Our Back Yard

This is our back yard literally. We hike at least once usually twice a day to TIC (TJ, IS, CT) as the kids named it. I have decided to try and start bringing the camera to take pictures of some of our daily sights as I think these are some of the things we will miss the most. 

A garden

One of 3 waterfalls we hiked to.

Up close at the waterfall.

The kids wanted to swing on the vines, but they were too tall.

This is one of my favorite scenes in Haiti, people washing or bathing in the water. 

CT as  Indiana Jones.

IS up in a tree.

TJ, during one of his fits. It think this one was about wanting someone else to carry his stuff.

Rachel with her pre-school crossing one of the water crossings.

The Orphanage Today

The O Today. 

It is a little chilly and very muddy from the rain, so the kids were having a movie day. 

 A few friends close-up. Giselle, Grace, Alex, and Whitney.

 Roselie with Nora and Hannah. I think Hannah is actually older. I hope she will look as healthy as Nora someday. 

 Nicolas, giving me his come and hold me so I can fall asleep smile :)

 My happy place. BJ with Nicolas, who was not happy I was holding Hannah and not him, Hannah and Patrick. Patrick was very interested in this new baby girl of ours. 

Baby Hannah

Meet Baby Hannah. 

Hannah is a little girl who is currently living in a friends orphanage trying to get healthy enough to maybe go back with her birth mother. She is having some major issues eating and has been hospitalized on and off for these issues. Unfortunately, or fortunately in this case, we happen to have a lot of experience in these particular issues. Again we feel so blessed to haven been given the trials we have as we have learned a lot and hope to be able to use what we have learned to bless others. We decided to bring her home in the hopes that being in home environment would help her thrive. FYI she is not up for adoption :)

We are all already smitten!

Class Notes

Dear class how are you? What have you been doing? I really miss you. This week we went to the beach. I saw like 50 jelly fish I took a picture of one. And then we went to the feeding clinic. There food is REALLY good. The beans and rice is so crezy good. We touched the jelly fish. Then when we were about to leave I saw some tadpoles. They were really cool. When they grow up were going to sell them to a local pet store. Ill show you a picture of them there really cool. Then we went to TIC (abrevation for TJ, IS, CT) I climbed in a tree above a waterfall.then we went to a orphanage called a crush. There was a babby how had I desease that made her head tice thesize of ours. then there is a picture of Nathan my friend here holding a Docter pepper in his hand. I really miss you.

                                            Sincerely,

                                                  The funkey monkey

Dear Class-

I miss you so much. We went to the beach. We are going to get a baby today and my Mom is going to watch her. Her name is Hana. She is verry little. We went to the feeding clenic yesterday. We went on a big hike it was so fun. I went by a water fall. 

Love, IS

Ms. Lee-

Hi guys! How are you doing? I miss you. 

The picture is of a jelly fish that CT caught and Dad found. We were at the beach. I almost ran into a jelly fish, and it was swimming towards me and it hit the tube I was riding in. Those jelly fishes don't sting. I got to touch one. 

Another picture is of tadpoles, people were surrounding us and we got to catch some and they are at my house and my Nana and Grandpa are coming here. The tadpoles are going to turn into frogs and we are going to sell some to Mr.Medor. Mr.Medor is a vet.

The other picture was me up in a tree on our hike by a waterfall. Our hike was at TIC. TIC is a place where we got our water for the tadpoles. We hike there a lot. I love it. It is my best friend. I have a raccoon hat that I always wear there. 

Another picture was a sick baby it was so skinny because his Mom drank alcohol when he was in her tummy. I touched it and I holded it. 

Kinley is my cat and I love her. That is me sleeping in my mosquito net.

The other picture is of goats hanging off the side of the truck, they were alive and they were pooping. 

Bye Bye-

TJ

The Feeding Clinic Today

Here are the boys catching tadpoles which we of course had to bring home to add to our interesting pet hospital. It had rained hard and the mud below the tarps was full of tadpoles. 

 While the boys played, the girls worked. Here is IS helping get the food set out before the feeding started. 

 Rachel along with the other women who cook the food helping to get the plates ready.

 Just a few of the kidos. Today we had about 155. Johnny shared a message and then they sang a few songs. He was trying to teach them "I am a Child of God" in Creole and then a song that apparently every person in the country knows. Well, everyone that is besides us. 

 At the end of the clinic Johnny wanted me to look at a boy who has "mental issues". In talking to his mother it was very obvious he had some form of autism. She was concerned because it did not manifest itself until the boy was about two which happened to be the same time his father died. Of course everyone there thought it was some kind of voodoo curse. I am not sure what they were hoping for me to accomplish with this child, but I left feeling a little unuseful. It was also a little intimidating that what started out as a conversation between her and I turned into a ton of people and opinions. 

A matter of Perspective

I think life is about perspective. As we were driving to the feeding clinic today, I tried to look at Haiti as a "newcomer". My parents are coming to visit in a few weeks and I wondered what they would see, what would stand out, and how it would make them feel to know that we are here. Would their minds be eased at seeing where we are is not as horrible as the media sees it or would they feel more unsettled seeing giant UN tanks like this one. 

I finally decided it just depends on the person. For some people, well lets face it... for everyone who writes anything about Haiti, this is how they view Haiti. Dirty, Dangerous, and frankly full of the Devil.

For us, this is how we view Haiti. Full of future, happiness and beauty.

And how often can you literally walk out your back door and be in a place like this. Beauty beyond words. That is how we see Haiti. 

Friends

Friday night we had two families over who have become good friends here. In fact, without them we would not be surviving here. We also had a couple who is planning to move to Haiti with their family later this summer. It was great to listen to them have questions about moving here, I remember feeling the same way with the same questions not too long ago.

 The girls plus some babies.

 The boys eating outside.