THE HARDEST DAY

This has been a difficult week -

A week ago, I was bringing Caleb and Sarah back to Indiana from a whirlwind trip to Philadelphia for Kacie and Mikken's wedding. Melissa, freshly returned to Haiti a few days earlier due to Director responsibilities, was facing one setback after another, both at the house and at school. Sarah and I had six hours in Indiana to repack and say goodbyes before Grandma Trudy took us to the airport at 4:00 am Monday morning. Samuel and Hannah, old enough now to fly on their own, stayed behind to finish up summer jobs and take another stab at the SAT. As for Caleb … well, I continue in denial even as I compose this next sentence: Caleb stayed behind to start his college career.

So by Monday afternoon, half the family was in Haiti, thoroughly exhausted both physically and emotionally. These transitions under even the best circumstances are not ever EASY.

We came back to dear friends and coworkers … and spoiled food, rats and electrical issues at home and a second floor construction project at school which was not as far along as we had hoped for. Most of our attention and energy this week has gone toward readying the junior high and high school classrooms even as ten construction workers are finishing plastering, painting, tiling and hanging doors. They have done beautiful work, but every shelf, desk, chair, and book now needed to be wiped down and returned to its proper place. And this involved a lot of stepping over and around each other.

EVERYTHING had been jumbled in the science lab:



A portion of the books returned to my room, ready for wipe down and sorting: (Time consuming work, but just LOOK at that beautiful new floor!)

And all my effort and that of many other teachers and cleaning staff was done in heat that produces a sweat at 8:00 am from just walking up the steps.

The outside of the building was finally getting plastered and painted, too. I'll share some before and after pics soon.

We thank the Lord for good friends who helped us around our house and fed us when we didn't have the energy to cook our own meals. 

Anyway, it was a tough week overall and I was bracing myself for yesterday to be the hardest. 

Yesterday was Caleb's first day at Wabash College … and Melissa and I weren't there to drop him off and kiss him goodbye and tell him it's normal to be a bit anxious and to reassure him that he'll make some great friends and make a final trip to Wal-Mart and … all of that parental stuff.

We're so thankful that my brother Spencer and his wife were there in our stead along with Grandma Trudy and Samuel and Hannah. Caleb was well-supported, no doubt about that. But Melissa and I wanted it to be US supporting him. 

So, yeah, this is a little self-pity post. 

Over the past six years we've missed numerous births, graduations, and weddings and felt the pain each time. I know some people thought it was a bit extravagant for Caleb, Sarah, and I to go to Philly last weekend, but we have made a point of getting to these events if at all possible - and it tore Melissa up not to be with us. With our school calendar this year starting earlier than ever (in an attempt to get closer to the standard 180 days and to finish first semester by Christmas), she wasn't able to stay in the States long enough to enjoy the wedding, and neither of us could stay to catch Caleb's first day. 

By Friday night, I was in full self-pity mode, anticipating spending the next day moping about Caleb.  But in the end, there wasn't much space to mope and last night when my head hit the pillow, I was thankful for the busyness and all the unexpected laughs of the day. 

My Saturday started at 3:17 am when the generator started sputtering and I realized I had neglected to add enough fuel the night before. When I returned to the house, I surprised a rat and Ginger and I spent the next ten minutes trying to track him and kill him as he scurried around the kitchen. (Ginger and I were both too slow.) After that, I was too wired to fall back to sleep, but I laid in bed for a while, intermittently praying for Caleb and trying to will myself back to sleep.

Eventually I got out of bed, brewed myself some coffee, caught up on Twitter, and made some banana muffins which, in time, attracted Kristen and Janeen from their respective apartments next door. (I am getting the impression that while this August has brought a rougher than desired start at school, our little mountainside community is starting to develop in very positive ways and I am hopeful.)

By mid-morning, Melissa was off to school to check on construction progress. (Workers were replacing numerous wooden doors with metal ones. The wood had been repeatedly swelling and warping in this humidity.) I stayed home to do a few last minute chores in the two lower apartments because they were due to be filled later in the day. The first apartment was readied for our good and extremely helpful friend, Kelly, for this next week. The second for a new Cap-Haitien Christian School staff member, Austin, who will be staying much longer … God willing! 

By 1:00, Melissa, Sarah and I were huddled around a laptop in the kitchen where the internet signal is strongest, in order to watch the opening ceremony for the new freshman class on livestream from Wabash College. For nearly 200 years, the school has used the hand bell of the first professor to "ring in" each class. Of course, the president has some remarks to make and one of the deans described the make up of this new class - telling how many were valedictorians, how many are legacies, etc. Haiti even got a shoutout since it was mentioned that one of the new students  … WE know WHO … served as a missionary there! (The details got mangled a bit, but still... pretty cool.) 

The whole time, the three of us scanned the faces in the crowd hoping to catch a glimpse of Caleb. Sarah let out a whoop when the camera finally pointed his direction about halfway through. How did he look so young and so mature at the same time?

Soon the ceremony ended and for a moment we watched the crowds exit the Wabash chapel. And then the feed went abruptly blank. No lingering goodbyes for us! I decided to go take a nap, and I slept HARD. 

When I woke up, Austin and Kelly had arrived from the airport and there were introductions all around, and dinner, and dessert, and tons of laughter and unhurried conversations around the table. Zenobia (returning 5th grade teacher), Kristen (returning math teacher), Janeen (office and finances), and Kelly and Austin and Melissa and Sarah and I really seemed to enjoy some genuine fellowship. 

(Now the only ones missing are the Teichmers. They are currently recovering from Dengue Fever in Florida, with plans to return on Tuesday.) 

Our day ended with a quick video call from Caleb as he walked across campus. All was well and he was heading to bed. 

After the call ended, Melissa went to the hall closet to put away some sandwich baggies Kelly had brought. Next thing I knew Melissa was screaming and Ginger and I were tracking TWO separate rats. No rats were injured in the incident, unfortunately, but I did slide on the tile floor in the girls' room during the chase and fell on my behind. Ginger was the only witness. 

It was a much better day than I had expected.

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Please pray for Caleb … and us. It's going to be weird not having him here this year.

Please pray for the Teichmers' full recovery and safe return.

Please pray for our students and teachers as we start a new school year on Tuesday. 

A few pics of our young MAN:

Looking sharp at the wedding last weekend...

With Sarah at Independence Hall in Philly...

Running through a fountain in Philly...

Back in June, Melissa and I with Caleb on the edge of Wabash College.