bless our dear Haiti

I promised the girls on Friday that I would pick them up so I could see their new school building, and so that I could meet Lily's new teacher.  

So after work and another fantastic chapel service, this time preached by Jerry about the man-born-blind that Jesus healed and upset everyone, I grabbed Nora and we headed out in the only available vehicle, the 15 passenger van.  Matt was still at the airport dropping off the Lain's, so it was girl day.

And I'm SO glad it was.  

We got there right as they were finishing up their day with the flag lowering ceremony, complete with the singing of a famous hymn "Bless Our Dear Haiti".  I couldn't find Lily or Sofie in the lines, but I watched and then realized that Sofie truly is the shortest kid in her class, and therefore at the very front of her line, and Lily was third in line at her class.  I've never taught them that song, but they were both singing it loud as everyone else, and I was reminded again how much they are learning that I can't teach them.

The new building is amazing. Just a few hundred yards from the old building, Sofie's classroom used to look like this below, with plywood walls that didn't reach the floor or ceiling and every class in that same building...all shouting over one another and crammed on tiny benches or around one table in dark rooms.

Here is her new classroom, with brightly painted walls and tons of natural light, smooth floors and donated used, beautiful desks.   I find myself overwhelmingly grateful for the support and teams of what had to have been hundreds of foreigners, making such a beautiful place for all these precious kiddos to learn POSSIBLE.  I wanted to write them all a note, and I don't even know who they are.

But all the children were moving all the desks to sweep and clean, taking good care of the investment, and all the teachers were just THRILLED.  Sofie's had Madame Junet (orange) for two years now.  Her husband is in Cuba working, sending money back home from time to time...he's been gone for over 2 years now.  Her son is also in Sofie's class.  

Instead of 8 on a bench, like her old classroom, they each have their own desk now, which Madame Junet laughed has already helped SO much with keeping everyone's hands to themselves.

I was most anxious to see Lily's day, being only one week in. Her teacher, Met Willnique, was young and smart and funny, having just gotten married on December 31st to Bevly in a double wedding with her identical twin sister, Lovly, and her fiancé.  I was most touched by how comfortable Lily was with him, chatting easily, and how quick she was to run off with new friends on the playground.

Sofie and Shadrach both thought they could easily master this feat, and then both needed saved on the second ring :)

Nora was also quick to make friends, as long as they did everything she told them, which the older girls were delighted to do as long as it made Nora happy.  This girl.  She was Thrilled to play on a real playground!

Of course, after meeting and greeting and the girls having lunch and playing and prodding, we finally got back in the van with several teachers also needing a ride, only to find that over the two hours the van had gradually sunk into the mud of the construction site, despite the jagged rock on top.

Oh, adventure.  

We tried absolutely everything.  Teachers pushing, children pulling, more gravel, less gravel, branches, sand.  Prayer meeting.  I ONLY get in these situations when I'm alone with all three girls, but as you quickly learn in Haiti you are absolutely never, never, never, ever alone (even if you wish you were!) and soon a whole haul of men who had been doing construction on a storage shed or something were all about in their bare feet and pick-axes and finally, after some 30 minutes of working  and bouncing and moving and trying and everyone having a general coating of mud, we got the now VERY deeply sunk van OUT.  I was thankful a thousandth time for the hard-working, innovative, helping-you-for-no-reason-other-than-that-you-need-help people of Haiti.  

And thankful for another leap of mustard mommy faith (not always unwavering) proving an ever-faithful God with a new school for Lily and two happy and growing girls with friends and teachers and a God who goes with them.