bittersweet

I hate how remarkably thin almost every single student has become after not having steady meals for 3 months.

I love the looks on the students faces when they reunite with each other after summer break.

I hate how much the upper classes make fun of first year students for being new.

I love how the first year students grinned and made jokes right back.

I hate living on the seminary campus by ourselves...it has been so quiet!

I love how soccer-cheering, laughter, singing and shouting have filled the air.

I hate how difficult it is for so many of our students to scrape together the $60 it takes to start the semester.  ($250 for the whole semester)

I love how everyone was trying to speak English with each other today...just because they can.

I hate sweating through these two days of orientation in our dress clothes.

I love how open, interactive, energetic and positive orientation was today...everyone is so excited about a new year!

I hate how terrified everyone is of Ti-Boone.

I love how the first year students responded to Matt's question (while hiding from Ti-Boone) about their first day..."This place is GREAT!"

I hate leaving the girls every morning, five days a week.

I love coming home to find Sofie sleeping and a delighted Lily and hysterical Micheline crawling around on the floor playing "Mommy Baby Doggie."

I hate that the textbooks we ordered to start the year haven't come yet.

I love that for the first time ever, EBS is offering and using textbooks for every course!

I hate how each year, it seems like some of the new students are sullen and serious.

I love how, after a real, one-on-one conversation with several of them yesterday, their exterior immediately softened into humble, funny, excited and albeit, nervous, young men!

I hate it when I don't understand cultural jokes.

I love how completely and utterly hilarious everyone thinks it is to joke about dating.

 I hate how many people in Haiti live under the fear and oppression of Voodoo, acting and living like so many have before them, just because it's how Haiti has always lived, and because they are afraid.

I love, this moment, listening to the bold, fearless, joyful sound of 60 young men and woman singing in the chapel, clapping and dancing their hearts out before the Lord, anxious to study His precious Word and to take that Light into the immense darkness.

Be with us, Lord Jesus.