The Last Few Days....

After being in a routine of posting on an average of two to three times a week while in Haiti, I find it incredible that two months have passed since my last posting. So much has happened since my return but that's another story to come later. For now, I will try to recap the last few days as best as I can.
First of all, had it not been for the love and support of the missions team from the First Baptist Church of Huntersville (FBCH), Saint-Victor, Julius, Actionnel, the OFCB staff, and Peter Daniel, I would not have made it through the weekend as well as I did. I appreciated the moments that I was given to express the many emotions I was feeling and trying to sort. Your words of encouragement always came at the right times. Those who physically participated in getting things organized and distributed in regards to my departure helped to lessen the stress and kept me grounded. My sincerest thanks to all of you!
The kids and I made the most of our time together. We did a lot of laughing, singing, dancing and being as silly as we could. We watched our favorite movies, read our favorite books and did some art work. Throughout the days on Friday and Saturday, I made a point to have alone time with each one of the kids. It was really special for all of us.
The kids were excited about the many great and fun things that the FBCH missions group brought for them, as well as the numerous things I distributed out of my room. We had fun re-arranging their rooms to allow for the additional furniture, boxes of useful stuff and other decorations.
The girls were thrilled to have a long table with a mirror for their grooming supplies and my sewing kit, the boys were happy about the table and lamp, Aquel cried when I gave him my tools, Marc Antoine was so excited to have the harmonica, and the little ones enjoyed the small plastic bowls and spent a lot of their time making mud pies and grass stew.
There was so much I had to give away that some of the kids just stood by my door waiting to see what I would come out with and wondering who would be the next recipient. Even the cook and housekeeper stood there a few times but it was not in vain. They received a few bags of clothes for themselves and their families. It was hectic for me, but fun to see the smiles.
On Saturday morning, the folks from FBCH came to the house to spend some time with the kids and get the grand tour. Scott Phillips and his wife, Carrie had made special blankets for each one of the children and they were very excited to have them. They were just beautiful!
Sunday was as hard as I knew it would be. The kids were disappointed that I did not attend church but it was my last chance to get the final packing done and have everything ready to go by the time Actionnel planned to pick me up and head out to Port Au Prince.
When our church was over, Saint-Victor and the older boys helped me take my suitcases out to the front porch and then I started my goodbyes. Just as I imagined, the kids did not fully grasp the reality of it until they saw the suitcases. I first picked up Jeemy-Ska and hugged him tight, told him I loved him, and would miss him very much. I kissed his cheek and set him down. Then, I turned to Noula and she began to cry. That started the ball (or rather, the bawl) rolling. One by one, they were shedding tears, the tears turned to sobs, and the sobs became loud wails. It was so very heartbreaking.
I had said my goodbyes to each one of the kids but I could not find Fenelson. It turned out that he was hiding in the boys room, under some blankets, on Jeemy-Ska's bed. He thought that if I did not say goodbye to him, then I couldn't leave. He said, "Please don't go! I don't want to lose my mother again!" Oh, my heart! Such a sweet little boy! The rest of the boys had gathered in the room and we had a huge cry-fest. After a while, I had to compose myself and go back to the girls.
They had all retreated to their room as well and were crying even harder. I thought Alicia was going to pass out, she was in such pain and could not catch her breath. It was all I could do to keep hugging the six girls, going from one to the other, and reassuring them of my love. I was especially moved by Ismalene because she rarely let me hug her and usually did not hug back. But, on this day, she would not let go. I finally had a breakthrough with her but it was our last day together. Even though I felt a bit of joy for Ismalene, it was still bittersweet.
Finally, it was time to go. The bus from OFCB had passed by with the missions group and Actionnel was parked by the gate with the two Scotts (Scott Phillips and Scott Howerton). I stood on the porch with all the crying kids, Saint-Victor and Julius. I looked out to the truck and no one was getting out. I looked at the men on the porch and no one was moving. The kids were crying louder. It seemed like an eternity but I finally picked up one bag and said, "Well, this is great. Everyone wants to help." I went to the truck and told the guys it would take a while because I was going to get one at a time. Both Scotts immediately jumped out of the truck and went towards the house. I looked and saw that the men and the boys were starting to pick up the suitcases. Together they managed to bring them in one trip. As they loaded up my bags into the back of the truck, a crowd had gathered because the kids were crying so hard and so loud it sounded like someone had just died. (It is a common sound when someone passes away. A large crowd gathers at the house of the dying and then the entire community knows when they have died by the sudden loud burst of screams, crying all at once, and then the wailing goes on for a long while). It was such an eerie sound coming from the kids and I felt like I was moving in slow motion. I took one last look at their faces and then we left. My heart was in pieces because I knew it was final. I could only pray that God would bless them and give them comfort.
My time in Haiti was, at times, pretty difficult but overall, truly a wonderful experience. I hope that one day I can go back and spend some time there with the kids and all the other people that I came to know and love. It will take me a while to process everything that I have learned and experienced but I know, even now, that I am not who I was when I got there last April. For that, I am very grateful.
So.....here are some great pictures to enjoy from our last week and weekend together. I will have another posting after this one so please stay tuned.
Alicia (left) and Ismalene (right) are making peanut butter cookies while Jina, (far left) Jeemy-Ska (next to Alicia), Marc Antoine, and the new cook, Amelia, look on. Fenelson is holding cookie package.
Fenelson wanted to do an advertisement for the desserts that we were making. He is such a ham! We made a cake for Jeemy-Ska's birthday since I would not be there on Jan. 2nd. We also made the cookies and some brownies so we could have a nice big celebration and because......why not? It was yummy!!!
Jeemy-Ska had just learned that we were having a Birthday party in his honor and that the cake was for him. Does he look happy or what? Ha!
Jeemy-Ska (partial), sweet Noula, Dina (being shy), and Angeline (caught in mid-blink mode). Noula and Angeline were proudly wearing some medallions that I won in a sports event years ago.
The whole gang getting ready to celebrate Jeemy-Ska's birthday. Such a little guy for six years old. From left to right: Noula, Jina, Angeline, Aquel, Jeemy-Ska, Alicia, Dina, and Fenelson. Behind the chair: Smith, Ismalene, and Marc Antoine. We had a great party!

The First Baptist Church of Huntersville (FBCH) Missions Team for Haiti (from left to right):
Mark Wunder, David Mashburn, Scott Howerton, Rita Mashburn, Jim Smith (behind Rita), Scott Phillips, Aaron Price, Ron and Kelli Price, Jenny and Chris Thompson. Just a wonderful group of loving Christians. It was a pleasure to spend time with you in Haiti.

Saint-Victor Sejour welcomes our visitors from FBCH and tells them about MMM, how it started, and what the hopes are for the future of the children.

Saint-Victor Sejour and Scott Phillips smile for the cameras.

The FBCH missions team and other locals. Scott is getting ready to present the blankets to each child.

Presenting Ismalene's blanket. Hers had pink cats in each circle. She is behind the blanket so you can't see the joy on her face. Aquel is in center, holding his new absolutely favorite blanket. The colors are red, white and black (notice what he is wearing?) AND...it has soccer balls on it!!! His most favorite game. Marbles come in a close second. Alicia is so tickled by her blanket. Her favorite movie is Dunston, the Orangutan (that's not the right name of the movie, I know) but she and the other kids called it 'The Monkey Film'. Her blanket just happened to have cute little monkeys on it.

Scott holding up Jeemy-Ska's blanket. It had fire trucks, police cars, coast guard helicopters, and rescue boats. He was so happy!

Just look at that sweet precious face. That's my baby!
With all the blankets distributed, we decided it was time to take a group shot of all the kids with their new gift.

The kids proudly holding their special blankets. Scott and Carrie Phillips did a great job picking out the perfect fabrics to match each child's personality with both prints and colors. They did an equally great job by putting these blankets together in time for the trip. Beautifully designed and so wonderfully soft!
Scott Phillips on left and Saint-Victor Sejour on right. I even had my very own special blanket to display. It was intended as a Christmas blanket but little did Scott and Carrie know that red Cardinals hold a special place in my heart because of my Grandmama. It was perfect!
Our last family group shot together. My beautiful children! God Bless them all.

As a final note, I have added two new links to my blog page on the left side. The first is for Peter Daniel's website. He is currently staying at OFCB with Actionnel and has the most interesting stories as well as videos you can watch about the happenings in Bayonnais. He plans to stay for five more months. From his web page you can find other links for several sites that pertain to Haiti. It is certainly worth your time to take a look and also a great way to increase your vocabulary. He is an excellent and creative writer as well as an artist. Check it out.
The second link is for the FBCH team and their stories and photos of the time they spent in Haiti. You can read about what their goals were for OFCB and what they managed to accomplish in the short time that they were there. They are such a fun group.
For those of you who took the time to read my blog today, I thank you for staying interested. Please pass the word on to others whose emails I don't have. I have a few more postings to do but real life is happening and requires my attention now. I will write again in a few days, I hope. :)
My love and thanks to all!