The Emmaus House

Posted on May 23, 2013 by The Dimwit Diary

Man, you dimwits. I don’t know what’s happening. I can’t sleep. It’s 1:47 AM. It’s raining. Heavy thunderstorms and crashing lightening. I have the windows opened. There’s a nice breeze and it’s rather peaceful. I like thunderstorms. There’s probably some sort of metaphor in there to sum up my life. Heavy thunderstorms and crashing lightening bring me peace.

Listen, I joke around a lot. This is a humor blog primarily but sometimes you have to know when to put jokes aside. This is one of those times.

I just wrote to some missionary friends of mine that are living in Haiti. Sent them a message on Facebook at 12:48 AM. The one gal responded immediately at exactly 1:00 AM. What in the world is she doing up at 1:00 AM? What possible reasons could there be for her to still be awake? Probably for the same reasons as me. She has a lot on her mind.

My friend Jillian and her husband Hunter are responsible for taking care of dozens of orphans in the city of Cap-Haitien. Tragic cases. Kids who lost their parents to earthquakes, kids who had their parents give them up because they can’t afford to feed them. It’s a real mess. It’s sad. It would break your heart if you only knew their stories.

I know firsthand because I went on a food and medical relief trip to the Haitian orphanage back in March of 2012. I paid for the trip myself. I was doing well financially at the time and I didn’t feel comfortable asking people for money to fund my trip. It’s just a weird thing with me. I don’t like asking people for money if it’s for my sake. I’d rather starve.

I was working on a movie at the time that just started gearing up. When I returned from the mission trip, I had lost my job. Budget cuts. I didn’t make the cut. The trip cost me thousands and thousands of dollars because of the lost work. It’s partially why I’m in the hole so much right now, but I don’t care. I’d do it all over again because my poverty is nothing like the poverty these poor kids have to go through. I have a roof over my head and a soft pillow to fall asleep at night.

God, I’m actually tearing up right now as I’m typing this. Honestly, I’m a mess. I’m sober. That’s the problem. Sure, that’s it. Knock yourself out with some whiskey, kid, but it doesn’t change certain things no matter how much you drink yourself silly. I can’t get these beautiful Haitian kids off my mind. And that’s a good thing on a stormy night for a wild insomniac like myself. Compassion can go a long ways.

I don’t have money right now. I’m honestly broke. But what I do have is an small audience of people that are reading my stuff. Writing is cool, the recent recognition is nice. I’m honored that I’ve been able to connect with so many strangers through my words. But to me the real gift and the real talent is what a person is willing to give back if they’ve been blessed with a certain talent.

I have a platform at the moment being that I was just Freshly Pressed. That platform might not last long. I’m busy working on another film project and it consumes all my time. The blog is gonna take a hit. People move onto the next funny blog or the next interesting thing if you’re too idle. People want entertainment, they expect performance. Rightfully so. That’s fair. I won’t be performing much in the next few months I’m afraid, so I’ll lose some people along the way.

I’m tired as hell. I haven’t slept much the past week. Tomorrow, the clouds will lift and the feeling of peace will pass. It’s gonna hurt like a sonofabitch. I have to be up in a few hours. But this is important. One day or one week of my restlessness could mean a happy and joyful life for one of these Haitian kids. No pressure. I can’t sleep. So I’m up late writing, asking you guys for help.

The following links I’m about to share are religious based. I don’t care what your religious affiliation is or isn’t. I’ll be honest. I avoid talking about religion because I’ve never seen one topic divide so many people. I’m not interested in dividing folks. I’m interested in bringing people together if I have an opportunity to do so. I have an opportunity. Right now at 1:47 on a stormy night in Pittsburgh. So please consider checking out these links and donating some money if you’re able. You hear it all the time, but it’s true. Any amount no matter how small will help. And if you’re not able to donate or don’t feel moved to donate, that’s cool too. I can’t donate either at the moment, but consider finding another way to help out people out if you’re able. Be good, little dimwits. Bless your hearts.

1. Emmaus House – A blurb from Hunter & Jillian’s website: “A home to transition young adults from Cap Haitien Children’s Home to independent living. To provide life skills, professional skills, and education to afford them the opportunity to be faithful, strong, knowledgeable, followers of Christ and able to spread the gospel in Haiti.”

2. Jillian’s Blog – Jillian shares confessions of what it’s like to be a missionary. Honest, powerful read. Check it out. Tell Jillian the Dimwit sent you, and give her a hard time. And tell her to go to bed! 1:00 AM? Crazy talk.

3. The Emmaus House Facebook Page – Lots of updates, stories and profiles on the kids, and other cool stuff. Give it a Like please.

4. Hunter’s Photography Site – Hunter’s the man! C’mon, his name is Hunter. He takes great photos and let’s you experience Haiti through the lens of his camera. Give his blog a look and a follow. He’s a big nerd, and gets all juiced up about those sorts of things like most of us tend to do.

Okay, well I think I can rest peacefully now and catch a few hours of sleep. I just really needed to do this. It’s been on my mind for a while now. Hunter and Jillian are such great people, and the life of a missionary is not an easy one.

I kid you not, the rain just stopped. There’s another metaphor in there or something. Time for bed, but not before I leave you with a few photos from my trip. I have a lot more but this will do for now.

Take care dimwits. Thanks for being awesome.

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A Note From a Haitian Girl – I Want You to Be My Friend For Ever and Ever

Posted on April 4, 2013 by The Dimwit Diary

A few of my family members recently returned from a mission trip to Haiti. Seeing their photos and reading their stories has left me with Haiti on the brain even more than usual, so I thought I’d share a touching story of my own.

I was blessed to be part of a team that traveled to Haiti in March of 2012. There were thirteen of us. The team was comprised of five family members, seven members from my hometown church, and myself. It was a good mix of young and old, guys and gals, the medically trained (two nurses and a doctor) and the clinically insane (my mother).

Our group was affectionately dubbed as “Team Squirt” after the majority of us were stricken with giardia and experienced severe bouts of explosive diarrhea when we returned to the States. It was pretty awesome – the trip, not the explosive diarrhea – but it was a very small price to pay in exchange for the time we spent with the beautiful Haitian people.

Team Squirt stayed at an orphanage in the city of Cap-Haitien for a week. Our primary objective was to provide food and medical relief to the needy, and to help around the orphanage where needed. At least that was the rest of the team’s objective. My objective was to introduce the orphanage kids to old school hip-hop and R&B artists, and to hold late night dance-offs, perfecting dance moves like the Moonwalk and the Cabbage Patch with the children.

One of our evening dance parties at the orphanage. I brought my wireless, bluetooth speakers and loaded my iPod with jams. The kids placed the speakers up in the rafters and we danced the night away on tables.

We took our translators and their respective families out to dinner one night at a nice restaurant. After dinner, the sun went down and the dance party fired up. We danced for well over an hour, having the time of our lives.

The youngest member of the dance crew, but don’t be fooled. This little girl was all spunk and brought some legit moves to the dance floor.

Me teaching sweet, little Jacqueline how to do the “Shimmy Shake.” He laughed at first, but after a while I think he grew concerned for my well being.

Some of the teenage members of the dance crew. They tried to teach me how to Dougie, but after six days and five nights of failed attempts, they eventually submitted to the fact that I’m white.

Mission accomplished. Both objectives were met. Team Squirt fed the hungry by day and busted a move by night. We were some real rice providing, vitamin distributing, Dougie dancing fools that week. I’m pretty sure the kids at the orphanage and the members of the surrounding community had not experienced a group like ours in quite some time, if ever. A week wasn’t nearly long enough, though. We had a tough time saying goodbye when it was time to part our separate ways.

One of the teenage girls at the orphanage especially had a tough time saying goodbye. I saw her on the last night, slinking off into the shadows, completely withdrawn to herself. She was at a loss for words, so she had her friend slip me this note that was folded up into a neat, little square with her name, Eve, scrawled on the front. I waited to read the note until I was on the plane ride home. I carefully unfolded it and here is what the note read:

Hey!!!

I don’t see any word to say goodbye tonight ~~beau~~ because you are a special friend for me. I want to see you next time again. I want you to know that you are in my prayer and in my mind. I want you to be my friend for ever and ever.

It was a short plane ride home but long enough for me to catch my breath and to reflect on the trip that had just taken place. The note just confirmed what I had already suspected of the Haitian people. They are just like everyone else in this world. They only want a chance to be loved and to feel special. The bags of rice, the toothbrushes, the donated clothing – that’s all nice. It helps to meet their physical needs, but what Team Squirt was able to provide went beyond that. We provided them with emotional support and a spark of hope. We made them feel loved.

The Haitian people are truly special and I’m happy that I had the chance to make some new friends. Friends that I intend to keep for ever and ever if I have it my way.

Select Photos

Posted on September 15, 2012 by The Dimwit Diary

It seems like everyone is a photographer nowadays. Every time I get on Facebook, somebody has started a new photography business. It use to annoy me – buy a nice camera, aim it at some pretty stuff, and suddenly that makes you a professional photographer – but now I think it’s great. I say the more photographers the merrier, because the saying “it’s a small world after all,” that’s just some bullshit Disney saying that somebody made up anyhow. It’s a great, big, ginormous world after all, and there’s not enough time for a person to see everything. So when somebody can take some nice photos and really capture a moment, take you to the top of a 15,000 foot cliff, or place you along a peaceful river bank to watch the sunrise, I’m all for it.

Go on shutterbugs. Fire away. I just have one bone to pick, however. If you insist on incorporating a flower into your logo, or if you dot your i’s with hearts, or if your flyer looks like an 8 year old made it during arts and crafts at summer camp for mentally challenged children, than I can’t take your photography business seriously. Sorry. That’s just the way it is. Maybe you should take up selling scented candles or tupperware instead. Oh my gosh, was that mean? I’m sorry. I woke up at, like, 4 o’clock this morning and I have to work all day today with these folks from Toronto. Ugh. Folks from Toronto.

I’m not a professional photographer, but I do enjoy having an excuse to get outside and to see things in a different light, so I take photos from time to time. Feel free to steal them and use them for whatever. And if you’d like a high res photo, shoot me a message and I’m sure we could work it out. Like maybe a high res photo for an Arby’s sandwich, or something like that. I’m a pretty reasonable guy AS LONG AS IT’S NOT 4 O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING. Gotta go. Toodles (by the way, is that not the worst expression ever? “Toodles.” Talk about a total barf-o-rama. I think it’s time to go get some coffee now…)

September 19, 2010
Sunrise at Moraine State Park
Portersville, PA