others from this community to fellowship with, serve, and learn from our Haitian brothers and sisters? Why do I stand in the middle of my kitchen this morning feeling dissatisfied instead of simply relieved?
I am feeling some of the same sense of disorientation I felt the first couple of days in Haiti, trying to find my place in a strange, new world, only now the strange, new world is my own. I'm "supposed" to feel at home in my home, in my community, with "my own kind", but I am feeling a little lost and homesick today. I'm missing babies, and Nannies, and staff. I'm missing the cool air under the mango tree, laughter in the volunteer house, the singsong language on tongues and the music of worship across the compound. I'm missing the mountains on the horizen and the gentle rustle of palm fronds, and even the children at the gate.
I am NOT missing mosquitoes, roaches, being peed on, or sweat! : )
I am praying that God will speak his truth into my life today, breathe into my thoughts the way he would like me to think, and above all, lead me in the way of righteousness. Perhaps "unsettled" is exactly what He wants me to be feeling today. Maybe my normal is not okay and His Spirit wants me to feel disatisfied with the status quo I've lived in. Or maybe this is a passing state of "adjustment", which would be far easier to stomach.
I am looking forward to talking with some other Haiti-connected folks in the coming days and weeks to see how they are experiencing readjustment. May we be open to the God's use of this experience in any way He sees fit.
A shout out to our Haiti friends who may be reading this - love and miss you guys. And huge thanks to all of those who made this trip possible - we're grateful. I hope many others will have the opportunity to experience this in the coming months and years - should we all be so blessed!
Christina
Monday, June 27, 2011
waiting in Miami
We have had an uneventful trip thus far. We have been waiting for our 6:20 pm flight now for an hour or so. Things went smoothly in CAP this morning as well as US customs and checking in to our Delta flight. So far everything is on time. Some are roaming the airport, some playing cards or listening to music, and obviously I'm blogging. Hope to be home by 11:30 tonight.
Going Home!
Bonjou! It's 7:30 a.m. on Monday. Everyone has dressed, changed their bedding and now waiting to head for the airport. Sunday was a quiet day - much needed after our trip to the Citadelle on Saturday. There was a little cleaning left in the Depot storage room, but other than that it was a day of rest. In the morning some of us went to church next door with a few kids and nannies. For lunch we had a "going away dinner" - Nick grilled burgers while Christine made garlic potatoes in the oven. There was angel food cake for dessert. YUM! We had lots of time with the kids yesterday afternoon and some did one-on-one time and some went for a walk. Wilson brought a few horses over and Kirk, Abby and some long-term staff went for a ride. They only had woven sugar cane "blankets" and saddles. No bridle or stirrups! After singing, we said our goodbyes and gave a few hugs to the nannies and headed up to the roof for a movie.
Our flight out of Cap is at 10:00 a.m. We are scheduled to arrive in Miami at 1:30 p.m. and our flight out of Miami is not until 6:20 p.m. so we will have a bit of a layover. Please say a prayer for safe travel and that everyone will be healthy today. Please say a prayer for the people of Haiti as well. This is an amazing place and I think it is safe to say that we all have been blessed by being here and seeing the faith of these people.
Brenda
Our flight out of Cap is at 10:00 a.m. We are scheduled to arrive in Miami at 1:30 p.m. and our flight out of Miami is not until 6:20 p.m. so we will have a bit of a layover. Please say a prayer for safe travel and that everyone will be healthy today. Please say a prayer for the people of Haiti as well. This is an amazing place and I think it is safe to say that we all have been blessed by being here and seeing the faith of these people.
Brenda
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Citadelle and Pool Day
Reikerns drove us to the Citadelle this morning and we had a new tour guide who spoke clearer English. This is my third time to the Citadelle, and each tour has been slightly different. The first two times I hiked it, and this time Elijah and I each took a horse (Noah and Christina did not come along). I must say, horse is definitely the way to get up this trail!! Well worth supporting the local economy. In fact, there were about six of us who took a horse this time.
We returned from the Citadelle by noon in time to help feed the babies. We rested during nap time and then after snacks we had another pool day. We seemed to finally be getting into the swing of things well and after the pool time helped the nannies and had the kids fed, bathed, lotioned, and teeth brushed by about 5:30.
This time around as we look ahead to our last full day in Haiti tomorrow me, Christina, and the boys are joining the rest of the group in emotionally preparing to leave. We've watched the first two groups go through this, and now we too gear up for our departure. Ruth, who has been in our care for just over a week has gained a pound and is very happy. She's "talking away" in the background as I type right now entertaining those of us still up. The boys will have just as hard a time leaving Ruth even though both of them are getting a bit homesick at this point. They really do adore her.
Tomorrow many of us will be going to church next door at the Manna compound and taking babies with us, and then again in the afternoon many of us will go to the missionary fellowship as well.
Monday morning we will have a little extra time to say goodbye as we are flying through Miami and our plane does not depart until 10am. Personally, I wish our plane would leave earlier as I'd rather not stretch out our goodbyes into the traditional sense of "Minnesota goodbyes".
Thanks again for your support! To God be the glory for all he is doing here at COTP and here in Haiti!
We returned from the Citadelle by noon in time to help feed the babies. We rested during nap time and then after snacks we had another pool day. We seemed to finally be getting into the swing of things well and after the pool time helped the nannies and had the kids fed, bathed, lotioned, and teeth brushed by about 5:30.
This time around as we look ahead to our last full day in Haiti tomorrow me, Christina, and the boys are joining the rest of the group in emotionally preparing to leave. We've watched the first two groups go through this, and now we too gear up for our departure. Ruth, who has been in our care for just over a week has gained a pound and is very happy. She's "talking away" in the background as I type right now entertaining those of us still up. The boys will have just as hard a time leaving Ruth even though both of them are getting a bit homesick at this point. They really do adore her.
Tomorrow many of us will be going to church next door at the Manna compound and taking babies with us, and then again in the afternoon many of us will go to the missionary fellowship as well.
Monday morning we will have a little extra time to say goodbye as we are flying through Miami and our plane does not depart until 10am. Personally, I wish our plane would leave earlier as I'd rather not stretch out our goodbyes into the traditional sense of "Minnesota goodbyes".
Thanks again for your support! To God be the glory for all he is doing here at COTP and here in Haiti!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Friday, Day 7.
Hello all, Kari again. Just wanted to give you a quick over view of what we did today. Most of us slept in this morning..and when I say sleep in I mean about 7:45/8:00. We did our usual routines during the day, while the four from Indiana went to the Citadelle. After nap time, we had a fun party celebrating one of the baby's first birthday. All the kids were dressed up and sat under the mango tree ready to devour the cake. They were all very excited and looked so cute! After the party some of the older kids played with a parachute..or maybe I should say they all stood underneath it while the volunteers lifted it up and down. They were all laughing and having a great time! Somewhere during the day Abby and I got our hair done by one of the nannies. I think the only ones that don't have it done are Ellen, Shara, Megan, and Marilyn (and Ang :). Well, thats about all for today. Tomorrow we plan on going to the Citadelle; I'm pretty excited!
Hello from Brenda. A few more jobs got done today: picking rock by the sidewalk that leads to the classroom and organizing and putting more supplies in the Depot. A lot of cute clothes came in and were sorted into rubbermaids of various sizes. Think the only job left at this point is to finish up giving the nannies their new scrub tops & flip flops. The best part of my day was helping feed the kids supper, then drying, lotioning & diapering them to get them ready for bed. They really seem to like getting lotioned. Praise time was amazing. Jen and one nanny got a BUNCH of us dancing. The nannies thanked us over and over and we thanked them in return. Great way to end the day!
Hello from Brenda. A few more jobs got done today: picking rock by the sidewalk that leads to the classroom and organizing and putting more supplies in the Depot. A lot of cute clothes came in and were sorted into rubbermaids of various sizes. Think the only job left at this point is to finish up giving the nannies their new scrub tops & flip flops. The best part of my day was helping feed the kids supper, then drying, lotioning & diapering them to get them ready for bed. They really seem to like getting lotioned. Praise time was amazing. Jen and one nanny got a BUNCH of us dancing. The nannies thanked us over and over and we thanked them in return. Great way to end the day!
More good experiences
Kirk here again, thought I'd squeek in a short post while I had a minute. I'll let others post their activities today though.
First a few notes--as you can tell from the posts my wife waxes a bit more eloquently than I--good to have a "better half" for that. I've been forgetting to let the TeBrake's know that their car charger fans that they were so dismayed to open when they got here as they couldn't use them to sleep have not gone to waste! Last week Nick repurposed them and wired them up in the electrical control room to keep the components cooler--they reduce the temp in that room by over 10 degrees. So TeBrake's, thanks for the thoughtful donation! Also, Jamie, if you are reading this, your chairs are almost home! We have them packed and will deliver them in a few days.
On a more personal note, I had yet another "one of a kind" experience today. I had the priveledge of digging two holes for concrete posts that will frame a new gate being installed. The gate is being made by a man from Port who lost all his material wealth in the earthquake. (He's showed me many of the scars where a building fell on his right side.) He and his family now live near COTP. Later when we began installing concrete and rebar there was a crew of us--Me, Wilson, Reikerns, Samson, Blan, Camielle, the gate maker, and his son. So here is this "green behind the ears" Minnesotan who doesn't know but a few phrases in Creole being told a joke about a Haitian traveling to America by a very animated man from Port. The joke was lost in translation, but it had something to do with New York, corn, and Kentucky Fried Chicken--even so, the smiles and laughter made the moment enjoyable. Our loud antics even brought Nick over to the scene--any good boss would come if all his workmen were making that much noise and clearly not working to our full potential. (Sorry Nick, but not sorry as well.)
I planned the trip here for our group, oversaw its implementation, but here in Haiti I am the student. Today I was the student learning best building practices from a group of Haitien men. Learning some of the culture of tag team working when digging with a pick-ax, trenching spade, and gravel shovel in a thick dirt/clay soil. And, learning some of the internal joy for life from a man who still smiles often after loosing much in an earthquake and having few to none worldly possessions--not to mention the jokes and joy of the rest of the crew who each go home to a home/room about the size of my bathroom each night. I don't know the name of the class I'm taking or exactly all of what I am learning, but I do hope to take time to process and make the most of my education here in Haiti.
I'm thankful for the priveledge of having the resources to take this wonderful continuing ed class--I have some wonderful instructors.
First a few notes--as you can tell from the posts my wife waxes a bit more eloquently than I--good to have a "better half" for that. I've been forgetting to let the TeBrake's know that their car charger fans that they were so dismayed to open when they got here as they couldn't use them to sleep have not gone to waste! Last week Nick repurposed them and wired them up in the electrical control room to keep the components cooler--they reduce the temp in that room by over 10 degrees. So TeBrake's, thanks for the thoughtful donation! Also, Jamie, if you are reading this, your chairs are almost home! We have them packed and will deliver them in a few days.
On a more personal note, I had yet another "one of a kind" experience today. I had the priveledge of digging two holes for concrete posts that will frame a new gate being installed. The gate is being made by a man from Port who lost all his material wealth in the earthquake. (He's showed me many of the scars where a building fell on his right side.) He and his family now live near COTP. Later when we began installing concrete and rebar there was a crew of us--Me, Wilson, Reikerns, Samson, Blan, Camielle, the gate maker, and his son. So here is this "green behind the ears" Minnesotan who doesn't know but a few phrases in Creole being told a joke about a Haitian traveling to America by a very animated man from Port. The joke was lost in translation, but it had something to do with New York, corn, and Kentucky Fried Chicken--even so, the smiles and laughter made the moment enjoyable. Our loud antics even brought Nick over to the scene--any good boss would come if all his workmen were making that much noise and clearly not working to our full potential. (Sorry Nick, but not sorry as well.)
I planned the trip here for our group, oversaw its implementation, but here in Haiti I am the student. Today I was the student learning best building practices from a group of Haitien men. Learning some of the culture of tag team working when digging with a pick-ax, trenching spade, and gravel shovel in a thick dirt/clay soil. And, learning some of the internal joy for life from a man who still smiles often after loosing much in an earthquake and having few to none worldly possessions--not to mention the jokes and joy of the rest of the crew who each go home to a home/room about the size of my bathroom each night. I don't know the name of the class I'm taking or exactly all of what I am learning, but I do hope to take time to process and make the most of my education here in Haiti.
I'm thankful for the priveledge of having the resources to take this wonderful continuing ed class--I have some wonderful instructors.
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