Cati Goes to Haiti

This bizarre thing happened on a flight. It's been a while since you have heard from me. Life has been a little bit hectic as usual, plus I did a little traveling. Okay, a lot of traveling. I had the privilege of spending a whole month in the States and it was much needed. It had been almost 8 months since I had seen anyone in my family and to say I was ready to see them might be the biggest understatement of the year. I was definitely feeling the pressures of burnout and needing a break.  I was able to travel around and spend some time with family and friends. Some highlights include a girls weekend in Tulsa with my cousins Kristin and Jennifer, a garage sale in KC, and a long weekend in Memphis with Cody and Kaley, plus finding my wedding dress, dinners with friends and family and squeezing in some down time. My favorite memory was probably one evening in Memphis, Cody, Kaley, and I sat around their living room and talked to Wood on speaker phone. It was so great for them...

Life is filled with injustices -- both big and small. Living in Haiti for almost three years, I've seen my fair share of injustices. Injustice is injustice. Someone is still getting the short end of the stick without valid reason or cause. Injustice in Haiti isn't somehow weightier than injustice in America or Mexico or Antarctica. It's simply the injustice that I'm faced with the most.  Over the last three months (give or take) it feels like I see injustice everywhere I turn... Innocent lives of unborn children being taken People fighting to survive while gangs control a stretch of road The exchange rate of the Haitian currency deteriorating By the end of the week it will probably be close to 100 goudes for 1 USD. It was 60 gds/dollar when I moved here. People putting their desires and efforts above others to get ahead or have control Haitians with a "blan" not being asked for their ID to enter a local business, but being asked to leave th...

I sweat A LOT during my workouts. It's been a while since a formal update on life...so here it is!  If you've been reading my blog posts you know that life has been a little hectic the last few months. I'm happy to report that life has slowed down a little bit. Around the middle of March, I started on a new fitness journey. When I moved to Haiti, I quickly lost 40 pounds (think heat and eating less). Unfortunately, as my body adjusted to my new Haitian diet and the stress of life crept in, I gained almost all of that weight back and was not happy with myself. I had no energy, I didn't feel good, clothes didn't fit right, and the list goes on. I made the choice to join a Beachbody group and really press play on accountability and taking care of my body. Shout out to my coach, Kaitlyn Davidson, for accommodating my special needs living in Haiti and being an encouragement to keep on trucking. I'm down a few pounds and can tell I have more energy and am on m...

About seven months ago, I wrote a post titled " Ayiti Cheri ." This means beautiful or darling Haiti. It's an expression used by many to describe Haiti. I have titled this post "Ayiti Cheri Toujou," translating into the idea that Haiti is still beautiful. Seven months ago, Haiti was experiencing unrest. The general population was distraught over a spike in gas prices surrounding subsidies. Some Haitians chose to take to the streets as a sign of protest. Some Haitians chose to burn tires and shoot guns as a sign of protest. Other Haitians chose to shelter in place, waiting for the unrest to past. They have resiliently been living their lives for the last seven months. Doing the best that they can to survive. To feed their families. To send their kids to school. But tensions remained. Fuel shortages began to happen frequently. The Haitian currency, the goude, has been depreciating at an alarming rate.** The price of staples goods is increasing. Economic cris...

Some of Wood's family at his graduation. What a few weeks it has been. Here in Haiti, we've been meeting ourselves coming and going. That trend doesn't seem to be stopping any time soon. Passing the holidays in Haiti wasn't quite what I expected. It wasn't necessarily better or worse...just different. Christmas doesn't hold the same weight that it does in America. Much more attention is given to New Year's Eve and Day as January 1 is Haiti's Independence Day.  You all enjoy your snow...I'll keep my beach views. On Christmas Eve, Wood and I went to church (which wasn't packed to the gills like in America) and then we went to a party. Christmas Eve was difficult. It was tough not being with my family for the first time in 26 years! I did get to phone in for prayer time at my grandparent's house which filled my heart with gladness. On Christmas Day, Wood and I headed to Kaliko Beach Resort to spend the day and night with the Br...

This sweet gift was the inspiration behind this post and serves as a constant reminder. Life has a funny way of making you wait. But is it really life that's making you wait or is it God trying to teach you something? God has a funny way of proving that the waiting is all worth it.  Six months ago I was making myself over-anxious about decisions that I had no control over and that weren't even relevant at that point in time. I was pushing far too hard. I knew that I needed to sit and wait and that it would all work out when it needed to. However, my flesh didn't want to let go. It wanted final decisions. It wanted action. But it still wasn't the right time.  So, I had to take a pause. I had to take a step back and focus on the things that I could control and wait for the rest.  What's the biggest thing that I can control? My PRAYERS . God hears us when we talk to Him. He hears our concerns. He hears our desires. He knows our hearts, mo...

Moses wants to come to school. They are precious in His sight.  Jesus loves the little children of the world.  I don't really know exactly where to begin today. So, I'm just going to type and see where it goes... News channels, magazines, Facebook, newspapers, Twitter, and Instagram seem to always be filled with the latest reports of people acting against someone different from themselves.  Beliefs.  Race.  Gender.  Age. Politics.  You name it...someone has done something malicious.  It's heartbreaking and it is NOT OKAY.  I can hardly stand to watch the news or scroll my Facebook because it's honestly so depressing and it makes my heart sad to know that people would act in such ways.  God created us to be in relationship with people -- and not just people that are like us. He created us to be unified in His name. Serving Him TOGETHER as ONE BODY .  "Diversity is a gospel matter."  This quote comes ou...

Because how cute is he? It's been a few weeks since we last heard from one another. To say that life in Haiti has been a little bit hectic, would be an understatement. Between school, English, meetings, people making various trips, and overall life, we seem to be meeting ourselves coming and going.  So, today, I have a short update about all the things happening as well as some exciting news!  ----- School has been rolling since August 1, but it's been filled with many four day weeks due to our schedule and things coming up. We're finally starting to (sort-of) get back into a five day swing. The kids are off to a great start. They've already finished their first piece of writing and are headed into persuasive writing now. We are learning more in-depth about poetry and geography this year and are making plans for our economic unit.  Micah working on Biology Micah has faced the weight of a high-school work load this year as well as the struggles that come...