I've been asked what it's like to be "single" again. I will admit that the sweet questioning sound of Mama....is definately missed.
All in all, the whole visit doesn't seem quite real. It wasn't easy...mind you.....but it had so many joys attached to it. Learning a new language, learning to communicate, establishing a pattern, relieving natural curiousity without incurring harm. So many new things for her to do and see and taste and try.
She had so many first experiences that we were a part of. Taking Johane to the zoo was a treat. Watching her face as she saw a live tiger and a giraffe were priceless. Seeing her ride a bicycle was wonderful. She enjoyed almost every thing she did.
We got the Joy of watching her see herself in a mirror with two brown eyes. I still get tears thinking of her reaction. We saw her face light up every time she saw Dr. Houser. He was her Hero.
We witnessed her bravery as she went away from her country with a stranger and fly to America and a strange place called Michigan. We saw her first experience with an escalator, an elevator and a people mover. It was enchanting. I watched her splash water all over herself because the electric eye on the sink wouldn't shut off because her hands were still there. Seeing her nearly leap out of her skin when the electric eye flushed the toilet was priceless. Reassuring her that in America these things were normal.
Watching her face as she encountered SNOW for the first time was entertaining...she was so surprised that it was 'fret" cold. Seeing the beauty on her face as she held a Monarch butterfly on her finger and said "My baby.....look, it's black, like me" (and beautiful like you too sweetheart).
Seeing her light up when she saw the Godly men in her life at church. Their smiles and hers as they encountered each other. The smile on her face as she teased them into playing basketball. Her growing strength as she mastered the ball and finally the hoop. Her dribbling the ball under her leg to show her sister in haiti after returning home.
Was it real? Was it a dream? Maybe it was both....a little bit of walking with God on earth as He showered us with the Joy of his creation seen through the eye of a small Haitian girl. To be so blessed beyond measure is priceless beyond words....so please don't pinch me, I'm not sure I want to wake up fully. May you be blessed by your memories and your time through the looking glass of my little Haitian princess Johane. God bless you all. Thank-you to each of you who shared in this adventure. I am hoping that she will be able to visit us once or twice a year in the future. God willing. Please keep her and her family in your prayers. Haiti is a hard land, and they need the Lord to watch over their household.
May The Lord Bless and Keep You Always. Cynthia
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Monday, June 2, 2008
Double Your Pleasure
I got to have the time of my life. On Friday we took a trip into the mountains to the Baptist mission. Papa Joel brought both girls to me to stay the night and spend the day with me. I never laughed so much. The girls are no longer the same size. Johana is wearing size 4-6T and my Johane is wearing size 12. Johane is now taller as well. Seeing the twins together was a delight. They had hand clap games they did. They played well in the pool. They had childrens rhymes they said. It was wonderful to have them both. They giggled and played and laughed. I taught them how to swim under water. We played motor-boat, motor boat go so slow...etc in the pool. They played chuckie-chuckie-chuckie...a rhyme in creole. They got on well with all of that. We did puzzles. Played Barbies. Johane showed Johana her albums and pictures.
Johana whipped Matt at dominos twice. Very competitive. He did something wrong and got cussed out in creole also. That little woman runs a very tight domino game. They slept well and were a delight to have. Johane taking her contact out was a bit of a shock to the family. (tee-hee). Johana said she was glad to have her twin sister back...but that she spoke funny now and she didn't understand her so well, most of the time.
Both twins are very good eaters, but Johana gets car-sick very, very easily and so food does not stay put, long enough to do her any good.
Johane had a good time in the mountains. Johana did not (poor thing). We went to a little zoo. Ate lunch at the cafe. The pizza was Pah-Bon (Not good). Johane wanted American pizza and this kind tasted more like parmesean or artifical mozzarella. Johanas car-sickness stuck with her all day. Neither twin ate what they ordered. Johanna tossed-her-cookies in the zip-lock barf bag we brought along both up and down the mountain and later that evening. Poor baby. She was whipped out.
It was late when we got through for the evening so I kept them a second night. Johane enjoyed it. Johana did not. She was weak and dehydrated and not looking forward to the car ride to the orphanage or in the tap-tap for the way home. She layed around for a good part of the morning until Mama and Papa picked her up. I got a weak hug and kiss from Johana...a big kiss and long hug from Johane.
I found out that it cost them a small fortune to come to see me. ($8.00 American dollars each x 4 people). I told them that I'd say goodbye now. They were going to bring Johane again to say good-bye to me and I told them to save their money...don't waste it on me.
As they drove off in the tap-tap with their luggage full of fun things for the family, again I felt good that God used us all in this special adventure of His. I hope you have had fun shaing this special time with us all. It has been a real adventure for my family. Johane has been a blessing to us, to Messiah, to HDI, and to so many people through the sharing of our hearts and our goods.
Thank-you to everyone who sent clothes and games, toys and spent time with Johane. You have been a blessing to both her and to me. Her experiences will last a life time. As they say:..visa...$XXX.00, plane ticket...$XXX.00, baby sitter...XXX.00, sharing your life with a little Haitian princess...PRICELESS.
Hebrews13:10 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Some things are indeed Priceless.
Thank-you and God Bless you always.
Cynthia Kreil and Johane Dort
Johana whipped Matt at dominos twice. Very competitive. He did something wrong and got cussed out in creole also. That little woman runs a very tight domino game. They slept well and were a delight to have. Johane taking her contact out was a bit of a shock to the family. (tee-hee). Johana said she was glad to have her twin sister back...but that she spoke funny now and she didn't understand her so well, most of the time.
Both twins are very good eaters, but Johana gets car-sick very, very easily and so food does not stay put, long enough to do her any good.
Johane had a good time in the mountains. Johana did not (poor thing). We went to a little zoo. Ate lunch at the cafe. The pizza was Pah-Bon (Not good). Johane wanted American pizza and this kind tasted more like parmesean or artifical mozzarella. Johanas car-sickness stuck with her all day. Neither twin ate what they ordered. Johanna tossed-her-cookies in the zip-lock barf bag we brought along both up and down the mountain and later that evening. Poor baby. She was whipped out.
It was late when we got through for the evening so I kept them a second night. Johane enjoyed it. Johana did not. She was weak and dehydrated and not looking forward to the car ride to the orphanage or in the tap-tap for the way home. She layed around for a good part of the morning until Mama and Papa picked her up. I got a weak hug and kiss from Johana...a big kiss and long hug from Johane.
I found out that it cost them a small fortune to come to see me. ($8.00 American dollars each x 4 people). I told them that I'd say goodbye now. They were going to bring Johane again to say good-bye to me and I told them to save their money...don't waste it on me.
As they drove off in the tap-tap with their luggage full of fun things for the family, again I felt good that God used us all in this special adventure of His. I hope you have had fun shaing this special time with us all. It has been a real adventure for my family. Johane has been a blessing to us, to Messiah, to HDI, and to so many people through the sharing of our hearts and our goods.
Thank-you to everyone who sent clothes and games, toys and spent time with Johane. You have been a blessing to both her and to me. Her experiences will last a life time. As they say:..visa...$XXX.00, plane ticket...$XXX.00, baby sitter...XXX.00, sharing your life with a little Haitian princess...PRICELESS.
Hebrews13:10 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Some things are indeed Priceless.
Thank-you and God Bless you always.
Cynthia Kreil and Johane Dort
The Trip Home
We headed to Detroit Monday the 19th and stayed at a hotel near the airport. Johane got to see the phanes flying overhead. She liked that. We also got to spend some one-on-one time in the pool. She really enjoyed that. She has learned to hold her breath under water. Can't quite float or swim yet but she is learning.
We wore us all out swimming, so we slept really well. That 4:30 AM wakeup call was still hard on us. "Mama it's not morning yet". She said her good-byes to a tear-filled Papa Dennis and off we went to the line.
She's a trooper now for shoes off, shoes on, march through the line. Lets wait around for them to call our plane. We met up with two team members in Detroit. The flight was uneventful with only a few "Are we there yet?"s. I never should have let her see Schreck II.
We had some lunch in Miami and met up with two more members of the team. So there we were a total of 6 en route to Port-au-Prince.
She was so happy to be home. It this Haiti? Yes Johane...it's Haiti. We're here now! Look it's a tap-tap. Look Mama no buckles! Look it's fresco!! (Snow-cones). Yeaaa...it's haiti. Look at that man. Look at that girl. Look a market. Sit down Johane. Look a tap-tap. And it would start again.
We saw her Papa as we were coming down the hill to the Orhanage. Look! It's Papa! If she could have climbed out the window I think she would have. She was so happy to see him. He was very pleased with the way she looked. "Fat and Happy" or at least well fed and smiling. He loved her contact.
Papa was so pleased with the way she looked that He offered to let me keep her and raise her as my own in America. I thanked him for the honor and the compliment but made it very clear that she belongs with her family and her twin. It is such a blessing to have a family like hers...I would not consider breaking her heart by taking her from them. A loving family is a precious, priceless gift. He seemed pleased with my answer, but asked if she could come and visit sometime. I said, "we'd see what we could do".
He asked if I would buy English language lessons for her since her school doesn't offer them. I said that we could check into that too. Speaking English well, opens many doors for someone in Haiti.
So now I need to figure out who might want to contribute towards English lessons. They say its about $380.00 per year. (American) I guess thats cheaper than a visa and plane ticket, though I think we might find some who might want to help with that too. I'm hoping to be able to bring her back once a year for 4-6 weeks in the summer to have her eye re-evaluated, practice her english and have some fun with all of her friends.
She went off with Papa, waved a sweet good-bye and walked up the street towards the tap-taps. She was grinning from ear-to -ear. She was so happy to be home. It was a bitter-sweet moment. I was so happy for her, sad for me, and yet happy to be used to fullfill the journey.
God is good. ALL the time. Cynthia
We wore us all out swimming, so we slept really well. That 4:30 AM wakeup call was still hard on us. "Mama it's not morning yet". She said her good-byes to a tear-filled Papa Dennis and off we went to the line.
She's a trooper now for shoes off, shoes on, march through the line. Lets wait around for them to call our plane. We met up with two team members in Detroit. The flight was uneventful with only a few "Are we there yet?"s. I never should have let her see Schreck II.
We had some lunch in Miami and met up with two more members of the team. So there we were a total of 6 en route to Port-au-Prince.
She was so happy to be home. It this Haiti? Yes Johane...it's Haiti. We're here now! Look it's a tap-tap. Look Mama no buckles! Look it's fresco!! (Snow-cones). Yeaaa...it's haiti. Look at that man. Look at that girl. Look a market. Sit down Johane. Look a tap-tap. And it would start again.
We saw her Papa as we were coming down the hill to the Orhanage. Look! It's Papa! If she could have climbed out the window I think she would have. She was so happy to see him. He was very pleased with the way she looked. "Fat and Happy" or at least well fed and smiling. He loved her contact.
Papa was so pleased with the way she looked that He offered to let me keep her and raise her as my own in America. I thanked him for the honor and the compliment but made it very clear that she belongs with her family and her twin. It is such a blessing to have a family like hers...I would not consider breaking her heart by taking her from them. A loving family is a precious, priceless gift. He seemed pleased with my answer, but asked if she could come and visit sometime. I said, "we'd see what we could do".
He asked if I would buy English language lessons for her since her school doesn't offer them. I said that we could check into that too. Speaking English well, opens many doors for someone in Haiti.
So now I need to figure out who might want to contribute towards English lessons. They say its about $380.00 per year. (American) I guess thats cheaper than a visa and plane ticket, though I think we might find some who might want to help with that too. I'm hoping to be able to bring her back once a year for 4-6 weeks in the summer to have her eye re-evaluated, practice her english and have some fun with all of her friends.
She went off with Papa, waved a sweet good-bye and walked up the street towards the tap-taps. She was grinning from ear-to -ear. She was so happy to be home. It was a bitter-sweet moment. I was so happy for her, sad for me, and yet happy to be used to fullfill the journey.
God is good. ALL the time. Cynthia
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
