Baking Bread!!

Our children are very helpful!!

That was us this morning!! I think everyone had fun patting and rolling and tasting their little breads. There wasn’t anything left of the kids’ dough to bake but they didn’t care!!

The Thinking Spot

Recently Matt and Alicia, the houseparents, went to the states for three and a half weeks for a much needed rest. While they were gone Sulley and I were pretty much on our own with the six kids. Our one boy is very attached to them and was having a very hard time being sweet. One evening when I was at my wits end I lay on my bed and asked God what in the world I could do. This is what he told me to make:

A quiet spot where the boy could sit and think!

It worked very well and we had a sweet little boy! It was a way to just give him some needed space to reflect and think about how to he wanted to deal with things.

It worked so well we used it for the other boys too!

God has some really good parenting advice not only in the Bible but if you just ask…

Look Who Has Some New Wheels!!

When I was home for furlough a kind and generous friend gave me an almost new wheelchair for Came Suze!! She has always just had a stroller which we were grateful for but it was not ideal as it did not keep her in a good position at all! Thankfully our mission was getting ready to ship a sea container so they stuck the chair on it and bingo! three months later we got it! I’m not sure who is more delighted with it, her or me!

Here it comes:

x

Here we are adjusting it:

And here she is loving it:

All In All, It Was A Very Good Day!

Last week one day Sulley and I wanted to do something fun with the kids so: I got up early on a Tues. morning and made some real neat bread pockets with peanut butter and jelly in the middle. Then after breakfast we got everyone into their swimming trunks, loaded up the water jug and sand toys and off we went singing all the way!!

We had a very good time We splashed and played in the water and sun for hours:

Lunch was almost as much fun as the water!!

And then it was time to rattle home in our hot, old rattle-trap!!!!!

Comparing Babies!

My sister Rachel is an obsessed baby lover just like me, except she might be slightly worse than me I’m not sure. Anyway, I just love when we talk about our babies and brag about what all they can say. While she brags that Jaxon can say, “Dried fruit, Cris Stump, and hi Mama,” I’m bragging about how Veronika says, “Essa, all done, and ya!!” And by the way, Veronika speaks dutch so essa is eat and ya is yes.

Rachel and I always had dreams of living close to each other so we could do things together with our children but now I live in Haiti and she lives in PA and that is not nearly close enough to do things together. The thing that I miss is that we cannot sit and watch our babies play together and compare and brag and just enjoy them. Instead we have to rely on technology to keep us some-what connected. And not only do our babies not live close they have very different lives.

While her babies, Jaxon and Aaliyah, are dining on organic, hormone free bone broth, fermented carrot sticks, beet kavos, and Kamboucha, my baby is chewing on rice and beans, corn mush, avocado, and peanut butter bread.

While Jaxon and Aaliyah ride around town buckled securely in soft,up-to-date safety carseats in a nice air-conditioned van, watching educational baby films. Veronika sits on my lap with my arms clutching her as we bounce like peas in a frying pan in the back of an old, colorful, tap-tap or on the back of a truck with the hot sun beating down on us and the wind whipping around us.

They play with beautiful, classic, toddler toys that are geared to gently cultivate creativity and imagination.

Veronika lies on her chubby tummy and plays with the brown beetles that invade our house every evening.

Their mother carefully selects outfits that fit her taste.

I dig through the “missionary barrel” full of worn, musty, outdated clothes- sacrificially sent to the poor! ( although Veronika is often dressed in beautiful, new or gently used clothes- lovingly sent from my family and friends!!)

While Jaxon and Aaliyah lie in their nice wooden cribs in their tastefully decorated nurseries wishing to be in Mommy’s bed.

Veronika goes to sleep with her head on Mommy’s chest, thankful that she does not have a nice crib or a cozy nursery to sleep in!

It is interesting to me to see the differences and realize that although our babies lead very different life-styles Rachel and I both have beautiful, healthy, happy, babies. And while I dream of the day our children can play together- I am content to take Veronika to pick banannas in the front yard while she loads hers up and head to the orchard to pick apples!

Here is Veronika enjoying her late-night snack of rice and beans:   

And at lunch-time:

Came Suze–My Biggest Girl

 

This is Came Suze, my favorite 9 year old girl in the whole wide world! I love to say that to her and see her eyes sparkle! She is one big sweetheart, full of giggles and love. Everyone who meets her falls in love with her open, responsive, friendliness. Because Came Suze has cerebral palsy and is very spastic there is not much she can do on her own; but she is one of the most contented people I know. It is a rare day indeed when she does not wake up with a smile and giggle and go to bed with a smile! She is so appreciative of every thing, even just chatting with her or telling her little jokes is enough to invoke belly laughs! Of course she has days when she feels more quiet and she can be quite stubborn too!! But all in all, she is a VERY good girl.

Came Suze loves music; she dances when no one is watching and she can do it in perfect timing!! She is crazy over water, swimming and bathing. Bath time is probably her favorite time of day! She almost jumps out of the tub sometimes; she gets so excited and she tries to eat the soap…!! She loves watching a good movie, especially when there is plenty of action and singing, like Cedarmont kids!

She is such a girl, definitely in touch with her feminine side!!! loves to wear pretty clothes,pretty hair and nice smelling soap and lotion! Also she is very sensitive to the feelings of others, cries when she sees someone hurting or sick.

Came Suze is a big blessing!! Please help me pray that her forever family would find her soon!!

Berta

I remember clearly the first time I saw her… perched nervously on the edge of a chair on our porch; her eyes were wide and scared in her too thin face. She was wearing some old hard sandals, a ragged blue skirt, an ill fitting shirt and had a t-shirt wrapped around head. In her hand she was clutching seven dollars, Haitian currency  which is less than one dollar in US. That was the extent of her belongings…

Berta’s story is sketchy but all too familiar- never knew her father, her mother died, she lived with an aunt who turned her over to a friend who kept her until she got sick with cholera. The “friend” then brought Berta to our cholera hospital and abandoned her. One of our Doctors noticed she was alone and questioned her out… That is how she came to be sitting on our porch when I came straggling in the driveway on a hot Sat. in June after spending the morning wading through black slimy mud at the market.               

We could not put her out on the streets so of course she stayed!! That first evening was interesting as Dadou and I took Berta through the house and showed her a few basics like how to use a doorknob and lock, proper use of the toilet and shower and what to do with deodorant, to mention a few!! We scrounged up some personal items and a couple clothes she could wear to start her off…

As we got to know her we discovered she is a very funny girl who loves to laugh and tease! She also loves to dance and sing. When we would play Kreol music she would often start dancing around the table clapping and singing then the other children would join in and soon everyone was shouting and having a grand time!! Berta has a beautiful smile and how her eyes sparkle when she is given pretty girly stuff and nice clothes. She carefully treasures everything. It isn’t hard to see that she has never before been in touch with her feminine side or had anyone enjoy her and tell her how beautiful she is. I hope and pray she got a nice tasted of it here…

The next two and a half months were interesting as we struggled to understand her. She had some serious issues. We prayed for her and with her and tried to point her to Jesus as the only answer for the demons she fought with. I believe she genuinely wants to trust Jesus; she read great portions of the Bible and bible story book almost daily but the things she has been taught and the things she has experienced are very strong. Over time it became apparent that our children's home was not the best long-term option for Berta. So to make a long story short -

Last week Berta moved to another place. I personally don’t know very much about it except that its like a boarding school for girls like Berta. It is run by Blue Ridge International which is a mission we know and trust so I know she is in good hands. Please pray for her that she could find true freedom and peace in Jesus!

Here are some pictures of the good bye party: