We are at the point where every day counts in getting ready to go back to Haiti. We will go to Pittsburgh on Monday (9/1) spend the night to fly very early Tuesday morning. As always the question becomes, where did the time go?
Gary is out collecting boxes so we can get some last minute mailing done.
We have a storage room that is filled with donations from a local school. The custodians collect all the "garbage" and place it in storage for us to go through. This year there are many elementary reading books, scissors and two wonderful pencil sharpeners. Boston pencil sharpeners are like gold to us. Our experience in Haiti has been that anything mechanical will be broken. I don't know how many pencil sharpeners we've gone through, nor do I know how many rules we've made about them. We have had cheap and have had the best and they still get destroyed. It's like can openers and knives with adults. A can opener will last about a week. A knife is destroyed in less time. No one is intentionally breaking things. The problem is no one is used to using them and the strength in Haitians hands and arms. So, if anyone wants to send us pencil sharpeners and can openers we'll gladly receive them.
We won't arrive at Port au Prince until 3:30PM. That puts us in St Marc at about 6PM. Dark. We are going into a house which has been sitting empty and that means dirt and dust. What we are trying to figure out is how we will manage to get in the house in the dark, get sheets on the beds in all the dirt. We should be able to take showers as we are in the middle of the rainy season and water will be in plentiful supply in the cistern. But, Gary has to get to the roof to get everything connected so the water will get into the holding tanks and at this point we aren't sure there will be any electricity. I decided to pack some bread, tuna, and mayo, some bottles of drinking water so we are able to eat when we get there. It's going to be interesting. This is a late arrival for us in comparison to other years and we have Dan Joshu with us who will instantly get the true picture of Haiti living. I hope he doesn't get discouraged. I can't tell you how much dirt will be in the house (no closed windows all are without glass). Oh, and I don't know how many rats and mice have taken up residence in our absence.
It's been a good summer with family and friends and we thank everyone for being so kind to us. I kept our grand kids for a week and that was a true highlight of the summer. Because we never had a house before we couldn't enjoy them like we did this year. How I thank Gary's mother for her hearts desire (before she went to be with the Lord) to give us this house! It's a place we really relax and enjoy others. The Horrigans from Iowa visited early June, Norm Dobbs visited us in August. Nothing like good friends and family. We got to see my long time girlfriend from Evanston, IL, meeting her in MI while visiting Ben. Willie and I have been friends since college way back in 1959! That sounds so far away and yet seems like yesterday.
We have a Walker family reunion on Saturday which should be interesting for both of us.
I better get the laundry done before Gary gets back. It won't be long until laundry is done by hand and we have ants in our towels and clothes smelling like charcoal. I can't wait.
I'm going to post everything we accomplished and what we hope to accomplish this coming year so you can keep us in prayer. That's coming in a day or two before we shut down and start our trek back.
Have a blessed day.....Carolyn
