Update from Haiti

  Hello from Haiti!  I've been here almost two weeks now - I can't believe it!  I will admit that I've started this post about four times now, I just can't seem to find what to write about.  I thought I'd tell you about how my typical day goes.  

  First of all, let me tell you about our home.  I'm living with two of my teammates right now and we're staying with our host mom, Mona.  Mona has a home that is best described as motel style with separate rooms all accessed from outside.  I think there are at least 15 people who live here right now including us.  There is a common area outside where clothes lines are strung and the activity happens.  We are in a city, Petit Goave, and we live on a busy street right across from a bar.  You can imagine how loud it can get here!  But I've learned so sleep through it. 

 

  We all wake up around 7:30 and get ready for the day, have devotional/journaling time, or sit with whoever is outside.  We eat breakfast just with our translator, Jimmy, but the whole family does not eat together.  After breakfast, my roommate, Greta, and I do the dishes, and then it differs day to day after that.  We've shredded coconut, mashed spices together, made fresh grapefruit juice, and I've even plucked gray hairs out of a man's head!  It all depends what our host family is doing.  

  At 3:00 everyday, we go to a school to teach English. It's fun to see the kids learning, and we often have the opportunity to debrief as a team afterward, if needed.  As we walk down the street, we pass many people selling items, chatting with friends, or those yelling, "Blanc! Blanc!" after us. 

  Our evenings are always different, too.  Sometimes, we get to be with our team, and other nights are just spent doing the dishes and laughing with our family.  One of our host cousins sells fried food from her porch, so we often get to help her prepare some of the food and sit out there after dark.  I always get my nightly cuddles from my 10-year-old host sister, Nika, during this time, too.  I go to bed early, around 9:00, as the heat makes me very tired. 

  It's a very different way of living here.  Very simple, and slow-paced.  The first week came with a lot of struggles, but I had a fresh perspective starting this second week.  What I'm doing day-to-day is hard to describe.  It's hard to explain, and I often worry that my answers won't be satisfactory to those of you back home.  But I have to remind myself daily that I'm here for the Lord.  Because He brought me here.  I'm here to serve Him, through serving His people in the smallest of ways. 

  Thank you for your prayers.  I feel them!  

Updated prayer requests would be:

  - Health for my team. A few have gotten sick from food while being here. Please pray for quick healing for them and avoidance for the rest. 

  - Bonding with our host family.  Although this second week has improved our relationships with them, further connection would be amazing! 

Sierra