Days 3 and 4

Greetings from Sunny Haiti!

It’s great to be back here at OLTCH – it really feels like a second home. The kids are as cute as ever. There are some new faces, and I am missing some old ones. (A few of the girls went back to their previous families. We’re not sure if this is a good situation or not…please pray for them: Geraldine, Shalin, and Nina.) It’s also fun hanging out with Jasmine’s 15-year-old son, Nick. (He was in the states last time we were here.)

Here’s what we’ve been up to the past couple days:

Yesterday the girls and I were able to make the new kitchen building feel a little homier by painting the inner plywood a pleasant cream color. That took up much of the day, and the other parts were filled with loving on babies and playing with kids. Meanwhile the fellows tore down an old barbed wire fence and dug a trench in its place to set up some piping for a kitchen sink (which was installed today). They also played basketball and football with the little boys.

Today we intended to paint the rest of the kitchen, but we were drafted to help prepare lunch instead. We have a newfound respect for the cook here – wow! We cleaned, peeled, and chopped enough vegetables to feed a small army, and it almost took us all morning. The other ladies who work here came and helped us toward the end, presumably because they saw how slow we inexperienced ladies were with peeling odd vegetables without a peeler, just a large-ish knife. We chopped potatoes, carrots, and onions without much difficulty, but there were a few vegetables we were unfamiliar with. I believe taro was one, and maybe some variety of monster radish? We’re still not quite sure, but the veggies were certainly yummy after the cook had her way with them!

After lunch, the girls joined the boys and Nick to dig an enormous hole for a septic system. I believe it is supposed to be something like 8 ft all the way around, and we got pretty far. We took turns shoveling and wheelbarrowing the dirt over to the other end of the orphanage to build up the rapidly eroding driveway. The little boys had fun helping us flatten the dirt as we spread it across the drive way (mini feet make light work!). I am quite impressed by the buffness in this crowd, particularly the ladies.  We also loved on some babies and played with the kids throughout the day. They’re so precious J.

Kate got her hair done in cornrows today! I admire her bravery – you’ve  gotta be tough to endure that kind of intensity. I’m not sure I could handle it!

Well, my friends, it is bed time. Thank you so much for your prayers and support! Please continue to pray for our health, safety, energy levels, and that God’s will would be done here in Haiti both during our time here and afterward. Please also pray for this odd bug bite I just got… kind of an itchy-stingy sensation. Thank you!!!

Love you all, and goodnight!

Sarah