Vitamin A

This week I’ve had the pleasure of teaching nutrition lessons with some of the older, more competitive tennis players. Nutrition in Haiti is a complex subject, because there are extreme cases of both malnutrition and diseases caused by being overweight. Diabetes is super common because of the high oil, sugar and refined grain intake. And our malnutrition program is a way for undernourished and quite frankly, tiny, kids to gain weight quickly. Balancing these two ends of the spectrum has definitely proven to be a challenge.

For the tennis kids, I mostly focused on the basics of the different food groups they need to be eating every day. I based the lessons off of the american My Plate concept (they even had a creole version on their website!) and adapted as needed. We talked about the importance of grains, vegetables, fruits and protein sources. The next day we went more in- depth and talked about the essential vitamins. We did hands- on activities like putting stickers on plates to symbolized different food groups and sorted felt cutouts into fruits and vegetables. I even promised one of the boys that if he only drank one 7UP per week, I’d only drink one Coke per week! Here’s to hoping he keeps up his end of the promise.

While I believe education is key, the execution is also just as important. While I was talking about the importance of eating rice and beans together, one of the boys said that their family cannot afford beans so they eat rice by itself. That just about broke my heart, because these kids want to be healthy and strong but their situation prohibits them from doing so. Same with fruits and vegetables, the price is just too high to have a sustainable and healthy diet. However, programs like the feeding program at school and breakfast/lunch served at school help to overachieve this hurdle. Even so, there are plenty of ways to improve the diets of the Haitian people and I hope to move towards finding a sustainable solution.  

Despite the many nutritional hurdles in Haiti, the kids were eager to learn! They loved hearing that protein will help them grow their muscles, and eating certain vegetables will affect different part of their bodies. A few hours after yesterday’s lesson, Steevens pointed to my mango and said “Vitamin A!”. WOW talk about rewarding! I am trying to make the most of my last days this summer. Loving it, and praying for more sweet moments! 

story time: last night I tripped and dropped my phone on the road and thought it was lost for good when I couldn’t find it. my Haitian friends/neighbors called everyone they knew all night to find it for me. turns out, Marie Jean who works at the cafe saw that someone picked it up and said she knew it was one of the white peoples’ 😂. so she tracked it down for me and gave I back safe and sound!!!! God is lookin’ out for me #grateful #laughingstockofGressier #everyoneknowsIfell #smalltownproblems #gotmyphonebacktho (at Gressier)

story time: last night I tripped and dropped my phone on the road and thought it was lost for good when I couldn’t find it. my Haitian friends/neighbors called everyone they knew all night to find it for me. turns out, Marie Jean who works at the cafe saw that someone picked it up and said she knew it was one of the white peoples’ 😂. so she tracked it down for me and gave I back safe and sound!!!! God is lookin’ out for me #grateful #laughingstockofGressier #everyoneknowsIfell #smalltownproblems #gotmyphonebacktho (at Gressier)

story time: last night I tripped and dropped my phone on the road and thought it was lost for good when I couldn’t find it. my Haitian friends/neighbors called everyone they knew all night to find it for me. turns out, Marie Jean who works at the cafe saw that someone picked it up and said she knew it was one of the white peoples’ 😂. so she tracked it down for me and gave I back safe and sound!!!! God is lookin’ out for me #grateful #laughingstockofGressier #everyoneknowsIfell #smalltownproblems #gotmyphonebacktho (at Gressier)

story time: last night I tripped and dropped my phone on the road and thought it was lost for good when I couldn’t find it. my Haitian friends/neighbors called everyone they knew all night to find it for me. turns out, Marie Jean who works at the cafe saw that someone picked it up and said she knew it was one of the white peoples’ 😂. so she tracked it down for me and gave I back safe and sound!!!! God is lookin’ out for me #grateful #laughingstockofGressier #everyoneknowsIfell #smalltownproblems #gotmyphonebacktho (at Gressier)

story time: last night I tripped and dropped my phone on the road and thought it was lost for good when I couldn’t find it. my Haitian friends/neighbors called everyone they knew all night to find it for me. turns out, Marie Jean who works at the cafe saw that someone picked it up and said she knew it was one of the white peoples’ 😂. so she tracked it down for me and gave I back safe and sound!!!! God is lookin’ out for me #grateful #laughingstockofGressier #everyoneknowsIfell #smalltownproblems #gotmyphonebacktho (at Gressier)

story time: last night I tripped and dropped my phone on the road and thought it was lost for good when I couldn’t find it. my Haitian friends/neighbors called everyone they knew all night to find it for me. turns out, Marie Jean who works at the cafe saw that someone picked it up and said she knew it was one of the white peoples’ 😂. so she tracked it down for me and gave I back safe and sound!!!! God is lookin’ out for me #grateful #laughingstockofGressier #everyoneknowsIfell #smalltownproblems #gotmyphonebacktho (at Gressier)

Real Life

One and a half weeks. 10 days. That’s how much time I have until I head back to America. Around this time I start to reflect on my summer and start praying for my transition back to the states. It’s a bittersweet time, I am simultaneously trying to make the most of these next days with my family in Haiti and start preparing my heart for the transition back to my family in America.

It’s during this transition that I start struggling with “did I do enough” and “maybe I should have ....”. It’s a hard balance because as much as I’d like to go go go for two months, that just isn’t possible. I wish I could say that I radiated positivity and joy all summer but the reality is that even in my favorite place... life is hard. Learning to accept that is difficult. On days where it just seems like absolutely nothing is going right, it’s easy to let the devil speak doubt into my life. Things like “you aren’t supposed to be here” and “you’re not really doing anything useful”. The Lord has constantly reminded me of my purpose here, and everywhere. Which is simply to love people and love them well. Not to say I’m good at that all the time, but as long as I’m following Him and loving people, everything is going to be ok.

All that to say, I love my life here even when it’s not perfect. Even when I’d rather be in America eating ice cream in the air conditioning. When it comes down to it, there’s no place I’d rather be. Haiti Life is Real Life too, and just like anywhere else there’s going to be highs and lows. God never promised an easy life, but He did promise to be next to us to walk us through it. And goodness, I’m so thankful for that.

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:58‬ ‭

Respire Haiti Artisan Bread Co.

A month and a half ago, Monte Stewart came down to Respire like he does many times throughout the year. Monte is one of my favorite people that I’ve gotten to meet through Respire, his passion for Haiti is amazing! In the states, he has a non- profit named Stamp Out Starvation which provides the meals for lunch at the school. The food is also used for our weekly community feeding program on Saturdays and a need-based family feeding program. Whenever Monte is here, he works all day to do whatever Respire needs. This past May, he brought wheat berries to Haiti!

With the wheat and a solar oven that was generously donated to us from another organization, we have started to make whole wheat bread. It’s pretty much impossible to find bread that isn’t white in Haiti, so having this available is HUGE. The whole wheat has so many more vitamins, minerals and grams of fiber than the bread commonly found in markets. Every Friday, we have a student from the school come and make 100+ rolls from scratch to give out during the Saturday feeding program. 

I’ve loved being able to find a way to incorporate my love for nutrition in such a tangible way. Physically grinding the wheat with a mill, waiting for the bread to rise and baking with the sun. Not to mention watching the kids at the feeding program eat their Ti Swen with a side of whole wheat bread. Such a huge blessing and I’m thankful to everyone who donated to make it happen!!

The Very Worst Blogger

Hey y’all! I have realized that I am quite possibly the worst blogger on the face of the planet. Things have just been insanely busy and crazy here! Being in Haiti again has been similar but also so different at the same time. I have loved seeing all of my friends again, and being able to communicate right away has been such a blessing. I spent so much time last summer struggling to learn creole and now that I can (somewhat) speak it. This has helped IMMENSELY when it comes to work and strengthening relationships with my friends here. God answers prayers, people!

One of the coolest parts of my summer happened about a month ago when my wonderful mother came to visit me in Gressier. It’s so hard to put into words the love I have for this place. So to actually show her was a game- changer. We played with kids, colored, went on an economic development tour, went to KL and just lived life. She poured into me and the staff here so much, and was the bomb.com. It felt like the two parts of my heart collided in the best way possible. Thank you mom for visiting me, and helping with EVERYTHING. 

Thank you to all the people who reached out to me re: the unrest that happened last weekend here in Haiti. All is well, but please continue to pray for Haiti’s people and government. We are waiting to see what happens on Saturday with the announcement of whether or not the prime minister is stepping down. 

Sadly, I only have 3 more weeks in this beautiful place I’ve come to think of as home. Please keep me in your prayers, and I will try not to be so terrible at updating y'all! 

Guess Who’s Back, Back Again

Man oh man, does it feel good to be back. It’s pretty crazy how even just stepping off the plane I automatically felt at home again in a country I haven't visited in over 5 months. This past week has been pretty chill as I ease my way into my goals for the summer. I got to spend less than 24 hours with my bff Lara Beth, hung out with King Kaleb for a few days, and met the new interns. And two more interns come tomorrow! I can already tell that these next two months are going to be jam packed and I couldn't be more ready. Yay for Haiti! 

"You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart always will be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place." -Miriam Adeney

   I have yet to find a way to more accurately put into words how the past three months of my life have been. This summer was an incredible blessing to me and I miss Haiti and my friends every single second of every day. While the three months I spent there is not a long time in the grand scheme of life, it was long enough for the country to capture my heart. 

   Without trying to sugarcoat it things, these past three months have been difficult. Really, really difficult. I left a part of myself on that mountaintop in Haiti and my heart aches that it is so far away. I don’t see the world the same way anymore. Things that used to mean a lot to me in America don’t hold the same weight. This is in fact, a normal reaction to being exposed to a place different than where you grew up. Yet it feels like more than just exposure, it feels like I’m home but not really I’m missing my home in Haiti. I miss speaking Kreyol, I miss knowing everyone on my walk up the mountain, I miss my Haitian friends, I miss watching soccer, I miss working in the clinic, I miss seeing the same kids every day even though they’d roll their eyes at me 98% of the time, I miss eating sos pwa, heck I even miss waking up at 6:00 to sit under the tree with a cup of coffee and my morning devotions. But I miss so much more than those things. I miss my life there. I miss how real and close I felt to the Lord there. 

   I’ve talked to some people about my experiences, and some really wise advice that I got was not to rush this healing process. It’s hard not to feel weak, or over emotional as I process everything since coming back to the US. I do know that I’ve always been a person who feels everything deeply and though I’ve tried to fight it the Lord is showing me what a blessing it is. My heart was broken and restored in Haiti and since that experience I don’t really know who I am anymore. 

   What I do know, is that I am His. Even on days it doesn’t feel like it, even on days where I’m angry because I want to be in Haiti and I don’t want to be in America anymore. God has still claimed me as His child no matter how broken I feel inside. He says that He is near to the broken hearted; and broken hearted I am. 

   All of that to say, I miss Haiti and I’m literally counting down the days until December 12 when I get to see everyone again and feel the hot sun on my skin. I finally get to go back and see the part of my life that is so special to me. If you think about it, please keep me in your prayers and if you’ve experienced similar things or just want to talk please feel free to text me or message me or whatnot.

-Rachel

A month ago I met sweet Ketlove when she started on the malnutrition program. She was not nearly as alert and was not walking this well. Today she was cruising around, smiling and playing with beach balls in the therapy room. It is so amazing to see the huge impact that proper nutrition can have on a child's life in such a short period of time. GOD IS SO GOOD. 🙌 (please forgive me my VERY loud encouragement but I just couldn't keep in my excitement!!) (at Respire Haiti)

😍😍😍 (at Respire Haiti)

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God”. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 I’ve officially past the three- week mark of my arrival in Haiti and time has FLOWN by. The work that I am doing here keeps me so incredibly busy during the day, and in the evenings I love getting to know the teams that come and spending time with the other interns. While I’m at the clinic I feed the Respire students who are a part of the program, admit new students or children from the community, manage the records of everyone’s weight gain, meet with the children in the community to track their progress etc. I am absolutely doing what God has called me to do and there is nowhere that I’d rather be. Seeing these beautiful children so excited to play or even just let me hold them and talk for a few minutes is such a blessing that the Lord gives me every day. Even though I am physically walking to the school and taking heights and weights, God is doing all of the work here. Without His direction and the peace He gives me I wouldn’t be here. To be completely honest, I probably would have given up and moved back home by now. God has blessed me by leading me here, but it hasn’t been easy. Living in Haiti is difficult, and I won’t pretend like it isn’t. There are some days that I am just so run down and tired that I don’t think I can make it until the end of the day. Just getting my kids to eat their RUSF every day takes 3 or 4 hours of me sitting with each of them and convincing them to finish it. It’s tedious and sometimes downright frustrating because they’re kids and like to test boundaries. I’ve had to use more psychology and language learning skills than I had expected.  Yet when the Lord comforts me with the beautiful view I get to see every morning as I have my quiet time on the mountain or with a great conversation with one of my co-workers I know that He’s giving me the strength to extend His love to the people I interact with every day. Something that is easy to forget about doing missions work is that you can feed and clothe all the people you possibly can, but if you don’t show them Jesus then they haven’t truly gained anything. I believe that my work with the malnutrition program is very much needed and beneficial to those who are a part of the program but I need to remember to show them Jesus while I’m feeding them. The Lord has blessed me with so many comforting moments and Paul’s words remind me that I need to be a reflection to others of the grace and peace that I’ve found in Jesus. God is doing amazing things in Haiti, in Gressier and through Respire. I’m stunned every day that I wake up to the Haitian sunrise and walk up the mountain to work in the clinic. The people, the landscape, the culture of Haiti is nothing like I’ve ever experienced and more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. Each day I pray that the Lord can work through me and that I can extend the comfort that He gives me to those who I interact with every day.

this picture makes me feel like a mom who's always embarrassing her kids (at Respire Haiti)

Two of my kids took my phone and the results were too great not to share. Love them!!!! I cannot believe I get to spend my whole summer with these goofballs!