Life Observed

I am still processing my feelings about life here in PAP, but I wanted to share simply what I have observed, without my opinion involved in the matter. Before doing so I want to be clear that these are just my observances, I am not saying this is how life is only how I perceive it to be, I have in no way been here long enough to say how life really is.

Of course, the buildings are but piles of rubble. Those that are not completely crumbled are soon to be, the vast majority of the city is in shambles. And yet, are making do with what is available. Which is to say that they are breaking away what is left of the crumbling buildings in order to use the scraps to make shelter.



Shelter- there are still houses standing but you won't catch a Haitian in them, especially at night. Which is why tent cities are popping up all over the city. So for now the lucky ones have tents and the not so lucky are making do with tarps and whatever scraps of lumber and tin they can get their hands on. Some have ended up living on the median of the streets. Risking life and limb living between crazy amounts of insane drivershref="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPu4JFq1iWlB1ZPzsRaK51k35j9hGcR80tqaWKvWOQKobqNde0VFEZ4tejvFe6o1FcbkNGXNrFsevngbLi2hhnKa10GxVP7d02AMcik_loJ_-GxrzaZkGnA11TTyLHd7HJBRPjLEdKs4/s1600-h/Haiti+1+061.jpg">





One area that is not at all kept up is a market place down by the port. It is over crowded with life. Human and livestock, owned and stray. All doing their business seemingly unaware of the filth and disease that they were doing life in. The smells of rotting food, urine, waste and sweat hang mingled in the humid air.



Not far past this point there is a lined up thousands of women waiting food ticket in hand hoping to secure a bag of rice for their family today. Yesterday there was an equally long line waiting in the squelching heat and as we drove by the call rand out from the armed guards that there was no more rice today. Those who had obtained their 50lbs sacks hurried off with them on their heads, while the rest left tired and empty handed, likely to come back again tomorrow.

A Room With a View

This is the view from my room that I do not have to share with anyone here at the Mission Training Institute in Palmer Lake, Colorado. It is not the view I expected when I left California. I came here thinking that my two weeks here would be covered in snow, not so. I not being a huge fan of the white powdery substance am thankful for the lack there of. I am also thankful for the absence of a roomie. Thank you to those of you who were praying for that along with me. God was good and provided once again!

Many of you have asked what it is that I am supposed to gain from this time at MTI. Until last night I was not really able to give you a good idea. Now that I have been through orientation I can tell you that we will be spending a lot of time listening and speaking, though not in ways that I am accustom to. Mostly in phonics or in languages that are unfamiliar to those of us in attendance so that we will retrain our ears to hear more than the 44 sounds in the English language and our mouths to make these new tones and shapes needed to produce the sounds found in other languages around the world.

It is almost like we are learning a language in order to learn other languages.


It is all very interesting and if nothing else so far I have learned how to laugh at myself and others while learning to make new noises. A skill that I am sure will come in handy in my first few years in Italy.

You can continue to pray with me in these things:

1. Heath - I am getting a cold, which makes language learning a bit more challenging. As well as adjusting to the higher elevation of CO. Don't worry I have drank more water in the past two days than I had in the past two weeks.

2. Boldness - both in my language learning as well as in meeting all of the new people. I know most of you think of me as an extrovert, and while it is true that I love people, I have a hard time making new acquaintances in large groups. So I am forcing myself to go bowling tonight with some of my classmates.

3. Understanding - I long to be good at communicating in Italian with Italians, so you can pray that I will truly grasp the skills and tools being presented here these two weeks so that I can be as effective as possible as soon as possible in Italy.