Boulanje a louvri

There's a new bakery in town!!!  And it's open as of today!

'The guys' are still there and it's almost 10:00pm as I type...  It. has. been. a. loooooong. day.  but what an incredible day!!!

Pastor Franck has dreamed of this day for years.  I know he has to be so proud.  While I wish he and Sister Nicole could've been here for the excitement today, I'm sure they are rejoicing over answered prayers and are so grateful for all of you who had a part in making this day happen.

I fought back tears as John and I tried to photograph each detail today in between teaching school, doing laundry and celebrating another answer to prayer (which I'll share with you tomorrow).  I'm fascinated over yet another trade here, in Haiti, and inspired by the dedication of our fellow brothers and sisters.  

Here are some (actually lots of) photos from the bread making process today....

Kids were lined up outside all day watching the men work

These 2 have worked their behinds off the last couple of months..
I am so thankful for them and their leadership!

One of my favorite things to watch them do... throwing flour while working it through the press.

Such precision and detail!

Our kiddos were fascinated watching the process unfold...

Kylie wanted SO much to help!

These 2 will sleep hard tonight, no doubt!  :o)

Stay tuned for more photos this week and thanks again for sharing this exciting time with us!

 ~ Bón nuit! ~ 

Did you know?

*These are the quiet hours.  Everyone is asleep and the only noise is our fan clicking and the crickets and such outside.

*We are enjoying the 'beginning of fall' (smile) so the night temps are in the high 70's/low 80's.  

*Last year John was here in Haiti and I was at home in Madison with 3 of our kiddos and we were praying for our things to be released from customs and safely transported to this place where we now call home.

*I drove a couple of weeks ago for the first time in ~288 days (not counting the 3 or 4 times I've driven the mile to and from the soccer "field").

*It's not safe for me to go anywhere alone.

*On any given day I am "Mommi" to three times as many kids as I was when I moved here.  (My mama always said I'd probably grow up to have a house full of sweaty, stinky boys.)  :-)

*My kiddos (except one of them) go across the hall to school instead of across town.

*I miss going to the mailbox.

*It took a while to get used to boxed milk.

*We interact with people all day long, everyday, every week and these hours when it's so quiet are medicinal.

*I get lonely sometimes even though I'm constantly surrounded by people.

*Yesterday Kinley asked me how to say 'shower' in English.  Wonder how long it will be before she speaks more Creole than English...

*I never knew I could love a child that isn't flesh of my flesh as if he's always been my own until Cabila.

*Kylie wants to move to Africa when she grows up but she promises to visit us in Haiti.

*There isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss my pets.

*I know that my kiddos miss non-traditional/traditional church but I am so proud of them for being active in this foreign one here.

*Caleb lost another tooth tonight.

*John and I ordered a rat-zapper online and it arrived today.

*We need the rat-zapper to work and we probably need to order a couple more.

*I miss my girlfriends terribly and I daydream about reunions.

*I believe my mama and daddy are 2 of my biggest fans.

*I am amazed that God continues to give to us.

*I think it's sad that we assume people know how we feel about them so we don't tell them.

*I often wonder what Cabila's birth mom looked like.

*I believe that when you pray for something you should expect and be prepared for answers.

*Having a washing machine at the Mission House makes life easier.

*I took electricity for granted.

*There are children who dig in our trash for food and containers.

*We eat rice every day and sometimes some of us complain about it.

*So many kids here think that many of you 'hung the moon'.  We appreciate your investments and your follow-through.

*What you truly desire, you pursue.

*Being a missionary doesn't mean that you don't struggle with some of the same things everybody else struggles with.

*My heart breaks for mamas that search for others to take care of their own children they can't provide for.

*Balance continues to be difficult for me.

*I have to go to bed or I will not be a sweet teacher tomorrow.

No Average Saturday

Today was rough....  not the "normal" kind of rough that we experience from time to time in our new life here in Haiti, but a different kind of rough I hope we don't have to experience again...

We told the kiddos last night that we would need to go visit with our new Doctor today to get some paperwork completed for us to legally continue to reside in Haiti.  Since there are no Doctor's offices, that meant we had to go to the hospital.  The announcement that we had an appointment at 10 this morning put a damper on our Friday evening to say the least.  All 4 of them had lots to say and all agreed that they didn't want to go...  

John and I didn't really know what to expect at the appointment but the Dr. had mentioned needing to do some lab work....  :/   I hate needles and while I knew that something would be required my mind raced with unknown details and what-ifs and possibilities and scenarios and how to handle freak-outs, etc.....  I wondered about needles here and safety and possible issues with foreign country medical stuff and on and on and on...  I was secretly praying we could get out with some finger pricks and be done (although Caleb thinks a finger prick is much worse than a shot on any day).  

(sigh)

Our conversation with the kiddos was pretty basic since in fact we didn't have a lot of information to offer.  We talked about the butterflies in our stomachs last night and noted that while none of us wanted to have to go, it was something we had to do.

Before John and I had even gotten up this morning, I heard little footsteps and then turned over to see Kinley and she said, "Mama, you said we had to go for a check-up today."  She was eager to wake everyone up and get going...  And how does the saying go??? "Ignorance is bliss"?

As everyone got up and moving, there were more butterflies and some talk of feeling sick, some 'I don't want to eat but I don't want to go on an empty stomach' dialogues and some complaining and whining, too.  We did the best we could in the way of pep-talks and reminded them all that God knew exactly what they were feeling and that we could call on him at anytime to ease our anxieties.  Caleb has recently learned the first 8 verses of Psalm 91 and I got him to say them... we smiled and pointed out that so many of the verses were pertinent to fear and anxious feelings.  

We finished breakfast and headed out.

It was a pretty quiet ride to Limbe.

And then we arrived...     

 
I was really excited that we didn't have to wait when we got inside..  

the waiting room was pretty much empty.  There were a couple of patients in front of us and a few more that came in while we were waiting but there weren't mobs of people like I expected on a Saturday.  

 While we were waiting, I noticed some scales in a corner of the room.  It's been almost a year we've had a scale so I suggested everybody take turns and weigh.  So we passed the time and weighed!  

Cabila had never been on the scales before so he was a little reluctant at first but we now have the recorded weight of all our children!  :)


It wasn't long before the Doctor came back and said it was time to go to the lab.  And the tears started.....  

At this point everyone thought we were lining up for finger pricks.  The Doctor was very nice and he speaks English so everyone understood what was going on except for the lack of clarification when he said, "we need to take some blood".....  did I mention that I hate needles.....??  I looked at John and said, "Are they drawing blood like into vials or are they doing the finger pricks?" He didn't know so we followed the Doctor into a room that led to another room that led to another room and we waited again.  

We filled out paperwork with everyone's names and info and then I asked the question we'd all been dreading the answer to..... arghhh... finger pricks weren't going to cover it so now we had to break the news that it was indeed more than just a stick.  

This is when I felt like saying, "Pull yourselves together, PEOPLE!  I'm about to freak out, myself!!!"  But I didn't....  I did what any mother would do and first I said, ''It's not going to be that bad... I will go in with you... when they get ready to do it just look the other way... we'll count and then blow like we are blowing out birthday candles and then it will be all over...just don't look at it".  And THEN I called my mom!  No joke...  I could not seem to get Kylie to calm down so I called my mom and asked her and Daddy to talk with Kylie.  

The next 20 minutes (which seemed like 2 hours) we went back and forth with 'I don't want to' and 'I know you don't want to' and 'can't we just leave?' mixed with tears and sweating and pacing.  

John went first and was done before I even knew they started.  

Cabila went second...  Now, Cabila is clearly already a legal resident of Haiti but since we are in the process of legally adopting him, we have to have records of a medical examination for him, too.  He has never had blood work done and while he didn't want to have it done today, he complied and handled his fear and anxiety very well!  I think he was handling it a lot better on the outside than he was on the inside but he did it!

I was up and I handled it like a pro... well, maybe not a pro but I did pretty good at acting as though it was no big deal!  I will have to admit the guy did a great job!  He was very gentle and you've got to appreciate that when someone is working with a needle..... (makes me cringe just saying it)...

Anyway, I went out and reported that it REALLY wasn't that bad at all and asked who wanted to go next.  Shocking, but no one wanted to be next....

John convinced Kinley to be next so he and I went in with her and this is when I almost lost it....  this is when I almost folded.....  John held her while I held a paper cloth thing up so she couldn't see what they were doing and I kissed her and talked to her and tried my best to keep her focus elsewhere.  First stick and the guy couldn't find a vein.... oh dear God in heaven, this can't be happening...... it was terrible... she was screaming and I was getting more and more upset and the guy was sweating and John was doing all he could to keep Kinley still and this seemed to go on forever.  Second stick and he still couldn't find one and Kinley kept looking at me and screaming and then someone got my attention and motioned for me to go to the waiting room where I could, then, hear Kylie and Caleb crying.  I told Cabila to hold the cloth thing up for Kinley and I went to try and console the other two.........  blood...pressure...rising.....

"Why is Kinley screaming?"   "What is taking so long with her?"   "Can't we please just leave?!?" 

At this point I literally just prayed, "God, please speed this thing up and let's go".....

Kylie and Caleb calmed down enough for me to go back in with Kinley and thank God they were able to find a vein on her other arm and we were one step closer to being done.  

Caleb went next and agreed after he got himself all worked up that it really wasn't nearly as bad as he thought it was going to be.  He told Kylie and she went in with SuperDad while I scooped Kinley up and she and Caleb and I went out for some fresh air.  

We decided to go get some lunch in Cap Haitien since this had taken longer than we expected and it was now lunchtime.  Promising a treat seemed to lighten the mood a bit and everyone managed to smile (somewhat) for a photo with our new "friend" before we left!

The older gentleman working at the gate entrance/exit to the hospital let us out and we were on our way!

Kinley was determined that she couldn't bend her arms but John had a brilliant idea with the cold butter packs at lunch! 



And after lunch she even felt like driving!

(not really but she had fun pretending)

Man, I really miss being able to chat with my peeps back home when I just need to talk some stuff out.... thanks for letting me unwind here....  

Praying for some good rest tonight and a better day tomorrow!

Bón nwit, zanmis!  (Good night, friends!)