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| School classroom |
I know I haven’t blogged much in the time since I moved here
back in May 2016. It’s not for lack of
wanting to blog; it’s just been more about being overwhelmed about everything
that I’ve experienced. I didn’t know how
to put into words all that I was feeling, experiencing, and thinking. So, I just didn’t write.
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| School cafeteria |
However, I
can’t keep not writing because it seems like too much. I plan to pick up the blogging with the good
. . . no, great news that has developed in the last month.
As many of
you know, four years ago, I took a leave of absence from my teaching job at
Rotolo Middle School o spend a semester here in Haiti working on opening a
school for special-needs children. That
initial work seemed promising in that I was able to use donated funds to pay
off land that would be used for the school.
Well, it seemed as if God had other ideas! Plans for the school pretty much came to a
halt at that time. It’s not that the
dream died—that never happened! It’s
just that the plans slowed down . . . pretty much came to a stop.
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| Seminar particpants |
Though the school
plans slowed down, my desire to work with the special-needs kids never
did. With the help of other groups and
numerous interns, we were able to develop a viable physical therapy room and a
therapy schedule for our kids. The plans
were different, but progress for the special-needs kids was being made.
Fast
forward to 2016. I made the decision to
move to Haiti and commit to the special-needs kids. I wasn’t sure exactly what that would look
like, but I figured if I were in country it would be easier to work with the kids. I took a teaching/counseling job at Morning
Star Christian Academy so that I could make a living and be closer to the kids
at Notre Maison. It was going okay . .
., but not great. I still wasn’t spending as much time with the kids at Notre
Maison as I wanted.
Where It Gets Good
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| Seminar activity |
Upon my return
to Haiti after Christmas break in the States, I learned from Gertrude that we
had been granted the use of a school that had been used by a group of Catholic
nuns that could no longer run a school on those grounds. So, now Gertrude and I had a school. Not just land. Not just a small building that we could
improvise with. But, this is a real
school. With classrooms and offices and
therapy space and a cafeteria. You name
it, we have it! Go God!
Where It Gets Even
Gooder
It was
great that we had facilities, but I still needed a way to have an income while
working at our new school. Enter Morning
Star Christian Academy. The school has
agreed to let me work part time as the school counselor, which gives me two
days each week to work at our new school!
How great is that???
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| Therapy room |
So much of
this year has been a roller coaster ride that I wasn’t sure whether I had heard
God’s voice right in coming to Haiti.
With time and patience—not just this school year, but also over the last
four years—I do believe that I am in the right place at the right time. A dream that started years ago is coming
closer to being a reality.
Next Steps
As awesome
as all this is, I realize that the we are still at the very beginning
stages. But, I am jazzed! Today a group of teachers/professors from
Florida came to do in-service with Haitian teachers about effective teaching
methods to use when working with special-needs students. The presenters were amazing, and the Haitian
teachers participating were top notch—I can hardly wait till tomorrow’s
sessions! There is such hope in this
area. These teachers are passionate about
working with special-needs students; now we just need to keep them all
connected and learning from each other.
The
networking that happened for me today did wonders for my soul. I no longer feel as if I am creating
something by myself. There are others out
there who want to help . . . who have the resources and the connections to
help. I finally feel as if I know how to
connect to some of those resources so that we don’t have to go it alone.
For me
personally, these next steps are going to be huge. My “take-home pay” will be reduced yet again
because I am going to part-time hours at Morning Star. That scares me some. But, God has provided so far, so I have faith
that He will continue to provide.
However, in addition to learning how to be an administrator for a
school, learning how to be an advocate for a school and its students, I must
also learn how to advocate for what my needs are financially. God is really stretching me on that one!
Thank you
to everyone who has come along side of me on this journey. You have faithfully stood by me—I’ll keep you
posted as things progress in the coming months!
