Man, saying I've been here for three weeks already seems unreal! It does seem like I've been here for a long time, but as I'm reaching my halfway point, it makes me sad to think I'm almost halfway done with my time here in Haiti,at least for now ;) This beautiful, wonderful place has definitely begun to capture my heart.
Let's see here, some highlights and things that have happened this week:
-I had my first beach experience here, and I cannot begin to capture the beauty of this place with words. We had to drive up what seemed like a mountain, and the beach was on the other side. The water was clear,deep blue, and the sun beat down hard (which resulted in a painful sunburn afterwards, but worth it :) ) I spent my time looking at the coral and fish underwater, avoiding sea urchins, and finding a TON of sea glass with a young lady, Jadyn, who has become a wonderful friend of mine (she also happens to be one of the girls I homeschool during the week, so that's pretty nice!). When I went to pay for my meal, they brought back my $20 saying that it was "bad" because of a small rip :p It was definitely unexpected, but they hold a very high standard for the American money here while theirs is often crumpled or old, which is pretty unique. However, they later look my $20 from Jaydn and her little sister for some chocolate ice cream haha, which could have been one of the best highlights this week. SO GOOD.
-The following day we went on a hike to this gorgeous waterfall. The walk to the waterfall was really cool, as we passed numerous Haitians washing their clothes in the stream we walked next to(or in) for a majority of it, various goats and pigs, or collecting big rocks to sell. We even had two little girls follow us the whole way, wait for us when we went to the waterfall, and walked back! We had to "boulder" these pretty big rocks to get to the waterfall, and also did a bit of rock climbing on top of it. I swam in a waterfall.In Haiti. Pretty cool :) I am constantly reminded of the beauty that is here, you just have to keep your eyes open and look around you.
-The field director and his family have returned from their time in the States! They're a very fun, exciting, loving family, and I'm excited to continue to get to know them!
-We celebrated a little boy's 1st birthday, complete with a tractor chocolate cake! All the older babies enjoyed eating, or playing, with the cake haha.
-On Friday we had pizza for lunch, and then had chips and salsa for dinner from the DR. I am beginning to miss some American food, so this was a good day. :)
-On Saturday we had a grill-out farewell party to a couple who is moving to the states. We had hamburgers, hotdogs, corn, fruit, and desserts. Needless to say, I may have gone a bit overboard with how much food I ate ;) With the country music playing, it made me feel like I was at like a summer BBQ in the states, which was kinda funny :p
-I was able to skype my family this week as well! My nephews are pretty dang cute, and we've already made plans to watch Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs when I return :p Home's been hit with some pretty decent storms this week, so I was pretty thankful everyone is safe and there isn't too much damage!
-I've finally found out my placement in Chicago for student teaching in the fall! I'll be in 1st grade, as well as a K-2 resource room.
I still am doing preschool every morning and homeschooling in the afternoons. I've been doing letter of the week every week, last week focusing on the letter "L." Although the kids don't know all their letters, they're all mostly pretty good at knowing the letter their name starts with, and it just so happens one of the students' names start with an L! Preschool is definitely an adventure, but I do really love it, and the kids. They are definitely a very challenging crowd, which has taught me to have a lot of patience, as well as learning more about behavior management. I do get pretty drained, but I know they enjoy it and it makes it worth any chaos that may happen :p. Homeschooling is really fun and more low-key. The kids seem to really enjoy it, and they seem to be learning, but I also am learning a lot from them! The older kids have taught me a lot about Haiti, and I've loved getting an 11 and 13 year olds' perspectives!
This week, the drums and chanting has begun for the voodoo ceremonies in town. There is a witch doctor in the village we're next to, who also happens to be the lawyer/judge person, so he has a lot of power in the town. Honestly, I had a really hard time sleeping the first night they went on. They went till at least 4:30 in the morning! Talking about it and actually hearing it is completely different, and hard to put into words. It's gone on 3 times this week. Something that I've really thought about because of this is spiritual warfare. Something that I think scares me more than the sounds themselves is the fact that here, you are physically able to see and hear the spiritual battle occurring. But in the States, it's not as easy to physically see. Where is Satan working that we're not able to see? Something I've thought about a lot. Fear itself is something I've been thinking about and I think God is working me through in my time here. I was scared to come here, feeling inadequate and all the unknowns. I was scared to come alone. I was scared of getting sick. I was scared of the voodoo that happens. I was scared of being hurt. But, God tells us numerous times not to fear; He is with us. Psalm 46:1-2 says, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way." I have looked upon this verse a lot this week, while I have been feeling tired or scared. God is right here with me, and I have no reason to fear anything on this earth.
I continue thinking about what God is showing me during my time here in Haiti; what actions will come out of this. A new volunteer asked me yesterday after talking about why I chose COTP, "What is your long-term goal?" Phew, did that throw me through a loop! I answered with, I don't know. This question has constantly been on my mind now, and I really don't know. Am I supposed to come back after this experience? Am I supposed to share the many stories I've witnessed while I've been here, spreading awareness and sparking new interests in Haiti? Am I supposed to be teaching in a low-income situation like this, or even in another country? Am I supposed to encourage everyone I know to adopt? I really don't know the answer to this question, and it puzzles me a lot and continue diving into prayer for the answer to become known. As I've been reading Matthew, chapter 26 verses 31-46 stood out to me. How many times have I seen the poor, sick, thirsty stranger and turned the other way while I was in the states? Here, it's easy to see those in need and feel compelled to help. Back home, you're often stuck in a comfortable setting, surrounded by distractions and your own wants being filled, and I think we often forget this crucial calling. Being intentional with the poor is so heavily emphasized in the Word, but I've seen it so often ignored, especially in my own life. Before coming to Haiti, something that had really begun to hit me is seeing churches back home completely missing the aspect of reaching out to those in need, those in the community that didn't know the love of Christ. Being comfortable is great, but we aren't called to comfortable. We're called to follow Christ, spreading His love, glorifying His name, following His commands.
I want to thank everyone for all your prayers and support, I know this wouldn't be possible without the power of prayer! Prayer requests for this upcoming week:
- Strength and endurance in preschool, and that I am able to show the children love and grace.
-Prayer that those caught in the spiritual warfare will turn away from voodoo and find the love of Jesus.
-I continue learning creole and can begin more communication with the Haitians.
-Protection for the volunteers and long-term staff from a new disease going around, Chikungunya.
-Guidance towards what God is trying to teach me through this experience and what actions should come out of it..
No comments:
Post a Comment