Breaking News!

Breaking news from the home front…okay, so it has been 1 ½ weeks already. We have a new baby! She’s very healthy and strong, and we’ve affectionately named her Rhino. The only problem is that we will never be able to keep her clean, inside or out! Let me explain. Last Saturday we got the much anticipated phone call we’ve been waiting for.

Our friends, Jean Jean and Kristie Mompremier, have been helping us since April to complete the purchase of a truck. As it is in Haiti, nothing is ever simple. We had hoped to make arrangements to have it here in Pignon when we arrived. It ended up being a month to the day of our arrival that the truck came. Jean Jean called us Saturday afternoon asking if we were still planning to go to Cap Haitien for Will’s birthday. He told Jared we might have to delay because the truck wouldn’t be ready yet. We were dejected. We have found out that Jean Jean is quite the jokester! He finally told us that his brother was on his way from the Mompremier home and would be here with the truck in 20 minutes.

Natalie and Will were screaming so loudly I am sure someone thought they were being abused. All I can say is it was a real blessing that we hadn’t known he was on his way before that. It truly was the longest 20 minutes we’ve spent here! We walked out to the gate and listened for the sound of a diesel truck. Several times we heard what had to be the truck only to have a beat up “tap-tap” cruise by. Jared and I gave up waiting and started collecting tools to put back in the garage. Then we heard the sweetest “beep-beep” we’ve heard yet. The gateman pulled back the steel gate and our little black Rhino pulled in!

I am pretty sure Natalie was crying at this point, tears of joy she said. Will just wanted to climb all over it, and thought he should be the first to drive it. He just doesn’t get it yet that even though there really isn’t a law stating a legal driving age, he can’t reach the peddles and see over the steering wheel at the same time. Not to mention he has never driven a stick-shift. We had to take some pictures, and Will found “ the best angles.” It was a good day for us.

You may be wondering about the name “Rhino.” We had a small DVD case full of the kids’ favorite movies for travelling. Somewhere between moving and having our yard sale we misplaced the case. Fortunately Grandma Shirley had gotten the movie “Bolt” for the kids to open on the way to Florida. (It is one of the few movies we ended up with here in Pignon.) In it is a hamster named “Rhino” and he is “fully awesome!” as is our new truck, thus the name Rhino.

Believe it or not, I just took the truck out for the first time yesterday! To tell you the truth, I was a little apprehensive about navigating tight spaces, driving in low gears, and had a real fear of running over a person, dog or goat. There are also bicycles, motorcycles, oxen, donkeys, mules and horses to dodge. All in all it was uneventful and I didn’t kill the engine or anyone!

As I said before, Saturday (the 18th) was a good day. The sun rises here around 4:30 and the city comes to life. About 25 workers and 3 cooks showed up shortly after to get going on the roof project. By 5:30 they were in full swing. They mixed concrete, gravel and sand by shovel then lifted it bucket by bucket up to the roof. It was then poured and the bucket was passed back down via rope. I am not sure how many buckets were involved, but it was a steady stream all morning long.

I woke up to the sound of men singing and thought it sounded so sweet. I was sure it was praise music, and I tried to pick out the words. Later I found the guys working on our house were singing about the spaghetti they were going to eat for breakfast. Shows how good my Kreyol is coming along! They worked so hard all morning long and finished up around 12:30. Then they ate rice and beans with fish sauce. I am so glad I didn’t take part in that and that our cook hasn’t even attempted fish sauce yet.

Over this past weekend the forms were removed and the crepe (plaster) process began on Monday. It will take some time, but we are told when all is finished the house will be ready to paint! We discussed what color to paint and even picked up a couple of paint samples in Cap Haitien. Just kidding--there are no paint samples! We can get white, off-white, and cream pretty easily. Once in a while you can find a few cans of blue, red or orange. It really just depends on the day! We’re a ways from painting so we’ll wait to make that big decision until later.

Will’s birthday was also on Saturday. He got to open a package Grandpa and Grandma Phillips sent with us when we left. Of course it was all things Jimmy Johnson! He was thrilled to get another JJ t-shirt (Grandma Nikkel brought one for him earlier this month) so he could wear one or the other every day. I don’t think they will last long, laundry by hand is very tough on things. He also got a multi-purpose tool that goes everywhere with him. You never know when you’ll need a little saw, knife or screwdriver here.

Monday morning we left for Cap around 7:30 to spend the night at the Mont Joli Hotel for Will’s birthday. Jared has been to Cap a few times, but it was a first for me and the kids. I know we’ve said it before, but the roads are really bad here. We are so grateful to our supporters for the truck! Jared told the kids it was like riding a rollercoaster all the way to Cap. He isn’t kidding. The kids thought it was great and it was fun, but I just prayed I wouldn’t need a chiropractor before it was over.

Apart from the road, the beauty of this part of the country is at times breathtaking. We have to go over a mountain and it is covered by rainforest. From what I’ve heard, the northern plateau area is one of a few places remaining that hasn’t succumbed to deforestation. I know there are several re-forestation projects under way around the country, and we hope the people here will see the value in it.

We had a great time at the Mont Joli swimming and playing in the pool. We also got to work on our tans. Our room was nice with two double beds and a TV. There were a few American channels: CNN, USA, HBO and a sci-fi channel. Unfortunately the screen was so bad and fuzzy you couldn’t really see anything. Not to mention the problem with the sound. So we didn’t watch it much, but that isn’t really any different than our everyday life. It’s funny what you don’t miss.

Thanks for your continued prayer and support. Until next time...

Stacey