McCall Connection: February 2015

Yesterday was the day! We planned to celebrate the children in the orphanage by having a birthday for each one. This planning has been in the works for a while now. And it involved a lot more than planning. It was a lot of other people buying, packing, delivering, wrapping, etc.

A small group from our home church, Harris Creek Baptist Church, in Waco, TX, offered to do the shopping for these 13 little ones. It was fun to see this group over the Christmas break and pick up the bags and bags of gifts. The bags were labeled with their names and included small trucks, underwear, brushes, hair ties, baby dolls, colors, clothes, 13 cake mixes and frostings, and more. We shipped the gifts to Laurens, SC, where a team was departing from for Haiti. The team arrived this week with every item! We were grateful for the safe arrival of all the new gifts since it's never a guarantee here in Haiti and the team was gracious to sacrifice suitcase space. The second team here this week is First Baptist Pensacola Church, who directly sponsors and runs the orphanage here. It was special to have both teams be a part of the birthday party!

Yesterday morning we started with picking out cake mixes (since we are limited here) and frostings. Lilly and Ava helped team members decorate. Because we were gone the month of January and some of February, we had one big birthday party for 7 of the children (!!!) who have had birthdays in the last two months. It's crazy 7 of 13 have birthdays all in less than 8 weeks' time!

We baked cakes and wrapped gifts and tried to turn birthday preparations into math lessons, reading and other skillful school objectives at the same time. By lunch Lilly was frosting a funfetti cake with an aqua blue that seemed to glow in the dark. Ava had a Barbie pink that put florescent pink to shame. At one point, Lilly said, "You would never let us buy these at the store" to which I answered, "at least you already know that." I made a chocolate cake which seemed drab and boring next to such bright ones.

The cakes were ready, the presents wrapped, the camera charged and we walked down to the orphanage where in a flash all 13 children were bathed and well dressed for the occasion.

The teams filed in and we watched as the children ate and then cheered for cake. The cakes are an American tradition that was foreign to them. We lit candles, sang "Happy Birthday" in English and they all looked at us until the candle wicks grew small and wax was quickly adding to the sprinkles to form a swirled topping on the cakes. I leaned over and whispered, "souf" to tell them to blow. They did and the room erupted in clapping and smiles.

After cake (and chaos) and blue teeth, we went one by one telling each birthday child something we love about them and encouraging to them. It was fun and hopefully impactful for them. They opened gifts and grinned even with new underwear. Their giggling was a joy to experience first hand for those in the room. Team member Kim passed out blow horns and at beyond optimal levels of horn-blowing, Ydalia, the children's primary caretaker, rounded up all the horns and gifts and brought the hyper, frosting-covered children back to reality. The gifts and blow horns went into bags and the party went outside with some jump roping and games.

And like that, it was over. These children had experienced their very first birthday party. The event was over but the celebration of these children will continue. We pray that little outpourings into their life in the milestones and the day-to-day life will add up to some consistent love and stability for them.

Thank you Harris Creek, Pensacola and Laurens Teams for transforming these mental pictures of mine into a reality for all of us. I pray the photos will bless you and spur you on to pray for these children and the staff here in our community.

Monday afternoon I walk into the church and shift chairs around to form a circle. The heat of the sun comes streaming in the windows. The first few ladies walk in and avoid the chairs in the sun. Franz is besides me. I am so thankful he's here to speak the words I can't speak. His smile stretches across his face and he's so full of joy for the opportunity to be here. One seasoned woman walks in weary. She's carrying a three month old after an hour-long walk. I take her Baby Moses, wrapped in several blankets and see her relief as she slides into the chair. The others file in and I meet their faces with a grin. We're mutually glad it's Monday and we've gathered together again. The church fills to almost 40 by the time we're into the thick of it. I hear the sound only Bible pages make when flipped from Old to New. We talk about Hagar and Abraham and Sarah and the mess that they make between them. They ask whose fault it was and why wasn't Ishmael the Isaac. The Creole spills out of their mouths with ease and I struggle to put all the words I know together to get the full meaning. I ask for prayer requests and I hear the familiar ones of needing jobs, needing money, needing a home, more intelligence to pass school, angry neighbors, sick children. The lists go on. It's just like any other room of women, it breaks out into little chatter between them. Fellowship. I was just talking to mom about this the other day. The well in our community is broken. So is the communication and fellowship between all the women who gather at the well to wash clothes, clean dishes, collect water for a bucket bath. Broken women, broken fellowship. A lot of time together, not together now. I love to see them catch up in the small moments and hold each other's children, laugh and make facial expressions that let me know they've missed that time at the well. I gather the list and spend a second trying to remember these requests before I close my eyes. Out of habit we clasp hands. Sometimes this is the only time in a week that my hand holds theirs and we sing. I realize the words come out stronger and louder. It's coming from a deep, inner place the words come out. "Bondye ka fe tout bagay, tout bagay pou me..." and I think yes, God can do all things. All these things you just asked for in prayer, he can do them all. He can do them all for us. Thank you, God. The Amen echoes and the chatter starts back. Chairs shifting again. Sleepy children woken up and it looks like church just let out.

I lie in bed thinking about a single mama and eight children and no home. I think about the lack of choice that comes with starvation and the hurt that comes from an unemployed father.

We all have our struggles. This weekend we said goodbye to yet another great team. Our two little people said goodbye to five teenage girls who poured into them for five days and then disappeared down the rock road. Thankfully, less than 24 hours later new faces surfaced and we are riding the team wave mid-week now. This team came from South Carolina with a lot of answered prayers. They were able to bring all the gifts a small group from our home church bought for each birthday party we plan to have for the kids at the orphanage. All of the gifts arrived safely and we are preparing for our first and their very first birthday party! Last week we spoiled the orphanage children with a trip to the beach! Their first time really to get out of the orphanage (besides school) and see the ocean. Most of them were scared to get in the ocean besides the youngest of the thirteen, Davinsky. He was fearless so we quickly helped him with Ava's "muscles." It was so fun to splash along side them and see the glow in their faces that comes only with a first-time experience. We predicted and underestimated

how many would snooze on the way back. Haiti's intense sun mixed with ocean and swimming can often make the most hyper person woozy. The Pensacola teams have unabashedly taken on excellence in the orphanage and surpassed expectations of such a US-Haiti partnership. It's been a blessing to observe and enjoy first hand.

Speaking of blessings, we are grateful for Mrs. Nancy who had no idea why she really came until she told me she has been an educator for 30 + years. I looked at her with probably more desperation than I knew and asked for help. She has been an angel in our little abode this week. Mrs. Nancy and her husband Carroll, who is actually a landscape architect, have blessed us so much. Mrs. Nancy is sharing all of her tricks and strategies that she's learned over the years. It's been encouraging to hear that Lilly isn't failing school and Ava is doing fine for her age. I'm always relieved when someone else says the girls are smart and capable of progressing, especially when I think maybe I'm not getting through to them. It comes in the way of tears, long lessons on character, disputes, exhaustion, etc. Yesterday we talked about manipulation and in the middle of our conversation one of the girls exemplified my point exactly. Not sure if it will have any lasting effect but trying my best to raise up two little ones who honor and shine the light of Christ in the midst of being yet a sinful and imperfect mama.

We have so much to be thankful for in this season though. I said it out loud today. I am so much more content here than I have been in the months previous. I can't articulate if it's just the time, the relationships, the expectations, etc. But I am physically, spiritually and emotionally better than before our long break. Ava is coming out of her shell this week and is also physically doing better. Well, that is besides the gash in her nose from falling out of the bed! The ladies in the kitchen have been so helpful in making gluten-free, lactose-free portions for us to be able to enjoy with the others.

As a result of feeling better, I signed up for my first road race in Haiti!! I received an email from the director of Run Haiti inviting me and in another 10 days I will be at the start line of a 20k in Jacmel, Haiti with a few other crazies like myself. I ran 20 + miles this last Saturday morning (which my joints are still paying for) but I feel like it's possible I could be as ready as possible for miles on unforgiving uphill, rocky roads. I just hope I see the finish line. Charles and the girls will load up in the car and cheer me on at the finish and since it's on a beach, it'll be considered a destination race! Our closest friends Mickenson and Jasmine plan to go with us and enjoy the beach with us. Since there is no team those days (which is rare) and we have transportation worked out (also rare), I know it was meant to be!