Mud, Mosquitoes and Mold

This week's  title was chosen because currently there is an abundance of all three and I like alliteration.  The mold is soft and cotton-like, it grows on the cement floor of the play therapy room every night when nobody is watching.    It is a new phenomenon which I attribute to the rains and prolonged dampness.  Fortunately, neither the children nor I appear to be allergic to it. Each morning I sweep it away easily enough.  The mosquitoes are everywhere lately and occasionally even find their way under the net that is supposed to protect me from them while I sleep.  They are the only animal that I don't hesitate to kill; and when I do sometimes I end up with my own blood on my hands.  The good thing about the mud is that when there is mud in the road, there is almost no dust in the road.  If I could not appreciate the advantage to something as annoying as mud, or recognize the beauty of mold, or joke about mosquitoes life would be even more challenging.


I want to thank my cousins in Limerick, Ireland, who held a fundraiser for the orphanage last week.  Thank you!  I have been very touched by your generosity.  It is the generosity of so many people that allow the orphanage to meet the needs of the children.  In the time that I have been in Haiti, the value of the currency has decreased and prices have increased.  It is a blessing that donations are increasing too.  Recently a Sunday School group in Ohio held a bake sale at their parish and raised money for us too. It is wonderful that there are children willing to help out other children. Thank you!  Having so many people who generously support our mission inspires me.

My congregation has decided that any donations made to the Marianites of Holy Cross through the I Give Catholic program of the Archdiocese of New Orleans during the Giving Tuesday campaign this year will be passed along to the orphanage.  Thank you Marianites! Here is the link if you are interested in donating:  https://igivecatholic.org/designee/marianites-of-holy-cross-archdiocese-of-new-orleans
There are many needs here.  I am hoping that some of the funds raised will allow us to provide more training for our staff and administrators so that we can do an even better job of caring for our children. Personally, my dream is that the orphanage move towards becoming a trauma-informed agency.  All of our children have experienced loss and some form of trauma.  Here is a link to a website, for people who may not be familiar with that term, trauma-informed care:  http://traumainformedcareproject.org/

Primary elections for president took place here in Haiti on Sunday.  The sisters who voted said that it was very well organized.  We are still waiting for the results.  These elections were a re-do because of corruption problems during last year's primary.   They were also more recently postponed because of Hurricane Matthew.


To all my friends, family, community members in or from the United States, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!  To all my family, friends, and community members everywhere, know that I am grateful for you!  I thank God for the presence of so many wonderful people in my life. Many blessings!  Take care.