Happy Easter!

Recently, I was asked to incorporate some religious education into what I am doing with the children at St. Anne.  I began doing this on Holy Thursday, meeting with small groups of the children telling them the story of these holy days.  When I spoke of Jesus washing the feet of the apostles, in order to make it a little more concrete for them, I decided to wash their feet.  When I was nearly finished with the first group, a child asked to wash mine; I was very touched by this gesture of such a young child.

On Good Friday I went with another sister to liturgy at the local parish since we were not having mass at the little chapel here on the grounds of St. Damien Hospital.  We found seats in the church. There were also some people sitting outside in plastic chairs, who could here the liturgy.  I had not realized how many people were present until the veneration of the cross when so many of varying ages, and probably different classes processed into the church to kiss the cross.  This went on for nearly an hour, while people sang beautifully and solemnly.  There is such great faith among the people here, many of whom have experienced Good Friday suffering throughout their lives.

On Easter Sunday there was mass at St. Louie.  In the evening volunteers gathered for a party and spaghetti dinner.  It always a gift to celebrate with people.

Hopefully you had a Happy Easter as well, and will experience Easter joy everyday!


 

Here is a picture I took in the mountains yesterday.  Haiti really is a beautiful country. Although I also saw a lot of suffering and difficult sights as well like earth quake rubble and the faces of people living in extreme poverty.  Yesterday I went with a sister who works here at the hospital, who used to work in the mountains in a place called Fondwa.   We drove through the crowded city of Portaprince and then into the mountains.  

Today we had a Palm Sunday Liturgy at St. Louie.  The oldest of the children from St. Anne came.  Eight of them moved into St. Louie today.  One seemed sad, a couple seemed happy since they have siblings there already.

May you have a blessed Holy Week!  

Updates and Thoughts

There was no school on Monday, although by the time they actually announced the election results the children would have long since returned home.  Martelly is the name of the next president of Haiti; his stage name as a singer is "Sweet Mickey."  His campaign slogan was "tet kale" literally means "bald head," figuratively it means something like the "the real thing.  " If I remember correctly, last summer in Kreyol class when we were learning about music, before he declared his desire to be president, the professor talked about Sweet Mickey, saying something like, "all of his songs are nasty."  I don't know what to expect and never felt I had enough information about actual issues to form an opinion regarding the election.  We shall see what happens.  The week was peaceful, no major manifestations or protests that I am aware of following the results.

I was saddened by the news that a sister in my congregation, Sr. Helen died this week.  My prayers went out to her, her family and the other sisters in our small province. Please pray for all of us who will miss her.

A few of the children who reside at St. Anne who are already six years old will be transitioning to St. Louie next weekend.  I am working with them to prepare them.  When told they will be moving, they seemed mostly excited.  A few of them having siblings there already.  I felt a little sad that they will be leaving Kay St. Anne to live with the older children.  Soon after they move out more little ones will be joining the baby house.  The needs here are endless.  

If a security guard, or a stranger on the street asks me how I am in French, Spanish, Creole or sometimes even in English, I respond in Haitian Creole.  

The children are really enjoying the books my relatives bought.  I enjoy reading with them and some of the workers do too.  They love being read to.  Some of the books I will use when I do the psychosocial program with the children at the school. Thanks again to all my family members who chipped in!

Well, I am off to St. Louie this evening where they children will be praying the Stations of the Cross.
Have a good week.
 Take care,
Kathleen
 

  

Dlo

On Monday it was unclear as to whether or not there would be school since there was supposed to be a strike and the tap-tap drivers were not going to take their trucks and buses out to provide transportation.  It turns out that some did not work and others did.  When I arrived at the school, there were not many children at all.  The children who live at St. Louie, which is where the resident children who are over the age of six live, were there since the school and their home are on the same grounds.  There were about 11 kindergarten children present but none of the kindergarten teachers or assistants had arrived.  For two hours on Monday morning, I was the kindergarten teacher.  Since there were not many children, I used the tent I normally use for the psychoeducational groups and for play therapy.  I reviewed a lesson I had done with the kindergarten children during a recent group.  Then I used some of the play therapy toys put them in different areas of the tent, as well as basic art supplies and allowed the children to play, or draw.  The tent is hot..  After a while the children some of whom had sweat dripping off their faces, started to ask for water.  They say, "Mwen swaf, dlo" literally "I am thirsty, water."  Normally the teachers have a large blue water jug and plastic cups with each child's name written on it.  I did not have this.  I asked the director of the school how I could get drinking water and cups for the children. I had to wait.  The children continued to ask.  I felt so helpless.  I was unable to provide such young children with something as basic as drinking water on a hot day.  This was frustrating for me; I felt powerless. Perhaps this is at least a little bit like how parents who live in extreme poverty feel when unable to adequately provide for the basic needs for their children.  After several minutes passed with continued requests for "dlo," and my growing impatience I marched to the converted shipping container called "Direksyon" to say that the children needed water, when I was told that I could send the children home, they were about to close the school since there were so few children.  Because all of the children in my little make shift kindergarten class that morning, live at St. Louie which is adjacent to the school, I knew they would get water very soon.  We do have enough water for the children, this day it was more of a logistics issue since there was confusion as to whether or not there would actually be school; the children were not at real risk of dying of dehydration.  Yet, I know that there are many places in Haiti and in the world where good drinking water is not readily available.  Later I reflected on my impatience and sense of powerlessness at not being able to provide water for the children.  I had to ask myself if my anger was righteous anger in the face of injustice, or if I was simply being an impatient entitled American?

The Haitian  presidential election results have yet to be announced.  The day of the announcement keeps changing.  Now it is supposed to be Monday, tomorrow.  School has already been cancelled, as there is always the possibility that there will be protests and manifestations when an announcement is made.

Have a good week. Take care,
Kathleen