Communiqué #042

TO MY PARTNERS in MINISTRY

to the PEOPLE of HAITI

July 25, 2007

Invasion of the frogs!  It was dark!  As I headed into my bathroom, before reaching for the light switch, I felt a thud on my chest.  Much to my surprise, when I turned on the light, I discovered a large frog on my bathroom floor that had used me as a spring board.  I tried to capture it, before it disappeared somewhere in my bathroom.  You can be sure that from then on, I was sure to reach for the light switch, BEFORE I entered the bathroom.  No more surprises!  

The following day, I was moving the furniture on my balcony, when my friend re-appeared.  This time Léon was nearby, so I called him to the rescue.  Comically, he chased the frog around.  It skillfully avoided him while jumping around the balcony and into one of the vacant rooms of the guesthouse.  Léon ended up opening the entrance door of the room, allowing the frog to jump to its freedom!   I had to catch a photo, before I let Léon issue the frog down the exit stairwell.

It was only minutes later that the girls of the orphanage scurried up the stairs to come to ask us about something.  But of course, they did not make it up the stairs.   We could hear the screeching from our room, knowing exactly what was causing it.  People here (not only children) are terrified of frogs.  It is similar to some people’s fear of snakes, but seems so much more unreasonable to me.  I have tried to explain to the kids that they should not kill the frogs, but rather let them do their job of eating mosquitoes and other unwanted insects.  They want nothing to do with that plan!  I explained to them that some people in the states actually eat the legs of the frogs.  That grosses them out even more.  They shudder when I explain that to them.   After much to-do about this particular frog, the girls went about their day, until another, smaller frog was discovered on the screen of the bathroom window of the orphanage.  Once again, Léon removed the frog amidst the screams of the girls!  Funny thing though, the girls who hate to brush their teeth, scurried to do so, when Léon jokingly told them if they did not brush their teeth, they would find the frog in their bed that night!  The orphanage boasted of the cleanest teeth in Les Cayes that evening!

One would have thought that would be the end of the saga.   But alas!  It was not.  During the early morning hours of the next day, while I was beginning to stir from my sleep, I felt a tap on my pillow.  I raised my head quickly enough to see a smaller frog leap from my pillow to the side of my filing cabinet.  I turned to Léon and said, “Krapo anko!” (“another frog”), but he was too deep in dreamland to hear me.  Sigh!  No more sleep for me!

We have had a lot of rain in the last couple of days.  I think that has caused all the tadpoles in the sewage ditches to turn into frogs and seek higher and drier land.  I had forgotten about this type of occurrence, until all of these recent visitors had paid me a visit.  Memory lane helped to recall the time that I came to Les Cayes with Pastor Israel on a night after a weeklong rainstorm had buried Les Cayes under water.  As we arrived at the church compound, during a power outage, we entered the church.  I felt something on my legs.  In amazement, I looked down and there were dozens and dozens of frogs in the church, some of whom had been captured by upside-down Dixie cups.   I guess that explains why people here do not like them.  The frogs can appear in droves.  It kind of reminded me of the plagues in Egypt!  It is just another one of those Haitian adventures!

The “frog event” was not the only reason the month of July brought lots of smiles and laughter.  On July 22, Léon and I celebrated our ONE YEAR wedding anniversary.  What a year of blessings it has been!!!   And then, on July 24, Léon traveled to Port-au-Prince and is now the proud owner of a VISA to the United States, after 2 ½ long years of filling out paperwork, attempting to get hard-to-attain documents, repeated trips to Port-au-Prince and delay after delay.  July 2007 has become a month of celebrations!   We are so very happy that now we can travel to the United States TOGETHER!

Léon has been accepted to a 10 week training program in Alabama.  While he is there, I will be traveling to Wyoming to await the birth of my newest grandson.  Following some time with my daughter, son-in-law and grandsons, I will head to speaking engagements in Oklahoma and Ohio.  Léon and I will reunite in early November and finish our time in the states together!  We are really looking forward to Léon’s adventures in the U.S. – first time meeting of family members, seeing missionary friends and exploring the sights that Léon has only heard about, read about or seen on TV.  We are so thankful to God that finally this will be a reality!

Nora Léon

Missionary to Haiti & the Dominican Republic                               Until next time ………….

Communiqué #041

TO MY PARTNERS in MINISTRY

to the PEOPLE of HAITI

July 15, 2007

Another child comes!  More questions flow!   Such is the case when a new child arrives at the orphanage as happened on Friday, July 13.  It was my privilege to escort the mother and her son from the church, down the street to the boys’ orphanage, only a short walk away.  The questions instantly start flowing.  How is this mother feeling knowing that she is taking this final walk with her son?   What is this little 4 ½ year old boy thinking as he walks hand-in-hand with this strange blan (white) lady?   Where does he think he is going?  Have his parents explained everything to him the night before?  As we approach the orphanage and open the gate, the eyes of Jean Winchell stare straight ahead.  We enter the courtyard where one sole boy sits near the building.   We walk towards him and I introduce Jean Winchell to him as his new friend.   We enter the cooking area and find several more boys there, along with the caregivers.   They all stand up and stare.  Who is this newcomer?  Which caregiver will be his?   Which bed will be his?   Is he a bed wetter?   Will he cry tonight?   Does he eat a lot?  One cannot help to think about what the boys of the orphanage are recalling of their own first night in the orphanage.  Jean Winchell is shown which bed will be his.  He is given food to eat and a tall glass of cold water to drink.  His mama sits down in her son’s new bedroom and discusses matters with the caregiver.  No smile appears on Jean Winchell’s face.  He sits on the edge of the bed, staring down at the little red truck that he had brought with him from home.  The other boys, curious about the truck, politely refrain from asking to play with it, knowing that at this moment Jean Winchell needs it more than they do.  As I watch the scene unfold, I start asking myself, “What is an appropriate length of time to allow this mama to spend at the orphanage before she says her final goodbye?”   She made the decision easy for me because soon she said it was time for her to go.  A short goodbye, with no hugs or kisses, and we left the orphanage campus.  On the road back to the church, I give the mother a hug, trying to convey to her that I understand what a big sacrifice she just made for the sake of her child.  The mother turns to me.  She asks if the older boys will beat up on her son.  She asks if he will go to church and how will he get there.   I explain to her that the caregivers will be sure that the other boys are good to her son.   I explain that all the boys walk together to church, accompanied by a caregiver.  They come on Wednesday nights, Friday nights and a morning service and an evening service on Sundays.   The mother’s thoughts then turn to the remaining children at home.   Would it be possible for us to pay the tuition for her daughter to go to school?  She reminds me that she has eight other children at home that she cannot send to school or feed.  I explain to her that we will send her son to school, but we are unable to help her other children.  What a mixture of emotions she must be feeling right now.   Once again, as is the case with so many of the scenarios in this country, I can only imagine the ache in her heart! 

Summertime here brings worries of its own.  Although the schoolchildren are on vacation and enjoying flying kites or munching on mangos that are plentiful at his time of year or playing with their friends, parents thoughts are already turning to the question, “How am I going to be able to send my children to school?”  I have lost count of how many parents have already knocked on my door or stopped me in the streets asking me if I can help pay the tuition for their children for the upcoming school year.  Should life have to be filled with so many worries?  Every day in Haiti is filled with these types of concerns.  It is amazing to me that the people here are still able to find something to smile about!   Somehow they find the strength to leave it in God’s hands, a lesson I need to keep learning!

The bulk of my time in Haiti is consumed by three things – helping children who need a home, helping children to attend school and helping children who cannot get the medical treatment needed here in Haiti.  You are such an important part of my ministry here in Les Cayes.  Your prayers, your encouragement and your financial gifts all help to make the work that I do possible!   Thank you for being so prayerful, so faithful!

Nora Léon

Missionary to Haiti & the Dominican Republic                               Until next time ………….