Well it's hard to believe; he's here! And he's changed our world completely. James Oswald was born May 1, 2017 at 12:59 a.m.

James Benedict Oswald, weighed 7 lbs 10 oz at birth, 21 inches long

Yesterday he turned 10 weeks old, and we commemorated this with an early photo shoot by Ted's brother P.J. who owns his own photography business.

Our sweet boy, who has gone by the epithet "Sweet Baby James" (from James Taylor's famous song) since birth, is smiling and changing a little all the time. It's amazing that the wild news we learned on a Friday night in Haiti 11 months ago has now been realized in the form of this beautiful guy.

Meet James!

(All photos by P.J. Oswald of Fits and Stops Photography)

Valentine

Happy Valentine's. Whether you have a partner to smooch, good friends to party with, or chocolates to indulge in, I sense God encouraging me to take stock of this past year and to be thankful for all the incredible, sweet moments He has offered us.

With love,

the Oswalds

(photo: Wedding Day, Aug. 15. 2009)

Sierra Leone, remembering

Facebook reminded me. This month 8 years ago, I was leaving my 4-month stint in Sierra Leone, heading back to southern California. Honestly, it feels like it was WAY longer ago. That time was the end of my sojourn in Africa, but it felt like the start of many things. In Sierra Leone, I got to read and discuss challenging books on Christianity and poverty with awesome people; a year later I joined the MA program at Eastern University outside of Philly, where I got to - again - read, discuss books, and share life experiences with fascinating people; and now, I am two years into my term with MCC in Haiti, another opportunity that has allowed me to cross paths with thoughtful, service-oriented folks who come from all walks of life. I don't read as much while here, but life has provided great people with whom to process life and faith (Pub Church). So today I think of Sierra Leone, and my fellow sojourners there (some of whom are pictured below.)

These are the only pictures I could scrounge up from my laptop in Haiti, and my final blog entry from Freetown, dated June 12, 2008:

"It’s noisy outside"

It's noisy on the streets outside. But, then, it's always noisy on the streets of Freetown. Except for the cool, dark nights passing by the lonely cemetery in Murray Town. Or when you climb the windy hills and sit among the gray and green cotton trees in Wilberforce and Hill Cott. Old, clapboard houses and long stone walls splashed with bright, advertising colors.

But the noises aren't all bad. Mangoes for sale. Sheeptoe, guinea, red cherry. Oh my mouth is watering; I will miss that sweet, juicy taste available morning, noon and night. Cold water, peanut cakes, pineapple, biscuits. All fresh produce! Everything you need so easy to pick up on the side of the road, just picked from fields in the provinces.

The sound of hard-working individuals. Men balancing twenty foot boards on their heads, weaving in and out of taxi and pedestrian traffic, women toting baskets of coal, two, three, four... no, seven baskets high! So graceful as they take care not to fall through the cracks in the cement slab sidewalk, into the running sewage below.

The splatter of rain. It rained today. The sound muffles the blare of honking horns and vendors announcing their goods. Soft blankets of water left us scurrying for shelter: a wooden bench offered by a crew of firemen seeming anxious for distraction. They ushered us to the junction, securing a taxi with a "fine price" for our desired destination. So willing to help; always a kind smile on the streets here, in response to our attempted Krio greetings.

A walk through Kroo Bay leaves a trail of squealing kids, all crying "Aporto! Aporto!" the Temini word for white person. If not "Aporto!" then "white man! white man!" Won't be hearing that sound again for awhile...

I love this city. I love its character. It is a part of me now, and I will never forget this town, nor this beautiful continent.

Our last weeks were awesome. For our final week of tutoring we gathered all the kids in the staff house on Dillet Street and showed them 6 episodes of the BBC series "Planet Earth." The films are stunning and it was so fun to see the kids' eyes widen in amazement at the totally unbelievable animals and insects and landscapes. They often shouted "Eh!" in unison as they saw clips of how big and diverse and stunning this world is. It was so cool.

And then, last week, the Servant Team took our debriefing retreat "upcountry." We went to a National Park called Outamba-Kilimi, past Kamakwie village on the Guinea border. It took about 10 hours and 3 modes of transport to get us there. We were IN THE JUNGLE. With white monkeys on our campsite, hippopotami, big crazy bugs straight from outer-space, and yes, MAMBA snakes (we just saw one). But it was awesome. We got the real upcountry experience, had good time to reflect on our four months here, and came home with literally hundreds of bites on our legs. ;)

And last night, we said good-bye at Lighthouse. The kids gathered round and took pictures with us, prayed for us, and said "thank you" in various ways. It's so difficult saying good-bye. I didn't really know what to say, because I don't really know if I believe that I won't be seeing them again.

Now, I'm about to fly off! I must go, but I am so glad that my leaving won't mean I am cut off from Freetown. I have friends here now, and there's no way I can forget this place, because it has blessed me and, I hope, changed me!

Palm Sunday

Yesterday was Palm Sunday, and this is how we celebrated.

We drove up to the Ackerman’s home, perched on a beautiful lookout over Port-au-Prince. So, our "Pub Church" has recently become mobile, and we are now "Pub-less." Since our pastor moved his business out of his previous business complex (which included the remains of an Irish Pub and also a courtyard for us to gather on Sunday mornings - hence our name "Pub church"), we have shifted between different meeting spots in peoples’ homes or in the beauty of nature.

At the Ackerman’s, we grabbed our mugs of coffee, and ingeniously situated the large palm fronds that we chopped from our front yard that morning and hauled up the mountain in the back of our pick-up. The service began.

Beautiful hymns, followed by an amazing, sort-of 3D flannel-graph display of Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem and re-telling of the story by Jodi herself.

We talked about the Sermon on the Mount; we talked about Jesus being the fulfillment of the Old Testament, a mission that was completed, was "finished" at the moment of his death on the cross. 

We discussed being the Salt – flavor - of the earth.

And then we dug in to some Indian food which was also delicious (just the right amount of salt), in celebration of a birthday.

So, palm fronds, birthdays, Sermon on the Mount: this completed our Palm Sunday celebrations.

Our pastor fighting with the giant palm branch we posted
behind his chair.

Post/cards {1} Celebration

This past year was the year of the Instagram for me. Before May 2014, I did not have an Instagram account, and I didn't really get "what the big deal was." After my friend Katie encouraged me to use it to document our days in Haiti, I really took to it, and I'm so very grateful now for the over 120+ images that capture moments from our first 12 months in Haiti. Now, I wonder if our documenting styles might shift a little bit. Maybe this blog will be put to more use! I'd like to start today with a "Postcards" series: one picture, with a brief explanation. Fin. Short and sweet. Our "postcards" will give you a snapshot of our world with a little more detail than an Instagram allows. And with this first "postcard," if I had actually put postage on it and sent it via snail mail at the time it was taken, it may just now be reaching you in the U.S. :) Enjoy!

{Port-au-Prince, Haiti} Taken 12.19.14

Celebration. That is what this picture brings to mind. It was our MCC staff Christmas party, and the smells from the kitchen were wafting up to our second floor office all day. A co-worker had her four kids in town from Canada, the remnant of an MCC evaluation team was in tow, and all national staff brought a special someone or two for the gala. Balloons, Paper Snowflakes, Action! I remember the anticipation of the upcoming Christmas vacation, the more imminent secret Santa gift exchange, and the sincere yet stilted conversations in Kreyòl with co-workers' family and friends (which, by the way, became progressively harder as the wait-time for the meal was perpetually extended!) For me, the crowd in this picture represents the far-flung nature yet close ties of family, the bright colors the celebratory air of the season, and the table the delight that comes with those first, mouth-watering bites!

Hamlet, today

This may seem like an odd post title, but special circumstances call for out-of-the-ordinary reflections. Two weeks ago, for our anniversary, Ted and I actually saw Hamlet performed in Port-au-Prince by none other than the London Globe. Through the Globe-to-Globe program, actors are traveling to every country in the world over the next two years with their production of Hamlet, and we were lucky enough to attend their thirty-ninth performance.

As we watched the tragedy unfold, I couldn't help resonate with some of the main character’s musings and woes – lines that are so familiar to me now after pouring over them in high school and seeking out various theatrical and film adaptations since. (I think that part of me has come to believe, like my English teacher taught us, that Hamlet is the greatest play ever written.)

This time, the stage and setting were different. The reflections of our epic protagonist, Hamlet, stirred in me new thoughts and parallels to our own context as foreigners newly arrived in Haiti, and generally as Americans in today's world so full of injustices. What are these thoughts and towards what actions might they lead?

Act III. Scene I.

To be, or not to be, that is the Question:

Throughout the play, Hamlet is caught by fear; the fear of action. After receiving his deceased fathers’ call to avenge his unjust death, Hamlet cannot bring himself to execute the action; a cycle of fear and reflection holds him back. In Hamlet’s case, acting would bring unpredictable and perhaps fatal consequences - one cannot murder the king without expecting some reprisals – yet he cannot shake the fear of his own death that would likely follow (and one can hardly blame him.)

Act II. Scene II.

Oh what a Rogue and Peasant slave am I?...What would he do, Had he the Motive and the Cue for passion that I have?

A travelling actor employed by Hamlet evokes strong feeling while recounting a fictitious drama –that of Hecuba and her murdered husband. Hamlet, who has a reality to mourn (the murder of his father) is distraught at his own lack of passion in response to his father’s death. How can someone feel so deeply over a fiction while he still sits, unmoving, on the news of his father’s unjust death? He is shamed, confounded, by his own slowness to act.

Act IV. Scene IV

...to my shame, I see The imminent death of twenty thousand men,
That, for a fantasy and trick of fame, Go to their graves like beds.

The young Fortinbras, a prince of action, pushes into Poland with his army of 20,000 to defend a seemingly small area of land from capture. Hamlet again is aghast. These soldiers fight and die valiantly for a cause so less personal than Hamlet’s own. The only motive these men require is honor.

Act III. Scene I.

…Thus Conscience does make Cowards of us all,
And thus the Native hew of Resolution Is sicklied over, with the pale cast of Thought,

Hamlet knows from the beginning what he must do. Yet as he delays, it seems that his own ambition to address the injustice in front of him is dulled, as well as the clarity required for decisive action. As we all know, the play does not end well.

I wonder if we, too, can get bound by fear in a cycle like that of Hamlet. Getting caught up in thinking about the gravity of injustices in our world, we can grow afraid to act. There are always consequences to action. The consequences of inaction are real as well, but they feel more tangible and pleasing to us at times; the consequences of inaction are the continuance of the status quo. If we sit and muse for too long, our thoughts run the risk of shriveling and not bearing the fruit of action.

Check out the Globe-to-Globe Hamlet
tour website to see their list of stops:

Celebrating 5 years!

Our 5th wedding anniversary was commemorated in some unexpected and unforgettable ways :) It was August 15th, and we were still living with a Haitian family in the countryside. We were not expecting fireworks for our special day!

It happened to come up during the lunch the day prior. Our host sister, Lovely, and her cousin Rose-Angele asked what we were up to the following day and we mentioned it was our anniversary. Rose-Angele jumped on the news, "Oh, and what are you planning? What are WE going to do?" She instantly started planning something, in cahoots with Lovely, that we weren't to know anything about. All that was decided, was that we would all walk to a local river basin to swim, something that Ted and I loved to do under the hot, hot Dezam sun.

Friday came, and we were instructed to stay outside of the house for about 45 minutes. They were all like schoolgirls, coming in and out of the house with unrecognizable bundles in their hands. We had some idea of what they were up to. . .we could make out some flowers and fruits passing hands from the garden to the kitchen area.

At long last, they "let us in." Amazing! Our bedrooms was adorned with flower petals. They nearly stripped their hibiscus tree to spell out "Happy Birthday Ted & Katharine" on our bed (the covers for which they changed that morning to a silky, white sheet - perhaps their family's favorite). The petals continued to the floor, where a large red heart laid at our doorstep. So cute!

In the kitchen, a beautiful bouquet and an array of delicious fruits awaited us. Grapes, mangoes, avocados, bananas, kashima, and veggies too. They cut the fruit for us, as a hearty snack on our way to the basin. 

Our friends who were behind it all - Rose Angele in center, Lovely to her right;
Tadjini to he left and Lens in front (who was really just there for the picture :)

A lovely chalkboard design by our friend Rosie.

It would be hard to top that, but we definitely had some romantic dinner plans once we got back to Port-au-Prince! :)

Quartier Latin is one of the most unique spots we've seen here in Port-au-Prince. If you come visit us, we will probably take you! While there, you feel like you're on the bayou - mystical candle lighting, and chandeliers made from wrought iron and dangling silverware. We love their Saturday night jazz band and their amazing patio atmosphere, with kerosene lamps on each table and ornaments hanging from the trees. The singer dedicated a few songs to us, and the saxophone player kept making eyes at our table (I think he wanted to see some salsa action on our part buuut that didn't quite happen; not this time!). The chocolate desserts were amazing :)

Ready for our night out to Quartier Latin.

That same week, we even got to see a London Globe Theater performance of HAMLET, as a part of their Globe-to-Globe two year tour. I happen to be obsessed with this play. (More on this later.) You never know what you will come across here in Port-au-Prince!

Finally. . .drum roll please. . .Ted comes into our bedroom on Saturday night and presents me with this. Ted has never given a "regular" card in his life, and this one took the cake. As a final treat in commemoration of our anniversary, we got to play The Game of Oswald, 5th edition.

Opening the card, you are presented with a storyboard with special highlights from our 5-year journey marked along the way (I have showcased our three "homes" together below, along with the "game pieces"). :)

Behold:

As our pieces moved along the game board, different scenarios caused us to take steps forwards and backwards. It can feel that way in life or a relationship, but the point is that we are always hand-in-hand, and that God has us in His loving care.

Happy Anniversary!

I LOVE this story.

Last Friday, I witnessed something AMAZING, and I have to tell. My dear friend, M., has been sick for some time. In addition, she's been heartsick for her son, who was taken from her about 5 years ago, when he was just 1 year old. M. is a refugee from Liberia; her son's dad took him back home "for a visit" five years ago, but purposefully left him there, while using his passport to bring another child back to the U.S.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I was at M.'s house. Her poor health, and her anxiety over her son, seemed too much to bear. She cried, and asked for prayer. We have prayed together a few times. Her chronic health condition - which is a mystery to her doctors - has taken her to the ER on a regular basis of late. We've prayed over the phone, while she sits in the hospital bed alone. Two weeks ago, when I visited her at her house, we prayed again. We prayed for a few things: 1) that God would encourage M., and 2) that He would watch over her son, and 3) maybe even provide a miracle...

What first brought M. & I together was Ted's involvement in filing her naturalization paperwork last April. After concluding the interview, it became clear that M. cannot read; she never learned. So, to prep her for her citizenship interview, she and I started meeting to review the basics of literacy, and also some facts of U.S. history. She didn't tell many people about her efforts, for fear that she might be teased by some family and friends. Though she has failed her test once, she gets another try this Spring, before needing to re-file her application.

Back to our meeting last week. Our typical Friday meetings had been cancelled this past month, due to the increased stress of her health problems. We met in other capacities (to pray, review her diagnosis with her doctor), but last Friday, we did make it a point to pick up our literacy review.

As I sat waiting in Starbucks - reading intently - I jumped as I felt her hand over my face from behind. But the biggest, most wonderful shock came when I turned around and saw this adorable, 6-year-old face next to hers. It was her SON! Just arrived from Liberia!

Friends, I cannot tell you what a wonder this was to me. Just two weeks ago, there seemed to be no answer in site, no tangible hope to grasp on to. M. has tried several times, with the assistance of the State Department, to get her son back. 

When M. sat next to me last Friday, laughing at the amazement of it all, the first thing she said to me was, "Remember how we prayed??"

And that's when I remembered... we had prayed. We had prayed for M.'s encouragement. We had prayed for her son, and we had even prayed for some kind of miracle... 

Wow... Thank you Jesus! It was a humble reminder that our God can do all things. It's also a reminder of how He pursues us with His love... I thank God that M.'s son is safe and now in his mother's care. Thanks to each of you who have heard pieces of M.'s story before and prayed.

Birthday

Birthdays are GREAT! Especially when you have a moment to breathe and truly enjoy them. That happened for me on Monday. Thank you Ted Oswald and many friends for making my day so special.

(click for a full view)

Top row, left to right: Friends at Han Dynasty for dinner; the amazing apple-raspberry pie they brought me;  beautiful stationary and candle holder I bought with giftcards from friends! Plus, amazing chocolate from my housemate Janira; church in Chestnut Hill, the neighborhood where Ted and I spent the day;
Bottom row, left to right: Valley Green Inn, a special lunch spot in the woods!; french pastries for breakfast; Bible study love on Wednesday, with games and a strawberry pie made by Wendy!; Chestnut Hill library, where Ted & I found some good reads; inside Valley Green Inn, right by the fireplace, with some mulled apple cider to boot! An amazing 19th c. spot! 

Hands-on community fun

At Saturday's Community Beautification Day, we helped pot 50 planters for as many families in the neighborhood. That was a lot of soil, flowers, peppers, and pots - and they all got used! Outside of the new Esperanza Health Center building, the S.E.A.C. coalition hosted this great event for community members. We had music, crafts for kids, healthy snacks, and these fun planters to plant. Just the right amount of families came, and I believe all the volunteers had a great time helping with the planting! :)

This little boy had a particularly good time. He took his time filling his pot - first helping his friends and then doing his own - one small hand-full at a time. He then excitedly dug into the soil to prepare to plant. As he followed my instructions on how to "loosen" the flower roots before planting, he was astonished to come upon a worm hidden in the roots! After telling him what I had just learned - that worm poop helps to enrich the soil - he became even more delighted and affectionately named his slinky friend "slimy."

It was so fun to be a part of coordinating this event. God provided good weather and a spirit of joy permeated the place.

_________________________________________________

S.E.A.C. is a coalition that represents our church, Spirit and Truth Fellowship, Esperanza Health Center, Ayuda Community Center, and Casa de Consejeria (House of Counseling), four Christian organizations that serve our community. S.E.A.C. received an awesome grant to work together for two years, hosting a unique community event each month.

websites for each: esperanzahealthcenter.org, ayudacc.org

A string of unique trips

For the past month, this "one life in Philly" has looked more like this "one life in Hagerstown, Silver Springs, Cape May, and Quakertown." Travel has been the name of the game.

During the same weekend as Ted's Pro Deo Conference, we also were reunited with friends at a Haiti Partnership conference in Silver Springs, MD. Our friends, Sarah and Sadrack, were the main initiators and organizers behind the church-based conference, and our dear supervisor and mentor from our semester in Haiti was in attendance!

Ted met up with us in Hagerstown, MD, where conference participants reconvened at Sarah's house for an amazing feast and worshiped together at her home church.

The group of us - Sarah, Gina, Ted, myself - with old and
new friends at Sarah's house.

The conference was an amazing opportunity to listen in on plans for emerging models of partnership between Haitian and American churches.

The following weekend was something special - my 28th birthday! For the occasion, my hubby had a grand surprise - an overnight stay in Cape May, NJ! Cape May is a beautiful seaside town, full of Victorian B&Bs, specialty shops, and  - at this time of year - empty beaches! March 23 was a record-hot day, so we hit the sand for sure...

Beautiful cherry blossoms were on display in MD, and
here in Philly as well.

Finally, this past weekend found me in Quakertown, PA at the annual women's retreat with my church. The one-night stay was relaxing and refreshing. Women's testimonies and times of sharing were edifying and helpful in identifying ways the Lord is moving.

A great few weekends, though it is nice to be settling back into a normal pace of life here in Philly. :)