hello rainy season!

rainy season

I've said it over and over but in case you need to be reminded my favorite time of the day is after I'm finished working in the clinic and I head down the road to the village.  I typically don't make it too far from campus before I'm dripping with sweat and wondering why in the world I choose the middle of the afternoon (hottest time of the day) to walk the road to Chambrun.  

Rainy season has officially started which means that it can look beautiful and sunny one minute and start pouring the next.  The rain is a blessing because it takes away some of the dust and also cools the afternoons off a little.  It also brings with it the mosquitos which are less of a blessing.  It's crazy how it can go from the "dry season" picture to the "rainy season" picture (this is the exact same spot in the village) in a matter of thirty minutes.  Last Friday I was blessed to have Natacha's home to sit in while waiting for the rain to stop falling.  The children all teased that the rain wasn't going to stop and that I could just sleep in their homes.  They all were willing to share their beds and I joked that I would only sleep with the potty trained kids!  The rain eventually stopped and walking home was quite the adventure.  The water was at least four inches above my ankles and I knew the odds of me falling were incredibly high.  The entire village looked like a pond with houses that were in the middle of it- there was literally no dry ground.  Let's just say the children and adults both would never let me forget it if I fell!  When it rains the mud on the paths is literally like an ice skating rink.  It's impossible to walk with my flip flops so I typically end up carrying them and pray with each and every step that my feet don't step on the thorns, broken glass, and of course the donkey and goat droppings.  On this day my Haitian friends helped to form a line and we all walked or more truthfully slid down the path towards the road.  When I started to slip and fall they would pull me up and when they started to fall I would help them too.  We all had tears in our eyes from laughing so hard at our attempts to not fall.  Thankfully I made it back to campus without any foreign objects in my feet and without falling!

dry season (same path as above picture!)

mango fever

It's been mango season for several weeks now.  It's one of my favorite fruit seasons for many reasons.  One is that during mango season you can't drive down the road more than a few feet without seeing a small table piled high with mangos.  They are literally everywhere and they are super cheap!  If you aren't already convinced that my kiddos are the cutest things ever- you should see how absolutely adorable they are while eating their mangos!  There is something so precious and funny about watching them as they have mango juice dripping all down their arms, bellies, and faces.  Not to mention the crazy amount of the mango strings they get stuck in their teeth!  Love all the sticky hugs and kisses that mango season brings with it!

Davidson's sticky factor is out of control!  

Natamara is making sure she enjoys every last bite of her
mango by even cleaning off all the skin!

generosity

The kindergarten students with all the blankets!

One thing that continues to amaze and leave me speechless is how generous people are.  Not just my family and friends but people I don’t even know.  People who love and feel called to serve Haiti and yet aren’t called to actually live in Haiti or maybe even visit.  I am always surprised at how creative complete strangers can be.  There is a group of kindergarten students in Zionsville Indiana that practiced the skill of learning to tie by making the softest baby blankets for some of the infants we see in our clinic on campus.  These children have never been to Haiti and honestly, most will probably never come, and yet they have found a way to serve from home at the age of 5 years old.  

This sweet little baby fell right to sleep on her new blanket!

Little Bedshaina has the most precious laugh!  Love this sweet little baby!

There are several little babies that come to the clinic every two weeks for formula.  One mother is unable to breast feed her baby and there are a few other women who are raising babies that had mothers who died.   These infants weren’t thriving because the family members weren’t able to purchase the formula the babies needed.  At just a few weeks of age these babies were being fed sugar water and flour water along with mashed up food.  Several weeks ago our formula shelf was empty and both Aubree and I were wondering what we would do for the babies who were scheduled to come in the following week.  In a way that only God can provide another palate of formula was donated and a team was able to bring each and every can to us- just two days before we needed it. 

Johnny was in our malnutrition program (he graduated!) he
LOVED the formula!!

Stanley with a packet of Plumpy Nut!
Most of the kids can't wait and eat their first pack at the malnutrition appointment=)

In the clinic we have seen an increase of children that are diagnosed with malnutrition.  Each child and family has a story and many of the stories literally break us.  There is a group of people that has a heart for Haiti- especially the children of Haiti.  This group raised the needed funds to cover the purchase of a palate of Plumpy Nut (peanut based product that is used to treat children who have severe acute malnutrition), whole milk, and back-packs to help the parents carry the needed materials home.  In yet another way that only God can provide- we received a palate of Plumpy Nut (we were on our last box), that we were able to purchase in Haiti, on the exact day the kiddos had malnutrition appointments.  The story for each of these families is just beginning- the children are gaining weight and reaching developmental milestones.  Love watching God at work in each of the children!

Todeson knows that only good things are kept in his back-pack!

The list could literally go on and on.  I love nothing more than planning and organizing things so when I notice that things are running low- it makes me nervous and yet He is faithful.  Each and every week He meets the needs of our patients and for me too.  Sometimes I feel guilty because I have the privilege of knowing the names and faces of each of these children and families.  I get to receive the hugs and kisses and of course the best part is getting to hold and love on each of these children.  I love that God has called people from all over to work together in ways that only He could ever coordinate.