January 17th, 2014

Keith

I’m not sure what the child labour laws are here in Haiti but I am pretty sure I violated them today. We had 3 truckloads of lumber delivered for the Gerry’s Team project next month. The wood had to be moved so.....

Truckload #2 of lumber

117    pieces of 2X4  X 16 FT
50     pieces of 1X4  X 16 FT
10     Sheets of plywood

Yawel made three trips to pick it up and dropped it all in the driveway. We had Eugene help for the first load but the kids, JJ, Moise, Djemina, Leica, Dieunel and I schlepped it all up the  winding stairs to the second floor of the water tower where all the wood is stored. That location keeps it dry and out of the sun.

The target is the second floor of the water tower

The chain gang

Amazing but true – no injuries

Don’t give up yet Dieunel – only 88 more

Between the second and third loads we sat for a break. Germaine came out with juice and cheesies for all the kids; the workers AND the watchers.

Break time

Exactly 2.3 seconds after that picture, Karena, who was on my knee threw up her cheesies, juice, breakfast and lunch – thankfully she missed me! 

Back to work. All the lumber was freshly cut but some of them had a pretty good bow already. 

Karena bounced back quickly and was smiling and running around in no time. Too much junk food I guess.

And a couple of them were actually straight

The child labourers with the lumber AND the sheets of plywood. Good job guys and girls.

The tents on the roof of the HATS Hilton are still set up from The Texas Team visit. Karen decided it would be fun to have the older kids up there for a sleepover. I am not sure why they are called sleepovers; there is usually more giggling, fooling around and talking then sleeping.

The sleepover gang

Djemina can’t sleep

Ti-Luc can sleep

JJ ready to party

Take up your bed and walk

I wonder whose bed he ended up in….

Good times at the Hats Hilton

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Keith

I spent a good part of today with my head hanging over a toilet or a sink.
No, I wasn’t sick, it was plumbing day. Little kids have unique ways of clogging up sinks and toilets sometimes without even trying.

(Ironically, about 2 hours after I left Montreal last Monday, Joan had a problem with our toilet at home. The handle fell off. While I was enroute to a plumbing job in Haiti she was on the phone to a friend to come and help. Thanks John for bailing me out – I owe you!)

So now we need parts. Off to Liancourt to the local plumbing store. This place was about 3 meters by 10 meters and loaded floor to ceiling. It had almost everything I was looking for with the exception of tap washers and O-rings.  (Next team please bring) It was as well stocked as Home Depot with friendlier and more helpful staff.

Liancourt

Karen knows everyone

Plumbing store

Shopping

Supplies

Don't miss anything off the list Keith

Trying for a discount

Back to the compound and back to work. Water is a scarce and valuable commodity in this country and on this compound. The drinking water comes from a well and is very good. It is electrically pumped up to 4  - 1000 gallons / 37,800 liters each holding tanks and is then distributed by gravity. When the electricity is off, which is often, the tanks can empty in a hurry. So, every leak and drip needs to be fixed. Replaced taps in the laundry and 2 others in the girls’ home and we are good for a few days. I hope.

The water tanks

Gravity feed

The water holding tanks used to be on the 3^rd floor of the main building. The earthquake of 2010 destroyed the structure so now they are on an independent tower.

Old water tank platform

While the older kids were at school the inseparable pair of Sandra and Jonathan played school with their knapsacks and vivid imaginations.

Sandra

Jonathan

Thank you to the nutty, fun loving, "Best Team From Texas"

Thank you for returning once more to share in our/your HATS family. Thanks for all the work with, and also without, Brooks' favourite paint colour Aqua Chintz. Every time you return to us the bonding between you, the team, and all of us at HATS becomes stronger. You are an important part of the HATS-Haiti Mission. Thank you for all the encouragement. It helps me to keep going, and helps me to 'try to' keep blooming, here in the Artibonite Valley of Haiti where God has planted me.

You are a good group, and good looking, especially at 4:30 a.m. when ready to leave us to return to Texas.

The 4 30 a.m. look. Are they awake enough to say 'Bye'. Hopefully it will get better during the day.

Thank you for not only accepting us two Newfies here, but for loving us, laughing with us, praying for us, learning some of our great Newfie expressions and for wanting to know more about the uniqueness and specialness of Newfoundland. We will work on speaking with a Texas accent and you work on speaking with a Newfie one. When you return next year it will be even more fun. Brooks, me son, me nerves is doin better since you left. Got no one to git on me nerves now b'y.

Thank you for praying for all the children.

Brooks praying for Jofky and Dieunel

David praying for Leica, Djemima and Judel

Jake praying for Moise and JJ

Jennifer praying for Anne and Ti Fi

Julie praying for Ti Luc and Josie

Tina praying for Sandra and Karena

Thank you for all the fun time with the children.

Jennifer and Anne

Moise and Jake

Thank you, too, for your support of Luckner and the work of Radio Creole. Radio Creole continues to make a difference - a noticeable difference - in the thinking of, and in the lives of, many in the valley.

Luckner at Radio Creole

Maestro Brooks serious for a change

It was great to have you. Difficult to see you leave as was evidenced in the faces of all the children.

Ti Luc saying bye to the group

It is good to have you as part of the HATS-Haiti family. We will continue to work together for the good of the children.

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

Karen

Day 5

Brooks and David at the helm. A few more things our team learned today, our last day here at HATS.

1. We have been declared "the best team ever to come from Texas" per Keith, and "the best team ever to come from the U.S." according to DG herself. This is indeed a high honor for such a humble group. Also, apparently, we're the only team to come from either Texas or the U.S., so come to think of it, that may not have been a compliment. We now feel kind of confused and somewhat disappointed. But Karen says we can come back next year, so I guess we're not all that bad and have not forced Karen to once say, "Oh me nerves, ye got me drove!"

The 'best' team from Texas

2. No matter how hard she tries or how many times she repeats herself, the kids still don't understand Tina's English.

Tina enjoying time with Karena & Ti Luc

3. On her 3rd trip to HATS, Julie finally discovered that the tents we stay in are supposed to remain zipped up to keep bugs out. This is why they are called mosquito net tents.

Other things of note from today.

One final day of painting. No aqua chintz, but we got some dignity purple on the porch of Kay Margo and it is beautiful. There is also a Texas flag now painted somewhere on the compound. We wonder how long it will take her to find the flag. Our guess is she won't and we'll have to point it out next year. We also put a new fresh coat of fencepost white on all the doors in Karen's house. We have all decided that we will never clean our baseboards or white doors at home ever again. All they need is a fresh coat of fencepost white and they are sparkling.

One final round of play and laughter with the kids. We were blessed to get to spend some time praying with each of them. We say it every year, but it's true. We get more blessing from spending time with them than they get from us! It's always hard to say goodbye as they become more and more part of our family and we become part of theirs. But according to Michael W. Smith, "Friends are friends forever, if the Lord's the Lord of them."

Jofky getting a gift from his god father, Brooks

Jonathan with his parenn David

Our happy girl, Ti Fi, posing with Brooks

Ti Luc can paint with the other children

Speaking of that song, we sang it tonight on the Brooks and the Gang Radio Creole Top 10 Music Night this evening. With DJ Dave on the iPod and the rest of us on the mikes, with a little help from Papa Luckner, Haiti's airwaves have never sounded finer (at least since we were here last year. We gave Luckner the special shirts we made for the station. We think he likes them. We also think he thinks we're crazy people. But the shirts are cool. Such a fun night.

Preparing for the big show

Jake and his beautiful wife Jennifer

Brooks at his best

We ended with our tradition of sitting on the roof under the stars with Karen, joined by our favorite Newfie pilot, Keith (of course, he's the only Newfie pilot we know). We were able to pray and talk and dream for an incredible future for the precious children of HATS. We leave tomorrow with the kids on our hearts. We'll miss them but rest well knowing they're in the best of hands.

Yes b'y.

Day 4

The entire group is here with me (Brooks). This way I don’t have to think up everything and they keep me from making fun of them. We’ve entitled today’s blog “Lessons Learned One Sunday in Haiti”

1. If you go to church and you know Djemima is singing, bring a tissue (or box). For some reason, her voice made our allergies act up.

Djemima singing beautifully and in English

2. If you go to church wearing a skirt and sit next to TiLuc, don’t sit in front of a group of men in case TiLuc gets excited, waves his arm, and accidentally causes you to flash all the men of the church (Julie only)

3. Stretch before church. There will be dancing.

4. Don’t count on Jennifer, even though she’s the only one in your group with singing talent, to start off your special music for the church. Once again, Brooks will have to step up and make it happen.

Who is going to get us started here

In all seriousness, we learned what Thankfulness and Worship is all about watching the community praise the Lord on the 4 year anniversary of the earthquake. It was an honor and awe-inspiring thing to witness.

5. 25 people can fit in Karen’s truck. Brooks and Jake are still hurting from the ride.

Our chauffeur Keith. Karena waiting for Mama to join her

Truck is full - inside and out

25 people in the truck. Heading to Papa Luckner's

6. Lange de Laternel, Luckner’s store, does not carry ice cream (Tina the newbie only. Yep, she actually believed David’s story)

7. Jake and Brooks make a cute couple. We discovered this when TiFi made them hold hands during the Sunday afternoon movie time. For the first time, Jake expressed PDA with someone other than Jennifer. I did not enjoy it, but I love Tifi and will do anything she tells me to.

8. If you beat the kids at soccer once, they will come back the next day with a vengeance. We were slaughtered 11-4.

Third day straight of soccer

Soccer break. Brooks with Luckner's two boys

9. Karen ‘Uxter ‘ad a ‘ard time learning to huse ‘er H’s. She yelled at ‘er huniveristy’s dean hover the whole thing. Great story. We learned a bunch of Newfie phrases like “Stick your wood in ma oven” or something like that and “Yer nerves are making me coffee run”. I’m not sure these were accurate, but that’s close enough, b’y.

10. Most importantly, we learned the stories of how all these incredible kids were taken in and given the hope of an amazing life by this wonderful place.

Time to quit blogging and go have a snack. We’re all just ‘bout gutfounded.