Wash Away Clean

So, the other night there was a huge thunderstorm. Talk about God's power! Wow. I have maybe 2 times in my life seen a thunderstorm that loud and strong. It started as soon as the sun set, and the lightning was incredible. In Haiti, at night it is incredibly black out. You look out the window, and the sky is so dark. This was a beautiful backdrop for God's performance. The lightning was crystal clear.

When it started to rain, all of the Haitians ran into their homes. The street flooded up so high. The water raced down the street as if I was looking out into a river. The rain was fierce and the drops were heavy. But, it was so cold and so refreshing. What a treat after such a hot day!

However, what I was most astonished with was how God takes care of this town. The pollution is very bad. There are no garbage cans and there is no sense of garbage-collection. People throw all of their trash into the street or out their windows.

There is one section of Leogane that smells so incredibly rank. I can't put my finger on it...It's a cross between rotting corpses, urine, animal manure, and burning wood.

But...after the storm, God washed away the stentch and the trash. He takes care of us even when we can't take care of ourselves. Above is a picture of my street...after the storm. There is hardly any garbage on the street. I can't imagine this town without rainfall. The vegetation is so lush and there are so many huge trees that surround many of the houses. The trees give us shade and food. And, all we have to do is watch God take care of them!

God's defintely watching over this town.

Lyrics I'm humming:

Our God is an Awesome God.

Bon Fete Des Meres!

Today is Mother's Day in Haiti...Bon Fete des Meres!! And...it was the graduation celebration for Ma Petite Ecole. (A kindergarten in town). Yoleine and James started this school, and it's were I'm teaching this summer... Well, the graduation started at 9:00am and it finished at 1:00pm! Oh my gosh! The longest graduation I've ever been to! And, it was for 30 kids!! Craziness! It was very nice though. We had it outside in this really nice gazeibo type place. The kids danced, sang, read poetry, and I sweat. Oh my gosh. I sweat so much! I swear the second I take a drink of water it just comes pouring out of my forehead!! Haha! All of the parents were sooo dressed up for the graduation! It was so fun! They wore prom dresses and very high heals and had their hair all done up! I was definitely underdressed! There were about 100-200 people watching the graduation, and I was the only person sweating like mad! Well, in the middle of the ceremony Yoleine asked me to get up and talk about my class this summer and my plans! In French! I was sooo stinkin' nervous. Butterflies shot up my spine! Well, "ok" I said to her!! So, I got up, and I smiled a lot, and I actually made sense!! (Rapp Fam...it was nothing like the Miss Iowa catastrophe!!! Hahaha!) People were smiling at me while I spoke, which made me less nervous!! After the graduation, everyone stayed around. A bunch of Haitian women brought in these huge pans and they cooked everyone some great food! I really have no idea exactly what I was eating...but whatever!! Then, we just chillaxed underneath a mango tree until 4:00! So nice. Wow. We talked and the little kids and I played some funny games! I taught the kids how to juggle!! (Yeah for fun times in Apartment #98 late at night!!) And, the kids all played with my hair and my freckles. They definitely do not understand my freckles. I think they think it's dirt, because they try to pick it off my arms! I'm like..."no please no!!" Haha God is so good though. There is a boy, Jean-Junior, who I'm going to be working with this summer. (He's actually not really a boy...he's a 24 year old guy) But, anyways...he was asking me about my cross on my neck (thanks Dad!!) and if I believed in God! I was like "Oh Ya!" Then he wanted to learn guitar...so I taught him some worship songs!! I had translated some songs into French, so I played them for him and explained what the lyrics meant!! So great! Basically, each morning I wake up at 5:00am. Not by choice, though! There is a rooster that sits right outside my window and crows like crazy!! Ahhhh!!! And, then as soon as the sun is up so everyone starts working! Gros Bisous! (Big Kiss!!) Lyrics I'm humming: Shine Jesus Shine!

Orderly Chaos

Well, I made it. Craziness, but true.

So far my biggest surprise was the amount of oppression the Haitians saw in the JFK airport in New York City. The flight from JKF to Port-au-Prince was in a storage closet type wing. We had to check in in a less-than-standard area of the airport. The security check was completely below any security I've ever seen in an airport...and, I've been in lots of airports.

But, let me tell ya...the Haitians really wanted to pack lots on the flight!! The flight was totally full, and people had soooo much luggage! (Me included!) One lady was even wearing 3 hats so she could have more room in her suitcase!

The flight was entertaining. When we landed in PAP everyone cheered and clapped!! It was way exciting!

I was so anxious...I was excited, scared, nervous...all the above.

Well, the drive from the airport to Leogane was about 3 hours. Ahh! So long and so hot in a small pick-up truck! Two Haitians rode on top of our luggage in the back so it wouldn't fly out! How funny!

Port-au-Prince was interesting. I saw so much polluion. Dead pigs. Hard-working men. Honking horns. Venmdors trying to tsell stuff. So many colors! Lots of noise. No white people.

I finally arrived in Leogane and was (and am) delighted with the town. Wow. Such a green city! There is a coconut and a mango tree in our backyard! The house is beautiful! So much more than I could have expected!! I have a huge, gorgeous room and (for now) my own bathroom with a shower!!! Oh my goodness!! There's a patio outside of my window in my room, and I can see the neighborhood from there! I adore it.

And, there are so many people who live in the house!! I can't keep them straight right now!! But, here are a few highlights!

Grammy: Yoleine's (the director of Neges) 85 year old mom. She is so beautiful and speaks only Creole...so for right now, her and I just smile at each other!

John: A really kind 17 year old boy who has been so nice!

Bernadette: So beautiful!! She's going to be one of the teacher's I'm going to be teaching. She's absolutely gorgoeus and so nice.

Mackenzie: A little orphan boy Yoleine adopted. He lives in the house and is such a little punk! I can tell the adults get angry at him! But, he is way cute!!

Last night in my room I had so many emotions. So, I started crying, then I started laughing, then I cried some more. I can't believe I'm here. It doesn't feel real. But, it does feel right.

This morning I met a lady who is looking for help with a VBS at her Baptist Church! I totally volunteered my time and limited talents! Her and I talked about Christianity in Lerogane and her faith in Jesus. It was totally amazing. It's nice to know a Christian here. She works at the school I'm going to be teaching at.

Well, I'd better go. We're having a big dinner at the house tonight!

Lyrics I'm humming:

If You're Happy andf You Know It, Clap Your Hands!!

Taken Care Of.

God has definitely been doing some serious behind-the-scenes work. There are a number of things that I've been pretty nervous about...which are completely out of my control. And, I thought I'd explain how God has taken care of so many details.

1.) Lonliness. I will be the only girl my age from America who speaks English.
God had other plans! As of two days ago, there will be a 21 year old French girl who lives in America living with me! Her name is Mathilde, and she is going to be teaching a French class!

2.) Flying by myself to and from Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Well, the director of Neges (the organization I'm helping) is flying down with me! I'm meeting her family in New York, and we are on the same flight down to Port-au-Prince!
From Port to America...Mathilde is going to get on the same flight as me! That way there will be two of us together!

3.) Finances. I barely make rent each month...I just don't have the funds to purchase plane tickets to and from Haiti or school supplies for the kids. I also want to give the family I'm living with in Haiti money for completely providing room, food, laundry, and transportation for me.
Well, God definitely provided here! I sent out letters to friends and family asking for prayer and financial support. And, I was blown away with their generosity. I had everything from the poor college student giving what she could to a kind family making a substantial budget cut to support me. It was just so humbling to see how people responded.

4.) Communication. How will I communicate with my family to let them know I am okay?
I will have internet access when I am there, so I can email my family and keep updates on my blog. The family also has a phone, so my parents can call that number if they need to get a hold of me! I didn't realize how much I depended on technology so much.

I leave tomorrow for New York. I'll be staying there for three days...and then, on Friday morning we'll leave for the Port-au-Price airport. We get into Port at 1:00 pm this Friday.

Please pray for safety from about 1:00pm to 4:00pm on Friday, as we travel to Leogane.

Lyrics I'm humming:

My God's gonna come in the mornin'.

Getting Ready!

I can't believe I'm leaving for Haiti on Monday. I am getting incredibly excited, nervous, and anxious.

I guess the part of my preparation that has been the most shocking is how many people have connections to Haiti! When I tell people I'm going to Haiti...after explaining to them that it's not Tahiti or Honduras... I am surprised at how many people have friends in Haiti! I mean with a country the size of Massachusetts, I can't believe the number of people drawn to the beautiful island!

Tonight I talked to a man who has been to Haiti 3-5 times each year for the past 35 years. He's been in and out of Port-au-Prince over 100 times. Now, that's a humbling story. He works at a hospital in the Central Plateau and helps with schools, construction projects, and community training.

Here's an overview of what I'll be doing.

I'm teaching 30 kindergarteners English Monday-Thursday from 9am-12. Yep...that's 4 hours with 30 6 year olds! I am so excited!

Then, on Thursday, I'll have a 4 hour class with 5 English teachers helping them with their English and teaching skills. I have a feeling though, these 5 people will be teaching me much more than I'll be teaching them.

Now, I've been asked...so, what are you doing the other 20 hours of the day. Hmmm... Honestly... I don't really know. I guess I'll sleep for 8 hours. 2 hours total of eating. 2 hours of preparing for my class...which leaves me with 8 hours of ??? time. I'm hoping to have a Bible Study, talk with the people I'm leaving with, and spend some great time with God.

But, in the end... I am completely inadequate and unqualified to teach in Haiti. I hope that, at little, I can bring a little joy and enthusiasm to the family I'm living with.

Well...more soon!

*Picture up top...well, I think that's the backyard of the house I'll be living in!!

Lyrics I'm humming:

It is the cry of my heart to follow You.