The Fruits of Your Labor

"For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee."

Len meets the children at Be Like Brit as he arrives in Grand Goâve on Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Be it serendipity or Britney herself at work, there's no question that some amazing things have happened here in Haiti at Be Like Brit.  Most recently, when Len's trip into Haiti scheduled for last week got pushed back a few days, we were all a bit disappointed that the larger projects we had planned would have to be rescheduled.  As Len arrived three days later than planned, he decided to inspect the road that the St. John's Britsionary group and our own crews had worked so hard on.  While walking up the road, Len came upon this wonderful sight:  The Be Like Brit children!  This was the first time Len met 11 of these children, and I can't help but think that the reward for his delays was stumbling upon this beautiful sight.  Indeed, the fruits of his labor were realized as he crossed paths with a group of children making their way home - to his very own house.

In some ways, the fact that plans had to change and projects rescheduled allowed for some very organic and genuine bonding here at Be Like Brit.  What might have been hectic days outside around heavy, loud equipment was instead meals around the table, surrounded by the very purpose for which this project was even conceived of.  Our children were able to meet the man behind this whole extraordinary and amazing journey.  They were welcomed home by the man himself.  It was a very awesome thing to witness.

The rule breaker!

As the Program Director, it's easy to get caught up in the management aspects of this job.  I'm constantly thinking about things like rules, structure, training, schedules, menus, staff, etc., that sometimes it takes the arrival of someone like Len to give a subtle reminder that Be Like Brit is a home first.  While all of those other things are requisite in managing a building like this effectively, they can also be impediments to creating a home like Len and Cherylann created for their own children; the type of home they explicitly want for the children here at Be Like Brit.  This week, I am grateful for that reminder from Len.  Be Like Brit is a home, not an institution.  It's okay that walls might get drawn on, that toys may get broken, that children might just fall down and scrape a knee.  

My only sadness this past week was the absence of Cherylann.  I know that the mother in Cherylann is so anxious to get down here and meet these children.  As the saying goes, behind every great man is a great woman, and this could not be more true of Len and Cherylann Gengel.  Cherylann tirelessly works the often less than glamorous, behind the scenes sort of tasks that keep things at Be Like Brit up and running.  

This past week, members of our medical group and Cherylann attended Middlesex Community College's Haiti panel discussion on "Disaster Relief in Haiti and Beyond."  We were proud as an organization to have our friends share the stage with a great humanitarian and friend to Haiti, Academy Award Winner Sean Penn.  So, while we missed Cherylann here this past week, we know that the work she was off doing is integral to our mission and the continued success of the organization.

Cherylann and Sean Penn!

 This week was what I think will be the closest thing we will have to a "normal" week here at Be Like Brit.  No outside groups of visitors; no crazy events or special outings.  It was a week of work, school, and play.  As we move forward, my plan is to have 20 children or so in Brit's Orphanage by the end of the month, and give them a few weeks to assimilate and adjust.  We'll be hiring more staff as we start filling rooms on the second floor.  We'll be interviewing more children and families and making more difficult decisions.  And none of us can wait!

For those of you who have visited us at Be Like Brit in Haiti, you know how much we adults love the roof.  The roof is only a staircase away from the busy chaos of a children's orphanage, but it is worlds away in terms of one's ability to reflect and process a day's events.  I try to go up there every night, if only for a few minutes, to remind myself of what it is that I am doing here, to sort of clear my mind of all the stress and pressures of the day to day, and to put things into perspective.

As I sat on the roof on Friday night this week with Len, Gilbert and Franky, listening to the sound of the children rehearsing songs and prayers for school and church, I couldn't help but think about how awesome this place is.  Having come to the Be Like Brit family late, and not knowing what it was like to go through the construction phase of this project, I feel like I'll never fully understand all that comes with having seen this project through all of its stages.  I can say, though, that sitting on the roof of the building and hearing the sounds of the children filling up its rooms is a sound I won't ever forget, and I feeling I can't ever really describe.

Each Sunday, we get up and get our children ready for Church at Mission of Hope, where our children also go to school.  It started out easy:  Getting Kervins up and ready for services was no challenge.  As our numbers grew, the amount of people required to get everyone ready increased.  I'm very proud of our staff, who live right alongside our children and treat them as if they were their very own.  Today, I was even more proud of Willman and Baptiste, who have really stepped up and taken on great leadership roles with the children here at Be Like Brit.  I'm happy to have these new friends in my life and blessed to be a part of this whole experience.  Thanks for following along on our journey, and trust me when I say we've only just begun.

Ready for church this morning! 

Please enjoy a few more pictures from the week, and as always, thanks for reading.

Jonathan

Kervins

Medlens

Scary Program Director

Steeve and Daphney

Shnaider, Rolson, and Whenly

Steeve and Socrate

Whenly and Rolson

Taking a hike!

Daphney, Kervins, and Whenly

Love na and Esther