an early return

A sweet send-off:
After spending the day painting homes and praying for families, everyone staying at the compound headed down to church for Worship Night. Half the "congregation" was Haitian . . . the other half, American. Worshipping together, in a sweet mix of both Creole and English, was an incredible thing to be a part of. I wouldn't have chosen any other way to end my time in Haiti.

A not so sweet send-off:
Speaking of ending my time in Haiti, I actually left a few days early. I didn't want to needlessly worry you all, so I kept this a little known fact. I ended up getting pretty sick soon after arriving in Titanyen. No big deal, I thought. I figured it would pass. And then as I got worse I started hoping it would pass. And then I started praying it would pass. Instead of getting better, I continued to get worse, so I made the decision to fly home early. What followed was a ridiculous amount of sleep, a visit to an urgent care, some bloodwork, and no answers. I figured as much, but it was worth a try. It was a bit of a scare, but I'm definitely on the mend. I'm sad my trip got cut short, but I made the right decision and I'm happy to be home.

As always, my time in Haiti teaches, changes, and renews me. What I find funny is that we go to places like Haiti to offer some kind of help, in hopes that what we do is making some small difference in the lives of people there . . . except, I always come back feeling like I'm the changed one.

For now, it's back to the hustle and bustle of life back in Wilmington : class, work, and grad school applications. The transition is always a bit difficult, and I'm already missing Haiti, but I know I'll be back. There's just something about that place. I just can't seem to stay away.

The end.



my adventure to titanyen

After spending a wonderful weekend with Gwenn and Nick, it was time to say goodbye. Kyle and I both needed to head to Port-au-Prince, where we would part ways. Kyle had a flight back to the States and I needed to meet up with Qasim (my Haitian friend from my cholera unit days). To avoid the whole traveling alone in Haiti thing, Qasim offered to be my escort for the day.

4 tap taps later, and I finally arrived in Titanyen.

Tap taps are painted trucks or buses that serve as Haiti's form of public transportation. They are cheap, chaotic, crammed, and hot (thus, most Americans won't use them). Before the end of the night, I had inherited the nickname "tap tap." Every conversation began the same way : "Hey I heard about you. You were the one who took tap taps to get here!!"

Never again. Next time, I take a moto. :)

 

Arriving at Mission of Hope was equally chaotic. Apparently, no one knew I was coming in that day. I had only one number and one name (yes, I realize I should know better), so of course no one knew me or who I was talking about.

After getting my license and bags confiscated by the security guard . . . after roaming around the compound looking for a white person to help me . . . and after explaining my situation multiple times . . . things finally got worked out.

I think it's just fact that anything that can go wrong will go wrong in Haiti. Haiti should come with a disclaimer: it will take you 3 times longer than planned to accomplish whatever you have in mind . . . something will go wrong at some point in the process . . . but it will end up working out how it's supposed to in the end.

Compared to life in Seguin, Mission of Hope is like staying at a hotel. And this is where I'll be honest. . . I have felt uneasy, and even guilty, about staying here. I've realized that for some reason, I have it in my head that I have to be just as uncomfortable or as limited as the people I'm serving. I'm not sure why exactly, except that maybe it's because most of my time has been in Seguin, where this is often the case. 

God is teaching me to accept gifts from others and blessings from Him.

Love, Janae

m'ap vini

My last couple days in Seguin were spent delivering water purification systems. Think geogaching. We found each home using coordinates on a handheld GPS (we, meaning not me... I refused to help with this part due to my terrible sense of direction), gave them a bucket, and taught them how to use it properly.

Seguin has been unusually sunny. I was beginning to think that reports of endless rain and no electricity were lies...until the day we got poured on. Small rivers of water flowed over my shoes and rain slowly collected in the water buckets I was carrying. We were quite the sight, ponchos and rainjackets all in a row, trying to book it back to the clinic.

We left Seguin Friday morning. I found myself saying "m'ap vini" (I am coming back) a million times. All the kids wanted to know that I was coming back. This kills me. This is what gets me thinking about the pros and cons of mission work. You spend time somewhere, only to grow attached to the people there, who in turn grow attached to you. What happens when you leave? What happens if you cannot make that ultimate committment by staying longterm? Does the good outweigh the bad?

Highlights:

1. Throwing Kyle a surprise going away party, complete with a cake and glowsticks. It was pretty fantastic.
2. Successfully finishing our public health project and delivering all our water purification buckets.
3. Giving a lesson to the kids at a school next door about dental hygiene.
4. An interesting (as always) ride down the mountain with 12 or so people crammed into and onto one truck.
5. Spending time at Hands and Feet Orphanage playing with the babies in the nursery.
6. Pizza night at Cyvadier Hotel.
7. A Saturday morning spent saying goodbyes, taking a long nap, and jumping in the ocean.
8. Nick and Gwenn being wonderful, spoiling me with things like pizza and a bed with a pillow.

Goodbye Seguin...just for now. 

M'ap vini.

Love, Janae

steadiness

My time in Seguin is coming to a close.

Thinking about leaving so soon makes me a little sad. When I think of Haiti, I immediately think of Seguin. It's definitely my comfort zone.

The long awaited plan: I'll be spending an extended weekend in Jacmel with Nick and Gwenn at Joy in Hope and then traveling to Titanyen to volunteer with Mission of Hope. This makes me laugh because this one simple sentence took two weeks to figure out. I definitely let myself become way too overwhelmed planning my last week in Haiti. Unsuccessful plans...failed options... missing phone numbers... lack of internet and phone service...no way to get from point A to point B... I let the stress get to me. It would get to anyone, but I'm still not proud of how I let it overwhelm me.

My devotional for today was a perfectly timed reminder. Figured I'd share:

"I am training you in my steadiness. Too many things interrupt your awareness of me. I know you live in a world of sight and sound, but you must not be a slave to those stimuli. Awareness of me can continue in all circumstances. No matter what happens. This is steadiness I desire for you.

Don't let unexpected events throw you off course. Rather, respond calmly and confidently, remembering that I am with you. As soon as something grabs your attention, talk with me about it. Thus, I share in your joys and problems. I help you cope with whatever is before you. This is the way of peace."

Philippians 4:4-8

Love, Janae

a sunday in seguin

Sundays are my favorite.

Sundays are for going to church, being surrounded by friends, going out to lunch, taking long naps, and taking time to enjoy beautiful weather.

Sundays are the same here.
Things seem to slow down.

We went to church this morning at the school I've been talking about. Church back home seems just plain rushed when you compare it to the three hour service we were a part of this morning. After about 4 sermons and 3 sessions of worship, we were asked to stand up, introduce ourselves, and sing a song for them. Rachel, one of the girls staying at the Clinic to build latrines, led us in singing "Amazing Grace." The energy and unhindered worship is an incredible thing to witness and be a part of. Our unsure glances turned into smiling...our smiling turned into clapping...our clapping turned into dancing. Their joy is contagious.

We've spent today napping, reading, and watching movies. All wonderful things.

2 of the girls that have been part of

my life for the past week. Liz

on the left and Lynae on the right.

Romans 12:12  "be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer"

Love, Janae

"this is the day the Lord has made"

My time in Seguin has been spent...
  - bringing supplies to the new Cholera Treatment Center
  - collecting data from charts at the CTC
  - hiking around the community to gather data for a public health project
  - cleaning and assembling buckets for water filtration systems to be passed out in the community
  - learning as much Creole as humanly possible (it involved much impatience and much laughter)
  - playing outside with the kids
  - watching Liz try and dread her hair

Kyle's public health project has us hiking around the community, assessing water and sanitation needs. (Yesterday we hiked about 6 miles, so my legs are not liking me right now!) Questions range from where they get their water to whether or not they use a latrine. Liz and I go off on our own most days with a translator, which is forcing us to learn Creole. I'm feeling 10x more comfortable with the language...yet frustrated and impatient at the same time, wanting to be fluent. I'm learning more and more Creole by the minute though. I'm learning dozens of new words a day, memorizing helpful phrases, and can get the gist of a majority of conversations around me. Every once in a while, of course, a funny mistake is made that sends both Haitians and Americans into hysterics.

A couple things struck me today:

1. The people here are so welcoming. We are the ones stopping them in their day and in their work to ask questions...questions they probably find silly and a little pointless. Yet, at almost every home, we were offered a chair to sit, vegetables to bring back to the clinic, or an offer to sit and talk. They have so little, yet what they do have, they are willing and wanting to share with strangers.

2. The people here are so grateful. Before Liz and I went out into the community today, our first task was to run an errand with our translator. We ended up at the same school I visited last January (Clayton took us to deliver boxes of school supplies for each of the kids. Dargelia, one of the teachers there, remembered me. She was so full of joy and appreciation. I managed to tell her in Creole that I remembered her as well, and that one of my favorite memories from my last visit was hearing the children sing songs. They sang "this is the day that the Lord has made," a childhood favorite of mine. Delighted I remembered, she led me inside, stopped class, and had them stand up and sing to me again. It was one of those beautiful moments you plan to store away forever.

They have my heart.

seguin, again

I cannot put into words how wonderful it is to be back in Haiti. There are moments I feel like I never left.

Highlights:

1. Eating yummy street food from the same place I did last time (if you don't recall, I got major food poisoning last time around). Probably not smart, but I did not get sick this time!

2. Not dying on the 8 hour ride up the mountain! Liz and I were in the truck bed on top of all the luggage the entire time. At one point, both my feet were in the air and I was on my way out of the truck. At one point, we were delerious from exhaustion and in hysterics trying not to inhale rice. I'm sore from the long ride up, but do as the Haitians do! I prefer it - it's just more fun being in the back.

3. The river being crossable.

4. Getting the truck un-stuck from all the mud we found waiting for us in Seguin. We were maybe 5 minutes away when the truck got stuck. A couple piles of rocks and 4 girls pushing the truck later... we were free.

5. The kids in Seguin remembering my name. It made my heart happy. My Creole has improved greatly since last time, so they were quite pleased.

6. Water.

7. Playing with the kids outside the clinic today. We played soccer, slid down the hill on pieces of pipe and tin, and danced around without a care in the world.

8. Liz being all sorts of awesome. We're going to wake up at 5am every day to practice Creole. We're also going to move to Haiti together (kidding..wait.. maybe). Read about her thoughts of Seguin here: homeinhaiti.blogspot.com

Love to you all,
Janae

scrambling

The past couple days have had me scrambling!

Here's to the end of hours on the phone, hundreds of e-mails, endless errands, and last-minute packing!

Here's to the joy of wonderful friends, good food, running my first 5K, and leaving for Haiti in the morning!



I wanted sushi, a hamburger, and a

PCJ mocha shake before leaving the

country. Check, check, and check. :)

Thanks Justin for being all about

finding a good burger place in

downtown Raleigh.


I will be in Haiti for just three weeks this time: June 6-27.

With half of my trip up in the air, I've been scrambling to figure out logistics. A newfound friend of mine inadvertantly reminded me of the very verse I lived and breathed in Haiti last time: "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed...In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." (Proverbs 16:3,9) I couldn't have asked for a better reminder that stopped me in my mental tracks. So, here's to ending the scrambling. Things will work themselves out.

I am sitting here smiling as I think about being back in Haiti again. After spending five weeks in Haiti earlier in the year, I managed to last maybe two weeks before booking another flight back.There's just something about that place :)

I will update as often as possible. With the rainy season, electricity (and therefore internet) may be lacking at times.

So much love,
Janae