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Squeals of excitement!  Children running with arms open wide!  Smiles stretching from ear to ear!  Laughter!  Jumping!  Joyful hearts!  This was my welcome from 61 children when I returned to Grace Village.  I was in the Dominican Republic for 5 nights.  I needed to get my passport stamped and also needed rest and relaxation.  It was a refreshing time away, but I was ready to come home.

 
My favorite memory of staying in Boca Chica was kayaking in the bay.  The ocean water was crystal clear and a beautiful turquoise color.  I paddled out in a little kayak a few of the mornings.  One morning, Jess and I shared a tandem kayak and ventured to the island.  We brought snorkeling equipment...even flippers!  We were both a little nervous about jumping in, but wanted to see the fish.  So, we each leaned over opposites sides of the kayak and stuck our heads under water.  Everything was so clear.  We saw some beautiful fish, old shells, and sea urchins.  Jess started getting eager to jump in the water.  I was a little nervous.  I have a fear that the fish are going to eat me.  It is a silly fear, but the water makes me a little scared.  I can swim and I had a life vest, so I decided to face my fears and jump right in!  We parked our boat, in the roots of the trees on the island, and started exploring the beauty that God has created in the ocean!  I saw Dorree (Regal Tang fish) from Finding Nemo!  I saw some other colorful fish that I have only seen in ocean life storybooks.  I am so thankful that I decided to jump right in the water!

 
Check out my new hair do!  I had my hair braided in the Domincan on the beach.  The children at Grace have been asking to braid my hair like theirs.  So, I thought it would be a fun surprise to return home with lots of braids!  The children thought I was so very beautiful.  I kept them in for about a week.

Surrender

Surrender

I arrived in Haiti on July 2^nd.  When I look back over the past 3 months, I am amazed at how much I have learned.  I speak some Creole, I wash my own clothes by hand, I know how to treat a variety of medical ailments, I am a mother to 61 children, and I am continuing to learn more about Haitian culture each day.  I am amazed at how much the Lord has taught me.  I have learned that I need to trust God to use me to love and serve the people in Haiti.  God has shown me the importance of completely relying on Him.  The song “Have Your Way” by Elizabeth Hunnicutt has been a great reminder to allow the Lord to use me.  I listen to it every morning.  Below you will see some of the lyrics.

Open hearts and open hands

Open up our minds to you

We are longing, we are searching

Guide us in the way of truth

We are listening…

We are listening…

Have your way

Have your way

Holy Spirit, come and have your way

Have your way

Have your way,

Holy Spirit come and have your way

We surrender,

To your power

We surrender,

To your whisper

I am so thankful that God called me to Haiti.  My heart beats so strong for the Haitian people.  I have now been in Haiti for about 90 days.  In order for me to continue living in Haiti, I need to leave the country and get my passport stamped.  Then, I may return for another 90 days. I am so thankful that I was blessed with the finances to leave the country.  I did not know where the needed $600 would come from, but prayed that the Lord would provide for me.  God is so faithful and an anonymous donation of exactly $600 appeared in my missionary donation account!  Can you believe it?  The exact amount that was needed appeared!  Wow, God provides for all of my needs and blesses me richly.  Tomorrow, Jess and I will leave for the Dominican Republic.  We plan to take a coach bus, about an 8 hour ride, to Santo Domingo.  We will be taking a taxi to our hotel in Boca Chica.  It will be a beautiful week of rest, relaxation, exploring, and experiencing the other side of this beautiful island.  I will blog when I return to let you know about my adventures. 

Serving Haiti

Loving the children in Cite Soleil.  We sang songs, talked in Creole, and danced.

What a beautiful week!  God has stretched me and challenged me in many ways.  I often thought, "What is God trying to teach me?".  I was blessed with the opportunity to join the Healing Haiti Team of short-term missionaries from my home church in Minnesota.  In January of 2012, I experienced being a part of one of these teams and the week was life-changing.  During that trip, the Lord called me into ministry in Haiti.

Waiting in line for clean water.

I have so many stories to share.  It was difficult to decide what moments to highlight.  Two days we delivered clean water in Cite Soleil.  Cite Soleil is considered the slums of Haiti and is the poorest part of Haiti.  The adults and children ran after our truck carrying 5 gallon buckets racing to get to the font of the line.  Hundreds of people waited for clean water.  This water is used to cook, do laundry, drink, and bathe.  Water is a source of life and this community depends on it to survive.  

We also went to the Home of Sick and Dying Children.  It is similar to a children's hospital.  It is a new, beautiful facility.  There are about 25 cribs in each room.  Families are encouraged to visit their children every day.  Some families live in the country and it is impossible to get transportation to the hospital.  If families are unable to visit their children, there are many people who care for them.  Their ages range from 3 months to about 8 years old.  

While we were at the hospital we held children, sang to them, and prayed for them.  They are all so precious.  Many of the children have a variety of illnesses, but most are malnourished.  I was so thankful to see the baby (3 months old) I held  3 days ago no longer needed an I.V.  I sat on a stool holding her.  I noticed that a one year old boy (who was so frail he looked as though he was about 12 pounds) had inched his way up the slope in his crib to get as close as he could to me.  He reached between the metal bars of his crib and grabbed my finger.  We made silly faces at each other and made funny noises with our tongues.  We smiled and laughed together.  There was another boy who brought me such sadness.  His crib was in the corner.  He wore a loose fitting top with no pants or diaper.  It looked as though he had burns all over his body.  His hands were bundled and were tied to the edge of the crib.  He whimpered.  Then, would give a loud yell.  When I looked at him and talked in Creole to him he would look at me with the biggest, deep, brown eyes.  I sang to him a lullaby and gently stroked his forehead.  I could see a peace about him.  He was in pain, but needed someone to be next to him.  To be there.  This boy reminded me of the difficult times in life.  Throughout life, there is much heartache and pain.  There is illness and disappointment.  I am so thankful that through all of life's ups and downs I can depend on the Lord.  He is my comfort, my savior, and my peace.  He will never leave me.  No matter what I am going through, the Lord is with me.  He will walk me through the storms of life.  Holding my hand every step of the way.   

Birthday Celebration

Last night, we all gathered in the Feeding Center (cafeteria) and celebrated 2 birthdays.  What a fun celebration!  The birthday boys stood up in front and shared what they were thankful for in their life.  Both boys thanked Jesus for providing for them and loving them.  We sang songs as one boy played the drum.  He has great rhythm.  Then, the children were asked to share a special story about the boys or a song.  Many children sang a song to the boys.  They took turns singing into the microphone.  We even sang Happy Birthday Haitian style!  We all danced and clapped.  The children love to see me dance.  I dance "the pigeon".  Many of you may know this dance.  I bend my knees and flap them together as I wave my hands in front of them.  They love to dance this dance with me.  Many children have expanded on my dance moves and now move their arms in all kinds of directions as they flap their knees together.  Some children even bend down to the floor as they keep flapping their knees.  This takes much more muscle than I have.  Sometimes, the boys pretend to hold a camera and videotape me dancing.  Sometimes, they pretend to hold a remote control and point it at me to tell me to keep dancing.  We have so much fun!

Before bed, one little girl was crying.  She was sad because she didn't know her birthday.  It broke my heart.  Never in her life has she celebrated a birthday.  There are a few handfuls of children who do not know their birthday.  Hopefully, we will be able to help them find out when their birthday is and celebrate their life with them!  

Contact Lenses

The other night my eyes were so dry that my contact lens flipped out of my eye.  The children were so surprised.  I tried to explain to them I have glasses that I wear on my eyeballs.  They thought this was so strange.  They were curious, yet puzzled.  They wanted to see my contacts.  So, I told them they could watch me take them out in the evening.  It was hilarious!  About 15 children huddled around me as close as they could get and watched me remove my contacts.  In unison, they said, "whoa!" as I took out the first contact.  I explained that the eye doctor gave me a prescription for my eyes.  Instead of wearing glasses, I wear contacts.  They couldn't believe that a little, clear circle was placed on my eye to help me see.  I tried to explain all of this in Creole the best I could.  Later, I saw some of them talking with other children that didn't watch me take out my contacts.  The other children thought I removed my eyeballs when I slept and put them back in each morning.  I explained to them that I did not remove my eyeballs.  I removed my contacts.  Each morning I put new contacts on my eyes.  They were very excited to watch me put my contacts in the next day.  They are intrigued by my contacts.  Throughout the day, they mimic me taking out my contacts and as they pretend to remove them they say, "Bloop, bloop".  They giggle and think it is so funny.

Support Needed

Family and Friends,
  I write to you to please consider making a financial donation to my Healing Haiti missionary account.  I am required to leave the country every 90 days since I am not obtaining a VISA while I am in Haiti.  In my research, I have discovered that roundtrip airfare, hotel stay, possibly car rental, and food costs are approximately $600.  I did not plan for this in my budget.  Please pray about what you can give.  If you would like to contribute to this need, please visit
http://healinghaiti.org/pages/SupportKathrynAslakson  Thank you for your continued support.  You have all blessed me in many ways.  I love you and miss you all!  Love, Kathy

Tropical Storm Isaac

We spent the day preparing the best we knew how.  We packed snacks, water, medications, first aid kits, flashlights, and a bag of activities for children to do in their rooms.  It started to rain in the afternoon on Friday and the wind started to blow.  It was unusually cool outside.  We talked with the children and told them a big storm was coming.  We instructed them to put on their pajamas, brush their teeth, and stay in their rooms through the afternoon and night.  We told them we would check on them and make sure they were ok.  After our meeting, the children went to their rooms and stayed in them until the storm calmed.  In the morning, the guardians braved the storm and went to the kitchen to cook some food for the children.  They brought them breakfast in bed (spaghetti, avocado, and hard boiled eggs).  The children giggled about eating in their beds.  We also brought them lunch in their rooms.  The wind howled as the rain pounded on the roof.  Our ceilings leaked.  We set buckets out to catch the drips.  The structure of our dormitories had been built strong and kept us all safe.  The people of Titanyen and other cities in Haiti were less fortunate.  My heart breaks for the destruction they faced.  Many homes are made of tarps and sticks.  Some are made of cardboard or tin nailed together.  Some of these homes were not strong enough.  Some roofs blew off, others had their homes flooded.  When heavy rains come, churches and schools open their doors for families to go for safety.  Many families fear leaving their home because of theft.  On Sunday, I went to church in Port-Au-Prince and saw some of the destruction.  I have captured some images below.  Thank you for your prayers.  Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti and for the rebuilding that will now take place.

(Above) This is a picture of a town a few miles away from Titanyen.  Many of the homes were made from tarps and collapsed in the storm.

(Above) This is a picture of a billboard on one of the main roads in Port-Au-Prince.  The wind bent it in half.  The other billboards were in decent condition.  This photo shows the power of the wind.