Poppie with scarf at Camp Hope (2010)

Poppie with scarf at Camp Hope (2010)

The day started early for at 5 AM, Dr Scottie was sending an ARC mother to the hospital to have a baby! We had Edner, Junior, Retha, Shana, Nancy and Jon working at the PT clinic today. When I walked through the camp last week, I found this patient Poppie that was sitting on a cement block. He is 70 years old. It would take max assist to get him off that block. He was shaky and using 2 sticks for canes to get around. Steady, he was NOT. I told him to begin to come to PT. He came and after exercise, I asked Junior to walk “Poppie” with his walker. Told Junior to take him all around the camp until Poppie was tired… 45 minutes later, Shana said, “Where is Junior? Is he still walking Poppie?” I said, “NO WAY—Junior must be messing around because they are NOT still walking…” Just then Junior shows up and Shana says “Junior! Where have you been?” A few yards behind, here straggles up Poppie with his walker…Junior said, “I’ve been walking Poppie!” It was HILARIOUS for that poor man—they literally walked ALL over the camp. We sat him down; I broke the water rule and gave him 3 glasses of our water. Poor guy! I am going to check on him tomorrow for I have a feeling that the poor guy won’t be able to walk due to muscle soreness… Told Junior that he will have to carry him around for about 3 days….

Mrs. Tim Carter is an awesome lady that lives in Canton, MI. She had collected donations from St. Michael’s Lutheran Church for about 2 months. She collected shoes, flip-flops, clothes, toys, soccer balls, other balls and many other items. She has this scarf that she always includes in a few pictures on each of her trips to other states or other countries. She asked me to take pictures of the scarf with the Haitian people. This was another HILARIOUS time at PT today for we made the men wear the scarf around their heads. Even got Poppie to do it after Junior totally pooped him out… Much laughter by all today! If I wasn’t so dehydrated, I would have peed my pants for laughing so hard.

The Haitian men made this towering antenna, borrowed a generator, a TV and have been gathering to watch the World Cup in a huge tent. It was so crowded that we couldn’t even step inside. All were standing, packed like sardines, watching the World Cup. Fond Parisean and ARC were yelling for Brazil. Party was going in Fond Parisean tonight. Kids were waving Brazilian flags, dancing, and smiles all around!

Dr Scottie went and collected new baby and mother from hospital today. She said it is awesome to see a perfect newborn Haitian baby before they get rashes, scabies, and other ailments from living in tents in Haiti.

Carole from LAC called me and said that our car was done! She said that she would pick us up and take us to the car. The volunteers were sitting with me when I said—“For that we will work in the warehouse TONIGHT! Not knowing what Carole said about our car, the Dr, Shana and Jon all GROANED at me…. I got off the phone and they were “NO NOT THE WAREHOUSE TONIGHT! I said, “Just wait-You will love the surprise and you will willingly work at the warehouse!” About drove them CRAZY not knowing what the surprise might be…so hilarious! Got in Carole’s car and they all cheered when we pulled up to our car. Carole even said—“Enjoy, no need to work tonight at warehouse!” She just asked for a cold beer, which we very readily gave her! THANKS CAROLE AND LAC! YOU JUST SO TOTALLY ROCK!

Finally in our repaired Pathfinder, we joyously headed to ARC to enjoy the Futbol practice with Jon playing. I showed the group the serious marble field and all had fun. An 8 year old showed me how to make a toy tonight. He took this stick, a nail and a small piece of wood. You use a rock to hit the nail through a piece of wood then you hit the nail into the very top of the stick. You can then twirl the piece of wood around! He had one already so he helped me make one for me. Just too cool!

This week is going by way too fast. Jon and I just HATE the thought of returning home for we feel much more at home here then in the USA. Many people in USA look upon Haiti as such a poor country that the people must be sad and life must be so difficult. While this is true, but these last 2 weeks, I have had moped rides from the camp to home at night that they wont take money for (they wouldn’t allow me to walk at night home for I am “Jons Mom”), beer/pop was bought for me at the Futbol game, someone made us a big meal of rice and this chicken stuff and presented it to us—which we took back to LAC… Dr Scottie said that she wanted to pay Patrick, the Unpaid President of ARC camp, for some job he had done. He refused payment but instead said that if it was all right for Dr to pay him what she was going to pay him and he would pass it on to the people in the camp that didn’t have money for food… To us, I am sure their lives seem miserable but to them—the caring that they have for one another, the respect, the sharing, the coming together and supporting one another, the love, the fun times and much laughter…. The USA with all our possessions and our busy, busy lives find us many times thinking only of ourselves, we can learn so much from these “poor” Haitian people. I have learned that they are so very rich and we are blessed to have spent this time with them!

Bon Wee,
Nancy