Cati Goes to Haiti

This is Gonaives. This is my city. I know that it has been a while since I posted. It's been a crazy two months and life isn't looking to slow down. I've determined that no two of my blog posts will ever be the same -- even in terms of set up. I just kind of go with what I feel. I think this blog post will really look like a true update. An update on some things the two months have held. An update of the next six months and beyond. An update on some of the things I've been learning, and an update on some of the lighter things I've enjoyed over the last few months. January and February... I came back to Gonaives on New Year's Eve and we hit the ground running with a team of 45 dental students! We were able to meet some pretty incredible people and a handful of them are looking to come back in August. They pulled A LOT of nasty, rotten teeth while they were here. I don't remember what the final count was, but it was anpil (that means a lot in Creole)...

Choosing joy has not been the easiest choice the last several weeks. I'm coming up on six months in Haiti. January was the month that for the first time since I moved here, I really felt the devil at work. I feel his presence and pushing and stirring and disrupting. He's been working overtime in Paradise Village against all that we are trying to accomplish -- both personally and as an organization. There was a moment last week where I came to the realization of "This is not God. This is the devil." Because many of the things that I personally am dealing with are just that -- personal, I'm not going to go into specific detail about these things. I do, however, want to share with you what the Lord has been revealing to and teaching me. "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many thing. Enter into the joy of your lord.' "   -Matthew 25:23 This is a v...

What's in a word? Home. Webster defines it as the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household. As an adjective it is relating to a place where one lives. Home. "Home" has begun to look very differently for me over the last several years. I have a home on the family farm (as a member of a family). I had a home in Bolivar. I had a home in Kansas City. I would even say I have a home in Mexico. Now my home is Haiti (as a member of a household). I don't know that I can even say that any of those are "permanent." Sure, I'll always call my house where my parents live home, but I no longer live there. I haven't for a long time. Right now I live in Haiti, but I might not forever. Home. In 36 hours I will be "home." That is, my American home. If I'm being honest, I have mixed emotions about this. I haven't been in America in over four months. In those four months, I have created a new home ...

Katie, Holden and I. I'm thankful each and everyday for them being here to do life with me.  Well, it's been a while since I posted, but in my defense we've had a LOT of things going on. The end of October and beginning of November have been filled with many things and our lives aren't looking to slow down anytime soon. Post Hurricane Matthew, we got back into our daily routine, but we've had many social events come up. What does one's social calendar look like in Haiti? Let me fill you in our our most recent adventures. October closed with a Halloween celebration. In Haiti, they celebrate the Day of the Dead rather than Halloween. However, the blancs (all the Americans here in town) wanted a reason to dress up. So, naturally we had a get together. This meant a three hour trip to the market in search of the most outrageous costume you could put together and a lot of yummy food. Katie, Holden and I searched the market high and low for the best costumes. I...

Katie and I took a moto selfie. I know it hasn't quite been a month, but I feel there is a lot that has happened in the last few weeks to unpack for you. I left my last blog sharing with you how life here can be really weird. That hasn't changed. It's still weird. But, in that weirdness, I'm finding contentment. This post is meant to share with you how God has been moving and {reigning} in my life the last few weeks. Let's start the week before Hurricane Matthew. It was a "normal" week. We were in about our 6th week of school and I was really starting to feel like the kids and I were finding our groove. We had a routine. The kids are pretty excited for what they are learning about. Micah has struggled with math a little bit. It is not his favorite thing, but we did some extra practice and I think I actually heard the words, "This is fun!" escape. Algebra will do that to you. [It's my favorite.] He is also learning about American Histo...

If someone were to ask me how to describe Haiti in one word I think my word would have to be weird . Life here is weird for so many reasons. I was the "responsible, white adult" that took Chloe and Jude on a walk to the market to get "popsicles." Weird #1: Time and Work Time is not the same here. It’s slow, but it’s fast. Days drag, weeks and months fly by. It’s crazy to me that I’ve already lived here almost 7 weeks. Very few people in Haiti, including us, work a 9-5 job. “Jobs” are completed during the morning hours. School is during the mornings hours. Then, you have an afternoon of hours to fill. As missionaries, this doesn’t always look this way. In a way, we never stop working. Things come up, but then sometimes they are really slow. People show up on our porch needing things, we go on adventures, we take naps, we binge watch Netflix. No two days ever look the same. Weird #2: Church I live in a beautiful country. Church is not the same h...

Three Weeks. They say that is the first milestone you hit when you move somewhere new. It is the first moment that hits you of, "Oh, I'm not going home for a while. This is my new home." Three Weeks is how long I have been living in Haiti. Though, I must say that it seems like much longer. The days are long here, but the weeks pass by quickly. Hanging out and being silly with Jude Some snuggle time with Moses.  When moving to Haiti, I wasn't sure exactly what to expect moving to a new country, a new house, with new people. I didn't have many expectations. Maybe that is why my transition has seemed so "easy." I feel as though I'm adjusting well, which is a huge blessing. I'm still learning things and will be for the weeks and months to come, but it's nice to feel "comfortable." Week One brought a lot of observations for me. Just getting a handle on life here and what it looked like. I spent a lot of time with the Brouwer ...