NEW Luly Community School

There are people who wonder why World Wide Village works in Haiti.  Don't we know we'll never be able to save the entire country?  Aren't we cognizant of the fact that people have been working in Haiti for awhile and people are still starving?

Oh baloney!  God is bigger than all of the so-called "here is why the world thinks you shouldn't work in Haiti"!  Want proof?  Click here:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.220419654684324.53217.207418982651058&type=1

Here's the story -- in January 2010 there was a devastating earthquake in Haiti (but if you are reading this blog you probably already know this).  The church where school was held in the community of Luly was rendered completely structurally unsound, to the tune of WWV organizers being nervous with people even setting foot in the building.  Locals fashioned walls out of banana leaves and made a temporary shelter for the kids to continue classes.  Banana leaves do not hold up well to elements, and so the shelter pretty much dissolved within a few months -- torrential rains have that affect.

The kids moved back into the structurally unsound building because they had nowhere else to hold class.

God roused World Wide Village into action!  Loving the people of Haiti means we were compelled to HAVE to do something!  We rallied supporters and gathered donations from individuals, companies, churches, etc.  Then Digicel, Haiti's largest cell phone carrier, came alongside the school and funded the rest of construction.  The school was built bigger and better than we expected...what a blessing!

This past Tuesday was the opening ceremony for the brand-new Luly Community School.  Some recognizable faces were in attendance - Miley Cyrus, Haitian President Martelly, Bill and Tani Austin from Starkey Hearing Foundation, as well as Randy and Pat Mortensen and WWV staff on the ground in Haiti.

Just look through the pictures above - I nearly started crying for joy.  ALSO: President Martelly guaranteed free tuition at the school for all students!  Woot woot!

Do you want to meet Maria Bello?

So Maria Bello, a super cool, super tough actress is starring in a new show called "Prime Suspect".  This version of it is a remake of the British version, but apparently the two are different enough to be related, but are their own unique entities.  Cool.

So why am I going on about an actress in a blog about Haiti?  Maybe because we are having our 5th annual Festival for Haiti on October 15th.  Maybe because we have a silent auction that is held each year to help raise money for Haiti, and we've received super cool items this year that I'm completely stoked about.

Maybe because Maria Bello and her colleagues may have just donated a super cool item that we are hosting online bidding on our website about right now.

Just maybe.  ; )

Maria Bello, who helped found an organization called We Advance in Haiti (an organization designed to empower women and girls in Haiti to take care of their health and safety), has graciously agreed to something that is neat.

Has the suspense built up enough?

Okay:  Bello + associates have donated an awesome package:

• 2 tickets to see the filming of "Prime Suspect" in California (including lunch with the cast and crew!!)
• 2 tickets to Universal Studios Hollywood Theme Park
• A signed copy of the show’s pilot script

We are currently hosting online bidding on this fantastic item (starting bid = $950) on our website.  You can get to the bidding instructions by clicking HERE

C'mon...haven't you always wanted to rub shoulders with big movie stars and help Haiti at the same time??

Reality check.

So the doctors said I could keep running with this pregnancy as long as I felt alright.  Well, I do not feel alright.  I've felt incredibly run-down for the past couple of weeks.  Finally someone suggested that I quit running, and think about not doing the October marathon either.

=(

As much as I hate to admit it, running no longer brings time with God, peace of mind, and a sense of over-all well-being and general health.  Instead, running feels like I'm putting my body through a meat-grinder and I just feel all sorts of ick when done and for the rest of the day and the next.

I'm not a very large person, and don't have many energy reserves, and it seems as though my body is shouting "Wake up!  You're growing a baby, we need the energy you are running off!!"

So I'm done running for the summer.  =(  I am also, sadly, not running the October marathon.

Those of you who know me personally know how much I balked at the idea of quitting, as it is admitting that I am simply physically unable to do something...not an admission that comes easily by any means.  Arrrrrrrgh.......but this baby means more to me than keeping the 300 mile goal I set.

Oh well.  Baby and I will just have to run together when he/she is old enough and if he/she is interested in running.

Until then, I have almost a year to prepare for the Riverside Ragnar in Minnesota next summer.  Woot woot!  I'll be working on helping organize a team for that to take place next August.  I don't know what those race officials' rules are on running for a cause, but if they'll allow us and the rest of the team is interested (this is a relay race), then this will be for Haiti too.

BUT...here is BABY! (due April 10):

Running hiatus

Elliptical machines make me feel like a rockstar - nowhere else can I run 5 miles in 20 minutes!  Hmmmmm, may have to check the settings on that machine, but for now I'm just going to go with it.

After the half-marathon a couple weeks ago, I felt ill for the next week (allergies + pregnancy + not being allowed to take allergy medications = sick Nora) and was then in Alaska for a week for my brother's wedding....so today was the first time I ran in 2.5 weeks.  : (

The nurse has told me that I need to be running on an elliptical now to save Baby any unnecessary bouncing.  She's not too thrilled that I'm going through with running the marathon on the 2nd of October, but only broken limbs will prevent that.  Plenty of pregnant women run marathons.  : )

So, the 300 mile goal may be a thing of the past, given that I'm still under 200 miles and have less than a month, but I'll still aim for as close to that goal as possible.  We'll see.

Yay for traditions!

Goodness the people who live in the Cities are a lot more fit than they are given credit for, I think!  On Saturday, as I ran 6 mi in preparation for the half-marathon yesterday, the Ragnar (a relay race) was going on, the 3-day "Walk for the Cure" for the Susan G. Komen people who research breast cancer was happening, and there were generally LOTS of people out moving!  Cool beens.  :)

Yesterday I ran the Minneapolis 13.1, a half-marathon that has been in Minneapolis for 2 years.  It was a blast!  There is something comforting knowing that you've been on the track before, there is an end, and other people are just as sore as you!  ALTHOUGH, I'm not nearly as sore today as I was the day after the race last year - I'm just sick because being married means sharing germs with your spouse and Dahmon was sick last week.

Time for the race: 2:28:09 - not bad, but a half hour slower than last year (which is understandable given my pregnancy).

PLEASE PRAY FOR HAITI - THERE IS ANOTHER TROPICAL STORM BEARING DOWN ON THE COUNTRY...IRENE.  IT NEEDS TO MISS HISPANIOLA (THE ISLAND HAITI SHARES WITH THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)....PLEASE PRAY!!

Oh baby!

Alright, so this running goal thing this summer is going to have to be adjusted.  Dahmon (my husband) and I just found out on Monday that he and I are expecting our first child sometime in March/April.  The nurses aren't sure exactly how far along I am yet - our first prenatal appointment is on September 8 and hopefully they'll be able to tell us then.  We know that we're in the first trimester though.  =)

So this running thing?  The nurse said since I was running regularly anyways and it was not a new stress on top of a pregnancy that it would be fine.  Babycenter.com says that exercise will help with delivery.  10:00 is going to be my bedtime from now on, especially since I want to get up to go to the gym nearly every morning, if nothing else in the last tri to go soak in the jacuzzi at the gym.  =)

BUT I am under orders to listen to my body/baby - I can't push time, if I get uncomfortable then running needs to end.  Baby explains, however, why my timing has been seeing a decline lately.

So excited!  But also so heartsick for the babies in Haiti who are worried about clean water.  Won't you please consider sponsoring my running this summer?  I'm still hoping to get as close to that 300 mile mark as possible!!

Warrior Dash - pics!!

Okay dokay, finally got the pics from the Warrior Dash:

 

                         
 Gotta get over that fire somehow!!  It's amazing how high you can jump when properly motivated .  : )

    

   

 

 

 We had amazing volunteers!!  To the left is a group of gentleman from Theta Chi who came to help out.  Below is a lovely group of people who came from all over MN, IA, and SD!!!!!!!


Do you have pics to share from the event as well!  Let me know!!

Ding dong the storm is dead!!

If you have been paying attention to the news at all lately, you most likely heard about Tropical Storm Emily (one of these days, they will start naming storms with less common names).  This storm made everyone at the World Wide Village office mightily nervous.  Why?  It was headed straight for Haiti!  An island country that has already endured more in the past few years than any geographical region should be allowed to endure was about to get pounded by a natural disaster...again.

Ever heard the phrase "Don't tell God how big the storm is, tell the storm how big your God is!"?  

There is more power to that phrase than you know!

We were nervous.  We checked news reports, blogs of people who were on the ground, checked in with WWV interns who are on the ground, whatever we had to do in order to stay on top of the most current news.

AND we told the storm how big GOD is!  

So here's something to think about - how often do you think "all I can do is pray"?  Oh c'mon be honest, you know you have at some point (I said the same thing to my husband the other day while stressing about the storm).  All I can do is pray.  Why is that an "all"?  Praying is tapping God on the shoulder and saying "Hey, I can't do this but I trust you to."  It is letting the Creator know there is something distressing happening that He needs to deal with.  Praying is telling God "Hey dude, that thing that is breaking your heart?  Well, it's breaking mine to.  Now that we agree, can you do something about it?"

At World Wide Village, one of my privileges is to publish our weekly newsletter.  This newsletter covers many things, from the latest thing we are fundraising for to focuses on individuals impacted by our work, to successes and joys about working with God in Haiti.  This particular week it was hijacked to ask for prayer.

Thanks to Veggie Tales, we all know that "God is bigger than the boogey man".  Well, yesterday we counted on God to be bigger than a storm.

AND HE WAS!!!!  AND HE PROVED IT!!!

There were hundreds of people praying for Haiti yesterday.  The result?  Tropical Storm Emily reached the mountain range of Hispaniola (the island that Haiti and the Dominican Republic share) and fizzled out!  I'm going to make a Star Trek reference here (blame my hubby -- he's been watching "Star Trek: The Next Generation" like its going out of style): it was like Haiti was cloaked!!  The storm got to where it could do significant amounts of damage and then suddenly dissipated. 

I DARE you to explain that without bringing God into it.  Oh sure, the storm hit a mountain and you scientists out there are going to try and say that mountains kill winds.  Sure.  But plenty of tropical storms/hurricanes have gone right over those mountains.  Sorry, but my God is bigger than your doubt too.  

After hearing that the storm had lost its power, I could almost hear God whisper "I've got it handled."  

Now, Haiti did not get off completely free and clear.  Torrential rain still fell and wind still whipped its way across that gorgeous country, but nothing compared to what was expected.  Right now the concern is that the rain that did fall will make cholera spread further (it is waterborne, after all, and extra uncontained, contaminated water = extra cholera bacteria).  

BUT hundreds of people DID NOT die from flooding. Children were NOT ripped out of their mother's arms by huge waves.  Mud slides did NOT take out huge swaths of tent city.  Tropical Storm Emily (I have a coworker named Emily, hence I cannot just say "Emily" here) hit a wall of prayer and God's power and was stopped.  One thing I saw said it might reform on the other side of Haiti, but that very little damage is expected.  Take that, weather.  God created you, God can stop you too!  [insert appropriate kung fu reference/sound here]

Now, please excuse me while I very gracefully go do a happy dance.  = )

Attitude/Goal Adjustment

At the start of this summer, my goal was to run 300 miles.  Then I tacked on an extra month and thought, what the hay - I'll do 400 miles.  Um, so to slightly misuse an analogy, my eyes were bigger than my legs...in that meaning that in order to accomplish this task, I need to run 5 miles every single day between now and the big Twin Cities Marathon.

This girl is whooped.

I've only been running since last summer, and school is starting again soon (I'm in grad school), couple that with work and some of my volunteering commitments, and 5 miles per day for the next two months is a little too much.  As much as I hate to admit it, there is no way that I can get another 300 miles logged between now and the Marathon, particularly as there is a nagging injury in my leg that is making running really painful.  Now, pain has never been something to stop me (except when my tonsils were removed two years ago, then pain kind of put me right in my place for two weeks), especially when I'm raising money for the kids in Haiti, but realism must take its place.

So, the gist of this message is that I am going to have to drop my goal back down to its original level - 300 miles between June 1 and the marathon in the beginning of October.  For all of you who think it should not be a problem to run 300 miles in four months, consider that you have to build in rest days, and remember that I'm still a relatively new runner.  And took a week out due to lost toenails.  Murgle murgle murgle.

So yeah.  A goal that is actually achievable...for this summer anyways.  There is another goal in mind for next year, but I'm not yet releasing that info.  Too valuable.  : )

Warrior Dash was AWESOME!!!!!!!

"You are far too excited about this."  Here I quote my hubby, Dahmon, in something he said while we were driving to the Warrior Dash in Hastings this past weekend.  In complete fairness to the very patient man, I was happy dancing/bouncing in my passenger seat as he drove.  Warriors can squee, right?  = )

In case you couldn't tell, I had an ABSOLUTE BLAST at the Warrior Dash this past weekend.  Got to hang out with the 27 World Wide Village volunteers - a fabulous group made up of people who have gone to Haiti with us, Theta Chi gentleman from the local Beta Kappa chapter, and people affiliated with those mentioned.  It was absolutely amazing to be able to spend time with all of them - thank you thank you thank you to all of the volunteers!  You guys rocked!   AND our volunteers had a pretty sweet gig--most of them were manning obstacles or handing out water and bananas to race finishers.

AND we got to talk to a bunch of people about Haiti and meet all kinds of people from all over the place (there were even some people from Italy who flew in just for the race!!).  World Wide Village had a booth at the race, and Ali Funk, Emily Cargill, and I had a grand time interacting with people, giggling over the more hilarious costumes, watching the shoe pile next to us grow (a group was there that collects old shoes and refurbishes them), and making sure the nutritious sodas we were giving away didn't disappear too quickly.  It. Was. Awesome!!

My time was 39:33.  murgle murgle murgle...for someone who can run 3miles in 28ish minutes, I was a little dissappointed - but I blame the intense humidity that day.  = )  We had true MN weather, clear one minute and then they closed down the course for a little bit because lightening isn't an obstacle approved by race coordinators.

You should totally do the Dash, whichever one is closest to you!  You will get muddy...oh just you wait for the pictures that will follow as soon as I get permissions and pics from everyone.  More details about the race (and some favorite costumes) will follow.

Mud was the word of the day.  Everyone got mud on them--participants and onlookers alike...it was AWESOME!!

Just a reminder why I'm running 400 miles for a cause this summer, this article almost made me start crying (please consider clicking the "Donate/Sponsor" link above and helping send water purification units to Haiti) :


http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/186008/20110724/cholera-haiti-epidemic.htm

Warrior Dashing!!!!!!!

The race that got me into adventure racing...the Warrior Dash....is THIS WEEKEND!!

I am so beyond pumped, you have no idea!  Oh sure, I love the adrenaline rush of overcoming obstacles in a race, and races themselves, but there is another reason I am super excited...

World Wide Village is sponsoring the Warrior Dash!  We will have a booth and everything at the event! WWV will be there the entire weekend, talking to people about what WWV does and trips to Haiti (both our regular standard trips and our ADVENTURE TRIPS...more details forthcoming at a later date).  We have a group of people who are volunteering between 12:30 and 8:00 on Saturday, the 23rd and helping WWV raise money for Haiti!  You see, event organizers have said that they will give WWV a $1000 donation if we bring 25 volunteers to help staff the event.

Volunteering has rarely been more fun!  Volunteers for World Wide Village at the Warrior Dash will be responsible for overseeing obstacles (calling in medics if someone gets injured, bandaging boo boos, etc), helping in the parking lot, staffing the information booth, etc. It is going to be a blast!!


Have you gotten the hint yet?  We are still looking for volunteers!  If you are interested in volunteering and having a great story for your coworkers on Monday, let me know: nromness@worldwidevillage.org.  


Event organizers have also told me they are seeking people to volunteer 6:00-1:30 on Sunday...we'll get an even bigger donation in addition to what they are giving us for Saturday!!  DEFINITELY LET ME KNOW IF YOU CAN DO THIS!  Yeah, I know it is super early, but I also know that a coworker and I will also be there at that time.


So yeah, come find us, say hi, volunteer at the event, and try not to laugh at racers too much when they splat face-first in mud!  =)

By the way, I promised pictures from the Go Commando race.  I've ordered my set, it isn't here yet, but I was able to locate this picture in the Facebook albums for the event -->

See what I'm wearing?  That's right--its a World Wide Village jersey!  The lovely people at PK Strong can print these jerseys for you for less than $30 (including shipping and handling).  They are awesome...I wear mine every time I run outside!

The Warrior Dash is coming!

So I learned a valuable lesson last week--make sure your brand new running shoes fit properly on both feet.  Due to new shoes that do not fit correctly (definitely asking for help from the store clerk next time), I got a massive blister on the back of one heel and lost my big toenail on the other foot!  Needless to say, I was out of commission for running for about a week as my poor footsies healed up a bit.

Okay, so switch to different shoes, right?  Maybe--I switched to a pair that is well-broken in and now have blisters on other toes.  Hmmm, maybe shoes just have it out for my poor feet!

BUT are a few blisters going to stop me?  Heck no.  Not when I heard this afternoon that clinics in Haiti are being swamped with more cholera patients.  Not when this running is to raise money to bring water purifying systems into areas where the spread of cholera can be slowed drastically, if not stopped altogether, by access to clean water.

Can you motivate me to run?  Can you sponsor my running, please?  Just click on the "Donate/Sponsor" button above for instructions on how to do so.

P.S. Apparently the only place more humid in the Western Hemisphere day before yesterday than MN was somewhere in a jungle in South America.  We even beat Haiti for humidity levels!  Phew, no wonder my parents said people where they are living called this state "Mini-sauna".  Pretty fitting.  Yet there are certain goofy people who are still running outside in this soupy humid atmosphere, running because they made a commitment and refuse to back down.

Oh come on, won't you sponsor me?  : )

Change is a good thing....right?

Howdy folks!  So I finally figured out how to make the blog look more like a webpage.  If you see some silly things happening here, that is because I'm attempting to make this blog more user-friendly and easier to navigate.  In the meantime, it may look all goofed up, but there is a method to the madness (I promise) and the end result (by the end of this week) will be much more navigable and easier to understand.  AND you won't have to "ctrl + f" whatever you are looking for.  Feedback?  Just let me know.  I might ignore it, but it might make a difference. :)  Blessings to you all!

"Go Commando" Race!!

Okay peoples--the morning of June 25th saw a certain WWV employee careening over hay bales, getting down severely steep hills w/o incident, kangarooing over fire, wading through the end of a lake, and going down a huge water chute thing that flung people into a wet, muddy, sandy area.

Words to describe it?

IT WAS A BLAST!!!!!!!  

Pictures will follow later, unless you want to like the Go Commando race page on Facebook, then you can see a bunch of pics right there.  =)  For now, the official picture-takers of the event (Marathonfoto), are still sifting through thousands of pics, getting the sorted and put in the right place.  Have been able to locate a few of me...but you'll just have to wait for a few weeks.  

If you have never done an adventure race, please consider doing so!  You do not have to be in spectacular shape--the Go Commando was a race for all people.  There was a fire pit, water chute slide, mud pit, two water pits, a maze thing on the side of a hill, a hay bale mountain, a lake to wad through, cargo net crawl, etc.  

So. Much. Fun!!!

So much fun, in fact, that I went through the course three times!  I mean, how often do you get the chance to go down a water chute while people are laughing at the expression on your face (okay, so maybe it got me down the hill just a smidge faster than expected...lol).  How often do you get to duck over those giant spools found in fields and such??  

Add to the atmosphere free hotdogs, and awesome band, and the opportunity to meet new people and have a blast doing so--'twas great.  Definitely an even to repeat!  =)

On my third time around the track (don't worry, I asked several people if I could go multiple times--given that this was not a chip timed event, no one minded), a volunteer asked if I was repeating the track for fitness or because I was training for something else.  Answer?  Yes.  Fitness is wonderful, but there are four more races on the horizon.

Why?

Because I went to Haiti in January and had my heart stolen by cute kids.  Cute kids right now who are worried about drinking their water because they know there are germs that might make them sick.  : (  

ALL of my running this summer is dedicated to those kids.  They thirst so I run.  They are worried about clean water, so I run.  

So what do running and kids worrying about water in Haiti have to do with each other?  Well--with supporter help, WWV can buy water systems that provide clean water to thousands of people per day!!!  Pretty neat, huh?  WWV, however, cannot grow money on trees--we depend on supporter help to bring these water systems into Haiti.  That's where you come in.

Go to the donation page of our website by clicking HERE, and either sponsor my running on the appropriate line, or put money towards water systems.  People are getting sick now.  People are dying now.  People need water NOW.  And so I run.

Oh, c'mon--what are you waiting for??

  

We updated the website!!

Okay people, one day and counting until the second race of the season: the Go Commando is tomorrow!

What?  What's wrong with the name--the commandos it is referencing are military commandos.  Quit your giggling.

This is a 5K race with *gulp* 10 obstacles!!  These obstacles, lovingly called "adventures" by their website, include (and yes, I took this text from their site, full credit goes to them):

"Hay Fever Ridge- a climb over bales of hay.  The adventure starts with rectangular bales placed next to large, round bales of hay.  Up, over and down!

The Serpent- a serpentine path up the side of a hill. The path has been mowed through the 3.5 ft high prairie grass.

Black Holes- a climb through 48” black conduit pipe.

Log Jam- a neatly stacked pile of storm-downed trees.

Minefield- a field of car tires to jog through.

Into the Wild- a run up, run down, run up, run down through rows of pine trees on a surface of pine needles. The rows form a switch-back effect for both exercise and the excitement of watching others switch back and forth as you too navigate the obstacle.

Fire in the Hole- running down a path, hopping over some burning logs.

Swamp Commando- a watery adventure.

Run the Sahara- running over several natural mounds of sand up the side of a hill.

Over the Falls- a water slide down the side of a hill three adventures before the finish."

It's official.  All runners of this race are crazy...though it seems a little tame compared to the Warrior Dash that is less than a month away!!  Have you signed up to volunteer for WWV at the Warrior Dash yet?  Email me for info.  : )

TO SPONSOR A  RUNNER IN THIS RACE (SHAMELESS HINTING HAPPENING HERE!!!!!!!) GO TO THE DONATION PAGE OF WWW.WORLDWIDEVILLAGE.ORG AND SCROLL TO THE LINE THAT SAYS "RACE SPONSORSHIPS".   ENTER THE AMOUNT YOU WILL SPONSOR ME FOR, AND MY NAME (OR SOMEONE ELSE IN THE RACE).  ALL PROCEEDS FROM RACE SPONSORSHIPS FOR ME GO TOWARDS WATER SYSTEMS IN HAITI!! 

Running for water

So I run. A lot. Blame a good friend of mine from college--he got me hooked on running last summer and now I'm addicted. Six races total this summer (if you know of a good one in the Twin Cities area, let me know...especially if it is an adventure race):

1. May 9th - Hoofin' It For Haiti 5K 
2. June 25th - Go Commando 5K (obstacle race)
3. July 23rd - Warrior Dash 5K (obstacle race--World Wide Village is sponsoring this race, for information on how to volunteer and help us raise $1,000, email me at nromness@worldwidevillage.org)
4. August 21st - Minneapolis 13.1 (half marathon)
5. August 27th - Rugged Maniac 5K (obstacle race)
6. October 2 - Twin Cities Marathon

Obstacle races are a blast--challenging in a different way than just running on a paved course. When I started running last year, my dear brother--Daniel--asked me "Why? A bear isn't chasing you and neither am I, so why would you do that?"

I run because it helps overall health (sleeping, immune system, etc), because God gave me working legs, because this chica is a tad highstrung and it is a way to get energy out. But I mainly run because it is a way to raise money.

As it says all over this blog, I work for World Wide Village, an organization that works towards the transformation of impoverished communities. Right now our geographical focus is in Haiti, and the stories about the water situation down there right now are absolutely heart breaking.

Imagine having to decide between not drinking and dying of dehydration, or drinking and potentially contracting and dying of cholera. This is the situation many Haitian people are in as I type this post. It is rainy season again in that beautiful country. Soil integrity has been compromised by years of bad agricultural practices and now that soil is washing down the sides of hills, taking with it peoples' homes and lives. Cholera is on the rise again as flooding and poor sanitation contaminates whatever sources of water might be available.

Cholera is a waterborne bacteria that draws water out of one's cells faster than the body can replenish hydration. It is lethal, particularly as rampant malnutrition robs the body's immune system of the ability to wage war against this very nasty bacteria. Access to clean water is critical to prevent the spread of cholera and combat current infections. Sadly, many people in Haiti do not have access to this clean water.

In the U.S., we worry about trace amounts of pharmaceuticals in our water that may impact our mood over long periods of time. In Haiti, they worry that their water might kill them.

World Wide Village is able to bring water purification systems into Haiti that can purify enough water for hundreds of people daily. It does this by producing a substance called chloride--a capful of which when placed in the grubbiest water you can imagine kills all bacteria and makes the water completely safe to drink. Seriously--Randy Mortensen, President of WWV, put some chloride produced by this system in water taken from a nearby ditch and drank it and was perfectly fine.

Here is the crux of this post--people are dying from a disease that is easily prevented, we just need to get water systems into Haiti. For that, we need to raise the funds to buy the systems. For that, I am running.

This summer it is my goal to run/spin (stationary bike cycling thing at the gym) 400 miles between June 1 and the day of the Twin Cities Marathon (October 2--by the way, the miles of the marathon totally count towards that goal). Yeah yeah yeah, that's a big goal, but it is to combat a bigger problem. A friend of mine invited me to a biking challenge of similar length during the summer months, but no bike is in this lady's possession. I do have two working legs, however, and a passion to raise money to get water systems into Haiti.

I am looking for sponsors to come along side my running by sponsoring miles. Do you want to sponsor me for a particular race, or for the entire distance? Do you want to sponsor me at 10 or 100 cents per mile (or even at 1,000 cents per mile...that'd be pretty sweet too)? Each water system costs $500 (125 cents per mile). Only $500 is necessary to guarantee clean water to hundreds of people per day! Of course you can always go to the "Donate Now" page of the WWV website by clicking HERE and donate for a water system, that would be amazing as well!

People are dying now. We need more water systems in Haiti now. Won't you help? Email me at nromness@worldwidevillage.org for more info.

Imagine if this were your source of water. The water systems that we

can bring in to Haiti, with your help, can make this water drinkable!!

Do you know your wealth?

So I've been back from a week in Haiti for well over five months now, though some could argue that I never left that Caribbean island. For a few weeks after returning, my husband and our roommate would say my body might be back in MN, but my heart and head was in Haiti. To a certain extent it still is.

By the way, here is an awesome video that WWV interns currently on the ground in Haiti (lucky ducks) put together--it shows our guesthouse in Port au Prince!! AND click here to see where on our website you can see the interns blogging about their experience while spending the summer in Haiti.

How do you leave a country that captures you? The simple answer is that you don't. Haiti will always be a part of my thoughts, actions taken, decisions made, etc.

It took longer to adjust to being back in the Cities than it did to adjust to being in Haiti. First, the roads are lots nicer here (despite the fact that a pothole bent the wheel on my car, it didn't swallow my car like many Haitian potholes are more than capable of doing...but you need a working infrastructure in order to keep up a roadway, and that is a topic for a different post).

One of the first things I did was take a nice hot shower...and then nearly start crying at the thought that the water I was using to get clean was better for drinking than water most Haitians currently have access to. The next day, however, the biggest shock of returning home was to hit--complaining.

The Bible says several different times and ways not to complain. How can we complain when the Creator of the Universe is for us, standing beside us each step of each day, caring about our individual cares in the midst of a giant world of concerns/cares/illness, etc. God has it all figured out. He clothes the lilies of the valley in splendor we can only dream of (assignment for the day: go outside and look at a flower. Really look at it. Appreciate how each petal is attached, the veins carrying nutrients to leaves and stems. Simply amazing.) Why should we complain?

We complain because life interrupts and slaps us with things we think we cannot handle. Complaint leads to worry. We worry because we are unhappy, because we think things might go wrong, because we lack trust in God. We worry because we are human creatures made for divine purposes dealing with the matters of a carnal world. We worry because life is hard. God sees it, and raises the world a "I've got it covered."

This little rant has a purpose, I promise. After getting back from Haiti, it struck me how much, as a society, we complain. "The microwave turned our food into a prop for a horror movie. That awful driver in front of me is going too slow. Bobby didn't ask me to the prom. My nail broke"....whine whine whine. Now, this isn't to diminish the fact that life is hard--that is an inescapable truth. Everyone has their struggles and difficult times. But I was hit between the eyes with the difference between the kind of worry experienced by those who have plenty and those who are grateful for each drop of clean water.

Everywhere you look in Haiti, people are grateful to God for the little they have. They do not have much, but they are extremely grateful for everything they do have. A tarp to shade them from the sun is a reason to praise God. That they made it through another day without being hit by traffic is a reason to praise God. That their chests still rise and fall with the intake of air indicating the presence of life is reason to praise the source of life. Complaints are present as well, but it is amazing how little one can complain when every waking moment is spent simply surviving. The strength of the people, the hope on their faces, and the appreciation of the basics is something we should all admire and emulate. I have never seen Jesus more than when being with the Haitian people.

After working at McDonald's for a summer, I decided it should be mandatory for all young people to work in food service for at least a month (why people harass those serving them food is beyond me). After working with a group home company for over a year, I decided all should have a basic understanding of medical terminology and what it is like to do direct care for another individual. After going to Haiti for a week, I've officially decided (alert the presses) that EVERYONE should go to a third-world country for at least a week. Heck, for at least a month! A week is barely enough to get your toes wet in the pool of another culture.

Please prayerfully consider going to Haiti. Go to other posts on this blog to see what it was like when I went in January (place seen, people met, children held, etc). Chances are if you talk to me, you'll hear about Haiti at some point within a few minutes--the country and people are captivating, and I am passionate about getting people into the country.

As we say in the office, if you think you may want to go to Haiti at some point...go to Haiti! If you have heard of the country and it sounds remotely interesting...go to Haiti! If you live in a cold place and it is winter and the snow has finally gotten to you...go to Haiti!! World Wide Village does an amazing job with teams. Check out our website: www.worldwidevillage.org and see how else you might be able to get involved, even if you don't want to go to Haiti....but seriously, who can resist the opportunity to go to a Caribbean island for a week, do some good, and experience God in a whole new way?

(By the way, Dahmon and I sponsor the adorable little boy in the bottom right of the above picture. His name is Bigue and I got to meet him while in Haiti. Simply one of the most adorable children I've ever met. Do you want to sponsor a child in one of our schools in Haiti? Let me know--it's only $28 per month! Sponsorship means the child has access to education, food while in school, has the uniform and shoes necessary to attend class, etc...and you could meet him or her if you *cough hint cough* GO TO HAITI! Seriously--I'm not gonna give up on this. Let me know when you want me to help get you to Haiti!!)

Last full day in Haiti

January 10, 2011

Yes, I realize this post should have been up the day before yesterday—given that Monday was my last day to be in Haiti I decided against stashing away for an hour to write the post in favor of staying up to interact with people I won’t see for a very long time. Yesterday was taken up with travelling home (ah airports—nothing quite like standing in a 3-hr line to rebook a ticket because the originally scheduled flight was cancelled due to weather).

On Monday we bounced all over the place, but in the same general area. First, the crew went to the Williamson school that WWV is in the initial stages of supporting. What does that mean? Well, when WWV supports a school, the children are guaranteed food while they are in school. They receive a Christian education, school supplies that would otherwise most likely be unavailable, checkups from medial teams that reach the country (overall health assessments and further action if necessary, de-worming medication, etc), and a chance at a brighter future that might otherwise be unavailable. A well-known cure for poverty is education. Education provides people with the tools necessary to make life better for themselves and others who are in need. After all, it was education, and the grace of God, that brought me out of a life of poverty in Alaska to a life where I have resources necessary to help bring the Gospel to those who desperately need to experience God’s love.

Anyways, the Haitian government late Sunday evening announced that school should be closed all this week in memorial to the earthquake that rattled the country one year ago. Some schools followed this advice, some did not. Of the over 100 students at Williamson, 19 were present yesterday. We were unaware that so few students would be present when we left the guesthouse, but such is Haiti (and life). Plans are made in the morning that may very well change drastically by 1:00pm. When we first walked into the school courtyard, we could hear the children repeating something. I asked Jamiel what they were saying—“Jesus is our hope”, “Jesus is Haiti’s hope”. Very true words.

Nurses and a doctor (Chris Buresh) were present and went over the children. I took pictures of them for World Wide Village’s student sponsorship program and Ali measured all of their feet for the shoes that will eventually make it out of customs (progress is being made on this—prayers are being answered, but KEEP PRAYING!!). I really wish sometimes that everyone spoke the same language—trying to direct children around to where they needed to be, or give them directions for getting the picture I needed for our website, was really difficult. Luckily sign language can accomplish a lot and several interpreters were present, so everything all was well. Afterwards, while Randy spoke with the pastor who runs the school the rest of us got to play with the children for a little while. Just like the kids everywhere else, these kids loved posing for the camera and then busting out in gales of laughter at each other when they were shown the picture. Ali got them dancing for a little bit. I started playing patty-cake, trying to take turns with playing with each child. My goodness kids shove each other sometimes!! After saying “how are you” to one child, all of them repeated me and we went back and forth for a little bit. Then I said “I am fine”, they repeated me, and we did the same thing—going back and forth for a minute. Jameil came over and told the children to say “I am fine” after I said “how are you” and then we went back and forth with that for a bit—it was so much fun!! The kids were laughing at how each of them said the words, and laughing at me trying to say a couple of words in Creole…it was all around just a good time. J One little boy looked almost exactly like a tiny tot I used to nanny, just a darker version, so the connection between Haiti and back home was pretty strong for me.

After Williamson, we piled back into the tap-tap and trucked along a back road (actually, it looked more like a footpath) to get to the school at Luly. More kids were present at this school—probably around 50, and we did all of the same exams and measurements with them. We couldn’t take pictures because we have done so recently and there were a decent number of kids missing. Apparently the de-worming chewable medication that the nurses gave the children tastes bad—a few kids spit the pill out when no one was looking. That was disheartening, but at least we learned a lesson about how to administer the medication better the next time. News travels fast in Haitian towns, and it wasn’t too long before there were women outside the school trying to get their children in to be seen by the nurses. It was a trick for our interpreters to explain that we were not running a clinic; it was just for the kids who were in the school. Luckily, there is a clinic right in the village of Luly.

Ever since the earthquake, I have been hearing in the office about the damage to the Luly school. A church was, and currently is, being used for a school because no other building was present. The earthquake severely damaged the building, so for awhile the kids were meeting in a structure made out of banana leaves that were woven together. Well, this kind of building material does not hold up to elements well. Subsequent rainy and hurricane seasons have meant that this banana leaf structure has basically fallen completely apart. Now the kids are back meeting in that very unsafe church. Six classrooms are separated by massive chalkboards—they are all open air and range from first to sixth grade. World Wide Village is in the process right now of raising funds to build a new school building for these children. You cannot understand how desperately the kids need this building until you see the condition of the church where they currently meet. A stiff breeze might blow this thing over! Okay, so now I’m using hyperbole, but I think you get the point. A friend of mine is organizing a team of women who are going to be running the Warrior Dash in MN later this summer to raise funds for the school—I’ll be running with them…keep your eyes peeled for our team!!

We got to check on the group of civil engineers who have been in Luly for the past week constructing the bio-digester that I mentioned earlier. I was impressed at how much progress they had made—way to go guys!! A latrine now stands behind the Luly church where school is being held. This latrine is designed such that it separates urine from fecal matter. Someone will be employed to move the fecal matter into a cooking apparatus thingamadeal that will heat it up so that methane gas that is produced naturally can be harnessed to supply the cooking stoves with fuel. After the matter has had the gas cooked out, it will be spread out on a platform where it will dry out and can then be used as fertilizer. The cooking process heats the matter up enough that any germs and/or pathogens will be killed, so there is no worry about disease transmission. It is an experimental design, but if it works that way the engineers say it will, it can be constructed in a number of locations and help out a number of people. Awesome!!

After leaving the kids, pastor, and guys at Luly, the group went to Wahoo Bay for lunc. Talk about a difference like night and day! Upon walking onto the pavilion at Wahoo, there is no dust and pollution that can be found in Port au Prince. It is quiet, peaceful, serene, and beautiful. Walking across the pavilion brings one into range of the ocean, indeed said ocean is right there! After working in the hot sun for a decent amount of the day (many of us, myself included, ended the day with decent sunburns), we just jumped in the ocean. Only one of our party had an actual swimsuit on—the rest of us went in fully clothed. Oh that water felt good! Time and time again I am amazed at how salty the ocean is…but I don’t get to swim in it very often. Given that I’ve been swimming in a pool a lot lately, I could actually swim and jump off the dock into this water! Okay okay, minor accomplishment I know—but at this time last year I was terrified to be in water without goggles, so this is a major personal improvement. It was nice to just float in the water for a little bit—mosquito bites do not itch when one is surrounded by salt water. J I’m also sure that people thought this chica was being a tad silly because I was just standing in the water, staring at my feet, and giggling occasionally. Don’t worry people—I have not officially lost my rocker—there were little fish in the water that were schooling around my feet. Occasionally, one of them would nibble at my leg and I thought it was funny. Gotta take pleasure in the simple things of life or then the true craziness would start. Almost as soon as we reached the restaurant area at Wahoo, souvenier vendors came out and were peddling their wares. As Randy said these men were good guys and they deserved the money, most of us bought something from them. I got these cute little pots and a candle holder. The artistry present in their works was gorgeous!

Anyways, after a delicious lunch at Wahoo Bay we went back into the community of Luly. Randy and Pat led us through a house that WWV is considering renting—it is pretty nice and in a good location. We saw a natural spring that is separated into three sections by natural barriers. The furthest upstream section is where the local people get drinking water. The next section down is where people bathe, and the section closest to the ocean is where they do laundry. As has been stated before—it never ceases to amaze me now clean the people’s clothes are! After seeing some of them doing laundry by hand and how merciless they are towards dirt, it makes sense.

The beach right by Luly, which is separate from the beautiful sand and pebbles found at Wahoo Bay, is littered with huge conch shells! There are a few little shells as well, but there were just as many conch shells as there were pebbles. I had never seen that many big shells in one place before, and they were neat. Haiti may be a poor country, but it is absolutely beautiful!!

Home was the next destination. I learned a valuable lesson—riding a tap-tap with one’s arm stuck out the side is a great way to get a beautiful sunburn. Ouch!

Apostolique Art

Sunday—church day! I have never been in a more Spirit filled place in my life! Early morning saw us all up, freshened up, breakfasted, and ready for church (I was even up before people were hollering that breakfast was on the table). My sleep was not restful in that I have been having weird dreams about kids that need help and a world that is ending, but this makes sense given the piles of rubble and starving children that we have been around lately. For every children's home that exists where the children have nothing, there are 30 we have never heard of. Don’t get discouraged, right? God sees all of these children who are in need, even if we do not. (Picture on the right = people going to church...I think)

We got going for church pretty early in the morning because if you don’t get to church early, you do not have a seat. It seems that all of Port au Prince had turned out for church as there were hundreds of impeccably dressed individuals making their way down the street headed to one church or another. This meant traffic was slightly more snarled and impatient, but traffic is always that way in this country—at least in Port au Prince. Note: Chops was actually wearing a shirt with sleeves!! Keeping in mind that this man (whose real name, by the way, is Ryan—he goes by Chops because of impressive mutton chops growing out of his face) is usually in shorts and a tank top, this was a unique thing. “This is church” he said in justification for the anomaly. J

Luckily we got to Port au Prince Fellowship in enough time to claim the seats necessary for our group. We filed in and sat down, and then a bunch of us girls needed to find a restroom. Pat got up to show us where it was, and we four gals formed a little chain to get to the bathroom—Pat making sure that all her “little chicks” were following along right behind her. The bathroom was a ways away and consisted of one toilet in a stall…one toilet that didn’t flush. Oh well, we are tough chicas, right? A cockroach displayed the holes in that argument (a rather big one actually) as there was some jumping to get away from the critter. Oh bugs…who says God doesn’t have a sense of humor?

Upon rejoining the congregation, I saw some familiar faces. Nurses and administrators from Real Hope For Haiti were there, as well as the Livesays. There were also a couple familiar faces that I was not expecting—Andy from Luther Seminary admissions, and Peter, a guy who I go to discipleship group with, were also in attendance! Of all the places—I don’t even see these two men around town in St. Paul! Small world indeed!

Service was in English, hence why our team goes there, and consisted of worship, then the message, then a song again—much like the church I currently attend, Mercy Vineyard in Minneapolis. Familiar songs in an unfamiliar place. Same God in a different place—this was probably what struck me the most. Yes, I know that God is the same God no matter where someone is located. Yes, I know that God is the same today, yesterday, and forever…but it wasn’t until today that I really truly lived the “God is the same everywhere” reality. God met me in that church in Haiti in the same kinds of ways he meets me in St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Alaska. In a time in my personal life filled with uncertainty and unfamiliarity, the one and only thing that has remained constant throughout my entire life met me in a familiar way in an unfamiliar place. PRAISE THE LORD!!

I was moved to tears by a song titled “Stronger”, a song proclaiming the victory of God over the sins and evils of the world. All I could see were the faces of those kids in the second children's home who are living with practically nothing in an unsafe structure that could collapse on them at any moment. God is stronger than that situation. He is stronger than the social mores that justify these conditions. He is stronger than the injustices in this country that make parents have to choose between placing their beloved child in an children's home where at least they will have food (hopefully) and keeping their starved child home. I see him shining in the face of almost every person I pass—though destruction surrounds the Haitian people, hope and strength shines from their face. These are an amazing people that I have absolutely fallen in love with. Right now I’m trying to find the delicate balance between brokenness that prompts action and brokenness that is debilitating. I do not want to become hard to suffering, but I need to toughen up a little bit so that children's home like the one the other day do not paralyze me in sorrow. Prayers would be appreciated. To use an analogy from the message this morning (which was all about the Potter and the clay, how we are all molded through difficulty into the pot that God has in mind), I need to figure out how God wants my pot to pour out his love to those He brings me near.

Anyhoo, after church we went to the Kinam Hotel in Petionville, which is right next to Port au Prince. The Kinam was filled with media who are in the country to document upcoming memorials and commemorations surrounding the one-year anniversary of the earthquake last year. I wish I were in the country for just a few days longer so that I might see these as well, but I return to the States on the 11^th. Petionville is a slightly higher economic status than Port au Prince and the difference was evident pretty quick. The roads are a bit better and fewer people are sitting on the side of the road looking listless. At the same time, however, there are still tents with people living in them everywhere. Randy and Pat talked about how the park across the street from the Kinam was a really nice park before the earthquake—now it is a tent city. Apparently, right after the earthquake there were so many displaced persons scrabbling for a place to stay that tents were appearing on medians of the highways. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Now most of those tents have moved to the tent cities outside Port au Prince, though in some places you can still see tents plunked on the roofs of structures and in a few medians.

The Kinam is a ritzier hotel in the area…they even have a pool! Not sure I would go swimming in that pool, but still. We had lunch in their restaurant—there was some surprise that lettuce was back in sandwiches as many restaurants are avoiding serving lettuce due to cholera concerns. Food was good. We piled into transportation and trucked on over to the Palace…or what used to be the Palace. The Palace suffered a lot of destruction in the earthquake. Most of it is collapsed. They have been clearing out the center of the structure and apparently one side settled more recently (i.e. collapsed further). Almost as soon as we piled out of the cars, street side vendors came up and were peddling their wares. Some of them sit by the Palace knowing that sightseers like us will buy their goods.

Pat, Randy, and I headed over to visit the card ladies. World Wide Village helps finance a microenterprise venture where six ladies currently work making absolutely gorgeous handcrafted greeting cards. They make birthday cards, Christmas cards, butterflies, flowers, Valentine’s day cards, sailboats, lighthouses, angels, crosses, dancers, etc. WWV provides the supplies and pay for the women. They are paid $150 USD every six weeks. (I know, I know—this seems like a small amount, but pause for a moment and consider that the average Haitian makes ~$300 USD per year and most Haitians do not even have a job.) The cards are brought back to America, where I am in charge of their sale (shameless plug—if you want cards, let me know!! The more cards we sell, the more women we can support). I have been working with these cards since October or November of last year, and today the ladies and I finally got to meet! Note: the name of their venture is Apostolique Art and if you would like cards, email me at nromness@worldwidevillage.org.

We arrived on time, but our interpreter was late. The ladies and I were introduced and we got to talk for a little while. When asked what they needed from me, Franciana responded that I need to sell more cards so she can work more. My promise—I will do my best! I love these cards, and now I have faces to put with the needlework. They also now know me, and can now put the pressure on if I am not living up to my end of the deal. J

The rest of the team headed over to deliver materials to the second children's home from two days ago. Considering my role in the office with the cards, it was more crucial that I go to meet the card ladies…and in complete and total honesty, I’m not sure my heart would have survived another trip to that children's home until I toughen up just a little bit. From what I have been told, however, the other organization that has come in was building triple-decker bunk beds for the kids. The team brought clothes and teeth care materials to the kids and truly lived out the “I was naked and you clothed me” verse.

AMONG THE THINGS I SAW TODAY:

· Hungry street children washing cars in the road in the hopes that they will receive money for their efforts.

· A downtown that looked like a warzone because of collapsed buildings.

· A man carrying a chicken that had a sock over its head (I’m assuming to keep it calm).

· A tent city across the street from one of the fanciest hotels in Haiti.

· A tent city across the street from the collapsed Palace.

· UN troops.

· Women chatting and laughing just like Paula and I do—not a novel thing, I know, but it is nice to see that girl friends like Paula and I exist elsewhere too. We are not the only ones attached at the metaphorical hip with someone else.