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-- 1 Aug 2007
Dear everyone,
Just wanted to let you know that I arrived safely in
Port-de-Paix about noon...that was about 30 minutes
early!!! Sr. Adeline showed me around the new
house---I still have trouble finding the bathrooms.
She has given me a room with a private shower and
toilet, but it may be too fancy for me. We will see.
They had black bean sauce with dumplings for lunch, one
of my favorites, since they knew I was coming. Followed
by Haitien coffee. We will have to work on a veranda
to drink the morning coffee.
More later,
Joan |
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-- 6 Aug 2007
I have finally settled
into a room. I decided the large room, with private
toilet and shower, was too big and nice--it would be
better for 3 visitors. So I have moved to a small room
with the other sisters. Three little problems: 1)
when it rains, water comes in under the door; 2) most
of the rooms have the possibility of having electricity,
but not this one, at the moment; 3) the room has a door
to the outside and one to the hallway inside. The one
going out has no doorknob, at the moment. So I move
little table in front of it when I leave. . . . . . . .
Have to end. More
later. Thanks for your prayers. Joan |
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Dear everyone,
It is 8PM on Wed. August 8, and I am sending you this
email from the new convent. The first wonderful thing
is that we have electricity tonight; the second
wonderful thing is that the Fdls congregation installed
an email dish on the top of the building; the third
wonderful thing is that a young friend of Sr. Adeline's
connected the email cable to the computer tonight so
that the email is working!!! This does not mean we
will have electricity, email signal, or a working
computer tomorrow---or even for the rest of this
evening. But for the moment, we are very happy to have
this.
I just returned at noon from a 2 day visit to Chansolme
and Bassin Bleu. Fr. Prophy at ND du Lourdes in
Chansolme and I had a very good discussion about the
water filtration system, a goat project, the
continuation of the clinic construction project, and the
visit by the sister parish medical team in March, 2008.
Three of the Fdls sisters there will be leaving for a
month-long class in France on August 16.
After that, I went to visit Fr. Grergory at St. George
in Bassin Bleu. He was just assigned to that parish in
June (his first appointment). He is young, energetic,
and very ready to face the many challenges of the
parish, the schools, and the house.
Interesting facts of the day: I went to Fonkoze today
to make a withdrawal. They had no money. They said
come back tomorrow. I went to the post office to send
a letter to the US. They had no stamps. They took the
letter and said they would put the stamp on when the
stamps arrived.
As I was returning on the street to the convent, a
short, thin older man with white hair and a stubby beard
greeted me with Bon soir, Sr. Annie. (About 1955,
several sisters from the Swiss congregation of the Lay
Missionaries of Fribourg came to work as nurses on the
island of LaTortue. Later, they came to the mainland
and worked in the clinics of Bonneau and Gaspard.
Often, when I am walking in those areas I am greeted as
Sr. Annie, Sr. Rose, or Sr. Therese---because evidently,
I resemble all three of those nurses.) I returned the
greeting. He continued to talk to me in French, so I
asked him if he could please speak Kreyol or English.
He asked me why. I said because I did not understand
French. He asked me why. I said because I was an
American. He asked in some amazement, in Kreyol, " Are
you an American Catholic? I thought that the only
Americans in Port-de-Paix were Protestant. Are you an
American Catholic?" I said ,"Yes, I am an American
Catholic." He looked at me for a few seconds, then
grabbed my hand with both of his and shook it
gleefully. He was still grinning when we parted
company.
Time to share the computer with Sr. Adeline. I am happy
to be able to write to you tonight. More later--I
hope. Peace--Joan |
