Welcome Home Mama Karen!

I left the children for three weeks – 2 1/2 weeks in Canada (which I refer to as the Canadian world – where things are easy and comfortable) and four days of travelling to and from. It was needed. It was relaxing. It was enjoyable. It was exactly what the doctor ‘would have’ ordered.

First I visited in NS with Dickie and Sandra. I arrived feeling exhausted and burned out. I left there feeling renewed and recharged. I rested lots, was well fed and treated like a princess.

Then on to that wonderful island where I grew up that I lovingly refer to as ‘the rock’. That beautiful island in the Atlantic ocean does have some rocky areas but it has the most wonderful people in the world that are ‘rock’ solid. I have not lived there since I was 21 years old. I, however, will always return there when I can. I will always be very thankful for my upbringing and always thankful that “I am a Newfie and will forever be very proud of it.”

While in NL most of my time was spent in Springdale, my home town. We did not just stay in Springdale, we stayed in ‘our old homestead’ where we grew up. Bob and Elaine have done a fantastic job, with a lot of hard work and a lot of money, of preserving the home. How many siblings in their sixties can return to their childhood home and spend precious time together?

Old homestead

Relaxing with Lila

While there my siblings and I, along with sisters and brothers-in-law, several nephews, neices and their children, gathered to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of a very special couple – my brother Don and his wonderful, patient, understanding, accepting, gracious wife, Lila. I wonder how soon there can be another special anniversary or another reason for us to get together there. Before separating, we siblings, once again, had our photo taken in our yard in the same place and in the same order of age as our mama had done when we were children.

Family fun at old homestead for D&L’s 50th Ann

Don & Lila’s 50th wedding anniversary

Huxter siblings

Most of you know I had planned on taking Ti Luc to Canada with me. Once again it did not happen. Still we are waiting on his passport. I solicit your prayers for this passport to be granted. We need whatever is blocking this being finished to be removed. It was difficult to leave him behind for three weeks but thanks to Germaine he was well looked after.

When I walked off the plane in Port au Prince, on Monday, 5th, I felt like I was walking into a 500 degree oven. Welcome home Karen.

Ti Luc and all the other children were very happy to have their mama return. Luckner drove me into the yard to find Little Sandra and Jonathan (our two youngest) standing holding a sign saying “Welcome Home Mama Karen”.

Welcome Home Mama

Welcome Home Mama Karen

My first night back at the mission (in my Haiti world) was much less comfortable than in my Canadian world. In Canada I was often cold even though others were comfortable or too warm. In Canada I had 24 hour electricity. In Canada I had clean rooms and clean beds. In Canada I had no bugs in my bed or my room. Loved the time in my Canada world.

Keeping warm early one morning in NL

I arrived back home to intense heat and extremely high humidity. People here were having great difficulty with it and rightly so.

Germaine had my house nice and clean. I remember thinking this feels good. I did not know that my bedroom had not been unlocked for her to clean. After spending valuable time with the children, I unlock my room so I can shower and do a little unpacking. Yikes. My room is dirty – three weeks of dust, cobwebs, and bugs galore. I decide I will not see it, but will shower and will put my very tired body to bed. I pull back my shower curtain only to see spiders, cobwebs and also hundreds of insects – fair size termites I think – in my bathtub. Okay, so I don’t need a shower after all. I see spiders on the walls by my bed but I am too tired to care. I set up a fan and crash on the bed. I need a good night sleep and I will deal with it all in the morning. I do not think to find a flashlight.

The generator goes off at 10:00 p.m. I have no idea my batteries, that should get me through the night with a fan and lights, have very little charge. At midnight I feel like I am in a sauna and about to pass out from the heat and humidity. My batteries and inverter stop working after only two hours. I can not breath properly. This means I have no fan and no lights of any kind in the house, from midnight until 6:00 a.m. Just lovely. Tossing and turning, not sleeping, on the sweat drenched sheets, I feel cobwebs on my hands and face. Oh boy! Welcome Home Mama Karen.

Despite all that it was good to arise in the morning, sweaty, stinky, and more overtired than when I lay down, but knowing I would quickly see the children. For me it truly is “All About The Children”. I was not out the door when little legs were running to me and little voices were yelling “Maman. Maman”.

My second night home, I had a nice clean room, but from 2:15 a.m. on I again had to toss and turn in extreme heat and humidity due to not
enough charge in my batteries. Again I was in ‘blackout’ for the remainder of the night. Hopefully tonight, Wednesday, I can have battery
power until at least 5:00 a.m.

~Karen