Goats and Perms

December 18, 2011 Posted by Dana Kayal

As I mentioned earlier, today was the start of goats…

So far about 33 goats have been purchased by donors in Canada. Luckner hired a guy to purchase them for HATS. 13 have been sourced so far. The goats were to be delivered to the school compound on Friday although apparently the man refused so we drove to Luckners Saturday to find out where they were. Of course no-one wanted to sit IN the cab of the truck so the kids all sat in the back. My boys have wimpy Canadian bums so used chair pads.

Kids in Truck heading to Luckners

Word spread that we were at Luckners so the goats that had been tied up at various places started to arrive in 2’s and 3’s. They were quickly & efficiently trussed up so they couldn’t leap out of the truck bed as we cruised a rockin’ 15km an hour over potholes on the way home. Goats Arriving, Trussing, Leaving took close to an hour. Goats bleat. A lot. Loudly. Dramatically. When they’re standing around snacking this bleating seems innocuous. When they are trussed up in the back of a pickup it doesn’t sound quite so innocent. This created another kind of bleating in Alexa and involved some tears and sobs.

Truck with 13 goats

So the goats are in the truck and my mom is ready to leave and take them back to the Soccer Field to eat while we wait for people to show up to get them. “Ummmm, Mom… who is going to take them out of the truck and untie them?” I’m willing to give it a shot although they are quite heavy and I’m concerned I’ll drop the goats on their backs trying to get the thrashing beasts from the truck… She looked at me blankly like this hadn’t occurred to her. She had the men climb in the back with the 13 goats so they could untie them at the compound. WHEW!

Trussed up goats

As the goats are unloaded and released into the soccer area Mom see’s plastic bags and bottles and sends us scurrying around picking up all the plastic cause the goats will eat it and die. Oh my, it’s a BIG field! We spread out and start collecting, then she realizes the goats are all heading to the back corner… OH NO, that’s the burn pit and the regular guy is away and the pit is only ½ burned and there’s plastic EVERYWHERE! We get a garbage can and pick through that while shooing goats and we’ve collected an entire garbage can and have barely dented it. Wait, let’s tie them on instead. Nothing to tie to, surrounded by solid cement walls. Shoot. The kids go running for wood, machete’s and mallets. We chop, we pound, we tie up to stakes (poorly I may add as evidenced below). Then we haul water. It’s now hours after we first encountered the goats. Neighboring children, known thieves, have climbed up the school compounds 8foot walls and are staking it out. Any goats left tied up by nightfall will be hauled up the walls and sold or killed for food. We call the guy who has been hired to sleep out with the goats. He’s away for the weekend. So now what? I sure as heck am not sleeping out there with them and fighting off machete wielding children! We call Luckner and ask him to find some of the people they’ll be given to and send them over. I go over to eat lunch at 2pm (at the desk so I can blog) and then run back and forth from the orphanage compound to the school compound each time someone comes to the gate to get their goat. I get them to pose with their goat for a photo while my mom looks through the ‘goat receipts’ to figure out which one matches which goat.

Lunch at the desk

Goat dragging it’s stake

Marta and Germaine deciding on their goats

Yes, Goat Receipts! Each goat comes with a stamped official receipt so that a) it’s proof it was purchased by HATS, not stolen. B) the recipients are Ok to walk home with it without someone thinking they stole it and if anyone does accuse them they have papers to prove they own it. The papers have a ‘description’ of the goat although blanc/jaune was quite common.

Goat Receipt

Today was about ½ a day of goat distribution and we got 5 goats to their new owners and have 8 now tied up beside mom’s house here on the kids compound so that they won’t get stolen. Bleating will be a neat new sound to add to the outdoor sleep symphony tonight.

Dragging goats to the house

HATS Hair Salon… was in business tonight. Mom has to do her own perms with the help of visitors. I think she wishes she’d waited until my Aunt came down next month. We checked the perm, it was the right curl. We pulled out the rods. We hadn’t neutralized. Neutralized? OMG, what is that? Is it important? Panic. Laughter, panic more. Cram the rods back in willy nilly, and we ended up with way less rods back in the second time. Then Neutralize, Rinse, Remove. Mom asked me how it looked, I told her: ‘Decidedly straw like. Is that the look you were going for?’ I got a swat on the behind and my mom laughed for the next 5 minutes. I still have no idea how it actually looks.

~Dana

About Dana Kayal

Dana Kayal has been supporting the work of HATS since 2000. A successful entrepreneur, Dana regularly promotes the organization and raises funds for Hands Across the Sea in her role as a Director with Epicure. Dana lives in Kelowna, BC with her three children and her chickens.

Archive by Month

Testimonials

I am going to try to explain why a trip to Haiti is life-changing. No-one can be thrown into a group of people who have the common purpose of doing something for someone less fortunate and not be changed in many ways. As with those I joined in each of the first four trips I made to HATS, my respect and affection for each of the team members grows daily. To those who wonder if your donations and prayers are actually making a difference, I will answer you in this way…there are about 300 children in front of me right now and some or many of them God will use in a great way to change the future face of Haiti and its people. YOU have helped make that possible — AND THAT, FOLKS — is a fact!

Brian En
HATS Visitor
This is my first time traveling outside of Canada and I am proud to say it was for a mission trip. I have always wanted to go on one and see what it like in other parts of the world and do what I can to help out. Haiti is a terminus life change for me and how I look at things. Seeing these kids and how they have such a passion for each other and for us is truly inspiring. I look back to what I was like at that age and I don’t think I was half as kind or generous as they are. This morning we did devotions and as I was speaking about what an impact they had on me only in one day I started to tear up…it was very emotional to talk about.

Isaiah Henderson
HATS Visitor
It’s my hope that I manage to touch their hearts in some small way, the way that they have touched mine – in a major way.

Cherie MacDonald
HATS Visitor
This is my first trip to Haiti and I’m hoping that it will not be my last! I could start by telling you all about my experiences however I’ll start by saying that Haiti DOES hit you in your heart! Not a day goes by when I’m not fighting back tears. Hands Across the Sea is an amazing place! Our team has been assembled of different men that all who all felt God calling them to do his bidding. Since I have been here I was quick to realize that we are just helpers here. Karen and her team of workers are, what I believe to be, the real workers of God! Each child presents their own challenges and Karen and her staff make sure that all of the children, not one child, are seen to!

Bernie Melanson
HATS Visitor
The time has passed so quickly. We know what we’ve done this week is important and makes a difference here at Hands Across the Sea. But it’s easy in Haiti to feel that anything we do here is simply a drop in the ocean. So much need on so many different levels: political, organizational, educational, social, spiritual…But we remind ourselves that each individual life is of infinite value so changing the life of one child and one family is worth the effort.

Liette Wilson
HATS Visitor, Supporter & Board Member
Personally, this is my first time here. I’ve never done a mission trip of any sort before and I’ve certainly never been anywhere this hot before. I keep seeing things that are different from what I’m used to, and hearing about things even more unfamiliar to me. One of the most surprising things to meis how quickly I’ve grown to love all the people here. Everyone here is great, and the team is wonderful too. Watching everyone support each other warms my heart almost as much as the sun warms my skin. I’ve learned a lot from this experience, and I know that this trip has already had a profound impact on my life.

Matthew Sketchley
HATS Visitor
We have so enjoyed our time here. The work we have done has been fulfilling, the fellowship has been memorable and our hearts are forever impacted by the sweet, sweet children. A piece of HATS will always stay with each of us and who knows, maybe a few will return!

Ashley Withrow, Nicki White & Deborah Gilbert
HATS Visitors
I am so thankful to God for allowing me the opportunity to be here and experience his splendor. This day will forever be in my heart and mind. The scripture that resonates with me today is “…whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matt 25:40. I am so happy I decided to come to HATS, this experience will stay with me for my life time.

Crystal Young
HATS Visitor
Amazing organization! Had the pleasure of visiting twice, and can’t wait to go back again someday. God is doing some wonderful things at HATS!

Jess MacDonald
HATS Visitor
One thing that has impacted me on this trip is seeing the children and all the dedication in this orphanage. There is so much going on behind the scenes to keep the HATS orphanage and school running.

Donna Wheeler
HATS Visitor