Very seldom do I ever blog twice in the same day. But today, I had the opportunity to spend a few hours with a 20 year old Haitian boy that I met shortly after I arrived in country and received my first assignment. For privacy reasons, I won't name him. I refer to him as a "boy" because he's the same age as my youngest son.
This kid is one of the most polite kids I have ever met. Before he arrived he called me and asked if he had to wear sandals. I asked why? He said, "I don't have any sandals, I only have one pair of shoes." Okay, right then I knew that I was going to buy him a pair of sandals. They sell some here made by an organization I mentioned earlier today on my Facebook, "Rebuild Globally."
This kid is very intelligent, having taught himself how to speak English. It's by no means perfect, but he does a pretty darn good job. I invited him to the place where I live so he could go swimming and enjoy a good meal.
When he arrived I gave him the sandals. He said "I say thank you, but that is not enough." I assured him that it was. After he finished swimming we just sat around and talked. It was then that I learned that he only eats two times per week. That's right, twice per week! Even for Haiti, I was shocked though I shouldn't be. His mother works 7 days per week but only makes enough money to feed them twice per week. Once again, my heart was broken.
I immediately began thinking about how many times at home I would say something like "I'm starving." While I didn't mean it literally, it's embarrassing that I said it at all. And worst case scenario, if I was hungry and there wasn't nothing in the house that I wanted, I would simply jump in the car and go to a drive-thru and get whatever I wanted. How spoiled are we?
After he got out of the pool and went to change clothes, I immediately ran back to my room. I found a couple of plastic bags and filled them with what groceries I had. I also gave him some money to give to his mother so maybe she can buy a few extra groceries. I'm going to try to have him back here at least 2-3 times per month so I feed him a good meal.
Folks, we in America live in a world where we take so much for granted. Believe me, I'm guilty. Maybe tonight, before you go to bed, thank God for what you have. My wife said something to me not long ago that I find now, more than ever, to be profound. She told me: "you know, we're not as well off as many, but we're much better off that many." How true that is. Until next time, take care, stay safe and God Bless.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Another Blessing
Today the first day of an 8 day vacation. Today and tomorrow I will just hang out here before going to the Dominican Republic for a few days of R&R. I had convinced myself that I would be bored out of my mind. I was already missing the kids from my camp.
Well, again God sent a blessing my way. I decided to go hang out at the pool for an hour or so. As I was walking out there I noticed that there were a bunch of Haitian kids swimming in the pool. You probably know by now that I have a soft spot in heart for these kids. Within minutes I was playing with them in the pool. I would help some of them swim, played catch with some and played volleyball with some. They were very polite and were having a great time.
I found that they were street kids. An organization called Rebuild Globally helps support these kids. For more information check out their website at www.REBUILDGlobally.org or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/REBUILDglobally. These kids make sandals here in Haiti. The money raised is used for them to pay for their education. Nearly all "quality" education here in Haiti is through private schools and is expensive, especially for Haitians. So please, check out their website.
Once again, you just never know when you are going to blessed by God. Until next time, take care, stay safe and God Bless.
Well, again God sent a blessing my way. I decided to go hang out at the pool for an hour or so. As I was walking out there I noticed that there were a bunch of Haitian kids swimming in the pool. You probably know by now that I have a soft spot in heart for these kids. Within minutes I was playing with them in the pool. I would help some of them swim, played catch with some and played volleyball with some. They were very polite and were having a great time.
I found that they were street kids. An organization called Rebuild Globally helps support these kids. For more information check out their website at www.REBUILDGlobally.org or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/REBUILDglobally. These kids make sandals here in Haiti. The money raised is used for them to pay for their education. Nearly all "quality" education here in Haiti is through private schools and is expensive, especially for Haitians. So please, check out their website.
Once again, you just never know when you are going to blessed by God. Until next time, take care, stay safe and God Bless.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
On to the Next Adventure
Well, I just finished my last shift at my current assignment. It was bittersweet. I will miss the people there and will miss my teammates. But, it's time for another adventure somewhere else in Haiti. Not to mention, my new adventure only involves day shift. That's a plus for my body.
Today was not great but at the same time it was not bad. I had a chance to meet with Greg and Michelle Roberts, along with Wilna from Chadasha. More importantly, I got to hold this little boy for about 30 minutes while they talked with his mother. After about 5-10 minutes he fell asleep with his hands clasped together. He's a sweet little boy though I doubt he is long for this world. Unless God has other plans, I doubt this little boy will be alive in a couple of weeks.
Greg and Michelle have assured me that they are in for the long haul. They will help care for this little boy until the very end. They will also ensure that the parents receive the very best medical care available here along with the medication needed. What a great couple and Chadasha is a great organization. I simply can't say enough about these three people. I feel like I have known them forever. Again, if your church supports international missions, please consider passing along information about Chadasha. I have included a link to their website at the end of this posting.
Now, I will start my new assignment tomorrow. Hopefully, when I'm working the early shift I can get access to a vehicle in the afternoon so I can go back to where I was working and see some people there. I will never forget what I experienced during that assignment. Most of which was documented in my previous blog.
After tomorrow, I will be on vacation for 8 days. The first couple days I'll just hang out here and relax. After that, I'll head to the Dominican Republic and hang out on the beach for 3 or 4 days. Nothing to complain about there other than wishing my family was with me.
Until next time, take care, stay safe and God Bless.
http://www.chadasha.org/
Today was not great but at the same time it was not bad. I had a chance to meet with Greg and Michelle Roberts, along with Wilna from Chadasha. More importantly, I got to hold this little boy for about 30 minutes while they talked with his mother. After about 5-10 minutes he fell asleep with his hands clasped together. He's a sweet little boy though I doubt he is long for this world. Unless God has other plans, I doubt this little boy will be alive in a couple of weeks.
Greg and Michelle have assured me that they are in for the long haul. They will help care for this little boy until the very end. They will also ensure that the parents receive the very best medical care available here along with the medication needed. What a great couple and Chadasha is a great organization. I simply can't say enough about these three people. I feel like I have known them forever. Again, if your church supports international missions, please consider passing along information about Chadasha. I have included a link to their website at the end of this posting.
Now, I will start my new assignment tomorrow. Hopefully, when I'm working the early shift I can get access to a vehicle in the afternoon so I can go back to where I was working and see some people there. I will never forget what I experienced during that assignment. Most of which was documented in my previous blog.
After tomorrow, I will be on vacation for 8 days. The first couple days I'll just hang out here and relax. After that, I'll head to the Dominican Republic and hang out on the beach for 3 or 4 days. Nothing to complain about there other than wishing my family was with me.
Until next time, take care, stay safe and God Bless.
http://www.chadasha.org/
Saturday, September 24, 2011
From Bad to Worse
Well, this day has gone from bad to worse. I had to delete my previous blog. I managed to get myself "on the radar" which is something I have always striven to avoid. For the most part, I have always been successful. Oh well, you live and you learn. It is wise not to make the same mistake twice, which is now my goal.
That situation though pales in comparison to the predicament I now find myself in. For those of you who followed my previous blog, you are aware of my struggles to help a very young and very sick child. Until a couple of hours ago I thought that I had done just that, with help from a lot of other people. And I suppose that we have helped this child to some degree. A couple of hours ago I received some devastating news.
This child is in much worse shape than initially thought. Since I posted some photos of this child in my previous blog I'm not going to go too much into detail about his present medical condition. What I, or we, are now faced with is telling this child's parents exactly how bad the situation is. That alone would be devastating for any parent. But this particular information will also have a profound impact on the parents themselves and their medical future. Okay, you probably have figured out where I'm going with this.
Tomorrow will be my last official day in my current position. What a way to end it. But, I have no choice but to meet this head-on. There are many complexities now involved in this that I have work out in my head, through careful thought and lots of prayer. I have to remain compassionate while at the same time not getting myself into another jam. I will continue to ask that you pray for this family and for all of the people here in Haiti. Until next time, take care, stay safe, and God Bless.
That situation though pales in comparison to the predicament I now find myself in. For those of you who followed my previous blog, you are aware of my struggles to help a very young and very sick child. Until a couple of hours ago I thought that I had done just that, with help from a lot of other people. And I suppose that we have helped this child to some degree. A couple of hours ago I received some devastating news.
This child is in much worse shape than initially thought. Since I posted some photos of this child in my previous blog I'm not going to go too much into detail about his present medical condition. What I, or we, are now faced with is telling this child's parents exactly how bad the situation is. That alone would be devastating for any parent. But this particular information will also have a profound impact on the parents themselves and their medical future. Okay, you probably have figured out where I'm going with this.
Tomorrow will be my last official day in my current position. What a way to end it. But, I have no choice but to meet this head-on. There are many complexities now involved in this that I have work out in my head, through careful thought and lots of prayer. I have to remain compassionate while at the same time not getting myself into another jam. I will continue to ask that you pray for this family and for all of the people here in Haiti. Until next time, take care, stay safe, and God Bless.
Dawn of the New Blog
Well, here we go again. I will continue to blog about my experiences here in Haiti. However, there will be some major changes to my format. First of all, there will be no names, no photos and no references to any government agencies, U.S. or abroad, Sounds kind of boring huh? Well, it's the best I can do.
Some people look at it as censorship, a violation of my First Amendment rights. I don't necessarily look at it that way. I believe thatI have no choice but to look at it from the viewpoint of those above me. I have no choice but to abide by the rules, whether I agree with all of them or not. That's simply the right thing to do. I have a family and I have to provide for my family. I also have an obligation to my country, my employer and to my co-workers and superiors. So, we'll see how this works out. Stay tuned for a posting later this evening.
Some people look at it as censorship, a violation of my First Amendment rights. I don't necessarily look at it that way. I believe thatI have no choice but to look at it from the viewpoint of those above me. I have no choice but to abide by the rules, whether I agree with all of them or not. That's simply the right thing to do. I have a family and I have to provide for my family. I also have an obligation to my country, my employer and to my co-workers and superiors. So, we'll see how this works out. Stay tuned for a posting later this evening.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)