More Mom Memories

My first memory of Dad (Grandpa Schmid) ever is when he came to the states with Pastor Hector Paultre (I think) and they were at Bala.  We were dating and David took me there to meet them.  As we were sitting in the living room area I remember Dad giving me something to open and to my HORROR it was a dead/dried tarantula! ! !  STOP laughing, Debi!  You can see I survived and married David anyway and am still in Haiti – much to your surprise, Debi!  J  I’m sure and Peter Bitner didn’t give me a very high rate of “making it”. J

My first Haiti memory is arriving on that little tiny MFI plane on July 20, 1976 with 4 year old Karen and 2 month old Amy and Dad being down on the tarmac to meet us.  Everything was so overwhelming.  Debi you were there and kept pointing things out to me as we drove and I couldn’t see everything at once.  Debi, do you remember me coming up from the shower at Mom and Dad’s (Grandma and Grandpa Schmid) big old Paultre house in St. Marc and saying I had prickly heat all over my body and you recognize the rash at the end of Denge Fever! 

I remember being in the Motel in Port with your folks and I was fixing supper.  I had washed the potatoes to bake and I asked Dad what else I needed to do to make sure they were “clean” (thinking of parasites, etc) and bless his heart he told me he thought baking for an hour in 400 degree heat would kill anything on them.  WAS I A GREEN MISSIONARY OR WHAT?

New Missionaries

New missionaries always had to introduce themselves to the UEBH at the first general assembly after they arrive.  Parkers arrived with us and Bud and David gave their testimonies at a meeting  held to approve the new constitution so it was just Joanne Parker and I to give our testimonies at the General Assembly that year.  I went first and had basically memorized my testimony in Creole.  Pastor Cedieu Daniel thanked me and welcomed me into the UEBH.  I sat down but then a young pastor stood up and said that my testimony was fine but what were my goals.  So fearfully I stood and said to be a good wife and mother and continue to try to learn the language – they clapped. 

Then Joanne got up and give her testimony in ENGLISH and dad translated for her.  I almost fainted.  Afterward he came up and hugged me and said I didn’t want Joanne to tell you she was going to do hers in English (she had a hard time with the language) because I knew you could do it!!!!  It’s a good thing I loved him so much because I was so nervous to do that!  :0)  Anyway, I’m sorry we only had 16 months to work with him in Haiti before the Lord took him home.

More of Mom's memories from Haiti

Tarantulas!
When I (my Mom) was a new “green” missionary and we were staying with Grandma and Grandpa Schmid in St. Marc before going to live in Verrettes. Mom (Grandma Schmid) and I were at their house with Karen and Amy but Dad (Grandpa Schmid) and David weren’t there.

One evening when we walked into the kitchen there was a LARGE tarantula on the floor by the cook’s feet. She tried to get it but it ran off somewhere. Now of course in my mind at that time (and even today) the only good tarantula is a DEAD tarantula. But grandma assured me that they could not climb up to the second floor where the bedrooms were. We all slept under mosquito nets there BUT she’d have been found out if it had made its way upstairs. Thankfully it must have gone outside again or something because I never saw it again. It was a LONG time before I realized she had not told me the truth but I certainly slept better thinking it couldn’t get upstairs.

I can still tell you everyplace in our house that there has been a tarantula. They make a lasting impression on me whether they are inside or outside.

Once when I was cutting the lower yard with our power mower on the flat part, as I came around the square there was a tarantula up on his hind legs. Apparently I had run over his hole on the first go around and he had come out to investigate. Believe me I made a large circle around him.

Speaking of mosquito netting
Mom (Grandma Schmid) had told me what to bring and the weeks we lived with them in St Marc before moving to Verrettes she showed me how to make them. I have to say they were great nets because she had me make them like a big box so they were very roomy inside.

I had told David that an unspoken wedding vow was that we would always use mosquito nets in Haiti – that was mostly to keep everything out of bed not just mosquitos. We did use them until we returned from our first furlough and I was pregnant with Jeff. They were so hard to get in and out of that after our first night back I gave up. Amazing! :0)

That big old house in St. Marc was really a neat place. It had so many rooms but the wooden walls didn’t go up all the way to the ceiling to let air pass through. One of my first memories was of hearing Dad Schmid (Grandpa Schmid) laughing so often at night and when asked about it he shared that he was reading the “vet” books written by James Herriot “All things big and small” series. So I got to reading them and laughed with him.

Christmas Memory
Our first Christmas in Haiti was a hard one for me. My Mom and Dad’s (Grandpa and Grandma Roper) anniversary was Dec. 12 and in 1976 my dad had a surprise celebration for mom and tape recorded all the family talking to us. Dad sent it to me and I was able to listen to everyone talking to me.

I was already homesick and that just made me more so. I’m so glad he did that for Mom (Grandma Roper) because it was their last anniversary together. He died in March of 1977. Anyway, Christmas morning we awoke in Verrettes and laid in bed waiting for the girls to wake up. :0) I was feeling pretty low and said I can’t believe it is Christmas morning and it is SO hot and feels like it is still July.

We had decorated our little tree we brought with us and Dad Schmid (Grandpa Schmid)had loaned us a small generator to run the wringer washer once a week so David did light the tree and played Christmas music one night for us until the whole yard was filled with people looking in the windows and it felt like a circus. Anyway, not what I was used to for sure. The girls did wake up and we had a little celebration then took off in our 1956 Blue Jeep for St. Marc.

Mom (Grandma Schmid) had the upstairs sitting room decorated and music playing and the cool December ocean breezes made it almost feel like Christmas. I even wore a pair of slacks if I remember correctly (but just upstairs – not so anyone would see me of course J). She had made David and I triangle pillows like she and Dad (Grandpa Schmid) used to read in bed. What a surprise! We still have one that I have recovered (the other one the foam disintegrated). She really did make that first Christmas special and helped me over the hump of homesickness.

One of Mom's Memories

"I can't remember if I ever shared one of my college experiences with you all so I'll share it now. Don't know why it came to mind this morning but it did.

When I was a junior I got up early one morning and walked down the hall to the shower rooms. As I passed the window in the hallway there was a very loud noise. Now PCB was not in the greatest neighborhood at that time and I truly thought it was a gunshot. I ran down the hall to one of my friend's room and checked myself out to be sure I didn't have a wound while explaining what had happened. She went back down the hallway with me and we look at the window. No bullet hole but there was an exploded coke bottle tied with a pair of underwear sticking outside the window. Someone wanted to get their coke cold and anchored it outside the window and apparently forgot it was there so by early morning just as I passed it finally froze and exploded. I can hear you laughing Jeff. It was funny afterwards but not at the exact moment!!! Oh well, another story about your mom!"

I just had to share because I can just picture the scene . . .