Lynn’s Last Post-Playtime!

I’ve posted about the suffering I see here in Pignon.  And it’s very real.

BUT AMAZINGLY, the daily atmosphere at the Philadelphie Orphanage is one of joyful play. Here are some snapshots of playtime which, during summer break, is sunrise to sunset!

Michelda moves piles of dirt around

– I finally figured out she was “cooking.” Here’s the final product

Any child, anywhere, and a new box of crayons…right?  Felisienne and Rosewei helped me make the little drawing booklets.

Can you imagine how difficult it is to teach “Cat’s Cradle” in another language? I figured it would be, so I had Felisienne watch a You Tube video with me first. We stopped after each step and practiced. Then we taught a few of the older children who helped everyone else learn!

(Thanks to whoever donated the rainbow ribbon!)

I brought embroidery thread again, as Esther and I had done, so the children could braid bracelets and necklaces.

Fun to watch the more creative ones come up with new knots!

Then the CHILDREN taught ME how to make a Zye Bondye (Eye of God).

I would need an extra suitcase to bring home all the Zye Bondye they made for Gramma, Sista Este, Abby, Denny, Bitsy, Bella, and Papi Mark!

Not ALL playtime! A little bit of water carrying, shopping, cooking or clothes/dish washing for the older children.  Paid workers do the bulk, which is a huge load with 35 timoun!

Sugar treat! Gramma tried for every other day

Again, any little child, anywhere, and a new stuffed animal

The older children received pitsi(?) (hackey sacks).

Funny watching some of them trying to learn…getting 6…10…18.  Then Romane tries and on his first attempt, quits at 217!!!!

Favorite gift, by a long shot, was the “machines” (Matchbox Cars.)

They zoomed the cars all over the courtyard, raced them on slanted benches, and keep them stored safely in their pockets!

Dolly, Edianna and Felisienne helped me divide up 100’s of girlie hair trinkets into individualized plastic cups.

Can’t have too much color in one’s hair.

Movie time! Pastor’s Granddaughter, Dolly, is visiting for a while from Cap Haitian. Her laptop movies are VERY popular: Tinkerbell, Peter Pan, Snow White…all in French. The timoun can understand a little French because Kreyol is a derivation.

16 children around a small laptop!!?

Swingset. Usually 2 at a time!

Boys and trees!?

Kebi made this slingshot.  Yes, it works…too well.

I made these cheat sheets to help me. Each child’s photo, name and age.

This sheet, along with the English/Creole Illustrated Dictionary are used ALL DAY LONG by everyone. They’ve each had to be taped and re-taped.  Gotta figure out a way to laminate each page of the dictionary for my next visit.

Jakenda cherishes her little whatch-a-ma-call-it–that to my eye is a plastic bottle lid, covered with a metal bottle cap, and filled with dirt.

Thanks to all of you who continue to donate and pray for these children–they are beginning to have their basic needs met of shelter, water,  food and safety.

Would that we could all be as creative, content, grateful and joyful as these little timoun!