You Know What to Do with Those Big Man Thighs

July 1^st, 2014 – 9:05 pm

I forgot to mention a bunch of things yesterday, so I’m taking the opportunity to mention them now. First off, Rachel poured the contents of her water bottle onto our driver. You see, when water gets left in the bottle for too long, it actually gets really ridiculously hot, so we all pour it out after a while if it’s too warm. She didn’t look before she dumped. Hilarious. Also, I got a huge bruise trying to open our stupid door. Good stuff. Also, Ed decided to sing along (as loud as humanly possible) to Frozen’s “Let It Go” on one of the bus rides yesterday. Uhm, grown men shouldn’t have that on their iPod to begin with, but the fact that he knew all the words and could belt it out in front of all of us was just downright weird. Weird, but entertaining. Gotta love Ed. And the last thing I forgot was about the third house we went into yesterday. With the old man. I was the one that prayed for him, and oh my goodness, he was so thankful for that. It was so cute. He gave me the tightest handshake and actually held my hand as he walked me out the door and said goodbye and thank you. It was so heartwarming. So on to today…

Seriously, it took three days, but the trip finally became really fun – at least for me and Emi. It was surprisingly cooler today and we finally got kid time. This morning started off with French toast. An obvious sign of a great day. Then we got back on the King of the Roads and went to Source Matelas to paint a house. It seemed like we drove forever before we got there. We actually made it all the way to the ocean, where there were beautiful vines full of pink flowers and all of the houses seemed put together and there were no babies running around without clothes.

The house had four rooms – which in Haiti is pretty darn amazing. It was definitely considered big when contrasted with the shacks people live in all along the roads. Uhm, we painted the walls and the outside a deep green and everything else was cream. We literally painted the entire house in two and a half hours, which is apparently like record breaking time. Kensington wins. Whaddup. Too cool.

Nothing really interesting happened besides music playing and one particular Haitian man dancing and singing in a really high-pitched voice. He was extremely entertaining. I kept trying to paint in his area so I could watch and listen. OH! And Emi walked up a hill holding a little boy and when she put him down, I happened to notice that one side of her chest was all wet. We made jokes and finally decided that it must have been the child’s sweat. Later however, she was complaining that she thought she smelled of urine… Tami has been quoted saying that you haven’t really been to Haiti “until you’ve gotten peed on.” Well, Emily has officially been to Haiti! After that, we packed everything up and went back to Main Campus for lunch.

Lunch consisted of nasty little hot dog pieces (Collin selflessly offered to eat all of mine) and lots of plantains. They were really hot and tasted awesome. After lunch, we headed back to Source Matelas for more painting. This time the house was brand new and was a Mission of Hope project.

We painted the walls pink and the trim white and finally, things started getting more interesting. Of course, all the teenagers quickly deserted their painting duties when the kids appeared. There were at least five of the children. Two girls and three or four boys. They were the cutest things I have ever seen.

One little girl took to me and was literally copying everything I was doing and she was acting like the biggest diva ever, I loved it! She was throwing her head to the side and making ridiculous noises and sticking her tongue out. So much sass, it was so funny! Later she even looked me in the eye and started speaking creole to me – must’ve thought I understood or something. I kind of understood the word baby. Like, she said it in creole, but it really sounded similar to something and I guess I put it together. She ran over to a nearby house and grabbed a baby girl by her hand. It was her little sister and she wanted her to meet me too! It was like, the cutest thing ever, and I played with the both of them for a while before I got called over for another group picture. When I came back after, she jumped onto my arm, wrapped her legs around my wrist and started swinging. Somehow I became her own personal swing and I was flinging my arms around as she smiled and laughed the entire time. It was awesome.

There was also this boy, who was 11 years old, and I believe his name was Valence. It was either Valence or Valdez. No one can understand the Haitian accent… He was adorable, very talkative and knew a little English. He counted to twenty with us, taught us how to do the same in creole and then asked us how old we were. He like, made this hilarious shocked face when we told him we were 18 and 19. It was adorable. He did the same with Emily – apparently she looks much older for her age.

Another little boy sat with me for like fifteen minutes doing magic tricks. He was adorable too. He had my trying to figure out which hand he held a rock in after hiding it behind his back; he ‘magically’ made it difficult for me to pull two rocks apart and he put the rocks in crazy positions between his fingers. I loved him too, and kept trying to make him laugh.

This is why I came back to Haiti. The kids make it all worth it.

Emily and Beth taught Valence how to play ninja. He also had a mini dance party against Ed, who showed off his weird ligament-less shoulder blade dancing. Joe (who is my new friend crush) actually slipped into a well, and then like three different people actually dismembered the spout…

Then we drove back to Main Campus after a very distressful goodbye. Dinner was rice and random different sauces and cake, which was perfect, because it was Susan Shoemaker’s birthday!

After dinner we had down time until church service at six, which was just Haitian praise and worship for an hour and ten minutes. Haitians were dancing, singing at the top of their lungs, Villarson was playing the recorder just like last year, and one was even bowed down on his knees with his forehead against the ground in surrender. Haitian church is pretty amazing, even though you can’t understand anything.

Then we had team time at 8, meaning we had some more down time. A group of us kids were chilling on the roof before that and I’ve never laughed so hard. Joe became my friend crush, meaning that I want him to be my friend, because he’s hilarious and absolutely awesome. Which, by the way, is where this title came from. We were talking about how we lost the soccer game (sorry, hopefully you knew that already) and complaining about how weird it is that the players get their legs massaged, and their thighs jiggle, and then AshLee freaked out about how gross it is. Yeah, so that’s that.

During team time, we shared stories from the day. Catherine apparently got to know a kid on a really personal level yesterday and she saw him today at church. Dale was impressed with the way the Haitians were so free with their praise. And we finally started our group introductions.

A day or two ago, Tami gave us the homework to meet up with another member of the group (that she paired you up with) and get to know them so that you can introduce them to the group. Ryan and Daniel presented each other; Collin and Dale did the same; and so did Susan Dare and Makenzie. It was really cool to hear everyone’s stories told from the perspective of a different member.

Anyways, it’s really late. I love you all, and I’d love to tell you more detail… but it’s late. I need sleep.

Katie Coming to You from Haiti

Update on the Animal Game

July 1st, 2014 – 4:48 pm

Noah is Theodore from Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Daniel has been changed – he is now a toy poodle.

Caitlin is a giraffe.

Henry is a gazelle.

Danni has been said to look like a mouse.

Rachel looks like a lemur.

Antonio looks like a bear. And Catherine has officially dubbed herself a golden retriever.

I Don’t Want to ‘On,’ I Want to ‘Delay’

June 30^th, 2014 – 9:20 pm

Get it? Like ondele … I honestly don’t know how to spell that, so I apologize. Just deal with it. You know what I mean. Like, let’s go kind of …

ANYWAYS. This morning, all of us met on the rooftop before breakfast to have our devotions groups. We got into our groups and got to know each other a little better. But you know, it’s early in the morning, and I’m in a group of teenage girls… So you can guess how that went.

After that we had breakfast we all hopped on THE KING OF THE ROADS. For anyone who read last year, or has family members who went, you know how exciting that is. Literally, it’s a cantor bus that just makes life worth living. It’s all open and you get a breeze and people have to stand and it’s just… fun! Jeremy and Courtney (our interns) took us to meet up with our translators and Village Champions, and we were off to Source Matelas. I found out – and I honestly don’t remember if I knew this last year or not – but the name of the village stands for water mattress, because when Haitians originally settled there, water came up everywhere they tried to build, so they were like, sleeping on water. It was something like that at least.

We took the bus all the way up the side of a small mountain (and this time, we did NOT get stuck!) and parked on the top with the most beautiful view. The pictures we all got are sure to astound! We took a bunch of group pictures and had fun, enjoying both the view and the breeze! But the heat got a little overwhelming for some of us and we went back to the bus for shade and water. Basically the translators explained a bunch of stuff about Haiti, and more specifically their village and wanted everyone to ask questions. I think we were all dying from heat though, so Papitas didn’t really receive all the questions he was expecting.

 

After that, they took us back down the mountain and we toured Source Matelas just to see all of the water sources. It’s crazy how awkward the whole situation really is if you think about it. I mean, you’ve got thirty white people walking into a village and watching random Haitians bathe, and then going to the next place, watching more people bathe… Like, it’s weird. But they don’t seem to mind. It’s also kind of sad, because all you see is large groups of people getting drinking water, bathing and washing their clothes all from the same pool of water. It’s disgusting and rather sad. I don’t know how people live like that. But as Papitas pointed out, God must really be watching over all these people, because it’s a shock that they’re all alive. It seems like they would get sick and die out by now, but they haven’t. And thank God too, because they’re some really awesome people!

So, I don’t know if like, the village kids are over all the American people after all these years or what, because this year has seemed very different from last time. I swear, less kids are coming out to play, and those who are out are barely interested in us. It’s kind of sad when they’re basically the best part of the entire trip.

When we were at the final water source today, it was very slippery. Susan Dare actually slipped and fell! She got a rear end covered in mud. All the Haitians LOVED it. They clapped and laughed when she got back up. I swear, they love seeing us mess up or do something ridiculous. It’s like we’re entertainment.

Then we came back for lunch, which was some kind of corn mash. That’s not really what it was, but that’s kind of the idea. It was really questionable looking, but it was surprisingly good. There was also this sauce with potatoes and carrots that literally tasted like my dad’s cooking according to my sister (I didn’t have any on account of an upset stomach). Props to the cooks ‘cause my dad makes some gooood potatoes!

So, I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t know whether this next thing happened today or yesterday. Everything is kind of blurring together and I can’t keep anything straight. When you’re in a place like Haiti, teenagers find really strange ways of entertaining themselves. Thus, “What Animal Do You Look Like?” was initiated. Here’s what it comes down to:

I look like a llama.

Haley and Mike look like sloths.

Ed actually looks like Sid the Sloth from Ice Age. Minus the waddle.

Emily looks like a monkey.

The three Mac sisters look little monkeys. Like capuchins.

AshLee looks like a parrot. Probably because of the colorful eye shadow.

Evan looks like a hedgehog.

Collin looks like a turtle.

GiGi looks like panther.

Daniel for some reason got moose.

Joe looks like a chipmunk.

Seth looks like a prairie dog.

Yeah, that’s what we did for a good half hour. Likely longer.

After lunch, we went back to Source Matelas, this time breaking into smaller groups so that we could each take at least one translator and go into peoples’ houses to speak with them. Sorry for those of you who weren’t in my group… I can mostly speak for myself, although I promise to poorly share the stories I overheard.

The first house we went into, there was an adorable old woman. Well, it wasn’t really a house, it was more of a store. She sold soda and water and shoes and clothes. She was the sweetest thing ever, and it was really ironic that we went in there to evangelize to her, because she’s been a follower of Jesus for like, forty years. We actually sung happy birthday to her, stumbling over the name part – Haitian names man, impossible – because her 54^th birthday is on Thursday. She was actually very passionate, and when we went to pray for her, she actually got on her knees as we all put our hands on her. Dave prayed aloud over her as Jeffney translated. She thanked us all for coming and we were on to the next house.

The next Haitian was a very similar case. She was also an older woman, and she invited us into her house so kindly, telling us about how she also follows Jesus. This time, Susan Dare prayed for the woman, and then we were off again!

The final house we went into was the house of an elderly gentleman who was actually a tailor. He went on and on and on about his story. It was rather hilarious. He apparently came from a different country, his father kicked him out when he was 17, he came here and somehow learned how to make and fix clothes and made a name for himself. He literally made a life for himself from nothing. It was incredible. What’s even more incredible is that he has like seven kids, and some of them are in Canada and in the US!

Ok, now for other stories that I overheard. Basically some people had conversations in homes where the people promised to be at church the next day. That’s pretty cool! And another group actually went into the home of someone we all recognized from Sunday’s service. He had been singing and dancing passionately with his baby daughter in his arms. He was obviously hard to forget. But they saw him and he actually recognized a bunch of them since we had all sat around him, which was really cool. Basically, it was a cool experience for everyone. Well, cool isn’t really the right word. Nothing is ‘cool’ in Haiti.

Just like last year, today seemed to be the day people dropped like flies. People were not feeling well. I think it’s at least partially because of the insane heat. Haley, Joe, Caitlyn, Mike, Emily all stayed at ‘home’ at least once and Colleen was on a medical program all day.

Everyone kind of reconvened around dinner time which was awesome: spaghetti noodles! Loved it! After dinner, we all went up for group time. Basically all the groups that are staying on this campus got together for a little praise and worship time and different groups shared their stories from the day. One group actually reenacted their reenactment of the David and Goliath story. Apparently all the Haitian kids had loved it as the translators translated the story. Pretty amazing stuff!  

Then we got into our group of like, 34 I believe and we had our own group time. We talked about our stories from the day. Catherine told us how she was holding a little boy in one of the homes and she decided to ignore the language barrier and whispered into his ear, “God loves you.” He broke into a huge smile and she thinks he actually understood what she said. She also told us how she was missing her mother and Papitas actually lent her his iPod for the night so she could log into Facebook and get in touch with her. Ryan commented on how amazing the translators and village champions actually are for taking the first step. Sure, we get to leave in a few days, so it really doesn’t matter what they think of us, or our message, but they actually live there and will have to deal with the rewards and consequences of every encounter we have. Think about it: Would you walk around your neighborhood, knocking on the door just to talk about their life and their relationship with Jesus? Scary, isn’t it?

The teens also got some praise tonight. Ruth commended Kenzie for her prayer today at one of the houses. Apparently it was amazing, and I wish I would have been there to witness it. Melissa also pointed out Daniel about how proud she was that he decided to support a Haitian child and put them through school with his own money. Ed jumped into the conversation saying that he could barely commit to a gym membership at his age.

 

And to add to that, little Noah actually walked by Tami all day to help her walk, since her ankle is so messed up. She just held onto his shoulder. I don't think she would have made it if it wasn't for his small but very needed act of kindness.

Tami basically held a little service for us during team time as well, focusing on how we need to stop and pay attention to what God is telling us, reflect and get involved with others to hold us all accountable.

After team time, I found my soul sister. Everyone, I love Danni. She is literally the blond version of me. It’s crazy how similar we are, and I love it. It seemed like we talked forever. Random bit of info, but this is kind of my journal, and I want to be able to look back and remember! Plus I know her mom will appreciate that… Hi Kathie!

But basically everyone did what we do everyone night. We bonded, hung out, played games with each other … And best of all, we didn’t have power for like forever. I was actually terrified that we might not have it all night. I couldn’t connect to the internet, I couldn’t charge anything, there was no light and NO FANS. AGH. The terror!

Anyways. I’m done for the day guys. It was a really hot, exhausting day. Leave comments! Group members keep asking if they got new messages. Hah! Goodnight ya’ll!

Katie Coming to You from Haiti

Dance with No Pants On, Hollah

June 29^th, 2014 – 9:15 pm

So, I risked my life to get this blog out. Literally, I almost tripped and fell to my death as I was coming down the stairs. Anyways…

Last night was so awful. I couldn’t sleep. I have this issue where I can’t sleep unless I have some type of sheet over me, but last night, it was just not in the cards. I was here last year and I thought it was hot, but nothing compares to this heat. It is miserable. I barely slept because the heat was so violent and I’ve fought back stomach aches and headaches all day, on and off. I took a shower a few minutes ago, and based on how I feel right now, you would never know. As soon as I stepped out of the shower, the sticky heat enveloped my entire body, yet again. I swear, the heat is like a clingy child, gripping at your neck, your legs, your back… It slithers over every inch of your skin until you sweat from places you didn’t even know existed.

Now, I imagine you didn’t click onto this page with the intent of listening to me complain, so I’ll move on to more interesting, less teenager-y topics.

Right after breakfast, we went on a tour of Main Campus. We saw Maggie’s Kitchen again (reference to last year’s blog), a garden, the orphanage, schools and finally the church, which is where we ended the tour. Our intern this year – who also served as our tour guide – is actually from Kensington’s Birmingham campus! Thought it was pretty cool. He’s super nice and has really intense blue eyes. Not that anyone cares… Just journalistic detail!

Church was, well… in a different language. For an hour and a half. I was brutally awakened from my peaceful sleep when my little sister reached over Evan to poke me at some point in the service. A small group from our team was looking at me, smirking, and when I looked to my left, there was Danni, in an identical position to my own, softly snoozing. If I can’t sleep, neither can she, so I poked her awake as well.

 

But I will say that the Haitians really do get into their service. I’m glad someone understands it. The singers were boisterous and happy and passionate, and the preacher spoke with authority and heart. It’s really cool to see Haitians pouring the gospel into other Haitians.

Plus, there was a little girl that like, decided to play musical chairs with the white people. She literally went through 13 of us in practically five minutes. It was awesome. And watching her cling to Evan was absolutely adorable. And when he tried to put her hat back on, it was incredibly funny. He was super awkward about it and it was just great – woke me and Danni up!

We came back for lunch after that. We were the last group that got to eat and there were no Pringles left. Sadness.

After lunch, we hopped on a school bus (which is like the worst thing ever, because heat, and those fake leather seats… just no) and headed to the campus on Bercy. I can’t even tell you how much I wished we were staying on that campus instead. The sea was absolutely beautiful – it was so blue! And there are so many new developments since I was here last. There’s an entirely new building that looks like it could be in America right now, that HAS AIR CONDITIONING. It’s basically a house for the staff with three different sections… But like, air conditioning. My God. There were also foundations laid for different buildings, but they were currently being used as basketball courts. There were other developments, but I can’t remember them.

We got back on the bus and headed for Leveque after that, which is a village for both the deaf and hearing impaired, where they can live with the ‘normal’ people from their village. You see, in Haiti, the culture kind of sees the impaired as being outcasts, so this is kind of a big deal. As soon as we pulled in with our big bus – after heading down a ridiculously long, rough road – children swarmed us. They were smiling, waving and singing up to our windows. As soon as I stepped out of the bus, a little (but not so little) girl ran at me, threw her arms up, and demanded that I carry her.

So, I was already dripping with sweat, and this girl wants me to pick her up. Like, ugh. Seriously. But you know, she got so much joy from just being around me, and hanging out. She took me to the brand new playground and I pushed her on the swing before I went to check out the scenery. She found me again though and climbed right up my side. Eventually, I convinced her that it would be a better idea to sit on my back instead of letting me hold her and the weight balance was sooo much better. Danni, Emi and I walked around the back of the church with her still hanging on me like a monkey, and we finally found some shade draped over a few random steps. We sat down and it was the greatest relief. Until the little girl (who when I asked what her name was, replied, “Maybe.”) found a pin on the ground and started poking all of us with it. Not fun. Then she put it in her mouth and freaked us all out. Luckily, she didn’t swallow it, but still.

I know you are all wondering about the title of this entry. I shall now explain. Leveque is a very poor city, and most people have a hard time trying to survive, let alone own suitable clothes. Many little kids run around half naked. And I saw way too many little boys today without pants. They were free in the wind. One even crawled up to the very top of the jungle gym, balancing with each foot on a monkey bar, and started dancing. No one needed to see that. So that explains that.

After Leveque, we got back on the nasty school bus, drove back to Main Campus and had lunch, which was awesome. The teenage girls made our dinner this time, and we each got a to-go container with chicken, rice and beans, spicy coleslaw and fried plantains. Delicious! I loved it all. Ate way too much. It was awesome.

After dinner, Haley, Danni, Emi and I traveled down to Madame Cheap Cheap’s. Emi and I picked out all the gifts for our families, Danni bought a rock, and Haley basically knocked down some things when her skirt got caught. Very funny to us, but embarrassing to her. Sorry Haley.

All the groups from both Main Campus and Bercy gathered back together at the church tonight and got Vision Night. We watched some amazing videos, listened to amazing people and sung amazing songs. Yeah, it was amazing. I can’t really do any of it justice, so I’m not even going to try. But let me just say, this place is legit. If there was ever a doubt about its legitimacy, you need to take a trip and see for yourself. It’s great. They’re doing so much for the Haitian people, and speaking from the perspective of an IB Econ student, their plans are extremely economically sound. It’s incredible. But seriously, ask your family members to tell you about it.

Anyways, then we had team time, in which Tami won the name game by naming everyone in the circle correctly, which is really impressive with such a large group. Different members shared their experiences and we prayed together. It was a nice conclusion to a long day. It doesn’t seem like we did much, but it sure feels like it – especially when a lot of us didn’t sleep well. Don’t take your AC for granted tonight. You have no idea how much we envy all of you back home. After that, it was basically all about getting to the showers as fast as you could.

Anyways, my battery is about to die, so I gotta log off. But thank you to all of you who are reading. I enjoy sharing the stories with you. Until tomorrow…

Katie Coming to You from Haiti

Brazil, Twizzlers and AwkoTaco

June 28^th, 2014 – 8:16 pm

Hushed cheers and not-so-muffled clapping speckled the plane ride to Port Au Prince as we somehow got the Brazil vs. Chile FIFA game on the backs of the chairs in front of us. It was pretty cool how the entire plane (not just the group) was all cheering for the same team. Anyways, that’s all I really have to say about the plane rides… I hate planes. You can ask my sister – she dealt with my mini panic attacks and clammy hands for every ounce of turbulence, takeoff and landing.

Oh, wait. There is one other thing I can say about the plane ride to Haiti. I’m sorry, but you are reading the writings of a slightly crazed person. A person who was literally brought to tears this afternoon when Mike Emerson tried to walk down the aisle with a bag of Twizzlers. I’m not joking – I smelled them and got all excited. He shared with me. Made my day. Sorry, random… but awesome.

Any veteran mission trip-attender can tell you that this time around at the airport was much better than the last time. We got our luggage with relative ease, followed Ed to our driver, and there were many less men this time trying to ask to carry our luggage for us, which was nice. Let me tell you though, the ease and good feelings ended there. I can’t speak for everyone of course, but there were a lot of moody teenage girls who were not liking the heat and humidity that hit us like a wall when we walked out of the airport doors.

I was soaked through the back of my shirt by the time we got to Main Campus.

The actual driving was interesting. There’s no way to describe the heat, or the strange smells, but the views are incredible. I liked it anyways, but it seemed like it scared the newbies. Haha, no worries – they will be more comfortable than they could imagine in a few days.

I know everyone wants to know what was for dinner. I have to admit, it was not looking very appetizing. When we walked into the room with the food, there was some questionable looking lasagna and a pathetic salad… all covered in flies. But once they refreshed the options, the lettuce was straight from the garden, mixed with tomatoes and cucumbers, albeit rather limp. But the lasagna was absolutely delicious. I hope it wasn’t goat meat. There’s no way to tell though…

As for the “AwkoTaco” part of this blog’s title, that’s coming to you directly from Danni. Both the phrase and the reasoning. First, she swallowed a bug and almost threw up on my bag. Lovely. Really. Second, we jumped to a conclusion and assumed that some of the showers were like, coed. I just asked Tami. They’re not. But we thought they were. And it was distressing.

Anyways, not much is going on currently. People are bonding, playing weird games, and Ed read me my graduation present as if the little crowd that gathered were a group of kindergarteners. It was hilarious. He paused for dramatic affect and amplified his voice dramatically. It was precious. Really. You should’ve been there.

So, I promise, the blog entries will get more interesting. Today barely counts as a day if it weren’t for experiencing the heat and humidity. I promise to post as often as I can. I bought WiFi for the week, so we’re good on that end. I cannot promise however, that I will stay awake to finish the blogs every night. For all you readers who want to know how your family members are doing, keep reading. I’ll give updates throughout the week. And please, everyone, feel free to comment. I can actually relay messages to family members if you have no other way of getting in contact.

Love ya all! Pray for our safety, our message and our journey.

Katie Finally Coming to You from Haiti

At the Airport

June 28^th, 2014 – 6:54 am

There’s a bigger group this year, I might actually have WiFi on Main Campus, and people are already harassing me about the blog’s web address. So to all of you who are reading out there, hi! I’m Katie. I’ll be your tour guide this evening. Just kidding. That’s not exactly my job description, but I will be your eyes and ears on Haiti for the next week.

As of now, we are not in Haiti. We’re about to board from Detroit to Fort Lauderdale. There’s really not much going on. Everyone is chatting, trying to get a feel for each other. As a veteran (quick plug for the other blog: LOOK AT IT) it’s really entertaining knowing that everyone is shy and quiet now, because in a week, it will be the exact opposite. Last year, I felt like I was going across the world with a group of strangers and came home with a family. I have absolutely no doubt that it will be the same this year.

We’ll be boarding soon, so this is it for now! Keep checking for blog posts – I’ll be getting them out as soon as I can! Promise.

Katie Coming to You from Not Haiti