Mousecapades

The week started out with Kim and Kristi waking up at 11:30pm Monday night to some horrible squeaking noises(11:30pm is late when power goes out at 9pm). Kristi's response was to roll over and tell Kim to go back to sleep. Kim's response was to lie wide awake in fear of some horrible beast resembling a ROUS crawling into bed with her(she sleeps on the top bunk). The next night Naomi and I accidentally left the door to our room open and just as I was drifting off to sleep I heard our trash tip over. The intruder then proceeded to drag a cookie wrapper beneath our bed and nibble on it with impossible volume. A cacophony of squeaks and skitters around our room could be heard for hours after. I never realized how much I detest small rodents. Don't think us fools, we did try to get rid of it. We set a trap, loaded it down with Jiff's natural peanut butter and set it somewhere no human would accidentally set it off. However, the little bugger somehow ate the peanut butter without snapping the trap... Twice. So we moved on to sticky paper. I actually view this as cruel and unusual punishment. Could you imagine having all your limbs sealed to a piece of glue paper and forced to await certain doom? It makes me claustrophobic just thinking about it. However, it was a success. Our little nemesis didn't go down without a fight though. In the course of ten minutes, he managed to scoot himself half way across the room. No one would agree to kill the poor animal, so instead we threw it outside, paper and all. It was gone the next morning. None of the dogs had paper stuck to their face so I assume they just ingested it as well. Bon appetite.

The Preschool

Yoldy

The thing I love about Yoldy the most is her voice. She always yells at me from a long way off. So I know when I hear someone calling "Miss Eda!" from a hundred yards away it's Yoldy. Unfortunately, Yoldy was born with turned out feet, lacks knee caps and she only has the use of one eye, but despite all of that she gets a long just fine. She is really resourceful, which sometimes gets her into trouble. I think I pray for her the most of all my students because I cannot imagine the life before her. However, I know God has her future planned and I am excited to see where she goes. Today, she told me she had a bad day, so I asked her to try and think of three good things that happened. She told me "breakfast, and snack and lunch." I raised my eyebrows at her and she said, "and my teacher!". I mentioned she's really resourceful, right? She knows how to flatter. She has a good heart and great patience. If you ever visit Canaan you will find her one of the easiest kids to talk to. Before Christmas, I gave my kids awards with verses that remind me of them. Hers was Romans 5:3-5. She has great endurance for one so young and I am blessed to spend seven hours a day with her.

Urine works on Sea Urchin stings too

It's been a great first week back. School was a bit rough, just getting back into the swing of things, but by Wednesday we had our routine again. This semester will be exciting just to see the students progress. Most of my class is almost finished with the year so I can start them on next year.

In celebration of our great week, we went to the beach today. Okay, I kind of suckered everyone into going to the beach. But really, who doesn't love the beach?! We had to take the small nissan truck because the bigger ones had their batteries stolen. It was amazing how many kids we got in though. The first trip we had 14 adults and kids just in the bed! I think we had a total 22 people in there, cab and bed. If Canaan ever felt the need to hold a circus we have the clown car thing covered.

We went to the beach right off of route 1. It's smaller, but it is just outside Montrouis, which made trips back and forth shorter. I was in the first group and we all climbed down to the beach and jumped in. I kept my chacos on because the beach is rocky. About twenty minute after being there, Sarah crawled out on the beach and was looking at her foot. She had been stung by a sea urchin. She said it didn't hurt and you could see it so she just pulled it out. At this point, I was throwing Joseph into the water a few yards out where you couldn't see the bottom. I felt my foot brush against something that felt like a thorn bush, so I climbed to the shore to check it out. My big two and my foot had two spots that where bloody and had something black in them.

At first, it didn't hurt at all. However, after about five minutes my foot was aching. It wasn't overwhelming or anything, but I couldn't walk on it. I couldn't even see the stingers they were so deep. So Kim tells me if I want to stop it stinging someone has to pee on it. Now I've seen that episode of Friends where Monica is stung by a jelly fish and Chandler pees on it for her, but really? I just assumed that was a really bad old wives tale. But no, the Haitians really believe in it too. They kept shouting at the boys to come over and help me. Sweet Kawen even brought me a bottle full of his urine. I held out.

Then Pastor Joel showed up with the second group and a pair of Asian UN members stopped too. The UN guys just wanted to take pictures with the kids...it was odd. Pastor Joel wanted me to go back to Canaan and get the stingers pulled. I tried to convince him I was fine and I could stay, but he insisted. So the next thirty minutes were spent painfully having my foot dug at with a needle while Caridad and Roselande starred at my face waiting for me to cry. It didn't work because they were too deep. So now I'm just waiting for them to come out of their own accord. Plus side to this? I get to wear flip flops to school tomorrow!

Home Again

To Mom

I hate good-byes. You know this. I am always in a rush to leave a place so I do not have to endure them. The few days approaching the end of a break or before a long trip I mope bitterly. The past few days I have felt the same as always, sad...somber...distracted... I admit I teared up when I turned around at security and could no longer see you waiting and waving. I felt dejected the entire day, longing to stay and excited to go. The feeling persisted even after reuniting with the team and landing in Port au Prince. On the ride to Canaan, I was beginning to think it would linger for days. When we arrived we got out of the truck and gave hugs around to the Haitian adults waiting for us.
Then from down the hill I heard my name called and when I turned around there was a host of kids charging up the hill to swallow us in hugs. The next hour was spent in hugs and tears and my sore attempts at creole greetings. I'd almost forgotten how much I missed them.

I sometimes wish that I could buy a huge piece of land and transport all my loved ones there. It would be a Utopia of family, Harding, Gander Brook, Canaan and College Station. Then I remember what you told me this summer. That the place I am longing for is heaven. Well! I wish it would hurry up and get here. But it is alright. I am learning to accept that no matter where I am part of me will long for somewhere else. But wherever I am is home because I am never without what I love most:)

I miss you terribly. I pray for you constantly. May God protect and guide you on all your travels and know I long to be with you.

Romans 12:1-2

12:1 Se sak fè, frè m' yo, jan Bondye fè nou wè li gen kè sansib pou nou an, se pou nou ofri tout kò nou ba li tankou ofrann bèt yo mete apa pou Bondye, bèt yo ofri tou vivan epi k'ap fè Bondye plezi. Se sèl jan nou dwe sèvi Bondye tout bon.

2 Pa fè menm bagay ak sa moun ap fè sou latè. Men, kite Bondye chanje lavi nou nèt lè la fin chanje tout lide ki nan tèt nou. Lè sa a, n'a ka konprann sa Bondye vle, n'a konnen sa ki byen, sa ki fè l' plezi, sa ki bon nèt ale.

Arkansas Adventures

Last saturday, I chose to make the daring trek to my alma mater in the foothills of the Ozarks, Harding University. It was a chance to see old friends, talk to my professors and spend 16 hours in my car, Guber. Unfortunately, as uplifting as it was to be reminded of all the people I love and care for, Guber didn't make it out of Arkansas in one piece. On Saturday night, as I was driving down highway 67 with Meghan Przezcherski...sorry Megs I tried to spell it...a deer decided to run out in front of us without any warning. I hit it at 70 mph and watched it fly an impressive 1000 yards(this might be a hyperbole). When the brakes finally brought us to a swift stop I turned to Meghan and in a squeaky, incredulous voice shouted, "I just killed a deer!". We pulled off the road right behind the deer carcass and checked my car, which was now hissing, steaming and missing a headlight. We decided to try and make it back to Searcy because it was about 1:00am and we were in the middle of nowhere on a Arkansas highway. We made it most of the way without incident until I stopped at a stoplight and we heard a suspicious thud. Meghan jumped out to check what it was and came back with Guber's grill. At first we laughed, but then Meghan realized there might be deer guts on it and threw it in the backseat. 

After a long discussion with an Autozone guy and failed attempts at opening my hood we finally reached the decision that Guber was not making it back to Texas of his own volition. So my AMAZING brother-in-law, Curtis Davis, drove my grandfather's truck all the way up to Arkansas on his day off. We loaded Guber onto a rented trailer and dragged him 500 miles and 10 hours back down to good ol' College Station. And the final damage? Two-thousand dollars. I have to replace Guber's entire front end.   

Lessons learned? Do not drive on Arkansas highways at night. Make sure your insurance covers run-ins with deer. And set your sisters up with really, really nice guys (there is no need to actually marry a nice guy if you have sisters).