Mmmm, Fresh Baked Bread!

Well, we’ve been without internet for the last few days, so this blog is coming out late. Mind you, I’ve been pretty busy with other things. Karen and I tackled the depot in order to get things together to give out to the community. The picture you see is just a start. There are more suitcases to go through (thank you Joan for your amazing organization), and we want to get them down to Luckner’s place so that he can let the community know. Why don’t we give things away from here you may ask? Well, if people got the idea that Madame Karen was giving things out, there would be a line up at our gate each and every day, and that would be a problem for security reasons. I thank God for Luckner, who is so well respected in our community. He knows who needs things and can use his discretion to make sure that the right people get what they need. He is a man who wears many, many hats at HATS….

Blessings for community

Words cannot express how much I have been enjoying my extended stay. I just love the way the kids interact with each other…mind you, they can get silly and bossy just like all children do. But for the most part, they are well behaved and loving to each other. For instance, Djemima spent hours Saturday night re-doing Ti Fi’s hair.

Djemima re-doing Ti fi hair

In the five years that I have been coming to HATS, I have seen incredible progress with regards to our boy Ti Luc. Karen has done such amazing things with him, and it shows. He walks soooooo well with a posture so straight that he could be a run-way model. His mind is sharp as a tack, and he learns so quickly. He’s teaching me Creole too. The doctor in Canada suggested that Ti Luc uses his arms in a way where he is either hugging or punching using his left and right “hook.” So we rigged up a make shift punching bag. Look out Rocky, here comes Ti Luc Balboa!

Ti Luc organizing his toys

Typing just like mama

Ti Luc boxing therapy

During the summer, as you parents know, it is often a challenge to keep kids busy and playing by themselves. How many times have parents said to me “I’m soooo happy that school has started again!” Well, it’s not too much different here. Imagine keeping 15 children occupied all day, all summer. The kids take turns getting the mid-morning or mid afternoon snack ready. Sometimes it’s fruit, and other times it’s cookies depending on what is available at the market. Even the smallest ones have to share in the chores.

Jonathan getting the afternoon snack ready

Of course, we are keeping up with computer skills. The kids learned how to insert a table and typed up the menu for the children’s home. They know how to create folders, save their work, and they’ve learned how to upload pictures from a memory stick. After they do their “work” on the computer, I let them watch the videos that the team and I took while they were doing various things. The kids just LOVE looking at themselves in action. Mama Karen, also showed them how to make bread. Sandra sent all of the ingredients with the Yarmouth-Wesleyan team. I have to say, it was truly a special treat. Thank you Sandra.