So after my Mama has yelled at me enough, I figure it is about time I write on here again!!! I think I have said before, I forget anyone would actually read this! Anyway, one of the reasons for the long absence is that I have finally moved into my apartment/condo/room/mansion- how ever you would like to call it- in Jubilee. And I love it SO SO SO much! For those of you who have been afraid for me living out there, I wish I could describe to you the sense of community I feel out there with the people- they love on me as much or more than I love on them! It is so beautiful how things are going out there, the only problem I am having is when I have to tell kids they need to go home so I can get some work done!!! (Rachel- it is like a constant repeat of saturday mornings on oak street- except no spiderman!!!! And I don't know how to say 'peanut butter and jelly head' in Creole)
I invited two of the girls that help me in the school to spend the night with me one night- Lovemita and Nerlande, and when I asked them what they wanted to do-- they said math! So we did math problems on a friday night! Funny, but cool that there is this desire to learn. Many of my kids around the 14yr age are still in around 4th grade because many times they can't finish the year for lack of money and then have to repeat the same one over. But after math, we watched a movie, and that was a great treat for them!
My Mama gave me instructions to write about living out there- so here is what my life is like there. I get up around 6, many times to the shouts of my kids who are already at school waiting for it to start, them telling me to come down becausethey want to see me. The commute to the school is pretty rough-- down the latter and about 15 steps! Before last week, going to the "bathroom" meant a hole out behind some piles of dirt, that from pretty much at least one direction people can see me. But that is another great story about how God wires and prepares different people, because its not a big deal to me- camping trips with Daddy prepared me for this! And like I told Mama, it even fits me better, because I don't like having to clean the bathroom!!! However, in response to having my playground also be used as a toilet for the community, we are blessed as of last week to have had a nonconventional latrine built! Thank you Mr. Emory, Mr. Joe, and Boss mason! Now I just have to teach people to use it!!
My day pretty much works the same, except I have axcess to all my stuff all day since it is right there. And then after school when I do some other random work, I usually have around four or six people chilling at my house, playing a form of jacks, or helping me clean up. They usually want to go get water for me, sweep, wash my dishes. It was really hard for me at first, having people do things like that for me. But when I made the mistake of telling Lovemita she didn't have to do that- I insulted her. Because the way she explained it was that I was helping her and the people here and this was the way she could help me, and it hurt her for me not to want that. So through this there is a lot of learning going on on both sides about loving and serving and trying to do things in ways that honor each other, and lift each other up. It is humbling and hard and truly incredible.
Nighttime in Jubilee is so beautiful. You can see the stars because there is hardly any lights out there, even if government power is on. Being up high I get an incredible breeze! And from my porch I can see the ocean and the mountains, it is unbelievable the amount of beauty in even the darkest places.
