BIRTHDAY WEEKEND

This past weekend was a busy one as we celebrated three birthdays: Johnny's, Hannah's and mine.

Some gifts came early through the mail - like these bagels Grandma Trudy sent for Hannah.  (The puppy was NOT a gift - it belongs to the Bundys next door.  Buddy is more than enough for us to deal with right now!)

Here's MY favorite gift - Melissa ordered me in a bottle of Nyquil and I was finally able to kick my sinus infection. She didn't intend it for my birthday, but it was certainly a welcome "treat".

On Friday night, the house started to fill up with a small herd of pre-teen girls ready to celebrate Hannah's birthday with a sleepover.  Melissa suggested I take my Haitian sons out to a restaurant to celebrate Johnny's birthday - and I gladly jumped at the opportunity to get out of the house. 

 

We drove into Cap Haitien to have dinner at a burger joint called Lakay ("The House") which is along the shore.  

Before heading into the restaurant, we stopped next door at one of the two grocery stores that Melissa and I tend to frequent: Kokyaj.  Johnny had never been inside and he and the other two took lots of pictures ... of themselves posing in front of canned goods.

I was looking for crackers but came upon a rare treat: cans of Dr. Pepper.  I decided to buy one can as a surprise for Hannah and one to share at dinner with the three guys who (gasp!) had never even heard of Dr. Pepper before.

At Lakay, Johnny, who is newly 21, opted for ham pizza and the four of us enjoyed a great conversation around the table. 

 

 

It made me wish I had done something like this MONTHS ago.  I learned stuff I never knew - like the fact that the father of one of these boys worked as a bodyguard years ago for a famous Haitian president (and spent some time in hiding afterwards as a consequence!). 

 

 

We also talked about the Lord and our individual hopes and plans for the future and how they may or may not align with God's.  It was a beautiful evening.

 

 

I lost all track of time.  Eventually Melissa called, wondering what had happened to us.  She needed my help back at home, re-arranging mattresses to get all seven girls into one bedroom for the night.

Thankfully, the young ladies didn't stay up TOO late, so Saturday morning they were up early looking forward to some chocolate chip pancakes.

If I remember correctly, snapping this pic was followed by these words: "Daddy!  Don't post that on Facebook or the blog!"  (She never reads my blog.)

After breakfast, Grandma Trudy Skyped and that gave Hannah an excuse to open some presents so Grandma could be a part of the moment ... from a distance.

Much of the rest of the morning was spent in crafting.  Hannah was in such a good mood, she even allowed her little sister to participate as well.

These girls were serious about their crafts!

Then there was pizza (and one Dr. Pepper) for lunch.

And chocolate cupcakes!



Grandma Gross had sent money and a hairbow- and bracelet-making kit - all of which was a big hit.

That evening, the celebration continued with a dinner at the Heckmans' house. Delicious food and great company!  And more cupcakes.

On Sunday we spent the day at Cormier Plage, just on the other side of Cap Haitien.  A gorgeous day at the beach.

 

 The kids and I started our time with a bit of exploration of the rocks at the far end of the beach.

 

 

I got to spend quite a bit of time snorkeling - one of my favorite beachside activities.  The highlight this time was finding a fist-sized octopus that I pestered for nearly 30 minutes. He was so mad he inked four times.

For some reason, throughout the day we kept running into Cowman students - four total!  Like Sarah's little friend from 1st grade, Hannah.

Not to mention the Heckman family and the Weavers! Our kids were thrilled to get another meal in with Haylie and Ethan and Melissa and I enjoyed our adult time with Emily and Phil Heckman and Cheyenne and Ryan Weaver, who all work at Emmaus Biblical Seminary.

 

Once back to the house, we had the boys over for dinner - poppyseed chicken by Hannah's request - and dessert: BROWNIES!!!

 

And homemade ICE CREAM!

A perfect ending to a fantastic weekend.  I don't know that I could be any more thankful for the friends and family - both here and in the States - with whom God has so abundantly blessed us.

 

 

P.S.   [Warning: I can't resist the following humble brag.]  I praise God for good health!  I turned 46 last Sunday but started the day with a two mile run and a hundred push-ups ... and Ryan Weaver (who has known me for several weeks now and is technically a fellow adult) jokingly guessed my age as "45", thinking I would be insulted since he actually figured I was no older than 37 or 38!  Maybe Haiti is keeping me young...

 

DAN AND JILL WERE HERE - Part 2

Yet another sinus infection has been dragging me down (for three weeks now!) and Hannah has been diagnosed with pneumonia (she's on the upswing) but if I keep waiting until we're all feeling top-notch to write more about our week with Dan and Jill, I fear it may never get done.

And there's so much more to tell.  I'll tackle the easy part now and leave some deeper stuff for another day.

The picture of Jill below encapsulates what made their visit so incredibly fun and MEANINGFUL for us.  She is holding a water bottle, a giant leaf, some previously unknown fruit which is called Abrika (which had a peel like an orange, a vaguely apricotty flavor, and a pit like a peach) and a package of cookies given to her by Johnny. 




Maybe it's just because we've recently discussed symbolism in English class at Cowman, but it seems to me that those four items represent four aspects of what was so wonderful about having Dan and Jill visit us.

THE WATER BOTTLE stands for all those daily realities of life in Haiti - which are sometimes irritating and sometimes refreshing. It's great to share these things with friends. 

Like eating our home-packed lunches outside every day at the school picnic tables. 



The glory of a cold glass of citwon juice on a hot day.



The "opportunity" to ride (and get sun-baked) in the back of a pickup.



And even haggling in the market over the price of a souvenir with an artist desperate to sell a bowl or a painting.



The GIANT LEAF represents all the beauty of Haiti that we grow accustomed to over time and too often take for granted.  Having visitors gives you fresh eyes to rediscover the wonder of God's creation in this corner of the world.

For instance, the way you might just meet a friendly and curious cow on the side of a street.



Or the way a beach here can take your breath away and make you want to snap a hundred photographs.



And then ditch the camera and jump right in with abandon!







And, most importantly, Jill exposed my students to the beauty of writing and reading poetry ...





And in so doing, reminded me how very beautiful my students are! (More about that in another post.)




The UNKNOWN FRUIT represents the new things we got to experience right alongside of them. 

Some were here all along but we just hadn't gotten to them yet.  Like chewing on sugarcane.



But many others Dan and Jill brought with them.  Like the simple Frisbee golf course Dan mapped out at Cowman. 



Or the volleyball matches that gave the students some athletic options beyond soccer (and more soccer).



Or paddle ball - one of Dan and Jill's favorite pastimes for their own family gatherings.  They brought a set to leave with us.



And they shared the secret to creating "drippy sand" castles.



And, especially, how to play "Zip Bang".  How did I spend 15 years in youth ministry and not know this game?  In Zip Bang, the object is to say either "zip" or "bang" to the person next to you without revealing any teeth.  That person also needs to stifle any smiles and pass another "zip" or "bang" to the next person in the circle.  Laugh or smile and you are eliminated from that round.

Dan is an expert.  But Hannah gave him a run for his money.



Caleb, on the other hand, will NEVER win at "Zip Bang"!

 

And finally, the COOKIES given to Jill by Johnny represent the absolute joy of having friends from the States meet our friends here and LOVE them instantly as much as we do.   (And to BE LOVED by them as well.)

 

Of course, that included my Cowman students...  Here, one of my 7th graders is giving Jill a coconut nativity scene as a going away present.

 

 

And even my adult English students...

 

Dan and Jill also had a chance to visit The Potter's House to deliver some early Easter eggs to the orphans.

 

 

 

 

We spent a Saturday morning in Daniel's neighborhood as he worked to feed dozens of his neighbors' children.

 

 

 

 

At one point, overwhelmed by the needs around her, Jill came across a little girl whose shoe had just broken.  Beyond repair.  Jill wanted to buy her a new pair of shoes; a short walk down the street brought us to a woman who had a tub full of shoes for sale.  Jill triumphantly strapped a new pair of shoes on the little girl's feet.

 

 

 

Instantly, there were tugs at her skirt and she looked down to see five more pairs of bare and muddied little feet and she bought five more pairs of shoes. 

 

Now kids started kicking off their shoes and running over to push close to Jill and we decided maybe it was time to move on! 

 

Jill was fighting back tears the whole time.  

 

Later that day, we walked up to where Johnny and Ruysdael and Mikenn live on the hillside. 

 

 

My Haitian sons had already formed a bond with Dan and Jill earlier in the week, so they were excited to show them around their neighborhood. 

 

 

 

 

And "baby" Sammy (and Bud and Jane) came to dinner one evening.  Through Caleb, Jill had been following Sammy's story since the beginning when he was found as an infant, nearly starved to death and abandoned in a suitcase, and then placed in Bud and Jane's care to be nursed back to health.  What joy she found in watching Sammy play and talk and eat so energetically!

 

 

And, of course, the love and attention Dan and Jill lavished on our own kids did our parent hearts a whole world of good. They loved on our kids in unexpected ways throughout our short time together and our kids quickly grew to love them in return.  We all did! 

 

 

 

And then, just like that, our week was over.




Melissa and I have had to keep reminding the kids (and ourselves) of the upside of Dan and Jill's departure after our week together - that they will be there in Indiana when we get back in just a couple of months for our summer visit.

All of this has been a long way of saying that God's fingerprints were ALL OVER our time together with Dan and Jill.  And we are so thankful for the incredible people He has brought into our lives.

Looking forward to seeing them again ... soon!