Million Dollar Couches and 100 Grand

 Tony with Ava and Juslin

                                                              Soccer in the courtyard

 Maria Teresa and Vierge

Tuesday morning we set off to shop for furniture for our entire house. What an odd thing ... who shops for every piece of furniture that will go in their house in one day and in one store? We went to the one store, VC, that was highly recommended and they had treadmills, which was on the top of my list. We also had plans to meet up with friends there to have lunch together.

The craziness started before we even left the Hope Center though. Monday night I was agonizing over whether to take the girls or leave them here with the team. We finally decided that we would leave them behind to concentrate on the task at hand. Because of an accident in the primary vehicle at the Hope Center, we were taking the (donated) ambulance. I started laughing almost immediately as I climbed in to the back of an ambulance with a long list of house furnishings and a LOT of cash. We barely made it down the hill when we all realized the brakes weren't working properly. We returned and plan C included taking a school bus. So now we had moved our adventures and list to a seat on the bus. Unfortunately, the battery was dead and we went to plan D that included asking anyone at the Hope Center if we could borrow their vehicle. Fortunately we were in a small SUV on our way to Port Au Prince (an hour later - which is right on time in Haiti).

We arrived at VC asking for Ricardo who we were told would be great help and give us generous discounts. I'm not sure I would describe him that way but it worked out in the end. Charles and I experienced sticker shock in an overwhelming way. If we were in the States, between the prices and lack of service, we would have left in a heartbeat. But here we were .... so we sat on 50 + sofas and tried to compare what was there and realized none of them were even within $1,000 of our price range or comfortable. The variety was much like being in a perfume store and after smelling several, you lose ability to decipher the differences. Charles outfitted our entire house in Bolivia and I don't remember complaining once. In fact, I offered at dinner on Monday night for him to go solo and every female at the table gasped and quickly opposed the idea. 

Every time I asked Ricardo an either-or question his answer was "exactly." So I quit asking and quit sitting on $7,000 hard couches and decided to go check out the treadmills. There were two. Charles said one had a slightly bigger motor than the other so we went with that one for an embarrassing high price that I hope my legs will justify at some point. 

After hours of looking around, our friends arrived. In my mind, we were so close to being finished. I was wrong. We had pointed out a dozen pieces we were going to buy to Ricardo and he nodded. We figured he was like a good waiter, memorizing what it was ordered. Nope. After we finished and said "ok that's it" he said let's walk around again and I'll write it down. Ugh. I sat around talking to our friends because I couldn't do the second lap. By this time my blood sugar was low and I was losing my mind right there in the single furniture store we could choose from. A GF peanut butter cookie and plantain chips Jess brought held me over. However, the frustrations continued .... for hours ... and to save you from every detail, it was a nightmare of a process that included shady discounts, a lot of recounting money, and computer problems. We waved our friends on with disappointment and agreed to meet up another time. Our driver Monthurin, was sound asleep on one of the couches and I wanted to be. We were going on 5 and half hours in there. I did bust out in laughter when I saw a print out of the furniture (which is way unreasonably priced for a third world country) AND the delivery fee to get it to us an hour and a half away in a remote area in the mountains and assemble all of it was $35. WHAT!! Your couch is going to cost you a million dollars but we'll drive it up to the mountains for a few bucks. Ha! Even funnier, they were trying to tell us that we didn't need a receipt for our furniture since the computer/printer were down. We may be dumb but not dumb enough to buy a house of furniture and walk out empty handed just hoping it all shows up and they believe us when we say we paid for it. I could have used something stronger than a tylenol for my headache at that point.

We made it out of the store with an anticipated 2-day delivery and went to eat (at 3pm) at a nearby recommended sugar cane distillery that offered a buffet (for not cheap). The humorous part of it was that everything was almost gone in the buffet and the man smiled sarcastically when Charles asked if they would be restocking it. That was the most expensive rice and bean (buffet) any of us had ever had but at 3pm after 5 + hours of shopping for furniture with Ricardo, we may have possibly offered to pay more. 

We went on to run errands that included grocery shopping ... another disaster. Deli Mart smells like a mix of old milk and B.O. Not a good start to grocery shopping. The store was packed and carts are no where to be had. But not shopping was not an option since our kitchen was empty and the cooks would be leaving when the team did. The prices are so high! I was in awe of how anyone in Haiti could afford a $6 can of tuna or $3 box of macaroni and cheese. We have left our nearly processed free food diet for mac n' cheese, hotdogs and peanut butter. A little depressing. We do often live on mangoes and pineapple but I have yet to convince the girls to forgo meals for a fruit diet. Canned vegetables are an option for about $4 a can. When I asked a Deli Mart worker about leafy greens, he replied "a what?" Somehow the Haitians continue to be so thin they all look they could break with the slightest gust of wind. Goes to show portion sizes in America still play a big part. We left with a 100 Grand candy bar and a Vanilla Coke for the rode. After loading up, I opened the candy bar to find a milky white colored crumpled mess that dispersed across the back seat. It was so disgusting. 100 Grand in Haiti is so far from 100 Grand in every sense of the word. The coke, however, was refreshing and we did make it home with a few American treats like Almond milk, GF cracker, and 2 Diet Cokes for Tony. I ended the night with a migraine and an early bedtime.

We made a trip to another village with the team on Wednesday to help with the medical/dental clinics who pulled mouths full of teeth and delivered babies. Team members Grace (17) and Jordan (13) toted Lilly and Ava around to see pigs and such who served as pets in the village as well as gave me a break in the whole potty training in a latrine routine. Meanwhile, Charles, Monthurin, and BGM Director Stan all woke up at 5am for a long hike. BGM is trying to replicate the Hope Center in another village where there is potential growth. However, there is a severe lack of water there. So the three of them plus Mack all climbed 9 hours to the top of some mountain to find the village's water source. They found it and now Charles looks like a lobster with his sunburn. 

The girls ran out in their nightgowns at six this morning to say goodbye to the team ... so this is our "new normal" where we do school in the mornings and play all afternoon in the orphanage or on the playground with little schedule and a lot of sunshine. Tonight might be comprised with an easy dinner and a game of Phase 10 among those of us here.

When I was homeschooling Lilly this morning I asked her if it was easier to focus without a team here and she looked at me and said, "we are a team, momma" ... I think I'll go with that. We rely on each other and serve as our own team.

Charles and I were pleasantly surprised when against all odds, the furniture arrived today. The guys are still here assembling but we are starting to see the transition from house to home. My Creole is coming along and I am getting past "hello, how are you."

One of the team leaders said our kids seem like they've been here their whole lives ... they've adjusted well. So far it's been several bursts of entertainment sprinkled with goodbyes but overall we couldn't expect anything more in respect to their transition. Yesterday when I woke up Ava asked if my boo boo was better (referring to my migraine) and I said, "yes, thank you, Jesus." A little later, I served up some cereal to the girls and I heard Ava say "thank you, Jesus" after mornings of odds and ends. Oh the little things we have come to appreciate. This morning the team left gobs of goodies from shoes to pop tarts. We are in a good place.

God is already teaching me so much about life and rest and relationships. The team this week shared a lot about Rob Morgan's The Lord is My Shepherd book and I realize how far rest goes and the necessities of the sheep trusting their shepherd with everything ... I think for today we could say our cups runneth over ... 

Taking Flight

Let's start with some pictures...

  Lilly getting a Creole lesson from Vladamir while Ava cheeses

 Our front door ... with banana trees right out front 

 Some of the 40 houses BGM and the locals built to start the community 

 Vladamir and Ava

 Girls from the orphanage

 This little girl arrived this week (the same day her mother died) and is this happy!

 Earning her keep in the orphanage - totally voluntarily

 The playground where we spend a lot of time

 Our daily view around sunset

While I can post, I will.

I can almost say without a doubt no Haitians have ever seen a person running with a dog. Today Mack and I caused a traffic jam on our run because so many people were in awe of us out running. Motorcycles lined up to spectate. We exchanged our "bonjour" and then I didn't understand the rest of what everyone said. I did, however, wish I had a quarter for every smile and bellow of laughter that came from everyone during my run. I refuse to let it effect my self confidence and rather believe they find it amusing. Otherwise it may lower my self-esteem to think that many people are laughing at me trying to get some exercise. But you would have thought some celebrity or circus act was passing by just by the way people reacted. That's what they saw -- what I saw was just as fascinating ... I saw several people with animals including two guys walking their pig, another man walking his six goats (all on separate leashes), another kid walking his donkey to school and then one little old lady walking her chicken with a sack full of potatoes on  her head. So if you ask me, Mack and I running was the most normal pair. We are probably the sorest as well ... between my fall yesterday and the amount of technique it takes to run on loose rocks, Mack and I are giving our joints a pounding. We figure (well I guess Mack doesn't have a say) whatever doesn't kill us, will make us stronger and the entertainment is just too good.

Lilly draws in a journal every day for school and today she drew a picture of her with a bucket on her head and a big smile on her face. I asked her to tell me about the picture and she said it's a picture of her practicing walking with her water bucket. This has been a common sight we see since there is a well just outside the gate where the community gathers to get water. Children as young as Lilly are seen walking back in forth balancing gallons of water on their head. We have yet to see one drop spill out! Do they learn this skill in the womb?

The team who is here went with some of the BGM staffers today to retrieve 3 more orphans ... all of which were released from their homes where family members contacted the orphanage. The children ages 13 months to 5 years old seem a little overwhelmed but will be well taken care of at the orphanage here. The children who arrived Wednesday have already adapted so well. The issues with orphans seem to be the teenage years and beyond but the staff here is doing all things possible to take good care of them. The team here has been assessing the children to see how they are responding developmentally and determining next steps in academics and otherwise for them.

Yesterday I was able to unpack the kitchen! Yay! It was a good start to getting unpacked. We plan to go to Port Au Prince this weekend to pick out furniture (or at least a treadmill) to get settled a little more. We are still sleeping on mattresses and living out of (12) suitcases.

We all like it here. Lilly seems to especially appreciate the freedom it brings. We all get a lot more fresh air. The weather is warm but not too humid. The 4-6am and 4-6pm windows are particularly cool and breezy. Last night I found Ava and Charles all smiles on the playground by themselves. Oh the joy of cool air and a swing. Today I was thinking about how it is that parenting seems easier here and I think it's because the girls play outside so much more and are engaged in playing with others as well as having 12 adults or so on hand who don't mind a six and two year old tagging along. They have loved playing on the playground with the orphanage kids and neighbors. There aren't many toys here so they are rarely making the usual mess they were in the States. But it's never a dull moment with 3 security guards, several full-time translators, Joslyn (cleaning help), Maria Teresa and Verge (the ladies who cook), Pastor Daniel, Pastor Monthurin, Vladamir and Alex who live here, "Uncle Tony" (team member) and the teams who are visiting. It's no worry that none of us speak Creole, they all speak to us as if we do. Needless to say conversations are sometimes short here.

Tomorrow one team leaves and another arrives. It will be busy getting one back to the airport and another to the Hope Center but new energy will be refreshing and the girls will have all new prey to mooch off of for snacks (which is an uphill battle at this point).

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. I really think the transition couldn't have gone smoother.

At Home in Haiti

I have imagined writing this post for awhile now.

There is so much to say and I have no idea if our internet connection will allow it! Most events leading up to Monday were complicated and harder than predicted. I anticipated blogging before we left but our hours were spent in a panic of packing and last minute details that were more convoluted than planned.

Everything went so smooth between getting to Dallas and getting to Haiti. We arrived at DFW on Monday morning ready to go. Unlike the days leading up, Monday went flawlessly. I imagined us trapsing through the airport like a circus act with all of our luggage, car seats, children and Mack. Instead we were able to check in bags and Mack right away and went to the gate with carry ons like everyone else there. The plan was to meet Tony at the gate in Dallas and funny enough Ava had never met Tony but as soon as we saw him, Ava went running to him to give a hug. The flights went great and we were on our way.

We arrived in Haiti to the warm weather and lots of Creole chatter. Fortunately Tony quickly spotted the BGM staffer there to meet us. He somehow had us waved through customs (even with 14 suitcases and 2 car seats). Charles ended up paying some unknown tax on Mack but overall it was easy peasy compared to customs in some third-world countries. These are the things we appreciate now that we have done some traveling.

So ... Haiti....

The girls slept in the back seat of the pick up truck while I conversed with BGM staff Monterine, who lucky for me, happens to speak Spanish. Charles and Tony were riding in the school bus that also was there to pick us up. The hour and a half (18 mile) car ride was bumpy and tiresome after the flights but eye opening. We were reminded of Port Au Prince's chaos.

We arrived at the Hope Center about 6:30pm (in the dark) where a team from Pensacola, FL, met us at the gate. The girls were awakened to a lot of unknowns. It was disorienting to all of us. But we made the best of it.

Yesterday was our first full day and a great one. We wake up to see the mountains here. It's 75 -95 degrees here and breezy. The girls have loved the freedom of walking outside the door to instant friends - both team members eager to spoil them and Haitians ready to play. Everyone talks to us in Creole even though we don't know how to respond. We have not unpacked because we don't have any furniture. We did get a few mattresses that are on the floor we have been sleeping on. Our house is spacious and plenty for what we need. The two ladies, Maria Teresa and Verge, cook for the teams and us as well. They generally make sandwiches for lunch and cook dinner for everyone here. Since we didn't have breakfast on Tuesday Charles asked them to make the girls breakfast. Lilly and Ava sat down to a breakfast of champions with a plate of fruit, Pringles and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. In fact, they just mix the peanut butter and jelly all in one big jar and slather it on. Lilly and Ava were thankful and yet amused at their breakfast.

My run today included a lot of loose gravel roads, donkeys, motorcycles six people deep, mountains, kids eagerly walking to school, women walking with buckets of water on their heads, and a lot of dust and thorns. It's a rough terrain but something I'll get used to. Mack is still adjusting to the heat. One guy rode along side me for awhile trying to practice his English. He kept saying "Good Morning. How much years you are? What your dog name?"

The compound (Hope Center) consists of Tony and Mickey's house, the director (Stan)'s house, our house, 2 dorms, a community kitchen, and a large outdoor dining area (all painted in Carribean colors). The gates are guarded by armed security guards. Just outside the gate is the orphanage and the playground as well as the soccer fields and a community well. We are way up in the mountains and all is very slow and relaxed here.

The girls have made fast friends with the girls in the orphanages and neighborhood kids. The orphanage received 4 more children last night, including one whose father dropped her off on the way back from the hospital where her mother died the same day. It's sad yet the kids are unbelievably resilient. Lilly and Ava have jumped right in and seem to be communicating just fine in kid speak.

Today Lilly and I started back with homeschooling. I figured some structure may help. She did really well and we were efficient while Ava was on the playground with other kids and a few adults. I'm hoping the trend continues and homeschooling is enjoyable for all of us.

This afternoon we were playing on the playground (that a team came and built) with all of the orphan kids and the neighborhood kids adding up to about 30 of them all having such a grand time swinging and being kids. One of them rode up on a donkey. Another one was there with no pants. The whole thing was refreshing and lovely to me ... no worries, no impressing, no comparisons...just kids being kids. There was so much cool air and laughter all in that one vicinity.

Charles has been busy here and there with farming project details and getting settled. His days include a lot of communication with locals about what he's hoping to do here and how.

The only small glitches here have been figuring out internet and phone connections. It's been challenging and refreshing to be totally disconnected from the phone. It's nice people aren't constantly on their phones here like many Americans and at the same time hard to be experiencing so much and unable to send a picture to family or all of you.

Probably the most pleasant change is just not being in a hurry...not corralling the girls to the car with the stress of the next activity starting whether it be school, church, ballet, etc. The girls have not had to get in and buckle up in several days and that is a big change for us. We were constantly on the go and now we rarely leave. They are in good spirits and that makes this mama happy.

There is so much to tell you .. hopefully I can get posts up often so you can experience the journey with us.

Flip Flops in A Few Days

Since the last post we spent a week with family in Memphis and then traveled through 8 states and covered more than 2,000 miles - no small feat with a 2 and 6 year old. We had wanted to make a trip to the D.C. area for the past year or so but hadn't had the chance. Then over Christmas break we found out that instead of leaving for Haiti on February 1, our departure date was being pushed back to February 17. Charles and I both decided that would be the "perfect" time to go see friends up north. Mom referred to it as our Tour 2014 which was not a far cry from what it ended up being and a tour bus would have been a huge benefit for the miles traveled.

We said goodbye to Charles' parents and hit the road on Super Bowl Sunday right about the time the game started. Charles and I drove through the night in bad weather to beat a big snow storm blowing in up north. We remembered we aren't as young as we used to be but the girls slept 11 out of 14 hours and that is worth A LOT. We all got a good laugh when we switched drivers at 5 a.m. at McDonald's where Charles ordered a coffee and Ava piped up from a dead sleep to order a hamburger with cheese. Seriously? That girl can eat. Fortunately, she was back asleep by the time we got to the next window.

We started our trip with the Edwards in the quaint town of Purcellville, VA, where we sat around a wood stove on their dairy farm and caught up while the kids played. We went on to spend time with more friends in the McLean area for the next few days. Lilly and Ava adapted remarkably to new surroundings and new friends all week. The week included brunch with old friends Bill and Vivian, an afternoon at the monuments with Scott and Kelley, a dinner party at Mark and Brytt's with the gang and a lot of good times with good friends. All of it was filling to our souls. It's indescribable what it was like to be back with a group of friends who served as our community and core for the years we lived in northern VA as well as the years following in Costa Rica and Bolivia. We go very deep with these friends and it was apparent we could pick up where we left off.

Our afternoon at the Mall included a visit to the Lincoln Memorial where  Lilly saw the statue of Lincoln and said, "wow, Lincoln was a big president." I love learning what's in her head!

Our crowd packed up Friday morning and headed farther north to Guilford, CT. Lilly asked, "are we headed back to Memphis?" ... not exactly. The drive to Connecticut was fun in itself. The girls were not as impressed when I pointed out the George Washington Bridge and the skyline of New York City. I got excited and tried to give them some reference to all of the tall buildings we were seeing. I thought they would be equally excited but quickly learned that they weren't when they were asking for more goldfish and to turn up the movie. We arrived at cousin Ellen and Nathan's house in Guilford Friday evening just in time to sit around and eat Chinese takeout and watch the opening Oympic ceremonies. The weekend was also a true vacation for the four of us ... with an easy Saturday of sledding, shopping, and sitting around the fire. The girls were thrilled to see so much snow on the ground (10-11 inches) and to play with their cousins Annie (5) and two-year-old twins Felix and Thomas. Ava loved the bounce house in the basement and Lilly was enthralled in their movie theater room. The girls played dress up for most of the weekend which at one point included Ava made over to look like a rockstar. A little scary for her parents.

We spent Sunday in Chester, CT, visiting cousins Jessica and Greer with their two littles, Ella (3) and Ryder (4 months). We toured their old 1880 farmhouse and then ate lunch at Simon's in town. We couldn't have asked for a better weekend.

We said goodbye to cousins and Connecticut on Monday morning and started our 20-hour trek back to Memphis. We stopped to see Charles' brother and family in Waynesboro, VA, for dinner along with another old friend from Bolivia, Adreana Sprouse. The girls were amazing in the car. Besides a few "are we there yets" we covered miles with some DVDs, audio books and fun sightseeing. We left Adreana's Monday night and traversed VA and TN until we reached Memphis at 6:45 a.m. Charles woke me up in the Cracker Barrel parking lot to tell me we were stopping for hot biscuits and apple butter before we arrived at his parent's house to collapse for naps. I drove the 1:30-5:30 a.m. shift so the slobber on my pillow at Cracker Barrel warranted a few of Ava's wipes before walking in. We were grateful again that the girls slept through the night and arrived in good spirits.

There have been a lot of grateful moments including test results that came back concluding Ava does not have Celiac Disease. We were relieved to hear all of her lab work was normal despite symptoms possibly showing otherwise. We also were very fortunate to drive through the north and not be hindered by weather. Also, friends and family have been gracious to help with Mack, watching the girls, helping us get packed, etc. So many reasons to be grateful.

We spent last night saying goodbye to my sister, who the girls love and refer to as Tia. These last days in Memphis are full of "to do" lists and lots of hugs. We canceled dinner tonight with good friends because of more snow on the ground. The winter has been an unpredictable variable in a lot of plans. Nonetheless, we are enjoying a few days not en route anywhere. Instead we curled up to watch Lilly's new favorite Olympic sport - figure skating. She decided tonight that she could win a gold if she dressed up and skated to the Frozen hit "Let it Go" and combined her singing while skating. I think we'll stick to spectating for now. 

Today I did some schooling with her and she has come to think school is optional and occasional so there will be lots of new routines to put in place when we arrive. Ava on the other hand has enjoyed the freedom of getting into mischief while I work with Lilly.

Today a large package arrived with Charles' name on it so I got excited until I saw that it was full of mosquito nets he ordered. Not as exciting as what could be in the box but I'm sure we will be thankful for them at some point in the coming days. It's all relative.

Since we packed our house, we have packed our cars 10 times - I  counted. I'm not sure why. But we will finish packing up winter clothes and the last odds and ends in the next 48 hours and pack the car one more time to drive to Dallas on Sunday. Our flight leaves Monday morning where we will meet up with Tony West, a fellow But God Ministry team member, who will travel all the way to our new house with us ... "us" includes the four of us, our 100 lb weimaraner, Mack, our 12 70 lb suitcases, 4 carry ons, 4 personal items and a partridge in a pear tree. It will be quite the sight I'm sure. Lilly said at dinner tonight when we were asking how she is feeling about moving so soon .. "well I'm going to wear flip flops in a few days."

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Please pray for:

*Our last few days with family and friends

*Finishing important tasks

*Mack can fly on Monday given temperatures, weight, and all of the details involved

*All the luggage makes it

*Details of travel

*Health for our family

*Well received in Haiti

Thank you for taking this journey with us. We are grateful for your support.