Hey HUN,
Month one: There's an ant in this loaf of bread. Umm... I'll wait for lunch.
Month two: This peanut butter is swarming with ants. I'll have to buy more tomorrow.
Month three: If I don't turn on the light, I won't be able to tell if there are ants until it's too late to care.
The guy who drives me to and from the airport (or the U.S. consulate) used to be a pimp. He managed two dozen prostitutes before God slapped him on the face and he decided to become a preacher. The guy I eat lunch with every day was arrested for armed robbery and deported to Haiti. He wandered aimlessly on the streets until he found a job teaching kindergarten. A good solid quarter of our church women have been prostitutes for some portion of their lives. Significantly more than a quarter of the men have at one time or another availed themselves of such services.
But my pimp driver is willing to leave work and spend hours out of his day to be a driver for an American he hardly knows. And my thug lunch mate is a philosophical guru who muses about physical manifestations of spiritual visions. And one of those ex-prostitutes makes my lunch every day. And one of those men preached a sermon last Sunday on sexual immorality.
You don't need to leave the States to see that God changes people's lives, but what has amazed me here is that people are willing to accept those changes. What would the public reaction in Traverse City be to a ex-con kindergarten teacher? He wouldn't just be an ex-con; he would be an ex-living ex-con. (Did I mention that he also sold heroine and cocaine, too? I must have forgotten.) But here, people are proud of their six-foot-four heavy-built gangster-talkin' teacher. Because you know what? He's great with kids. They learn really well with him despite crappy home situations and a lack of school supplies.
I've been reading a book on business policy, and it has stressed that the United States is a place where you can fail at business many times but still come back to succeed. Haiti doesn't really have that. If you can raise capital for one venture, you've done really well. But when it comes to giving people second chances, this nation wins hands down.
I'll be moving to Florida in a couple weeks. I'm flying there the 23rd and returning on the 29th with a load of equipment; then, on April 7th, I'll be moving to Tampa, Fl for an indefinite period of time. That's when I get my second chance. Of course, some people may ask why I need a second chance. I've never been in jail...well, not because I deserved it, anyway...and my legal record is clear of anything that would keep me from being nominated for local government.
But I've burned my share of bridges. I've under-committed and I've over-committed and I've had good things but managed them poorly. I've had money and lost money and the same goes for friends. In short, my home is full of mistakes and successes and I don't want that to become the context for the next segment of my life. I've learned a lot here, but to cement what I've learned I need to stay away from the old ruts. Does this make sense? I hope so, because I've spent plenty of time thinking about it.
It's been wonderful writing to all of you. Knowing that my major decisions would end up in a newsletter has motivated me to put a lot more thought into my reasoning, and sometimes to choose a different, better course. Because of that, and also because I want to keep in touch with people, my first FUN (Florida Update Network) newsletter will be sent out while I'm visiting Florida from the 23rd and the 29th. After that, there will be one more HUN, and then it will be done.
Rhyme intentional.
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Attention: I will be starting a new newsletter, if any of you are interested. In honor of my new location and in recognition of the irony of my change in circumstance, it will be named FUN - the Floridan Update Network. I will not be moving anybody over to this new list automatically, so if you'd like to be added, please let me know.
On March 23rd, I will travel to Florida to hang out with my mother and my Grandfather until the 29th. Please direct all packages and letters to my Grandfather's address so that I can pick them up when I get there. Nothing sent from now on will reach me fast enough to reach me. This is my current contact information:
Phone Number (cell): 011-509-617-7720Address for Letters & Packages (temporary): Dan Kaschel, c/o Jack Mendillo, 6746 Aliso Ave., West Palm Beach, Fl, 33413
Effective March 23rd, I will be reachable at the same old number: 231-631-3016.
God Bless,
Dan
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