Author: Eric & Elisabeth

Sometimes we have to get to other areas of Haiti for meetings, to pick up supplies we can’t find in St. Marc, pick up our mail through Missionary Flights, Intl., and to connect with other ministries and friends. Sometimes we are able to catch rides with friends heading the same direction. Every other time we are forced to take local transportation if we want to go ANYWHERE. Not having a vehicle is an unfortunate hardship. But this is not at all meant to be a vent session about that. We are thankful for these experiences (though we would be immensely thankful for a vehicle too)! We believe that if we are going to serve in Haiti long term that it is fortunate to have had experiences that help us identify with the common people in a way we would not have been able to otherwise. I remember when I first posted on Facebook that I had taken my first trip on a tap-tap. Long term missionaries and mk’s commented that they had never been on a tap-tap. Some of these have spent more than 10+ years living in Haiti. I know very few foreigners that ride tap-tap to get around Haiti, and absolutely none with families as large as ours. I’m not saying they should. I would not wish the tap-tap on anyone. If we had a vehicle we certainly would not be riding tap-tap either. I decided on our most recent tap-tap trip to Port au Prince that something MUST be done about the tap-tap! Riding tap-tap is generally a miserable experience. Breathing car exhaust, city pollutants and the smell of sweaty bodies piled on top of one another and pushed and shoved until there isn’t a square inch left makes me want to vomit just thinking about it.
Continue reading “How We Ride”

Today I have found myself saying the word “conundrum” out loud and/or to myself at least 27 times. I had a hunch why this word came into my head but because it isn’t a word I use often I looked it up to see why it kept popping up today. Maybe I once read a book that used this word a lot and it stayed in the recesses of my brain until the day that I could relate to it on a whole new level. 

*A riddle whose answer is or involves a pun or unexpected twist.
*A logical postulation that evades resolution, an intricate and difficult problem.

Yep. We have ourselves a “conundrum”…lots of conundrums actually and I’m certain we had them before today because Haiti = Conundrum. 
Continue reading “Co·nun·drum”

hike: an extended long walk for training, pleasure or exercise across rural country or wilderness; to rise upward and out of place; to increase

I know most everyone knows what “hike” means. But I found myself pondering this word and thinking about how much its definition explains our experience in and with Haiti.

We still have a long way to travel on our extended long walk. We sometimes feel out of place. But I think we will always feel out of place until we are in our true home country…Heaven. Our prayer is that whether in training, pleasure, or exercise across this land and in this life that our thoughts will rise upward, that we may decrease so that the One who created us for this hike will increase.

One of Eric’s favorite quotes is “The most important thoughts you will ever think are your thoughts on God because they will determine everything else you will ever do.”

We pray our children will learn this earlier than we did.

Sunday we took at hike in the hills behind our house to get some exercise, breathe the fresh air, be together, think thoughts on God, refresh our perspective, pray and listen.

It was a good hike.

Continue reading “Hiking Haiti”

Here is little sneak peak at El Shaddai Learning Center, the school we moved here to work with in St. Marc. El Shaddai has been growing since its founding in 2001 by Pastor Gary and Dr. Carolyn Walker whom we came to help and work alongside. There are over 150 students from Pre-K through 12th grade and a growing waiting list as positive word about our school continues to spread around the community. Tuition is kept very low so that non-wealthy Haitian families can afford to send their children to an American English school–a growing interest/demand.

El Shaddai provides employment to Haitian teachers that are adequately experienced and trained in English. Part of Eric’s ministry is to work with the Haitian teachers each week in continuing education classes helping them to become better teachers. Many discipleship opportunities arise. There are a few American teachers presently at El Shaddai as well. Foreign (non-Haitian) teachers come for a semester or longer and volunteer with the school. If you or anyone you know may be interested in coming to work with us in the future, you are welcome! We also welcome visitors!
Continue reading “El Shaddai Learning Center”

“T.I.H.” is the term used to explain pretty much all the hard to explain time and energy draining beyond frustrating experiences that most everyone experiences daily here in Haiti. Here is my all too typical day so far. And yes I am venting, but not expecting sympathy because after all This. Is. Haiti. 

I wake up at 2am. The batteries died an hour early leaving us without power. The small fan I shared with Esmée in our twin size bed was no longer keeping the mosquitoes at bay. I fumble around in the dark to find the mosquito repellent. Eric meets me in the kitchen with a flashlight. He is after the same thing. I innocently ask why he thinks we lost power early. I get the usual answer, “because we used up too much electricity too early!” I give the usual response which is, “we haven’t used anything!” We dispute about what house members have issue with keeping our tiny refrigerator open longer than the 2 seconds it should take to grab desired food target and of course someone has turned on the cold switch on the water dispenser and heaven forbid everyone wanting to sleep with a fan. I think to myself, I really want a large freezer so I don’t have to go to the grocery store so much and Eric really wants a washing machine because he thinks it will help with laundry soap waste/costs and appease his frustration with that. I wonder how exactly we would run such appliances if we are running out of power on a mini freezer/fridge and a water dispenser? This is 2am talking. 
Continue reading “Another T.I.H. Typical Day”