Tuesday 28 May 2013

My last teaching day in Haiti... and much more.

What a day!!  It was filled with lots of fun... here are the pictures to tell the story. 
You'll soon see why I'm too tired to write a long blog post.

Students begin the day with a P.E. class.  Then we begin watching a movie.


At morning recess students play with a giant ball on the soccer field, while I supervise.


Other students play with this bottle. There is usually a ball attached to the string, but it's fallen off. The aim of the game is to have the bottle on your side after it has finished it's spin around the pole.



After recess we continue our movie and have a class party.


Students are dismissed at 12 noon.  I stay back to clean the classroom.

In the afternoon I spent 2 hours preparing some Haitian food. Other staff members also prepared a side dish. At 5pm we put on a dinner for the Haitian ladies who work in our school kitchen. We wanted to bless these hardworking ladies!!




 

Afterwards I do the washing up at home (zillions of pots and pans)... and now I'm about ready for bed!  Lucky me, I don't have to teach tomorrow, but I do have to go to school to finish up some administrative tasks. Just hree days until summer vacation. :-)


It was a great day all round.  

I will miss these beautiful 3rd Graders!




Thursday 9 May 2013

Answered prayers...

This blog post is well overdue!

In my last post I presented some prayer requests, and just a couple of weeks later one of those prayers was answered. Most of you already know that Wilson received his Australian Partner Visa on April 12th!!! :-)  We were so thrilled with this news and God's perfect timing. It has given us ample time to plan flights "home" as well as settle our hearts about the next step for the Cazeau family.

We are both looking forward to the adventures that await us in Australia, and are thankful to have a loving and supportive family awaiting our arrival in June. There are still a lot of "unknowns", especially for Wilson, who has never been to Australia and hasn't yet met my family in person. Please pray for his adjustment to the Australian culture, and Australian accent! 

I can't wait to show Wilson around, and I know that he is looking forward to seeing "my side of the world".  I'm also looking forward to introducing him to my faithful family and friends. 

Specific prayer requests are:
* That the LOOOONNNG flight home wouldn't feel so long!  
* That we'd find work in Australia.
* Pray for the transition to a new culture, and that we'd be sensitive to one another's needs.

While we prepare to leave the land of many mountains, Haiti will forever be in our hearts. We hope to begin a business importing handmade jewellery from Haiti. Wilson has been working at the Apparent Project (AP) managing a team of artisans, that make up a small part of the 130 artisans who are employed at AP.  He loves his work, and especially the impact that AP is having on young families in Haiti.  We support AP's mission to keep children with their living parents, and out of orphanages. If you too believe in this cause, you can help get this business off the ground by visiting our fundraiser page.



Artisans working at the Apparent Project...





Sample of the jewellery made at AP.






Thank you for all of your love, prayers and support!
We look forward to sharing more of our heart for Haiti with you in person.

Kellyanne and Wilson

Friday 29 March 2013

March Update

Sorry, I've been a little slack about blogging... here is an update.

This month Wilson celebrated his 28th birthday, and I celebrated my 32nd birthday.  We spent Wilson's birthday at the beach, which was very relaxing.


And for my birthday Wilson organised a very thoughtful surprise party!



Wilson and I both continue to work in Haiti. Wilson is enjoying his work at ApParent Project, and I have been blessed with an endearing 3rd Grade class. For me, the school year will end on May 31st, only a couple of months away!!

As for our future plans we are eagerly awaiting Wilson's Australian partner visa; the wait has been 5 months so far.  We would like to return to Australia as soon as we have his visa.  Please pray that God would provide for all of our needs during this time. If we cannot return "home" at our desired time then we will need other housing (as we are currently living on the school campus), and I will need temporary employment. Trusting that God has a Plan B, if our Plan A fails.

We are also considering starting a business in Australia that will help support local artisans in Haiti. There is much research to be done and we are only at the "ideas" stage.  If you know someone with expert knowledge in importing goods to Australia, I would love to chat with them.
Other prayer requests:
* That our hearts would be prepared for the "next thing" that God has planned for us.
* Patience and peace in the waiting.
* Favor on Wilson's visa.

Thank you for your love and support.

Kellyanne (and Wilson)

Sunday 24 February 2013

Heaven

Last week my 3rd Graders and I were learning about Jesus' resurrection, and the hope of eternal life that he gave to all mankind (John 3:16).  This lead to a discussion about heaven.  Since the questions were numerous, I asked my students to record them for me; I said that I would attempt to search the Bible for their answers. Please pray that I will answer their questions correctly... or simply say, I don't know!

Here are their questions about heaven and death...

How big is heaven?
When you go to heaven do you build your house?
Can you get married in heaven and have a kid?
Do you wear clothes in heaven?
Can you choose your skin color in heaven? 
Will you lose your skin color?
If you die when you're a baby will God let you go to heaven?
When you go to heaven will you know your family?
Will you have new moms, dad, brothers or sisters?
Will you have wings and fly?
When you go to heaven do you see other people who went to heaven?
Is there everything on Earth that is in heaven?
Do you rise again?
Where does your soul go?
When you die do you go directly to heaven?
Are there birthdays in heaven or anything that includes parties?

- From the mouths of 3rd Graders


Saturday 19 January 2013

Just another blog post...

Do I post this or not?

Every once in a while I remember that I'm in Haiti; a different country, a different culture, with different   safety and laws.  For the most part I feel safe here; some might say I feel "too safe" and that I should be more cautious.  But in my opinion I am cautious, I don't venture to many places alone and I'm never too far from home. 

My usual independent trek is to the local grocery story, which is about 500 meters away from where I live. There's something about the familiar that kind of makes you feel safe. I've walked to this grocery store many times before, but today I walked there with some hesitation; more alert and more cautious.  I took more notice of my surroundings.

On arrival to the store I've gotten used to the security guards with their long shotgun in hand.  In Haiti, this is the norm for most public places; banks, grocery stores, food chains.  The guns have become so familiar to me that I almost view them as a fashion accessory, with little consideration of their potential use as a weapon.  

Maybe I'm just naive; or maybe it's because I've not seen or heard the guns in use before? But on my visit to the grocery store today, I didn't view the guard with his gun as an accessory.  I viewed the guard as a threat to my personal safety; guns don't make people feel safe no matter who is carrying it, they make you feel insecure. If there's a need for shotguns to be held in public, then there must be a potential danger. And if that weapon were to be used without accuracy, innocent people could be harmed. To be truthful I hadn't really considered this before... until this week.

Mid-morning on Thursday, two people were shot dead just across the road from my local supermarket. Don't be too alarmed, they were thieves and that's why they were shot.  Is this the way crime is dealt with in Haiti? What did they steal?  I don't know, I'm just as curious as you are. Nonetheless I was surprised by the punishment received for their crime, and even more surprised by the crowd that gathered around the bodies all day and into the evening, waiting for officials to give permission to move the bodies.

I was hesitant to post this because I don't want to create fear amongst my readers, or speak negatively of Haiti. Like I said earlier, for the most part I feel safe here. I was surprised by these deaths; this is not something I hear of often. I was surprised that this happened outside my local grocery store. Saying that, I was equally surprised by some news articles I read in "The Age" (an Australian newspaper) this week.  Crime is everywhere and so is death.

We most often take our personal safety for granted, because for the most part WE ARE SAFE. This week's event will not cause me to live in fear, but rather thankful for God's presence with me everywhere I go, for his peace and protection.  I also want to thank those who cover me in prayer.


(Note: I was nowhere near the scene of the crime at the time it happened; and I am thankful for a great expat community who communicates safety concerns.)



Thursday 27 December 2012

Merry Christmas

Wilson and I would like to wish everyone a belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
We are excited about God's plans for us in 2013, as they are revealed to us day-to-day.

I will continue teaching 3rd Grade in Port-au-Prince and Wilson will be working on demand as an interpreter for NGO's.  

Watch this space for updates!!

Thank you for your continued love and prayer support.

Mr and Mrs Cazeau xo

Thursday 29 November 2012

My prayer tonight...

Father God,

Help me understand the depth of your love for me.  Help me know how much I'm worth to you. 
People's attempts to love me, will always leave me feeling disappointed. You alone can meet the longing of my heart, to feel valued and cherished.  Allow me to be still long enough, to dwell in your presence and comprehend just how much you love me.

Amen.