Where have all the mangoes gone?

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Seasons - in Haiti, there are marked seasons for different kinds of produce. It never really dawned on me that each season determines what kind of fruits and vegetables you get to eat. I’ve lived in Guatemala, California, Maryland, Atlanta and Dallas. Everywhere I have lived, I’ve had access to pretty much anything I would like to eat at any time, yes, sometimes maybe one or two things weren’t available but that wasn’t a frequent occurrence.

Haiti on the other hand is a whole other story. If something isn’t in season, you simply don’t get it. You have no option but to wait for the season to come back around. For example, a couple of months ago we were right in the peak of mango season – and it was fantastic. One night, Paul, Anna and I ate 14 mangoes in one sitting! They were so good, and toss in the fact that they are good for you – we were sold, and we had a jolly old time feasting on this tropical fruit.

Mango Season

Kinnep Season

Well mango season has passed, so we no longer have access to this treat. We have all mentioned at one time or another how much we enjoyed mango season and wished it was a year-round fruit. But then their came the “kinep” season (also known as quenepa) which was pretty tasty. This season is currently in its last days, so lately we have been trying to get every bit of fruit off the tree before they all spoil and rot.

Paul mentioned we can get mangoes from Port-au-Prince, people refrigerate mangoes to try and have them last past their season. But many of the locals will tell you, they are not as good as when they are in season and often times you get rotten mangoes. Now for kineps, there is no way around it, you can’t make them last longer, they will rot.

Being a foodie myself, I have become increasingly aware of the kinds of food available to us with each season in Haiti. It struck me recently that I am more appreciative of what each season brings, because I know the facts: 1) The supply is available for a limited amount of time 2) The produce is best enjoyed when in season 3) If you try to keep the produce past the season, it will likely rot 4) If you try and eat a fruit before it’s ripe, it does not taste good and you’ve just wasted a perfectly good treat of nature, all because of your refusal to wait.

So this got me thinking about life, and how each season in my life, God has different gifts He desires to give me at that appointed time. If I trust that God has ordained with careful precision that said gifts be given to me at an appointed time, then I will be able to enjoy them and gain some sort of growth/strengthening in my heart (just as fruit is healthy for your body and allows it to function on a more optimal level).

So what are the gifts (at least the ones I’ve been able to recognize so far) since my arrival in Haiti?

• Feeling completely outside of my element when I am the only English speaker trying to understand a myriad of native Haitians chatting it up in Creole. If I am paying enough attention, this serves as a reminder of the importance of communication, of the deep seeded desire to be in communion with others, to be heard, to understand and to be understood. If I remember this every time I am in this setting, this could be a great opportunity (gift) to enter in conversation with the Lord.

• Sabbath days, when I get to go down to the beach, spend time with the Lord, and feel like a little kid in a majestic playground (beach, mountains, blue sky fading into all sort of pink, orange, yellow and purple hues).

• Being single, all the while having the conviction and desire in my heart for marriage and family. Although challenging and at times lonely, it is helping me appreciate the time that I have now with the Lord, a very unique time that I won’t have in the same capacity once I am married. And it is helping me to be way more intentional in praying for my future husband and family.

 

Playing with Nathaniel, our missionary baby (Paul & Anna's son)- love him!

• Getting to provide medical care to people in need. Even though I am currently not able to do as much as I would like (resources, needing more education to expand my practice etc.). This setting as a nurse has confirmed to a greater degree the calling to practice nursing. Also, it has sparked a newfound desire and passion to expand my education and learn more regarding my practice, so that I can provide more care for my patients.

 

Some of the medical supplies that have been donated to our base

• Living in community. It’s a good, difficult, shaping, and fruitful venture. A friend talked about his relationship with his wife once (whom he loves dearly), and he said that she is like sand paper to him and vice versa. They smooth each other out, and it can be rough at times but it is good. In community, there have been definite seasons of sanding out each other’s rough edges.

• Times of aridity in prayer and times of spiritual attack. These gifts are much more difficult for me to receive with trust and joy. My tendency is to think something has gone horribly wrong and that causes stress and anxiety. Little by little though, I am learning to remember that the Lord is sovereign, and He allows seasons to come and go with it’s gifts for a good and holy purpose. When I remember that, my heart is able to endure the pain of trials and refinement, with the knowledge in my head and in my heart that His hand is holding my heart and He’s got me, and I’m safe.

Good reminder a friend sent me from her Magnificat

 

In the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 3, verse 1 it says, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” My prayer is that I can remember this, and when my memory gets murky and I find it hard to enter into the season the Lord is giving me, that by His grace I’d be reminded of this truth.