Our Journey to the Mountains #2

 

Good morning, Sleepy head!  It’s time to get up and  face another new day…

Yesterday was a tiring one and perhaps left you a bit grouchy.. especially after that rough and dusty ride up the mountain and then having to share ONE shower with 33 people!  And if that’s not bad enough.. the water that came from that shower head was “blitzen” cold! It was enough to make a person shiver and shake!  Since all our water is being hauled up here in a 50 gallon barrels, we were told to use the water sparingly, which hasn’t been too much of a problem.  The showers taken up here will probably be your shortest showers ever! :)

Today is Sunday, January 29, 2012.   Today is a day for you to kick back and relax. It is also a day for you to worship God. There are many things to thank Him for this morning…

How about getting your Bible and a cup of freshly brewed Eight o’clock coffee and come along with me, I would like to show you the beauty of the morning! Quite a few others are already enjoying this beautiful, breathtaking view.

I think a good way to start this day would be to spend some quiet time alone with God. Go ahead, find a spot, and praise Him!  He loves your adoration and worship. Up here on this mountaintop it feels like  praise is a natural! Don’t you think? :) It is quiet… and peaceful… The air is fresh and clean….. The sky is blue and heaven seems close… I love being here!

I often think of the song.. “ I go to the hills when my heart is lonely”, when I am up here!  If you open your lonely heart to God, He will fill you with true joy and happiness…He will meet any need that you may have.

*******************************************************************************************************

It was suggested that we have a little church service up here in the mountain this morning. Let’s gather around in a circle, along with the others and join in the singing. I love the energy and enthusiasm of this group… It is also a great pleasure to be singing English songs with our youth group again! Several people choose a favorite song to sing and some share an inspiration. Don picks one of his favorite songs, “Restore my Soul”, a song that we learned while in chorus with the youth, and shares a few thoughts from his heart. Our family is so blessed when everyone gathers around  us to pray. I cannot help but weep. The love and care that you show  our family is deeply appreciated. We do love Haiti and the people of Haiti.. and the children of Haiti.. we love living here and feel like we are in God’s perfect will. But Satan is out to destroy and he is eager  to discourage God’s children from doing anything productive for His kingdom.. Especially those who sincerely want to do His will… Thank you.. Thank you for your prayers! We feel a great need of them.

We also have special prayer for the upcoming week… There is a big project ahead of us. Don is hoping to fence off about two thirds of the property that was bought with a vision to build a children’s home on someday. Prayers are lifted to God in behalf of this project. There is a desire for this work to prosper… a desire for safety… a desire for good health… etc.

Part of Galen’s prayer really stands out to me. The thought is this:  that God would help things to go smoothly but if things don’t go well or  don’t go as smoothly as we would like them to that we would all be okay with it. I think the idea of TRUST comes in here again. God’s ways are so much higher than ours… He is so much more intelligent… He knows what is best for us for He only can see clearly into the future of our lives…. And God is God .. He does things for His glory.. and not ours. Am I right? :)

TRUST… TRUST.. TRUST… how can I fully TRUST the way that I ought? My spirit is willing but my flesh is weak.

Our church service is over… and now it’s time to think about lunch!  Plans are to take a walk across the way to the Reinford’s orphanage. Jesse and Carol Myer are babysitting the children there while their “mom” is in the states for a six  week furlough.  Carol has consented to prepare our lunch with the ingredients I took over yesterday evening.

This walk will take us about 15 minutes, we’ve been told.  We follow the well worn  foot path used by the native people who live in the area. The path is only wide enough for one person so I guess we will play follow the leader. Just make sure and put a leader in charge that knows the way! Actually none of us has ever taken this walk before! We were told to look for the turbine on the Reinford’s  windmill and head that direction. The path takes us up an down these rolling hills… sometimes we see the turbine and sometimes we don’t..

I hope that you are enjoying the walk. I am.. very much! If you were to close your eyes and take a moment to enjoy what your skin is feeling…you could well  imagine that it is a pleasant, summer day. I enjoy the warm temperatures even more when I think of the end of January back home in Pennsylvania!  Closing your eyes might not be a good idea though.. for there is a chance of you stepping in a “pie” of some kind. There are quite a few animals that graze on these hills. Don’t you see that big bull over there? (or is it a long horned cow?! ) Thankfully the animal is tied!! :)

This is Haitian farmland.. it is a good bit different than “Big Valley” but beautiful just the same. It is very common to see animals up here.. and a variety of them too; Goats, horses, cows, chickens, and pigs. You will also see farmers out in the fields… working hard. Two very common farming tools are a “pick” and hoe, which they use to work up the soil by hand. Many farmers  work together in their fields. They talk and laugh, same as we. Many Haitians are poor but many Haitians are happy. So it seems to me. :) My conclusion is that it does not take a lot of things to be happy.

 

 

Welcome to New Horizon’s Children’s Home!  This house has a flat concrete roof… a great place to “hang out”!  Make yourself at home… relax… enjoy the sun and the pleasant breezes… while you wait for lunch. Lunch will be here shortly. The menu for today is a delicious chicken and rice casserole ;) , homemade rolls with grapefruit jelly, green beans and a jello, pudding cake. Bon Appetite!

*******************************************************************************************************

Evening comes and once again we think of eating! Let’s get a campfire started .. Supper tonight is going to be popcorn and hotdogs…

  Seems like there’s no lack of spectators! The natives find this group of “whites” very intriguing! Old and young alike gather round to see what the whites are doing. Perhaps, for these  secluded mountain people, life becomes rather monotonous at times. They see very little of the outside world and with this large group of whites “next door” , they wander across the grassy fields in search of something interesting, perhaps. If only I could read their minds…. What do they think of us? Do they feel like their land is being invaded by some pale faces? Do they think we have something to share with them? Or do they just find our way of survival on these mountains intriguing?

We don’t start a fire like they do… we cook differently… we dry our laundry differently.. our language is “gibberish”… etc… etc..

On second thought, If I really could read their thoughts, I wouldn’t be able to understand them anyway for they think in Creole! :)

Another cold shower… another night with a HARD bed.. snoring… night noises.. tents flapping in the wind…

Good night. See ya tomorrow morning!

Our Journey to the Mountains #1.

 

My dear friend!

We are about to do a bit of traveling in Haiti today and we are so happy that you have decided to join us! There are 33 of us already but perhaps we can find room for you yet.. you know that saying, “there is always room for one more!”

It is a pleasant, sunny morning here in Leogane, Haiti, which is not at all unusual. Leogane has more sunny days than you could “shake a stick at”! If you are a moody person that enjoys some gloomy days every now and then .. this is not the place for you! However, on second thought, I still want you to come along with us… We like variety! Variety is the spice of life and perhaps you will add some extra spice….And to be totally honest, even I like a melancholy mood every now and then. :)

We have two vehicles that we are planning to fill with luggage and people. You can have your pick.. either jump onto the back of the dump truck and risk a sun burn or find a seat in the back of the truck with the “monkey cage” as someone called it!

By the way, I should tell you that you need to pack your sleeping bag and a pillow as well as your clothes because we plan to be gone for several days and sorry to tell you, but you will NOT be sleeping in a soft bed tonight! You will need to rough it a bit.. BUT.. if you like adventure.. you will  make out okay! And even if you are a little apprehensive about joining this bunch, I think you will find the excitement of everyone else somehow rubbing off on you! We are all happy and eager to begin this trip….

Okay.. lets go!! Don, my good looking husband,  is driving the dump truck and Galen King, our youth pastor is driving the Chevy. We are going to drive to Ti Goave about 45 minutes from here. The road from here to there is paved and is actually a pretty nice road for Haiti.

*******************************************************************************************************

Bravo! You made it! Did you enjoy your ride? …. Great!  Feel free to get out and stretch your legs a bit and.. yeah, it is going to take some patience right about now. The Scout has a problem with one of its tires and needs some attention. Now would be a good time for a “potty break” while there is potty  available. Personally, I would rather not have to stop along the mountain trail to do business of that sort. However, it is Haitian culture to go when the need arises.. anywhere! ( well .. almost.)

We are going to unload the dump truck here in Ti Goave since the truck would not do too well the next phase of our journey. The road ahead of us is very rough and rugged and some sections of the trail are better handled with a four wheel drive or a smaller vehicle. Unfortunately the dump truck is not equipped with four wheel drive.

Okay.. take your pick of a vehicle again. This time we have four vehicles to choose from! Don’s faithful Chevy truck, the little red Scout, a Toyota Land cruiser driven by Pastor Levy, and a little pickup driven by Don’s cousin, Michael. Okay… get ready… hang on …. here we go! You are about to experience a ride you will not forget right away! Here in Ti Goave we will take a road that leads into the mountains.

Bumpity Bump… Bumpity Bump…. Rockin back and forth.. to and fro.. and up and down. Hmmm… this road is terrible and terrible on vehicles too. Don is taking the lead with his Chevy and we are literally creeping up this mountain. He is trying to take it easy because he would be very happy if his truck would last a long time! And with these kind of roads… the truck might protest if it had to work too hard and fast!

Trouble!!!

O No. With a group of people this size it takes extra patience when something goes wrong. The Scout’s  tire is protesting… it is going flat! The Scout has made this trip countless times already and its tires are tired!! The youth hauled four new tires along from the states for the Scout and we have them on the top of the Chevy’s cage.… BUT… the tires are bigger and they would all need to be replaced at the same time. So…. we are going to “baby” the tired tire and hope to reach our destination before the tire flies to bits. Don has a little air compressor along and a tire plug kit… which he is going to put to use.

You would do well to take a deep breath and relax. THIS IS HAITI  and things like this happen all too frequently. Take a moment to view the rugged beauty of the mountains that surround you. This time of year is nearing the end of the dry season here in the mountains and due to the lack of rain the mountains look very dry and brown. However… you can find beauty in ruggedness! Come back during the summer and you will be amazed at the difference in the mountains!

Haiti means the “land of mountains”.  After Christopher Columbus explored Haiti, he went home and crumpled up a piece of paper and told the people that that is what Haiti looks like! I think that is a very good way to describe Haiti! :)

Time to get moving again… we are hoping to reach our destination early afternoon. This is Saturday and we want to set up camp before dark and still have some time to relax before Sunday.

Our destination is Terre Rouge. Terre Rouge is high in the mountains and is a very beautiful area. Terre Rouge, literally translated from Creole means red dirt…. and some red dirt you are about to see! Perhaps a bit more than you would like!

Willy Hostetler is driving the Scout and is carefully trying to avoid sharp stones and any rough spot that would encourage the “tired tire” to spit out more air… Unfortunately he cannot miss every nasty stone and pothole and the tire is determined to lay down and take a rest, much to everyone’s chagrin. Once again, we all stop and try to be patient as the tire gets some more plugs and still more air. Can we all learn some kind of lesson from this tire while we wait? :) Try to be patient with this old worn out bit of rubber! He really has proved himself worthy of some appreciation, at one point and time. He has labored up and down this trail many times.. he has hauled many a load of heavy people… and supplies. I agree with you… it is hard to look at what he has accomplished in his lifetime and to really appreciate it… instead it is easy to focus on what he is NOT doing right  now!! He keeps letting us down! :)

The day is still lovely and the sunshine warm and friendly. A beautiful day to do laundry! Many a Haitian woman will tote her family’s dirty laundry to a nearby water hole or stream to scrub… and today is no exception. They scrub and scrub and find pleasure in making the laundry “squeak” while they squeeze and rub it between their hands. Take a look at the laundry drying in the sun over there!

It’s been about three hours now.. and my guess is that you are about tired of the rough ride… the dust and heat.. not to mention your growling, hungry stomach! Lunch time came and went and the pancakes that we had for breakfast have long disappeared! Actually.. I think Galen was handing out lollipops a bit ago…Did you manage to get one? I was bold enough to ask  for one! ;) It seems like he packed a lot of goodies! In Haiti.. things like that hold a very special appeal! :)

Tire trouble ….AGAIN!! OOOO.. o…kkkay… I really am tired of this now. I am tired of being patient.. I am tired of learning lessons… I am just ready to GET THERE! Are you too? On second thought, I think  it will not do us any good to get “overheated”. This is Haiti and Haiti calls for patience and this is only the first day!! ha.. :)

Patience and Trust… I think God has really been working on me since our move to Haiti! Trust is a huge one for me… I am very prone to worry instead of trust. Several lessons ago I learned that God is in control..He REALLY is in control… He loves me… He loves you….AND …  He WILL  work things out. Things have always worked out in the past and they will continue to work out. Worry is hard on my mind… I WILL choose TRUST instead !!!!!

**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Here we are ……FINALLY!! We made it! What a trip!

 

Sari dear, I thought this picture pretty much describes how a person feels after the trip up the mountain!! :)

…… to be continued!