gifts

One of the many beautiful gifts God has given us through life in Haiti is laughter.  

Our friends here see a situation one way.  Our friends from North America see the same thing a different way.  But there is one other person in the world that sees it the same way I do, through our uniquely Haitian-American perspective: Matt.  This "secret" perspective has brought us together through laughter these last 5 years!

For example, this morning.  We all just traded offices again for like the third time, and somehow two of us were left clock-less.  So, one of our staff members from town bought a clock for his office and a clock for mine and brought them to work this morning.  


I was gifted with this very gaudy-gorgeous, plastic-precious, swan-spinning tacky-perfect clock.  

"I thought of you the moment I saw it," our friend shared.  "I knew you would just love it!  It's just like your house!"


And you know what?  The Haitian in me loved it.  It is a Haitian-Beautiful clock.  The kind everyone wishes they had.  It requires a luxurious 2 batteries, the crystal swans at the bottom chase each other elegantly all the day long, and it is so big that it is the first thing you see when you enter the room.


The Haitian in me knows that I got this precious clock because I am loved by the friend, who would have gotten me a plain, professional office clock if we did not have a good relationship.  


The American in me is mortified that anyone created a clock like this.  And that it reminded our Haitian friend of our home.  And of my personality.  And that I now get to sit next to it every day.


But when Matt came in my office later and saw my bling, he quickly announced, "WOW, babe, you are L-O-V-E-D!" and we had a good laugh.  "If I had a clock like that, I'd never be able to get any work done!"  


He's jealous.  


However, when it comes to language, I'm the one who's always jealous.  Not only did Matt start speaking fluent Creole in what seemed like 2 weeks, but 10 days in the Dominican had him conversing with his doctor in Spanish, he continues to work with the students and staff on Greek and Hebrew, and "for fun", he has recently started studying German.  


God gave Matt a language brain.  A few weeks ago, he preached in the Vaudreil Church, and we were blessed by how the Lord spoke through him and by all the positive feedback.  


However, we shared a good laugh when we ran into Edrice a few days later, who pulled us over to tell us about his little daughter.  Apparently after church, she asked Edrice over and over again how Matt had gotten his skin to be "rouge konsa" (red/white like that).  


She asked her dad if Matt had rubbed special cream all over his skin to make it white, baffling her dad until he realized that she was confident by Matt's language that he HAD to be Haitian.  


He sprinkles our days with laughter and our hearts with joy.  It is GOOD to be used by the Lord...even better just to be His!


Tomorrow is a busy day with class in the morning, the Senat family funeral at 11, the Wadner-Brooke wedding at 11 and I'm supposed to lead chapel at 11:30.   We think we've got it all covered with Junior filling in as Madame Matt, a rented truck to take students and staff to the funeral, the babysitter getting the girls ready for the wedding, and leaving the second we're done teaching for town.


Matt and Fanfan drove all the way to Milot and back today to visit with Rosnal...a beautiful time I'll share this weekend!