Nothing beats sitting under a tin roof in haiti listening to the rain and being cooled of by the breeze that it brings! It has rained almost every day this past week which has been refreshing. Canaan is smack dab in the middle of mountains and the ocean so watching the storms come and go is quite the humbling experience. I was so thankful to be able to steal away yesterday afternoon and sit on top of a hill to watch nature at work. Sometimes it takes witnessing greatness for my little peanut sized mind to be reminded that it is not about me, that I was created for his pleasure and to live a life of worship.
Last Saturday a group of 7 arrived at Canaan and they will be here until the end of July. They are with the missions organization World Race which means that over the course of 11 months they will travel to 11 different countries (with one back pack) and this happens to be their first. I honestly have been planning on a team showing up searching for adventure with their little red push pin in hand ready to poke through Haiti on a map. But I was sorely mistaken. Their heart for these kids is astounding and they have brought a whole new wave of energy and encouragement to not only to Canaan as a whole but also to me individually. It is amazing to see how God has unified them as a team and is using their unique gifts to serve in very needed and specific ways here. One of those ways is in the school. Three of the World Race-ers are teachers so they dove right in and I have actually ended up in the school this past week also. To all the teachers out there, I have an entire new appreciation for you. The program that they have here is called ACE and it is a christian homeschooling system. It is not split up into classes or grades, they work more on an individual basis as they progress through booklets called paces. As a student in this system, you teach yourself most of the material so working in the school you serve as more of a monitor/ tutor/ test giver. It definitely is different than any school system I have seen, but spending a little time in there has given me a taste of what it would be like to be a teacher. So much patience is required, love for kids is a must, and eyes to see each child as an individual is necessary. I have loved watching how the kids respond to encouragement and just having someone believe in them. They are only children and without having that influence it is hard for them to find motivation to work hard and try their best. And just to throw it out there, Canaan is currently looking for teachers to come work in the school so if anyone has a heart for missions and kids, this would be something to pray about.
My pretend role as a teacher hasn't fooled anyone though, not a day goes by that someone is coming up to me explaining their newest symptoms, showing me their cut, asking for band aid, or even sending me a letter saying they are feeling bad and need cold water. Even the dogs have paid me a vist. A couple mornings ago I woke up to a giant smelly dog sitting in our house. He got in a fight with one of the other dogs and had a chunk taken out of his leg... it was nasty. I opted out of that one as I lured him out of the house with some beef jerky. I have no desire to be a veterinarian, sorry. On tuesday, the mamba clinic went pretty smoothly. One kid came that was possibly the largest patient I have seen come through to the clinic. He wasn't big from being over weight though, it is from something called kwashikwor which is a symptom of malnutrition. Basically all of the fluid shifts out of your cells to tissues and causes edema. He had edema all over his body and just looked miserable sitting there like he was ready to pop. I am interested to see what the outcome will be if he keeps coming to the clinic. As he begins to be nourished, the fluid should leave his body so he wont necessarily gain weight, hopefully he will loose some at first. If the internet is ever fast enough I will try and get a picture of him up.
I have a count down going...a week from today my dad, mom and brother are all coming! I cannot wait for them to be here and be able to see where I have been these past 2 months.
Sendin my love,
J