Yesterday, Monday, saw the school yard filled with students once again. The government set the date of October 4th for school to open. It is later this year due to the loss of many schools in the earthquake. The plan at this time is for school to open in September again next year.Saturday and Sunday saw the HATS mission extremely busy doing a lot of last minute work in preparation for Monday morning. Sunday was not a day of rest. There were construction workers, our kids, Luckner, and me, all busily involved in getting things done. Sunday night I asked for help from Antoinette and Magalie in sorting the textbooks into grades throughout various areas of my house. Not a lot of space left in which to walk.The school desks for our two prescolaire classes were completed and carried over to the school late Sunday afternoon.
On Saturday Luckner, with the help of others, finished the work on the urinals for the students.
The school kitchen needs one more thing done for this year and that will take place on Saturday. The sink and water tap was completed in September. The lady in charge of preparing a meal daily for our students, and in the cleanup after, was thrilled to see the improvements. We will be cooking with charcoal this year instead of wood, which is cleaner. What is needed, however, are gas burners. Hopefully by next September we will be able to go that route.
Vladimy, JJ, and Moise worked all day Saturday painting the teacher’s desks with wood preservative. Due to so many other things needing to be completed for yesterday the actual painting had to wait. They are still sitting outside my house waiting to be painted before they go to the school – hopefully today.
Yesterday morning, the first day of school for this year, devotions at the school started again. It was good to see many students happily singing during devotions. They all seem to be happy to be back.
Those of you who have so kindly forwarded funds to sponsor a student (or students) please give me a little time to match you up. In Haiti all students do not turn up the first day of school. Besides we have added more new ones due to the availability of sponsors. The students slowly and steadily drift in over a week or so. We need to be sure who exactly is attending our school this year. Hopefully by the end of this week or beginning of next week I will be able to contact you.Too, I ask that you try to understand that I am the only ‘blan’ here onsite. I have no office help whatsoever. I am overworked, overwhelmed, overtired, and sometimes ‘overcome’. Drawing on the strength of the Lord is what keeps me going. I am not only without office help, I am without an employee, Martha, who I depend on for ‘many things’, including food. Martha is ill. She is off for two weeks and it remains to be seen whether or not she can return next week. Please pray for me !! I am needed by many people, at the same time, in all aspects of running the mission and I cannot do it all!! Thanks for your prayers.Without Martha’s help with preparing a meal and help with Ti Luc, I have had Ti Luc eating a meal a day with the other children at the Kid’s Home. This is good for him and for my other children. I love to be there when they are all sitting around the table laughing and filling their tummys.
Saturday mornings is usually ‘wash the undies’ day for our kids. It is good for them to learn to wash out their own and besides they love to sit outside and do it. Saturday I saw eight of my kids all sitting around one large plastic tub washing underwear. Ti Luc had his hands in there washing as well – this is an advancement over washing clothes with his feet, and even Karena (1 1/2) was involved.
I have been regularly encouraging hand usage by Ti Luc. Not an easy thing for him at all, but I am seeing slow and steady improvement. He truly wants to do everything the other children do. Recently he actually lifted a full can of paint that was in our living room. See for yourselves. Now that was very good use of his hands.
I can’t finish without this story for those huge spider lovers out there. Blair and Beatte that includes you two. Early yesterday morning around 5:40 I heard Ti Luc screaming in terror. I dropped what I had in my hands and went running into his room. He was shaking in fear so I held him. I asked if he had a bad dream. He kept looking at his bedroom window and crying and shaking. I could see nothing. I calmed him and then he started screaming again and I saw a HUGE tarantula walking up the screen of his window. It was on the outside but my darling boy did not know that. I ran for my camera but before I returned it had moved on elsewhere. It was the biggest one I’ve seen here thus far and had lots of colours. Last night he kept looking at the window when I put him to bed. I closed the curtains just in case it decided to walk his window again.
Again, thank you, thank you, thank you for all your support in every way. HATS-Haiti is not, and never will be, HATS-Haiti without all of you.
“Remember one person’s life being changed is more important than all the material things the world has to offer.”
God bless each and every one of you.
~Karen
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