Sunday was Birthday day. With 16 kids at HATS there is usually at least one birthday every month and Sunday was Leica’s 11th!!

Leica – The Birthday Girl

In the afternoon after church the older kids played soccer and the younger kids and I flew kites. We also rescued the kites from trees, off the school roof, from around some little legs and made many repairs. Great fun. The middle kids flitted back and forth between the soccer and the kites.

Then it was time for the Birthday bash. The tradition is that the Birthday Girl (or boy) gets to sit on a special chair at the head of the horseshoe. All the brothers and sisters gather and then go up and give a hug, wish her Happy Birthday and then we sing Happy Birthday in Creole, French and English. Of course there is a gift and everyone wants to be special friends so they can share in the excitement. Then comes the cake, cookies and drink. Leica was very excited and really appreciated her purse loaded with smaller treats.

Birthday hugs

Magdala presented the gift

Leica and her loot

Sandra enjoying the cookies AND the cake

Joan’s Birthday is next month and unfortunately will miss out on a HATS Haitian party. We went to St. Marc yesterday and I decided to go shopping for a gift for her in case I don’t have time once we are home. Natcom had some nice phones but I don’t see Joan using a cell phone back in Canada even though she loves getting calls from Karen with her Haitian phone. The propane refill plant didn’t have much to offer and neither did the meat market. The grocery store had some possibilities as did our first 3 hardware stores. Finally I found IT at our 4th hardware store. The perfect gift. A gift that she can share with others and will help to protect one of her greatest assets – me!!

Unfortunately they wouldn’t take VISA so a quick call to Karen (on Joan’s ever present cell phone) and I arranged a loan of 6500 gorudes to make the purchase.

What do you think?

Joan’s Birthday gift – a brand new 8-ft step ladder.

Joan is a very generous person so I don’t see any problem with her loaning her gift to Lynn’s team or Bob the builder or Dickie or Luckner or even me – just ask her first.

~Keith