An incredibly hot Sunday morning at church–38 degrees– turned into an afternoon of two spectacular thunder and lightning storms with about 3 hours worth of hard, steady rain–I don’t know what that really amounts to, but that’s sometimes how we measure things in Canada–in how long it lasts!
These heavy rains have been a regular occurrence throughout the week–we are in rainy season, after all. Usually, though, we keep doing what we’re doing until it passes, and it’s no big deal. So when Karen decided it was a good day to go through the donations to get shoes for school and church, along with backpacks, we called the kids together under one small roof to give out the goods, because at that point, the sun was beaming. ☀️?
It’s challenging enough trying to get my own 3 kids ready for September, but multiply that by 5, add in a few excited 4-8 year olds, along with the older kids, and there’s gonna be some chaos, despite Beate’s top notch organizational skills. Then throw in the sudden change from sunshine to a repeat of yesterday’s high winds, rain, thunder, and lightning with kids running for cover, trying to avoid the sporadic leaks in the roof they were sitting under. Beate and I were frantically trying to gather the suitcases with the shoes in them to get them out of the rain and back to the storage depot. I was trying to go as quickly as I could without killing myself on my rubber sandals, which my feet were sliding out of because of the rain. When we stopped, we could do nothing but laugh, because the kids didn’t care, and there we all were– squished together trying to wait out the rain. ⛈
The best moment came, however, when little 5 year old Markenson, who came to Karen with his brother from the mountains last September, put on his first EVER pair of rubber boots! He didn’t know what they were, and when he put them on, they pretty much went up to his knees, but it didn’t slow him down one bit! He ran to the boys’ house, faster than I have seen him run this week, much to the cheers and delight of his brothers and sisters still waiting under the roof. This was another one of those moments where, if you don’t smile and laugh along with the children, you would have tears in your eyes knowing his story…
Markenson and his brother, Dickieson, 2, were brought to Karen by their father. They have 3 older siblings who still live in the mountains with their father, but their mother died not long after Dickieson was born, and their father was unable to care for them all. It is truly a selfless, yet unimaginable choice to have to make, when, as a parent, you have to put your children in someone else’s care.
These two brothers are loving, funny, and very busy, and boy can they dance! They were the stars of the dance party last week, and when Markenson wasn’t dancing, he spent a lot of time sitting in my lap, making faces and telling stories. He is very free with his hugs, and his smile is one that is painted on my heart. He is so good to look out for his little brother, and I’m glad Karen has given them the gift of a good life with more brothers and sisters, as well as an education…and we can’t forget the rubber boots!
So, it took almost 3 hours to get everyone their shoes, because one storm came just after the first one. The kids finally left with smiles on their faces, and although we were soaked to our bones, we were happy to have another chore done. This was an afternoon of back to school shopping I will never forget, and a little boy and his boots that will forever be a part of my lifetime highlight reel! Hugs from Haiti! ?
~Heather
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