Davis In Haiti

Into the New Year

2012-01-28T09:35:00.000-05:00

I didn't realize it's been 2 weeks since I sent out a note. Time is something we just don't keep close track of here, I guess. We've had a few fun times, and lots of work time. The days just seem to go by so fast.

Had a team come and do a soccer camp. They didn't work with us, but sure were a blessing to those they DID work with. This is the second time Slippery Rock University came to do some teaching for kids. It was good to hear the pastor they worked with talk about how they were teaching new skills to these kids. (Kids is a relative term...most were upper teens and into the 20's). Of course, those they worked with absorbed any knowledge like sponges. They want to improve and be really good. I think the trip had a positive impact on the team members, too. They worked with two orphanages, too, so it was fun with the soccer, but fun with kids, just playing, too.

Then MFI's president came down with 4 others to get an overview of the missions MFI works with. A couple people we knew and a couple were new...but a great group. They were only here 2 days, but saw a lot in that short time.

And we go on to Abbie (our 6 going on 16 year old). I got a catalog for clothing. She grabbed it and started "practicing" model poses. Says she is now going to be a model. She is also going to be a missionary. And a nurse. (I think there were a few other ones she wants to be too, but don't remember.) She still loves school and her teacher. She is teaching Savanah math and science now. And she is always teaching her Bible. And Savanah just lays there and smiles and absorbs whatever Abbie wants to teach her. She is such a happy little one. I'm afraid Abbie will have some competition in the talking department when Savanah gets a bit older, though.

We were recently blessed when a gal from Pennsylvania sent us some diapers...I know, that doesn't sound exciting, but it is. These are called "Bum Genius". They are SO neat. It's diaper, insert, and rubber pants all in one and so neat. And they fit ANY child, from new born to 35 pounds. I have NO problem washing diapers. Actually prefer that to disposables, since we have no where to "dispose" of those. Since they don't decompose, it would fill our "garbage pit" up real quick. I know a lot of Haitians would be thrilled with any type of regular diapers, and we praise God that we have been able to give some of those out, thanks to some great friends. Anything like that, that's reusable is a blessing.

Don spent over a month, probably closer to two months, fighting flat tires. We have NEVER had problems like we are now, with tires. But come to find out, some of our problems were the beggars standing around here. Since finances have gone down some, Don doesn't have a lot to give to people. Some of the women (mostly those who don't really NEED help, but want a handout) are not real nice. They let air out of tires, scratch the vehicles and just frustrate us a bit. Don has started parking the vehicles where we can see them now, not in the car port we have. Next project is to fence in the car port so the cars will not be messed with.

The missionaries across the way from us had a container come in, with well drilling equipment on it. Normally this is not a problem. But the driver was a bit of a problem. To make the turn into their gate, he had to back up behind our dorm. All the Haitians were yelling at him to stop. He was backing over our pipes for the septic tank. He said he didn't care, and did it anyway. We knew nothing about it until two days later when the watchman came and told Don we had sewage spewing out of the ground. Another costly repair. We are trying to smile through all of this, but it sure isn't easy. But we ARE praising God for being with us through it all.

I was blessed this last weekend. A good friends from Florida came in with a team, and took a couple of days to come and spend some time with us. What a fun time and a change of pace. God sends us uplifts when we need it.

Please keep us in prayer. There was an earthquake in the Dominican. Those in the know say there is a major one on the way, and Cap Haitian sits right on that fault line. We are trying to keep a positive perspective on it all, but if one should hit here, I'm afraid it would be much worse than the one in Port. We have almost NO infrastructure here in the north. Also, pray for the government of Haiti. And for the people to come to realize that the Lord is their ONLY salvation.

Until next time, God bless and keep looking up!! He is coming soon!

As life goes on

2012-01-14T10:46:00.000-05:00

It seems funny...no matter what happens, life goes on. The good, the bad, the unexpected, the expected, ...all of it has no bearing on time.

I've been thinking about "time" and how we relate to it. When was the earth formed? When did the flood occur? When was Jesus born? When was the "new world" discovered? When did the "world wars" occur? When did we land on the moon?..... Okay, a lot of these we can pinpoint and give an actual date. Some we can give a general idea. Some we really don't know for sure. But the real question is, "What impact have any of these had on MY life?"

The earth WAS formed, by the Lord! Do I know the exact time or date? Nope, but I do know that God did it, and as a result, we exist. The flood... a general knowledge of time there is immaterial. God stepped in and He is the one who wanted to "wash" sin from the world. The World Wars...well, I do know I was born during (near the end) of the second one. So, that did impact MY life. Landing on the moon...well, we had a child by that time, and technology was changing the world, which did impact my life a lot.   But the main one, which I skipped over...when was Jesus born.... actual time frame??? Not positive, just a general idea...but the impact on MY life was much more than any of the other things, or even ALL of the other things combined.

Then the next question is, what about time NOW and time to come. What will we (I) do with that? I think the thing I need to concentrate on is that since Jesus is the one person who impacted my life beyond any thing or any one else, I need to fix my life on what HE would have me to do and how HE would have me accomplish things for HIM!! Can you relate to the past, the present and the future, where JESUS is concerned? How has He impacted YOUR life and what are you doing with what you have been given? The Lord does not expect all of us to become missionaries...or pastors...or evangelists... and yet each and every one of us, who KNOW Him, should be incorporating each of those three things into our lives. We should be missionaries, if only to our neighbors and co-workers. We should be a pastor, sharing God's word and love to others. And we should all be evangelists, spreading God's word to the world, in whatever way the Lord shows us.

So, time... how does it relate to you? What are you doing with the time God has given you? It's a thought maybe we should all thing on and considering. I know I have to come to grips with wasted time.

Well, that wasn't something I had planned on saying, it just came out. But our time here has been really busy. Sometimes we let things take up our time that we need to simply let go. But God is working on that in me, too.

Little Savanah and Abbie are my major time consumer right now. And I know that the Lord has put them in my care for this time. I praise God that He has put Vero here to do my work at the airport, so I can accomplish what He has for me here.

On that thought, and with a crying baby, I'll leave you to "ponder" what God is showing you! Remember to keep Him at the front of all you do and all you accomplish.

Short note from Don

2012-01-09T07:49:00.000-05:00

We all know John 3: 16. It's a verse that we can all recite by memory. But now let us look at 1 John 3: 16 (through 18).
   "This is how we know what love is; Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."
   THIS is why we are here. This is what God called us to do!!
Blessings,
Don

New Year's Blessings

2012-01-02T10:52:00.000-05:00

We pray your that Christmas was all you hoped, and that Christ was the center of it all. And now we pray that the Lord will show Himself to you in a mighty way this coming New Year. We pray that as you travel the road you are on, with the hills and the valleys, that you will cling to Jesus as your help and guide in all things.

We've had a week to set your nerves on end. The easy part is praising God when things are fine, but when things are difficult, wow....then it's hard. But we are learning, through those hard times. Let's see....to start with, our septic system backed up. Okay, we knew it was not the septic tank, we had had that emptied. So, Don, with our good friend Daniel's help, started checking the sewer line from our house to the tanks behind the dorm. Let me digress here and tell you how we found out the system had problems.

One of our "girls" (Betty) was in a wedding as the maren (God-mother). So, she had asked if she and the bride could dress here at the house. No problem. Well, Betty wanted me to get some photos of her in her fancy dress, too. They got all dressed, a few photos taken, and they were off. I went in to flush the toilet (in their rush, they hadn't). Then went on to do other things. I walked back to the bathroom, heard water running...and realized the bathroom was flooded, all the way out to the hall, and into one of the bedrooms. Praise God we don't have carpet!! It was NASTY! Don thought the toilet may be plugged, so he plunged it...wrong move, more water erupted... everywhere ... bathtub, shower, sinks...a fun time. So...back to them starting to "fix" the problem.

They dug down in several places, would stick a rod in the pipe, to see if water was flowing. Well, one place they dug, they missed the sewer pipe and hit the water line!!! Yup, here we are with no way to drain water, flush toilets or anything...but that's okay, now we have no water to do it with anyway. Are you catching the drift of frustration here? I wasn't bad...I had the mess cleaned up by then and had extra water set aside, in case I had to do it all again. Well, I didn't, but at least now I had water to use, which I could throw outside when done with it. Don on the other hand was not as "carefree". Those guys were running all over trying to find parts to fix the water line, and to get something they may need to fix the sewer line. Finally they got the water line fixed, for which I was really pleased. I figured I could throw water outside. Toilets were another problem, but we won't go there.

They finally found the "blockage" in the sewer line...and it only took a few hours to clear that. Then the next problem arose. They found a huge root had grown and pressed the pipe almost closed. Well, this was New Year's Eve day...so they simply closed it all up, and it was usable again. And decided to work on the line this week.

Okay, we are at "today"....Three guys came to help dig up the line and replace the collapsed pipe. They started digging and got to where they can work on it. Brought out the pipe (same size as the one in the ground), and the connector. The two 4 inch pipes are different sizes...just enough so they won't work together. So, they are off to town trying to find the needed parts...and prayerfully something will be open, because it is still a holiday here.    Isn't life simply "exciting"??

Yesterday, New Year's Day, we were invited out to Pastor Paul and Belle's place for dinner. Abbie was going to see Richardo, so she wanted to be all dressed up. She had on a fancy dress, mama's earrings, and grandma's new necklace. We had washed and straightened her hair, and I put it up in curls for her. (My first try at that, but it went pretty good). Got Savanah dressed in a pretty outfit and were all ready to go. I still can't get over what a good baby Savanah is. She, along with Abbie, are the light of our lives right now. Don brought the Toyota around, we got in, and he said, "Hope the gas station is open, we won't make it otherwise." You guessed it, it wasn't open. Came back home, he changed a flat tire on the Diahatsu and we tried again. Got going and it sounded like a stone in a tire. He stopped 4 times trying to find that "stone". Never did. But we finally made it out to their place and had a great time. Played some "Mexican Train dominoes" and headed back.

One great afternoon isn't bad out of 4 days, is it? And it was so enjoyable.

So, pray for the guys as they attempt to finish this sewer problem. Don has a whole list of jobs to get done. And this was not one of them. He is still hauling sand and gravel for Pastor Marius for his church. Then he has several other projects on his agenda to work on. Guess we'll see what, if any, he does get to. The saying is, "That's the plan, subject to change, and it WILL change when in Haiti!!"

Don found out this morning that his brother passed away. He is so upset by that, but there is no way he can make any arrangements to get to the funeral. We learned yesterday that his brother was taken to the hospital and then this morning we got word he had passed away. So, keep Don in prayer concerning this situation also. We know Gene, his brother, has heard the salvation message many times. We are not positive if he actually accepted the Lord or not. So this is a very difficult time for Don.

We pray your New Year brings you joy, peace and comfort. As we are doing, grasp onto the Lord's hand and let Him be your guide and direction.

And it was Christmas...

2011-12-26T13:02:00.000-05:00

We have been busy, busy, busy. It seems time flies when you would really like it to slow down a bit. But we did get things done and have accomplished all we wanted to in the last week or so.

I really thought I had posted last week, but looks like I didn't. Don has been working hard to get all the needed cement, sand and gravel out to the church in Milot. Well, the soon to be church, I guess. It's been fun for him to have John, a long ago friend, and also a watchman for a while, with him. And John has been a tremendous help in a lot of areas for him. Of course, Pastor Marius has also been in the truck with them, so it was quite a fun time for all of them. Don is out again today hauling more sand. I guess Marius way under estimated what was needed, so they are working frantically to get things ready before the team comes in a week or so. The only problem being the bad roads, and the flat tires...I think he is up to 6 or 7 by now.

And then there is Abbie. With Mama leaving for the states, we allowed mama and Abbie to each open ONE present before she left. I think we created a monster. We got her a mike, with buttons for music accompaniment, and applause. She loves it. Abbie loves to sing...which she does with any and all music, plus she'll make up her own if I don't have a CD in. Her favorite is Christian music. But, here is a picture of her first present....and MAN, did she make use of it. Our only problem from that point on was that Abbie REALLY, REALLY missed her mama being here for Christmas. But she got to talk to Uncle Agneau and her mama on Christmas Eve. Our phones have been really bad, and the call got cut off not long into the conversation. But she did get to talk to mama. Three different people called, and the calls were cut off. I hope they didn't think we cut them off, because we sure didn't.

And it was Savanah's first Christmas. A good friend in Pennsylvania sent her some gifts and she had them on for both Christmas eve and Christmas day. I don't think she had a clue what was going on, but that's okay, she's only 9 weeks old.

We took Abbie to a restaurant in town for a treat for Christmas. It was a new place for us. It was nice, but we still prefer going to our old one, "la Kay". The new one was real windy (on the ocean front and upstairs), and they have TV's with LOUD music videos...some real wild ones. But it was still a fun time out with the "girls". Savanah was really good and slept through the whole thing.

Christmas eve I read the Christmas story from Luke, chapter 2. Then Abbie wanted to "tell" the story in her own way. She did great, adding things that were not in the Luke account, but in other places. We had watched Mark Lowery on YouTube, singing, "Mary Did You Know". Don loves the part where he sings, "Mary did you know when you kissed your baby, you kissed the face of God?" He mentioned that, and Abbie sat and thought about it for a long time. Finally she asked, "When I kiss Savanah, am I kissing the face of God?" So, we had to explain what the song meant. But she loves Savanah a lot and really enjoys making her laugh and talk.

Christmas day, we had Pastor Paul Romeus and Belle over for dinner. Had a great time of fellowship (and food). What a joy they are for us. On New Year's Day we are going to their home for the celebration. It's Christmas, New Year's, and Independence day for Haiti, all in one. (I'm hoping we have pumpkin soup...it's traditional and we really like it).

Abbie has not felt good for the last two days. Had a "headache"...when I finally found out where it hurt, I checked it out. She had a BIG sore on the back of her head and it was draining. So, her hair was all matted and a mess. With hair as thick as hers it was a real challenge getting it all out. Now we have to prepare for her to be in a wedding tomorrow. Time simply does NOT stand still here.

We pray your Christmas was really CHRIST centered and wonderful. And we pray God will bless you in the coming New Year. Keep your focus on Him and all He is and all He does, in and through you!!! It's in Him we have our being!!

Her Christmas Program

2011-12-16T11:28:00.000-05:00

It's been a week...and then some. Trying to keep Abbie toned down. She was SO excited about the program. I have to admit, it was a really neat one. They did it as if there was a TV station there. They really did an excellent job with it. Some great actors in that school for sure. They even put in commercials....one was for a special "camel wash solution". Of course they had to use whatever "props" they had. But for the limited things available here, it was pulled off really well. And they did sing in Spanish and then in French, too. We enjoyed the whole thing. Here are just a couple of pictures.

Don has been trying to be good about how much he uses his hand. When I changed the bandage, I thought it was looking really good. Of course it hurts...I'm sure it will for a while. He didn't do very good at the airport on Tuesday, but Thursday went pretty good. Just that both days were really long.

Vero got her visa. It's for a year. She'll be going out on Tuesday for 2 weeks. She is SUPPOSED to spend most of that time with her brother, whom she hasn't seen in over 15 years. We'll see how it goes. The sad thing is that Abbie will miss her mom being here for Christmas.

Savanah is doing good. She is gaining weight so quickly. Sort of cut her back on how much she is eating. She is the happiest kiddo. Normally only cries when she is wet, dirty, or hungry. And when she is ready for bed. She has a very short crying time, then just like turning off a light switch, she's asleep. She really loves Abbie!! As soon as she sees her, she is all smiles.

We've had some pretty heavy and constant rains lately. We are praying it will ease off soon and let things dry up a bit. And the rains brought down the temps, too. Been pretty chilly here for us. But it won't be long and we'll be complaining about the heat, right?

Well, it's back to work...we are blessed that Pastor Paul and Belle will be coming for Christmas dinner with us. Really good friends. And a blessing in so many ways.

I hope your Christmas is totally CHRIST centered and wonderful. We need to remember and share the REAL reason for this season...Jesus Christ coming to this earth to take our place before the Father. We serve an awesome God!!!

Sorry...about the address...

2011-12-13T13:08:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure of I posted the wrong address or not. I hope you can see this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=OExXItDyWEY&vq=medium

A Christmas thought

2011-12-13T13:02:00.000-05:00

I just received an email and went to the "youtube" site. It is awesome. I wanted to share with you what was sent to me. It IS very thought provoking. And it makes us think about what we are teaching our children. Here in Haiti we don't have the hard push for "Santa" that there is in the US, but still, we need to bring the TRUE meaning of Christmas to our children as well as adults. I hope you read this through and watch the video. It is really neat.
Blessings!!

"Where's the Line to See Jesus"

About the song;
While at the mall a couple of years ago, my then four year old nephew, Spencer, saw kids lined up to see Santa Claus. Having been taught as a toddler that Christmas is the holiday that Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, he asked his mom, "where's the line to see Jesus?"

My sister mentioned this to my dad, who immediately became inspired and jotted words down to a song in just a few minutes. After putting music to the words, and doing a quick recording at home, he received a great response from friends. he sent the song off to Nashville without much response, except for a Christian song writer who suggested adding a bridge at the end of the first chorus. My dad then asked if I wanted to record the song to see what we could do with it. I listened to the song, made a few changes to the words to make it flow better, and we headed to Shock City Studios. It was at the studio where Chris, owner and producer, rewrote the 2nd verse and part of the chorus...with goose bumps and emotions high, we were all hopeful and felt like we had something special. The demo was recorded in just under 2 hours and sent off again to Nashville...still no response. Then 2 weeks before Christmas last year, my cousins Greg and Robbie decided to do a video to see what we could accomplish on YouTube. The first day we had 3000 hits and it soared from there. We received e-mails, phone calls, Facebook messages from people all over asking for the music, CD's, iTunes, anything...we had nothing. After a couple of meetings with Chris following the amazing response, we got serious. We headed back into the studio this past spring...this time with guitars, drums, bass, pianos, choirs...the real deal...and here we are today. Getting iTunes set up, a website put together, and loving that thousands upon thousands of Christians have come together...remembering the true meaning of Christmas. Out of the mouths of babes come profound truths that many adults cannot understand. Hopefully Spencer's observation will cause people all over to reflect on the love of Jesus, and that one day we will all stand in line to see Him.
We are most thankful to our Heavenly Father to have this chance to share our music with you. Merry Christmas everyone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=OExXltDyWEY&vg=medium

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Have a super blessed, Christ centered Christmas!

Christmas is coming...

2011-12-11T13:21:00.000-05:00

We have been very busy, and involved and going through an "interesting" time. First, Don and Pastor Marius have been hauling sand for Pastor's new church in Milot. They have been working for days getting enough there for a team to come and build the church in January. Praise God they now have enough. But between that truck and the pickup we have right now, 6 flat tires...Don is a bit frustrated by that. I've put a few pictures here of where he goes to get the sand. It's at a place called Gran Rivere. For those of you who knew us a long time ago, you may recognize the one fellow in the pictures of the guys. It is John. (He is on the far right.) He worked with us when we were in Milot, then he was our watchman for a while here in Cap. He went with Pastor and Don for all the loads they hauled.

Then there are Abbie and Savanah. They are both a trip and a half. Abbie loves to sit with the baby on the bed and "teach" her. She does math and reading. She tells me Savanah is doing really well. Okay....the baby was 8 weeks old yesterday, so I'm SURE she is doing well in both subjects!!☺

And our other "news" is Don's trip....well, that sound exciting, but it's not. He had changed something on the TV and backed up to use the remote...and tripped over a box. We really have NO idea what he hit or how he did it, but he did do damage, to himself. When I first saw the blood and his hand, I thought he had torn off a finger. After cleaning it up, we realized he only ripped part of the finger off...but not totally. I put ointment and what dressings I could find on it. It was late evening. Then spent a LONG time cleaning up the blood all over the living room and kitchen. The next morning our good friend, Belle, came with a doctor who sewed Don up. He should be fine now, even with those stitches and a sprained wrist and thumb. The loss of blood had made him a bit weak...but then, he's a man, and all that blood alone would have made him fuzzy. Stitches come out next weekend and he'll be fine. But for now, no driving for a couple of days.

And it's only 14 days till Christmas. Abbie is SO excited. She is also excited about the school play and her part in that. She can tell you the story of Jesus' birth in DETAIL...with all the expression of the shepherds shocked faces to the love on Mary's face. So, our Christmas is going to be reading the whole story in Luke (Abbie wants to read it herself) to having birthday cake for Jesus.

I hope you are keeping the REAL reason for this season at the front of all you do. And Yes, please wish everyone a VERY Merry CHRISTmas!!!!

A thankful day

2011-11-25T09:40:00.000-05:00

It's the day AFTER Thanksgiving, but I'm still so thankful for so many things. We had a huge turkey yesterday....thanks to a concern for not having turkey for our English Bible Fellowship dinner on Saturday. One of the gals brought back, from the Dominican, a couple extras, in case they didn't show up on MFI. But they did, so we purchased one of the "extras". We had a small "family" dinner. It was Vero, Abbie, Betty, Savanah, Don and I. We got to the part where I said, "Okay, what are YOU thankful for?" Abbie, bless her heart...said school, and anything and everything connected with school. Then, Mom, Grandpa and Grandma got added in. The rest of us put our "thankful" things in. Then Vero said, "I'm just thankful for EVERYTHING!" Betty asked, "Even the bad things?" And Vero said, "Yes, because even then Jesus is with us." What an honest way to thank God for all things, as it says in 1 Thess. 5: 16-18. And we ARE thankful in all things.

And yesterday we received our daily devotional from our friend Roy. The thought he put forward in the first line really hits home. It was: "Today, suppose, just suppose, that when you woke up this morning, the ONLY things you had are those things you thanked God for last night." WOW... what a thought provoking thing that is. I can honestly say Abbie would be blessed, she is so thankful for EVERYTHING, EVERY DAY! But this also brought to mind the email that has been around a lot. The one where the person went to heaven and was given a tour. One area, angels were busily sorting and going through things. These were the "requests" sent to God. The next area the angels were busily sending the answers to the prayer requests. The third area was one lone angel, sitting doing almost nothing. This angel was handling the "Thank yous, sent back to God." Where are WE with those things? We do tend to send up a lot of "requests", but are we sending just as many "thank yous"??? I intend to start focusing on that more now. And it's thanks to Roy. He daily devotionals are always inspiring, but once in a while it really hits home.

Abbie is always a joy. Her excitement about Thanksgiving was something else. She had her turkey, with the thankful list on it's tail (hand prints). I was reading it and said, "Abbie, you are thankful for your drums and guitar? You don't HAVE either one." She very calmly said, "No, but if I DID, I'd be thankful." And the funny thing is, she doesn't even WANT either of them. It's hard to comprehend the mind of a child.

And then Savanah...she is growing by leaps and bounds. She smiles a lot more and is "talking" now when you talk to her. And she is eating a lot more. But she is still such a good baby and is a joy to have around.

Abbie has been counting the days till Christmas. She asked me to make a calendar, like I did last year, where she can mark the days off. I said, "But I didn't do that until December, and it's November now." Her response was, "But Grandma, I want to get started early this year." So, she has the days counted off until Christmas. And I marked on it when she has days off from school, when her program at school is, and anything else she is excited about. She said she wants a "Jesus birthday cake again." So, that is on the list of things to do.

Well, it's on to work and caring for baby. I hope you think on those things concerning being thankful. The Lord does walk with us daily and He is providing things we never even think about. I know I'll be more "tuned into" those things from this point on. And I do thank the Lord for YOU. For your care and concern for us as we serve here in Haiti. God bless and keep looking UP!!!

Another quick update

2011-11-17T15:55:00.000-05:00

Thought you might like to see a couple of photos of Savanah and Abbie. Abbie REALLY has decided to "help" me with her. Our good friends, Ray and Bonnie, sent over a car seat and a swing to use. I'll only have them for one month, since they had already been promised to someone else, but it's a help for now. Abbie sits by the swing and talks to the baby. And she tells her stories. Oh what stories she has.

Had a bit of a time the first 24 hours... she did NOT want a bottle, NO WAY (she had been breast fed until now)...but I just kept talking and trying and eventually, with a frown, she ate. She was probably REALLY hungry. She really is a contented baby, though.

Vero ended up taking her brother to the Dominican for medical help. Years ago he had been in an accident and had a pin put in his leg. (They didn't do a good job). Tuesday he fell somehow and really hurt it again. The doctors here said they could not help him, they didn't have the right "equipment". So, Vero took him to Santiago. She called a while ago and is headed back tomorrow. Had a hard time understanding her, bad connection. So, all we got was that she will be here tomorrow. Keep her and him in your prayers. I'm not positive on his name, or I'd put it here.

I hope your day is going great. And I pray that God will bless you in a real way in the coming week!! Keep Him in front of all you do!

A long, but VERY interesting day

2011-11-15T18:36:00.000-05:00

Airport was interesting, to say the least. Not a lot of cargo, but very unusually hot and humid. Not sure what is going on with the temperatures here, but I think it's the same the world over right now.

When we got home, we had a visitor. A wonderful surprise. The daughter of some of our good friends came from Canada, and she stopped to see us. It's been a LONG time since we've seen Guerline and it was good to see her again. A month ago, her sister had a baby, and she is unable to keep it. Guerline came to set in motion the adoption of the child. She actually came to see if we had any information on adoption, but since we have not been involved, and it's changed drastically, we had nothing to share with her. She had little Savanah with her. She never asked, but was concerned about where the baby is staying. The home situation is not the best to say it mildly. They were about ready to leave, and Don and I had come in the house. We looked at each other, walked out and offered to care of the child while the adoption is being worked on. So, as of tomorrow, we will be foster care givers again. Abbie has offered her "services" to help me care for Savanah. She's a really good baby. Not fussy in the least. And as you can see, cute as a button. We are hoping this will bring Grandma and Grandpa (Sandy and Bibiana) down to see their new granddaughter. We would love to see them again.

So, you can see, my ministry stopped pretty much for a while, but now it will be back in full swing again. This will limit my working at the airport, but I will still go and do some of the work, with Savanah going along. Another change of pace in our life. But not a bad change. I'm just glad we can help out our good friends. Pray with us that the adoption process will go quickly. We've been told it has moved along pretty quickly now. Not sure about that, but I guess we'll find out. Adoption into Canada seems to go much quicker than the US.

Just got to thinking, humm.... gave all our baby items away. Guess we'll have to search and find some things again. Already have the crib here and ready to set it up. Vero gave them a ride home, and returned with the crib.

Our friends Ray and Bonnie, sent over a bunch of books for Abbie. Some are a little advanced, but last night she asked me to read one to her. I sat on the bed, and said, well, why don't YOU try to read it to me. It really surprised me when she read the whole book (a 2nd grade level) with only two words she got stuck on. She LOVES to read. And her comprehension level is great, too.

Abbie is now in here telling me I have to help her get ready for Savanah. When she first saw her, I thought she was a bit jealous. She said no, I'm not jealous, I'm just really unhappy. I asked why. She said because we had to stop the Tom and Jerry DVD to see the baby. Turned it on and she was happy again. She said she is sure Savanah will like Tom and Jerry when she "gets a bit older".

Okay, on to work. Abbie is reading over my shoulder and telling me to hurry!!

We are praising God that He has opened the door to this little child. We know the home situation and know the child would have a hard time surviving there. Pray for her, pray for her new family and pray for us. We know God is in this. And we are walking in His ways. I pray you are doing the same thing. Again, GOD IS AWESOME!!

A short note

2011-11-11T11:17:00.000-05:00

Well the weather is something else again....after the heat not letting up, the temps dropped WAY down. Now, those of you in the northern US, and even some in the south...will think we are a bit goofy. But the temps dropped down to the upper 60's, and everyone here was looking for heavy coats, blankets or some other way to "stay warm".   We RARELY get below 70 degrees. For those here, that is like below freezing for those of you in the north. Thank goodness it does warm up during the day, up to the low or mid 80's. When you consider most people here, because of bad nutrition, have no resistance to colds and such, you can see why they get sick when the temps change so much. Keep them all in prayer.

I looked at the date and it surprised me. It's 11/11/11. THAT doesn't happen often, does it? But then I remembered it's Veterans Day.   Thank you to all the veterans, and to those who are serving now, to defend our country. Our prayers go out to all of them. They put themselves in harms way to keep us safe and we appreciate their service. Back when they started the "thing" about when you saw a service man or woman, to simply put your hand on your heart and then move it toward them, to show your thanks, I was able to do that. I don't remember where we were, except it was in an airport...I saw a serviceman walking toward me. When he looked up, I did that....no words, just a simple gesture.   He smiled and nodded. It made ME feel good to have put that smile there. Then I saw some others do the same thing. He had been walking with his head down when he got off the plane, but with each person who made that small effort, he stood a bit straighter. When he was about out of sight, he was walking straight up and smiling. Remember to thank those who served for YOU!!

Well, with it being 11/11/11, it also brought to mind something else. Tomorrow is 11/12/11....that is the 28th anniversary of our moving to Haiti. We landed here in Cap Haitian around noon on Nov. 12th, 1983. Don and I and our twins had been here on teams before that, but that was our "moving day" to Haiti. And God has blessed us beyond measure for being here. Oh, make no mistake, there have been days when we wondered what we were doing here. But those were not the normal. MY only drawback to all of these years here is missing our kids, grandkids and now GREAT grandkids. But guess that is a mother's heart speaking. I cherish our kids and their kids, etc...and miss them a LOT. But I also know we are to be here. So, we'll let the Lord handle it all.

I have a daily devotional book, with the entries by Max Lucado. Today's was about our being clothed in robes of pure white when we get to heaven. Then he said ' "Jesus is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God" (Rev. 19:13). Why is Christ's robe not white? Why is His cloak not spotless? Why is His garment dipped in blood?....Paul says simply, "He changed places with us" (Gal. 3:13)...He wore our coat of sin to the cross."   WOW... I KNEW this, yet seeing it put like that really brings it home. Have YOU thought about all that Jesus Christ did for YOU? I hope you are in the place where you can say AMEN and Praise the Lord for all He has done for ME!! We really do serve an AWESOME GOD!!

Rains...

2011-11-07T14:07:00.000-05:00

Well, the heat is slowly receding. We have had some really heavy rains the last couple of days. Wish I had taken a picture of our yard, but when I thought of it, too late. Abbie stood on the porch and said, "Grandma...we have a beach! Can I go swimming?" Our whole big yard was water...and yes, it looked like a beach. You could see very little grass or ground anywhere. It came down in buckets for about 2 hours. Many places needed the rains, but not sure if they needed it like it came!!

I did get a picture of one of our candles in the living room, between the door and window. That shows you what the heat was like in our house. And, our place is cooler than most, with insulation over the ceiling.

Brings back memories of YEARS ago. My folks were on vacation in the summer, and asked my sister and I to take turns checking their house out. One day we both met at the house, opened the door and were hit with a blast furnace. For some reason the furnace had kicked on, and never shut off. A friend came and shut it down and then called the repair man. But on the dining room table, mom had two candles with a centerpiece. Both long candles were melted completely around the base, in a circle. I think we took a picture of it, but don't remember. Well, that's almost Haiti weather.

We had some excitement last night. I think I wrote that our guards were really pushing to get the gate finished. And it's been done enough to close at night now. About 2 weeks ago some guys broke into the OMS compound next to us. Our guard said they tried to come through our drive, but couldn't get in. So, they went to the other side of the OMS compound and climbed the fence. Last night about 3:15 AM, our dogs went wild. I got up and was checking out the windows. Saw our watchman with a flashlight, but nothing else. This kept on for over half an hour. We got one strange phone call...no one answered me. Then a while later, the man who is heading up their mission called (3:45 AM?) and asked us to have the guard open the gate for the police when they got there. Guys again had scaled the walls to the other mission and broken in. Our guards keep telling us how happy they are with the gate. We also have 3 stray dogs who have adopted us and stay here (we had tried to get them out, but no way would they leave). But now...we don't complain, they sure do keep everyone out at night!!

It's back to work again. I hope your days aren't quite as exciting as ours have been lately. We sure are praising God that He is there with us and keeping His eyes on us. Remember to keep your eyes on the the Lord and walk with Him!!

November has arrived

2011-11-04T10:21:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's November already. Wow, time sure flies. I also can't believe it's still so VERY hot here. I can't remember how many people at the airport on Tuesday were complaining about the temperatures. It's still in the 90's during the day. Okay, it does cool off to mid 80's at night, but doesn't seem like its much cooler.

Looking at things in perspective, the whole world is going through "unusual" times right now. Look at Matthew 24: 4-8. "Jesus answered: 'Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen but the end will come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains."

Does this sound like what is happening? Does this mean the Lord will be coming soon? I know "soon" is a relative term, and no one knows the time, but it is exciting. All we have to be concerned with is if we are ready. Are you ready? I know I need to be better equipped, and need to start delving deeper into the Bible and what God has for me. I don't have "fear" of what is to come. I read the end of the Book, and we win!!! Getting there may not be easy, but we have the Lord walking through it all with us.

With this in mind, we have to take each day and make the best of it for the Lord.

I do have some prayer requests for you all to add to your list. We have several good friends who are facing cancer. Many find it hard to understand why the Lord allows this to happen to good, strong Christians. I can't even begin to answer that, except to say that God knows more than I do. I do know we are living in a world controlled by evil. And yes, I do pray for healing for these wonderful people. But we leave that part in the Lord's hands, once we lift them up to Him. And then I wonder, if it were me in that situation would I be the kind of person they are? I know two of these men are being a strong, positive witnesses for the Lord and all He stands for. Would I be that kind of person? I pray I would, but I don't know. So, I'm praying that the Lord will work in my life to let others see what He has done for me in so many areas. God IS my light and my salvation. I want others to see that and be drawn to His light, too.

Another prayer request is for the IDADEE orphanage. They are meeting some difficult times and have some hard decisions. Please keep them lifted up and close to the Lord.

Vero has been having a really hard time lately. She is doing what the Lord called her to, plus she has been overburdened with work at the orphanage. But she has almost no support and is really feeling the hard times now. She is praying about finding a job to help out. So please keep her lifted up in prayer. If the Lord wants her to continue on this path He has set her on, she will need Him to show her how to do it.

One of our "kids" is planning a December wedding. I thought I was out of this area, but I guess not. I have a very short time to get things together for this day. A dress, flowers, and all the added items need to be gotten. Please pray for me to be able to accomplish this for her and her future husband.

And then there is Abbie. What a joy in a sometimes hard world. Aside from her regular school work, she is taking Spanish and French daily. And how she loves it. She is doing really well in all areas of school, and she really enjoys school and learning. She is such an extrovert and it shows when we pick her up from school. Even the older kids make sure they come and tell her goodbye for the day. She is also taking piano lessons now. (Does anyone remember having their kids take music lessons? Whew...ear plugs would be nice!)

And our final prayer request is for us. Please keep us lifted up before the Lord. We seem to be on this roller coaster ride. Some really great days and then the real downers. But that is life, isn't it? It just seems doubly hard here.

We are thankful for so many things, though. I still rejoice in the time we spent with our kids this summer. And am SO VERY thankful for Bud and Sharon who shared their lives and home with us. And each and every day we are completely in awe of the Lord and all He has done for us. We praise Him and thank Him for being there for us and for keeping watch over us.

We pray you are totally connected to Him, too. Oh, yea, HE IS AWESOME, TOTALLY!

A sad day

2011-10-17T20:24:00.000-04:00

Today is not the top of the list for good days. Don worked on the gate...trying to get things done on it. One thing after another went wrong, then to top it all off, his welder quit. He was SO frustrated. He'd worked most of the day in the sun and heat, and then couldn't finish what he started. Maybe that's the norm for Haiti.

Then he came in and our yard man came and told he to come look at Zoe, our dog. She has been really sick since they (no one knows who) tried to poison her. Didn't seem to get over it at all. Today she finally gave up and passed away. She was such a good dog. And she loved Abbie. And Abbie loved her. This was really hard on Abbie. She cried and cried, and said it was her fault. We can't figure that one out, but finally convinced her it was NOT her fault. When she came home from piano lessons, she was much better, but she still misses her friend. Zoe let her do about anything. Here is a picture taken a while back, showing them together.

Oh yes, Abbie is learning piano. She seems to like it a lot, so we are hoping she will continue and keep with it.

By the end of this week, the IDADEE orphanage will have 19 children. Keep them in prayer. There are many things they need help with now with 19 very young kids. I don't think any of the 19 are over 3 years old.

Our weather continues to be hot and humid. It should be cooling off a little, but doesn't seem to headed that way.

Don was able to deliver all of the food we had here to 2 different schools. They were so happy to get it.

In church on Sunday, I read Psalm 150. We are trying to center on praise in worship. And we had a good speaker, too. He was a young fellow, whose dad is a pastor, but he did a great job.

In reference to Psalm 150.... have YOU been praising God lately? Either in private or in public? The Lord does so much for each of us every day, we should be praising Him, loud and long!! Stop and think about your day...can you see how the Lord worked in it today? I know at first Don had a problem finding things to praise about, but he did. He said he could not believe that VERY old generator had held up for so many, many years and not given a bit of trouble. So, he was praising God for all the time he did use it and what a blessing it has been over the years. And now he is praising God for a time of rest and relaxation. I also keep going back to 1 Thess. 5: 16-18... one of my favorite verses.... "be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in ALL circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (NIV) Reach out and take hold of God's Hand, He is there for you in ALL situations!!
Blessings!!!!

Remember when?

2011-10-07T09:59:00.000-04:00

I've been working on cleaning up things, and this included my computer. This thing isn't that old, but I had transferred most of my things from the old one here. I tend to do that, instead of cleaning it up. I was amazed at some of the things I have saved. And thrilled when I found some things I thought were gone. It's like looking in an old shoe box and finding treasures.

Now that I've done this, I want to go through a big tub of pictures I've been meaning to clean out. I wonder what I'll find in there...maybe I'll have to share some of that with you.

One of the things I did find on the computer was a video we took of Abbie. She is about 15 months old on this one. I hope I can download it here, we'll see. The story behind this is funny. I was working here in the computer room. She came in, tried to get my attention, but I didn't listen to her. She picked up a paper out of the trash and started "reading" it to me. I was so engrossed in my work, I sent her to grandpa. Pretty soon she was back, "reading" again. So, I quit and went out in the living room to listen to her. I sat down and she pulled up a metal dolls chair and the fun began.....

She is and was a hoot. She still amazes us with her antics. She's in first grade now, but excelling above her grade level. She sits at night and reads her Bible to her mommie. She sounds out words, and when she doesn't know what they are, she stops and asks, then repeats the sentence. All of this without prompting from anyone. We had put a DVD in, and somehow it was on with the words displayed. She started reading those to us. Then she realized they were what the people were saying and she was thrilled.

We've had a busy week. Went to the airport Tuesday and then waited and waited for the plane. Finally called MFI and found out that our new plane, 500MF was sitting in the Bahamas with a problem. They had to fly 200MF down, pick up passengers and cargo and bring them in. We came home, since the plane wasn't due for HOURS....Don went back, and picked up the pilots, since they had to overnight, coming in so late. Sure enjoyed having them here, though. It used to be quite often that MFI would overnight, with plane problems, or for other reasons. It's been a while since they have had to do that. They are working out the "glitches" of a new plane and should be out of the frustration mode soon. Then we won't have them here again for a long time.

I shared at English church on Sunday. What a hoot that was. I had sat here, doing the whole thing, including the songs and everything, and timed it out to about 54 minutes...good, we have an hour. I ended up finishing in 35 minutes....somehow I got it all wrong on timing. While stateside, I had gotten a CD by Michael W. Smith, "A New Halleluiah". I got it because it had "Amazing Grace" on it. Even before we were Christians, I really liked that song. But after accepting the Lord, it had new meaning for me. Well, this version of the song has an added chorus. This is it:
   My chains are gone
   I've been set free
   My God, my Savior
   Has ransomed me
   And like a flood,
   His mercy rains
   Unending love
   Amazing Grace
Since we have about 60% Haitians at English church, I wanted to do that song, but explain God's Amazing Grace before that. I had it all set up.... our friend, Ray, helped with it. There was a lot that went into it, but the basics came down to me holding up individual signs that read, HATE, BITTERNESS, ANGER, GREED, UNFORGIVENESS...and a couple more. I told everyone that once you accept Christ, these things can be dealt with, with Jesus help. Then I read the chorus from the song. I nodded and Ray came forward with chains wrapped around his body, and a lock on it. I said, Jesus went to the cross for YOU, and for ME. But between His death and when He rose again, what did He do? I said, He reached down and took the keys away from the devil. He took those keys to FREE you and me from all that holds us down. I turned and unlocked the lock and took it off the chain. Then I told them, He HAS set you free, but you need to turn to Him and release those things in your heart....I took the paper with HATE, held it up, crushed it in my hand and threw it away...and Ray dropped part of the chain. I took another paper, held it up, said "Give it to the Lord", crushed it and threw it away, and Ray dropped more of the chain. I did this through all those words. And when done, the chain laid on the floor. Then we sang "Amazing Grace" with the new chorus...When we got to "My Chains Are Gone", I held up the chain and threw it away. I looked at my watch and was shocked it was only 35 minutes. I said, we have finished early, but you are free to go....so this week, go and share with someone how your chains are gone and you have been set free. And share the Love of the Lord with them.

What amazed me, was watching the Haitians. Most come to church just to learn more English. They sit and text, or talk quietly on the phone (a real frustration to everyone). But that day not one person did any of that. They all sat with mouths hanging open. Enoch, our musician, asked if I had seen the faces of the people. He was shocked with how quiet they were, and how they paid attention. There was a Haitian pastor and his family there. He knew English pretty well, but he wanted his family to learn more. He told someone there that he was going to use that illustration in his church.
Enoch told me I did a great job....I told him, nope, it wasn't me. God put it all together and simply used me to do it. And God did a great job of reaching some of those people. I guess we are back to my favorite saying (that one of our sons used YEARS ago), "Isn't God AWESOME???"

The days move on

2011-09-29T15:15:00.000-04:00

Greetings,
We have had some really weird weather here. When we first moved to Haiti, almost 28 years ago, we had soft rains nightly (and no lightening) and sunshine daily. These last few weeks, we have had HORRID rains and lightening every evening and sunshine during the day. With these storms come some heavy winds, too. This is something even the Haitians are commenting on. The older folks say they have never seen weather like this before. It's not quite 2 PM and already the thunder has started and it's getting dark. Pray for the people in homes that have leaks and those living on lower ground. We had thought that maybe the rains would take the temps down, but nope, it's simply hot and MORE humid than before. September is our hottest month, but this is something beyond what we have seen before.

We've been working like mad on so many things here. Biggest challenge was replacing the toilet in our home. That took a few days. But, praise God, it's in and working great. Doing a lot of sorting/cleaning out/ and getting rid of things not needed. Things sure do tend to pile up. Of course, as soon as we toss something, we'll need it, but that's life.

Don is still into his intense study of scripture. At least three or four hours each morning. I've been doing a search on "grace"....wow, it's something else. I lead English church this coming month. And with our speaker not coming for this first Sunday, I am going to find scriptures and songs dealing with GRACE. I've found some neat things, and some interesting things. Love getting into the scriptures, though.

An "Abbie update"..... she is doing really well in school. She is in first grade and aside from all her other "classes", she is learning French and Spanish. Each night she wants to say grace at supper, and she does it both in French and in Spanish. Her teacher says she is the one student (our of the school of 40+ kids), who loves to sit and listen and learn. She also sits with mama at night and reads the Bible. Some words she has to stop and ask what they mean, but I can't believe she is doing so great. The words she doesn't know, she sounds out and then repeats, to make sure they are right. The only thing she doesn't like about school is math. She's good at it, but it takes more time than the other things, and she doesn't have a lot of patience. She wants everything to move along at a quicker pace.

Vero went to Ti-Gauve (south west of Port au Prince) yesterday. She and her brother, Smith, went to pick up three more little boys for the IDADEE orphanage. All right around 2 years old. That will make 13 little ones, all under 2 1/2 years old. Quite a challenge.

Well, I'd better get back to work and get some things done. Didn't go to the airport today. I'm only going on Tuesday's now. But there is enough work here to catch up on. And it's a good time to study when I'm here alone. Since Abbie is doing so well in school, I think it's time for some "Abbie cooking" time. She loves to help make things, so maybe something special for supper is in line. I'll let her pick it out. She is such a quick learner, it's fun to work and teach her.

I'll leave you with one of the scriptures I'm using on Sunday.... 2 Corinthians 12: 9... "But He (the Lord) said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'...."    God's grace is sufficient for ALL OF US!!
Blessings....and keep your eyes on Jesus!!

A hard time

2011-09-16T10:28:00.000-04:00

Just a short note here, asking for prayers for Don and his family. One of his older sisters passed away 2 days ago. She had been in a nursing home for quite some time, but was looking forward to getting back home in the next few months. We are so glad we were able to spend some time with her this summer. As hard as this is, we do know we'll see her again. She accepted the Lord many, many years ago in our home. She is now pain free and having a great time. It's those of us left here who grieve and hurt. "Parting is such sweet sorrow" has real meaning to us now.

When my sister passed away 2 years ago, we had that same feeling. So, both of our sisters are now together and rejoicing with the Lord!!

We will not be able to go to the funeral, but our thoughts and prayers are with her children and grandchildren. They were very close and this will be difficult for them. Please, keep them in prayer.

In July, Barb was able to get to the yearly family picnic. It was a great time for everyone. It was the first time in a very long time that we were there for the picnic. Such a blessing for us.

These are her daughters with her at the picnic. Her son was there, but I didn't get him in the picture.

Just before we left Wisconsin in August, Don was able to spend time with both his older sisters. It was the first time in a LONG, LONG time the three of them had been together. And I think the first time in a long time we saw Barb smile so big. She was thrilled both Yvonne and Don came to see her together.

Thanks for sharing in our memories. And please, keep the family in prayer.

The Maiden Flight of N500MF

2011-09-14T08:57:00.000-04:00

We had a busy day yesterday. Not only busy, but with the temperature over 100, and out in the sun all day, it was HOT!!! Two MFI planes came in, one of them being N500MF, our new turbine aircraft. Before I share photos, I want to share just a short part of what MFI's president, Dick Snook, shared last Friday. After explaining the almost 5 months of waiting on the US government to certify the aircraft, that certification came last Friday morning. Here is just a short clip of what he wrote....

"...On Tuesday, September 13th, N500MF will make her maiden voyage to Haiti and the Dominican Republic hauling a work team, mission cargo and mail. I suppose you might guess who will be at the controls. I do not pull rank very often at MFI but I did this time. Pray for a great flight with the "new" (68 year old) DC-3 being flown by a 64 year old captain. (With a big smile on his face.)..."

Yes, he did have a big smile on his face when he arrived. It was a great day for everyone. A bit of a note Dick sent out today follows...

"....This airplane carries more weight than our other aircraft and does it in style. Going to Haiti, we cruised at 17,000 feet at an average of 240 mph. On the flight home to Fort Pierce, we averaged 235 mph. Today, with fuel costs so high, efficiency is very important for MFI. We moved nearly 7,000 pounds of mission cargo to Haiti yesterday and brought 7 passengers home including a badly injured motorcycle accident victim. A special thanks to everyone who has prayed and given to this aircraft project..."

You can see Dick, along with everyone else at MFI, is really pleased with the performance of this new aircraft. A little side note here...all of our other DC-3's have a rest room, as does N500MF, but the new aircraft has a FLUSH toilet. The others have a bucket below, with a normal seat on it. (This is a real point of note for the passengers who fly regularly with us.) It doesn't seem like a big deal to many, but it's an upgrade that many of the missionaries will enjoy.

Now, it's on to the pictures. I hope you enjoy them. Keep praying for MFI and for their aircraft to keep performing in the normal great way!!

You will note that our pilots (yes, even the president of MFI) do the loading and unloading of the cargo, with the help of our Haitian workers. (A side note here, that is OUR aluminum they are unloading, to help stop the leaks in our dorm roof!)

There are the two aircraft on the ground at Cap Haitian. Between the two aircraft they hauled well over 10,000 pounds of cargo yesterday. N500MF alone had almost 7,000 pounds, some of which was destined for Pignon. N200MF had passengers and the remainder of the cargo, some of which went to the Dominican.

Can you believe our pilots look so good after unloading all that cargo? It's a lot of HARD work for our crew.

I took this one when they took off....I loved the Citadel in the background.

This last photo is an added bonus. Having animals walking around at the "international airport" is a common site. But the Haitians do not like getting very close to those horns.

We hope your day today is special, like ours was yesterday. But even if God's blessings are small, they are there every day for all of us to enjoy and grasp on to. Look for YOUR special blessings from the Lord today. It may be something as simply as a cool breeze on a very hot day, or something bigger, like our new aircraft finally making it's maiden flight to Haiti. Either way, God bless you, and we'll see you soon, either here, there or in the air!!!

We are home

2011-09-05T10:30:00.000-04:00

Well, we are finally home and almost settled in. We sort of waited around at my brother's place to make sure hurricane Irene wasn't going to hit MFI, then we headed over to the east coast of Florida and made our final purchases before heading in.

We came in on Tuesday. It was such a blessing to finally be on home ground again. The down side to this is that we already miss our family and friends in the US, A LOT!! But we do know we are where the Lord wants us. We received a wonderful reception at the airport. Nice to know we were missed there. And we had no problems with customs, even with our large amount of cargo. We really had nothing to declare, except food and household items, so that wasn't a surprise. When we have taxable items, we let them know. But thankfully this time, there weren't any.

When we walked in at the airport, Abbie came running out to meet us. She didn't know we were coming. Security immediately grabbed her and took her back in. She has grown so much in the 4 months we've been gone.

As normal for Veronique, our house looked fantastic. Polished and shining. Then we came in with all of our "stuff". I felt bad for her. And here it is almost a week later and we still don't have everything unpacked. Working on it slow but sure. And we are doing it around all those who have come to welcome us home again.

We were happy to be able to spend some time with Pastor Saint-Ange the day after we arrived. He has been such a blessing to us. And his wife, Evelyn, is a gem, too. Well, there were so many people who came, the list would be really long.

Yesterday at English church we were happy to see our missionary friends and national friends as well. Got to hold Ray and Bonnie's little Jauncie during the service. Well, little is a misconception. He has grown a LOT. He wasn't sure who I was, but adapted quite quickly. I'll try to get some photos of Abbie and him on here soon.

Weather is hot and humid. I had been thinking it may be similar to Florida, but it's not. Seems like it's hotter, even if the temps are the same....well, maybe not. We got down to 85 last night. Guess we have been used to sleeping in temperature controlled homes while stateside. None of that here...just pure heat and humidity. But we are re-adapting quickly. And back to two showers a day.

Prices in the US are rising, and they sure are here, too. Food prices have gone way up. But electric...wow...we can't believe the increase in price. I will be spending some time trying to figure out exactly how much more in the next few days. And they have changed from Haitian dollars to American...which increases it 8 times more, over the increase in price. I think we'll need a lot of prayers where this is concerned.

Well, I'd best get back to sorting and putting away things. The Lord showed me, very definitely, while in the US, that we need to slow down some. And we are trying. But the needs have not decreased, they have escalated. So, we'll need some prayers on exactly how to adjust our time and do what He wants us to do.

It all comes back to one of my favorite passages....Isaiah 40: 31 "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Now we have to learn to do things in God's ways and in His time. Pray with us on this. The other verses that mean so much to me are 1 Thess. 5:16-18 "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus, concerning you." I think these two sections of scripture go together. Now if we can only learn to do exactly what it is saying....we are trying. I hope these are an encouragement to you as well. Simple truths, but not always easy to instill in our lives.

We are praying for you all, that the Lord will make Himself real and active in your lives, as He has been doing in ours. May you walk daily with your hand in His and listen to His guidance in all you do. Have a God blessed, God guided and God centered day, in Jesus Christ!!!

Late again

2011-08-23T15:29:00.000-04:00

Well, I didn't think it would take me this long, but we have been busy. I'll put some photos again, and let you walk through our time with us.

Don was able to spend some time with three of his sisters. One he hadn't seen in many years.

And we spent a lot of time with our daughter and her family, too.

These next two photos are of very special friends. AND, prayer warriors. God blessed us tremendously with them, and we are SO VERY thankful for them.

These are three of our kids on our last day at our home church. They are being good in this photo, which made me happy.

This tree fascinated me. I took a LOT of photos of it. I am going to try and paint it. We'll see if that works.

This was a bridge on the way to our daughter's place. Yup, we did drive on it. It's beautiful!

This is our daughter, who everyone was praying for. She has healed nicely from her 3 surgeries. Praise the Lord!! And those are her two boys in the next photo. No one was happy with me taking photos at the pool, but they were all I got of them.

We are now in Florida, at my brother's place. MFI has advised us to stay here. They may have to evacuate because of hurricane Irene. So, we are patiently waiting for the storm to pass and for MFI to be back in Fort Pierce. Keep them and the whole ministry in your prayers.

My next post probably won't be until we arrive in Haiti. We are so anxious to get back home and back to work!! Blessings on all, and we'll be in touch!! Remember to keep the Lord at the front and center of all you do. He is willing and able to be there for you, are you willing to do the same for HIM??? Have a super day!

Wow, it's been a while

2011-07-21T12:46:00.000-04:00

I didn't realize how LONG it had been since I posted on here until our daughter called and asked WHEN I would post again. I'm sorry. It's been one of those times when you don't really do much, but are always so busy.

I am going to start off with some photos from the time we came out until yesterday. They don't explain it all, but you can get a quick vision of some of our times. I have already put a couple of Vero's visit to the US, but I'll start way back there anyway.

I can see why our daughter-in-law has issues with inserting photos here. It simply did not do what I wanted, so am starting over again.....(This is a smile on my face, with a grimace in there somewhere!)

While Vero was still in the US, my brother and most of his family came to see us in Fort Pierce. Had to get a photo of all of us then.

After we had been here a while (you saw the photos of our "home" here in Wisconsin and our wonderful "landlords")....we went to see our son and family in Tennessee. In our short time there we did a LOT of things. It was over the 4th of July and of course we saw fireworks, but went boating, swimming and spent some great family time....and saw a sunset that was awesome. The first is our boating trip. That's granddaughter and husband, and our grandson testing muscles on his "brother".

On the boating trip, we stopped at a great waterfall. I put one of part of the waterfall, to show a bit of the height, and then one of granddaughter (and boyfriend) who climbed up part of the way. (Her suit is pink and so is she, so it looks a little risque on here, but wasn't).

Here is son and family...after a dip in the pool. You get family photos when available. Guess we could have gone for the "dress up" kind, but this is more natural. Note the neat stairway our son made for the second floor of his home!

Now we are back in Wisconsin at the family picnic on Don's side of the family. One of his nieces got a "celebration cake". His sister has been doing the picnic for 25 years and it was sort of a party. Neat cake, huh? And it was all edible.

Don, his sister and one of our twins.

This is one of Don's GREAT nephews who I am close to. (Is he so extra tall, or am I so extra short??)

Two of our sons....

And the family of one of them.... (yup, the shorter one....but he is still taller than me.)

And finally, our trip to the zoo in our small home town. We walked there (yup, in the 90+ degree weather), but it wasn't bad at all. Small town, right? Well, here is a pheasant...could not believe the colors....

And a zdonkey.... yup, a cross between a zebra and donkey.....

And the petting zoo...(remember it's a small town, small zoo...but fun anyway).

Our grandson enjoyed it anyway. Even when a lamb tried to chew on the footrest of the wheel chair.

We are presently waiting on some paperwork to come back before we start our trip south. We'll be seeing our son and family again, then our daughter in Alabama, then on to Florida. Time frame is still pending....but we are anxious to see the "kids" in Haiti.

I really am sorry it took so long to post, but this has been an a very special time with family that we have not had in many, many years. God wrapped us up in family love in a way that we will treasure for a long time to come.

Add to all of that the spiritual feeding we have gotten. That has been really fantastic. It seems we have been like sponges soaking up all the teaching we can get. Our God really is an AWESOME God, isn't He? He provides what we need when we need it. And we really needed the family time and the spiritual time. So, although it seems we haven't done a lot while here, it's been really a full time in so many ways.

I do hope to post a lot sooner next time. In fact I will try to do a weekly one. I hope you all forgive me for this lapse in posting. (This crazy blog has done some weird things to me this time!!)

Remember, you can draw near to the Lord, not only in church on Sunday, but via radio, TV, and most of all, through reading God's word!!! We have listened to some awesome radio programs, watched some REALLY awesome teachers on TV, and found God's word a major uplift in many situations!! And church has been an extra special blessing to us, too!! Open your mind and hearts to what the Lord is showing YOU!!

Until we see you, here, there, or in the air....God bless!!!

It's been a while

2011-06-16T10:40:00.000-04:00

I could come up with a lot of excuses, but that is just what they would be. So, I'll just share some of the blessings we have been in the midst of lately.

God has given us a time of rest and restoration. We are so thankful. I shared before that Don has the Christian TV stations on most of the time. We are soaking up some fantastic teachings. I think we had become so spiritually dry over the years and didn't even know it. Oh, the Lord was with us, and our faith held, but we were not growing, just existing in what we knew from a while back. It is so wonderful to be able to sit and soak in the teachings and directions the Lord has sent our way. I could list all of the people we have listened to, but that is not the point. The point is that God has been pouring His word into our lives these past weeks. We simply have to praise and thank HIM for all of this. It's great to be renewed and refreshed.

But God has also given us other blessings. This fantastic house and the great new friends who provided it is just a start. This last week they took us for a pontoon boat ride on two lakes. (connected by a small canal). It was such a restful, peaceful, refreshing time for us. And the scenery was wonderful, too. What more can you ask when you are worn out and tired, but to be with such neat people, on such a peaceful trip around a place that shows God's amazing creation. We've been blessed beyond measure.

And getting to spend time with our kids, that is far beyond our normal trips. We can not only spend time with them, but talk to them daily on the phone, too. That special "touch" with our kids is a blessing beyond measure. We praise God for this time, too.

We've been blessed by being in our home church with family, friends and some great teachings. It's been wonderful to sit and soak up God's love through all of this. The songs, the prayers, the teachings, all of these are God's blessing to us.

Here are a few pictures of our blessings.....

The first one is our "house" from out on the lake....isn't it great?

The second one is our "hosts".... Bud and Sharon took turns driving our excursion boat around.

Then the neat thing of being able to see God's creatures all over. We've seen lots of deer and other animals, too.

And then Don and Bud enjoying the scenery while sharing.

Isn't God AWESOME???? Yup, there's that word again.... GOD IS AWESOME!!!

Add to all of this, the graduations of grandkids. That is another awesome thing. Seeing God work in the lives of our kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids.

For now, I'll close and say, "See you soon!" Well, maybe not actually see you but see you here on the blog. God bless and keep your eyes on the God who blesses you and walks with you daily!!

The end of May

2011-05-29T22:41:00.000-04:00

I guess it's been a while since I posted. I apologize for that! A lot going on, yet we are resting, or rather, doing different things than we normally do. We spent 5 days with our daughter in Mobile. I was there when they put the wound vac machine on. The wound was huge and we did fear that there was a possibility of gangrene setting in. But after the second surgery they had gotten all of the infection and the healing process began. It will be a long hard road, but we are praising God that it WILL heal. They are using the wound vac, a portable one, so she is home and healing at home. We were glad to be able to spend the time with her, even though it was all while she was hospitalized. We didn't get to the graduation ceremonies, but our grandson did graduate. He did so well. We are very proud of him.

One of our granddaughters also graduated, just this last week. We were not able to be with her or the family for that one, but we are also so very proud of her. Such a major step for these young adults. We keep praying God will walk with them in the future and guide and direct them.

We have one more graduation coming up this coming week. We pray he will also turn to, and walk with the Lord in his life.

We have had some meetings and visited a lot of people. It's so good to see those who walk with us through our ministry, either by being there or by praying for us. We sure would not accomplish what we do without those prayers, or the helpers God sends our way.

We were able to help our son for a couple of days. He works for the YMCA, and has been updating and repairing their camp, for the opening next week. Felt good to accomplish some things there for him, and to be able to do some work. We enjoy the rest, but need to keep active, too.

Had a bit of embarrassment this morning in church. Right at the close of service, our pastor welcomed us, and then told everyone it was my birthday and had the whole congregation sing happy birthday. He was right when he said I was turning red. At my age you try to ignore those days. But it was a nice gesture, I guess.

This coming week will be busy again. But each evening we comment to each other how we are missing "our kids" in Haiti. Got a mothers day, and birthday card from Abbie. Sort of brings tears to our eyes when the final sentence is, "When you come back?" We miss them all so much. We don't have a definite date for return yet, but are starting to plan on things in the near future.

Keep Haiti in your prayers. So many things still going on daily there and there is always a need for prayer. Pray for those we normally help who are without help while we are gone. Pray for the pastors, that they are sharing God's word and touching lives for eternity. And pray for the government there, that the Lord will guide and direct those in control.

And now, finally pray for America, that God will stir those in authority here and touch and guide them in His ways. Until next time, God bless and keep your eyes and thoughts on the the Lord Jesus Christ.

As time goes on

2011-05-13T21:51:00.000-04:00

We've been pretty busy. It's been good, though. And really good to get to see so many people. A week ago, our oldest daughter ended up in the emergency room in Alabama, where she lives. It was a very serious infection on the upper thigh. She had a high fever and was really discouraged. But we talked to her before she went in, talked to her as she was going, and talked to her in the emergency room, so we were with her, sort of, through it all. Then Sunday morning, they operated. It was quite a huge hole left after they removed the infection. This week has been hard on her and she's been having a lot of ups and downs. Then yesterday, the surgeon told her she was heading back in to the operating room today. The infection had not cleared up at all, and they had to remove more of the fleshy part of her leg. She is still very discouraged and is upset because she will not be out of the hospital for her son's graduation. Please keep her in prayer. She needs all the emotional, and spiritual help we can give.

Tomorrow we leave for Milwaukee to get a flight on Sunday to head down to be with her. We had originally planned this for the graduation, but it's more than that now. We'll spend all of our time, except for the graduation, with her. With the crazy weather in that area, keep us in prayer as we fly there. Pray for the people in that area, too.

So much is going on all over the world right now. We can see the Bible being brought to life in all we are seeing. God has prepared us for what is to come and we are so thankful He is with us through all of this. We pray you are at the place where you can depend on the Lord to see you through all that is to come in the future. He IS our hope and salvation and we praise Him for all He has done, IS doing and will continue to do for us. We also pray you have that same confidence. If not, you CAN!! Let us know how to pray for you! Keep your hand in His Hand, and walk with Him. God Bless!!!!

Quick note....

2011-05-04T10:05:00.002-04:00

The sun is shining and the weather is looking up!!! Praise God!!!

Hope your day is great and centered in the Lord! He IS all there is that counts.

Love you Lord!

I hope it warms up some

2011-05-03T21:40:00.000-04:00

Hello again from the cold country. A lot going on. We got here a week ago last Friday. On Saturday had fellowship with some friends. We were praying for a place to stay, since our daughter was sleeping on the uncomfortable couch and we would be here a while. She said it wasn't that uncomfortable, but we know different. But it didn't look like there would be a place to rent. Sunday after church a couple we had not met offered us a cabin to stay in. It is beyond an answer to prayer. It's beautiful. We have a 2 bedroom HOUSE! On the lake. And our "landlords" live right next door. They are awesome Christians. Some of the surrounding homes have Christian families in them, too. Isn't God GOOD??? The only downer at this point is the weather, but we are praying it will warm up soon. The snow flurries this AM threw us a bit, but it's now in the 40's and prayerfully rising.

We both had our eye doctor appointments and are done with those until the new glasses come in. Dealing with some minor medical things...like allergies to the sprouts trying to pop out here. Spring should be interesting.

It's been so good to see so many of our friends again. And meeting new ones is a blessing, too. We were doubly blessed when we found out that Pastor Codo (Jean Claude Cimeus) and his family (attending school in Chicago for 2 years) were at church this last weekend. It's funny to find our Haitian friends here in the cold north. But we sure enjoyed being with them for a short time.

I thought I'd put a few photos here for you. The first one is Vero with Carolyn and Rodney in West Palm Beach, our good friends. That was still in Florida, where it was warm!!!

The next ones are our house here. It is just the right size for us and so wonderful. We are thankful for Bud and Sharon for their open, warm hearts in offering this great retreat for us.

For now, we'll ask you to keep praying for us as we are here. God is providing a great resting place and time for us. Till next time, keep the Lord at the center of all you do. He is more than anyone could expect and we praise and honor Him for His faithfulness.

A short update

2011-04-23T20:01:00.000-04:00

Just a real quick update to let you all know we are in Wisconsin. In COLD Wisconsin. In COLD, with SNOW on the ground Wisconsin. No, not a lot of snow, but it's still here. And COLD....well for us anyway.

We got here last night about 5 PM. Good to be in one place without traveling. Those three days on the road were tiresome, but glad we did it. First day got to the Georgia/Florida border. I sort of wore out at that point. Slept good that night then spent ten hours on the road on Thursday. Got to the Kentucky/Illinois border that night. Then yesterday did the rest (like 8 hours) and into central Wisconsin. I slept a LONG time last night. Guess I was catching up on sleep. Saw some beautiful scenes and did enjoy the trip except the last day was almost TOTALLY rain. In some spots, it was hard to see the road, but I pushed forward anyway. Met some nice people on the way at the rest stops. Even had some interesting conversations at gas stations and hotel lobbies. I kept thinking of our nephew who passed away the week before. He loved the share the message of the Lord wherever he went. I pray God gives me the boldness he had before he left here to be with Jesus. He was a true example of sharing Christ!!

Well, need to go find somewhere to warm these cold feet up. Those who live here say, well, it chilly....NOPE...it's COLD!!! Love to you all and will try to keep you updated on our time in the US!!

We are stateside

2011-04-15T14:56:00.000-04:00

We are in Florida at this point. We were blessed to be able to bring Vero with us! Since Tuesday it's been an experience for her, for sure! Several people have asked her what impressed her most...or what she was really surprised at. Her response was always....THE ROADS!! We've taken her many places, mostly shopping for things she wants to take back for her, Abbie, and the IDADEE children's home. First night we had Ruben with us and he wanted to go to Golden Corral to eat. That was a real shocker for Vero. She kept walking around and finally asked ME what she should eat. I told her to take whatever she wanted.

We took her to a theater and saw "Soul Surfer". An EXCELLENT movie. But had another unique experience there. About half way through the movie they stopped it, and the outside door opened. The manager apologized and said they would rewind it some and return to it as soon as they were done. Then the EMT's came in with a stretcher to get a woman who sat a few seats behind us. We never knew there was a problem. Evidently she had had a stroke. She talked to the guys, so she was awake. But we really did enjoy that movie. If you get a chance, GO SEE IT!!!

I wanted to put a few photos of Vero and her time here. I hope you enjoy them with her. We took Ruben to the airport in Orlando and Vero was really shocked. That is where most of these photos were taken. The first one was on MFI on the flight out. She sat with the pilots for a time. We had Dick as the main pilot, so MFI treated her special. Then the other ones are from the Orlando airport.

Aside from all the excitement of having Vero here, we had a huge shock on Wednesday. Dick Snook called us and had to let us know my brother's youngest son had passed away that morning. He has spent many years with severe pain from a brain tumor that they could not totally remove. He has been a GREAT witness for the Lord for years and never stopped sharing Jesus with all who would listen. So, we know he is in a much better place and out of the awful pain he lived with. But those of us here are the ones who are feeling the pain of his departure. Please pray for the whole family that they will find peace. Especially since we know we will see him again, eventually!!

For now, I'll close out. We do not have access to internet very often now, so have to utilize it when we do. Vero returns to Haiti on Tuesday and we will be heading north, toward Wisconsin. We'll try to keep you updated as our time here goes by. Blessing to everyone!!

April Newsletter

2011-04-04T15:55:00.000-04:00

Our newsletter basically is what I wrote in the March 26th blog. Just a few things were added to that, and I'll recap that. (Another 2 blog entries in one day...wow!)

Vero will return to Haiti on April 19th. But we (both Don and I) will be staying in the states. This trip will be sort of a sabbatical for us, but also a time to deal with some situations that need to be handled. We aren't sure at this time how long we'll be out, but can use your prayers that this time will be positive and that we will be able to take care of everything we need to, so we can return, refreshed, to resume the ministry God has called us to. We will try to keep in touch and let you know where we are.

Our thanks to all of you for supporting us, spiritually, emotionally and financially. We would not be doing the work the Lord sent us to, without your help. You are a blessing!!!

Prayers needed

2011-04-04T15:14:00.000-04:00

Our time to leave is drawing near and now some major problems have erupted. We need a ton of prayers. Our former watchman's woman (not wife), refuses to leave. We need that house for a new watchman. We've had the counsel of several Haitians who said since she signed a paper agreeing to be out by the second of April, she HAS to leave. Our only option is to call in the police to evict her. This is NOT what we want to do, but may have no choice. We need a watchman here, and for that to happen, we need a house for him to stay in. We have a good Christian family willing to come and fill that spot. Pray with us that this woman will do what is right and we won't have to take such drastic measures to get her out. We are scheduled to leave on the 12th of April with Vero, but Don won't be able to leave until we have a watchman in place. So, it's a HUGE prayer request. He is SO ready for this trip.

The dedication of the new children's home is this coming Sunday. After digging through 6 years of photos and documents, I have finally gotten all they wanted for the display table. Took a lot of figuring and redoing, but I have the display board done, and the name tags for everyone who needs them, and the papers they wanted found and printed and the government documents copied....and the list goes on. Sill work to do, but I'm sure it will get done. The committee is working HARD to get things accomplished out at the home. It is amazing how great it looks. They have put a lot of hard work and time into it. Watching the kids has been a joy, seeing them go from being afraid to laughing and clinging. GREAT work out there!!

Here is that board. I know you can't see a lot of it, but it gives a small idea of things. I have photos of the first day we went and saw the land, and those same spots now. The building of the wall....the building of the building....the committee and of course, the kids and staff. The Lord has done some mighty things for this project and we are in awe of the accomplishments.

Continue to pray for Haiti. They are supposed to announce the results of the election tonight. We have heard rumors of demonstrations if certain parties don't win. We'll see what happens. But keep the whole country in prayer. We serve a God who is mighty and able to accomplish things beyond our imagination and we depend on that totally!!

Have a God blessed day!!!

It's Amazing

2011-03-26T15:36:00.001-04:00

Yes, it is amazing....a lot of the last week or so has had some real ups and downs...and it's amazing we haven't lost our cool. We now have over 30, more like 35 or more, beggars in our yard, ALL DAY LONG.   Yes, we have those who truly need help. But the ones who stay and are a constant problem are the ones who are just here to see if their persistence will get them anything. A couple of pastors, who stop for mail, or to visit, have said this is about as bad as it gets here in Haiti. These are people without any consideration or any respect. It is embarrassing to most of the Haitian community that these people are presenting such a bad witness for the people here. But those who do need help, when told we have nothing for them now, leave. They know Don will help if he can. He has told some of them it is very, very hard to help when there are so many who just keep harassing him. One fellow, who Don hires when we can, has come and tried to talk to these women. They just laugh and pay no attention. These are women with nice extensions in their hair, nice clothes, jewelry, and cell phones. Okay, you can see this is a major prayer need for us. And I know some are asking, "What about the gate, can't you close it?" Several situations with that one, too. First, to close it we would need a watchman. Can't hire one until the former watchman's family leaves and we have a place for the new one to stay. They are to be out soon, so pray with us on that. But right now, the major issue with the gate is that the top hinge broke off. Sounds simple, right? Nope, nothing here is simple. This gate (one side only) weighs over 700 pounds. If the bottom hinge lets go (which it looks like it will), someone could be killed when it falls. So Don had to get some help to brace it up and put some restraints on it until he can get the help to fix it. He will have to redo all four hinges to make sure they are safe. Another prayer request. Okay, why hasn't he done it yet??? Between airport and container inspection, and delivery, he has not had a day to call his own. Within the next week he hopes to be able to hire some guys to help him get this accomplished. Yet another prayer request. There sure are a lot of them, aren't there??

Okay, now on to some positive things that are happening. I'll start with the container. We thought we were set to inspect and pay over a week ago. BUT....WE ARE IN HAITI!!! Our broker (I'm sure when he sees our number on his phone he cringes), had to let us know that Port au Prince lost all of our papers (they thought). Well, we have a GREAT broker. He had saved copies of everything for the last 3 or 4 years and took copies to the office here. They sent those to Port... Within a day they called and said the permission was on the way the next day to get the container out. We inspected last Friday. And that went quickly. They had hoped to get it out to us on Monday, but with the election, we didn't think they would. Tuesday came and we got the call...they lost the papers again. Another day lost...but we finally got the container delivered on Friday of this week. Over half of the container was for other missions, so that was a blessing for us, too. We didn't have to try and fit the things in our containers. But you can believe that there were a lot of happy people once we did get the things unloaded. The cost? Well, it sure wasn't as high as some of them were. So we feel God walked with us through all of this. Much needed food and supplies came in to help the really poor families. That is our main goal. And scriptures.... oh what a blessing. We have so many pastors come now to get the booklet of John and Romans, or tracts or new testaments. It's a blessing to see so many going out evangelizing and using these tools to draw people to the Lord. One elder from one of the churches drives a local bus, and he gives each person who gets on his bus a tract. He said if they ride with him, they get God's word.

And I've been working on things for the dedication of the new children's home. I didn't realize how quickly that is coming up. I will try to post some photos once that day is over. It is such a blessing to so many. And another area for prayer. They now have 6, and possibly a 7th child. Many needs and many blessings all wrapped in one.

Stan's wife, Gloria, has been here almost a month now. She has been teaching at the EBAC orphanage. I'm not sure who was happier with her being there, her or the kids. But she did accomplish a lot in a short time. Her daughter came with her for the first 9 days and that was a boost for her, too. What a blessing she has been to those kids.

Then for the most amazing thing to happen in a long time. Vero received a visa. This is thanks to Dick at Missionary Flights. She now works at the airport with us and does most of my work there. Dick wrote and asked for them to permit her to come out to see how MFI works stateside. It's only a one month visa, but it's a step in the right direction. And this also means that I get to take her out and be a part of her first experience with America. We have been trying since 2000 to get a visa for her. So, prayer works in many ways. Now we hope she will be able to get another visa to be able to go out and share the vision of IDADEE (the children's home) with others. The dedication of IDADEE is April 10th and her and I leave on the 12th for one week. I'm excited for her. She is a bit apprehensive about it all. She isn't real fond of flying, but I know once she flies with MFI, her fears will disappear.

I've dumped a lot of prayer requests on you. But I know there are those prayer warriors out there who have kept us going for many years, so I wanted to share the good and the hard things with you all.

I will close with sending our thanks and blessings to all of you who have stood with us these many years. YOU are the reason we are here and we are so thankful for you!! God bless, and have a super wonderful day!!!

Life goes on

2011-03-17T11:15:00.000-04:00

It's a bright, sunny Thursday. Sure do enjoy the sunshine. Guess it's "catch-up" time again. The funeral was a week ago. We'll need some prayers with the situation following this whole thing. Toto's "woman" may be causing us some problems. But we know with the Lord behind us, things will work out. So, please back us in prayer that HE will work things out in the right way.

With help, Don worked on the gate again. Instead of the long, hard, almost impossible things he was facing, a much simpler and efficient way worked out to make the gates fit. They did that, and now it's just getting the "things" welded for the locks. It may take a bit of work, but it will get done. At least there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Been doing a bit of work on the display for the IDADEE dedication in April. If you haven't checked on it lately, go to www.IDADEEchildrenshome.blogspot.com They now have three children. The second one, Ephraim, seems to be a great asset to the whole thing. He has drawn Emmanuella out and she is a happy, active child now. And the new little girl, Ammonia (what a name for a child), will work into the bubbly atmosphere that Ephraim has created. Check out the invitation for the grand opening/dedication on the blog. It's a blessing for sure.

Something I just have to share here are some photos of another orphanage. Cheron Hardy receives Christmas Bags from us, along with food. She gave me some of the photos and these kids are so precious. She has gotten some of the hardest cases, but they all blossom under her care. These two little ones are one of the main reasons we love working with the Christmas Bag project. (Check that out at the link on the right).

We do need some more prayers. Got word that the container is ready for inspection. We should be doing that on Friday. Not sure when it will be delivered, since Sunday is the election. Everyone here is gearing up for problems. But we know the Lord can calm things down and smooth things out. We don't get into politics, so the whole thing does not concern us (as elections go). But with the embassy and the UN posting precautions, we have to take notice and take care. Pray for this whole thing to go as the Lord directs, and not as man would have it. This country needs some major positive influence and someone who will work for the people.

Our last prayer request is for the country of Japan. The news there keeps getting worse and worse. Since disaster seems to rule Haiti, we can empathize with those in Japan. It's well over a year since our earthquake, and recovery seems so very slow. We know the infrastructure in Japan is way above what we have, but they were hit with a stronger quake and then the tsunami. We are praying that the solid infrastructure will be a help in rebuilding the country. But now with the nuclear problem, it looks like prayer is the major need.

Do all of these situations make you think of what the Bible has said? The whole world is experiencing some unheard of events and situations that just are not "normal", whatever "normal" is. The time is short. Jesus will be coming back soon. No, we do not claim to know the date or time, but events are building toward that time at a very fast rate. Are YOU ready for the Lord's return? I pray you are and that you are trusting Him. Jesus is the only way out of all this chaos and upheaval. Put your faith and trust in Him and look for the return of our Savior!!!

Sad news

2011-03-06T22:19:00.000-05:00

Many of you who have been on teams will know Toto, our watchman. This afternoon at 3:00, he passed away. He has been really sick for the last few months and he is now out of his misery. Many will ask about his situation with the Lord. We know he has heard many times of the plan of salvation. We do not know if he had asked Jesus into his life or not.

We have many situations because of his illness and subsequent death. Please pray with us that God will walk with us through this whole thing.

At this point in time we really don't know what the next step will be but we do know we will need a lot of prayers to resolve issues.

Pray also for this time in Haiti. This Tuesday is Mardi Gras... or carnival as some call it. It is a very difficult time here. We will not be going anywhere until after Tuesday. And then two weeks from today is election day. Another time of prayer saturation needed. These next two week could be very stressful here in this country. But we know Someone who can overcome this whole thing. He is the One we depend on and rely on to keep us in His care and protection.

Thank you for your support through those prayers. They mean a lot and God does hear them. And we KNOW He answers prayers!!!

As we were reminded of again today in church... 2 Chron. 7: 14..."IF MY PEOPLE WILL HUMBLE THEMSELVES......" That is our prayer for Haiti.

The Port Trip

2011-03-02T20:30:00.000-05:00

Hello again,

We left the house at 5 AM and headed to the airport. We were supposed to be at the airport at 6:15...they do not open the doors until 6:30...so we sat. That was fine. Paul Romeus, Belle's husband took us. We really wanted to make sure we would be on the flight...and when they finally opened the doors...we were given the first boarding passes. What a relief, to know we WERE on that flight. Now I have to add a bit in here. Almost 2 months ago, Belle broke her foot in a couple of places. She is STILL in a cast. It may have been hard on her, but it sure got us places quickly today. Not sure if it's because we are older (that is Belle's opinion), or if people were just being extremely nice, but we had a GREAT flight down to Port. Belle's friend in Port met us and had his friend take us to immigration, since he is somewhere in the government and has a bit of pull. But Remy met us there, since he had all of Don's and my paperwork. We got to the building just before 9. (Took over an hour to drive through Port to get there). We saw roads and alleys we had never seen before...shortcuts!! RIGHT!! Anyway...we got there and went to the front of the line and they let us right in. There were hordes of people out there. I think mostly getting Haitian passports. We went right up the the room to get our permi de sejour (residency). Poor Belle, it was up and down stairs the whole time.

I could not believe how many people from Cap we met while in Port for a day. The dentist who works with our dental team was in immigration. He said he was "making my passport legal". I think it expired and he was updating it. But, anyway...we got to the room, they sat us down, looked at our paperwork and we filled out one sheet. The gal who worked with us was super nice and so patient. She really was a sweetheart.

This one guy kept coming in to exchange a big bill for smaller money. The second time, I asked him if that money was for me. He laughed and said no. The third time I said are you SURE it's not for me, and he giggled, and the woman helping us laughed. The fourth time, I told him he was so rich that it MUST be for me. He really laughed, and so did everyone in the room. Then he leaned in and said, "Later, downstairs!" We all got a kick out of him. And it sure lightened the mood. But once the papers were verified (about 15 minutes in that office), we headed up for fingerprints. Took us to the head of the line and got us right in. We were in and finished within an hour. Belle needed a couple more papers, but she did get the fingerprints done, so she won't have to go back.

We left there and had to cross the street. Port au Prince is about ten times worse on vehicles than Cap, so those of you who have been here will have a small bit of understanding about how dangerous it was to have to cross the road. Belle stepped to the edge of the road, to watch for a break, and traffic stopped and let us cross...just like that. Praise God for her cast!!! Remy took us back to the airport in less than half an hour...we took the main, straight roads. So, we were back at the airport by 11 AM....and our flight was at 4 PM. They did try to get us on an earlier one, but they were full. So we spent an interesting 5 hours people watching. And saw a LOT of people we knew there.

I cannot believe how MANY people responded to our request for prayers for this short trip. It's thanks to ALL OF YOU WHO PRAYED, that it went so well, and we have it all finished. When the booklet is done, Remy will pick it up and bring it up to us.

So this is a HUGE THANK YOU for getting us through this situation!! God IS awesome and He very definitely answers prayers! Between you and God we had a good trip and have all the paperwork done!! Thank you!

Prayer request

2011-03-01T22:01:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow, Don and I, along with Belle Romeus, are flying to Port au Prince. We will be doing the final step in getting our residency papers in order (fingerprinting). We are to fly on the first flight out in the morning at 6:40 AM. And we are scheduled to return tomorrow afternoon at 4:00 PM. Please pray not only for the flights (for us to actually fly at the times set) but for the work to be accomplished quickly and without problems. Pray for our safety and strength for the whole day.

We appreciate your prayers and will post when we return!!

Jesus is willing and able to do all we ask, and we believe He wants us to accomplish this and be legal residents.

Really AWESOME Sunday

2011-02-27T17:40:00.000-05:00

Just had to add another post today. On top of it being a great SUNSHINE day, it was a great SONSHINE day!! At English Bible Fellowship, our good, long time friend Wilburt shared in church. Last October, he was kidnapped. The guys who took him were set on killing him. He kept praying and praying. After a LONG ordeal of driving for hours on end, and he didn't know where he was...he escaped. He gave ALL credit to the Lord for taking care of him. Then after long hours of walking... he found help and was taken home by the UN. He story is awesome. Awesome how the Lord guided and protected him. Awesome in how he never lost his faith. Awesome how the Lord did wrap him in His loving care and took care of him. But even that was not the end of the story. As Paul Harvey would say, "And now the rest of the story!" Wilburt and Meg (his wife) left Haiti for two months after this experience, not knowing who his kidnappers were. Then through circumstances that were God ordained, one of the kidnappers were taken into custody. He in turn, told who the others were, and they were also taken into custody. Turns out, the man who headed this all up was Wilburt's neighbor. The year before this, that man had been kidnapped. I'm not sure if it was a real kidnapping, or if it was a set up. I didn't hear that part, as I was holding Jauncie during the service. But...when that man had been kidnapped, his family had come to Wilburt and asked for help with the money. Wilburt helped them with what he had. The tables turned and now this man and his associates are in prison. But the whole thing that Wilburt shared with us was that, "GOD IS REAL". No matter your situation, God IS there. He can help you, and be with you through whatever you are facing. God may not take you out of the situation, but He will be there with you THROUGH the situation.

After I heard his whole story, my mind turned to the song "My God Is An Awesome God"! If you don't know the words, they are:
My God is an awesome God,
He reigns in heaven above,
With wisdom, power and love,
My God is an awesome God!!

Yes, the words really are "OUR" God...but you can personalize that and realize that HE IS AWESOME!! And He is YOUR God, who cares for you, loves you and wants to walk with you through all you face in life. The good, the bad and the ordinary. We've seen the Lord work in many, many ways here in Haiti. There is no way we would deny how much we depend on Him for all things. Every missionary can give you details of ways the Lord has guided, protected and watched over them. But you know what? It isn't only missionaries that He does these things for. It is ALL people. All you need to do is turn your heart in his direction, believe and trust in Him, and He will walk with you through the storms in life and through the wonderful sunshine. Just ask him into your heart and let Him do the work in you. You will know peace in tribulation, love in heartache and power in unbelievable circumstances. I have to go back to those DVD's we watched with Louie Giglio... let God's light shine through you and let His glory shine in all circumstances.

Have a God blessed day. We love you!

Sunshine on Sunday

2011-02-27T12:35:00.001-05:00

We're doing a quick "Praise" note.

~ Sunshine is great today.

~ Rains have "trickled" off.
~ Rotten cold improving, a lot!
~ Computer room cleaned up (PTL).
~ Getting closer to having our residency papers finished (again).
~ Having a month where we can get some work done (unless we make the quick trip to the states with Vero).
~ Small gate up on the driveway (ANOTHER PTL)!
~ New batteries on inverter working.
~ New battery in pick-up working great.
~ New tires on big truck and they are wonderful.

They may seem like small things, but to us they are huge. And each thing shows us God is with us in ALL things.

You can see our puppy and the birds are happy with the weather we are having now!!

Prayer requests:

~ We can make the trip to Port and get the residency papers finished. (Then the wait for them to print it all).
~ That Vero can get her visa. We are not trying for Abbie's at this point. Praying that once Vero has hers, we can work on Abbie's.
~ That Don can deliver all the supplies that have had to wait with the rains.
~ Getting catch-up work done on both vehicles.
~ For the IDADEE orphanage, they now have 2 children, and are making plans for the dedication services.
~ For Haiti, it's leaders, the election and the outcome.

Thanks for praying with us, and for rejoicing with us that small and big things have been accomplished. With God all things are possible....and we can see it every day in all we do. HE has been walking with us, before us, and behind us, guiding, protecting and loving us!!

A Wake Up Call

2011-02-23T15:00:00.000-05:00

This will be short, but I wanted to share just a bit of something with you all. Some very good friends of ours sent us a DVD series. Note: he is in the midst of a huge battle with cancer. But they sent these DVD's to encourage US.

I had heard of this speaker (preacher) before, and I have listened to some of his things. He is good, to say the least. But these DVD's gave us a whole new insight and perspective on the cross. He enjoys science and the first and part of the second DVD deal with some of that (which I have seen before). But from that point on....all I can say is WOW!! I know that not everyone will see this as I have. God gives us what we need when we need it. But I saw this not only in reference to our friends who sent it, but to my own life and what God wants from ME and how He wants ME to respond to it. I can honestly say that I see the CROSS in a whole new light.

We have one more DVD to watch, but already, I want to see everyone see these and grasp what the Lord has for you. I was touched, and I cried. Not just for those he was sharing about, but for those I know who need to hear this. I've been battling a very bad cold, which seemed to be heading into pneumonia...but that is so unimportant now. And I do believe that the Lord is taking care of that, too. But He is turning me to look at things and see things in a totally different way now.

I could go on and on, and probably confuse everyone, but I'd rather you find and watch these DVD's. I can't put into words what the Lord has shown me through these. And, yes, maybe it won't effect you the same way. But the truths here can't be denied. SOOOO..... if you have a way, please watch Louie Giglio's DVD series "The Heart Of Passion". And I pray God will open in your heart some new understanding, like He has for me. I didn't mean to preach, but this did touch me so much.

Pray for MFI. We got word yesterday evening that the plane that left here was still in Turks and Cacaos last night. We really weren't sure if there had been an accident or what. I finally called Dick Snook and asked. He had just landed the small MFI plane and gotten the details. Our plane was just then getting ready to take off. They landed, fueled up and then the airport keep holding them (and others I guess) from taking off. A hole was found in the runway. That really could have been a disaster if a wheel on any plane had hit it. Praise God no one did, but they were fixing it. The downside was that our passengers didn't even get to West Palm Beach until 12:30 in the morning. They must have been exhausted. And the pilots were probably REALLY worn out and ready for a day off. They start their days at like between 3:30 and 4 AM. So they were getting close to being up for 24 hours... Pray for them. We only have the one plane flying at this point. Safety checks and repairs have two of them off line. By next week there should be two in the air again. We really praise God for His Hands on those planes and on the pilots and passengers. There have been many comments (all positive) about our pilots praying with the passengers before each flight. Again....GOD IS AWESOME!!!

For now...let the Lord lead and guide you in all you do. Keep HIM with you wherever you go and let Him guide and direct you. He really is "Indescribable"!

We may need a boat...

2011-02-20T09:56:00.000-05:00

Well, I was going to try and get some photos, but not going out in this mess. West of us, one of the missionaries posted that they had 17 inches of rain from Monday to Thursday, and then more the next two days. We are on the opposite side of the small mountain, but we have gotten a LOT of it too. Don's rain gauge has dead batteries, so we don't know how much we actually had here. But it's STILL raining...and looks like it will for a while yet.

And our relatively new roof on the dorm, which is now covered by a HUGE tarp, is STILL leaking, and in the same spots. Right in the middle of where the tarp is!! Talk about frustrating!!! And we had put new ceiling tiles in, too, so those are ruined. Okay, so start praying for wisdom for us to figure out what is going on.

I'm in the midst of a really rotten head cold. But I will survive. Must be from all the rains and cold (for us) weather.

Abbie is being Abbie. She never ceases to amaze us with her comments, her memory and her "grown up" look at things. But then, she spends most of her time with adults, so that should not surprise us. Sure wish we could get her into a gymnastics class, but here that is not an option. She has some amazing abilities in that area.

Don was trying to get the tires on the dump truck changed yesterday. Got part way .... taking tires off, taking them to a place down the road, then coming back, and putting them on to take the next ones. In the midst of that...the pick-up wouldn't start. Need a battery for that now. So, we are machine-less at this point. Life is SO interesting here. If the rains would stop, he could put the old tires on and try to get a battery. But can't simply put the old ones on, when there are different sized ones on the other side....hummm...interesting things always happen.

We are starting to work out our stateside trip for this year. We have two grandsons graduating and plan to be there for both of them. We'll work other things around that. But we have teams that want to come down, so are working around that also.

Time to get moving here. I would like to get started on taxes before we head to church. Taxes are NOT a fun item, but have to be done.

And through all of this, we are still praising God for all He does for us, and has done for us and will do for us. We are really learning to depend on Him for all things, big and small. After all, HE is in control!!! And how VERY thankful we are for that. Have a blessed day and keep Jesus at the front of all you do. I keep thinking of the song we learned MANY years ago... "...put your hand in the Hand of the Man who stilled the waters...put your hand in the Hand of the Man who calmed the sea. Take a look at yourself and you may look at others differently, by putting your hand in the Hand of the Man from Galilee." Amen to that!!

The dental team has left

2011-02-16T09:47:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry I haven't posted more, but it's been a bit busy here...and it's been a good busy for the most part.

I want to share some of the photos from the dental team. They did an awesome job. I don't know if anyone was counting patients, maybe Vero did, but they saw a lot out at the IDADEE compound. Then had a day to do Cheron Hardy's children from her orphanage, and some of her workers, too. God REALLY worked through this team and so much was accomplished. And a couple of the fellows on the team did some "investigative" work on Maranga (spelling probably WAY off on this one) trees, too. But let me back up and start with some photos. I had put some of them on from the work at IDADEE in the last post, so these will be from Monday. They were scheduled to go to Cheron's orphanage, set up and do the work there. Well, RAINS interfered. Not just rain, but a deluge of rain. So, they set up here at the dorm. Did that one other year, too. They set up all the dentists and hygienists in the living room/dining room area. Men's dorm was designated for equipment cleaning, and later, lunch room, and the girls dorm was a training center for making eye glasses. All of this while Carolyn was cooking in the kitchen. The WHOLE dorm was in use.

Cheron's kids and workers were amazing. One very little girl didn't need any coaxing, she walked in holding a hand, but then quickly went to a chair and got in, with a smile on her face. There were a couple apprehensive, but for the most part, no problems. The team worked diligently and quickly and saw everyone here. In the one photo of the two little girls, the one on the left is the one who couldn't wait to get in the chair...the other one... well, she wasn't too sure. The rest show the work done, and the space they had to work in. GREAT TEAM!!!

This gal is one of Cheron's cooks. Although she doesn't look happy, she was so thankful. Her whole mouth was frozen. They had to pull 10 (YES TEN) teeth, but she was so thankful for them doing it. Can you imagine? Wow, that gal (and she is 47 years old) is so tiny but such a great gal. Cheron said she has had a really hard life, so they were so glad they could help her. I think they plan to help her get teeth, too.

Now on the an exciting event. Daniel and Majorie (two of our former puppeteers) had a baby Thursday night (I think). We had little Jauncie for the night here. In the photo below, you can see Jauncie looking at Gabrielle. Now take another look.... Gabrielle is 12 HOURS old here, and Jauncie is 3½ MONTHS old. She is about 9½ pounds and he is about 6 pounds. I think her crying was entertaining Jauncie. The next photo is of Majorie and Gabrielle. Gabrielle is a chunk, and so cute. Mama and papa are very proud.

Well, Don is at the airport today...our team was to fly out yesterday, but ended up staying an extra night. The plane they were to fly on, had to stay in the Dominican overnight, so they are flying out today. They will prayerfully make their connecting flights this afternoon. But we sure enjoyed the team while they were here.

For now, remember to keep Jesus with you in all you do. Even the hardest of times can draw you closer to Him. He is our strength and refuge. And we cling to Him. I hope you are doing the same!! God bless, and keep praying!!

The Dental Team has arrived

2011-02-09T21:31:00.000-05:00

Well, we are at it again. We have a dental team here. They came yesterday, went out to IDADEE and set up late yesterday afternoon, and today were at work. I don't know how many they saw...that isn't important. They (all 5 dentists and 2 hygienists, and other workers) worked hard all day long. One of the dentists is a Haitian who lives here, and works with the team each year. It was awesome to see the work being done. People are SO grateful for the help. God has been awesome in the way He uses His people to reach out. There were Haitians who did the evangelism with those who came. These same people will be the ones who do follow-up. This whole week will be a huge success in enabling the Haitians to minister to the Haitians. God is AWESOME, and we are so thankful for the people who hear His call and come in response.

The team also brought some blankets to distribute to small children. They were sent by a group called Wrap Them In Love. What a blessing that is. I was able to care for a small baby today, here at the house. Ray and Bonnie Vanslyke have taken in a 3 1/2 month old baby (much younger than any of the kids in their orphanage). Little Jauncie's mother died from cholera not long after he was born late last October. (I do not know how to spell his name, so that is a guess). He was so malnourished when Ray and Bonnie got him 2 1/2 weeks ago. He was so swollen up. His sister had been caring for him, but only had tea and coke to feed this infant. The photo of him crying was not long after they got him. You can see his little hands and arm are so swollen. But the improvement has been a real God thing. True, he is not up to his weight, but in only 2 1/2 weeks, he has improved SO drastically that it's awesome...(there's that word again). You can see from the one photo how tiny he is...that is his hand in Don's. (Guess I'll never give up the love of caring for an infant. He was a real joy!!)

I've been reading a chapter of a book to Abbie each night. It's called, "Missionary Stories with the Millers" by Mildred A. Martin. It is a fantastic book. And really brings out what God has done and is doing through His people everywhere. Abbie loves to hear the stories and loves to retell them to others.

Well, for now, I'd best close and get some other work done. I just wanted to share a bit of what is happening here. Just a quick glimpse into what God is doing. God bless and keep you. May you walk with Him and talk with Him, and let Him be your guide in all you do!!

Have you ever?

2011-02-02T19:50:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had one of those moments.... or one of those hours.... how about one of those days? Well, it's been one of those weeks, plus more. Any one of the things is probably insignificant, but add it all up and what a time I've had.

While the team was here, just before they left....the washer quit. Okay, many would say, no problem, hire someone to do it. Okay, that's an option, but we had a ton of wash, and the one person who could have helped has moved to the new orphanage. What the girls did, was wash at the dorm, then lug the things here to dry them. That's a LOT of lifting and carrying. So, I did get two of the boys to come and move the washer from the dorm to the house. It had a problem even over there, with water barely trickling in. Don checked, found a very small filter on the water hose. It was totally clogged. I unhooked the busted washer.... water EVERYWHERE in the laundry room. The valve on that faucet was broke, and we had to shut off the main water line to stop the water. After getting that fixed (sort of), I had Don hook up the dorm washer. Turned it on, after cleaning the filter, and it STILL barely dripped into the washer. Vero just looked at me, and I said, okay, we'll use the hose to fill it. Turned on the hose, and almost nothing there either. The main valve WAS open, so I was frustrated. Then I looked down...the valve that was not working right was turned off...it doesn't close, so some water comes out. Turned that on and WHOOSH, we had LOTS of water in the washer. By the way, to get the washer OUT of the laundry room at the dorm, we had to take the frame off the door. So you can see some of the frustrations for a few days there.

My energy level is down to the lowest it's been in a long time. I can't seem to get it back up and it's so hard to get anything done this way. Two nights in bed REAL early and up late, but that hasn't helped much.

Don's been working hard on that door for the gate. But even when it's done (and it is about to that point), we can't use it. Our watchman is really sick. If he's not there to open it, we can't close it.

But the Lord put a huge bright spot in our life, too. Well, not ours personally, but something that we have been praying for, for a long time. The IDADEE orphanage has taken in their first child. It's a little girl. She is so cute. She was born June 7th, 2008. Although she has parents, they are unable to care for her. Her name is Emmanuella. Keep her and IDADEE in prayer. Their prayers and dreams are finally being realized and it's a huge undertaking for them. I though you would like to see a photo of Emmanuella. So here she is!

With all that is going on, we still need to keep our focus on the Lord Jesus Christ. HE knows what is happening and what is going on. I have to believe He is allowing all of this for some reason. I just hope I learn whatever it is so we can move on. There are a lot of other minor "things", but none of it really all that important. It's simply frustrating. Now I will be concentrating on the song, "The Joy of the Lord IS MY STRENGTH"! That is a REAL truth and one I am going to cling to with everything I have. I pray He is your strength, too, and that you can walk with Him and talk with Him as a close friend.
Blessings to you all!!

The medical team

2011-01-23T11:06:00.000-05:00

The team has had one clinic and then a trip to the Citadel. Today they are out at a Haitian church celebrating with Pastor Marc. Then this afternoon they head out to Caracol and Pastor Payot's church. They will do three days of clinic there, head home Wednesday afternoon and leave Haiti on Thursday. They are doing a whirlwind trip.

I was able to get out to the clinic at IDADEE and was amazed at how quickly they were set up and working. They saw well over 200 patients in that one day. Awesome work. You can see they started the day with prayer. One man had to be carried in, his legs and lower arms were paralyzed. The doctors and nurses consulted and saw so many in need. And we praise God for the person who donated almost all of the medicines to distribute. God is doing a great work through so many who have made this team possible. He brought the right people at the right time to get things accomplished.

Haiti is still calm and in the "waiting" mode. (At least here in the north, not sure how Port is doing). I assume most have heard that Jean Claude Duvalier has returned to Haiti. This has also put the situation on hold. Many waiting to see what this will bring about. But we are thankful for the peace we have at this time.

Just wanted to post a few pictures and let you see what the team has been doing. Remember to keep the Lord at the front and center of all you do. When you put Him in charge, you'll stay on the right road.

Our teams have changed

2011-01-20T21:49:00.000-05:00

Our first team has left and the medical team has arrived. After they had a quick lunch, some went out to where they are going to do clinic tomorrow, the rest stayed at the dorm and packaged meds. LOTS of work to do there and they did it. Good to have some "old friends" and new faces here. We know a lot will be accomplished and many helped while they are here. Here are a couple of pictures of the "sorting team".

Temperatures are warming up here. Glad to be out of the cold snap we had. I realize that upper 50's isn't near cold for most of you, but for here it's really cold.

Lots of work to do, can't seem to catch up on things for some reason. Maybe it's because a lot keeps coming in....hummm....how to curtail that? Not sure, but am working furiously to get caught up on things.

We had one of the pilots daughters come in for a VERY short visit. She is doing her thesis on schools...not sure if it is centered on Haiti, but she was able to visit 4 schools here, ask some questions and get some photos. She was a sweet gal and we sure enjoyed the short time with her.

Abbie? Well, Abbie is Abbie. She still thinks the world revolves around her and everything was created for her. She LOVES to pray. And she practices being a preacher. She does pretty good, but we won't tell her that. I really think she believes Jesus is her best friend. Listening to her pray, you know she knows God has His hands on her. To be so young and have such faith is fantastic.

Have a wonderful day and remember to keep walking with the Lord. He will help keep you on the right path!!!

The gate and the team

2011-01-15T21:02:00.000-05:00

We have a team in and they are doing great. They spent 3 days at a small town called Caracol. They built desks for Pastor Payot for the school. They were also able to hand out some Christmas Bags. I loved two of the photos Carolyn took. They have a ton of photos, but those two really said it all. Notice the first one....those three boys are so excited to see what is in that one bag. Then the next one shows the girls and such sweet faces...aren't they precious?

And the gate. Well, it's hung. But is just a bit too wide to close. But it IS up there. Needs some paint and a bit more work, but thanks to Bob, Larry (who is not in this picture), Ray and Don, the work progressed a LONG way. Sure did wear the guys out though. But we are thankful it is as far as it is. Praise God for all the work that went into it by others. And thanks to MFI for sending Bob back down to work some more on it.

I've been getting a lot of catch up work done here on the computer. Plus doing the accounting for the team. It's the kind of work I enjoy, so can't claim it as work, really.

We've had some rain, which we needed, but the down side to that is that the dorm gets a lot of it inside, too. Team is doing great walking around buckets, though. We hope to get the tarps we ordered for the roof on the next flight. Pray with us on that one.

So far it's still quiet here in country. We ARE enjoying that, for sure. Hear a lot of rumors, but they are just that...and we know the Person who is in charge of it all....THE LORD!! Even if the problems erupt, we'll still depend on HIM to see us through it all. He is in charge of our lives and we yield it all to Him.

It's the WEEK that was...

2011-01-11T08:51:00.000-05:00

It seems the fun never ends. I had really been concerned that we were so many Christmas bags short from what we were told. I had asked everyone if they had seen boxes that were not counted or anything. Nope, no one did. Well, yesterday, while trying to straighten out the depot, to get things organized, I asked what were in all the plastic bags in the depot. It was all things they let them bring home from when they had the inspection. Things that were loose. So, I said, okay, hygiene products, right? Don said, I think there are Christmas bags in there too... SOOOO, my next project is to go through those 40 or so bags and find out just WHAT is there. And probably come up with a LOT of the Christmas bags we were missing. I wanted to put a couple more photos here. I was running in too many circles to get many pictures. But did manage a few.

The distribution has gone pretty well....although some of the people came late, when we needed to get things out of the dorm to prepare for the team. Frustration level was VERY high... add to that they were trying to get the gate hung... it seems satan is constantly on our case lately, and doing a good job.

The latest on the gate...Bob got it all welded up and ready to be put up. But there seemed no way to weld the hinges onto the posts. I think (but not sure) that they found out the hinges are stainless steel... and they can't weld them to the iron work they have. I'm not sure where it all stands this morning, but another frustration.

We really are still depending on the Lord to get all things situated and straightened out. I think HE is the only one who can do it. And we have to keep remembering, "Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world!"

The work goes on

2011-01-08T19:24:00.000-05:00

Another of "one of those days". We sorted and divided a LOT of the Christmas Bags, and then many of those who were to receive them came and got them. We received a total of 8641 Christmas Bags, and today we sorted and distributed 6190. We have a bit more to get out, but it will go quickly. I've put two photos of two of those who picked them up. Both of them were from out in the countryside. Everyone who showed up was really happy to get the bag so they can be given out.

While we worked on that, Larry and Bob were busy working on the gate. When Bob finished the welding on the one side of the doors, he had to have help turning that VERY HEAVY door over, so he can finish up the welding on the other side. Prayerfully it will be hung on Monday. What a blessing today was for everyone.

Not a long post, but wanted to share some of our joy with everyone. God is working mightily in so many ways here. Keep praying, God is at work.

The Friday that was...

2011-01-07T19:26:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a day. I woke up and was really pretty sick. In the back of my mind, Cholera came up. I firmly put that behind me and said, nope, just flu or something. I was NOT giving in to feeling like crud. I got up, dressed and ended up in the bathroom again. My mind said, maybe we can wait on the container until tomorrow. Just as I finished, Vero called out. "MOM, YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE THIS!!" My mind went many directions...then she said, "The container is HERE, NOW!" So, what do you do? I grabbed all my paperwork, all my junk and headed out to get things moving. We didn't even have the guys here to unload...no one knew it was coming this early. (Oh yes, 10:30 IS early for a container to get here.) Everyone went into action and moved quickly. Had a great driver, for a change. A young fellow who knew what he was doing. And very pleasant, too. In a little over 2 1/2 hours, we had it unloaded. (We is a collective word.) Don directed things, Vero cooked, Shannon worked with the girls, on the Christmas bags. I did what I could, but concentrated on getting everyone else in line and doing things. Then I started calling people to come and get their things, and set up for people to come for their Christmas Bags. Got a LOT accomplished, too, much to my surprise. The two pictures below show just a bit of the work, and some of the Christmas Bags being sorted and counted. After all the work was done, and the gang fed, I went to look at the gate!!

What a wonderful surprise. Bob and Larry had gotten the second door almost done. Yes, hinges, wheels and locks still need to go on, but the hardest part was almost done. A bit of welding tomorrow will accomplish that. The first picture below is Bob showing Don what they had finished yesterday. Then the second one is both of the doors, when work was done for today. That's a LOT of welding and cutting and work!!

And tomorrow I have quite a few ministries coming for their boxes. It's really hard to believe that so much was done in such a short time. Oh, I left out that Don had to take the cable holding our electric pole and mount it on the gate pillar. God was there, too. Just as Larry came down the ladder from finishing that, the container pulled in.

It all goes to show that God didn't need me to be there to get it all done, HE had it all worked out. So, tonight, we are ALL simply resting and rejoicing that it is done. Tomorrow will take care of itself. So, no worries tonight just rejoicing and praising God for how wonderful He is!!

The gate(s)

2011-01-05T17:01:00.000-05:00

I'm happy to send some photos of how quickly the gate is moving along now. Don is still working on the smaller gate. He did a pretty involved job on that, that's why the time frame was so long. But it WILL be strong, for sure!! He is now sanding it and getting ready to paint it.

Bob and Larry are working hard on the big gate. They spent some time this AM popping ideas back and forth with Don on just what he wanted. Bob came up with an idea that Don really liked, and then the work started. Cutting metal, welding, grinding...all leads to a great gate. I can't believe how much they accomplished today.

I spent the time taking down Christmas decorations. Now Vero is finishing up cleaning the mess left behind.

Abbie? Well, she is just Abbie. Running at full speed and not stopping. She should sleep well tonight.

I hope your day was a great one. And I hope the Lord was an important part of it.

Container inspected

2011-01-04T21:17:00.000-05:00

A fun day....said with a lopsided smile!!! Don took 12 kids to the docks today to inspect the container. Vero and I headed to the airport...with Ray's vehicle since I can't drive mine. Ray was coming in. This was all neat except we didn't know how we'd get home. Had me, Bob, Larry, Vero and their luggage. And Ray had him, Paul, Belle and 400 pounds of their things. Ended up we all rode with Ray (except Vero) and had thing packed tight all over the place. Vero came home when Cequer got to the airport to get EBAC's things.

Hope to find out tomorrow how much we will have to pay on the container. Pray with us that it will be minor. Then they said we'd get it on Friday. We'll see if that happens or not.

Pray for Belle...last night before they got ready to come home, she dropped a chair on her foot. Not sure WHAT chair...but today her foot looked really bad. After they left here, they stopped at the x-ray place. Her foot is broken. She needs a LOT of prayer.

Well, just wanted to update you all on the happenings here. Hope you have a super day and that the Lord blesses you abundantly. Keep your hand in His and you will be doing great.

Happy New Year

2011-01-03T15:14:00.000-05:00

I know it's a few days late, but I pray your New Year will be super great and that the Lord will be the center of it.

Our temperatures have warmed up a little, not much, but some. Today was pretty nice during the day. Tomorrow we have two fellows coming in to help Don with the gate. Bob works at MFI and Larry is a volunteer there. Thanks MFI for giving up a couple of your guys to help us out!!

You know Murphy (of Murphy's Laws) lives with us. He's active again. This afternoon our broker called and said, I will call in about an hour, have your guys ready and come for the inspection. We said no way. The inspection would go way after dark and customs would want some major overtime pay then. We called and told them tomorrow. They would not wait until Wednesday when we don't have a plane, they want it done now. So, tomorrow, Don will be going for the inspection and we (Vero and I) will be going for the plane. Pray all goes well with the mail and cargo.

It is still quiet here. Many are saying the problems will start up soon. We just keep praying it won't. But we are enjoying the non-conflict time we are having now. Oh, prices are up, and people are nervous, but it's not bad.

IDADEE is in preparation for having their grand opening soon. I don't believe a date has been set, but not sure. They have done so much work out there. I'll try to post some more pictures soon.

We had pumpkin soup for New Year's day. We were given one pot from the EBAC kids and then one from Betty. It is SO good. A bit spicy, but that's okay. We sure enjoyed the traditional meal.

For now we'll close and we do pray that your New Year will be filled with many blessings and that the Lord will walk with you in all you do.

Hope your Christmas was GREAT

2010-12-28T20:17:00.000-05:00

We hope your Christmas was really good. We had a quiet and nice time here. I'll only put a couple of photos here. Some good friends sent in some neat gifts for all to share. Captain Dick and his wife Linda (MFI) sent Abbie a box. It was so funny. The first picture shows what she got. Now, I want you to know, ELMO is a giggle Elmo. Abbie slept with us that night...WITH Elmo. Every time she turned over, Elmo giggled. That lasted until she was finally asleep....then he was ejected from the bedroom. Her shirt, with the MFI logo on it was a SUPER hit. She said now she is like Mommy, Grandma and Grandpa...she IS MFI. Doesn't take much to make them happy, does it?

We had gotten her some inexpensive dolls...the Disney princess type...she's been into that lately. Well, Shannon knew I had gotten those dolls, and when she went out for a week and a half, she got Abbie the tent, with the princesses on it, and a crawl space to get into it. She LOVES that thing...and thankfully it does collapse quite easily and opens easily, too. Those are her princess dolls in the box in front of her. She got lots of nice things from many friends. I had her help wrap some gifts. We had gotten Shannon some huge packs of gum (she LOVES gum). Abbie had a fit. She said that is a FAKE Christmas present, it's not real. Anything you can eat, in her estimation is NOT real. But this year she did not tell before hand what anyone got. A first for her.

Had to throw in a photo of the puppy...keep praying that no one steals him from us, like they have all our others. His name is Peter Puppy....Abbie named him after one of our grandsons. He is a cute thing, and surprisingly he DOES listen.

Don has been working hard on the door for the gate. He has run into so many problems, but ends up solving them. It just takes SO much time!!! I think he is going to hire someone to make the big gate....he probably won't be happy with it, but it will get done quicker that way. His time has just been spent doing too many things, to get time to work on the gate. Pray for him as he figures out how to do it and who to hire to do it.

New Years will be quiet for us. We tend to stay at home and normally get to bed early. Things here are quiet and we are praying they stay that way. Pray with us on that, too. And pray for the container that is sitting at the docks now. We finally sent some money to get things going on the paperwork. They have been putting it off, so we are happy that at least there is some movement on it. We know it won't get here before the new year, but that's okay now. Prayerfully we'll get it the first week of January. That would be a huge blessing.

I don't know what it's like where you are, but it's COLD here in Haiti. Our normal LOW is med to low 70's. Tonight it's supposed to get down to the 50's. That is BAD for here. With all the medical problems going on with Cholera, these low temps will create another problem. People here simply cannot stand it when it gets into the upper 60's, so this is going to be a REALLY difficult time for them. We'll have more and more people coming with doctor and hospital bills now. As we all sit here wrapped up in blankets and with sweatshirts and socks on, we think of all of those here who have NOTHING to keep warm in...not even a wind proof home. A lot of prayers are needed in that area, too.

For now....God bless!!! And keep in mind how much the Lord has blessed you this last year. Even when problems arise and trouble seem so huge...HE IS THERE FOR YOU!! And then look at the Haitians who are suffering, and remember, there but for the grace of God, go you. If you're reading this, you have a computer...they don't even have a sweater. Keep praying for Haiti...it's leaders, it's health care workers, and the people here. Thank you!!

Near to Christmas

2010-12-22T12:25:00.000-05:00

Hello again,
Well, things are STILL calm and we are very happy with that. They evidently had someone come in for a recount of the election results. But are not announcing it until after Christmas. Some have heard that they will hold off with the announcement until after the new year. This would not be good, since we have teams scheduled. That will be a time of NOT being on the roads or being visible. Pray with us that things will be as the Lord wants it and that there will be safety for the teams. We would hate to cancel teams since preparations have already been made with flights and all the expenses for a trip. We are totally dependent on the Lord for wisdom and discernment for things now. (Well, we always are, but right now it is so important for teams.)

Don has been working on the door for the gate, and as with everything here in Haiti, problems come up and make it so difficult. I think the saying "everything that can go wrong will go wrong" has been a part of this whole job. Add to this the beggars who stand right next to him and won't leave, you can see his frustration level is VERY high. So please pray for him. But not for patience. He needs strength, wisdom and for his mind to be clear on how to accomplish things the right way.

Yesterday we had a plane load of cargo...almost 6,000 pounds. It was a hard, hot day, but God was good and we didn't have any major problems. I am doing so much better physically, but the trip to the airport sure does work on me. I am glad I am only making the trip once a week. I could not handle more than that. Don wanted me to go to town with him and Vero and Abbie to get some things this last week. I said, nope, I know my limits. I sure wanted to go, but know how it would affect me.

Vero is doing SO good at the airport. I'm so glad the Lord worked it out that she can be there for me. And not only the pilots, but the airport people really like and respect her. She has a great work ethic and does a fantastic job. Her work with the evangelism is going really well, too. She sure loves working for the Lord. You can see it in her eyes when she gets home. Pray with us that the Lord will touch hearts to help with her support. She needs to meet her needs (and those she helps, too). We know the Lord can do it, but still ask for your prayers.

Shannon has been working with Vero on the evangelism and also has her ministry with the older girls at EBAC. They seem to be responding so well to her influence and to the way God is directing them. Keep her in your prayers, also, for God to continue to use her as He directs.

Abbie, well, Abbie is Abbie. She is a joy and inspiration to have around. I had made a calendar for her to mark off the days till Christmas. One day she marked off two days, hoping to bring Christmas sooner. She is constantly sitting her dolls up and "preaching" to them. And I have to say, she pretty much does a great job. She takes a message she has heard in church and "expounds" on it. And she is constantly playing with Peter Puppy. The one puppy that survived when our dog Leah had pups. We just pray that someone doesn't steal him like they have our other puppies.

Well, I'd best be going and getting some work done here. I keep waiting for someone to do it, but oh well, no one knows WHAT to do, so I'd better work. You all have a super great Christ centered day. Keep smiling, Jesus loves you, A LOT!!!!

Dec. 14th...on our way to Christmas

2010-12-14T09:13:00.000-05:00

I was a bit shocked when I realized I had not posted since the 9th. Then it dawned on me, I had only sent an email to a friend about what was happening here. I'm sorry for not keeping in touch better.

It's really been relatively quiet. Traffic moving, things seem back to normal, although tensions still exist. With all that was expected, nothing came about. This is a blessing, to be sure. But it did put our planes off for a few days. MFI finally came in on Saturday with 2 DC-3's. Not a whole lot of cargo for Cap Haitians, as they were taking some to 2 other cities as well. I was not at the airport, but Don and Vero kept me informed as to what was happening. The one plane came with passengers and then headed to PIgnon to pick up others, and come back to clear them out of country. The second plane developed engine troubles. .......

Let me back up here a few years... When MFI only had the radial engine planes, we would be blessed with having the pilots spend a night every so often, while they worked on the planes here, after having problems. Since they purchased the turbine we haven't had them stay with us hardly at all. But I used to keep a beef roast in the freezer, JUST IN CASE they had problems. It sort of became a joke, that if there were problems, I had a beef roast for them here. ......

Well, when Don called and said the one plane would probably be overnighting...I put on the beef roast I had. I knew there were either 2 or 3 crew we would be putting up. Well, it wasn't long when Don called back and said the other plane was back from Pignon, and it also had engine problems, and we would be putting them up, too. I figured no problem. I asked how many beds to get ready. I wasn't sure if they had a flight attendant or not. Don said, well, 6 crew, and 23 passengers. We DO NOT HAVE 29 beds. Our max is 20, if it's evenly divided between men and women. I was about to go into panic mode. then realized that two of the groups flying out were from missions in this area. I called those missions and asked if they could return to the airport and pick up their teams for another night. Very graciously they did that. And I asked the one mission if they had room for a small team. They did. That meant we had the 6 crew and a small team of six from Pignon.

Our dorm had not been used in a month, so it needed a LOT of work. Vero called the gal who helps us and sent her over. Two of "our guys" came, too, to help out. And then Betty (one of our girls) came to help. They did a superb job of cleaning and making beds up. I had gotten three beds made, but not 12, so the help was GREATLY appreciated. Then my next problem arose. I had 12 people to feed. I knew the roast would not make it. So, I scrounged my freezer, came up with hot dogs, mac and cheese and green beans. Not a feast, but it would do. I knew the head of the small team, since he flew with us quite often. But the other five I didn't know. The Lord really blessed us with a great group. And of course our pilots were awesome, as always. Made pancakes for breakfast and they were off. It took a bit for them to get the planes going, but they finally did and were in the air. Then we found out the passenger plane had problems in Provo. But there they had ways to get help.

I found out Saturday that our speaker for English church would not be able to make it. Not a huge problem, as we could have a prayer and praise service. I just had to let the worship leader know. Couldn't get in touch with her, but knew it would work out. Then Sunday afternoon, I found out that she was sick and wouldn't be there...I was asked to take over. Although I do lead service every few months, I normally spend a day preparing for it. God was good and gave me something I had gotten last year to share. A good friend is an author and she had sent a three part story on "The Birth of a King" last year. It dealt with Mary, telling Jesus the story of his birth. What she went through in her life...as a 14 yer old girl, pregnant and not by her fiance. What her family may have felt, what her intended must have gone through, and what the community felt. A whole different perspective on the birth of Jesus Christ. Yes, it was a "story", but with so many truths in it. I have loved that whole story and am thankful for it, because it shows me that Mary was human, just as Jesus was. That, yes, she was highly favored by the Lord. But also that she went through a very hard time, serving the Lord.

I do believe God honored Mary's faith and HE carried her through all those troubles. But I also believe there is a parallel in the story for US. WE will encounter problems and the Lord is there for us as well. Being a Christian does not exempt us from trouble and hard times. But it does mean we have Someone to walk with us through these times and Someone who can relate and help us to cope with it.

I pray that this CHRISTmas season you will look beyond the glitz and glitter and realize that, that little baby came to earth for YOU and for me. He went through more than we will ever experience, and He did it all for US. Keep in mind the WHOLE Christmas story...yes, Jesus is the focus of it all, but the whole story shows us that God IS with us in all things. IF we turn to Him.

Have a blessed day in Him. Hold on to that Hand offered to you. And keep smiling!!!

Dec. 9th and it's TOO quiet

2010-12-09T09:46:00.000-05:00

I know you have all heard of the term "lock down". Well, that's what we feel like here. No traffic moving (roads blocked everywhere), and no one can go anywhere. It's just way too quiet. We are not used to this.

Two nights ago we had gun fire here in our yard. We were not sure what was going on. Someone told us it was kidnappers. But evidently they had left with no hostages. Then yesterday we found out what really happened. Even with the election problems, people are still not happy with the UN because of the cholera situation. Well, evidently there were some UN fellows out walking and checking things out. People started throwing rocks and bottles at them. They ran up a road, and one of them fell into a hole they were digging for a public latrine. They started shooting in the air, to keep people away. Got the one out and they ran...thinking our drive was a road they came this way. When they found out it wasn't a road, they reversed and ran back out...shooting in the air. People were still throwing rocks and bottles. Our house had been hit with the rocks, too. It sounded awful, like huge boulders hitting the roof. It was simply rocks, some good sized, hitting the tin. But they were thrown over the wall behind us. (This was at 11:45 at night!!)

Last night I couldn't sleep, so was up reading. At about midnight, it sounded like someone was ripping tin off the roof at the dorm. (or somewhere close). My second thought was that they were taking the flat steel for the gate door. There was no way for Don to secure it, although the door frame was chained down. I got Don up, he got our watchman up and they went looking. The watchman didn't want Don outside at night, with the kidnapping threat here. But after he made the rounds, Don went out to check the door he had welded. All was fine, nothing missing. NO idea where the noise came from. But...after Don was up, he could hear it too. So, must have been somewhere close by outside our compound.

Now today it's REALLY quiet. We know the road blocks are still up. But we don't even hear the people on the street talking and yelling, like they normally do. So, we sit tight and wait it out. I was put in the position of having to decide to call off our MFI flight. AGAIN. I do call and get other opinions on it, so it's not just my call. But the government took it out of my hands. They closed the airports until further notice.

We did hear that there is traffic moving on the other side of the airport, but nothing in town or on this side of town. Airport is still closed and no one can get there anyway. So, how long will this go on? Who knows.

All of this to say, PLEASE keep praying. We know prayer works. God is keeping us safe and we totally depend on Him. We won't do anything foolish. Why tempt God when He is already caring for us? We'll try to get some work done here. I know Don is working overtime on the gate now, and doing what he can to get it done. He doesn't have all the material to get it totally finished though. So, we'll pray things cool down and he can get what he needs.

We are still looking up and praising Him for His love and sacrifice for us. We do serve an awesome and mighty God. Since He sent us here, we will depend on Him to take care of us in all things. We'll keep you posted as we hear things, but remember, many of the things we "hear" are just rumors. We wait until we have some sort of confirmation on what is happening before sharing it. We could probably write a book on some of the rumors we have heard. Some you simply have to laugh off and hope no one really pays any attention to. Others, you wait and see.

So, pray with us that this whole situation will calm down and things return to "normal" here. That is in parenthesis because we're not sure just what normal is.

Love to you all from this "interesting" country of Haiti.

Our Newsletter for Dec. 2010

2010-12-08T11:46:00.000-05:00

We sent out our newsletter on Tuesday, so wanted to post it here, too. I had a third page on the letter that I am not putting here. It was one requesting a response if you still wanted to receive our hard copy letter via postal service. The three options were: via postal service, via email (which I may change our email address soon) or here on the blog. If YOU have a preference, please let me know. Thank you!!

Davis' in Haiti ~ December 2010

God's grace and peace at this Christ centered time of year. I will try to do a recap of this year in Haiti for you. So much has gone on, and a lot to tell, but I'll try to keep it as short as I can.

The New Year entered with "Earth Shaking" awareness. An understatement, to be sure. The devastation, destruction, loss of life and injuries were beyond imagination. Yet, what satan meant for evil, God turned into triumph for Him. We are still seeing the results of the shaking 11 months later. Yes, physically it has created chaos. But spiritually, there have been hundreds of thousands coming to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Missionary Flights had a huge impact on Haiti through this trying time. To get a glimpse into that, you can go to MFI's web site. (www.missionaryflights.org). They also compiled and published a book with input from many people as to what happened and how the people were helped. It's an excellent book. Check it out at: www.shakinggroundunshakablefaith.com. I hope you have the change to see this. It is awesome!! We praise God for all the responses we had to help those in such great need. It's an ongoing struggle for the people and we are thankful for those who see that need and send help. God has used you mightily in Haiti.

From that point on, we had many teams come. So much has been accomplished through teams this year. No matter what the project was, it brought hope and faith building time to the Haitian people. The fact is that Haitians know that these teams give up vacation time, use their money to come and help, and end up being a part of many Haitian lives. God has blessed both the Haitians and the team members through these trips. Lives have been changed and that is the aim of teams. To change lives, both Haitian and American (or Canadian or others) for the better, through the Lord Jesus Christ.

We have had 5 containers (40 feet long) of food, scriptures and supplies arrive this year already. Another, with the Christmas Bag project and food and scriptures, should have landed here in Cap yesterday. We are praying for a quick release and distribution this time. It would be amazing to be able to send out the Christmas bags on time this year. No matter when the container is shipped, it seems the powers that be on this end hold it up and they don't go out until the new year. This year we are praying that we will be able to get these out in time for Christmas. (An added note: the children don't care if they are late, they are thrilled to get them at any time, but we care.)

We spent 2 month stateside in May and June. It was a needed break after all the chaos and after effects from the earthquake. The amount of people coming to our door has increased dramatically. There are so many with honest needs, but then we also have those who take advantage of things and want to get whatever they can, even if they don't need it. A lot of discernment is needed with this.

In November Haiti was hit with another disaster...CHOLERA. There are still minor disputes over the origin. What really matters is controlling it and getting help to those who need help. The death toll raises daily, and that is dramatic. In a lot of areas, they have been treating the sick with great results. But those who cannot reach help in time, simply die wherever they are. And without proper training or advice, those caring for the sick contact the disease and become another fatality. We have heard several different scenarios on what will happen and how long it will take to control this. What is desperately needed now is prayer. Prayer for the health-care workers here, who are wearing out. Prayer for trained people to come in and supplement those workers. Prayer for those who have cholera, and for the families of those who have not made it through. Prayer for the people to listen and respond to those trying to teach them how to avoid getting cholera.

And now the elections here in Haiti. This is another case of chaos here. Very few seem to be happy with the election...aside from the head of the UN and Preval. We are hearing many different stories from all areas of how it was not a fair election. We have no personal knowledge of what transpired, just what we have heard. But we do know, no matter what is announced on the 7th as to the outcome, there will be problems from those who did not make it. Everyone is expecting wide spread demonstrations once the announcement is made. But we also know God can put His hand on this and take care of it all. That is what we are praying for.

We know without a doubt that the Lord is with us in all things. But like all of you, at times it seems we can't tell He is there. Our faith has to take over where our senses lead us to doubt. We do serve an awesome and great God. We know He is with us in all situations and through all the strife here. And we praise Him for all he does for us on a daily basis. From the little things He controls for us to the huge problems that He takes care of. He IS an intricate part of every aspect of our lives and we acknowledge that.

Our prayer list includes:
Haiti: all the situations that have shaken this country in the last year
Our ministry and lives: That the Lord would guide, direct and protect us in all areas
Our family: that the Lord will open doors, guide and direct them and keep them safe
The future of Haiti and our ministry here

May the Lord guide and direct YOU in all things. And may your Christmas celebrations be centered on the true meaning of this holy season...the birth of Jesus Christ.

In His Name and Service,

Don & Karen Davis

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

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On our way to Christmas

2010-12-02T17:21:00.000-05:00

I have decided that this post is only going to be upbeat things. Everyday has it's down moments, but today I'm not going to let it get to me.

I am posting pictures, only four of them, that show some of our upbeat things. Don and Vero went to the airport today. It wasn't too bad there, but the road coming home was something else I guess. They have blocked the main road, so you have to take back ones. I think they are FINALLY going to pave the main road...won't that be a great thing? Shannon went to EBAC to be with the kids and do Bible study. Keep that in prayer as she ministers to the older kids there.

Okay, the pictures. This first one was just a fluke. I looked out the door, saw this and ran for the camera. I loved the way the sun was shinning on the trees and coming through the smoke. Yes, it's smoke. Someone was burning something, but I loved the effect of it on the yard.

The next one is a nativity set I made way back in 1979. My sister and I had joined a ceramics class. This is the first nativity set I ever owned, and I did it myself. I now have several. I love the differences in each one. Guess that is something I would collect if I collected things. Hummm....I have eagles, and cups...but anyway. The three little colored angels are our Abbie angles that I either bought or received as gifts. The hanging white one my daughter sent me. Gee...I like angles, too. Good thing I'm not collecting, huh?

This one is my village I put up for Christmas each year. This belonged to our oldest son and he gave it to me. I've added a few pieces to it, but not many. I don't have it all up here, because of space, but I like it anyway.

The last one is our tree. I have ornaments that our kids made when they were a lot younger. Some have gone the way of many aged things and aren't anymore, but I still have a lot they made. I love those. And one year our daughter made me a set of Gingerbread boys and girls...those were all our grandkids. BUT we are now missing one since we have a grandson who isn't there. I'll find a way to get an ornament with his name on it, too. And our three great grandsons aren't on there either...another project to think on. The packages under the tree need a bit of explanation. Looks like a lot, huh? Well, I put all of our ornaments in used gift boxes each year. Then once I hang them up, I put the boxes under the tree, and it looks like a lot of presents. There are a few there, but not that many.

I'll start working on our Christmas letter this week. And I'll post that on here too. I made a calendar for Abbie to mark the days off till Christmas. She loves doing that. She has a school program coming up and she has every one's parts memorized. She is so excited about that. It tells the real story of Christmas, so she tells it to us each day. I'm so glad she is in a Christian school with such a positive influence.

Well, time to go and get supper ready and get more work done. I hope your "pre-Christmas" time is spent focusing on the REAL REASON FOR THIS SEASON!!! That little baby in the manger came to save us all, and we need to make sure that the real story is told!! Have a blessed Christmas season, with Christ at the center of it all.

Wednesday and it's calm

2010-12-01T21:41:00.000-05:00

Very happy to say it's relatively calm today and tonight. Have heard a couple of gun shots in the distance. But many times that is simply a home owner shooting in the air, saying I'm here and I have a gun. Nothing exciting. We keep praying this calm remains. The situation with cholera is still a very prevalent thing. It doesn't seem to be getting much better. In fact in many areas it's getting worse. Please keep praying for the whole thing. Talked to the doc on Tuesday. He looked totally worn out. Health care workers are few and needs are many. We've been praying for workers experienced in, or trained in, cholera situations. If the workers we have here now wear down, they too, can become ill. Maybe not with cholera, but sick just the same. Please pray for the workers already here and for those God is moving to come and help.

I found a paper a neat friend, Audrey, gave me (in Nov. of 2008), and I wanted to share it with you. No idea who the author is, (it could be Audrey) but it reminded me of all of you out there, praying and keeping us going here!! You really are true friends. And we praise God for you!!!

FRIENDSHIP

F ~ Fun-loving, Faithful

R ~ Risk of being real, understood

I ~ Interested in the welfare of others

E ~ Expect the best of others

N ~ Natural relationship, accept others

D ~ Delightful to be around

S ~ Sympathetic, Supportive, Sweet

H ~ Helpful, Hopeful, Healing, Happy

I ~ Interdependent by helping others

P ~ Patient, Pleasant to be around

If I were given another opportunity at life and friendship I would seize every minute of it!  I would look at it and really see it and live it for Jesus!!

Thanks Audrey, for keeping me looking UP and relying on Jesus for my strength and support.

We just received a book from a friend. It's a book on dealing with trauma, like the earthquake, in a Biblical way. It's in Creole and is totally geared to the earthquake situation. Everyone who has seen it has been really impressed with it. I'm thinking we should order some for the pastors...maybe a few anyway. It is geared for a seminar situation where the pastor would teach the leaders in the church, who would in turn, teach those under him and so on. Pray with us as we make some decisions on this.

Our container is supposed to dock tomorrow. We are praying it will, with some reservations. But if we can get it soon, it would be great. I have my Christmas Bag booklet and am getting ready to make decisions on who/what/where the Christmas Bags will go. I really do like doing this, since we've seen the outcome of what these bag, with scriptures can do. They give joy, yes, but they give hope, in the form of the Gospel. And people ARE reading them. Praise God for the work He is doing through Stan and Gloria, and Missy, and the whole group who put SO much into this program. This DOES change lives for the Lord!! Keep praying for them and check out the web site at right.

Everyone here is in bed already. They poured the ceiling on the IDADEE orphanage today. A HUGE job...had 120 workers to mix cement, haul buckets and do the actual pouring. But it's done, praise God!! Vero and Shannon, with the help of others, made a meal for those guys...lots of work doing the meal, too. God is REALLY good and is working wonders at the IDADEE compound!!

Tomorrow I'll try to download and share some photos with you. Until then, keep smiling and keep Jesus at the center of all you do!!!

Sunday late morning..the 28th

2010-11-28T11:47:00.000-05:00

We listened to a good sermon this morning. But it's really weird...no traffic noises, no people noises (except the beggars in the yard). The law is that no vehicles can move on election day. Only those tap-taps that have a special sticker in the window. And we have heard nothing, so those must be VERY limited this time.

Have NO idea how the voting is going, or what people are doing. In town may be different than here, but we are enjoying the peace and quiet.

Update on cholera...it is not slowing down at all, in fact we have heard it is escalating. How true is that? We have no idea. But the health officials we have talked with, and in talking to other missionaries...it seems to be really bad. Yes, there are some cases in this area, but they are confined, PTL. We may have some problems doing the final work on the gate, since no one is willing to go into the river to get sand and gravel...they are afraid the rivers all over are infected. We know many are...but not exactly which ones or where those are. We are praying, along with many others, that the meds keep coming in and will be sufficient for the situation. And we are specifically praying for the medical personnel. They are all so overworked and worn out.

We are dealing with so many who come and say they either have someone with cholera in their family or someone in the family had died from it. It takes a LOT of discernment to separate and find out the truth. Some are using it to simply get money. Pray for that situation here.

I'll try to post some more positive photos soon. We have the decorations up and it's a daily struggle with Abbie now about Christmas. She keeps saying TODAY is Christmas. (She wants some presents). Minor things, like a LIVE eagle (who won't bother grandpa's birds), and other way out things. Then things scaled down, and she said a doll. I told her she has 4 already. She said she has enough love for more dolls. She has a soft bunny who she named "Puney", she said he needs some friends, so we should get him a present, too. She does love to GIVE AWAY things to others, too. And we have a box of toys she is packaging up to give to other kids who don't get anything. She does share and we are happy about that.

For today, that's about all the news. We will keep you informed as things progress with the election..although it will take days to hand count the ballots.

We pray you will keep this season a Christ centered one. Don't let the gifts and glitter overshadow the real reason we celebrate. Someone had told us it's wrong to have a specific day for Christmas since no one REALLY knows when Jesus was born. My feeling on it is that no, we don't know, but having a day set aside to HONOR Him and His entrance into the world via human form is fine. The specific day is not what is important, it's the REASON He came that should be what we celebrate. I have a song on a CD that I like. The chorus is "He had the birthday, we got the gift..." And that is so true...yes he was born FOR US...and He died FOR US...we need to focus on His coming, that it was all done ~ FOR US!! If you don't know Jesus as your personal Savior, it's time to sit down and learn what this season is all about...Jesus Christ came to this earth to live and die in OUR PLACE, so we can have eternal life!!!! So....CELEBRATE Jesus this season!!

Friday AM

2010-11-26T07:49:00.000-05:00

We are still thankful...no problems in country at this point. Although we have heard from many different sources that they will erupt. It's nice when so many are wrong in this way. We are still praying that nothing happens.

Vero and Shannon made it home safely last night. They sat at the airport in Port ALL day, waiting to get on a plane to come home. We had our thanksgiving dinner once they got here. Abbie was so wound up about the "Thanksgiving feast" that it was hard to keep her down. All I kept thinking about was "This will be so much worse when Christmas comes". She had Don and I up at the crack of dawn to have the feast. At school they had talked about the pilgrims and the feast they had with the Indians.

Again I ask you to keep Barb and her boys in your prayers. I guess it's more than just them, it's the spouses and grandkids, too. Our hearts are still heavy for them.

Today, while Abbie is at school, we hope to get the Christmas decorations up. Don't know if it will happen, but we are going to try anyway.

As this election draws near things are getting wilder and wilder here. We even have the candidates calling on cell phones telling you to vote for them. Before it was text messages, not it's recorded messages. So, the states have nothing on us with that now. Had a plane flying over dropping photos and "vote for me" messages the other day. Had to clean our yard out with those things. So we'll be really happy when this whole mess is over.

We are living evidence of how God works daily in people's lives. It seems there is something big each and every day where His presence is made visible. And that makes it so awesome to work for Him and have His guidance and care obvious. I hope you are in that same place with the Lord, where you can see and feel Him working with and through you on a daily basis. God bless and keep smiling.

Thanksgivng blessings

2010-11-25T10:30:00.001-05:00

On this 2010 Thanksgiving day, I am first and foremost thankful to the Lord Jesus Christ for all He has done for me!! I praise Him and thank Him and am totally humbled by being able to be a small part in His work.

So, it's time for a "thankful" list. I am thankful for:

   My husband ~ with all his accomplishments and busyness, he still loves me.
   My children ~ although they are all far away, they are always a part of my heart and life.
   My grandchildren ~ even though I didn't get to see them often, they still have a part of my heart.
   My great grandsons ~ that the Lord has blessed us with these gifts from heaven.
   My friends ~ who uplift, encourage, laugh with me, cry with me, and love me, even when I am not lovable.
   The privilege of being able to serve the Lord, even in a small way.
   For those who help keep this ministry going, even in the hard and tough times.
   For our friends here in Haiti, American, Canadian, and Haitian, who walk with us through the difficult times here, as well and the great times.
   For our Haitian family...Vero, Abbie, Betty, Ruben and on and on...
   And again, for the Lord who walks with us, keeps us, encourages us, sustains us, and simply loves us, through all things.
   I'm thankful for the home we live in, the vehicles we are privileged to drive, the provisions we have, when so many others are in need, all of which the Lord has provided for us.

It keeps coming back to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is a part of every aspect of our lives, in all we do and say. And we praise Him for it all.

I hope you have that knowledge...that Jesus DOES save...that He is there for YOU...and that you can walk in the fullness of life with Him at your side, guiding, protecting and loving you.

And we thank all of YOU for being there for us with prayer support, with financial support and with your encouragement and understanding. God bless you in a mighty way!!!!

THANK YOU Jesus and our friends...for being what we need when we need it!!

A difficult Wednesday

2010-11-24T16:18:00.000-05:00

I had originally planned to do a "thank you" list today, in light of Thanksgiving tomorrow. I may have to wait and do that tomorrow.

On Monday we had received word that a good missionary friend of ours from Bohoc (near Pignon) had a heart attack on Saturday evening. The good thing was that he was in Florida at the time. Many, many prayers went up for Jim. This morning the family had to make a very difficult decision to remove life support. Jim passed away not long after that. We have known Jim and Barb Howard for many, many years. They are a fantastic couple who have done a tremendous job. Their goal was to help put people in business so they could be self sufficient. There are many in Haiti who have been helped by Jim and Barb.

We are asking all who read this to lift Barb and their boys up in prayer. This will be a very difficult time for them.

I remember when they used to come down to the airport for mail and cargo. (Now their things are flown up to Pignon, so we don't see them very often). But the guys at the airport used to call Jim, Goliath. Jim is a big teddy bear. Looking gruff with a heart as soft as a teddy bear and a love for all he came in contact with. Jim loved his iced coffee and the hottest pima (hot) sauce there was. And he was a hard, hard worker.

Our hearts are broken right now. It is so hard to think that Jim won't be there with a phone call or a cryptic email. He loved to tease, too. He will be missed an awful lot. By a whole lot of people here in Haiti, as well as in the US.

So, we are asking for prayers...for all who knew and loved Jim. He may be in a fantastic place, but he's left a huge whole in our lives.

And now another prayer request. Vero and Shannon went to Port to work on the permi de sejour papers (residency papers). I had told them this was not the time to go, but they felt they should. They are now stuck in Port, with road blocks all over the place there. I have a feeling we won't see them until sometime next week. We were told the problems would start here either today or tomorrow. And this will go through the election. And it could last beyond. Depending on who gets in. I wish they had made it home before all of this. But we are praying that the Lord will put His protection around them and keep them safe. That is our second request, pray for their safety.

The last request is for the situation here in Cap. Pray for common sense to take over and for peace to reign. Pray for protection for all those who are here serving the Lord. We won't be leaving the house from this point on until things calm down, but there are others who may not be able to do that.

Sorry for the long prayer requests, but I know many of you will pray with us on all of these things. God is willing and able, and answers prayers.

Sunday evening Nov.21sst

2010-11-21T21:28:00.000-05:00

It was a quiet, rainy day today. For this we thank the Lord. There are rumors that tomorrow the situation will erupt again, but we are praying it won't.

I have to share a bit here about last Sunday...no, I'm not going way into Ray and Bonnie's problem, but do want to refer to it. Last Sunday at English church, Dr. Bill Cooper shared. We ALWAYS enjoy hearing him, he is such a gifted teacher. To make it short, he spoke on what do we do when we are in bad situations. Do we pray and ask God to PLEASE get us out of it? Or do we pray and ask God to be with us and teach us through the situation. His message really hit everyone. It was fantastic. (And this was before the problems arose on the streets). Well, then Ray and Bonnie left for home and got into their "situation". Ray said the first thing he thought of was Dr. Bill's message. He said, now he couldn't pray to get OUT of that situation, but to ask God to be with them IN it." I shared that at church today since I was leading service. And again, Dr. Bill shared with us.

This message went right along with last weeks. He used three examples from the old testament. The first was in Exodus 14: 10-15...where the Israelites were facing the Red Sea with the Pharaoh's army behind them. Moses responded to their fears with: "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today..."

Then he shared about the three men who were in the furnace (actually 4 were there). And what their response was. Then on to Daniel in the lion's den. When he finished, I calmly said, "I hope this isn't another case of God speaking to you and telling us how to respond this week." But if that IS the case, we know how to respond, even if it is tough.

The really NEAT thing in this was that Dr. Bill had prepared these messages TWO MONTHS ago. And they were delivered right when we needed them. AGAIN...our God is an AWESOME God, isn't HE???? He walks before us, beside us and behind us. He is our guide and protector. And we thank Him and Praise Him for who He is and what He does. The song, "Our God is an Awesome God" really fits.

I hope you are walking hand in hand with Him, and letting Him lead and direct you.

Saturday PM...Nov. 20th

2010-11-20T20:05:00.000-05:00

Well, we arrived home safely. The ride in was an eye opener. Black soot everywhere from burning tires and trees that had been chopped down to block the roads were moved over. There was one container they had blocked the road with. Evidently whoever was removing the blocks...pushed it around and then pushed it to the side and turned it completely over. Wheels sticking up. I had the camera but was looking and not thinking of taking photos. So, figured on the way home I'd get the shots. Well, the container was right side up and hooked up to a truck by then. Sorry nothing good in the photo department there.

There was a LOT of traffic, both vehicles and on foot today. We were hoping it would continue all day and give us a chance to get home.

We got the the airport, checked in the passengers and as we finished the first plane arrived. They were both scheduled at the same time, which we DID NOT want. But we got the first one unloaded and the engines started when the second one landed. That was great. I don't know if you can imagine almost 11,000 pounds of cargo...but it was a LOT of stuff. We were short two workers, so Vero and I worked cargo too. This was a hard day as far as lifting. But we made it. Customs was pretty good. They seemed to get things through pretty quickly. Once everyone had their boxes, we had ours cleared and left. Traffic was pretty heavy, but it did move, which was a blessing. What surprised us is that we were headed home by a little after 1 PM.

We were doubly blessed by the fact we were able to greet and visit with a very good friend who we see only once every few years. Pere Bruno was a great friend many, many years ago. He, his wife and children were a blessing to us for many of our first years here in Haiti. He now lives in the Dominican, but still has a ministry here in the north of Haiti. They are one of the first Haitian families who we were friends with. And they are one very strong Christian family who we respect greatly.

Don was able to go and get some of the iron for the smaller gate when we got home. It will be a bit before he can get the needed iron for the main gate...but now he can start working on it. The down part in all of this is that our friend Bill and his daughter Jenny were not able to come down. He was going to help Don with the gate. But with circumstances like they are, we just didn't feel right letting them come into this horrible situation. But we miss them a lot. I, personally, looked forward to the fellowship. But God knows what we need and He will take care of it all. Our close friends, Ray, Bonnie and Belle, have all gone stateside, so we are feeling a bit depressed right now. We will really miss the fellowship with them while they are gone.

I'll close for now. I am going to check out the photos I did take and see if there is anything worth sharing on here. Till then, God bless and please keep praying for Haiti and it's people. And pray with us that the unrest will not resume. We are praying it is over, even though we hear it will start again on Monday. We serve a miracle working God and He can change things if it is His will. We are definitely praising and thanking HIM for how today went. He kept His hands on us. PTL!!!

Saturday AM...the 20th

2010-11-20T07:21:00.000-05:00

It's early, but wanted to get a quick note out and ask for some prayers. It's drizzling out, which is good...any problems usually don't occur when there is rain. Not sure if the rumors are true or not, but some say problems will start today again. That's why we need the prayers. With 10,000 pounds of cargo coming in, we need to be there, distribute it and get out of there before anything comes up. PTL, MFI got a really early start and we should be home relatively early, depending on customs, of course.

I'll post this evening and let you know how things are going. Keep praying!! God hears and answers our prayers.

Friday has arrived and is almost over

2010-11-19T20:17:00.000-05:00

Today was busy..in many ways. Vero, being a work-a-holic, washed windows (the ones she didn't finish yesterday). That is a major job here since windows and screens don't fit right and you have to take them apart, wash them, put them together, then TAPE them to keep the bugs out. She finished that then went to Bible study for a while.

We did have a plane today, but not cargo. MFI flew in to take some people out. Had a full load there. Took a lot of arranging to get it worked out on this end, but we finally succeeded in doing it. I didn't go to the airport today, since I have to be there tomorrow.

The road were cleared by this morning. But we have heard that it will a short respite. Rumors say that the people doing the road blocks were paid off to open them. We have heard they will be blocked again, not sure if tomorrow or the next day. Pray with us that we will be able to get our cargo in and distributed tomorrow, from the 2 DC-3's coming. We are talking about over 10,000 pounds of things. That's a HUGE amount for a LOT of missions. And much of it is for the cholera situation. But please keep tomorrow in prayer, BIG TIME.

Right now the people here are living in fear...fear of the rocks and bottles being thrown, fear that they will be on some "hit list", fear that the UN will shoot them (yes, they fear that even though it has not happened yet, that we know of), fear of Cholera, fear that "someone" is poisoning the rivers, the fears go on and on. Reasoning does not clear up any of the fears. Thus the people panic and follow whatever the rebels do. Pray for a resolution to this madness and that people will start to use reasoning and common sense when listening to others.

Pray for our safety as we travel to and from the airport tomorrow. We don't have real fear, but know that we have to be cautious and vigilant in where we go and what we do. God gave us common sense and we plan to use what He has given us. But with 2 plane loads of cargo, we have to go. God knows this, too, and we are sure He will be going with us and keeping us safe.

We have again realized that in the 27 years we've been here we have not seen things this bad. We've been through a lot, but this is different. We covet your prayers for us, for our friends here and for the Haitians who have no part of this rebellion, but are the ones who are suffering.

Ray took his group to the airport today to fly out (and Belle went out also). He said the soot from all the burning tires was pretty bad. He said everyone on the streets has a black coating on them. How sad for a country already in misery to have to go through something like that.

On a better note... our windows have been washed, our house having a "spring cleaning" for Christmas, and Don is getting some of the "little jobs" done. Oh that he could buy the iron to finish the gate...but alas, no stores open to purchase it.

Vero and Abbie are anxious to get the Christmas decorations up soon. Don keeps insisting, AFTER Thanksgiving. But they would love to do it now. They really enjoy just sitting and looking at the decorations, and I don't have that many anymore.

For now...keep your eyes on Jesus, even when it's hard. Keep your hand in His and keep your mind on the things of God. He is with us through whatever we face. When the waters seem too deep, He is our life preserver...hang on to Him. We pray you will always be in that place where the Lord can richly bless you!!!

Wednesday evening...

2010-11-17T21:20:00.000-05:00

It's just after 9 PM and I'm sitting here so glad I don't hear gun fire or other loud happenings. It may be because of the rain, but for whatever reason, I'll praise God!!

Things seem to be slowing down a bit...but we'll know for certain tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow is a holiday here in Haiti. But even if that is the reason things quiet down, we'll still Praise God!! People won't be real anxious to get back into protest mode, when they need to get food. They'll let it go to get back to life again. At least that is what we are praying for.

The president has asked that all protests stop so that medical care can be gotten to those suffering with Cholera. Pray with us that the people listen to his advice. So much has gone on in these few days and it's so hard to realize that innocent people have died because of the desire of a few to "show their power". And not only the ones who died, and leave family behind, but those who have suffered because they could not travel and get their produce to market, and buy needed food, and get medicine for illness. Yes, those with cholera are suffering because meds can't get to them, but the whole realm of people are suffering as well.

We are praying that this will stop, but we are also praying for the people who started it. We pray God will step in and make Himself real to them. Yes they have anger, but our God is a God of forgiveness and mercy. There must be other ways to deal with what they are upset about. Pray that God will show them how to do it in a way that doesn't cost lives or harm lives at all.

No real news at this point, but still need prayers to go heavenward for this poor country. Pray for the leaders to be faced with the reality of the Lord, and that they will have to face Him and acknowledge Him!!

Thanks for being with us through this rough time. We know God has heard the prayers lifted on our behalf, and on behalf of the people here.

We are into Thursday...

2010-11-17T13:58:00.000-05:00

This morning Vero and Shannon made it home safe and sound. Still LOTS of road blocks everywhere, but Cequer went and got them on motorcycle. So that is one huge relief. We have gotten so many different stories of what is happening everywhere. Received one story that the roads on the airport side of town are all clear now. Then a missionary who lives over there said, no, they are not...maybe a motorcycle can get through but nothing larger than that. And this is daytime...give it a few hours and they will shut it up again. And we got another one that the president is sending his "army" up here with tanks and guns to set things straight. Haiti does not have an army. And another radio message that things will now stop and roadblocks will be cleared. Still nothing on that either.

So, we simply sit here and wait to see what will happen next. Tomorrow is another big holiday...where they block the roads for the celebration...so even if THESE roadblocks are cleared, the new ones will go up tonight for tomorrow. We are waiting to see what tomorrow and tomorrow evening will bring us.

We heard some shouting and hollering and whistling on the road here. Vero calmly walked out there and came back to say they were watching a soccer match. I think that is a good sign. We still are not leaving the compound. It is silly to take chances when tempers are still at fever pitch.

Don has cleaned his garage...(much needed)...plus fixed a broken pipe and some other minor things that kept getting left undone. So the time was not wasted. Abbie's been home from school all week...no one could make it there. THAT created some fun times here, trying to keep her busy. She really does pretty well on her own, but she was missing mommy and her friends at school, and just simply wasn't happy with the way things were. Now mommy's here and can take some of that off of me so I can get some work done. I have not been on email hardly at all in the last week. Too busy on the phone and running after Abbie.

Phone has calmed down some today, which is a blessing. It would be great to go back to normal one or two calls a day.

During the day we don't have the gun shots or explosions (of who knows what). So, it seems pretty quiet now. We really are praying it will continue to be calm and quiet and that things could get back to the normal chaos here.

God has given us a peace that no matter what happens we are in His hands and He has control of us. For this we are really, really thankful. Keep praying!!!

Quick update on the situation

2010-11-16T09:27:00.000-05:00

Here it is Tuesday, a normal MFI day, and no planes. The whole situation is escalating now. We have no REAL idea why all of this is going on. We have heard from different sources different reasons. The word out now is that no white people should be on the streets at all. No problem, we don't plan on going anywhere. But Vero and Shannon are stuck half way to town at Vero's brother's house. At least they are safe.

Roads are still blocked, and the fortifications seem to be increasing, so it won't be easy to tear them down. Here at our place things are quiet. We have a group of police sitting about 2 blocks from our place, trying to figure out what to do. At least they are keeping things calm here. But no way to go beyond our place at this time.

MFI is trying to figure out how and when to come in...since it would be impossible for anyone to get to the airport. They are on standby to come and take those out who want to leave, too. MFI is always right there for us when we need them.

I am trying to coordinate getting a couple of other groups out, with us and with Hendricks Motor sports. But again, just waiting on the situation to clear up enough to get people to the airport and get the airport open.

Like I shared before, life is never dull here. Can't say I especially WANT this type of excitement, but God is here and walking with us through this, so we can depend on Him to help us cope. It really is amazing to know that whatever comes our way, God will be here and help us with it all. We don't have to do it on our own.

Pray for things to calm down. Pray for God to make Himself real in this situation.
Till next time..... God bless!!

Urgent prayer need

2010-11-15T19:57:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, after English church, our friends Ray and Bonnie and Belle, headed back to Limbe. About half way there, they ended up in the middle of a road block...I do mean middle. (That's a story Ray would have to share). But there were some major problems. They made it home safe after hours of being stuck and driving where the vehicle should NOT have gone. But then today, Vero and Shannon headed to the airport (at about 6:45 AM) to go to Port au Prince. They were to fly out at 8, but didn't make it in time. There were road blocks all over and rocks and bottles being thrown. The airline said they could fly at noon. Well, the airport ended up being closed because of the problems. They sat there all day until Vero's brother could come and get them on a motorcycle. (Four on one bike...humm).   Went through some areas where it was hard traveling. Then crossed the river in a boat. They are now at his place and will spend the night there. Hopefully home tomorrow morning. When they called, they could hear guns being fired quite near.

Now on to what we have HEARD as to the reason for all of this unrest. The people have gotten to the point of "the straw that broke the camels back". Haiti has gone through so much in the last 6 months and I guess they finally broke. They are blaming the UN for bringing Cholera to Haiti. If this is true or not, who knows. But they have been attacking the UN vehicles, and want the UN out of Haiti. The UN had fired back and we've heard they have killed several people. This has caused even more unrest.

In our area this morning, you could hear the yelling and the people shouting. There were NO vehicles moving, since all the roads have been blocked. By this afternoon, we heard some tap-taps and a lot of motorcycles. Found out they couldn't travel far, but got people from one place to another way out here. The city is shut down completely. Roads and bridge are blocked completely.

We had to call MFI and cancel the plane for tomorrow. We felt it would be dangerous for people to travel yet tomorrow. We are sincerely praying that tomorrow things will start to calm down. We will make a decision on MFI having a flight on Wednesday or not after we see what is happening in town tomorrow.

All of this to ask you to pray. PRAY big time. Pray for peace to return and people to calm down and realize that what is going on will not make the problems go away. Pray for the Lord to intercede and touch hearts.

We do appreciate all the prayers that have come our way in the last months and we sincerely need them yet again.

One thing that is a positive note here....Don took the braces off the second pillar for our gate today. It looks great. Another BIG step to having the gate finished.

God is in control and we are totally leaning on Him in these times of unrest. We had a great sermon Sunday from a dear friend, Dr. Bill. He said, during troubled times, are we praying, "God take the troubles away."? We should be praying, " God walk through this time with us, and help us to learn from this experience." It's hard, but we are learning to do it. So, pray with us that God will walk with us (and the other Christians as well) and that He will show us His Grace and Mercy that we can share with others, even in this hard, hard time.

Prayerfully, more to follow tomorrow...God bless!!!!!

Almost a week

2010-11-13T12:40:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's almost a week since I've posted. A few really busy days and then a couple of feeling cruddy days, I guess that's where it all went.

Don has the fellows here pouring the second column for the gate! YEAH!! Can't wait for it to be finished. It will still take a while but we are hoping not REAL long! Of course, when you are working hard and trying to get things done, something else comes up. A water pipe broke...or in reality, someone broke it off. Cequer (one of our "kids") simply put a plug in it until Don can get at it to fix it.

I spent a couple of days "standing guard" again. Sure cuts into my work time, but that's better than Don not being able to finish his work. Oh yea, the other "thing" that went wrong...the cement mixer had a flat tire. No problem right? Wrong, it was tubeless and had to order tubes. Got them and figured no problem, simply put the tube in. Wrong again. Someone had borrowed the mixer at one point, and they didn't wash it down. The whole wheel was cement and Don couldn't get the lug nuts off. He finally pulled the wheel off the axle. Only to find out the bearings were shot. He did the best he could to fix it and put it back together. This was AFTER he found out the whole problem had been the valve stem. So, for now the cement mixer is working. It seems nothing here is ever easy.

I've gotten pretty far behind on my emails, so have to spend some quality time doing that now. Of course this all depends on if I'm needed outside again. Never a dull moment here.

I totally forgot I hadn't posted on here about the new book that MFI published. It's about the earthquake and many who helped here. I have ordered mine and am really anxious to see it. Go to the web site and take a look. I saw some of it before it was done and it's really awesome. The web site is: www.shakinggroundunshakablefaith.com I know you'll enjoy it once you get a preview.

Need a lot of prayers for the cholera situation here. It's spreading and becoming a national crisis now. I don't even know the current numbers of deaths and infections. But it raises daily. It hits a lot closer to home when you know someone who didn't make it. And some simply are not heeding the warnings or taking simple precautions. I guess they are thinking it won't hit them. How tragic is that? The information is out, via radio, TV, teachers in classrooms and many other ways...but people have to LISTEN to what is said. So, please keep praying and lifting this poor, torn country up to the Lord.

One of our dogs had puppies yesterday. Abbie, being Abbie, named them. One is Michale and one is Peter. She said they are named after our grandsons. I guess since they were here, she wants to remember them. And there were only two male puppies.

One other praise item. I want to thank the physical therapist who was here. I believe the exercises he gave me are starting to work!!! It may still take a while to get all movement back, but it IS starting to work.

Okay, that's our news for now. Let us know how YOU are doing. I may not be able to answer all emails, but we love to hear how you are and how we can pray for you!! Even in troubled times, our God is awesome and shows us a way through our problems. Take hold of His hand and keep smiling!!