so before i even started thinking about packing god told me to bring paints to haiti...something about overcoming my hesitations about blank canvases...definitely some kind of metaphor for my life and future i think...so for my birthday people i love very much gave me paints and canvases and all the stuff in between and i came armed for creating...and yesterday kervens and i went up on the roof to do just that...turns out he had never done it either and has some of my same feelings so we tackled them together...we learned so so so much about life and this was just our first attempt...everyone should paint...

so today started with a stove that didn't want to cook the children's breakfast and a big crazy goose chase for dorothy as she tried to get mickenson, his mom, and their stuff all to the hospital for his surgery...in a car with a busted radiator hose! after a lovely walk to the gas station for cornflakes and bread and two trips to the hospital and a little duct tape to make it home on a busted hose all was well...and the stove managed to fix itself by suppertime by the way...maybe the car will fix itself by morning...kez treated dorothy, kervens and i to a lunch of haitian pate and chadec (sp? its creole for grapefruit basically) from a street vendor and it was amazing...i have been hearing about pate for a while now but have not yet had the pleasure...it is like everything i love about an egg roll and then some! anyway...today i started working with frantzo again...he is a child that was affected by menengitis as an infant that resulted in seizures and a stroke. he was initially paralyzed on the left side but has regained the use of it and so i am going to be working with him on using his left hand specifically to improve control and motor coordination...anyone with ideas or experience feel free to contribute...poutchino is showing tremendous interest in standing and walking and exercising and dancing! so i am excited about doing his physical therapy as well as some motor skill work with him too...today we took gertie, clo clo, richardson, and isna out for our first tap class since i have been back and they did great...they love putting on their shoes - thank you steps of faith - and making all that glorious noise with their feet! (the girls always polish any dust off of them with the hem of their skirt before they will start) for 3 and 4 year olds with very little english they are brilliant dance students...they pick up and remember steps so well because they are so eager and excited to be dancing...of course it is a bit of a circus to watch me try to keep up with them too...like hearding one eyed cats in...well tap shoes! did i mention i love my life....?

on a different note...baby moses who has been in the hospital since he was brought here by a family who found him in a trash can malnourished and critically ill died yesterday...dorothy was running around all day after getting a call that he was in desperate shape trying to find the medication that he needed and take it to the hospital...yes...take it TO the hospital....she was able to get it to him but even with it he passed away that evening. he fought so hard and this family was fighting with him, ready to take him home and raise him as their own if he survived the ordeal...what a beautiful picture of love they were to him, and to us...

we are beginning a composting project as well as our own vegetable garden...kervens and i are so excited...anyone with tips for gardening in rocky soil in a tropical climate...bring em on please! we also start homeschooling...that is i will be homeschooling kevs (and he will probably be schoolin me a little too)...next week so please pray for us both on this new adventure...we are both excited!

show love...much love

so today i am up and about after being a little sicky...nothing says welcome to haiti like a little "haitian happiness"...i am successfully eating crackers now so i think all will be well soon...we finally got mickenson's surgery scheduled after three trips to the hospital for dorothy and his mom...it is monday morning at 6am...we are going to drive them since she will have to bring all her own sheets, toilet paper, food, etc. for her and the baby...slightly different experience than in the states...keziah is headed out later today to attend a wedding and i think i am going to get a little driving experience by taking her to the airport...look out streets of haiti...i have driven some already but i still have a lot to learn and i figure the sooner the better...

the kids are doing pretty well...i did a little therapy with poutchino and he responded really well...he is walking a lot more often and definitely getting stronger...i am going to start pulling him and frantzo and a few others up separately to work on some specific things...frantzo seems to remember our work from last time and is always trying to hand me things using his weaker hand...i think he could benefit a lot from a little one on one work

we have had a few dance sessions and those have been fun...we are just experimenting to find the time of day that works the best and i am trying to learn dance terms in creole...that will help alot!

on one of the surgery scheduling attempts we also got to stop by and visit with amanda taylor and her mom janice who were down to visit with the child amanda is trying to adopt from haiti...it was a lovely visit and also very educational since we got to sit in on a meeting with the lawyer who is handling adoptions for several families out of the same orphanage. so much to figure out! blessings to all those families as they try to navigate a system that is perpetually changing!

and just like that....i'm home.

dorothy and kevs told me on the ride home from the airport that my arrival would be a surprise to the kids but i could hear some commotion downstairs that sounded like maybe i had tipped them off with my loud georgia mouth...i opened the door and at the bottom of the stairs stood richardson looking like he had in fact seen an alien after telling everyone in town for years that they did exist....he started pointing and yelling..."wi, sa mama casey....mama casey isit!!!" then it went a little nuts....but in the most wonderful of ways...there was hugging and the call for "un bo" which is "a kiss" everywhere....singing and earring pulling and the question "danse? danse?" ...i love my life.

since i have been away the kids have grown up so much...jj is engaging and communicating so much more...gertie can tie shoes....levinsky is so much healthier and he is crawling around like crazy....frantzo is trying to talk....isna can sit quietly for more than 2.5 seconds...miltha's little crown of hair is turning into quite the fro...so much has happened!

i have started the getting settled in process and they had a beautiful bed made for me when i got here complete with a welcome back note...and purple and it was perfect!

to back up a little...great flight...met some interesting characters and rode on the biggest plane i have ever seen...all my luggage made it...at least everything i remembered to bring in the first place....good thing kathy is comiing soon to bring all that i forgot or couldn't fit!

two angels gave me some "me money" that was to be used for a camera but it is so hard for me to make buying decisions so quickly but with just a 20 minute window shelby and i found the perfect camera....for the exact amount that i had been given...and it was blue! yay!!! so you will be bombared with pictures...thank you aunt sabra and ginny!

i think you wanna dance with me...i think i do too!

so after a morning of saying my goodbyes to the family and then running around for last minute stuff with mama kati, i had a lovely evening with some lovely ladies at the marketplace...then back home to jesup to do the final packing job with the help of my wonderful brother and ride to the airport...shelby t....i have managed to make a list of the stuff i need to do between waking up and getting on the place...now if i just make it out of the house tomorrow with the darn thing! i did find the address for sending me mail...i will put it below...

we got news this week that one of our beautiful little ones from faith hope love has gone to heaven...his name is mackenson and his precious spirit had a remarkable impact on everyone who ever looked into his eyes...he did not speak but was an amazing vessel for the truth to pour out of...and as i have said before...truths are not easily unseen...thank you for all the beautiful people who loved on him during the two years of his life...and thank you mack for teaching me the importance of hearing what is not being said...

my head and my heart are so full and this adventure doesn't even officially begin until tomorrow...well later today...what an unbelievably wonderful life i get to have...here we go...

Mailing address:

Dorothy Pearce

Agape Flights

PAP 15297

100 Airport Ave Venice, FL 34285

(I am charged $1.50 per pound for shipping on all packages)

so i have a ticket...

i am leaving on saturday....flying out of jacksonville florida at 11am...wow.

whew...in a really good way.

so the famine is over now and was really great...we had a really interesting experience going without food for 30 hours while hanging out IN A RESTAURANT! and ashley gets special props for doing the famine while serving in the restaurant...what a powerful experience...we got a lot done at the mp (marketplace) and we had some great times with some great people...a special thank you to those who traveled so far to be with us and to those who participated from afar too! now it is time to start planning for departure...deciding what to pack...how to pack...all the last minute tasks of closing up my life here for a little while...and then there is of course getting my actual plane ticket...might be helpful! so many people have blessed and enouraged me in so many ways this week...thank you so much for all of your love and support! i am so thankful for all the wonderful people in my life....it is really overwhelming...but in a really really good way. much love to you all!

p.s. we also raised a little bit of money for world vision too...yay! if you still have famine money get it to kathy asap so we can send it off to be used!