I have a theory. I believe that if I gave Hope a DVD player that relooped the movie "Hairspray" over and over - I could not only leave her alone for hours on end - but she would happily spend an entire day or two watching that movie and not be the least bit concerned that none of her family was around. I honestly don't believe she would notice. She loves CeCe Winans and Kirk Franklin DVD's - she loves any musical production. Her brothers tire quickly of her choice of movies, yet she watches Transformers and Spiderman without complaint. Maybe someday soon I will reward her tolerance with a 24 hour Hairspray marathon.`
Our three school-aged kids got to check out QCS today. It was very fun to see their excitement as they/we think/pray about attending there next year.
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Paige, Isaac and Hope are all hoping to make the switch in the fall - now we wait to see if the finances fall in line with that desire. Paige gets the high priority, although Isaac loved it so much that he might talk his way into a spot. I kept saying "If you come here - IF buddy- we don't know yet honey!" And he kept saying "WHEN I come here" and "I love MY school." He told the teacher we met with that he "Can't wait to see her again." He is big into the power of positive thinking. How wonderful to ignore reality and lives in a happy Isaac-bubble. I envy the boy.
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Isaac's oddness aside, I will say that the day that I thought I could home school three and have three babies (and Noah) and still handle laundry and administrative mission duties was a day of delusional thinking. I must have inhaled too many Port au Prince diesel fumes or something. It is time to explore plan B. Thankfully, Paige is on track and has not fallen behind. That felt good to all of us. Isaac is ready to be a 1st grader and Hope will probably take her beautiful smile to Mrs. Ackerman's class and give Kindergarten another shot. It helps that she is the size of the Keebler Elf. We think that having them in two different grades will also be good for both of them.
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If you would, please pray that the plans and finances to switch the kids from homeschooling to QCS will come together.
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Above is just one example of the many ways Haiti laughs in the face of safety measures.
Last week when Jamie and Aaron Ivey needed to put their kids on a motorcycle to return them to their temporary home in Cazale, Jamie said "That was really hard - because I am more of a five point harness type of Mom." - I chuckled at her comment and have since recognized that something about this culture's complete disregard for safety measures has led me to be a very laid back Mom. Maybe too laid back. Choking hazard you say? We scoff at you. Popcorn for babies! Strangulation? Here is some twine! Suffocation? Play with this plastic bag. Car accidents? Here baby, hang out the window and get a good view.
I am mostly kidding, but the reality is -- this is a safety concern-free or non-fearing culture. Putting a baby on a motorcycle is not something they worry about. I don't know what that says about us and I don't know what it says about them. I only know that there is no market for car seats here. Not even used ones.
After we dropped the four Minnesotans at the airport, we met with John and Beth this morning. We had a nice time catching up after an incredibly busy few months. We're so thrilled with the success they've been experiencing with their Women's Program. It is fun to watch them and see the way this ministry is meeting a real need in their area.
I think it is easy to get caught up in vision - and building on ideas and dreams - but it is hard to actually see a vision through to the point of a successful program - I give them props for doing what is necessary. They put their nose to the grindstone, their shoulder to the wheel, their nose to their shoulders where the wheel grinds ... or whatever.
I just like that they did more than say "lets have a womens program" they saw their dream through to this reality. Haiti needs more of that.
John and Troy exchanged stories about staying calm in Haiti traffic. The true test of what sort of person you are -- might just be getting through a day of Delmas traffic without losing your temper. We all agreed that the white guy going ballistic on a tap-tap driver might not be a good representation of the love of Jesus. Sometimes I think there is no greater testing ground for patience. Some days we pass and some days we fail. Our hope is always to improve on our pass/fail ratio. :) Patience *IS* a virtue you know. ;)
~tara
Britt - please call us sometime Wednesday. We want you to bring us strawberries!
(photos taken by Ericksons)
