Couldn't have said it better myself

Teaching English can be both fun and frustrating. It's exciting to hear my students use new vocabulary or be able to incorporate the verb tense we've been working on forever into conversations. Trying to explain Rhianna lyrics, not so much fun. 

Another missionary in Haiti recently wrote about the intricacies of teaching and translating English on this island. After every paragraph I was shouting things like, "YES! Someone else gets it!" Here's just one caveat of teaching English in Haiti that this Canadian highlights:

Even seemingly familiar things present difficulties.  It is difficult to translate farm into Creole and have a Haitian visualize the immense agribusiness operations of the Prairies.  Here, those who till the land work a one- or two-acre jadin, which translates as garden, but is more like small market gardens than the plots in Canadian backyards.  And mosquitoes?  To Haitians that means dinky little insects that one can barely see, not the critters with landing lights that frequent Manitoba and northwestern Ontario.

Check out the whole post and let me know what you think the most difficult part of teaching English would be.

Link

Recently I read this awesome article on short term mission trips from Bob Lupton, the author of Toxic Charity. Now I really want to read his book.

Yummy Food

Much of my life revolves around food right now, so I thought I'd share some one of the recent recipes I've made.

My current favorite is  Black bean, Corn, and Zucchini Enchiladas. You may have heard me talk about them before. This is probably the best meal I've made all summer. I really want to eat them today, but it's a lot of work for this pregnant momma. First I have to make the flour tortillas. Then I have to pressure cook the beans, chop the veggies, and make the BEST enchilada sauce ever. Then I have to sautee the veggies and put everything together in the pan.

However, looking at the delicious pictures on those links has just convinced me to get to the kitchen and get started! Maybe I'll share another recipe later. For now I'll be working on tortillas and enchilada sauce.

Beans, the magical fruit

Beans are a staple of Haitian cooking. We make them pretty regularly at our house--always in the pressure cooker because they take FOREVER to cook otherwise. Normally we just eat beans with our rice, either mixed in or as bean sauce.

Recently I found a refried bean recipe for the pressure cooker. I had never made refried beans before, but the recipe looked pretty easy. I tried it, using fresh red beans. It was delicious. My husband said it was like eating really thick bean sauce (his favorite food). So, I put the recipe in my box to use again later. I think I've made it two or three times since I found it, and it's been awesome every time! Not only does it taste good, we always have a good amount left over for later in the week.

This weekend I decided to use the dried black beans we had to make the same recipe. Do you know what the difference between dried and fresh beans is? Dried beans are cheaper. Fresh beans cook faster. But those are not really all that important in this story. The difference to remember is that dried beans have shrunk from their normal size and will grow in the cooking process. This is important to remember when you are measuring them because once you put them in water to soak, they will suck it all up and get nice and plump. So when you think you have one ti mamit of beans, you really have about two ti mamit after they have been soaked...

which is double the amount of beans the recipe calls for...

which means you are going to have more bean sauce and refried beans than you have Tupperware space.

So if you're hungry, stop on by. We have some delicious bean sauce we'd love to share with you.

Today's Holiday: "God's Birthday"

Today is a holiday in Haiti--in French it's called Fete Dieu and in English my student's say "God's Birthday." When I ask my husband or the students about this holiday they just tell me it's a Catholic thing and that's all they know. Being the curious person that I am, that just isn't enough information for me. We have today off school and I wanted to know why.

I took matters into my own hands this morning and googled it. Apparently the translation of the French name is a bit misleading because in English the day is called "The Feast of Corpus Christi." The super simplistic explanation of the holiday is that it celebrates the presence of Jesus Christ's body and blood in the Eucharist (communion). I assume that Catholic churches and other denominations that believe the communion elements turn into the actual body and blood of Christ celebrate today with a church service and communion.

At our house, we celebrated "God's Birthday" by sleeping in and having a lazy morning. Later today we'll take some exams to the copy shop for the school and hopefully go to Handal, the Haitian Wal-mart, if they are open. And if my husband is in the right mood I might even be able to talk him into a "sandwich griole" from Giant Supermarket.

FAQ: What do you eat?

Q. What do you and Arold eat? American food or Haitian food?
A. I do most of the cooking and I'm much more proficient at American food, so that's what I make most of the time. However, I have mastered some Haitian dishes that taste pretty good--even if my husband thinks I don't add enough salt. And, Arold cooks too. When we're both home, it's almost always a team effort to get dinner on the table. Sometimes he just does the cooking though.

Here are some links to some of our favorite dishes:

• Homemade Pizza, using this super easy crust with no yeast--we eat this at least once a week! (I use a modified version with more flour and some olive oil from one of the comments.)
• Baked Mac & Cheese, using the sauce from this recipe
• Mostaccioli, recipe from my friend Kristin (basically it's pasta, seasoned beef, sauce, and parmesean baked to ooey goodness)
• Homemade yogurt, easy and delicious! (only I eat this, he's not a fan of yogurt--but there is Haitian yogurt I could buy at the store... but I'm cheap so I make my own!)
• Indiana Style Corn Dogs--we've only had it once, but it will probably be a frequently used recipe
• Rice and Bean sauce--this is Arold's favorite meal of all time, but pizza is a close second
• Chicken cooked in sauce
• grilled ham and cheese sandwiches--my go to when I don't want to cook
• Bannann Peze, twice fried plantains--these are typically a side dish, but sometimes we make a ton of them and eat them as a meal

For breakfast Arold eats an egg sandwich (American) or seasoned spaghetti noodles with ketchup and mayo (very, very Haitian). I always have the egg sandwich, unless we're out of eggs and then I find something else to eat.

Ministry Partners

Arold and I enjoy working for Mountain Top Ministries. We get to help people at the medical clinic, disciple new believers through a Sunday school class, and help with a variety of projects. But what we really love is building relationships with the students and investing in their lives. HOWEVER, we could not be the hands and feet of Jesus in Gramothe without our many ministry partners. We may be the "go-ers," but it takes senders and intercessors to make a successful ministry.

We are blessed to have so many intercessors. I've tried to count them, but it's impossible to know for certain. I can tell you that I send our prayer updates to 111 e-mail addresses. If only half of those people are faithfully praying for us, that still makes 55 prayer partners. We depend on these partners to pray for our ministry, our students, and for us. Prayer is a powerful and effective tool, and we need others to join with us as we serve here. We can't do it alone!

In addition to intercessors, we need people who are willing to send us to the mission field. It would be impossible for us to minister in Gramothe without financial support from others. We'd have to find "real jobs" to support ourselves and that would leave little, if any, time for our students in Gramothe. We are blessed to have 11 very faithful families/individuals who serve as our senders. They partner with us each month for about 54% of our support. Then there are two churches who give about 14% of our monthly support--putting us at 68% funded each month. To date the rest of our financial support has come from one-time donations from a variety of individuals and organizations.

We use the word "partner" to describe those who support us with prayers and finances because they are very much a part of our ministry. They may not be in Haiti working at the school, but they are vital to what God is doing here. Arold and I are the ones who are physically present, but these senders and intercessors are just as much a part of empowering Haitian youth to live their lives for Christ.

If you're not currently a part of our ministry team, we'd love to have you join our team! To receive our prayer updates, e-mail me at britneyLsmith (at) gmail (dot) com letting me know. If you want to partner with us financially, you can set up automatic monthly donations on the Mountain Top Ministries website. Or you can give a one-time gift on the MTM website by clicking on "Donate Online." (It's under the Get Involved title on the right.)

Calculator Class

The team from Illini Life Christian Fellowship that I talked about in March brought 24ish (I can't remember how many exactly) graphing calculators with them to leave for the school. They spent some time each afternoon that they were here showing the students how to use the calculators. I popped in and out of the class just to make sure everyone was behaving, but tried not to spend too much time in there. It was ridiculously hard math, and I am an English teacher for a reason. 

Mr. Jay teaches physics at a public high school in the States, so he was in charge of teaching the lessons.

Here I was wrangled by the students into "helping" them with the calculator. Notice the look of utter confusion on my face.

And here's Kirk, a smarty pants who is getting a masters in something math/science I can't even say it's so complicated! He was a really nice guy, but when he started talking about science or math, I just zoned out.

All pictures are courtesy of the Illini team. I imagine all of these photos were from Matt Phebus and his fancy camera, but I don't know that for certain.

Video from a team member

There was a small  medical team of about 10 people here from Nov. 28th to Dec. 5th. This is a video one team member put together that shows what it's like to work in the clinic. He did a great job. Check it out!

If you are ever interested in coming to Haiti to help in the clinic (we need lots of non medical people to make the clinic function) or in some other way, please contact me!

So Happy Together

I saw this the other day and really liked it. It reminds me a lot of what Jesus said in Matthew about losing our lives to gain something better.

Sseko Sandals: I want some!

In case you don't know I work for a non-profit organization, specifically a ministry. One of my favorite things about Mountain Top Ministries is the fact that they empower Haitians to change their own lives. They don't just give handouts to people; they do ministry in a way that gives dignity to the people they're serving. MTM teaches skills and then provides opportunities for Haitians to use those skills. It's a beautiful thing.

This week I learned about a company in Uganda that has the same philosophy. Sseko Sandals provides young Ugandan women the opportunity to further their education. In the 9 months between high school graduation and the start of university classes, Sseko Sandals hires young women to make sandals so they can afford to attend university. As their website says, "These women will not make sandals forever. They will go on to be doctors, lawyers, politicians, writers and teachers that will bring change and unification to a country divided and ravished by a 22 year-long war." And I believe them.
 
Check out the Sseko website to get the whole story. They just celebrated their second birthday, and they have lots of stories and pictures on their website. I am really impressed with this company and what they are doing in Uganda. After you spend some time perusing the website, buy yourself some sandals!!!

I am currently drooling over all the possibilities. I will find a way to work these sandals into my budget. And when I do, I'm sure there will be more pictures here on my blog.

Another View

When Haiti is talked about on the news or in other media sources, it's almost exclusively portrayed as an earthquake ravaged nation. It's true. There was an earthquake. Many people died, and many buildings were destroyed. There is still rubble in the streets, and buildings that sit condemned. It's sad, but it's the truth.

BUT, Haiti has more to offer than broken buildings and rubble. Beautiful, strong, creative, affectionate  people make up this nation. The news likes to show pictures of the destruction, but I see so much more than that. I see older kids lovingly caring for their younger siblings. I see mother's fighting to give their kids the best that they can. I see Christians loving their neighbors as themselves. I see young people choosing to follow Christ instead of the world. It's a beautiful thing, and I wish more people could see it.

Recently Donna Karen (of DKNY) was in Haiti. Someone put together this video of her time here. I love it. It's so different than what you see in the media. Please take the time to watch it.

NATURALLY HAITI from David Belle on Vimeo.

Saturday morning thoughts

Yesterday I read a really good article about the orphan epidemic and the appropriate Christian response.  I agree 100% with the author. His main point was that Christians should stop talking so much and put actions to their words. If you're interested in reading the entire article, you can find it here.

One line in particular has stuck with me. I've been thinking about it all morning. 

When Jesus asked Peter if he loved him, and Peter responded yes, Jesus didn’t tell him to picket the wolves. He told Peter to feed and tend his sheep.

Personally, I find it's easier to picket the wolves, to stand on the edge and tell other people what they should be doing. Tending and feeding sheep is much messier. Sheep can be smelly. Some have special needs, and others will bite if you get too close. Still, Jesus said if loved him we would feed his sheep.


Are you feeding Jesus' sheep or picketing the wolves?

Haitian Mother's Day

Mother's Day in Haiti is always on the last Sunday of May.  Compassion International published a quiz earlier this month called "Could you be a mother in Haiti?" Take the quiz and see how you score. You'll learn a lot about the culture and life style of Haitians!

Visting Choir

These kids came to the Gramothe church a couple of weeks ago to share two songs with us. About once every couple of months a choir from another church comes to sing for us. It's never planned in advance. They just show up. I like that it's an unexpected blessing. Some of the kids in this group attend the school in Gramothe. The girl singing into the mic and the girl behind her in black and white are both in my 8th grade class.

Men's Choir

The Gramothe church men's choir sings every couple of months. They are fantastic. This particular song is a really fun one from earlier this year. I think they've sang it for us twice, but no one complains because it's so much fun.

Preschool Cuties

These little guys are so cute! They make me smile every single day. Touching my white skin is apparently the highlight of their day because they all try to touch me when I pass by their playground or when we are walking in the same area...sometimes they race to see who can touch me first! They shared this song on Monday with some folks who were visiting.

Easter=the end of rara

I haven't posted this until now because I couldn't get the video to upload. Sorry it's late, but I thought you might still be interested in what I was thinking a couple of weeks ago.

I love Jesus. I'm so incredibly thankful for his sacrifice on the cross. Resurrection Sunday is a special day, and I'm looking forward to celebrating with my Haitian church family.

And I'm also really, really excited for the end of the rara bands that play their horrible music for all of Lent. They've really kicked up their "parades" this weekend and I would like to shove their horns down their throats. I know that's not a very Christian sentiment, but they play at all hours of the night... and day for that matter. They walk through neighborhoods playing the same three notes over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. And that's not enough "overs" to convey how repetitious their songs are. The other reason I don't like them is that they represent the opposite of Christ rising from the dead. I don't know how tied to voodoo they are because I get varying reports. But what I do know is that Haitian Christians (and non-Haitians who understand the culture better than I do) have strong feelings against this music.

Here's a little sampling of rara music. They passed by my street on the main road about three times last night between 5:30 and 6. You may have to turn your sound up to hear the music.

Illini Life Team

Last week my computer lab got a makeover by some amazing people from a church called Illini Life in, you guessed it, Illinois. They were a lot of fun but also got a lot accomplished!

Here's the short list of their accomplishments:

• bought and carried in 14 laptops for the lab
• built a cabinet for the laptops
• bought the equipment to set up internet in the lab
• established an internet connection, which was quite a big job
• helped with the construction on the hospital
• helped with some home construction in Gramothe
• cleaned and organized the entire depot
• gave my computer room a complete makeover
• and five of them also helped in the clinic 

For more details, check out their blog!