Ripe Mango Chronicles

Today was strange for me. I sometimes think I'm running out of "firsts" when it comes to the kids at Hope House but then something always happens and I think to myself, "Well, here's something new." The kindergarten kids usually stop by my office when school lets out. Steevenson is a bit of a tattle tale so I am always well informed if one of the other HH kids in his class gets into trouble. Today was no exception. He let me know that one of the girls got in trouble today for showing a boy in their class her underwear. Apparently the little boy asked if he could see her undies, she said sure and up went her skirt. This little incident reminded me that I've been meaning to have a talk with the kids about their "private areas", what's OK and what's not OK, and of course what to do if someone tries to touch their private areas. And so I spent the afternoon with the kids (in separate groups according to sex and age) talking about these thin

I'm not sure what to write today, but I feel like writing something. Writing just makes things better, writing helps me figure out what is going on in my mind, things I haven't yet digested sometimes come clear when I write. I've been having a hard time sleeping again. It's a cycle. I have finally figured out what triggers the beginning of a disruptive sleep cycle: Nightmares. I have had issues with nightmares for as long as I can remember, but since moving to Haiti the nightmares have become much worse. More frequent, more violent, more frightening, more graphic, more disturbing. I don't often complain about being single, for the most part I don't mind. I can eat the 'last piece' of everything, I can be spontaneous, I can eat peanuts and candy corn for lunch, I can work long hours and come home and work some more if I feel like it and I never have to wait for the washroom, there really are a lot of perks to being single. However when I wake up in the mi

Thanksgiving was pretty exciting this year, seeing as we actually celebrated! Turkey (non for me of course), stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and of course pumpkin pie. It was a regular thanksgiving feast celebrated with lots of CANADIAN friends, both new and old. It was a fantastic day of celebration. We were all especially thankful to have Laurens with us to share in the festivities.

There was an accident, a head on collision between a pick up truck and a monstrous water truck. The pick-up truck driver was my friend, my neighbour, my Mr. Fix it, Laurens van der Mark, a fellow missionary serving at Mission of Hope. The passengers were a number of Mission of Hope employees; teachers, a student and a carpenter. After seeing what was left of Laurens’ truck I realized that what I was looking at was the broken, blood splattered shell of a miracle. There was blood, there were broken bones, there will be scars and bruises but there were no deaths, not one. Praise the Lord. It is a miracle, a real life miracle. There is no way anyone should have lived. Laurens stayed overnight at the hospital and came home this afternoon. He has a few broken ribs, had to get sewn up in a number of places and has quite a few bumps and bruises. As you can imagine he is in quite a bit of pain. The other passengers suffered a wide range of injuries, one woman has a broken femur, another has a p