Just Another Language

I fought with my son regularly to eat his vegetables when he was little. I remember his cousins would take the time to pick the beans out of his rice and beans because he didn't like them. That doesn't seem to be a problem with these children. The babies in our feeding programs love their veggies! The green leafy kind, as well as the root vegetables and plantains.

We are currently feeding babies in two locations and hope to start up another one soon. These little ones enjoy a variety of foods such as vegetable soup, eggs, pasta, peanut butter, cornmeal, oatmeal, milk, and fruits.

The medical and dental clinics continue working through the summer. Do you know this Bible verse from Proverbs 17:22? "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine..." A merry heart should be part of the prescription the doctor writes for the patients. When someone is suffering and worrying, a pleasant distraction can be a great help!

I went to Haiti to serve full-time at the age of 25. On my first day there I was given responsibility for the ministry (physical and spiritual) taking place in a particular village and sent on my way. I knew a handful of words in Haitian Créole - certainly not enough to have a conversation. I was on an ATV and found a boy who was willing to help me find the children whose pictures and names I carried with me. He taught me some new vocabulary, adwat (to the right) and agòch (to the left), but there was a critical phrase I had not yet learned: kanpe la. As we tooled along on the 4-wheeler, he kept saying "kanpe la, kanpe la, kanpe la," louder and louder until he finally shouted, "eh-stòp." I stopped, terrified that I'd run over something. I hadn't, but I had missed a turn. From then on I always recognized the phrase for stop.

After I had been in Haiti for a couple of weeks, I was standing around chatting with some of my new friends - a group of high school girls. They asked me if I knew how to make "gato." Unbeknownst to me, my brain had switched over to my days of learning Spanish in high school and I responded with an emphatic, NO! (Gato in Spanish means cat.) They looked shocked and asked me several times again. They finally said, "Okay, but you like to EAT 'gato,' right?!!! Again, I responded with a firm, "No!" It wasn't until I laid down to go to sleep and I was thinking about all that I'd experienced that day, that the truth dawned on me. Gato in Haitian Créole means CAKE! And of COURSE, they thought I knew all about making and eating CAKE! I made a decision that day to "flush" Spanish from my brain.

Fast forward about three decades!!! Lex and I were having a conversation and he was expressing that we should consider expanding MOHI into Haiti's neighboring country, the Dominican Republic. All I could think of is how difficult it would be to re-learn Spanish. The seed was planted, but I didn't take it seriously at that point.

Here we are at the beginning of August 2022, having just returned from another trip to the Dominican Republic, which we are, in fact, expanding into. How kind was it of the Lord to give me a few years to adapt to the idea! One of my takeaways from this trip is that it's time to dig up all those years of Spanish classes. I have downloaded an app on my phone and am actually enjoying re-introducing myself to the language.

By the way, Spanish was my LEAST favorite subject in school! I also really don't care for bugs or heat. In my weakness, the Lord strengthened me to serve Him in a place that was uncomfortable for me physically. And yet, my oh my, how He has blessed me these past 22 years!!! I am confident that the best is yet to come!

For the first time in those 22 years, we had to cancel our speaking engagements in Florida this weekend. I ended up with pneumonia when we got back from the Dominican Republic - and an airline nightmare that kept us awake for 2 days straight! I just didn't have the endurance and strength to get on a plane again. Prayers and medicine are at work - and a merry heart, too! To our friends in Florida: I was so looking forward to seeing you. I'm sorry it didn't work out this time. I trust we will have another opportunity to be together.

Next up? In less than two weeks (Saturday, August 13th to be exact) we will be packing the container to ship to Haiti. Woo Hoo! Thank you to everyone who has donated. We're getting down to the wire now. We do still have space and you still have time to donate food. Reach out to us at support@mohintl.org or make a monetary donation online here.

I hope you have a great week! I'll leave you with this food for thought: