The Waterfalls

It seems that Jacmel has become a very nice place for us to relax and just enjoy ourselves, without any of the obligations of ministry. This picture was taken a couple weeks ago, when we took a trip up to the waterfalls, about an hour up mountain from the town of Jacmel. The area is called 'blue basin' and apparently there's even been documentaries on TV about it! It's really beautiful there, and the water is fresh and clear from the mountains.

Here in the picture, Lisa and I are just enjoying the atmosphere and the sound of the waterfalls plunging into the water.

Eating Mangos

A national pastime, eating mangos has become almost a daily routine for me. There are several mango trees on the property where the church and school are located, and so instead of going to Tim Horton's after class, we just sit around and eat mangos. Hatians can easily eat ten mangos at a time, but the most I've mastered so far, in one sitting, is six.

This picture is of me with my Haitian brother, Ronald, who lives with us. It's always great to have the Haitians around to show me how things are really supposed to be done! lol

Sickness in the Third-World

I realize there’s sickness all over the world, even in North-America, but let’s be honest, nothing compares to sickness in the third world. I can say this from experience now, because I am currently still recovering from an ‘episode’ of Typhoid. Oh, I’ve been sick in Canada before. I’ve had strep throat, Bronchitis, and the usual cold and flu stuff…. But nothing compares to having Typhoid, and having it in the third-world.

What is Typhoid…? Well, this is the gross part. It’s caused by feces entering the body. I know, I know. It took me awhile to get over that part too. I think I got it from eating some popcorn at the home of another missionary family who already had Typhoid. Apparently, that wasn’t such a good idea.
As far as symptoms, it started with just feeling tired and a little nauseous, then the next day it led to really achy muscles and weakness. By the second night, I had a fever, diarrhea, and an itchy rash that covered my whole body. The fever would come and go, getting hotter each day. This lasted only about four days for me, because I went to the hospital and got a shot in my bum to keep the fever down (also not fun). They also gave me some medication, which I’m currently still taking.

Needless to say, by body’s been through a lot in the last week. I honestly felt like I was going to die. People from the church came over regularly to sing and pray for me. I truly believe it was their prayers that kept me alive. I just laid in bed, unable to really even move, cuz the fever was so bad. I’ve never known any kind of sickness like this in Canada, that’s for sure!

Now for what makes being sick in the third-world different from being sick in Canada, other than the actual disease itself. Let me just tell you this much… it’s just a lot more difficult. Honestly, it’s not easy to get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, when it’s pitch dark, there’s no power, and my flashlight batteries are dead so I have to use my cell phone to light the way. Seriously, it’s not easy to keep pressing buttons on your cell phone, to keep the light on, while you’re going diarrhea in the toilet, then needing to wipe your bum with napkins cuz we’re out of toilet paper again. Then to top it all off, to flush the toilet, you need to fill a bucket with water from the big barrel in the bathroom, and dump it down the toilet bowl… all this while you’re still pressing buttons on your cell phone so you can actually see what you’re doing.

I hope you can sympathize with me, in this plight, and next time you’re sitting on your comfortable toilet seat, using real toilet paper and enjoying the luxury of a light and a toilet that actually flushes itself, remember me and pray that God will continue to give me the strength I need to keep doing what He’s called me to do here in Haiti!

A Little Reflection...

I came to volunteer with Haiti ARISE, not really knowing what to expect. I stepped off the plane in Port Au Prince, and was greeted by the normal chaos of people pushing and yelling and trying to take my bags, but I was also greeted by four of the people who have not only become my roommates, my co-workers, and my new family in Haiti, but they have also become my best friends. It’s these four people who have been my support, my encouragement, and my rock, holding me together at times when I really needed it. (The picture here is of my with my roomates, Rebekah and Rachel. We're enjoying the pickles one of the short-term missionaries brought down for us. They were a real treat!)
I came to Haiti to teach English, but as with most things on the mission field, I feel that I’ve been given much more than I could ever give. I teach five separate classes, at four different levels of English, totaling almost seventy English students. I’ve noticed that my classes have become more than just lessons in English, however; they’ve become lessons in life. At the beginning of each class, I write a verse on the board. We work on pronunciation and new vocabulary, but more often than not, it leads to a discussion of the Scriptures in English.

I am both honored and privileged to be used by God in the ministry here at Haiti ARISE. I have not doubt that God has great plans for the people and ministry here, and it is my joy to be a part of it!

Just Praising God!

It's crazy how good God really is! I've seen His goodness shown so evidently lately! My family here in Haiti is definitely at the top of my list of things I’m grateful for. I've posted a picture here of me with my two roommates, Rebekah and Rachel. They're both from Alberta and have been a huge joy and encouragement to me during my time here.

Part of my Haitian family includes Steve, another missionary from Alberta, who lives with us and built an extention to two of our doors that were a good six inches off the ground and had been letting all the neighbourhood animals in. Now I no longer find dogs sleeping on our couch in the middle of the night, or running around our bedroom. It's also handy for keeping the chickens out of the house. Praise the Lord for Steve!

I've also learned to really thank God for water. Every time I turn on the tap and water comes out, I praise the Lord. I used to really take indoor plumbing for granted, but after watching the Haitians carry huge five gallon buckets of water on their heads and walk for miles every day, I don't even care anymore that we only have cold water, at our house, even for showering.

The Lord is good and has provided us with electricity again, after being out for almost a month! One of the transformers in town went out and clearly it took a long time for them to get it up and running again!

Praise God for what He's doing in our church here, especially amoung all the young people! The Spirit of God is very powerful here and I really believe that God is about to start a revival amoung the youth. The Pastor’s conference was really encouraging and we have another team here right now, with a pastor holding sessions each afternoon, for Haitian pastors and young leaders in the church. There's a real excitement for God around here and it's so exciting to be a part of it.

I'm praising God for my English classes which started up a couple weeks ago and we are now in our second term for the year. I have some new students, but we've had to turn many away, because there's just too many for me to handle. Please pray that I will be effective in my teaching and that I'll be able to keep up with the demand for teaching English. I find it very exhausting sometimes, because I'm teaching everywhere I go, even while walking down the street! Please pray for God to uphold me and give me His strength and protection against the enemy. The Spiritual warfare is very strong and evident here.

Thank you for all your prayers and petitions for me and the ministry here at Haiti Arise. May the Lord bless you for your faithfulnes to Him!