Greetings and blessings from all of us at HATS-Haiti.

This is a photo blog.  The photos and captions will speak for themselves.  You will see we are all doing well. 

Too you will see it is and always will be -  A L L    A B O U T    T H E   C H I L D R E N

Ti Luc and Judel leading singing in church while waiting for worship leader

 

 

Kalei & Ti Luc singing in devotions

What a team

Papa Luckner with three of our youngest

Luckner & Karen with 14 employees ready to attend Herve's funeral

Cleaning up the grape vine

Jonathan singing - Our God - with cardboard for his songbook

Ti Fi

Early morning walk & playtime with older kids

JJ coming down

Moise on the way down

Leica in the air

Dieunel jumping

 Love from Karen and the children

Hello from the hot country. (Getting more so every day.)

We are all excited about my big brother, Don, (aka Misye Komik) and his team coming late April.  One of his first time team members, Cavelle Simms, wrote a poem and gave me 16 years ago (1997) after I had been living here for two years.

I am thrilled that after all this time I will actually be able to share my life, my Haitian family, and my work with Cavelle who has been behind me for so many years.  Coming for the first time, too, is her daughter, Sarah and her husband, Stephen.  There will be other first timers coming as well and some who have been here before and wanted to return.  You will hear about all of them, and from them, when they are with us.

I mention Cavelle because I am going to use this blog to share her poem with you.  

The Other Side

If I could place just for one day

Any child of mine

Somewhere to teach them gratitude

The place is not hard to find

I’d ask my dear friend, Karen

To take one on her knee

With another from the orphanage

Just so they could see

I’d get her to point out to them

All is not there to take

Or even get to make the choice

Ice cream or chocolate cake

There’d be no house, but a mere hut

No shoes upon their feet

No worry about your buddies

Thinking your Nikes are neat

No worry that your classmate

Has brand name fancy wear

Or has an earring in her nose

Or three in just one ear

No worry that your computer

Will soon be obsolete

For because it’s one year old today

Another has it beat

No worry that your corn pops

Won’t last ‘til grocery day

Or when you ask for ten dollars

Will five just come your way?

No worry, worry, worry

About all this crazy stuff

But to wake up in the morning

Just might be enough

To bring polluted water

For your family

And hope there’s food to go around

Praying, “Dear God, let there be.”

Then take the little food there is

And cook it really long

And then you wonder as you eat

Are the bugs really gone?

When the day has tired your body

And you now must face the night

No fan to cool you down, my son

No books read by beaming light

No “Tender Treasures” to tuck in

No clear water by your bed

No fluffy, pretty pillow

To lay your pretty head

I’d pray that when I brought them back

Eyes and hearts open wide

And realize that when life’s coin was tossed

It could be them “on the other side”

C. Simms 1997

Jesus said,  "Let the little children come unto me".

Sixteen years ago it was, as it still is now,
ALL   ABOUT   THE   CHILDREN 

Thank you for making it possible for HATS to continue to minister to the children in this valley area. 

God bless each and every one of you.
Karen and the children

Greetings from HATS-Haiti once again.

Since Liette and Rick left nine days ago we have been kept very busy, so much so that I am behind again with the blog.   There is, however, a good sense of accomplishment here due to this busyness.  I have to say, however, despite being kept very busy I am still missing those two a lot.  While they were here I actually relaxed.  School being closed while they were here helped too.  I put time with them before office work, correspondence, reports, and everything else besides the children, and I am so glad I did.  I felt for awhile I had a 'normal' life.  Rick, the time with you guys sure wasn't 'the dog's breakfast'.   

I have been extremely busy playing catch up in the office on the things I left undone to enjoy life for a week.  Lois and Brad, with their very helpful daughter, Kaeli, have been very busy going through, cleaning, and organizing the huge storage rooms behind the main house.  To say I am pleased with the finished result of the first storage room is a definite understatement.  I am absolutely thrilled.  I feel like I am getting my normal life back (what was normal for when I lived in Canada that is) with everything organized and labeled and easily accessible.   It is how I have wanted it since the storage rooms were built over two years ago.  Oh joy!!!    Some more wood for Brad and shelves will go up in the second storage room with more cleaning, sorting, and organizing.  Can't wait.   Perhaps the day will even come when I can get the office gone through completely and organized the way I have wanted that for a long time too, but had no time to do it.  Without enough help one does the things that are urgent to keep things going.  The Reimers are helpful and supportive in MANY ways.  We are thankful they are now a part of HATS.

What a help those Reimers are. Thank you, God.

Our children, boys as well as girls, spend a day each week in the kitchen learning cooking and helping with dishes, and a day in the laundry room.   Moise and JJ thought at first it was not for them but they are actually enjoying learning to do it all.

Moise learning how to clean the rice before cooking

Our school report card day was held while Liette and Rick were here.  The overall results were good but Luckner was not satisfied with some of the classes and has reasons to feel that way.  Our new bunch of grade sevens seem to be at school for all the wrong reasons and now there is great pressure on them to pull up their socks.  All our HATS children passed - some need to bring their averages up which hopefully will happen before June.  Ti Luc was surprised and more than thrilled when his grade 2 teacher called out his name last saying he held first place in his class with almost an 8 out of 10 average.  He did a happy dance in front of everyone,  ran to hug Mama Karen and then looked for Papa Luckner and Godmother Rose Lore.
  

Report card day at HATS school

Happy Ti Luc with his godmother, Rose Lore after finding he came 1st.

Luckner speaking with students and parents

Anne & Jonathan went to report card day at the school too

All of us at HATS are saddened today by the news that Herve Lajeune, a long time employee of HATS as security agent died last night.  Herve finished working with us last September due to illness but he stayed a part of HATS.  He attended our church services regularly and visited us onsite.  All who have come to HATS in the seven year period prior to last September would have met Herve and would been thankful for the protection he offered during the night hours.  Herve was a good and loyal employee and was a friend as well.  His two children attend our school IMKH in grades 6 and 9.  Luckner and I will be meeting today to discuss how HATS can help with the funeral and the rough road ahead for them.

Herve sleeping peacefully one day at hospital

Herve's son, Robird, a very thankful young man for food

As funds become available we are continuing to distribute food to people in need in our area.   There are a lot of people going hungry throughout Haiti.  A report from January gave statistics of 1.5 million people going hungry - people who have no idea when they might get something to eat;  4.5 million who cannot eat regularly but who have hope of finding food at least a few times a week.  After hurricane Sandy in October there was a significant lost  of annual crops, (more than 1/3), a lot of which was from the Artibonite valley where we are.  It is painful to see and hear about but it is reality.  The crops are a lot less, the cost is a lot more.  The people don't have sufficient crops and have no funds to buy from someone else.  It is a serious problem.

Thank you HATS for the food

The hunger situation has caused an increase in stealing by people who are armed.  People are feeling desperate to feed themselves and their children and are doing whatever it takes. 

All of us are now getting excited about the arrival of my brother Don, aka Misye Komik, and his team on April 29th.  The children are overheard several times a day talking about Misye Komik, Emma, and Alycia returning and wondering who else might be coming too.  Don, Emma, and Alycia are godparents to Josie, Anne, and Dieunel.  These three kids are flying very high with excitement.  It always means a lot to them to have a godparent or a sponsor come to see them. 

Our children are all doing well.  These days they are thoroughly enjoying eating lots of mangoes.  They have started to fall from our own tree and many times a day we see orange faces and clothes stained orange with delicious juice from the fruit.  I must say, however, that not only the children are eating a lot of mangos these days.  It is a happy season for us.

Mango feast

Ti Luc and I both are thankful for the large letters keyboard that came to him from Heidi and Tim and the iPad that came down to him with Julie late February.  He is doing well typing with his feet.  He types and I carry the laptop to the school at times so his teacher can see what he is typing.  He has learned everything there is on the iPad.  He amazes me with his speed and ability.  He is now in need of more challenging things.  Thank you to Julie too for the funds to purchase more, but for some reason our internet will not allow access to the itunes store.  We will do so when we get to Canada.
 

Ti Luc thanked Julie for his iPad by using the keyboard from Tim & Heidi

Ti Luc writing thank you to Heidi & Tim who gave him the keyboard.

Some of you have asked for an update on the adoption of Ti Luc.  It seems to be moving in a good direction but I am afraid to believe anything anymore until I have solid proof.  As of today I do have a copy of the paper saying the adoption is finalized.  Keep praying please and as soon as I have a passport for him then I will rejoice and ask you to join in our happy celebrations.  There will be some happy dancing done here when that day arrives.  When I have the passport I will be contacting the Canadian Embassy for a visa for Ti Luc.  I want very badly to purchase airline tickets for us both to go to NS and NL in July.  A fun celebratory family time is set for July in my home town and Ti Luc and I both need to be in attendance.

We saw a beautiful rainbow ring around the sun today.  It was gorgeous even it it means a storm is close by.  Photo compliments of Lois.

Ring around the sun April 6, 2013

Thank you one and all for EVERYTHING - for every prayer that is sent to heaven on our behalf, for every penny that is sent to help the children and people in the area, for every email or text message sent with encouragement -  for all the various means of support that keeps HATS running to help those in need.   Thank you and God bless you all.  Let's continue to work together. 

Everything we do here and everything we want to do here is -
A L L    A B O U T   T H E    C H I L D R E N

Karen

March Nou degaje

Greetings all,
Well, it’s getting hotter and hotter in Deschappelles. March, April and May are the hot months here, I’m told. In May, when the rains come, it gets even hotter, probably muggy with humidity. My in-house-weather-reporter, Marguerite (our house staff) says we will have anpil anpil chaleur (lots and lots of heat). In Haiti, there is an expression, “nou degaje” which means, “we make do” or “we get by.” We are getting real talented at ‘degaje.’ God is ever present here.

We have a breeze nearly every day and are thankful for that. On the days that are still, we remember those breezes. We turn on the fans, thankful that we have them and the power to run them. I have those little neckerchiefs that you soak in water and then keep in the fridge. They help me through the heat of the day and help me get to sleep at night. Nou degaje and we are thankful, Lord.

When we turn on the tap and have water, we are thankful. When we turn on the tap and don’t have water, nou degaje and we are thankful that we saved the tub of water sitting on the floor.  Since we are in dry season, we are thankful when we have water in the well. The strange thing is that the sewer is full…we are trying to be careful in using water sparingly, which is a challenge when it’s still 30 above at 10 o’clock at night and you’d like to just stand in the shower. Nou degaje and we are thankful, Lord.

When we turn on a switch and have electricity, we are thankful. The Delco is old and has a tough time charging the batteries in two houses now. Nou degaje and pray that we have enough power to allow us to have fans for the nights. Turning the switch back and forth from Delco to inverter keeps us hopping. We have uplugged anything and everything we don’t need; printer is only on when it’s needed, freezer has been unplugged and nou degaje with our fridge freezer. No microwave…takes too much power; no problem, as I was training myself to use it less and less…butter still melts in a pan on the stove, you know:)  Meat takes no time at all to thaw:P

When we turn on the computer and have internet, we are thankful. There’s no degaja for this one. We simply do without. Last week, the tower for the internet satellite dish fell down and it took all week to get it back up. Now we have no internet and this time, we’re not sure why. Getting the kids’ schoolwork sent in is a challenge. I try to phone my Mom through Skype once a week and Brad phones his Mom, but we pray they are not worried by this little gap in communication.

We have had propane consistently and are very thankful for a propane stove that does not depend on electricity. Do you know you can boil water on the stove and pour it through your coffee maker and still get coffee??? Nou degaje:) This oven makes great cinnamon buns and banana muffins. We are blessed!

We were thankful for hot water to do dishes and wash one load of whites per week. Too many nights of being dry…too late we discovered the hot water heater  was draining out when we turned the water off each night…and the element is gone. Back to degaje with the propane stove…amazing how little hot water we use here!

Each evening, when we sit down to supper, we are thankful for Marguerite who cooks and cleans for us. Tasty Haitian food is always waiting for us at the end of the day. There is more than enough work for her, so we continue to do simple things. We make our own beds, fold our own clothing, and keep our rooms tidy. I use the washing machine to wash clothes. Brad & I hang it the wet clothes up together and we do dishes together each evening. In our wedding vows, we vowed to work side-by-side for as many years as God gave us and we still enjoy our working side-by-side time. I often make lunch and Kaeli is beginning to take a turn at lunches too. We are thankful we have food and even though we went 3 weeks without going to a grocery store, we had our staples of rice, spaghetti, cornmeal, bread, chicken and ground beef. We are thankful.

Speaking of food...Karen often provides food to those less fortunate than us. She has Germaine buy rice, cornmeal, beans and gallons of oil. All the dry items are measured out into bags; 12 measures of rice, and 6 each of cornmeal and beans. Luckner will decide on the people to invite to come here to collect the measured gifts. We all lend a hand in the preparing and then the food is handed out to those who need it most.

Each day, I get to know the house mommies better and I am thankful for that. This is the real stuff of the work. I would love to share that I am thankful for each one, for their ability to work; cook the meals, sweep the yard, bathe the children, do the dishes, sweep the floors, wash the floors, braid the girls’ hair, wash the kids’ clothes, wipe noses, sing and pray in morning and evening devotions, iron the clothes, and still greet you with a smile every time you appear. I’ve probably missed some of the tasks they do. Please pray for Antoinette, Cifila, Leona, Magalie, Naomie and Yolene. They do this job, sleep overnight with the kids several days a week, and take care of families at home. It’s a big job and I am thankful for each one.

I’m thankful for the children and feel that I know them quite well by now. I have noticed leadership skills, I have noticed some with the ability to see what needs to be done and the work ethic to do it, and I see some who consistently have the ability to notice when a younger child needs some help. I see mischievous eyes, twinkling eyes, and sparkling eyes. I see eyes full of longing and eyes full of love. Please pray for Vladimy, JJ, Moïse, Djemima, Leica, Josee, Dieunel, Judel, Karena, Jofky, Anne, Sandra and Jonathan.  Jonathan is one and half, the youngest, and Vladimy is 17, the oldest. What a blessing it is to work with these children. We pray that we can help raise them up, that they might follow God’s will for their lives.

I’m thankful for the huge mango tree that stands outside our front door, with no less than 1000 mangoes waiting to ripen and fall. The first few are ready and when they fall, the children are there in a second! Soon, there will be enough for us all and I hope to try and preserve some. As anyone who has been here in Haiti knows we have the best mangoes in the world!!

Please pray for all of us as we work, love the children, miss our families, think of you at home with thankful hearts, and strive to do the work the Lord has laid out for us to do. The next biggest project we have taken on is to ask some of you at home to give us a one-time gift to help us buy a second vehicle for the mission. The last few weeks, we have been without a vehicle, borrowing Luckner’s truck when we absolutely have to pick something up. Karen’s vehicle is in PAP for repairs. We had always counted on God’s provision and we have heard that someone has already donated $5000 toward our vehicle fund. Please pray that God would move hearts and help us find the perfect second-hand vehicle.

^“ I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴ In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶ being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 1: 3-6

It’s all about God and His will for our lives.

Thank you Liette and Rick. For everything!

It was a wonderful week.  You are both missed so very much today.

Liette, it is always a joy to have you here.  This time it was only Luckner and I awaiting your arrival with excitement and anticipation, as I decided to surprise the children and employees. They all loved the surprise of seeing you climb out of the truck. Your time here is always too short.  Each day seems to pass so quickly - perhaps due to all we try to pack into a 24 hour period. Your arrival is always exciting and your time is special, meaningful and a lot of fun.  Your departure, however, is anything but exciting, special and fun - it is sad and difficult to see you leave.   You left today and I am already waiting for your return.

Liette & Rick's arrival at PAP airport

Godmother Liette with godson JJ

Walk along river edge with older kids

Patiently waiting for us in Verrettes

Rick, I did not know what to expect when I knew a friend of Liette's was coming, someone who was interested in Haiti and wanted to experience what HATS was about.  I figured if you were a friend of Liette's you must be 'somewhat okay'.   It did not take very long for me to know that you were 'a lot more okay, than somewhat'.  You are a great guy, with a crazy sense of humour that matches ours.  I enjoyed seeing you accept everything you saw, heard, smelled, and experienced while here.  All of us at HATS grew to quickly love you.   On your last blog you mentioned a dog's breakfast and a cat's meow.   You, my new friend, are the epitome of 'the dog's breakfast and the cat's meow, rolled into one.'

Rick going to leave the compound for a run. Security will follow on moto

Afternoon walk

Mr. Blogger in fine form

Almost home from an early morning walk

Thank you for accepting me, the children, Luckner, the employees, and everything you experienced here.  It is a different world here than what you are used to but you fit in beautifully.  Thank you for blogging your experiences while here and doing so in a candid and humourous manner.  As many of our followers said 'it was good to read and follow it through the eyes of a first timer'.   I am awaiting your return also.

Arrival at airport

Difficult for me to see them leave

No matter who comes to help, or if we are on our own - what we do here is  -
A L L    A B O U T    T H E    C H I L D R E N

Blessings everyone.  Happy Easter!!
Karen

Not goodbye, just until we meet again.

Rick from Chicago here, by request (Karen), and acknowledging that the reason that Chicago is called the Windy City has nothing to do with the wind, rather that we tend to be talkers. So, pardon my being verbose, but I have 2 days of catch-up to write. (or else?)

Yesterday Liette and I went to Deschapelles to distribute the donated school materials that we had brought down with us (thank you again Therese & Paul, Madeleine, Tanya, Laura and Brian, Heather and Marc, LT, and Uncle P and Auntie). We were supposed to go via Luckner’s truck, but there were some mechanical problems, so we had to hire 2 motorcycle to bring us in (and Richard, the head of Security had a motorcycle as well). The bags weighed around 50 pounds each, and there were 2 of them. And 2 of us. Neither bike had mirrors, helmets, or anything that might even slightly resemble anything of the like. I think the headlight worked on one of them though, which didn’t matter to us since it was daytime).

Liette & Rick heading off with school supplies for adults in a literacy program

Per Liette’s comments in the last blog update, we weren’t sure exactly how many people of the students would show up at the adult literacy school for us to handout the donated school goods. Could have been four, could have been twenty-five. Turns out, it was right around fifty. And we had only twenty-seven sets of items. Some quick thinking had us splitting the sets of items in half, which meant some folks wouldn’t be getting a bag. They were quite gracious about it though.  I should note that there were a few people who tried to double dip and get two sets of materials. I could easily pick these folks out though, as they were wearing their small backpacks already. That, and several people who had gotten their items would point me away from the double dippers to those who’d not received anything.  The students were so happy to receive some school supplies and many came up to thank Liette individually. 

Adult students with their new school supplies

Once we finished up at the school, they thanked us and Liette and I then continued on to her friend Rigaud’s house. He showed us around his property, and Liette and he caught up on old times. When it was time for us to go, Rigaud insisted on carrying the bag that I was holding, and he lead us around a mile to the road and said goodbye.   We walked thirty minutes or so back to HATS, got dinner, and then hit the roof for rooftop stars with the kids again. Then it was off to bed, as Wednesday would mark our last full day for this trip.

Wednesday update: This was my last full day at HATS, and it started at 4:45 AM with a solo run along the river. Kind of odd to jog with a security detail behind you, but I probably needed the protection, and definitely needed the light (it was pitch black until I got back around 6).

Rick going to leave the compound for a run.  Security will follow on moto.

Rick is off with security following

After the run and a quick shower, I gathered up with the children and staff for morning Devotions (songs). I’ve come to enjoy these very much, and it will be one of the things I miss most about Haiti while I’m away.

After breakfast we went to the market in Verrettes, and it was an experience like no other. Haitians must have iron stomachs. I think I’ll leave it at that.

At Verrettes Market

I also had an opportunity to ride in a Tap-Tap. This is the Haitian equivalent of a group taxi. And by “group taxi”, I mean “How many human beings can we jam into the back of a pickup truck – standing, sitting, and what not”. Today’s answer was eighteen (not counting us. I’m not kidding, I counted eighteen people in the back of this small pickup truck. To be fair though, after the first stop, a few people got off and we went down to a significantly more manageable figure (fourteen or so). Yep.

We returned to the compound for lunch, and then took a trip with Luckner to Ti Riviere – a town with an aging Haitian Castle that will hopefully be revitalized in the near future. We also saw Fort Pierrot (built in 1802), the site of the second to last battle for Haitian independence. There was also a voodoo site in the fort, which was kind of odd, but very interesting. Voodoo is very much alive in Haiti, but there wasn’t much to be seen where we went.

Luckner teaching about Fort Pierrot

Along the way, we also saw the river dam, currently under construction. It was once automated so it self-regulated according to need. However the person running the dam was corrupt, stole a huge barrel of oil, and the automating system was ruined. Now it has to be regulated manually, and we’re reminded the corruption adversely affects the poorest of the poor the most.

Palais 365 Doors

We wound down our trip shortly thereafter, and headed back to the Compound. I declined the afternoon walk in favor of starting to get my things packed for the trip back to the States. Dinner after the walk, final Devotions (for me for this trip), and then to the office for this last blog update.

It’s going to be impossible to put my thoughts into words about this experience, so I’d say this – if you can get here - do. I think most people probably think they’re coming to help others. To some extent, that’s true (at least this temporary blogger thought so). To a larger extent, you’ll leave Haiti a better person than when you arrived. The heat may be a dog’s breakfast, but everything else is the cat’s meow.

The staff has been so great to me, and the children…. priceless. I’m quite thankful for having had this opportunity to come down and spend some time here, and I told the children as much this morning when Karen asked me to say a few words.

Happy kids with sugar cane

Nelson Mandela once said something like “Everywhere I go, I wear you”. It means that none of us is our own person entirely. Rather, we’re the culmination of the people and experiences we have had. I leave Haiti wearing 16 HATS children, 10(ish) Haitan staff members, a Calgarian, 2 Winnipegian’s, and a Newfie. And I couldn’t be happier about it.

Until We Meet Again My Friends,
-    Rick from Chicago

It's Chicago Rick here again today.

Day 4 in Haiti down, and I continually find myself feeling like a kid - totally fascinated with the new world that I’m visiting.

Since the last blog update, I’ve become pretty hip to the rhythm of how things flow around HATS - at least on non-school days. Early in the morning (usually before sunrise), Karen goes for a walk along the river. These are usually 45-60 minutes, and the bigger kids are allowed to join in – if they can keep up. There’s an afternoon walk as well, which everyone is welcome to join in, and is a much slower pace (complete with 2 strollers). In either case, the walks are along the canal in front of the compound.

Canal walk at sunset

Sunday, naturally, was Church day, and HATS holds ‘church’ in the school. Attendance can vary from 20 – 200, depending on what’s going on in the community, and if school is in session. On this day, there were 54 people present, with HATS staff and children being around 20 of them. There was a tremendous amount of singing, and other churchly goings-on that you’d expect.

After the service, we piled into the back of the pickup truck to go to Luckner’s place, where the kids were treated to the Haitian equivalent of Oreo’s and banana soda.

Later that night, Liette and I took several of the bigger kids to the roof of the house to play Uno as the sun went down, and to look at the stars. This was a special treat for the kids (and for me, to be honest), and they were enamored with it.

Monday proved a routine day, with two exceptions – the trip to the hospital (and dump), as well as Liette and I guesting on Luckner’s radio show. He interviewed us about HATS, and me a bit about what my thoughts were about Haiti – before and after coming here.

Measuring food for needy families

A few people from the community who came to pick up food

I don’t think I can articulate how I’m feeling about this place – and this experience. The children are amazing, the staff… unbelievable. And it comes together so well, with the emphasis on exactly the right things (what’s best for the kids drives everything).

I’m not looking forward to leaving on Thursday and heading back to the States at all. I know I’ll stay in touch with the people, and furthering the cause of the organization, but the idea of being so far away from something so positive just feels….well… a little sad.

That said, I do miss my home, my friends, and my family. I think I’m going to miss this place very much too.

- Rick

-------

As for me, Liette, it's always interesting to travel to Haiti with someone for the first time and to see the country and Hands Across the Sea anew through their eyes.  Rick is ready and eager for everything we throw his way and asks lots of great questions.  I appreciate his willingness to jump in and lend a hand, his excitement to see and try everything and his love for the kids. 

I always love being here - I feel like I'm truly myself in Haiti in a way that I can't always be in my life at home.  In spite of all of Haiti's challenges, the country is beautiful, the children precious and the people resilient.   I had two great opportunities today to make connections in the community and to share my vision of helping adults learn to read and write.  I visited with a local school director who runs a small adult literacy program and make arrangements to visit the school again tomorrow.  School is out this week for spring break, but he's going to try and round up some of his students to come in.  And on Luckner's radio show, I was able to share my dream of having a basic literacy program here at Hands Across the Sea for adults and older teens who never got the opportunity to attend school. 

Rick and Liette being interviewed by Luckner

Yvette, I tried to visit your toad but haven't seen him yet.  I'll try again this evening.  And we've been playing Dice every evening with Vladimy :)   Aunt Sandy, I saw one of your spider friends today in the bathroom but when I turned my head for a moment, he had hidden himself away.  Shhhh.... don't let Karen know I let a tarantula escape! 

Playing our daily evening dice game with Vladimy

I had the fun of bringing gifts for my family's godchildren as well as Yvette's godson Moise.  JJ and Moise were SO pleased with their new fancy clothes!

JJ in his new suit jacket

Moise in his new shirt and dress pants

Miss my kids like crazy and sure hope to bring them to Haiti later this year.

- Liette