Every once in a while, I catch myself doing something that I NEVER thought would be part of my normal. What surprises me is that I’m mostly OK with it. After all, it’s so far removed from our previous life and lifestyle; shouldn’t I be more bothered? For example…
*Checking the toilet for mosquitos and cockroaches before sitting down. Bug bites on the bum are uncomfortable; and cockroaches are just nasty.
*Not washing my hair every day. And sometimes, forgetting to brush my teeth. Ewwwww.
*Having all of our envelopes stick together because of the humidity.
*Packing our food in plastic bags and containers to (try to) keep critters out.
*Sweeping and mopping and mopping and sweeping. Oh, if my friends could see me now!
*Opening a brand new container of sour cream only to discover mold inside. No big whoop – having paid triple the price we’d pay at home, we just scraped it off. And it tasted soooooo good on chili that night.
*Becoming a cold blooded killer. Mosquitos, cockroaches, spiders, and flies don’t stand a chance. The lizards are kind of cute.
*Saving ice cubes for later use because ice is that valuable (don’t worry; I know whose are whose).
*Sleeping in a canopy bed, though not quite the one I envisioned as a little girl.
*Listening to roosters and dogs and revving engines and voodoo drums on a regular basis.
*Opening a brand new bag of chips or cookies… and the contents are already stale.
*The absolute joy I feel when my feet are (1) clean and (2) hit the 6’ runner we have in the hallway. Ahhh… bliss.
*Nosy neighbors.
Trust me, this is a pretty short list given how many things are different now.
Had someone told me 20, 10, 5, 2 years ago that this would be our life, I would have said, “You’re crazy!” Oh sure, Tim always liked the idea of being a missionary pilot, but I assured him that I would be the one standing on the beach, waving goodbye, as he flew off into the sunset to some exotic destination in his seaplane. Nope, not me.
But, by the grace of God, Tim and I continue to live out this journey… learning new things each day, reliving some familiar frustrations, and celebrating the victories – like seeing Ifwa on his brand new, donated, all-terrain wheelchair. How blessed are we that we get to live this life?!?!
If any of you think, “I could never do that,” watch out. God loves a good challenge <smile>.
PS – For those of you wondering about the things I am NOT OK with… slow internet and overpriced M&Ms!
SimpleRadicals 
Thanks Bim for sharing your heart with us. Love & Miss You Both. God Bless.
Loved your post. Blessings to you both. Ifwa’s new vehicle is so cool! Di
It’s crazy that I have only lived “part” of your new life for 8 days, and I can relate to almost all of those….Two of my favorites to add (much in line with what you are saying) was the day we were in front of the grocery store in St. Marc, and 1. seeing a delivery of hamburger buns being accidentally dumped on the street and a sea of green lying in front of me (the mold of course) and 2. understanding that despite what the travel sites say, you don’t stand out as a tourist in Haiti if you wear jeans, but rather it is something much simplier that makes you stand out….again the people in front of that same grocery store said it most simply…..blanc. May God Bless your endeavors and keep that guest room clean! I’m working on (I mean encouraging) my wife to come see you all again soon!…Eric
I still love that jeans comment :). And the guest bedroom is now the nicest room in the house – perfect accommodations for a first time visitor to Haiti (hint, hint, Sadie…)!
Great stuff! Thanks for sharing!
I loved reading this, it’s a beautiful thing when you make due with what you have, you seem to see Gods wonder so much more, God provides doesn’t he? Love you guys and miss you.
Love hearing about your adventures! It helps put perspective on where our focus should and how many little things we need to just get over. I am a work in progress like all of us. Love you both!
You never cease to amaze me! I’m always looking for spiders and bugs in the the bathroom and on walls, but you can quadropple this! Looking forward to seeing you in October. Hugs to you both!
Just wanted to reach out and say ‘hello’ from PA! I think of you often and just love to hear your perspective on life in Haiti – I’m living vicariously through you – maybe some day I’ll get the courage to try it! Many blessings and much happiness to you and Tim!