HUN Update, April 1st, 2007

Hey HUN,

Merely standing at your seat in a Haitian church is not sufficient to reserve it. Some friendly-looking churchgoer might just sidle up, exchange cordial greetings with you, and covertly plant a bible beneath you so that when you sit down, you are forced to scoot over. If you are a slow learner, you may just find that you have been cordially scooted right off the bench, at which point there is little choice but to seek out some innocent newcomer on whom to practice the same deception.

Well, maybe not. Certainly it is wise to defend your pew-turf with a strategically-placed bible, but it is unlikely that you--especially as a foreigner--would be altogether evicted. I told this story to typify and demonstrate the artistic license I have employed for this newsletter. While I have not made it difficult for the discerning reader to separate fact from hyperbole, I want to make this disclaimer for the sake of any guileless readers that might pick up a wholly inaccurate perception of Haitian culture thanks to the liberties I have taken.

This will be my final update to the Haitian Update Network. To some of you, this may come as a relief; others may experience the same poignancy that I do. But whether you have enjoyed these updates or merely tolerated them, I hope you have gotten a taste of the culture in which I have been immersed for the last three months.

As I prophesied before I left (I use the term loosely), Haiti has changed me much more than I have changed it. As I said to a friend recently, I have spent much of the last three months untangling my past, and the rest learning to live a less tangled life. This new lifestyle requires much more grace and patience than I have natively, but I definitely feel that I have made progress during my time here. I am not under the illusion that my work is done--fast changes are subject to fast remission--but I feel better able to handle hardship gracefully.

Aside from that, I have learned a great deal about religion, human nature, and about myself. I'm a little older, and a little wiser. I have learned this prayer: may my heart grow wise before my hands grow strong (from Love & Sleep, by John Crowley). But only time will tell how permanent these changes will be.

The purpose of the HUN has been to update you on this missions effort, an to update you on my personal life. The former mantle has now expired, and the latter will shift to a new newsletter which, in honor of my new location and in recognition of the irony of my change in circumstance, will be named FUN - the Floridan Update Network. All of you have subscribed to the HUN in support of a missions effort, and I feel that it would be unethical to automatically subscribe HUN members to a newsletter updates on my personal life. I will not be moving anybody over to this new list automatically, so if you'd like to be added, please let me know.

I wish I had some wise parting words to impart, but all I have for you is this: I cannot tell you how richly I have been blessed by my time here. I have your support to thank for the success of this trip. Should any of you need support in any regard, please drop me a message.

Until then, God bless you and keep you. Bondje beni'w,

Dan

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Effective April 7th, my contact information will be:

Dan Kaschel
2011 E Oakwood Ave
Tampa, FL 33605
231-631-3016