60 seconds 1.13

60 sec 1.13 from Ted Barlow on Vimeo.

60 seconds 1.12

weekend guests...

I had a total "fail" on camera work today so no 60 second video...

I also ended up sleeping most of the day, from 10 until 5 pm, so I hope that doesn't mean my body is brewing something...kind of wondering if it's time for a malaria check.

This evening we got to spend with a couple of our favorite Haiti friends - they don't live here, but this is where we met them. Michael & Annette have been leading teams down from their church in upstate NY to develop a relationship with one of the pastors & churches implementing a World Orphans, orphaned & vulnerable child program. They are always a joy & a delight to spend time with!

Michael & Annette DiGesare

Michael and Todd Defayette

Annette playing with kids at Pastor Jacques Henri's church today.

After dinner Ted & I took Dr. Todd over to visit a missionary who had posted yesterday the need for a chiropractor on our expat fb group. He was able to bless her with care & relief for a recent back injury. The experience was one of those Haiti "moments"...the unexpected "treats" that appear out of nowhere, that I cherish day in & day out with our life here. They quietly seem to fill my heart with joy.

Todd carried his portable table to the 3rd floor above a church building, where there were apts for those missionaries who lived & worked there. We met Tom, who has been living in Haiti for 40 yrs & also Carole who has been working with Tom & his wife in church planting and school building here in Haiti for 15 years.  They are veterans compared to us & this evening I was thinking that they had been here long enough to find the most marvelous Saturday night spot in Port Au Prince. There was a small outdoor common area, sort of a breezeway that their apts were each off of. Down in the church three floors below was a choir practicing. They were singing a'cappella and it wafted straight up.

While Todd got down to business I commented on what a unique setting it was for him to work in, one you could never imagine ahead of time! He was giving much needed treatment for a slipped disc with a Haitian choir serenading him in the background. It was glorious & reminded me of a moment of "heaven" here on earth. God providing Carole's care in a miraculous way & us being blessed with the voices that He had created raising up to worship him in unison. There is so much that is "noise" and "chaos" here as a constant that the orchestration of both divine gifts jumped out and proclaimed themselves as His handiwork tonight in the midst of daily life.

I'm sorry that I didn't have my camera in tow to share a bit with you, but some times these things just pop up when you least expect it!

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Please PRAY with us as we head for some worship time tomorrow and get ready for WO leadership to arrive in the afternoon. We all have a BIG week of planning ahead of us for the future of our programs as we continue to grow & to help them move from relief mode toward development. We are in great need of God's clear WISDOM and guidance as we talk with each other as a team and with our church pastors throughout the week and seek to find His vision for us all for this phase of the projects here in Haiti.

@ the artisan village

Today's 60 seconds follws us to the metal work artisan village. "tink, tink, tink..." It is one of our favorite places to go! The creations that they make out of old oil drums are phenomenal. Today we were purchasing items to be sold in the gift shop that Tynan is maintaining at the WO guest house. All of the profits are used to help move families in our partner church communities, out of tents and into homes. 

60 seconds a day...

I don't know why exactly, but it has been really hard to blog lately. 

Maybe it's because there a fewer truly "new" experiences going into our second year here. More likely it is due to an overwhelming feeling of inadequacy I have lately when it comes to putting life, work, and continuing cultural acquisition into words. 

Both Ted & I have talked about having SO MUCH on our minds, SO MUCH on our hearts & SO MUCH going on around us that brings up more questions than answers. We aren't overly concerned with that fact, it's just the way it is right now. It is probably good to be in a place where we finally have better questions to ask. I never want to presume to know the "answer". It's an intentional and constant battle to fight that notion & to lay it aside for an open and teachable spirit.

I will try to find my words & write more about that in the near future, as we process things more fully. In the meantime, we've decided to try something simple and fun to help share our daily life with those that may care...a daily video blog.

Sometimes, I find myself saying, if they only knew what we're doing right now, or I wish they could see this moment or that one. So we are going to try to be more faithful in keeping our camera around & capturing 60 seconds a day in order to give you just a small way to join us here.

Hopefully, over time, it will give you an idea of everyday life in Haiti too.