another day in paradise

I suppose it’s another time for an update! This gets harder and harder for me to do because there is always so much I can learn, so many people I could spend time with and get to know, so much I can read! Then I think about how many people have mentioned that they’re reading my blog and how much that means to me, and how much of a monster I’d be to keep all of the goodness from Haiti to myself!
The daily routine has changed for me a bit. Instead of helping teach preschoolers I am working with the computerized identification system used to streamline distributions to the villages of the 5th Section. This has been a challenge for many reasons. I am once again being shown how difficult and adaptive a life of a missionary MUST be. Terry, the leader of the base, one morning told me I was going to be doing this. He, however, is an extremely busy man and can’t take the time to properly orient me on the system. He has told me vague ideas of what he wants done and I go to town on them. The system is on Microsoft Access, which is a database system similar to Microsoft Excel. Each household in the 5th Section is given an identification card. On this card has a picture of one person from the family. They are given an ID number, and it is recorded how many people are in their family, what sicknesses they may have, what damage their houses endured from the hurricanes, what specific village they are from, and what supplies they have already received.
Like I said I have been thrown in on my for the most part to feel around. It has taken me a while, but I’ve for the most part mastered the program! My task has been to clean the system up. Many groups have come and blessed this place with their help but it is hard to always stay on the same page with new people cycling in and out. Because of this, many of the information is very scattered. Villages are spelled differently, supplies are called different things, etc. I have been consolidating as much of this information so we can exact information from the system much faster. It’s been cool because I’ve actually figured some stuff out that Terry and Rodney weren’t aware of and we’ve really been able to improve the system!
I love doing this work because it truly is important, and truly works, I’ve experienced it the second day I was here! If we just showed up with food and supplies it would be chaos. The strong and clever will make out with a lot and the weaker or just unlucky will be left starving and dying. It’s awesome that I’m able to experience this because I KNOW I will be doing lots more of this later in life and so I’m trying to be a sponge and soak it all in baby! It’s also challenging work and allows me to be independent and somewhat inventive.
I’m excited because tomorrow morning I’m going to be blessed with the opportunity to go back out to the beloved 5th Section! Rodney and I and a Haitian brother are driving out there in order to make measurements on the road and canal. We are doing this because this spot near the village of Lubin is pretty treacherous and damaged and we need to find a way to be able to bring equipment and trucks out here. Ahhhhhh I seriously am sooooo happy that I am able to work with this aspect of the ministry. This is best-case-scenario for me. If only more money would pour into this place so more love and compassion could be poured into the 5th Section!
Oh and also, just for the record it is confirmed today that I indeed have Dengue Fever. After another day battle the incessant loosening of the stool, or what I like to call Duvalier’s Revenge, I broke out into a rash on my arms. That is the other tell-tale symptom of Dengue Fever. Hahahaha how cool is it that I came to a “tropical” island and picked up a “tropical” disease from mosquitoes! It’s been a huge hassle and pretty exhausting and dehydrating at times, but booya for me for the story I can tell haha!
Thus ends another entry from “Mista Clai-Tone” as my PE students pronounce my name. Thanks for reading! I love you and miss you all!