Crossing the Jordan

So what sort of place can lure me from my palatial estate in Sheffield? A place called Canaan.

Canaan is primarily an orphanage which also happens to have a school, a clinic, a church, and a basketball court, which as far as I could tell is only used for soccer purposes. That will change once I arrive, as I hope to impart my knowledge of the floater and the baby-hook to the kids, whether they like it or not. There are around 90 kids staying at Canaan, ranging from 4-21 years old. The staff is mostly made up of locals, with a few foreign-folk (like myself) lending a hand.

Needless to say I'm a fan of the place. A place where kids who were dealt a tough hand are taken care of and loved. Loved well. Who wouldn't want to be a part of that?

On a more personal note (don't faint anyone), I'm very drawn to Canaan because it is a place where selfishness is not an option. That will be an incredible challenge to someone who has lived by himself for the last few years and was nicknamed "Solo" on a trip to Ethiopia last year. My challenge will be to wake up each day and remind myself that today is not about me. Honestly, if I'm not able to do that, then chances are I will be back in Illinois in time to see the Cubs crap out in the playoffs. That challenge of consistently putting myself last is both frightening and exciting at the same time. I don't do this often, but I will ask for your prayers on that specific point.

(and yes, I realize the irony of discussing the selfishness issue on a blog focused on myself)

If anyone has any questions about Canaan or Haiti email them to me. Someday I hope to do a "mailbag" style post. If I don't receive any questions I'll simply be forced to make up embarrassingly stupid ones and attribute them to some of you.

Thanks for reading.

Things to Come

This blog will eventually be interesting, as I hope to introduce you to the folks living in Canaan, which will be my home in Haiti. That won't be until July though, so any posts between now and then are more for me to help myself think through things, and therefore will probably be somewhat boring.

With that in mind, here is what the run-up to July looks like. I will finish up work in the next couple weeks and then head down to Florida for some mission training. The training lasts three weeks and is run by a couple who live in Haiti most of the year, so it should be quite beneficial for me. They'll attempt to teach me some basic things about construction, agriculture, and automotive repair that might come in handy in a developing country. As someone whose head is mostly full of useless knowledge (Seinfeld quotes, sports stats, FOTC lyrics, etc....), I need those three weeks.

In June I go on vacation to Norway with the family. I will now list the similarities between Norway and Haiti...................

Then comes July with a random smattering of gatherings. July will also see the conclusion of me giving away most of the stuff I own, so if anyone has been clamoring for old road signs or the Brad Pitt triple-dvd set including The Devil's Own, A River Runs Through It, and Legends of the Fall, you know where to find me.