Hey everyone, it’s Seth, which is also the reason the blog hasn’t been written in almost a week because I’ve been working on it that long! Karen, Jess, and Dave have done a great job of sharing what’s been going on here, but I’ve seen a few comments about why I haven’t written the blog yet, so here I am. This is my first attempt at writing the blog! Things have been great so far in Haiti! Jess and I have already learned so much and grown so much since being here.
They’ve done a fair job of explaining me in the previous blogs, but they missed a few important things, like…I’ve won an Olympic gold medal in weightlifting,
I invented the i-phone, and I flew fighter jets in world war II for Switzerland. After hearing that, it would be simple to conclude that I’m not afraid of anything, but that’s just not true. Jess and I were constantly asked as we were preparing to leave for Haiti, “what are you most afraid of?” There are a lot of rational answers to that question, like- lack of electricity or clean water, language barrier, food, safety, tarantulas, tap-taps (Haitian taxis), etc. My answer is slightly less rational and, to some, may be irrational; my fear was having to use the internet! Those back home will laugh when they read this because they know how long it takes to get a response when they send me a facebook comment. I probably make fun of social media more than anyone I know, but I knew that in moving to Haiti, it would have to be my lifeline for communication. And I was slightly convicted by Ecclesiastes 9c which says, “there is a time for facebook, and there is a time not for facebook.” I can’t remember what translation that’s from. Anyway, I’ve given in to the internet and here I am, a better man for it, today at least.
We’re in the process of finishing up our home. All we have left is mopping and moving in! One thing I’ve realized during this process is that I’ve been spoiled by options in the USA. We’ve been on two shopping trips so far for our new home. Do our plates, bowls or cups match? No, because we only had one option. We went to St. Marc for the second time today and we came back still not having a spatula or skillet. Dave, thank you so much for the polka dotted comforter and shower curtain! You know what my options would have been here? Lace! Do I like lace? I do now! Now, paint is slightly different. We have every option….in pastel! As we were deciding what color to finish inside upstairs, I was completely content and excited with continuing with purple, because like I always say, “Let’s paint the world purple for Jesus!” But before we could start with purple, I got an email from Justin Bieber (I hear he’s an avid follower of our blog) asking that we don’t wear out the color purple. I was getting ready to respond with, “Never say Never,” but Karen asked me to grant his request since He is Canadian. So we went with the next best color- Pink!
Our house does look great! We’ve spent a lot of time the past few days getting it ready. Wednesday, Jess and Antoinette cleaned while I finished up the plumbing(which could include another rant on options!). We finished the day by playing an intense game of concrete soccer with the kids.
Thursday, We were getting ready to start on the house again when Karen asked if we wanted to go to St. Marc. We wouldn’t miss an opportunity to travel a bit so we went! We stopped at the bank first, but the lines were so long we would have spent the whole day there! One of the ‘higher ups’ told Karen to come back a bit later and she would get things done for her so we went from shop to shop picking up supplies and groceries for a couple of hours. Then we went back to the bank. Now, how do I explain a Haitian bank experience?! I guess my best explanation is that it’s like trying to leave a professional sports event in the U.S. There was only room to stand! So that’s what Jess and I did while we waited for Karen to get done with her business at the bank. She got right in, but it still took over an hour. Jess and I enjoyed our experience, though. Maybe we won’t say the same in a few months.
Thursday was also the start of March Madness college basketball tourney! I really enjoy college basketball, but neither Jess nor I have watched any games this year at all. But we decided to have a little fun and fill out brackets with the winning person after each round receiving a back rub. Well, after the first round Jess had somehow only picked 6 games wrong! (I won’t say how many I had lost). I told her that evening that I was proud of her for being so lucky. She claimed it was all skill, but proceeded to tell me that she’s maybe watched one full game in her entire life (and lets be sure to emphasize the maybe!). But what can I say, she’s the one that got the back rub!
Friday and Saturday were extensions of Wednesday in that we continued working on our home. We’re still not done yet! It seems like something else always comes up, whether it be finding out about something new that needs done, or having to take a break to fix a plumbing problem in the new girls home or having to “unlock” the depo- with a saw!
We’re all excited about tomorrow! It’s election day in Haiti! I’ve heard so much campaigning the past week that I’m almost convinced to try and vote tomorrow! The way they campaign here is a guy fills the back of his truck with at least 10 large speakers and another guy stands on top of the skyscraper of speakers and tells you to vote for his person while blasting music. I don’t know how many laws he would be breaking in the states. Anyway, tomorrow will be an interesting day, who knows, this may be an interesting week! Needless to say, we won’t be leaving the compound tomorrow.
Now, I’ve been joking a lot in this blog about options. In the process of writing this blog I read from A.W. Tozer’s “The Pursuit of God”. In the section I read, he was talking about Genesis 22 where God tests Abraham. He questions what would have happened if Abraham wouldn’t have chosen God and he responds with this, ” God would have found His man, no doubt, but the loss to Abraham would have been tragic beyond the telling. So we will be brought one by one to the testing place, and we may never know when we are there. At that testing place there will be no dozen possible choices for us; just one and the alternative, but our whole future will be conditioned by the choice we make.” Jess and I know that we are here for a reason and we’re excited for all He is going to do in and through us here, and we’re excited to see how he shapes us for the future. We encourage you to choose God as well, whatever and wherever that may be. It may not be here, but it is somewhere!
That’s all for now. Thank you all for your continued support and prayers! We need them everyday. We’re so glad we can share all of this with you! Thanks again…
In Christ,
~Seth
