Pancakes and The Man With No Teeth

We have a little kerosene stove that I use to make breakfast, for the four of us living here at the property. I like to make pancakes a few times a week, and I always try to make a little extra so we can share with the three gardeners and our daytime security man.
Benoir is one of our gardeners and he proudly refers to himself as a ‘king without teeth’. He really enjoys our pancakes…I think especially because he doesn’t need teeth to eat them. He’s a poor man, who usually doesn’t have more than one meal a day, but he’s full of the Holy Spirit and the joy of the Lord. This is part of the reason we try to share what food we have… the people we share it with are sincerely hungry.

One day, when Benoir and the others were eating pancakes with us, I jokingly asked Benoir if he’d want me to teach his wife how to make pancakes. He thought that was a great idea and yesterday he and his family walked Rebekah, Rachel and I over to their house on the other side of the river. It was a blistering hot day and we were all drenched in sweat by the time we arrived, so Benoir’s wife was kind enough to offer us some of her clothes to change into, since ours were completely soaked. Although grateful for her offer, we declined… preferring to stay in our sweat soaked clothes than to make more work for a lady who has to hand wash everything her family wears.

As soon as the family changed out of their ‘wet’ clothes, Madam Benoir started the coal fire, so we could make lunch. It took awhile for it to heat up, but once it got going, it was really hot! I had so much fun teaching her how to make pancakes, on the dirt floor of their house! Fortunately, we brought all the ingredients, cuz I didn’t see any food in that two-room house. Madam Benoir was a fast learner, despite the fact that she seemed slightly overwhelmed at first, cuz she’d never made anything that needed flipping before. With a little practice with the flipper, though, she was a pro in no time!

The whole family seemed to really enjoy the pancakes and I explained to them that if she makes pancakes for her family, she’ll save money on buying them bread. It’s also something she could make to sell at the market. Please pray for Benoir and his family. They are in great need of food that would provide them with a well-balanced diet. There are so many hungry people here. Sometimes it really is overwhelming.

I was really touched by the prayer time we had with Benoir and his family. He specifically asked us to pray for him, his family and their house, while we were there. I got the impression that he appreciated our prayers more than anything else that day. Christians here are so desperate to be prayed for. They really understand that they have NOTHING without God. Benoir and his family also took the time to pray for the three of us. They thanked God for sending us to Haiti to bless them, who have nothing. They prayed blessing over each of us, our moms, dads, brothers, and sisters. I found it difficult to fight the tears, as I listened to them thank God for us. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever felt so loved or appreciated in my life, as I do by my family in Christ, here in Grand-Goàve, Haiti.

My Students

These are three of my English students at Haiti ARISE. Guilloux is on the left and he's in my beginner's class. In the middle is Sterling, who is the administrator of the school and also in my Intermediate class. Franklin is on the right and is a faithful member of my Pre-Intermediate class.

We've had some really good discussions in class this week. As I've mentioned in a previous post, we study a Scripture verse at the beginning of each class. One of the verses we discussed this week was Galatians 3:21-22. This opened up topics about the law and grace. Why did God give us the law? How did Christ fulfill the law? Where do the law and grace fit in the church today?
In each class, the students were encouraged to really think about these questions and they asked several of their own. It's been really encouraging for me to see the wheels turning in their heads. I can see how God has really prepared me for this ministry in Haiti, by allowing me to go through two years of in-depth Bible training through New Tribes Bible Institute in Michigan, and also by providing me with so many opportunities to serve Him in my local church and youth group at home in Canada. I'd always been told that if I wanted to be a missionary, I needed to serve the Lord at home first, and I've really experienced the benefits of that, now that I'm here on the mission field.
So, wherever you are and wherever you plan on going, serve the Lord where you are and He'll take care of the rest of the details!

Wierd Dream

I had a dream last night, that I was back in my home church in Canada… only it was home with a little Haitian twist….

Let me set the atmosphere for you. First of all, it was freezing cold! I mean everything was frozen and everyone was freezing. I remember thinking, ‘Oh well. Good thing I’m inside, where it’s nice and warm!” I somehow didn’t find it strange that I was wearing a T-Shirt, skirt and sandals in the middle of winter, either.

At this point in my dream, I’d decided I’d better get into the main sanctuary because the service was already supposed to be starting. So I arrive at the sanctuary, thinking I’m going to have a hard time finding a good seat, but it turned out that the pastor and the ushers were the only people there. I was relieved to see that I really wasn’t late after all, and I found someone to talk to. Then suddenly out of the blue, the whole congregation was there, the service started, and I had to run to get a seat.

I ended up sitting beside these two girls who only spoke French to me. At first I thought they were nice and friendly, but then I realized they just wanted me to give them stuff. I tried to ignore them and participate in the service. I don’t remember anything about the sermon, though, because for some reason there were a whole bunch of swans in the sanctuary (I don’t know why there were swans in my dream. I’ve never seen a swan in Haiti). So the ushers were busy shooing these swans between the rows of people, up the aisles, and out the doors. It created quite a scene, to say the least, but what I though was really strange was that no one seemed to even notice all the chickens running around in the foyer! I remember thinking, “The whole world’s gone crazy!”

That’s when I woke up. At first I wasn’t even sure which country I was in, but as soon as I heard the chicken clucking on the other side of the wall, by my bed, I knew I was still in Haiti! Hehe!

The Big Move

We did it. The four of us: Rachel, Steve, Rebekah and I moved down to the residence building on the property where the church and school are located. It's actually quite a good deal. We have 24 hour security guards, gardeners, a giant house to live in where we can ride our bikes around in the living room (yes, we actually do this), and we're only a minute walk from the church and school.
The only thing I haven't mentioned so far is that the building isn't finished yet. The four of us wanted to move in early though, so we decided to face the adventure of not having running water or electricity. So, we wash our dishes at the well, bath with water from a bucket on the roof, use candels and lanterns at night, and cook over a kerosene stove. I often feel like I"m living on 'Little House On the Prarie'. It's actually pretty cool.
We always have lots of company in our new house, so we're never lonely. So far, we've been visited by giant spiders, mice, bats, and rats. When I say we've been visited by these critters, I mean that they were literally in our bedrooms. It's ironic though, that yes we get startled by these little friends, but they really don't seem to bother us anymore. I think the four months we've already spent in Haiti seems to have prepared us for life at the property.
All this to say, I'm thoroughly enjoying all these new experiences, and when I'm washing my dishes by the well, in the scorching sun, I think of all of you at home in Canada, and thank the Lord for that I'm here in the sun!

PS. The picture here is of Marc and Lisa's son, Asher and his friend Ken. The two of them are inseperable and in this picture, they're using deflated basketballs as hats. With these two kids around, life is never boring!