Haiti Happenings

Well, the kids are all tucked in bed. It is peaceful and quiet here tonight. Our time with Kervens has been oh so sweet. As good as I could have hoped for. Of course, I always get asked whether or not he will remember. Well, I have no idea. All I know is that when we drove up to the orphanage, I headed straight for his room. He apparently was just waking up, or being woken up for my sake. He was groggy and fussing. The nanny handed him to me saying, "Mama Kervens." He hugged me tight and laid quietly on my shoulder for several minutes. And we haven't looked back. I was crying, Eddy was crying, Angela was crying, Mary was crying. It was a precious moment.

We have spent every waking moment together. Literally. Eddy comes in and out in between jobs, but Kervens is definitely a mama's boy. I told Eddy it was about time I got a mama's boy! I am starting to see his little personality coming out. He is so pleasant and fun. So smiley all the time! However, if other kids mess with his stash of stuff (mostly birthday presents we brought him), then he gives them a serious talking to with an ATTITUDE. He is pretty much blessing them out in creole. It is really cute...for now.

Our team arrived on Sunday afternoon, and our travel went without a hitch. Well, one hitch. As we were leaving the airport, I got detained by some baggage issues. So, I stayed back to talk to baggage claim people while Eddy went out to meet up with our baggage guy named BIG. Yep, that is his name. And yep, he is BIG.

Anyway, as Eddy exited the airport, he yelled out, "Big, where are you?" Well, in a sea of Haitian men all looking for work, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is to announce who you are looking for. Because all of the sudden, they ALL claim to be BIG. They ALL want your business! So, Eddy was bombarded with potential luggage carriers until he stammered back into the airport and yelled across the room, "Honey, it is CRAZY out here! They all say they are BIG. Which one is BIG?"

I quickly pointed out who Big was through the door, and Big gave Eddy a big embrace.

Other than that, our experience has been peaceful. No one has gotten sick or hurt or injured or dehydrated. Everyone is having a blast together - especially the men.

Our guys are working on several projects around the orphanage...building rabbit cages, building doors, hanging doors, building shelves, etc. As Eddy put it, "It does not seem like work cuz we are having so much fun together." But they really are working HARD!

The girls are all in one tent, and the boys are in another. Apparently the boys have some "minor" inconveniences to worry about in their tent...such as it being blazing hot in there...the girls got a chill last night. Such as the mosquitoes swarming them...the girls had a few flies to deal with. Such as the dogs barking and the roosters crowing keeping them up most of the night...the girls didn't realize there were roosters and dogs on the grounds due to our large humming box fan. The men have been troopers!

Things around the orphanage look good. The children are happy and healthy. Tomorrow we will spend time organizing the supplies that we brought, training the teachers in some basic phonics, and helping out with rubblewear. It is an honor and a blessing to be here!

- Posted by Carlee, using my iPad