Moms

Happy Mother’s Day!

Mother’s Day will be celebrated next week in Haiti.  This week, however, I want to wish all of you moms a very happy Mother’s Day!   All of our staff and students here in Haiti join in with me in honoring you today.  Thank you for sacrificing your own agenda in order to bring life to your children.  God bless you!!!

Mother’s Day In Haiti

Radio ads are playing regularly on HOPE FM, MOHI’s radio station here in Grand-Goâve, for our special event coming up on Sunday.  MOHI’s Youth Choir will be hosting a concert, featuring our Grand-Goâve native, Digicel Star (Haiti’s version of American Idol) Kelly Vernet along with the Inter-Youth Choir from Port-au-Prince.  Everyone bring your mom!!!  It’s sure to be a big and very LOUD event.

ALL Haitians love their moms!  Such a huge generalization, and certainly there’s someone who doesn’t, but I’ve never met that person.  I don’t expect to, either.  I’ve had several conversations with people about their mothers.  No matter how “unfit” I might judge a mother, the children never see it that way.  They realize how difficult life can be for a mom in Haiti.

The first thing they tell me is that “Mom suffered for 9 months.  Sometimes she was sick or tired.”  Oftentimes mom was humiliated for being pregnant in the first place – and yet “she chose to carry me for 9 months.  I owe her my life!”  Often times, mom really can’t depend on a man to provide for their family, and yet she is responsible for child-rearing, cleaning, hauling water, and cooking (as well as caring for her man).  Often times the woman is left alone to fend for herself and her children, which means she needs to do something to bring in money, in addition to everything else.  This usually involves waking and leaving home in the middle of the night in order to go to Port-au-Prince to purchase merchandise to re-sell at the local market.  Or perhaps to go work the fields and (hopefully) bring in a harvest.  When ends don’t meet, it’s mom who is left with the heartache of listening to her children cry themselves to sleep, hungry again.

Yes.  No matter how you or I might judge one’s parenting skills, chances are that even when they are old themselves, the children will always love mom.  Next Sunday will be a joyous occasion at MOHI, where young and old alike will gather to give honor to those extra special people in their lives – their moms.

Mother’s Day For Me

For me, Mother’s Day is always full of mixed emotions.  I remember my first child who was born at only 5 months gestation and my second at 6 months.  Both died on the same day, two years apart.  It was the beginning of the end of a chapter in my life.  I remember going to church on Mother’s Day and not being able to stay in the service, because I was just so overwhelmed with emotion.  I never expected to have children again, but God had other plans.  He has given me two treasures in Alexis and A. Jay.  I love them to the moon – and back again.

My “kids” – Alexis, A. Jay, Gama, Edna
Spouses: Angela, Tony
Grandsons: Nathan, Ben, Caleb

God’s also given me others, like Gama and Edna who both lived with us for the first 5+ years we were in Haiti.  Today they are both married and have given me “grand babies.”  What a joy to my heart when I hear (through the grapevine) that Edna learned how to raise her children by watching me.  Alexis and A. Jay were only 2 and 3 years old when Edna came to live with us.  In all honesty, it never occurred to me that she was watching my “parenting techniques.”  I am glad though that she found something over those years with me to emulate.  And I hope she drops anything that wasn’t worth copying!!!  I also have other kids that I get to “help” mother – a whole school full, really.

I love that song from Veggie Tales – “God is bigger than the boogie man…”  Fears, regrets, losses they all have the ability to pull us backwards and keep us down.  God is bigger than all of them.  No matter the disappointments we face – big or small – we don’t need to let them defeat us.  We can choose to do as the Apostle Paul told us in Hebrews 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  While it’s good to have dreams and goals, it’s better to have God’s dreams and goals in our lives.  When we keep our eyes on HIS direction, we won’t be disappointed.  (He’s a much bigger dreamer than I am!)

Dieunison’s Birthday

Dieunison is an orphan who is street smart and prefers not to live in an orphanage.  He became very close to our friend Paul Fallon, who used to look out for him when he was in Haiti regularly.  Now that he’s not here very often, Paul has become his “sponsor” and we make sure that he eats, goes to school and such.  Dieunison turned 9 on Thursday.  Paul wanted to recognize his birthday without doing anything overboard.  He asked me what most kids do for their birthday here.  I replied that most kids around here don’t even know the date they were born, never mind celebrating it.  I spoke with Gama and we gave Paul our recommendation.

Wednesday afternoon, Dieunison, his brother Dieury and a few boys that they are very friendly with came to Skype with Paul and then have a “party.”  It was fun to see the boys so very excited.  They had food, drinks, cake and gifts.  The portable radio was a huge hit.  They may have stayed up a little late that night dancing – or so their neighbor told me.  It really was nice to be able to make the day extra special for them.

Radio HOPE FM 106.3

HOPE FM 106.3

I’ve enjoyed seeing some progress with the radio station of late.  The air conditioner in the studio is finally operating properly, so that the equipment (and the DJ, too?) doesn’t over-heat.  We’re starting to have some commercials and talk shows now, too.  Last night I went outside to take a little break from my work and found Lex and Pastor Edon having a little chat on the radio.  Lex was asking Pastor Edon questions about our church.  I loved hearing the responses: “You can come to our church just the way you are.  You don’t have to have fancy clothes or a high education.” “If you’re coming from another town, have one of the motorcycle taxis bring you to Mission of Hope.  They’ll bring you and then stay for the service.”

Please pray for our staff and listeners as we serve good music and Good News to our community and beyond.

School Supplies

Our friends at World-Wide Lighthouse Missions in Manchester, CT are preparing to send us school supplies before the new school year begins.  If you are able, please be a part of it.

Missionaries

Jim Murphy from Winchendon, MA

What a joy it was to have Jim Murphy with us for a few days.  He was able to take the grand tour of MOHI and also help out with construction at the restaurant in St Etienne.  He headed back to Massachusetts with Jackie on Wednesday.  We really miss Jackie.  She was here for one month, but had become part of the family.

Carrying in the new tiles

Peter and Janina are still busy working on the restaurant.  Peter is finishing up the stairs that Jim laid out.  The Haitian tile they ordered arrived this week.  Janina is very excited about her waves (one of the tile designs).

School Construction

This week we worked on some more columns in the office suite area.  We should be able to finish up this week with the finish plastering.  The never-ending painting continues, as well.

MOHI School Construction in Thozin, Grand-Goâve

Clinic

Angela worked hard in clinic again this week, ministering to the needs of our community as well as our school students.  Angie Sutton from the Hands and Feet Project joined us for a day with a team that was visiting.  This week we will be conducting a joint clinic with Sri Lankan doctors and nurses from the UN.

Church in Thozin

We had a wonderful time of worship this morning.  Gama brought an energetic exhortation for the church.  I hope you enjoy the photos…