Jeff is a guy in his early 20's who lives in the neighborhood and is constantly having "accidents." During the past year I have lived in this neighborhood, Jeff has had somewhere around 6 accidents. All have required stitches. At first, it was a cut on his hand (that bled all over my fav flip-flops!) then one to the head, then a night of yelling outside my bedroom at 3 am saying his friend was bleeding to death outside my front door. That was a little (OK a lot) overstatement. As I ran from the back of my apartment to the front door, flashes of blood and guts and bullets ran through my head. When I got the porch light on I saw that Jeff's friend had fallen and scrapped her chin. After walking over for a closer look, the smell of alcohol almost knocked me down.

Jeff got a lecture.

By a white girl.

At 3am.

It went something like this:

1. Your friend is NOT bleeding to death.
2. I was sleeping.
3. Where were you going at 3am?
4. How much have you all had to drink?
5. I WAS SLEEPING!

The drunk duo burst out laughing.

I handed them neosporin and band-aids and said to come back at 8 and I would look at it again.

Last week Jeff came back into the office (surprise surprise).

He had 5 sets of new sutures. 1 on his hand, 1 on his bicep and 3 on his back. Pretty big I might add.

He said he didn't want to bother me again at 3am so he went to the hospital instead of waking me up outside my window but wanted to know if i would change his dressings for him. I never really dug for info on past injuries Jeff had but this one was pretty bad.

When I asked him what happened he said, "I got cut."

I said, "Really Jeff? That's all you're going to tell me?"

He went on to say he got in a fight, at night, when he was drunk and the guy stabbed him several times with a broken glass bottle.

I didn't say anything and kept cleaning his wounds. Just thinking. Thinking how the possibility that one day someone was going to come by and tell me Jeff was dead was pretty certain.

He asked me why I was being so quiet...someone is obviously used to my lectures.  The lectures which obviously aren't working.

I looked at Jeff with his Mohawk cut hair, tough guy facial expression and multiple stitches. How many times over the past year has God literally put this guy on my doorstep? I have never mentioned God to him. I was too busy trying to control the bleeding, tending to his physical wounds.

I ended up telling Jeff I was just thinking. But there was a lecture going on in my head. But this time I was on the receiving end. God was giving it.

Jeff came back everyday for a week or so to get his bandages changed. I tried to talk to him about other things. His kids (he has 2 beautiful kids), music, neighbors, and then finally told him I was praying for him.

And to my surprise...he said thanks.

Then I went a bit further and told him my fear that one day I was going to hear that he was dead. He said that sometimes that scares him too.

Sometimes medical professionals forget that physical wounds are not the only wounds that need healing.

Let's surround Jeff in prayers. 

Here's a follow up to my grocery store post from last week.

So I said in that post that we don't eat American food very often and I showed you why ;) But Haitian food is good (if cooked right) and that's mainly what we eat. 

Our nanny/cook/housekeeper/etc lady, goes to the open market for us once or twice a week. She went yesterday. I gave her $12 US and this is what she came back with.

Much different from the grocery store prices huh?

(in the gray and white striped bag there is rice, The tied up pink bag by the eggplant is salt, the red can is tomato paste)

So for $12 we got 5 bananas, 30 eggs, 12 packages of crackers, potatoes, 2 eggplant, green beans, pineapple, 3 carrots, 4 tomatoes, 1 can of tomato paste, 4 plantain, 1 bag of black beans, 1 bag salt, little hot peppers, 2 garlic, 2 militon (I don't know what this is in English-the 2 green veggies by the bananas), green onions.

And the transportation fair for her to get to the market was included in the $12. But this was prob only about $.50 total.

So there you have it...what we eat in Haiti!

Knowledge wanted!

Anyone know how to make Soap? Specifically goat's milk soap?

 photo credit: madmillie.com

Odd request...I know.

We are looking for ways the women here in Haiti can earn a living and there are goats everywhere here...and no one drinks their milk!

Please email me at ginnyandrews@hotmail.com if you have some soap making skills/knowledge.

Or if you have another idea for a business start up here for people willing to work but have little to no education, let me know!

Grocery shopping in Haiti

I get a lot of questions about the food we eat here. Honestly, we mainly eat Haitian food. Because 1) It's good and 2) It's cheap!

I go to an "American style" grocery store about twice a month. I usually spend around $50 and get 2-3 grocery bags worth of food for that price. Makes me long for Krogers and Walmart! I do miss American food so I splurge and make it once or twice a week.

Here are some pictures I took at the grocery store here. 

The exchange rate varies a little day to day but it is around 40 Haitian gourdes to $1 US.

 Price 2,019 gourdes

$50.47

 Price: $22.22

yep for strawberries...this is why Odessa has never tasted them!

 Prince: $10.90

 Price: $8.25

 Price: $4.72

Price: $56.22

Riiiiiiiiiiight

 Price $ 12.10

Now saving the foil from the restaurant doesn't seem so silly does it?

 Price: 24.22

 Price: $21.85

 Price: $4.85

 Price: $6.85

 Price: $8.22

 Price: $7.22

 Price: $11.22

Price: $5.35

There you have it. And by the way...no couponing, weekly sales, freezer stock-up, etc....ever! 

Who knew living in a third world country would be so expensive?

Click Here for a great blog post I recommend.

Photo source: http://www.bloglovin.com/m/2255195/462233783/fb

Announcement!

Odessa Lynn would like to announce the engagement of her Mommy and Papi!

 

The wedding is planned for June 30th in Haiti.

We are so excited to become a family and continue to serve the Lord together in Haiti.

***Special thanks to Gwenn Mangine for taking these fabulous photos!

***Another special thanks to Jenn Bauguss for editing them making us pretty ;)

Check out their blogs/websites!

Nadine update

I know you are are dying for an update on Nadine. Especially those of you who know her.

I got to see Nadine last month when I went to the states for a week. She is doing so good! Her host family is doing a great job

Nadine was so cute...we went out to lunch and she told me she had to tell me something. She told me that the house she was staying in has hot water. Remember Nadine comes from a village where they carry water in buckets back to the house or they bathe in the river. When she stayed here at my house in Haiti, she kept turning the faucet on and off in the sink. She had never seen running water inside a house before. And now she is in a house in Ohio that has running HOT water. She couldn't believe her luck! She told me anytime she turns the water on it is hot-whether it is in the morning or at night. Makes you think about the luxuries you live with when you look at it through her eyes....doesn't it?

She has had her first treatment at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Coumbus, OH.

And here are the pics.

Drum roll please....

 

 

Nadine has a few more treatments and then will return to Haiti.

 

Thank you for everything you all are doing or did to help Nadine. Please continue to pray for her and her host family and her birth family who are anxiously waiting for her return here in Haiti.