Blog Nov 6

The Captain and the Boss are back from an exciting trip to St. Marc. I got to drive and of course our armed guard Richard came as well. No cruise control allowed on these roads. You go from swerving to avoid the crazy helmet-less motorcyclists, pedestrians, potholes, massive speed bumps and animals and then accelerate to pass an overloaded truck. The drivers are aggressive and continual use of horns is mandatory. I loved it!!

Our route took us past chaotic traffic jams and markets.

Traffic jam and a market

Market area traffic

Keith, you can get us through this

…….as well as some very lush countryside

Overloaded TapTap - public transportation

Countryside between the mission and St. Marc

The goal of our trip was to take TI-Fi, 12 years old to the doctor. She was very pleased to be going in the truck on a trip with Mama and without the other kids but was a little nervous too.

Dr Valery was very nice and we were in and out in no time. Dr. Valery used to work at the local hospital and Karen found him to be a competent, caring pediatrician.   He moved to St. Marc a few years ago and has a practice "The Clinic du Sacre Coeur".   Karen finds it more convenient/faster to take the children to see him. Three stops at pharmacies and we had the prescriptions and headed back to the ranch.

Ti Fi going to St. Marc to see the doctor

Ti Fi a little nervous waiting to see the doctor

The rest of the day was filled with odd jobs. I managed to look busy without really accomplishing anything. (I learned that trick from the best – guys like Pearo, Fagner and the master: Heron!)

Keith helping anywhere and everywhere

I’m still working on the blackboard for the boy’s house, repairing some benches and putting together the new songbooks, etc. etc. Karen was trying to cook, I mean balance, the books for last month.

I drafted Moise and JJ to help me move 40 boxes of food for the school kids’ lunches to the storage depot. HATS had a shipment of food supplements donated by Kids against Hunger in the USA. Shipping was paid by a donation from HATS friends, in Africa and Montreal; Dr. Olle and Barbara and Louis. The 40 boxes will last about two weeks and the shipment should last a year and a half.

Moise helping Keith with food for school students

Takes work to feed 300 students five days a week

No rain today so it will be a hot and noisy sleep on the roof.

November 5 - 2013

Good Evening ladies and Gentlemen.
This is your Captain speaking.
My name is Keith and welcome aboard our HATS HAITI adventure.

I arrived here last week from Montréal to a very warm welcome sign on the main gate and an even warmer welcome with hugs and greetings from the children and staff. Most of them remembered me from earlier visits and they wanted to know why Joan (my wife) wasn't here too.
I have the advantage of being retired while she is still working!!!
Who wouldn't want to come here when Jofky is waiting for you!!!!

Cute mischievous Jofky. You gotta love him

Today was school books day for Karen and I. Even though the school year started last month some of the students are still waiting for text books. They have to be organized, cataloged, labeled and assigned to each child. The books are returned at the end of the year, hopefully in good condition, and re-used for the next school year. For next year Karen needs a helper, labels and a good light-weight laser colour printer- copier.

More textbook work

During recess at the school a soccer game broke out. The guys didn’t seem to mind the rocks and some even played barefoot.

Soccer during recess

While we were at the school a couple of masons came and redid the front steps to Karen’s House. They are now wider & longer and decrease the chance of Ti-Luc falling off the top step entering and leaving his home.

Entrance steps made larger and wider so Ti Luc can enter the house unaided

This is the end of the rainy season but we are still getting some afternoon showers which make for a very welcome temperature drop.

Compound with a good refreshing rain

Karen Here...

Karen this time as I had to tearfully see Sandra off at airport today.

Once more I had to see some of my precious family members off at the Port au Prince airport to return to Canada.  Last week I was sad to see brothers Don, Ken and Bob leave.  A lot of work was completed and a lot of fun was had when they were here, along with Dave Buckle and Lisa Edison, as well as the three who stayed the second week.

Traveling in truck in Haiti. One sister riding in the pan of the truck and one hanging out the window of the back seat.

Airport arrival at 7 30 am

Today Luckner and I were both sad to see Dickie, Sandra and Jim leave.   I am already looking forward to when each one of them will be back.  At this point I know only when one will be returning, Don.  He will be coming with others from Newfoundland in May.  When the first family members left I still had three here with me.  Today when these three left I still have Keith, who arrived on Friday, here with me.  Having someone here at HATS to return home to helps make the farewell a 'little' easier. 

The farewells have begun

Two special men saying Bye for another while

Until we can return!

Bye you two.  I am missing you a ton already

Keith held down the fort today and according to Germaine and others he was busy all day.  I heard him described as 'Dickie de' (Dickie two).  He did find time to take a lovely photo of our mission compound, looking lush and beautiful I must say, complete with a rainbow.

Keith's photo taken today, beautiful lush compound complete with rainbow..

A huge thank you is in order for the million things that was taken care of by the whole group, during the first week and the other three in the second week.  Thank you to a very special lady, Lisa, for not only putting up with us nutty Huxters, and Dave Buckle, but for doing it with grace and with some good 'comebacks'.  You, my friend, are welcome any time.

Normally Liette comes every November and takes care of the huge job of letters and photos from every sponsored student in our school.  This year Sandra was in charge of it all with Jim as photographer and computer whiz for inputing the photos.  Liette, your aunt Sandra did a good job of following your example and instructions on that important, huge, and time consuming job at the school.  She was a tad nervous about following you, but she need not have been.  She followed your instructions and advice and 'took off running'.  

Bye cuz.  Who is going to take care of my computer and old and Luckner's old and new ones for Radio Creole now?

We realize that you, Liette, still have a lot of work to do translating all the letters from Creole to English and getting them, and the photos, out to all sponsors.  Without all this dedication and work, from everybody who helped, the school sponsoring program would not be successful.   THANK YOU so very much on behalf of all students and their families.

Remember - everything that is done at HATS by people here long term and short term is  

                          A L L    A B O U T    T H E    C H I L D R E N 

Karen here - Sandra did this blog too. What does that say? Females write best perhaps!!!

This was a very quiet day, unusual, to say the least!  Karen has laryngitis!
Church was worshipping, singing, praising and praying today as Karen couldn't speak or translate.  It was a beautiful service and we were only there 1 1/2 hours today.

After church we had some Canadian visitors, then the usual Sunday trek to papa Luckner's for juice and cookies. 

We had a water balloon fight which grew from water balloons to bowls of water to buckets of water and I do believe I got most of it, the little children were trying to wring out my skirt! 

Fun time water fight

Little Sandra coming for Mama who was hiding behind the camera

We (Keith, Jim and Sandra) had a mango eating contest.  We were to eat them as Haitians do: bite the peel off with our teeth, eat the mango and not have any on our clothes or face.  It was fun  and delicious BUT we did have it all over our faces and hands...I even had some juice on the ground...Jim was the first one finished, Keith was next BUT the vote decided that I was the winner!  I did not argue!

Mango eating contest.

Dirty face, dirty hands, satisfied stomach

This guy kept us all in stitches

Good to the very last bite

We had a wonderful walk/bike ride along the canal with the older children.  Jim must be an older child...he took a bike too but the children were not going to let him ride faster than they could.  There were races but the kids always come in the winners.  Karen rode for a while, Sandra took a race with JJ but he beat me when I had a head start on him.  Ti Luc was travelling fast and found himself in a few tight spots as Keith was his co pilot.  Keith has retired as a pilot so he now gets to be co-pilot on Ti Luc's bike, and Ti Luc loves it!

Last afternoon walk for this crew this time

Our walk-ride along the canal

Ti Luc dearly loves his new co pilot

Moise missed the walk because of school work - next time Moise

Had our last delicious supper and said our goodbyes.  The hardest part is to hug the children for the last time when you know it will be a year or more before you see them again.

We tried to talk Karen out of going to Port Au Prince tomorrow BUT guess what...she is going!  She should be staying home but no one can tell her what to do!!!!

We have had another fantastic time here and God willing (Karen too) we will return.

I, Karen, would like to keep them here now.  Luckner feels the same way.  Going to be very difficult to see them leave tomorrow.  Until next time!!

Another great day in Haiti.  The past 2 days have been overcast and the temperature has been much cooler.  We had a glorious rain last night and hopefully we will get another tonight.

Luckner told us that this morning 8 people, in this area, had to be rushed to hospital with cholera, and one died.  They suspect it was from the heavy rain that washed things down from the mountains.  Another bit of sad news is that someone contaminated the water supply in Deschapelles with gasoline last night so the whole Deschapelles area has no water today.  HATS is okay, they have their own well.

We have only one more day!  It will be a good day with church and a fun afternoon with the children.

We will put up a few photos and some explanations for them.

Don't ask.  We don't tell.

You may ask.  We will tell.

What you say Uncle Bob

Ti Luc and Ti Fi holding hands in devotions

Saturday morning bike marathon at HATS

Bike marathon continues

Gorgeous person, gorgeous scenery

Goodies brought down by Don from a dear friend in Springdale

Rising to the challenge.

Sandra writing this blog once again

We had a wonderful evening giving each child and Karen a lovely hand made quilt for when the weather turns cool at night (cold to the Haitians).  They got to look at them and then choose what one they wanted and everyone was pleased with their choices and would have put them on their beds right away BUT momma took them all back until it gets cool.  They are very beautiful and were made especially for this mission and they send many many thanks to Joan and her quilting guild in Kimberly BC.

Quilts arrived in time for what Haitians consider 'cold'

Gorgeous quilts made for our HATS children

This morning started with a nice walk along the canal...or so I am told!  They left without me!

Our early morning walk

A little tree climbing on our walk

Today and tomorrow are holidays in Haiti so only Germaine and Roselene (those looking after Karen, Ti Luc and us) arrived to work.  The kids enjoyed their day off school and everyone played and enjoyed a relaxing day!

We put up new photos on Karen's walls, we helped Karen clean her room (a lot of things get put in her room when a team is here) and we were determined to get it all cleaned out and we did.

We stored a lot in the depot for future use, we organized a lot to give out in the community and we left our empty suitcases so she can bless others with them.

The batteries ran out of charge this morning (teams are hard on the power here) and then when they tried to start the Delco (generator) it wouldn't start.  There was a short time of concern about power BUT we were soon up and running and have been running ever since to make sure everything is well charged before we shut down again.

The generator battery Sandra was wheeling likes more like Jofky now

Luckner and Daniel (security) went to Port Au Prince today to pick up Keith Wight from Montreal who will be staying to help Karen for a while.  He arrived to a banner at the gate and the children singing and anxiously awaiting his arrival!

Kids welcome sign for pilot Keith, complete with a drawing of a plane

Kids had a fun bubble time then a video ( a real treat) while we adults walked the canal.  We had a lovely  walk and met the goat man again and he told us that someone stole his little baby goat today.  Then 2 little boys walked along and chatted with us for awhile.  We arrived home in time for supper, delicious chicken in a cranberry sauce (cranberry sauce brought by Keith) and mashed potatoes, sounds very Canadian and it is, they learned it from Karen.

Fun with bubbles

Two boys who chatted with Karen on our afternoon walk

After supper we had devotions and then a game of ball hockey.  The kids were very excited that Keith was here to play with them as he was the one who introduced them to the game and brought the sticks etc for them to play.

Evening devotions

Canadian ball hockey with Keith

Two precious Sandras

It is raining right now and I hope it rains hard and lasts long enough to cool the air!