It’s 5:30 AM, by a quick push of my watch background light,and I’m eager to get up.  I hear the start up of the generator (delko in Creole) at the far end of the
compound.  It, too, has had a night’s rest and hopes to get us a sufficient electricity supply for another day.  It is somewhat elderly and needs replacement but that is another story.

I think others are awake too but being quiet like me watching the fireflies which would “spark” anyone’s interest.  No one else is commenting on the giant fireflies flitting over the mountain ranges that guard the beautiful Artibonite Valley.  Then I realize that is a spectacular display of lightning in the distance.

This is Saturday morning and I know Lisa is eagerly awaiting some sports news from Springdale.  Today Indian River High School is hosting NL High School Provincial Cross Country Running Championships for the first time.  The Indian River High Team will compete as part of 223 runners from the island and Labrador-and LISA IS THEIR COACH!  Coincidentally Lisa is here on a humanitarian trip  and I know they will do their best running their hearts out for their very popular coach. Lisa’s grade 11 daughter, Emily, is one of the runners.

We have had an early rise and we and the older children had a daylight breaking walk along the canal, seeing vintage rural Haiti-horses and horseback riding, cows, momma and baby donkeys with momma donkey warning Dickie when he got too close, goats-mommies and wee ones, Heron and sandpiper type birds, and workers with long handled hoes en route to the farms along the canal.  We extended cheerful bonjous (good morning) to each other on both sides of the canal.  We see no sign of farm machinery just these workers.

Early morning walk along the canal

Three donkeys in a field early morning in Haiti.  Which one is different.

Stay ahead of Lisa Moise

This is supposed to be a less busy work day and it gives me a chance to go off on a tangent or two.  I am going to list SOME of Karen’s titles and jobs as we see them: founder and volunteer director of Hats Haiti mission, on site treasurers, on site secretary, receptionist, host, fundraiser, paymaster, communications director, blogger, momma to 15 children, school teacher, role model, school text books distributor, pharmacist, nurse, planner, church and spiritual leader……. LONG DAYS/LONG WEEKS WORKER whether in Haiti home or Canadian home.

A great Canadian sport played this morning…hockey!  It was a great workout and everyone enjoyed it immensely.

Hockey game at seven in morning

Another story- back to the generator: Electricity is a MUST for HATS.  The generator runs the pump that gets water from the well to the tanks, it charges the batteries that run the inverter that supplies electricity to run a fridge, fans, some house lights  and computers which are needed for the daily operation. At present the Haiti Electrical System is not only quite inconsistent but is almost non-existent. A new generator is needed as the present one is almost worn out, unreliable, sometimes needing costly repairs and increasingly unable to carry the heavy load required to operate this very busy mission.

Four of our team (Dave, Lisa, Bob and Ken) went to market in Verrettes this morning. Lisa called it a life changing experience!

Saturday morning market experience

Market at Verrettes

Bringing chairs home from the market

HATS children have Saturday chores and today was no exception.

Saturday morning laundry chores

Saturday morning laundry chores

Saturday chores – kitchen duty

Dickie, as usual, has not stopped working since he arrived.  Today he once again tackled cleaning up and organizing the tool room.

Dickie cleaning up the tool room once again

A huge clean up job was done today, at the school to prepare it for church tomorrow, by workteam members, our children, and our Chief Security.  It is true that many hands make light work.

Many hands make light work – cleaning up school for church in morning

Breaking news: Lisa’s team mentioned above won the silver medal in the senior girls category…..Hooray!!!!!!!!   (We are proud of Lisa and her team.  Too, we are very glad Lisa is here with us, even though, no doubt she was missed by her team today.)

~Don