Ann Ale Lekol (Let's go to school!)

Well, we are entering our 3rd week of home school and things are going pretty well!  Josiah has not yet started going to preschool here at the mission because the first day of school was recently pushed back to October 1st nationwide.  Kilee is diving into 1st grade and seems to be enjoying it so far!  We are using My Father's World curriculum for Bible, History, English/Reading, and the Arts.  For math, we are using Horizons and so far I like all of it!  Since Josiah is only going to be at the preschool a couple of days each week, I am going to work with him on his letters, numbers, shapes and colors in English so that we don't lose ground in our native tongue.

Several of you have asked what our typical schedule is for a homeschool day here on the field.  It's probably not much different from yours!  Here's a little example:

7 am - Everyone up, Kilee and Josiah clean their room, breakfast, get dressed

8 am - I finish getting myself ready, Kilee and Josiah watch cartoons

8:30 am - On preschool days, I walk Josiah to school while Kilee gets started with English.  On non-preschool days, I get out an activity for Josiah (blocks, lacing cards, etc.) with I get Kilee started with English.

9 am - Madam Ruth arrives at the house to work.  We do Bible, History and Science together.  Josiah hangs with us during this time.

9:45 am - Snack

10 am - Go to the mission playground.  All the neighborhood kids are here and we LOVE to play!  Kilee and Josiah's Creole language skills totally rock.  It is SO fun to watch!

11 am - Head back to the house.  A little friend of Kilee's comes for a piano lesson.

11:30 am - Kilee has her piano lesson next.

Noon - Eat lunch with Madam Ruth.

1 pm - Read books and put Josiah down for his nap.

1:30 pm - Math and Read alouds with Kilee.

2:00 pm - Kilee does art, piano or helps with work around the house.  I work with Kilee off-and-on and do a short English lesson with Madam Ruth.

3:00 pm - Josiah's up, Madam Ruth is finished with her work and heads home.  Our school day is finished!

Believe me, this is the framework we have set up but it doesn't always go this way.  In fact, most days we have something come up and change the schedule somewhat.  Flexibility seems to be a lesson the Lord always wants us to learn!

A Look Back

This past week marked our first "Haiti-versary!"

This week as we have looked back over the last year it has been difficult to believe that an entire year ago we were packing up our belongings and saying goodbye to family and friends.   For sure, there have been bumps and bruises along the way, however the Lord has grown us in ways that would most likely have not been possible otherwise.   As we have looked back there have been a number of things that we have learned (some the hard way) and we decided to share them here.

Driving in Haiti. A friend of mine made an accurate statement, “Driving in Haiti is much like the Biblical time of the Judges… ‘Everyone does what is right in their own eyes.’”  I will try my best to avoid driving on sidewalks, shoulders and making 3-wide NASCAR moves when we visit the states in November.

People are People Regardless of Geographical Location.  One of the most surprising things that we have found is that, for better or for worse,whether your skin is brown and you happen to speak Creole or if your skin is white and you happen to speak English, each of us has the capacity to demonstrate the grace of God through kind words or a patient ear and also each of us has the tendency toward the ever present struggle with pride.  Whether you are a poor Haitian subsistence farmer or an American with money . . . we are equally sinful and desperately dependent on the mercy of God.

Worship is more than a song.   While I have believed for some time that worship is a lifestyle, it became even more real this year when we were forced to sit in a church pew each week struggling to understand the language.   The worship that I give to the Lord Jesus must be more than a song.

Slowing down is a good thing.  In many ways this year has been a slow-down for me personally and for our family.  Slowing down has allowed us to have more time together as a family and more time to do some of the things we have always wanted to do.   I would be lying if I said that slowing down isn’t a struggle.   In a sense I enjoy the corporate-feeling, fast-paced life, however I am learning day-by-day to enjoy the slower pace and the extra time with Monica and the kids and our friends.

Contentment is hard.  The Lord is calling each of us to a level of contentment in Him and in our circumstances that can only be brought about through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  Throughout this year we have struggled with contentment on a daily basis.  We are learning to live without the things that were normal for us in the states.  There are many things we still find difficult though.   We miss regular visits with family and friends, everyday American conveniences, familiar food, having our own vehicles, favorite pastimes, etc.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  On the heels of the previous point "Contentment is hard," this verse has been an ever-present reminder of the will of God in my life.  Let's be honest, “rejoicing always” and “giving thanks in all circumstances” are not easy things, or at least they aren’t for me.  Many times I think I am probably more characterized by “Complain always” or “Gripe in all circumstances.”  It is convicting.

Relationships are key.  God designed humans to function in relationship with one another.   One thing that we learned early-on here in Haiti is that relationships are life.  Something as simple as forgetting to tell someone good morning (Bonjou) is seen as rude and hateful.  Haitians seem to value relationships more than Americans in many ways.   This affects nearly every aspect of life and work.  If someone in church has a need, people give money to help because they know that they will have a future need and others will rise to help them.  They can't just go to the bank to get a loan if they have a problem, relationships are their credit. Our friend and fellow missionary Chelsea illustrates the beauty of relationships through one of her recent blog posts.

Negotiation is normal in Haitian culture.  Most people would think of bartering in terms of buying a souvenir or painting from a vendor along the side of the road.  However we have found that this bartering is applied to nearly every other aspect of life as well.  For example, in the states you wouldn’t dream of coming into your boss’s office and asking him or her for more money and then when he gives you a figure you say "no way that’s not enough, I need this amount".  Many Haitians have no problem talking about money or the fact that you should give them more.   In a sense it resembles entitlement, but in another sense it is bartering.  Since you can see that bartering is the norm, it's not hard to imagine that some people do not stop with just the physical but also carry it over into the spiritual realm.  Bartering brings about severe conflict with concepts such as salvation by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-9).  Good theology is key.

Trust is a commodity.  It is a paradox that relationships are key and that trust is usually in short-supply.  A good friend of mine always says that “Trust is the foundation of all relationships” and I believe this to be true.  However it is interesting to me that while relationships are valued so highly in Haitian culture, precious little trust is extended in most interactions.  From reading about the history of Haiti, I believe their general lack of trust stems from the numerous civil rebellions and hardships that the Haitian people have endured from their own people since its inception.  Often times I have observed that Haitians give more trust to expats than to other Haitians.

The Gospel is the Gospel is the Gospel.  Before coming to Haiti I knew this to be true, however I now see this in a completely different light.  Yesterday we had the opportunity to have a local Haiti pastor come to speak with our staff and local artisans at Mountain Maid about the Gospel.  As he went through his Gospel presentation I was struck by how amazing it was to hear (and understand!) the Gospel in another language and in another culture.  He spoke in simple Creole (he is also fluent in French) and used simple illustrations about cell phones and bank robberies (both are extremely common here) to communicate the simple truths of the Gospel.  You could tell that his message was connecting with each listener.  I am extremely grateful that we have the opportunity to be a part of the seeing the Gospel being proclaimed to the ends of the earth and I look forward to that day when people will be drawn together from every nation, tribe, people and language to worship the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords (Rev 7).

It wasn't that long ago that we were loading up the container to move!

10 Years!

Scott & Monica Bidwell

August 9th, 2003

Kentucky Tradition, With a Side of Haiti

One of the things we miss most about not being in our old Kentucky home is not being able to do the same sort of activities with our kids as our parents did with us.  We miss lakeside campouts, hunting trips and the like.  Our kids are getting a TON of experiences we never had by living in another country, which is awesome in itself!  But not long ago, we decided we just had to recreate some of our childhood Kentucky fun in the form of a campout.  Check it out!

Setting up.  Thanks for loaning the tent, Bakers!

"I can't believe we get to sleep outside!"

It wasn't a far walk from our house down to the tent.

Starting our palm leaf fire.  There's not a lot of wood to be had around here!

Pile on Mommy!

In our jammies and ready to roast some marshmallows and hot dogs.  We even tried hunting Haitian fireflies!  They're faster and smaller than KY ones.

We had so much fun!

Family pic before bedtime.  And bedtime that night merely meant lying horizontally and continuously moving children off of us.  There was no sleep.  At all.  :)

Not long after our camping experience, our friend Mr. Andy from Mountain Maid came by the house with some cane poles and asked if the kiddos wanted to go fishing down at the old tilapia pond.  Of course, the answer was, "Woo-hoo!  Let's go right now!"   We caught a ton of fish, including 2 koi fish we found out we weren't supposed to catch. Whoops!  It was strictly catch-and-release and we are happy to report all fish are alive and well. :)

Kilee with her first catch.

Josiah and Mr. Andy showing off his catch!

After the two koi fish, we just caught baby tilapia.  They're too small to eat, but fun to catch!