Random Thoughts....

Hello everyone. This past week has been rather challenging and I have watched my rash fluctuate in severity in keeping with my levels of stress and the rising temperatures. Today it seems to have calmed down a bit and is not as noticeable to me or others.
We have had more problems with our generator thus leaving us literally in the dark for five of the past seven days. First it was the spark plug which was at the end of its use. Lucner cleaned it up and it worked for a night. We spent another evening struggling with the kerosene lamps (two of them) which both have missing glass covers due to mishaps. One by a dancing child (it was not lit at the time) and the other by an accidental adult (also not lit at the time). But, in the time of need, the lamps failed to stay lit during the strong winds of the evening. So, we just settled for a partial moonlight while we passed the time on the front porch contending with the microscopic biting mosquitoes. I brought out my boom box and let the kids listen to a sermon on the Christian Radio station. They listened along with our watchman and sang the hymns when they knew the words. I was in the dark in more ways than one. No interpreters on this night.
I was grateful for 8:00 p.m. which is bedtime for the little ones. The routine goes as follows: Escort five little ones to the bathroom by flashlight so they can brush their teeth and use the facilities one at a time before retiring. Then its off to the girls room so they can change into night clothes (they don't have pajamas so they find the most comfortable shirts or just sleep in their underwear). I tuck them in, give them hugs and kisses, and move on to prepare Jeemy-Ska for the same. By the time all of this is done an hour has passed and its time to say goodnight to the older kids. Thank God they can manage themselves for the most part.
The next night the watchman tried the generator and the pull starter decided to stick. It would not come out more than an inch. Another night in the dark. We had a mechanic come out and he worked on it. He told us that the gas was leaking into the oil and the generator needed more work. He fixed the pull starter and we had lights for a couple of hours until the gas ran out. The next night we repeated the same dark scene and will continue to do so until it is fixed or replaced. Although we were without lights again last evening, I was grateful for a beautiful full moon. We could see the shadows of the mountains and the various campfires in the hills. It was a peaceful sight.
I feel like a true Haitian now with the exception of the language barrier. However, I am getting better with my Creole. Last night I managed to say two complete sentences to the watchman and had to laugh when he looked at me in surprise. I laughed even more when he responded with a paragraph of words expecting me to understand. The kids thought it was funny as well and teased him about it. He said, "Well, she spoke perfect Creole, I thought she could understand me!"
The other downside of not having lights is the fact that I cannot read or do any of my sewing. I was in the process of making backpacks by hand for the kids and had finished two of them. I still have nine more to go. After completing the two and looking at the calendar,(only two weeks before I leave), I thought it would be wise to get my sewing machine out and finish the others. Not possible at this point, so I will have to be more creative and work faster in the daylight.
Speaking of reading, I finished my book, Fried Green Tomatoes, before the blackout. I managed to read it over a period of six days when I had the time or needed a break. The author, Fannie Flagg, turned out to be the woman I was thinking of. In the back of the book was her picture and a write up about who she was. I did not know that she was a writer and producer for television. She is definitely a great writer.
As for the story, I got so much out of the book that it was hard to determine what the message was. It was definitely a page turner and I hated to part with it when I had to put it down for whatever reason. Ms. Flagg paints a wonderful picture of what life was like during the depression and her humor is so clever and uplifting. By the end of the book, I was wishing that I actually knew these characters. She even included some great southern recipes in the back of her book. I'll have to try them when I get back home to Texas. Yum!
What I mostly came away with was to make the most of every day and live it as if it were your last. It's an old cliche but it finally hit home. I also recognized the value of friends and family and making memories as you go. Because, when it comes near time to go, (if we are fortunate enough to live so long), memories are all you have. How sad would it be to look back on our lives and have nothing to show for our existence? To have lived and not served a purpose for God and demostrated His love in all that we do. Our hope is to be able to remember.
I would like to take this moment to share another blogsite with you. It was sent to me by the couple who are planning to adopt our twins and I found it to be very informative for those who are interested in adoption. I wrote to the author, Angela, and she said she was happy to share her link as long as the readers know that she is simply a loving Mom sharing her personal experiences. This site is called: http://www.haitiadoptionhelp.blogspot.com/ and from there you can click on to her other more personal site http://www.makefunofyourday.blogspot.com/ and a third website http://www.livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/ . The Make Fun Of Your Day site is Angela's personal story about her family and her adopted Haitian family and is beautifully written. The Livesay site is a group on a missions trip and covers a lot of the political and daily challenges of living in Haiti. There is a great article about an interview with a Voodoo priest that I found most interesting as well as some insight to the Haitian President. Worth a look when you have time.
As a final thought, I would like to share what I have mostly been focusing on this past week. I have read for the second time since my arrival the book called "It's Not About Me" by Max Lucado. I am sure that I will continue to read it until it becomes an active part of me. The main idea of this book is to acknowledge the fact that we are here to be a reflection of our loving God. Being a mere human, this is no easy task for me. I tend to get irritated with the little things I cannot control (such as the generator) and lose site of the joys that are right in front of me. It is during these times of distraction that I have to turn and talk to my friend who has been here with me since the beginning. His name is Jesus.