Attitudes in Isolation

I am tired of Coronavirus Conversations. They seem to be the only things that anyone has to talk about anymore. Unfortunately, many of the information people are discussing are the exaggerated reports the media presents.

Many statistics are lacking in important details. We are told how many died, we are told how many have been tested positive, but we are not made aware by charts and graphs of how many had underlying issues? How many tested positive were sent home and recovered just fine? How many do not even know they had it? Or, had it and stayed home with no testing whatsoever?

Now we're told that anyone who contracts the virus has decreased lung function and will probably die sooner. There is not enough information to present this as fact. Lung tissue regenerates after a smoker quits smoking. Why are we not presuming this is the case for the virus as well? Where are the peer reviewed, scientific articles demonstrating the claims in the media?

I caution you, if you read the new information, take it with a grain of salt. There is not enough time or energy yet devoted to proving these claims. Think with a mind directed by logic, not with one directed by fear.

So, now most of us are under stay at home orders. We must only leave if we have essential business. (Beer and wine, anyone?) For about two weeks now I have been thinking about how our walk with the Lord can feel invalidated when nobody is around to see.

We spend so much time in bible studies and church services "spurring one another on to love and good deeds" and talking about producing fruit. James even says "faith without action is dead." So, we are stuck at home, seemingly rendered fruitless.

For me, at least, I tend to think that there is no action to take, when we are at home going about our own personal business. The things we do, like cooking, cleaning, crafting, organizing, drinking our drinks... are not the things of the kingdom... right?

Well, sort of. It can be easy to claim "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the Lord Jesus..." (1 Cor. 10:31) But developing fruit is less about the tangible, touchable daily things. While these are important, they are not the GOAL.

You see, the fruit that the Lord is asking us to develop is not to reach completion in our to do lists. We are not checking boxes. The fruit that the Lord is asking from us is a heart condition. Attitude and perspective. God wants to see our hearts changed. This is where "doing unto the Lord" becomes worship, instead of work.

Galatians 5:22 lists these attitudes of the heart. We know them as the Fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  These attitudes are still relevant, even when we are alone. They do not only apply to our public behavior. They apply to our being. Our spirit person still exists, even when nobody is looking. Are you nurturing your spirit? Are you quenching the thirst of your soul even though you must be isolated right now?

When we struggle is when we have opportunity to grow. We see in our struggles where our great weaknesses are. This does not need to be a time of confusion and doubt. I have practiced making this a time of self reflection and seeking of clarity.

Philippians 4:8 says "Whatever is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable... if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things." We shift our minds, from the fear inducing accounts of the world, and think on the things of Christ. 

We do not conform to the world's ideas, but renew our minds. 

What are things that I miss during quarantine? What are the things that I am relieved to be taking a break from? Should I continue in the activities that I am grateful to be freed from? What are the thoughts of my flesh that are invading my peace? What are the prevalent attitudes of my heart that are robbing me of my joy? I must work on this in the struggle, not in the ease. Then it will become habit, by choosing my thoughts moment after moment, after moment.

Is it easy? No. But it comes from waking each day with a resolve to walk in proper attitude.

When Coronavirus passes, and we step into a new society, with different struggles than before this happened, we want our minds to be prepared for action (1 Peter 1:13). I can't think of a better opportunity to work on this than forced isolation.

Be well, my Friends.

Are You Happy?

      I guess this Stupid Virus has made it difficult for me to live my day to day life. Shucks. School is cancelled until 4-20. If school actually starts meeting on that day, I can tell you more parents than ever are going to be remembering Bob. 

      Hey, listen. I really like my children. Love them, even! But it can be a lot tryna be together, in quarantine for a whole month. Yesterday, my poor boy asked if we could go somewhere. When I told him all the somewhere places we would go are closed until further notice, he sighed and said "Well, can we just get in the car and drive around?" 

      We were supposed to go to the coolest zoo ever next week, but it got shut down until the virus passes. I offered to buy everyone an animal costume and lock them in cages but they didn't like my new plan. I even told them I'd throw food at them. The 13 Year Old said she was game for that if she could be the zoo keeper. Everyone else just gave me the "you're stupid" look. 

      So, now I am in full mom mode, and my kids are doing their best to play together and help maintain order. Today we baked cranberry muffins, and blueberry bread. We went on Amazon and ordered some fuzzy coloring posters, new puzzles and sparkly craft paper. (Who doesn't need more sparkles in their life?) We watched clips on YouTube from Napoleon Dynamite. (My feeble attempt at convincing them they're missing out on life by refusing to watch this movie with me.) At some point YouTube decided we needed some suggestions, and offered us an 11 year old channel called "Great Depression Cooking" in which our new friend Clara shows us how to cook food from the Depression era. While she is cooking she tells us old stories from her childhood memories. 

      Her stories are laced with vocabulary like "It wasn't much, but we were happy." and "We didn't have the fancy stuff, but we had what we needed." 

      Oh, for the joy of doing without. Jesus, create in us hearts of contentment and willingness to live in the circumstances you grant us... for the simple pleasure of being right where you want us to be. 

      My favorite passage from scripture is Hebrews 11 and 12. The writer of this book lists the incredible people who persevered in faith, and yet did not take hold of any earthly reward. The purpose of living through difficulty is to refine us; to make us mature and complete (James 1:4). We can walk through uncertain times because we know what God promises us if we persevere: a crown of life (James 1:12). 

      Am I implying that we are under persecution like our ancestors in faith? No... but I feel like I am struggling. I feel like I am being refined. Besides, Hebrews 11:39-40 says "They were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." We are part of a long faith legacy. We have been passed the torch, and urged to run. Our sanctification plays a part in the kingdom story... in  God's story. 

      So, here I am, learning the secret of contentment (Philippians 4:11). It is easy to be content when I have all the fancy things. I must choose contentment when I do not have convenience and fun to distract me. If I allow the author and perfecter of my faith to build my character, I will experience life on this side of eternity more fully. Yes, please! 

      And so, since we have examples to follow, lets do the same. Let us throw off our chains, and let us fix our eyes on Christ, who "for the joy set before him" endured the cup he was given. 

     Where is your joy? Have you set your eyes on the promises of God? I assure you, Dear Ones, there is a hope and future! Fix your eyes on the blessing of the struggle. 

A Sociologist's Perspective on Covid-19

I went to Sam’s Club yesterday for a regular grocery shopping trip. I go once a week, because there are seven of us in the household. Don’t ask me to stock up on two week’s worth of groceries all at once. I. Don’t. Have. Room.

There was no rice on the shelf. It was gone. I desperately needed rice. I’m a weight lifter and a macro-nutrient counter. Rice is a staple. There is no negotiating rice. I’ll be damned if this stupid virus is going to make it difficult for me to simply live my day to day life. I mean, I’ve already resigned myself to cutting flat sheets into squares for washable ass wipes.

As I was lamenting the rice shortage of 2020 at house church, my friend made note of it, and texted today that there was now rice on the Sam’s Club shelves. After pumping out my upper body I went to the store, ‘cause rice...

I’ve been educated about both sides of this virus. Be worried, its unknown… don’t be worried, the flu is worse.  I am a researcher, after all. I am tired of hearing about it. I might have given in to the shopping frenzy a little. My 50 pound rice bag trophy inspired me to buy the last bag of potatoes in the bin. I might NEED those potatoes! (I’ll bet they only bring out one bag at a time. Crap. I got tricked into buying something I didn’t need!)

Here’s the deal, though. Nobody is talking about the social reasons this virus could be dangerous. I am a sociologist. I am trained in the scientific method. I can’t employ this for the sake of this article because there isn’t enough research out there yet. Also, I might be a teensy bit apathetic about proving my points.  Plus, I’m in the mood to channel my old dead sociologist friend Karl Marx. He was more of a prophet than a scientist. His predictions based on observation are relevant to our society today. Observation and speculation are good ways to begin researching a phenomenon. I am speculating, I am rambling, I am simply thinking out loud. If you’re into it, read on…

There was absolute panic in the grocery store. I could feel it permeating the air. A side note: its interesting what people stock up on in case of emergency. 20 boxes of Eggo toaster waffles, anyone? Me, I bought broccoli. I skipped the dog food. If we do end up quarantined and starving, I might eat them anyways. I wonder why we are being told to crowd ourselves into small spaces to “prepare for the worst” if the whole point of avoiding sickness is to stay out of crowds?  I wonder if creating panic  is the point of the pandemic? Perhaps we are meant to feel desperate and afraid.

My first speculation (dare I call it a hypothesis?):  Fear keeps people under control. I don’t think people are fearful of getting sick. They are fearful of doing without. That is why telling folks to stock up on necessities is effective. We will spend all of our money at once, and be more dependent on the economy to provide for our perceived needs.

People are getting more creative at not spending money. This virus has caused an economy boost. Whoever owns the means of production for toilet paper is pretty happy with their stocks right now. (Somebody else who likes numbers, go find out if Charmin’ stock went up. Look up Eggo's stock, too. Leave a comment with the stats!)

My second speculation (hypothesis, anyone?): Wait for the economy crash. Nobody has any money left after their Eggo waffle shopping spree.  People will be broke, stressed out, and bored. All of us regular citizens (if you like fancy words, Marx called us the “proletariat”) will be working overtime, building our savings back up, and incapable of taking time off. Who benefits from this? Well, it’s the property owners (bourgeoisie).  They make money off of our panic. They benefit by creating a situation that requires us to work more. This makes us less independent and more controllable.

I had to pee so bad in the grocery store, but I was afraid to use the restroom. No, not because of germs. Are you kidding me? There’s SOAP in the bathroom. I really wanted to wash my hands too. But, if I left my cart, someone might have taken my rice. Or my last bag of potatoes. After all, I had the LAST ONE! Google Marx’s thoughts on commodity, if you want to know more!

My third and final HYPOTHESIS (I just went for it, that time.): We don’t trust each other. Divide and conquer. When the social classes begin to see that we are being oppressed and used by the wealthy we become a risk to the functionality of the system. We are more likely to resist and protest the way things are. Scarcity has been cultivated, and now we are working against one another for our own well being, instead of the well being of our fellow proletariat.

 Look up the video about the folks fighting over toilet paper. Come on ya’ll, she just wanted ONE PACK.

Okay, great. I feel better getting my thoughts out in the open. Since everyone was waiting with baited breath to hear what I think, I’m sure you feel better too. Here's the deal: be careful. I mean that in all senses. Wash your hands. Be smart. Buy what you need to be secure, just in case. But don’t forget what we’re dealing with here. There are things happening that require more depth of thought, and insight. We need to employ more intention in our actions. Let’s tweak our perspectives and try to see through a broader lens, than that of fear.

                Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go admire my giant rice bag trophy. And also, eat some.

Tomorrow!

I am leaving tomorrow people! And I got our projected schedule of events too! It looks like a pretty "easy" trip; we get to go play with the kids at the Children's Home, and on Sunday we get to go worship with Church Project Greeley's sister church, in Beaujoint (my favorite thing to do in Haiti is worship Savior with the Saints who live there!) And, also... more exciting than seeing the goats, we are planning to go to the Citadelle! (And San Souci Palace!) (And the beach!) (And we get to visit the hospital!) (And!!! We are planning to do some work at "The Base." Well, the mission house. But I feel like James Bond when I call it "The Base.") But also... these things might not happen. Its exciting, to go back to Haitian time for a week, and rest... away from the clock and elevated expectations. Plans change, and its always okay when that happens. In Haiti, anyways.

So, that's enough of me making you jealous of how much fun I'll be having. I'm going to talk about the real reason for going. The real reason I need to go... anyone needs to go, really... but why am I the one asking for money to go back in the Spring.

I was showing the girls pictures of the Citadelle, on the same day I got the schedule, and we were talking about the history of it. I love the history of this beautiful island, and these sweet, wonderful people. I briefly discussed the history before I went last time, but it was ever so brief, and more information than anyone could effectively retain. In any case...

The Citadelle is easy to google, and really fun to learn about. What I was telling Sarah and Delilah is that King Henri Christophe  built it to ward off any French invasions that might have happened after they secured their independence. (King Henri was a key leader in the slave revolt, by the way.) No invasions ever happened. It was a fortress. While I was chugging along on this super cool history lesson Sarah interrupted and said "They used to be slaves, but there are no slaves anymore?" And this stopped me in my tracks.

No slaves. Anymore. I said yes, their bodies belong to themselves. They have a choice in what they do now, and there are no terrible people who will force them to do something that they don't want.

But, there is still bondage in this country. While most Haitians profess to practice Christianity (Catholicism) there is a darkness that is being hidden. There are many who use the Catholic saints to disguise the Voudou spirits that they worship. I will not go into detail about the Voudou religion. It is fascinating and scary... and very, very real. Last time I was there, I was lucky enough to get to see some places where they practiced their ceremonies. The basics of it are that they believe in one big spirit who cares nothing for the people he created. There are many lesser spirits that exist to cause mischief and mayhem... who can help or hinder the people of earth. If they are pleased it will go well, and if not, it will go badly. This religion was carried from Africa on the slave ships to Haiti all those years ago, when slavery was manifested in a physical way. Praise God they do not need to contend with this any more. In some ways breaking the spiritual bondage of sin is so much easier. There is only one name that anyone needs to cry out... JESUS! (Romans 10:13)

We know that our Creator is one who loves us, and cherishes us, and made a way for us to live WITH HIM once we leave these skin suits behind. (Haha. Gross. But really.) And how will anyone know unless they are told? (2 Corinthians 5:1-4)

This is why I go. I will leave the link for the website of New Life Missions at the bottom, so that you can go read about who my church works with. New Life is wonderful, because they believe in reaching the culture of these people! Why would I, an American, go to Haiti and change the heartbeat of this country? God made them to live as Haitians, not Americans... and New Life trains local people in biblical theology to go into their own villages and teach their own people. We are not brainwashing them to worship Savior our way. They worship the True God their way... with their culture. I don't know if I am making the waters muddier... what I am saying is that culture is an important factor. I desire for the people of Haiti to find freedom from sin, through Christ, not freedom from bathing in the river, or freedom from having a flexible time schedule. They can ride their motos with goats hanging in bags off the side of it... or continue to burn their trash. The children SHOULD be naked if they want. None of that matters, when their eternity is so much more important! (And all of these things is what makes me love the country!)

So, why should you help me go? Because, while the Christians in Haiti are laboring for their country, there is still need. This time I am going I am taking a lot, a lot, a lot of stuff. Supplies. Baby formula, clothes, spam, lotion, shampoo... its all stuff that costs a lot of money over there, or they just plain can't get it. There needs to be people going ALL THE TIME. These are things I can run to Wal Mart and grab. If nobody takes it to them, they do without.

Besides needing things, they need to know that there ARE people who love them. It means a lot to these Saints to see Americans coming and giving time and resources to help their people. Despair can take hold so easily... and its important for those of us willing to give time to be able to do that. Unfortunately, not everyone who has the time to give has the money. Sometimes, people who have the money do not have the time. WE MUST WORK TOGETHER!!! And while I get to hug them, and converse with them, and sit and eat meals with them... hold their babies. (I met a 5 month old last time I was there. Her name was Camsis... will she still be alive this time? Will I see her walking? If I go three times a year, will she learn my name, and look for me in the crowds of Blanco's) Hold their hands... cry, and laugh together.

I get to be the one who does this... but you, my friends get to be the ones who make it happen. And its no secret to my friends in Haiti that it takes a team of people to send just one. And they are grateful. I couldn't express their gratitude properly... but look at my photos. You will see in their eyes that it makes a difference, and I am not the only one creating that difference.

So, Merry Christmas, and go to my fund raising page to donate, (https://www.gofundme.com/t7d8thvg) or send me money in the mail, and PRAY, PRAY, PRAY! Before you do anything, the most important thing you can do is pray.

http://www.newlifemissionhaiti.org/

Guess what people?

Well, time flies, right? And I just realized that I have spent just about an entire year talking about the place that I love. I hope you love it by now, too. Besides spending a lot of my blog space talking about Haiti, I have been counting down the days until I can go back again... and now I'm in the 20 day stretch! I can hardly contain myself.

When I get there I am going to look for the goats. (Its not hard to find them. They are everywhere.) And I am going to welcome the sound of those stupid roosters until I'm trying to sleep. And there is nothing at all like waking up before the sun, and listening for the trucks and motos to start driving down the road. And, I get to eat spaghetti and hot dogs for breakfast... (Its a real meal they eat. And it is so delicious.) and I absolutely cannot wait for rice and beans. I'll eat dinner outside, and smell the smoke from trash burning. (I know, gross. But it became so familiar and comforting. Like a campfire.)

I cried last year when I found out that I was going to have to sleep on the airplane. Leave my children, and everything that made me feel safe. Now, its just something I will do for a night, and I know I'll survive. I dreaded the cold showers. But now, its just what I will do in Haiti. The heat isn't so bad. Neither is the humidity. (I will go in Summer, one day... then we'll see what I think of the humidity.) All of the things I thought would break me... made me a better person. I wanted to go help somebody... and instead the people there taught me more life lessons in one week than I ever learned in 32 years of my life!

So, now I get to go have a Haitian Christmas. I have spent a lot of time trying to avoid the materialism and commercialism and all the pressure to do things a certain way. Maybe I will learn something new while I am away. My family is also so very excited for me, and so sweet and supportive. We can have our special traditions when I get back, and when I come back I will have new stories to tell them. They love Haiti too.

They speak Haitian. Sort of. When dinner is ready, they yell "Manje! Manje!" and everyone comes running. They can say trash, and noodle, (Its funny, because they know the word for noodle, and think that you just add an "s" on the end to make it plural. I keep telling them that it probably doesn't work like that, but... they don't believe me. And then they ask me to give them Haitian hair. All the braids... and barretts. I wish we could all go, and they could play with the kids, and see the critters, and eat the food. One day.

So, I get to go back in 20 days, and guess what else? I GET TO GO BACK IN MARCH TOO!!! Hooray. I won't have to wait almost a whole year to go to the place that brings me to life.

So, my friends. I actually need your help. I always feel tacky asking for money, but the truth is that it costs a lot of money to go. There will be more blog posts about what we will be doing while we are there for a mission trip... this is a quick one to let you all know what I am up to, and also... time is important. I don't have a lot of time to come up with a lot of money. I just wanted to mention to you all... that if you are inclined to help you can send a check to me, and just put "Haiti Spring Break" in the memo. And if you have specific questions for me, then email me! And I will certainly be posting again (Like, before I leave in 20 DAYS!) with some more real actual facts about why I love Haiti...

Have I mentioned before that Haiti makes my heart sing?

Crusading and Soapboxes

It was my intent to make one more picture post of Haiti... we'll see. I'm sure I'll be talking about it, before the day is through. I just love that place! Guess what? I'm going back in December! I already bought my ticket and everything! Somehow I managed to save a lot of money in just a few months. I can hardly wait.

I've become some sort of crusader lately. Sort of like I expected, going to Haiti was (selfishly) more about me than about helping those "in need." How much help can you give someone in 6 days? What kind of relationship can you establish in less than a week? I kind of just went along for the ride, and watched, and felt... For me, I intentionally went to find some kind of quiet... some solace from the "do" part of my life. We all know how busy moms are. There just never seems to be enough hours in the day, no matter how early one rises, (5 AM?) or how late one finally goes to bed. (11 PM?) What I needed was to be taken from my life, with its noise and constant chaos, and be stretched and forced to reckon with certain things in my life that were not helping the Kingdom. Or me. Or my kids.

I think that we all have "stuff" that we need to come to terms with. We have habits that make us comfortable, sinful attitudes that we don't realize are there, and that have become second nature to us, and we have personalities that can help us or prevent us from succeeding at living the way God wanted us to. That, and circumstance. There is so much happening in this world that keeps us from achieving what we were made for. And there is so much searching in all of us for what that is. Do you know what? I will tell you a secret... and thanks to Jesus for giving Peter and I someone who is very honest, and very wise, who shared it with us... you are living it! You can think about that... but God has placed you in YOUR life to do what YOU can do the best. What is it that excites you... what makes you "come alive?" Only you know, and only you can do it better than anyone. I'm chasing rabbits, like usual.

I sort of gave up on what my "calling" was/is. I don't think I even knew. I was discontent and tired, and lacking any sort of drive. I had no desire to do anything except place one foot in front of the other and just survive. I had no time or will to consider where I wanted to be, as a person. Just forget about even trying to achieve that. So, since I don't think I said in the last two posts, what Haiti was for me was a time out. A stop sign that brought me to a screeching halt, and God beating me back into His will. I was afraid, timid, weak, lazy... frail. Did I say this already? I feel like I have. I don't have enough brain space to remember what I already said before. And I conquered all of the things that have kept me from living for real. I got a passport! I flew on an airplane! I left my family waaaaay out of my sight! I made myself vulnerable to a lot of people I never would  have trusted before! And I gave up trying to control my own life... the things I had no say over, the things that made me afraid to begin with. I woke up. So, just call me Sleeping Beauty.

What I can say is that here, in writing, it looks so easy. But it hurt more than anything. Its really hard to confront yourself and have to go home and make a change. And I can remember  being so angry that I had to leave Haiti and actually go back to my life and do things differently. So, you know what? Going to Haiti made me confront stuff. And coming home made me confront stuff... and here I am now, stopping myself every single day from sitting on the sidelines and watching life blow past me. Now I'm for realsies in the race, doing it! I still get up earlier that a lot of people, and I still go to bed later than a lot of people, and my life is still pure, unadulterated chaos... but now I have a better perspective and I'm a little more realistic about how I use my time. Yay, for growth.

See? I didn't waste any time talking about the place that I love. Does anyone else cry a little bit when they open a deliciously humongous pot of rice and beans and smell the scent of Haiti? Or wish they could drink Creole sauce right out of the pan? I feel homesick for a place I've only lived in for a week. I am so glad my husband is willing to give up a week of the holidays for me to go back! And so grateful for the support of my children, who, even in their disappointment of me leaving at Christmas time said "Mommy! If you are going at Christmas, you can take everyone PRESENTS!!!" I am so proud of them. They even started telling me all the things that they have that I can pack in my suitcase for the kids at the orphanage. One day, I am going to bring them with me, and let them play with their new friends that they have never met. We are doing life with those Haitians now, and it feels so good that my whole family is invested in the well being of a world they have never seen.

So, what is the crusading part? Its a lot about Haiti... more about that later, perhaps. But I was referencing my life here in the USA. I came to a realization... after the whole entire hullabaloo over homosexual rights... they are calling it human rights. I'm not going to say what I actually think about that. We all have opinions, and we all disagree with someone else... and its a very real possibility that we will never agree with each other. Whatever. I'm secure in my thoughts, but this isn't about that. Don't miss my point... I'm already giving this issue more time than it needs. Guess what happened when gay people were made "allowed" to get married? We all forgot about REAL human rights. Like slavery. Like children being taken from their families and forced to do things NOBODY EVER should be made to do. We stopped fighting for the people who have no voice.

The kids have a book about the underground railroad... its a favorite of theirs, and it upsets me to read it, because we are learning about slavery as history, even though it is still happening. And I can barely choke the words out when they ask me (Every time... they know the answer, but they still ask.) if slavery is really gone. And we aren't just talking about sex trafficking. What about child soldiers? What about forced child labor... cheap clothes. I do my best to not contribute to a broken system, but I often times fail because I would rather be ignorant than heartbroken... but lets not forget, ok? In all the distractions of this world... the messy political system... lets not forget that sometimes things that seem like a big deal maybe aren't... or maybe they are, but we need to keep remembering the other things that are too. Remember those that have no voice... And do you know what? If you google "Trafficking in Haiti" the results are overwhelming. Haiti is just one small corner of the world. What about in my back yard... Denver? What about in your places... its everywhere, and we ignore it every day. And my question is, where do we go from here? Will we ever be able to overcome this injustice?

So, that, and body image. Nutrition... my daughters (and sons) are seeing unrealistic photos of people every time we leave the house. I showed them videos of the power of photo shop, and thank the Lord they got it! They see pictures now, and recognize that its not real... they (hopefully) stand a chance of making it through this life with a healthy perspective on what real, healthy people are supposed to look like...

Bo Joint

So, as promised, a week or so later, here are some more pictures! Hoorah! I am going to try to find some from my favorite village, called Bo Joint... (Maybe my spelling is wrong...?) pronounced Boo Jwin. The people here were so very, very sweet. We played a game called "Little Sally Walker" (You know the game, right? You dance in a circle.) The little boys were so funny. And um, explicit. Haha. I'd be dancing with them, and then be like "Whoa! I had no idea a five year old would do that!" Boys are boys are boys... They shared Cacao with us, which is a funny story I will tell you, and sugar cane, which is another story I will tell you.

This is a Cacao fruit. It opens up, and inside are a bunch of seeds, like a pomegranate, but bigger. There is a white flesh covering the brown seed. You can suck the fruit part off of the seed, and spit the seed out. A few of us (Not me. I was warned before I did it...) Tried chewing the seed. Yuck! What did I do when I was offered some? I tried to take the spit out, sucked on seed from the wrong side of the shell! I was the subject of much laughter. I didn't realize why they were laughing, until one of the teenagers showed me what that side was for. Then we all had a good laugh together, and I took from the other shell. It was really good. I don't have a picture of the sugar cane... but, the story goes like this: When we arrived at the village, they were all sitting around eating it. We eventually asked for some (Not a rude thing to do. In fact, you can ask for anything. But, its also acceptable to say no, without explanation. A great practice I wish we adopted here in the U.S. ) Well, nobody wanted to share. So, we said "No problem, no problem..." BUT then they all went outside the tabernacle (The place they meet for church, sort of like a garage port...) and started EATING SUGAR CANE IN FRONT OF US! So we asked again, and again they didn't want to share. After a long silence, a little girl said "You want to buy?" And Mark laughed and asked her why she would try to sell it? As it turns out, there were some Blancos in the village a couple of days before who bought it... Mark said "No."

I am not going to get into all of the details of whether or not we should have bought it. We had good reasons for saying no. Yes, this is a country where this kind of thing CAN help them. But, we also had reasons for not. Primarily relationship. (At least, thats why I wasn't going to buy any.) Buying from them would have set us up just like all the other rich, white, Americans who come and purchase anything they want. This village has just been adopted by my church, Church Project Greeley, as our sister church. We are funding the construction of their church building, and supporting the pastor of this village. But more than throwing money at a situation, we went to create a RELATIONSHIP with them. We will go back there again and again and again. They needed to come outside of themselves and let us into their lives. The inner workings of their village.

Guess what? A teenaged boy went home and got us a couple of stalks of sugar cane. And he gave them to us. When we went the next day? They had a bunch for us. And they shared their bread. Possibly their weeks worth of bread, for us. I'd say not buying the sugar cane was a wise choice.

So, sugar cane is so, so good. You chew the stalk, and kind of suck on it, and then spit out the tough stuff. You only get the juice out of it. I began understanding how their lives go... they lack in a lot of "real" foods, and quite frankly, its so hot there you don't really feel like eating, but these fruits they have can level your blood sugar and keep you feeling energized.

This is a river we stopped at for lunch one day, on the way to Bo Joint. It was in this beautiful jungle-y area. My friend and I were careful to point our cameras and our eyes in this particular direction, since there was a naked man bathing in the river behind us... 

This is the truck we rode around on the whole week we were there. We sat in the back. If you look carefully you can see the benches. I liked to stand and hold the rail, because I could take in more of the sights and smells of Haiti. Plus it was more cooling to have the wind blowing in my face. In Haiti there are no rules on the road. There is a lot of honking (Just to communicate. Not like here, when you honk, you have rage.) There are many Motos... Motorcycles... driving between two cars passing each other, in either direction. We saw a couple of car accidents. Mostly involving tipped over trucks. There is a high rate of mortality when it comes to the road... People were piled on top of trucks, and they were especially skilled at fitting four people (Yes, I saw four people) on a moto, and sometimes they would be carrying live animals, like a goat, in a bag tied to the side of it. It was delightful. (I am being serious. Delightful.)

So, this is the last photo for today... the troops are getting restless. My day is calling. This, my friends, is the church they are building in Bo Joint. As you can see, it is in the newly developed phases... While the VBS team was there playing with the people the men went back to town to get some more brick... clearly its running low. When the truck arrived and we finished our activities the children RAN down the road, laughing, and excited, and started helping unload the block. There were little bitty things carrying these cement blocks... they have so much pride in their meeting place. Its going to be the central part of the inner workings of their village. A school, a place of worship, a meeting place for other functions... They were all so excited, and everyone wanted to pull their own weight when it came to finishing it. I saw another, recent photo this past Sunday at church. The walls are completed! I can't wait to go back and have church there, with my brothers and sisters of that particular village! (And, a side note... most places had septic bathrooms. At the very least, a covered hole. Here? Its really in the backwoods. We had none of that. A tinkle trip took a hike. It was very... freeing.)