Running the Race

Happy Birthday, Alanna!

2012-02-11T11:53:00.000-05:00

Family Update

2012-02-11T11:46:00.000-05:00

We praise the Lord that Alanna was feeling better for her birthday last Friday, but this past week, she was back to not feeling well. She and Kristina stayed home from school several more days this week. Thankfully, they seem to be feeling much better now! Unfortunately, Jake woke up not feeling well this morning. He is lying down with a fever. You know when Jake is not out playing on a Saturday morning...then the poor kid is sick! It sure will be nice when we can get our household healthy again!!

Yesterday, we had our monthly, "Party with the Principal" at school for the kids who were recognized as being "Exceptionally well-behaved". A team here from Pennsylvania helped the kids make trail mix, (we had to explain "trail" and "hiking" to some of them), we made Valentines bags and cards, and then we broke up into teams and went on a scavenger hunt. The hardest item on our list to find was a "bug" ??!!! How weird is that? :) So for all of you afraid to come down for a visit....keep that in mind! After much searching, the only bugs found were a couple of tiny black ants. We had a great time and I am so thankful for the team's willingness to help out!

Jake could have participated in the party, but he was not at school due to being the ring bearer in a wedding. Dr. Brooke and Wadner, an employee of Cowman School, were married yesterday. We pray the Lord will bless and protect their marriage in the years ahead.

We are nearing a month since we planted our garden. I wanted to get some pictures out to show how well our "January" Garden is doing. Folks from Illinois helped us to get the ground ready. :) Our goats are doing well too. We added another pregnant mama to our herd - someone was needing to sell her. So, now we have 4 goats.

they are making posts for the tomatoes to tie to


beans will tie to posts, squash to the left, lettuce in the back

One more interesting photo to add from this week.....a first for us in our 9 years in Haiti! For those of you wanting to come to Haiti but are afraid of creepy crawlies....please read NO further!!

a centipede in our shower...yikes! I have NEVER seen one of these guys before!

2012-02-04T12:00:00.000-05:00

I have not been able to get online all week due to connection difficulty.... I was home with Alanna on Monday and Tuesday. She was finally able to go to school on Wednesday. Wendesday night I held Krisitna most of the night in the rocking chair since she had a croupy cough and chest. I stayed home with her on Thursday. Praise the Lord on Friday, Alanna's birthday, we were all healthy and well! Kristina still has a bit of a cough - but she is doing much better! PTL!

Jake got stung by another wasp this week at school. He got stung by 10 wasps in our back yard during our first week here. Brianna was stung by a wasp at school the other day. They suffered from swelling and pain near the site of the sting...but thankfully there were no other allergic reactions!

Our little farm is doing well. The garden is growing and looking real good! Towards the end of the week, it will be a month since we planted it. I will try to get a picture posted (if the internet will cooperate) so you can see our "Winter" Garden! :)

Last night we celebrated Alanna's birthday at the Hoiday house with the visiting team. This morning I made her requested breakfast of scrambled eggs and crepes with pineapple syrup, sprinkled with powedered sugar. Tonight she has asked me to make chicken fettucine alfredo ( I brought in a block of cream cheese so that I can make the sauce), breadsticks, salad, and angel food cake for dessert. With us being at the Holiday House last night, and Brett is in a meeting in town this morning, she has not even opened a present yet. Considering her birthday was yesterday.... I am pretty impressed with her patience. She hasn't even asked yet!?

I am off to scrounge up something for lunch, to make some bread, and bake a cake....

Thank you for your prayers for health and protection. We pray that we may daily follow the Lord's leading and that everyone whom we come into contact with, will get a glimpse of Jesus!
I pray that you will allow the Lord to lead you as well! God Bless you!

2012-01-29T11:15:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned yesterday, 3 of us in our house aren't feeling so great. We stayed home from church this morning. Kristina is feeling better though not quite her chipper self yet. I am feeling better - but still not totally feeling great. Alanna is still not feeling well - she had a fever all night, could not sleep well, achy all over, earaches, and a sore throat.

This morning I told Kristina that I would be staying home from church with Alanna and asked her if she wanted to stay with me or to go to church with Daddy, Jake & Brianna. She asked, "Is it going to take for a long time?" Poor thing...she LOVED going to church when she got to go to her own class. Sitting in the adult service for at least a couple of hours is a little bit of an adjustment still! Though, she has done really well when we have gone to church. I just pray that she will learn to enjoy it more! Somehow...

Even though it stinks that we have this sinus bug....I am glad to realize that it is just a bug. As we walked up the campus to head home Friday after school; I had thought that my birthday was really hitting me hard! I ached all over!!! :-) Silly me! I am glad that it is just a sinus bug and not old-age catching up to me already! ;)

Birthdays, Birthdays...

2012-01-28T13:14:00.000-05:00

You may have read on facebook about Brett's funny birthday brownies last weekend. A squaking chicken going crazy in my kitchen, flew up and landed right on the fresh baked brownies that I had made for Brett's birthday.

This weekend, my birthday has met with much less excitement. Kristina did not feel well all day yesterday, and is still not feeling well today. I came home from school yesterday not feeling real well. And, I went to bed right after a birthday supper of rice & beans. (no cake - I don't really like cake...but later realized no cake means no candles and no singing "Happy Birthday." I hadn't realized that the child in me would still like to have that part! ;) I slept for what seemed like 10 or so hours then woke up to do a few things around the house, whipped up some tuna to put in the fridge for lunch, then crashed back into bed and slept for another hour or so.

I woke up feeling grateful for the nap, not feeling better, but not feeling worse. Brett helped me to peel some plaintains and I fried up some chips to go with our tuna and sliced avocado for lunch. Alanna came in for lunch saying that she is not feeling all that well. Oh, bother!

We had planned to go out for my birthday tonight, but we won't be going out now. We aren't terribly sick - just achy and tired and not really feeling up to going anywhere. I will just be thankful that we aren't REALLY sick! Hopefully, we will all be healthy this upcoming weekend for Alanna's birthday! (Hmmm... should I have mentioned for school? ) :-)

Well, lunch has been served, a new blog posted, and I feel as though it is time for another nap.....I will worry about what on earth to make for supper later.

A Week of Blessing

2012-01-19T20:56:00.000-05:00

What a joy it has been to have our folks from Salem, Illinois (our hometown) here. To see familiar faces from home throughout the day was a special way to "re-enter" back into life in Haiti. It is always sad to say, "good-bye" ...so being with folks from home so soon after leaving the States was like medicine to the soul. :)

We told the team, "See you later" this morning (our family really does not like good-byes - yet, it is such a big part of our lives - people in & out of our homes, just as we are in & out of peoples' homes during our time in the States). But, how thankful we are for so many friends all around the world - it is so nice to love & to be loved!

Speaking of which, this team sure went out of their way to show us their love! For mine & Brett's upcoming birthdays they have taken care of the expenses for us to get new living room furniture. Wow, what a very special & generous gift!! I will post pictures of the "before" & "after" when it is finished. The wood frame of our current couch is being eaten up with termites....and we really have been lacking in having enough chairs to "sit" people when we have company. I generally have a hard time spending any money on anything when we can "make do" with what we have, especially in light of the needs of others around us. So, for the Salem Team to take care of this for us...is very special!

I pray that as they return to their homes, families, and work that the Lord will bless their transition and grant them opportunities to share His love with those around them. May they each allow the Lord to minister in them and through them as He wills! I pray that they & you also may have "the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know HIM better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe." Eph. 1:15-19

A Day to Remember

2012-01-12T14:29:00.000-05:00

Today businesses, banks, and schools closed for a day to remember the tragic circumstances from the earthquake two years ago. We pray for those who continue to mourn for lost loved ones, for those who became physically impaired, and for those who remain homeless.    We also take time to remember the Lord's great LOVE and the countless testimonies of God's saving Grace!

Though offices are closed, that does not keep our team from working. One of our friends from the team, Emil, is in our back yard on the tractor, plowing our garden up for us. We thank the Lord that they were able to get the tractor running! Brett had started the garden by hand on Saturday....they sure have accomplished a whole lot more with the tractor!   Two other friends, Brian & Patrick are working on some of electrical switches in our house. The ladies on the team were busy this morning preparing for their Childrens party at a Starfish Kids school tomorrow. Others are busy constructing and working at Bethesda Medical Clinic.

We are thrilled to have Emil & Brett's Uncle Dallas stay with us in our home. They were here to help us celebrate the birth of our little chicks! We have 8 new little chicks that just hatched, from the same Mama that we left here in June.   She has given us 3 other chickens that are pretty good sized.

As many of you know, Brett began a worm farm last year. He was eager to see how it was doing upon our arrival. The worms left us some EXCELLENT dirt for gardening, but then, they left. So, he had to get some more worms dug up to start fresh. It doesn't take worms long to mulitply though. :)

The Bundy farm is coming along. We should be getting 4 little goats tomorrow. We hope to be able to use some for milking eventually. The farm should be a good stress reliever for Brett - and we hope that the results will be a blessing to us and to others!

Praising the Lord!

2012-01-10T12:31:00.000-05:00

We are praising the Lord for His loving hand upon us! We have definitely felt His sweet blessing & help as we've settled back into our home in Haiti.

Kristina made it through the first 2 hours of church Sunday morning, went outside for a bathroom break, and came right back in for the remainder of the service. I was so proud of her. All the kids did great. I reminded them before church that in the United States the kids programs they attend are a lot of fun! I also reminded them that church does not need to be just about fun. (as much as we love it!) We go to church to show God our love for Him; and sometimes that requires a sacrifice from us. (Not always, sometimes we get to sit in airconditioned rooms on padded seats and sing praise music that we love!) But, sometimes, we sit on very hard, small benches with 10 other people on a bench that seems made for 6 people, sometimes in intense heat in a crowded room with no airconditioning. Compared to all that God has done for us, that seems but a small thing that we can do to honor Him. I reminded them that church can be fun, but that it really isn't about us. It is about coming to worship our God, the great Creator, the King of all Kings, our Lord & Savior!

Yesterday, we made it through our first day of school. Praise the Lord! And, again, Kristina did great. She went to her Pre-K class even though I am not her teacher this year, and even though her class is ALL boys. (she was not real thrilled with that). But, she went with a good attitude; and thankfully enjoyed her first day! The other kids were all thrilled to be back with their friends again! Please pray for our teachers as the classrooms are extremely full of children at varying degrees of abilities, as well as varying degrees of English comprehension. Please pray for the right helpers to assist our teachers!

Again, thank you for your prayers! We praise the Lord for how smoothly our family has fit back into life and home in Haiti!

Our Home Team! :)

2012-01-10T11:16:00.000-05:00

We always LOVE it when folks from home come down! Now, not even a week after our arrival, we have the pleasure of having a team from our hometown, Salem, Illinois come down to work with us! What a joy it is to look forward to their arrival! We pray that they will be greatly blessed during their time here. May they see with new eyes all that the Lord longs to do in their lives. We pray too, that they may be a blessing to those whom they come into contact with while they are. In all we do & in all we say, may we bring glory to our Father in Heaven!

2012-01-07T15:35:00.000-05:00

Our flight into Haiti was smooth and uneventful! Thanks so much for your prayers!

Our coming home was VERY sweet! Our helpers and friends, Gladis and Jocelyn, made our homecoming so lovely for us by cleaning and arranging fresh flowers ALL OVER the house! Kristina said, "Wow, our house is so pretty! It makes my heart happy!" Thanks for those prayers! Those flowers sure made a big impression on her! I told our friends how much we appreciated their thoughtfulness & that the flowers were a HUGE blessing, especially to Kristina!;)

It has been so nice see our friends again. Though, I have not met with my ladies group yet... I am anxious to get to see them, soon! It will be nice to see more folks tomorrow at church.

We finished clearing off our bed by candlelight since we lost track of the time and the generator was shut off at 9 oçlock as usual. (and our invertor is not working). After a quick, cold shower, (brrrrrr) we crawled into bed. I was a little concerned that our nights might be a bit noisy since we had adjusted to the quietness of closed windows in the States...but we have all slept very well! I also thought that we might be warm after our arrival due to being in the States for cooler weather. But, the weather has actually been mild and cloudy... and we are actually cold at night - we had to get out the blankets!

Yesterday, our first morning back, I met with some of the teachers who are in need of extra help in their classrooms. If anyone is interested in coming down to help at Cowman School ---come on down! :) Today, I have been meeting with some Haitian young men to see if I can find an English speaking assistant for Mr. R in the upper classroom. Hopefully we can find someone soon!

The kids have been playing with their friends....we will give them a couple of days to just play. Next week, school starts and they will start helping with more chores....laundry, dishes, the worm bins, the garden, the chickens and the goats. (we don't actually have the goats yet - we will be making a fence with bamboo first).

We sure do miss our family back home....but as I tell my kids; we must focus on what we are thankful for! "A thankful heart is a cheerful heart!" We thank the Lord for the special times that he blessed us with family and friends in the States! And we are so thankful for His great LOVE for all of us!

Thanks again for your love, prayer, & support! I pray that in the year 2012 that you will grow even more in the knowledge of God's love and power in your lives! May God Bless you!

Returning to Haiti

2012-01-04T20:26:00.000-05:00

Tommorrow is a big day for our family. We fly into Haiti after 8 months in the States. We thank the Lord for the beautiful and loving way that He ministered to our family during our time out! We pray that we return strengthened and focused on Him, and that His name may be blessed through us!

Please pray for our family to adjust back into our home in Haiti. We have never been out for so long before - we may find it a little more difficult this time. Please also pray for the kids as they adjust back into Cowman School after being homeschooled for many months. Jake & Kristina both have a harder time adjusting to change, resulting in Jake having a greater difficulty concentrating in school. Pray especially for Kristina to be able to handle the numerous changes that lie before her!

Radios for Haiti

2012-01-04T20:04:00.003-05:00

As many of you know, One Mission Society in Haiti has a new campaign, "Resounding Hope", to distribute solar-powered radios in Haiti that are fix-tuned to our Radio Station, Radio 4VEH.

Upon hearing of the new campaign, our daughter, Brianna, developed a desire to raise the money needed for a radio, $60. This cost includes the cost of the radio, getting the radio into Haiti, a personal gospel presentation, and provides quality programming for Radio 4VEH.

When a group from "Open Doors" a ministry working with people with developmental disabilities in Blount County, Tennessee heard our talk about "Resounding Hope" and heard of Brianna's desire to raise the funds to purchase a radio by herself, they wanted to help too! This group of adults became heartbroken for the disabled in Haiti - those who without good roads, without transportation easily available for the disabled, without wheelchairs or other items readily available in the United States- would not have the option of going to church as they do here in the United States. They too, wanted to raise money for a radio to be given in Haiti. Praise the Lord - they raised enough for 2 radios! :)

We are so touched by their compassion and giving! It will be such an honor to present these radios to someone in Haiti who is disabled, who because of circumstances will have to spend their lives at home. We hope to post future pictures of these faces in the days ahead. May the Lord lead us to someone who is waiting for the HOPE that is offered through evangelistic and discipleship programs on Radio 4VEH.

More praises and Thanksgiving

2011-12-06T21:42:00.001-05:00

We praise the Lord for the report that Edric has returned home from
Santiago, D.R., hospital on November 29 and though weak, looks so much
better than when he was taken for treatment and medication. He has an
appointment in Santiago the end of December for another exam.

He is praising the Lord for the healing that is coming. He recognizes and
thanks God for sparing his life. He hopes to begin working next week.

Continue to pray for complete healing.

On a less serious note - but still a very big praise to our family is..... Our kids got to see snow! :) Yay! What a memorable day yesterday was for our family! :) It was so fun to watch the kids see great big flakes falling from the sky and then getting in a snowball fight with Daddy!

Prayer & Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T19:33:00.000-05:00

We thank GOD for bringing healing to Dr. Rodney. He is now back working full-time as director of the Bethesda Medical Center after his very serious appendectomy. We thank the Lord for his recovery!

We thank GOD for continuing to bring healing to Edric, head of security, construction project manager and main generator/vehicle mechanic for OMS/Haiti. Following his bout with cholera it was necessary for him to go to Santiago, DR, for additional treatment for kidney and heart problems. Although anticipating being released to return home again, he still needs God’s healing touch. Please join us in prayer for his recovery!

Please pray for the OMS Haiti staff, pastors, employees and missionaries. Pray that the Lord will bring increasing love & unity and provide physical strength & protection against illness.

Thank you for your prayers!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T08:53:00.000-05:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!

May you and yours be blessed as you reflect on the bountiful blessings of our Lord and Savior!!!

" Come let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us SHOUT aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him with THANKSGIVING and extol him with music and song! For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. Come let us BOW DOWN in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.

SING to the Lord a new song, sing to the Lord all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise His name, PROCLAIM his SALVATION day after day. DECLARE his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples."

taken from Psalm 95 & 96

Prayer Requests

2011-11-07T10:10:00.000-05:00

We have just received word that Edric, one of our right hand guys and head of the watchmen is fighting cholera Please pray for his healing and recovery! Please pray for his wife and their three children as they see their father/husband so deathly sick!

Please also pray for Dr. Rodney - the head of our clinic. He is still recovering from his appendectomy last month. He needs complete recovery and healing in his body!

We also received word this morning that another missionary family, partners of OMS in Haiti, were robbed during the night last night. Please pray for their peace of mind and courage as they deal with this terrifying experience. We also pray that those involved would be convicted of their ways.

This morning when our family finished praying over these needs, Jake said, " There should be Bible verses written on the walls of prisons so that people there can know the right way to live." I said that that sounded like a good idea; but that God also wants people to go and minister to those in prisons so that they can be set free from their chains. Not the prison chains - people have to pay the consequences of their wrongs, but the chains that have entangled each of us. People need set free of their sins, unbelief, and the lies that they have been deceived by.

First Fall Family Fotos

2011-10-27T21:37:00.001-04:00

cutting sourgum for molasses

First Fall for the Family

2011-10-17T19:59:00.001-04:00

We sure have been enjoying seeing the beautiful color change this fall! It is even more of a treat to get to see it happening here in the Smokies! How incredible! The leaves have been changing more and more...next we will get to see them "picked off" as Kristina says. (this said by a child who is used to "picking" flowers and fruit year round!) After that, the kids are hoping to get to see some snow before we head back to Haiti after Christmas!

Last weekend we enjoyed a fall camping trip with the Bundy family to Fall Creek Falls State Park. It was a gorgeous fun-filled weekend with beautiful fall colors, views, hiking, soccer, kick-ball, and hanging out around the fire with cousins!

This past weekend we enjoyed a trip to a pumpkin patch and corn-maze. We had a lot of fun! The view of the fields next to the French Broad River with the smoky mountains in the distance was gorgeous!

Hopefully I will get some pictures posted here of our fall festivities....as soon as I can find the camera.

This is our family's first time to be Stateside in the Autumn months ...so, we are enjoying it immensely! We do not take this time with family nor the beauty of this time for granted. We see each day as a gift from God! (Though at times home-schooling is a challenge since we have one child that would sometimes rather be doing anything else than schoolwork! )

We know that God is using this time to draw us closer to Him, to refresh our weary bodies and to strengthen our hearts with a renewed passion to follow Him wherever He leads us.

Though we are away from Haiti physically, Haiti has never left us. We continue to pray for those whom we have left behind! Our fellow missionaries, our employees, our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. As October is well under way; I can't help but think of those in Haiti, wondering if they have found money to put their children in school. Wondering if they are well, wondering if they are continuing to trust in the Lord even if they have not found the provision for schooling that they had hoped for. Wondering if the funds that we sent down is enough, knowing that even if we were there - we would not be able to help all the needs. We may have distanced ourselves from Haiti, but the faces of those we know and love and the burdens that they carry are still heavy in our hearts. Whether we are here or in Haiti there is only one way to be able to handle the burden of the needs of so many people; "Come to me all you who are weary and heavily burdened, and I will give you rest."....I cannot be the answer for the needs of all those who come to me - but I can take them to my Father who will carry them for me.

2011-09-29T20:56:00.000-04:00

We have been so busy visiting so many new places and enjoying times with family that the kids have not missed Haiti nearly as much as they had thought they would.

They are just now starting to increase in their comments of: " In Haiti, we....." or " I miss ..... in Haiti......" Or, "This rice doesn't taste like it does in Haiti." or "Can we call Mrs. Z and Miss Erica?" (their teachers in Haiti). Though they are thoroughly enjoying their time in the States and are REALLY hoping to get to see snow before we leave in December, they will be happy to return HOME to Haiti.

We have also been praying continuously for Dr. Rodney since we heard of his hospitalization due to appendicitis. We are praising the Lord for His healing touch! We are also praying for Lucner and Luna and little baby! Brianna is especially looking forward to helping to take care of the new little one! :)

Cowman School is full to the point of needing more classrooms and more teachers! Please pray for our teachers to have strength and endurance as they juggle their many classes and students! You can also pray for the Lord's provision for future needs such as more classrooms and teachers! ;)

Women's Conference

2011-08-17T16:02:00.000-04:00

After much planning and praying, the women's conference finally came to be!!! If you remember,planning for this conference began last year. It was to be held in January of 2011, but due to various circumstances, it did not work out. I could not tell these ladies that the conference would not be able to take place; so rather than cancelling it, we postponed it. I felt that with the earthquake, cholera, and political turmoil in addition to their already difficult lives...that to cancel their conference would be cruel! So, I lifted it up to the Lord and cried out to him for provision and direction!

And of course, He provided! :) A group of ladies from Tennessee heard of our need while they were planning their own ladies conference. They felt burdened to help out so that these ladies in Haiti could be blessed! And what a blessing! I cannot thank anyone enough for their generous gifts! I am sure that this day will be a special and remembered day for these ladies!

The upstairs auditorium of Radio 4VEH

I am not sure why this picture is side-ways

2011-08-17T15:29:00.000-04:00

We (mostly, I) have been home-schooling the kids for almost 3 weeks now. We started extra early so that we could take days off whenever we wanted to schedule a trip or a special outing! ;)

This Friday we have an official X on the calendar --- Grandma Joyce is taking the day off work, too. We may go hiking, we all love to hike! Balloon Fest is this weekend too! We are all looking forward to some family fun!

2011-07-19T18:39:00.000-04:00

We made it back to Salem, IL., our hometown, on Friday night. We have been hopping around from place to place for several months now. We are always happy to see family and friends. We were back in Greenwood at OMS Headquarters last week for debriefing, physical exams and such. We also dropped in to see Matt, Stacey, Lily, and baby Sophie just before they flew back to Haiti! We are happy that we got to see Sophie before we return to Haiti in January. And, it's always special to get to visit with Stacey's dad as well!!

Though we always enjoy our travels, it will be good to be settled in one place for a while. We will be in Salem through August, visiting our local, supporting churches.

We have begun our French studies. Though our Creole has developed for communicating in Haiti, there are definitely times when speaking the official language of French would be beneficial! Creole is more like the everyday language for most people there. French is the language used more for special occasions, services, celebrations and in political, as well as business circles.

The French program that we are using is "FLUENZ" ...so far we really like it. There are various exercises and activities for our daily lessons on the CD ROm so that even the kids enjoy it!

2011-06-21T07:14:00.000-04:00

What a journey we have been on! Since flying out of Haiti, we have enjoyed spending time with friends and family in Florida, Tennessee, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. What a joy and a tremendous blessing our visits have been! Words cannot express the LOVE of our Father that we have felt through people along the way! His blessings are abundant and EVERY good gift comes from Him! What a blessing this RV has been! Blessing after blessing the Lord provides for ALL of our needs! As people have poured out love upon us, we have been encouraged spiritually and emotionally. Physically, we are getting a bit tired, as road trips can wear a person out after awhile; but our hearts have definitely been encouraged on this trip! :) Our prayer has been that we would be a blessing to those we encountered along the way! And, yet we ourselves have ended up being greatly blessed! What an encouragement it is to be a member of the Body of Christ!

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus; so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Romans 15:5-6

2011-05-23T17:26:00.000-04:00

We flew out of Cape-Haitian in MFI's DC3 with a 6 wheeled gator. It was unloaded none to easily in Port-au-Prince where we picked up a gunshot wound passenger. Our children will have such interesting stories to tell their children. :)

Brett acted as a translator between the victim and the EMT's on the tarmac before they whisked the victim away to the hospital.

Inside the tiny customs area in the little airport in Ft. Pierce, I heard Kristina exclaim, " Oh Wow! Awesome! Look there's two! " When I looked to see what was so exciting, I saw her pointing to the bathroom counter that boasted not 1 but 2 sinks! :)

It was fun! After that first day of speedily driving down the smooth Florida highways and "ooghing" and "awwing" over that; the kids have acted like all of the wonders we encounter Stateside are old hat. :)

We made it up to Tennessee the day before my little sister gave birth to her 3rd little girl. We were glad to be there to help out! Then we dropped in to see more family in Tennesse. Then we stopped in Louisiana to see family that we haven't seen in years, and now we have made it to Texas to a mission's conference in Waco. We have been cruisin' in my mom's RV which makes it much easier for the kids to do their schooling on the road! The conveniences more than make up for the extremely large amount of fuel that we are pumping! (I think :)

In the days ahead we will hit Houston, Dallas, Tulsa and Witchita.

Thank you all for your prayers!

2011-04-10T18:08:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I was blessed to meet with the ladies from our Wednesday prayer group. Because I am at school all day, everyday this semester; I REALLY miss that time together with my Haitian sisters. Around 30 of us met in our living room yesterday afternoon. We prayed together, encouraged one another, and thanked the Lord once again for blessing us with His Spirit! What love, joy, and hope flow through us, binding us together in perfect unity through His Spirit at work within us!

2011-04-04T20:42:00.000-04:00

The presidential election results were finally announced this evening. Shouts, Cheers, pops, and horns continue to be heard throughout the community!

2011-04-03T21:18:00.000-04:00

Have I ever mentioned that I LOVE my life! I really do! I thank the Lord for my wonderful family whom I am crazy about, for a wonderful organization to work for, and for the beautiful country that I am blessed to live and serve in! When my kids grow up and leave and an ocean separates us, I imagine that I will suffer a major crisis that the Lord will have to help me through. But, for now - I am counting my blessings and am filled with great JOY at being right where God wants us to be.

I am also getting pretty excited about our upcoming time out and getting to spend some extra time with family in the States. I do miss them so much while we are here! We are also excited about traveling through several States and meeting new friends and visiting with old ones. One thing that is just incredulous to me, and that I thank the Lord for, is that even in my excitement of going out to see family - I am filled with a great joy and excitement about returning to Haiti and continuing to serve the Lord here.

On another note of praise; one night this week, the Lord gave me an object lesson to go along with the series of "Step Up to Life" in chapel. We have been discussing where we are at in our relationship with God, and what we need to do to make a right relationship with Him. We have numerous new students this year and I felt that we needed to start back at the basics. . Last week, we learned that we were ALL sinners. This week, this week's lesson was on repentance. The Lord laid it on my heart to go back and review the requirements of the Law when the Israelites sinned in the Old Testament. I built an alter out of blocks along with a little toy bull and we discussed why the Israelites were required to do that. Because Sin = Death.

Then we discussed why we no longer are required to sacrifice animals today; which led into explaining how Christ is the sacrificial Lamb - who died in our place. And His death was enough to take care of our sins ONCE and For all.
We also discussed that Jesus has power over death, that repenting means "turning" away from how one once lived and beginning to live in a God-pleasing way, and we discussed how the Lord places HIS Spirit within us when we believe and repent.
Anyway, I could go on-and-on. :) The Lord really helped it all to flow and enabled a LOT to be packed into a small amount of time. Afterward, I was blessed to talk with and pray with 5 children who wanted to deepen their walk with the Lord. Please pray that the seeds that were planted in the hearts of the other children who have not yet made a decision to follow Christ will one day take root!

2011-03-27T23:15:00.000-04:00

We went to church today at one of our kids' favorite churches. They call it the "hiking church." We left home at 7:30 this morning...drove towards LImbe and then parked the truck and hiked an hour up the mountain to get to Coupe David.

Today was right up there as possibly the warmest day we have had yet this year...and the guys from Canada were wishing for snow! :) We had lots of red faces and sweat-drenched shirts by the time we got to the church. However, they didn't find any relief when they entered the church and sat down. It was a bit stifling and several commented afterward that they weren't sure that they were going to make it! :) But, thankfully the Lord sent a little breeze that helped to make the heat inside a bit more bearable! We also had 3 tumbles today, one of which was Brianna - she took a "nose first slide" down a steep patch of mountain, but other than a scraped up knee fared pretty well. The 2 others who fell popped back up as well! We thank the Lord for keeping us all safe. And then, there is Maury, our 85 year old treasurer who puts the young guys on the hike to shame! :) Maury is one amazing man! His 4 mile walks everyday REALLY prove that exercise keeps a body fit and healthy, his positive, cheerful outlook on life helps as well, I am sure!

The church service was lovely and the preaching was excellent! Pastor Enik preached that the Great Commision to "go and make disciples" - starts at "Jerusalem", or "HOME". He asked the congregation if our lives are being a witness for Christ? Do non-Christians see a difference in our lives, in our families, in our marriages, in our relationships with our children, in the way we treat others? Or do we behave like those still in the world? How can we go out and tell others about Jesus - if they are not SEEING Him in our lives? A great powerful message that also came with a homework assignment. Go home and evaluate your lives. Evaluate your marriage, your family, the way you do business with others...... Is Christ seen in you in each of these? How often?

After church, we hiked back down the mountain and drove into town for lunch; we arrived at the restaurant at 3 o'clock, and were served a bit after 4 o'clock ; and yes we were all famished and sooooo thankful for our meal! We made it safely back to the OMS campus at just after 6 o'clock, thankful for the tremendous day together but also extremely thankful to be home again! ;)

2011-03-22T22:29:00.000-04:00

Election Sunday came & went without any problems! It was a beautiful day. In fact, we have had a LOT of beautiful sunshiny days, without the heat. I do not ever remember it being this sunny and this cool at the same time. We have been having to keep our windows and doors closed (which, if you have been here before, you know that they are always open during the day) because of the wind whipping through the classroom, blowing papers everywhere. It has been very strange weather!

So, elections are finished, and now we just have to wait for the results.

On Sunday morning, Dr. Rodney preached another excellent, thought-provoking message. He said that God gave the "church"(meaning the body of believeres) the mission to "share the good news with the poor, to help the blind to see and to set the captives free." But, he said, that somewhere along the line, the church has deviated from that original mission. Now the church is focused on how our church buildings look, on how our church members look, on how comfortable we are, and in helping others IF it happens to be convenient for us.

He exhorted the church, by asking, "How many of us evangelize according to a "strategy" but fail to go out SHOWING the love of Christ - we "talk it" rather than "live it". He also asked the church questions such as this: "How many of us pay for a 'tap-tap' (Haiti's public transportation), when we could walk and use that money to help someone else who is in need." ....Wow, we all need to hear that message - not to judge others; but to evaluate our own lives and ask if we are thinking of others and loving others as Jesus asks us to. This doesn't have to be just financial, or material things; but also shown in time, attitudes, and overall contact with people. Do we truly LOVE them? Does my contact with people bring them in contact with the GOOD NEWS? Am I helping those trapped in sin and bondage to "SEE" and helping to set the captive FREE? What are we doing? How are we living?

2011-03-13T19:43:00.001-04:00

I have already posted 2 posts this weekend; but I feel the need to post something a little more personal. The past week or so has been tough. Last week being in school all day, followed by a weekend where we worked for about 13 hours to plan a special "date night" for parents on our back patio...which turned out AWESOME...but it was a bit exhausting! I started this week kind of tired!

Then Monday morning, I found out that a friend nextdoor to Cowman School had passed away. Our family had been praying for him for weeks. We had hoped that he would recover. My heart was broken! I spent the day trying to teach and trying not to cry.

Then, later that day, my sister informed me that her nephew was dying from an injury in Iraq. He has since passed away and funeral services are Tuesday. My heart breaks for her and the family! Brett's sister's father-in-law passed away last month. Our thoughts and prayers are with them! My thoughts have been heavy with family lately, and knowing that we will be with them soon - has increased my desire to see them!

For those of you who haven't heard, we will be spending some extra time in the States, we are to fly out April 26th. Though we had never considered taking a longer time "out" - we have been asked by our superiors to take this extra time out. The pressures of the past 15 months especially, have been great. I now see the wisdom in this furlough, as well as the Lord's timing!

Though I am ready for some time to get away and be refreshed; my time here is not yet finished.....there is still much to do;.and so I went to prayer about this. And I thank the Lord for renewing my strength YET AGAIN! Through HIM, I will keep giving, through HIM I will keep serving, and through HIM I will keep encouraging. He sustains, He comforts the broken hearted, and He gives strength to the weary! What an AWESOME God we serve!

2011-03-13T18:43:00.000-04:00

Notice the beautiful decorations, including bananas and coconuts!

We attended services today in Pilett, near the Domincan Border celebrating a "Fet Mwason", which is a celebration of harvest and praising the Lord for ALL He has done! Group after group sang specials, Pastor Jean Alex gave the message, and Pastor Jean Rico was ordained. It was a grand celebration lasting until after 1 oçlock. I was doubly thankful for the tic-tacs in my purse that helped my kiddos sit through the services! :)

The kids and I sat in the back of the "cage" of the truck in order to for others to sit in the front of our truck. We munched on Kasava bread on our trip home for lunch and arrived home a little after 3 o'clock. I must say - I was plum tuckered out!!! I took a hot shower to remove the grime from the dusty trip and some of the aches and pains from the jostling, then I crashed into bed! I feel like I could just stay in bed 'til morning!

This may be a good time to mention our need for a vehicle for our family. The roads from our house to town are still terrible, but many of the roads in town and past town are smooth! Amazing! :) While this is a VERY good thing- it also means that vehicles are able to travel faster on the roads ....and wearing seat belts would be wise! In order for this to be possible for our family - we need a vehicle big enough for our family - a van. If you would like to help make this possible, you can give to Project # 802250-1018.

Jean Rico's Ordination

Yesterday our family hiked up into the mountains to visit the gardens of a friend. Our family always enjoys a good hike! Maury also came along with us. He just arrived this week to help us out in our treasurer's office. He has helped us out in times past when we have needed some extra help! Maury is 85 years old and an AWESOME example that one is NEVER too old to be used by the Lord! I was a little concerned about Maury as we kept going further, and further, and further up..and on rough terrain, no less! But, Maury is a trooper! And, he says that he has NO complaints today either! Praise the Lord.

Our gardener friends says that he used to be too proud to work the land and instead was looking for a job to provide for his family. Now he says that he sees the wisdom of working the land and having food for his family! Yesterday, they were working the land as well as making charcoal from the brush that they had cleared. The whole family was involved in the project. We are happy to see the work that they are doing and pray that the Lord will bless their efforts.

2011-03-11T15:10:00.000-05:00

What a blessing it was to praise the Lord together with our fellow workers in Christ. Every quarter, every department of OMS gathers together to share praises and prayer requests, meaning Radio 4VEH, Bethesda Medical Center, Emmaus Biblical Seminary, and all other OMS employees. What a tremendous blessing to hear testimony of God's faithfulness.

Our sister Fredline shared about her mother's battle with cancer, including their time in Port-au-Prince for the masectomy, which was followed fifteen days later by the earthquake. She shared of their time on the streets in the midst of absolute chaos and how she has given her life to praising the Lord because He revealed His faithfulness to them!

Ti Louis shared his testimony of how the Lord provided miracle after miracle, showing his provision and revealing His great power in their lives during this past year with his wife's and daughter's heart problems. The Lord is MIGHTY!

A watchmen, Jikel, shared how last year, the Lord spoke clearly to him, telling him to "Go" and to tell others that they have a meeting with God one day and to ask them if they are ready. At first, he ignored the call; telling himself that he was not a pastor and that he could not do that! After a few months, the Lord again spoke clearly to Him, asking him why was he ignoring the call that the Lord had given him. Jikel realized that though he felt inadequate - the Lord would go with him! He has now been to 59 different market places!

We have much to praise the Lord for!

2011-02-26T09:55:00.001-05:00

Our weekly missionary prayer meetings are such a blessing! Each week it seems that our "praises" of what God is doing in our midst is taking up more and more time! What a BLESSING to sit and hear testimony after testimony of God at work! Here are just a few:

* 3 of our students at Cowman School accepted Christ this week! Praise the Lord! One of the boys says that he didn't even know anything about Jesus or how to behave before coming to our school in September.

*Brett, Stewart Dawson, Emmanuel Felix, Pastor Herod, Pastor Charlot, Pastor Lucce and many other pastors met together in our home this past week to brainstorm and pray over Radio 4VEH's new fix-tuned radio distribution campaign called, "Resounding HOPE". We thank the Lord for a successful first meeting and pray He will continue to bless with His wisdom and presence in the meetings to come.

*We praise the Lord for Emmaus Biblical Seminary evangelistic efforts in the area of KamPech, an area enriched in voodoo just a 10 minute walk from our Seminary. Many of you may remember, Junior, who stayed out of seminary last year to minister and help begin the church in Dikini, an area hit hard by the earthquake. The church is well established now, and Junior is back in Seminary. He has a heart and a gift for evangelism. How awesome to hear of what the Lord is doing through him!
We praise the Lord for the meetings and Bible story tellings and songs taking place already. Pray for hearts to be softened for the gospel and may young men step out to find Christ through their interactions with our Seminary students. We also pray for our fellow missionary, Rachelle, as she feels led to reach out to the women there. May the Lord lead and guide her and bless her steps.

*We thank the Lord for Dr. Rodney at Bethesda Medical Center. The Lord is blessing him inside and outside of the clinic. We were blessed to have him preach at our local church on Sunday. Man, can he preach! He spoke on the difference between the "local church" and the "church of Jesus." He pointed out the differences in both and asked, "which one are you a member?" Many sit on the pews and have their "church cards"...but that does not make one a member of Christ's body of believers. He even went so far as to say, if you are coming to church just to look good - then stay at home. Unlike our local churches, the church of Christ is not as concerned with outward appearances. Wow, what a blessing to hear a message of TRUTH! For those of you who know that the most common excuse for not going to church in Haiti is "I don't have the right clothes to wear". You know that this was an uncomfortable message for many to hear. Believers should not be judging each other based on their clothes, their titles, or their past. But, true followers of Christ follow Christ in looking at the heart!

* I also want to thank the Lord for a couple of ladies that visited me last weekend. They said that they miss me in our weekly prayer meeting and Bible study...but that they continue to pray for me and my family! I thank the Lord for them and pray that the Lord will continue to bless this special group of ladies with His presence!

2011-02-11T21:18:00.000-05:00

Much has happened since my last post. As you may have heard, the election results were FINALLY given...now the next plan is to have the 2nd round vote later in March. What a relief to finally have a decision made so that we can move on to the next step!

I asked for prayer for Brett and some employee situations; and, thankfully those situations seem to be taking a turn for the better! Thanks for your prayers!

We would now like to ask for prayer for our missionaries leaving the field. Hannah and Julie left a few weeks ago after their one year terms. Mary Lou and Joetta will be leaving after years and years of faithful service in Haiti! They will all be missed!! We know that the Lord will lead and guide each of them!

This brings us to another important request...please pray for a treasurer for our Field. It is a VERY big job, juggling the ministries of Radio 4VEH, Emmaus Biblical Seminary, Cowman School,Bethesda Medical Centre, Starfish Kids, and all the general administration of the Mission in general. It is a HUGE hole that we are needing filled. Please join us in praying for the Lord to send someone to fill it! :)

I am about to fall asleep...I am so exhausted...but before I do. I will share a note of praise with you. This morning after our arrival at school, there was a commotion at our rental house next to the school, where the new family (who are drilling wells and helping to teach at Cowman) are living. There was a gas leak, a fire, Doug's face is red, his hair and Susan's are singed.......but Praise the Lord he and his family are all safe and well! We also praise the Lord that as the water pipes got so hot...they popped and sprayed water over the rafters and ceiling tiles...cooling them down and stopping the fire! It was as good as a sprinkler system!
We thank the Lord for His continued protection and again, His faithful strength that He pours out to us!

2011-02-01T19:10:00.000-05:00

Whew...last week, things became even more hectic. Thanks to some containers that we allowed The League of Pastors in the North of Haiti to park on our campus; we attracted the attention of various thugs that decided they should be allowed to have what they wanted from the containers. Anyway, it made for some interrupted nights and a bit more stress; but all is well and CALM now, Praise the Lord!

Brett continues to deal with a few employee situations - please continue to pray for wisdom, patience, and strength.

The 4th grade class has joined the 2nd and 3rd grade classroom - it makes for VERY busy days!!! Thankfully, Kristina LOVES going to school - so she is handling being in the classroom everyday VERY well!
She does love her Pre-K days more than when she is in the 2nd -4th grade classroom though. :)

Please continue to pray for the political situation. It is said that the announcement for the first round will be made tomorrow.

Though life continues to be filled with various factors that could drive a person crazy; thankfully; the Lord continues to bless us with His Spirit, filling us with His strength and grace to help us keep our sanity! :)

2011-01-22T10:30:00.001-05:00

Well, last Sunday, the plumbing situation at the Cholera clinic turned out to be much more than a toilet needing plunging. However, Brett was able to take care of the problem; and thankfully, he hasn't gotten sick! :)

This week, he had several meetings in regards to personnel issues. With over 150 individuals working together in the various OMS Haiti ministires - differences and conflicts are bound to arise. Please continue to pray for wisdom and grace to cover the various situation and decisions that Brett is needing to make!

Early yesterday morning, Brett along with Jake left for Port-au-Prince. What a special opportunity for Jake to go along with his dad! They drove down some needed supplies, as well as stopped at the Port-au-Prince airport to pick up our newest addition to the OMS Haiti field, Michael and Sarah Shaferly, and their 2 children. Former field Director, Dave Shaferly flew down with his family to help them get settled. I am sure it is a joy for Dave and Marilyn to see their son choose to return to serve in Haiti! What a blessing this family will be for the "Homes for Haiti" project! We praise the Lord for their coming!
Please pray for their adjustment to Haiti, for wisdom as they begin their work, and for my boys as they travel home on Sunday afternoon!

This past week has been quite the juggling act for me. In addition to my Pre-K class three days a week, teaching the 2nd & 3rd grade class twice a week, and trying to keep up with the Principal/administration duties at school; I also had 2 sick girls at home this week! Thanks to the help of a couple of visitors, I was able to do quite a bit of running back and forth. Thankfully, the girls are all better and we all survived the week! However, our family will be leaving at the end of April on furlough. If anyone is interested in coming down to teach...please contact me!!!! :)
Again, I want to thank the Lord for bringing "Mr. R." and his family to our school in November. He came to drill for clean water .....but he is helping us several times a week at school! Not only is he a well-driller, he is a teacher too!! What a tremendous blessing for Cowman School and a huge encouragement for me!
I thank the Lord for His continued strength and provision! He IS FAITHFUL!

2011-01-16T15:57:00.000-05:00

This is the 2nd week in a row that Brett has mentioned to me that he feels like taking another long weekend away because of all that there is to juggle during his week. However, he will not even be getting a weekend for a while now. Yesterday, he spent all day on the roof at Cowman. We are still making progress - but it will take a couple of Saturdays before it's completion. Today, Brett drove to church and translated for our Salem, Oregan Team. While this is a tremendous blessing -- it is also a bit exhausting! Then, this afternoon when he finally had a chance to lie down; someone comes to the door saying that there is a toilet flooding the Cholera Clinic. Not exactly the best location for that to be happening! So, instead of a nap; he is plunging a toilet.

Next Friday (Brett's b-day), Brett will be driving down to Port-au-Prince to welcome our newest addition to our OMS Haiti field. Michael and Sarah Shaferly will be working in Port with our Homes for Haiti project! What a blessing their coming will be for the project and for Haiti! Brett will also be delivering a new generator and other needed supplies during his trip.

Please pray for Brett. May His time with the Lord continue to provide him the rest that he needs. So many times we look for rest outside of the Lord. While other sources of rest are pleasurable....getaways, naps, a good book, time away....those sure can be SWEET....but,.the Lord is able to provide us with His rest; as well as HIS strength which surpasses all that the world can offer!

He is our Refuge & Strength

2011-01-12T06:03:00.003-05:00

God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.

Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

Psalm 46 1-3,10

Today marks the anniversary of last year's tragic earthquake. Businesses and schools are closed as we pause to mourn with those who have suffered so greatly. Our hearts break for those who have lost loved ones, who have lost limbs, and for those who have not yet found a place to call home. Yet even as we remember the losses - we cannot remember that day without giving thanks to God. Person after person can retell the story of how they "should" have died in that earthquake. Some were on the top floor of a building when suddenly they find themselves in the street, others should have been sitting in class in a school building that collapsed; but instead were walking in the street because of a still small voice that told them they needed to go. Others were pulled from fallen debris and saved miraculously. Even in the North, people never fail to thank God for sparing their lives from the tragedies of 2010. The Christians here say, "if we have breath, if we are still here, then we have reason to praise the Lord."

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Psalm 150:6

2011-01-08T20:13:00.002-05:00

This afternoon, we visited a friend from my ladies prayer group. I have mentioned this friend before - she, her husband (who is unwell) and their 5 children have lived from house to house for as long as I have known them. As a house was being built - the owners would let them stay in one of the finished rooms until they were ready for them to move out. Then, this family would move to another location, staying only as long as the owner of the house permitted. In May, this friend shared in our prayer group that it was time for them to move out of the house that they were staying in - and that they had no place to go. We prayed for her and I felt that the Lord would provide.

Our local church provided a peice of land for them to build on, and thanks to the donations of Salem Baptist Church and Locust Grove Baptist Church - this family now has a place to call "Home". Praise the Lord!

HOME Sweet HOME

It's a bit of a climb, but the view is beautiful!

We hiked a different route home - just for fun!

Mobile Clinic to Roque

2011-01-08T09:50:00.001-05:00

Please join us in prayer for our Mobile Clinic to the rural mountain village in Roque. The people in this area live with very little and have no medical care. Our clinic will be providing them free medical care, free medicine, gifts for each child and a message of Hope from the gospel being shared with them.

Please pray for those who are ministering, as well as those who are being ministered to in Roque. May the Lord's love be evident among them!

Prayer Requests & Billy Graham Festival in Haiti

2011-01-06T20:55:00.001-05:00

After our getaway over the weekend, this week has been swarming with things to work out.

Please pray for Brett as he handles various personnel issues in a couple of our ministries here on the field. We ask that the Lord grant grace, peace, and wisdom to every situation that arises that could potentially turn ugly.

Please also pray as I have tested 4 new students for Cowman School. Their English proficiency is not reaching our usual standard - so please pray for wisdom, grace & patience in the acceptance and placement of these students. Another request is that one of our teachers left for an eight month furlough to generate her needed funds. As well as praying her time out is goes well and that she can return by September, please pray as I will be juggling her class (2nd & 3rd Grade) as well as my Pre-K class that meets 3 days a week, as well as Kristina everyday. THANKFULLY, we have been blessed with a new family in our school from Minnesota. Their children just entered our school after Thanksgiving. The father will be taking the 2nd & 3rd Grade class for 2 days each week; and when they do not have teams in to help them; he could possibly teach 3 days a week. What a Blessing!! He is working with LIFE Water, a Canadian organization that helps to provide clean wells in Haiti. What a timely blessing their arrival has been for our school - and for my sanity!!!

Another request as well as a praise is that Rev. Franklin Grahm is coming to Haiti this weekend for the "Festival of Hope". Michael W. Smith will be performing as well. Radio 4VEH has been asked to broadcast LIVE - we pray that all the technical equipment and functions are covered with God's grace & blessing! May thousands be touched and changed by this magnificent blessing!

We rejoice that one of our needed instruments for the broadcasting has arrived in Florida and MFI is flying it into us tomorrow! Praise the Lord!!!!!!

For more information on this event, check out: http://www.billygraham.org/articlepage.asp?articleid=7590
Watch LIVE at 1:30 ET this Sunday at http://www.billygraham.org/HaitiLive

Cowman Roof Under Construction

2011-01-06T14:45:00.001-05:00

Progress is going well on our new roof! :)

Yay! Cowman's roof is under construction

2011-01-05T20:14:00.002-05:00

We are rejoicing that Cowman School is getting a new roof this week, and right on schedule too! - which is nothing short of miraculous! We prolonged the school's Christmas break this year with the intention of getting a new roof this week-- and thanks to the generosity of wonderful friends....we are seeing it happen! Thank You Lord!

Not only will we not have to put up with leaking roofs, and collapsing ceilings, but because the steel sheets of roofing material are coated with insulation underneath- it will be much cooler for the students ( & teachers) during our hot months of school! Another bonus of this project is that the trusses and perlins are receiving a coating (of some sort) that offers termite protection. What an added bonus!

We thank the Lord for helping this come to fruition. And we thank you for your prayers and/or generous giving!

I will post pictures soon!

Fun in the Dominican Sun Part 2

2011-01-04T15:24:00.000-05:00

Our last morning in the Dominican
(yes, it was a bit chilly!)

Making Pizzas our last night in the D.R.

Our German landlord - is also an excellent chef who LOVED cooking for us and enjoyed having the kids help! :)

Fun in the Dominican Sun

2011-01-02T17:35:00.002-05:00

Our first night passed with excessive noise blaring from each side of the Villa where we were staying - we were sandwiched between two discotheques. We didn't let that stop us from having fun the following day though....we kayaked, boated, and walked for miles collecting beautiful shells and interesting ocean life.
We are so thankful though that the Lord led us to find a housing a little further up the road - it has been quiet, peaceful and just what we have needed. The German gentleman running this house for divers is an excellent chef as well - so we have enjoyed some GREAT meals! What a TREAT! We were all excited to come on this trip; but Jake was a bit disappointed to head for a quiet fishing village with NO restaurants! Then due to the noise of the other place, we have moved to a peaceful location with an owner who LOVES to cook for us! :)

We have enjoyed fruit crepes, flaming bananas, spanish omelets, Fresh Dorado in coconut sauce (fish) with potato cakes, and this evening we are having homemade Italian pizza. Yum!

Yesterday, it rained pretty much all day - so we did some serious resting! :) Today, thankfully, the sun shone brightly and we had a blast on the beach! We leave early in the morning to head home - we will be sad to go......but we are so thankful for this beautiful time to rest and renew!

Under the bed during a game of "hide & Seek"

Games on the computer during the rain

view from the top balcony of the place we are now staying

Enjoying the Sun!

2010-12-30T06:13:00.001-05:00

It looks as if it is happening - we are heading to the Dominican for some R&R. I hadn't let myself "hope" too much - just in case the situation in the country turned again, making travel impossible.

We are now hearing that the political announcement will be made next Tuesday. (We shall see). I am amazed that things are as calm as they are here. It will be 5 weeks since the elections took place that this announcement will be made!?!? Would Americans wait 5 weeks for an announcement to be made about a faulty election.

Continue to pray for Haiti, though things appear peaceful on the surface, the emotional tension of everything this country is going through is exhausting! There is also a spiritual tension - the powers of darkness verses the power of Light! To our North American mindset - that sounds like a movie or something! I can't say much more or I will sound crazy ---so, I just ask that you pray for God's power to be evident among His people! We praise the Lord for the purification and growth we see in Christian believers! May the church continue to rise up & REACH out!

We also ask prayer for Louis Destine, technical engineer at Radio 4VEH. Many of you know that both his wife and daughter flew to the States for emergency medical attention this past year. This past month - Louis has suffered great losses of his personal possessions and lack of sleep. Please pray for the Lord to place his angels around Louis' house as well as His spirit of Peace to abide with Louis. May Louis' house return to being a "safe haven" for him rather than a place of insecurity.

As we head to the Domincan, we are leaving Dave & Marilyn under the weather. They have been ill since before Christmas. ( I think they have the mysterious virus that our family had last month-except more severely). Please pray for the Lord's healing touch upon them and for the Lord to restore their strength. Please pray for the Lord's peace and protection upon our campus as Dave is regaining his strength; we pray that he will not have to deal with any "big issues" in our absence!

Testimonies from the Cholera Clinic

2010-12-27T11:59:00.000-05:00

This morning, after straightening the house with the kids and leaving them for a bit to their play; I visited the Cholera Clinic to pray with patients there. We praise the Lord for the 8 patients able to leave the clinic this morning to return home!

As I prayed with the patients in the clinic, one man shared his NEW testimony with me. He came to the clinic Saturday night, unconscious. His family was with him, but he could not see them nor hear them. His head rolled rolled back and forth in his misery. He said that "death was upon him." Yet, as they began the I.V. fluids - the Lord told him that He was not going to allow him to die; but instead, he was going to give him a testimony to share with others. This man's face was glowing with excitement and gratitude for the Lord's touch upon his life. He said that had he died, he would have left his 8 children fatherless. He praises the Lord that he will be returning to them! He also raved about the wonderful care of our nurses during the night, and how he could feel their love for him, and how they prayed and encouraged him through the night. How wonderful to hear that the love of the Lord is being felt through the hands of our staff. Please continue to pray for them - for strength, endurance, patience and love to fill their hearts and lives.

The last patient that I prayed with just arrived this morning, a four year old little boy - who lives just above the wall behind our house. Those around the little boy said that he came "dead" -that it looked as if he could not be saved. As I prayed with Him - I felt the Lord's love and power as my hand touched the little boys head. Even as he slept, the boys head turned towards my hand so that my hand cupped his face. It was as if the boy felt the LOVE of the Lord touching him, even in his unconscious state. Please pray with me for this precious little boy! May the Lord continue to touch him with His healing touch. Please also pray for his mother, who is not a Christian. May the love of the Lord penetrate her hardened heart.

2010-12-26T12:02:00.000-05:00

The message in church this morning was excellent, reminding us of how the Lord seeks after us. Our salvation is due to HIS reaching out to us, not from anything we ourselves can do or have done.

I read this morning in Isaiah that the ZEAL of the Lord Almighty brings salvation to the world. His zeal to save us from our sins, from our bondage, from our prisons brings us salvation.

I rejoice in this season - the season of celebrating the act of our Savior who came to LIVE among us!

2010-12-26T11:45:00.000-05:00

Brianna celebrated her birthday with about 20 other kids! :)

She would have liked to invite several others but was informed that we couldn't invite EVERYONE! :)

2010-12-22T14:37:00.000-05:00

About 30 ladies & girls gathered in our house this morning to watch "The Nativity Story" while enjoying popcorn and cake. We had a lovely time together!

2010-12-21T15:29:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, the kids and I enjoyed staying home for our first official day of Christmas vacation! It was lovely! :)

This morning, we headed to school so that I could put out rat poison as well as to prepare for some student testings that I need to give next week. We have 4 new students to be enrolled in our school in January!

My kids were excited to head down to the school to play with the Racozky kids who live in the house next door to the school. They are a new missionary family that just arrived around Thanksgiving.

Tomorrow morning will be full of Christmas festivities - I have invited the ladies in my prayer group for a party at my house. We'll have cake and popcorn and watch "The Nativity" together. Our church is hosting a Children's Christmas party for all the kids in the community at that same time...so it should be quite an occasion! Our kids are excited about attending!

You may have heard the political announcement that was to be made yesterday was postponed until next Monday the 27th. So, life continues to be sort of "on the edge" .....
Our pastor mentioned Sunday, that some schools who were not able to finish their testings last week were opened over the weekend to finish their testings due to the uncertainty of what road conditions would be like this week. As it turns out, the announcement is postponed and roads are not barricaded...but, the emotional turmoil involved in this "waiting" process is present even if things appear to be "normal" or "calm" on the surface.
I was in a store on Saturday doing some shopping, when I asked the owner if she had milk she said, "No" and explained that she had a shipment ready to come from Port-au-Prince but was worried about sending it and things turning bad on the streets again. She said that she cannot afford to loose her shipment; so she was not sure when she would be able to restock her shelves. This "waiting" game is affecting everyone, not just emotionally, but in normal, daily life as well.

Thanks for your continued prayers for all of us here in Haiti! We can sure use them!

2010-12-19T09:08:00.000-05:00

Well, the word on the street is that there will be no election announcement this week, and that it may be a few weeks yet. It is said that many Haitian leaders will meet together with other world leaders to discuss the situation, seemingly after the Holidays. In the meantime, life is the same here. Thanks to the calm of last week, schools were in session all week and were ABLE to finish their trimester testing and close for Christmas break. What a blessing!

I wonder though....can this situation really just be put on hold? I don't know. I guess we shall see.

Thanks for your continued prayers for Godly, political leaders to be placed in key positions in Haiti!

2010-12-14T19:18:00.001-05:00

Things are back to normal here. We have a busy week planned with Cowman School's Christmas Program on Friday and our Emmanus Pastor's dinner & party on Thursday. We hope that many are blessed by these 2 very special events!

Things appear hopeful that we will be able to finish out this week of school with no political turmoil! We are hoping!

Our kids (& of course teachers too!) are VERY excited and looking forward to Christmas Vacation which begins next week!

May our hearts rejoice in the HOPE that we have in Him this Christmas! He is the LIGHT of the world!

2010-12-12T13:20:00.000-05:00

I was not able to get online yesterday to give an update. Things are still calm in our area as people wait to hear what will happen with the elections to provide a more realistic representation of the vote of the people. I hear that there are other areas that are not waiting so peacefully.

Brett had an extremely busy day yesterday, leaving at 6 a.m. to take our team from Nebraska to the Dominican border since they could not find an available flight out of Cape-Haitien. So, Brett took the team to the border, put them on a bus to Santiago; and they have already arrived safely in the States! When Brett finally made it home last night, he had to turn around and drive back to town and pick up some folks at the airport since MFI was not able to fly out due to mechanical issues. We were able to provide housing and a hot meal for 7 of the folks needing a place to overnight....and Brett left early this morning to return them to the airport. We heard that one MFI plane was able to take off, we pray for a safe flight for them as well as safe-keeping for the plane that they had to leave behind, until they can get the needed part in.

We appreciate your continued prayers for our country of Haiti! And please also pray for continued strength and wisdom for us as this continues to be a tense time for everyone!

2010-12-10T13:36:00.000-05:00

We praise the Lord for the very uplifting prayer and praise time this morning during our Quarterly DAY of Prayer! What a blessing to join together with our missionaries, staff and visiting team to recount the awesome deeds of the Lord in our various OMS ministries and throughout Haiti! We praise the Lord!
We also rejoice in the time that we could draw together to lift Haiti to the Lord, knowing that He is greater than the powers of the world!

This afternoon, our visiting team is FINALLY able to get out and see some of Haiti and our various OMS ministries with the roads having opened up. The kids went along with them to go play with some new friends that live in the Duplex at Cowman School. Later, Brett will give the team a tour of the Radio Station then, Brett and the kiddos will be back. But, in the meantime - I am enjoying a VERY rare experience. I have the house to myself! I am sure that someday ....I will not like that at all!!!! But for now, I am enjoying the peace and quiet! I cannot remember the last time that I had time to myself! What an unexpected blessing! I have my Christmas music playing while I sip on hot chocolate on this chilly, breezy, overcast, feels like Christmas-time day. Who knew that one day this kind of day would feel like Christmas to me despite the fact that it is 75 degrees! :)

Well, I am off to enjoy my time to myself before my brood returns! :) God Bless!

2010-12-10T08:22:00.002-05:00

We praise the Lord that the barricades that have made the roads impassable the past couple of days have been removed (at least in our area); making it more possible for cholera victims to find medical attention. It is rumored that today Cape-Haitian will have "peaceful-marches" to show their dissatisfaction with the authenticity of the election results. Please pray that this can indeed be done in a peaceful manner! It only takes one rock to make a riot!

Pray also for God to open a way for the safety, provision, and health of thousands and thousands of innocent Haitians who are not involved in any way in protests or violence - and yet who are suffering from the actions of others. We pray that those trusting in the Lord, will lead others to Christ as well!

From Psalm chapter 5:

You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell. You destroy those who tell lies, bloodthirsty and deceitful men the Lord abhors. Let their intrigues be their downfall. But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous, you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

2010-12-09T11:36:00.000-05:00

The kids are home again today since school is not operating due to barricades set up in the roads. The kids and I are enjoying this special time that we have together. They still have their school work to do in the mornings - but it is nice to be together. I think making Christmas sugar cookies together sounds like a great plan for this afternoon. Brett, is catching up on paperwork and communications in the office the past couple of days, which is nice for him since he had fallen behind due to his trip to Turtle Island for technical work for Radio 4VEH as well as for taking care of the teams before the Denningtons and Graffenbergers arrived back in Haiti.

We are thrilled to tell you about an eye clinic that our current team from the States was able to set up yesterday for employees and friends of the mission. Thanks to Neil and his team from Kansas, 1,000 glasses were given away! What a blessing to many!!!

On a sadder note, our first Cholera patients died yesterday in our Cholera clinic. Yesterday afternoon, one of the victims was a little girl who had just been drinking and talking with the nurses - then stooled, and lost so much liquid that she died immediately. Please pray for the family members of this precious little one and of the thousands who have died in Haiti from this disease. Please also pray for our staff who continue to work many long hours! Our missionaries, Hannah and Julie are struggling with the death of their patients yesterday, please pray for the Lord's comfort to be upon them.
Yesterday marked 103 patients that have entered our Cholera clinic in the past couple of weeks. We praise the Lord that 100 of them have walked away!

2010-12-08T08:59:00.001-05:00

Well, the election announcements were made last night, naming the top 2 candidates who will have a "run-off" in January. Many are not pleased with the "results" (rather, the authenticity of the results) thus manifestations have broken out again today. We, the teachers at Cowman School, have been sending school work home with all of our students each evening, in the likelihood that this would be happening.
So, our kids are happy to be home today - but they still have their school work to do, making their "snow-day" only slightly less fun. :)

Please pray for this messy situation - roads are closed from manifestations. There is no traffic on the road in front of the mission today...which is THE highway that connects Cape Haitien and Port-au-Prince. How long will this last? What change can this bring? How can people place their confidence in a leader, when there is little confidence in the election process? It all seems impossible to me. Please continue to pray for this situation and for Haiti! None of it seems impossible to Him!

2010-12-07T16:39:00.000-05:00

The rumors yesterday were that today was to be a "hot" day, meaning potential riots and roadblocks with the announcement of the election results that were to be today.
So far - everything is calm and traffic is still flowing smoothly. However, the last that I heard, the announcement of the election results still have not been made either.

Please pray for this process! Also, please keep praying for Haiti's new leader! And pray for all of the people here! We are ALL exhausted from all the added stress and turmoil of our country! Seriously, I do not know of one person that is not feeling added stress from LIFE right now. Cholera, political unrest, this following an already tumultuous earthquake! Whew....

Please also pray for our mission family. We were scheduled to go on our Annual Mission Retreat a couple of weeks ago, but then with the political unrest, we were not able to leave as planned. Many of us were really looking forward to a time away from the "fish-bowl" that we live in and enjoying some R&R! So, it's a bit difficult to just keep going and working and giving....without that time away that we had been hoping for.
My kids are even mentioning how much they need a "vacation"! I have never heard that from their mouths before! :)

Even though we will not be able to get away as a group due to our work schedules, please pray that everyone will be able to at least get away on their own. We had 4 of our missionaries head to the D.R. over the weekend - from their blogs, it looks like it was a wonderful time! Praise the Lord!

2010-12-06T08:04:00.001-05:00

This morning was a hard morning for all of us as we had to say "Good-bye" to Grandma Joyce. Good-byes are terrible things!

But, I just received a blessing from the gentleman that helps in our yard . I had asked him over the weekend if he thought he could fix or find someone to fix a couple of pairs of our shoes. Jake's soles were coming unglued from his tennis shoes and the black leather was peeling off of Alanna's school shoes. My friend happily brought the shoes back to me this morning; and he refused to accept any payment for them. He said, "You do so much for me, this is one small way that I can do something for you." He was so happy to be able to do this for us ---that it just really blessed me! Thank you Lord for the blessing of friends!

2010-12-05T19:33:00.001-05:00

We praise the Lord for good health! We are all feeling better and grandma didn't catch the virus that we had so we were all healthy enough to go on a hike up the mountain after school on Friday afternoon. We hiked up to see the Garden/Terrace project that Dave Graffenberger has developed with the local community.

What a lot of work has been done! The terraces help to prevent erosion and obviously the tons of plants growing will be a blessing to many! We thank the Lord for this work!

We enjoyed the hike with Grandma as well as Jonathon Folkeringa, former Haiti MK who is with us through the month of December! :)

2010-12-05T06:57:00.000-05:00

As if life hasn't been exciting enough lately, our family has been sharing a mysterious illness with each other. We have had a few days of fever followed by a rash that lasts several days, it sounds like Roseola. Brianna is getting over it now. Jake is the only one left. Hopefully he is immune to it!

Hopefully Grandma Joyce is immune to it too! She arrived Friday - to a sick son and sick grandkids! So, we were not able to hike up the mountain Saturday as planned - but we did have a fun game of Hide-n-Seek in the yard. She also enjoyed going to a baptism on Saturday. Brett drove our long-box 2 ton truck full of people from their church to another church that has a baptistery. Joyce really loved hearing our Haitian brothers and sisters singing on the trip to and from the baptism service in the back of the truck despite the extremely dusty roads!

Singing in the back of the truck on the way to the Baptism.

Pastor Josef's church meets upstairs

(Please join them in prayer for a new location)

2010-12-02T21:27:00.000-05:00

For those of you interested and asking about the Cowman School roofing project (#407861), we have not had much advancement since I wrote last. We are still just over halfway funded.
When hurricane Tomas passed by, I had another ceiling tile fall, along with LOTS of water into my classroom. Thankfully I already knew that I had a leak there; so I had moved everything away from that spot! The guys have tried to patch...but its pretty awful up there! Its kind of like the roads - more bad than good! :)

Thanks for your interest, prayers and support!

2010-11-28T13:54:00.000-05:00

Presidential Elections are taking place on this gorgeous, sunshiney, 80 degree day. We have been having absolutely perfect weather, there has been no political unreset (that I have heard), and church this morning was full of people giving thanks to God for His protection through the earthquake, the hurricane, and now even through the cholera epidemic. Thank You Lord!
We continue to pray that whoever takes the presidential office will allow the Lord to lead and guide him!

2010-11-25T20:26:00.000-05:00

We have 13 overnight Cholera patients in our clinic. Please pray for Dr. Rodney, Hannah, Julie and the many others who are working many long hours!

Pray for these dear little children who are suffering. We thank the Lord for the medicines available to make them well! We thank the Lord for His provision in making the medicine available to anyone in need!

Tonight we spent time in prayer with these children and their family members. Please pray for the Lord's comfort to rest upon them all through the night and may His name be glorified!

2010-11-25T08:47:00.000-05:00

"Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song." Psalm 95:2

We are enjoying a BEAUTIFUL sunshiney Thanksgiving Day! There is a touch of "crispness" in the air that makes it feel like a perfect fall day. :) We were all bundled up with our blankets earlier this morning. It is now 74 degrees, so we have tossed the blankets, but have kept our pants and longsleeve shirts on. I am sure that we will be exchanging the long sleeves for short sleeves before the day is finished. :)

It is so nice to not have to rush out the door this morning! I love it when the whole family gets to stay home together! This is one of our few American Holidays that we sometimes observe. This year, the teachers at Cowman School agreed to take the day off - Yahoo! :) Later this afternoon, our missionary family will be joining together for a special Thanksgiving feast! -Yum-Yum! Thanks to some special gifts brought in by friends, I will be able to make pecan and pumpkin pies! :) Mmmmm-Mmmm!

We are so blessed! I thank the Lord for His precious blessings of family and friends!

Even if we are miles apart, you are a blessing to us by being a part of our lives! I thank the Lord for you and pray that He will bless you in a special way today.

God Bless & Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!

2010-11-24T19:00:00.000-05:00

After the surprising events of unrest last week, this week has been amazingly calm. Elections will take place on Sunday, Lord willing. Regular traffic is prohibited on that day, so it "should" be a relatively quiet day. Brett's mom is scheduled to fly in on Friday - we hope that things remain calm so that she can fly in!

As we look ahead to elections, we pray for a strong, honest leader who genuinely cares for his people to be put into place. Even if this person needs to "see the light "as Saul did, we pray that the Lord will rise up a Christian leader!

2010-11-16T10:52:00.001-05:00

Due to unrest in Cap Haitien and road blocks; schools are closed today. Things are quiet here in our community today. It is a beautiful, sunshiny day. The kids are enjoying being home to play! Brett is enjoying fewer interruptions in the office and catching up on work that he fell behind on due to his trip to Turtle Island and due to seeing after our teams while our other missionaries were out of the country.

We have heard talk that the demonstrations may continue through this week. Some are saying that the demonstrations are due to concerns with Cholera, others say that it is political. Presidential Elections are to take place the last week of November. Please pray for the election process and for honest leaders!

On a selfish/personal note, the unrest/road blocks mean that we will not be able to head to the Dominican Republic for our Annual Missionary Retreat tomorrow as planned. Sigh....... 2010 has been a rather eventful year, thus far!

2010-11-14T19:51:00.001-05:00

This past week, we enjoyed having other dear friends of ours from Illinois visit the field again, bringing a team down from Texas with them. The team faced great challenges while they were here, the hurricane, delayed flights, and the daily challenges of trying to work with limited supplies; yet they continued to keep a positive, flexible attitude. We truly appreciate those teams that are able to do so! What a blessing!

Gary and LeAnne sent out an email sharing about their time here in Haiti. In their email, they also included a letter of one of their team members. I will share it with you:

We arrived at Cap-Haitien on 30 October, a nice, bright sunny day. As we approached land in the tiny twin engine plane, I peered out the small window trying to get my first glimpse of what life was like in this part of the world.

Immediately, we realized that we had stepped into a place that reeked of poverty and lack. For the next few days, we used whatever skill and talent we had to be a blessing to the missionaries and to the people of this land. Some painted houses and bathrooms, while others cleaned. Some installed electrical circuits and some made splints and casts for the infirmed. Some did street evangelism and some fixed window screens. Some worked on generators and others worked on broken hearts. Some taught English classes and others cut down trees. Some treated the sick and others played with the children. Every team member worked according to his skill or talent. Indeed, we quickly learned that every skill is needed on the mission field.

Despite the hurricanes, torrential rains, flooding, and the latest outbreak of cholera (all of which we encountered while here), we found that the Haitian people are people of deep faith in God. They have a genuine love for Jesus Christ, and they are people of hope! There were two things that we could count on very, very early in the mornings - the roosters crowing and the sound of the Haitian people singing and worshiping our God. During a Bible study, and shortly after several inches of rain, a dear sister commented that the rain had not been kind to her, but God still loves her! Amen! They realize that God is with them. They have found a way to forget their miseries by remembering the mercy and the love of God.

Most of us came to Haiti in an attempt to find out how we could help. Most of us are leaving and going back to the United States thanking the Haitian people for helping us. They have helped us to realize that joy and peace and righteousness are not found in things or in conveniences, but only in Jesus Christ. And, it is only by serving others that we can truly be like Christ.

Life is worth the living all because of HIM!

Written by: Dr. Peggy

Peggy attended my Wednesday afternoon Bible Study. We were mutually blessed! We are still studying Romans and she helped to explain in Romans chapter nine, " God loved Jacob, God hated Esau." I was sure glad she was there to help answers those questions! :)

2010-11-14T16:04:00.000-05:00

We are extremely blessed to have our friends John and Donna stay with us this week. After a terrible time with flight cancellations and making new arrangements to fly in....they finally made it, safe and sound! We are are hoping that our newly made friends, Trevor from Illinois and Peggy from Texas made it home safely! We thank the Lord and Bill Evans at the MFM office for his help!

John and Donna blessed us with a suitcase full of goodies! We will be blessed again during our retreat later this week while they provide childcare for our children during our sessions.

You can pray for all of us as we take a 7 hour car-trip into the Dominican Republic on Wednesday; for our speakers to have a safe flight in; and for our retreat to be a time of refreshing in the Lord!

A time to weep...

2010-10-24T17:29:00.000-04:00

This morning we attended the one year Anniversary Service of a church plant in Lory. One year ago, we attended the Evangelical Church of Vaudrey's station church in Lory for the opening service . The station church began as a small group of believers in the midst of a community where voodoo is prevalent. The witchdoctor that borders the yard where the services meet, has found that he does not have the same power nor business that he once he had. The Lord's power is at work - He continues changing lives!.
Today, what was expected to be a joyous service celebrating its first anniversary, was laced with sadness. One of the children next door to where the services are held suffered from a fever this past week. His parents thought he was getting better and sent him to school on Friday. During the day on Friday, he became ill again and was sent home from school. Yesterday, he died.
This morning as we gathered beneath the hangar, with only curtains blowing in the wind for walls; the sounds of weeping and wailing caused my heart to ache for those mourning. The cries became louder as a motorcycle came down the path carrying the empty casket to the house of the mourning family. A little later, the motorcycle drove by again, this time with family members following behind the casket, wailing and yelling at the pain of their 6 year old boy being taken from them.
After the service, we walked the short distance from the church to the mourning family. We talked and prayed with the parents of the little boy who had died. The father became a Christian this past year as a result of the station church next to his house. He was faithful to bring his little boy every Sunday. Church members say that the little boy was eager to memorize and recite scripture - and we rejoice that he had the chance to come to know the Lord. The mother though, is not a Christian and says that she does not want to know Christ.
Please pray for this husband and wife. Both are hurting. One has the strength of the Lord to sustain him and one has only anger and fear.
Please also pray for the community. The thief comes to destroy and impart fear in the lives of people. May this situation not cause fear of the enemy to consume them. In the voodoo culture, many may see this death as a victory of the enemy on this day that was to be a celebration; and out of fear of the enemy --try to appease Satan; rather than turning to God for strength, grace, and protection. Please pray that the Lord's name will be praised and glorified even in this situation.
Please pray for God's protection upon the many faithful servants of God who drive out to Lory each week, using their own money in order to disciple, evangelize, and minster to these people whom the Lord has laid upon their hearts. What a blessing to see the work of Lord being done through these mature and faithful servants of Christ!

2010-10-18T21:04:00.001-04:00

We have been enjoying having Storly Michel's team with us from Columbus, OH. This afternoon, another team will be joining us, this one from Sabetha, KS. We are looking forward to seeing Charlie again! :)

We are running a bit low on missionary staff at the moment, so Brett is having to do a lot of running around, and trying to keep the teams going on top of his regular responsibilities. Unfortunately, it means that things do not run as smoothly as they would if he could devote all of his time to the teams. Please pray for all involved in the days ahead - for patience, guidance and flexibility to be prevalent. We are thankful that our fellow missionaries, Bud and Jane will be back later this week! Hooray!

Praising with the Destine Family

2010-10-10T21:33:00.000-04:00

We rejoice with friends and fellow Radio 4VEH workers, Louis and Louisa Destine. Many of you know that Louisa has been in the States for health purposes since January. We continue to pray for Radio 4VEH's prayer warrior to return soon to the ministry that she has poured herself into for888 many years! While waiting for God to answer this prayer - He reveals Himself to the Destine family, yet again.

Louis reports that in September, cardiologist, Dr. Vince Petno, "just happened" to come to Haiti with OMS for a quick trip in and out to check out some projects in the works. He "just happened" to come at the same time that Louis and Louisa's daughter, was diagnosed with a low frequency heart beat and told that it was CRITICAL that a pacemaker be installed to bring her heartbeat to normal frequency.

Louis contacted Dr. Vince, who readily agreed to examine their daughter. Upon his examination, Dr. Vince confirmed the earlier diagnosis, and saw the urgency in getting their daughter to the States for the medical care that she needed. Through various contacts, she was able to get to the United States and the surgery was performed on Sept. 7th., to GOD be the glory!

In Louis' words, "We cannot take it for granted. All the glory is for our wonderful Lord for doing things beyond our expectations. This is a testimony of what the Lord has done for our family and He is showing that He IS Lord! Praise His Holy name!"

2010-10-06T21:56:00.001-04:00

This morning I read in Proverbs 6 that there are 7 things detestable to the Lord - one being "a man who stirs up dissension among brothers." As Christians, I do not believe that there are too many of us going around trying to stir up dissension and conflict. And yet, when we look at the reality of life -- conflict is so prevalent - even IN Christian organizations! Why? Satan LOVES it! When brothers and sisters get focused on the differences or on the obstacles involved in relationships or situations -- it prohibits the UNITY that Christ longs to see in the BODY of believers! When we have UNITY and a focus on the COMMON goal, Christ's goal- we can accomplish so much more. However, when we focus on the differences or obstacles - we can easily get caught up in our own little worlds and loose sight of the BIG picture. As followers of Christ - we are in this together. May we not allow Satan to distract us with his little games that he wages against us; may we instead join together in the battle and STAND against his evil schemes.

Please join with me in praying as Paul prayed, "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and one mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."( Romans 14:5)

An Attitude of Gratitude!

2010-10-02T13:32:00.000-04:00

I have been teaching a series for chapel at Cowman School on the attitudes of Christ. This week's lesson was "An attitude of Gratitude!"

I have so much to praise the Lord for... so much to be thankful for!

One being that we have had some rain to cool things off a little bit. Some mornings this week I have entered my classroom to find puddles around my room. One morning, one of my desk drawers had water in it and a cardboard-type puzzle inside was soaked. As I re-arranged my room to move all important items to dry places to prevent them from getting ruined; I rejoiced in knowing ----we will be getting a NEW roof soon!

I have mentioned in a previous post that Haitian Schools will be opening up again on Monday, October 4th. I have posted about how difficult it is to know so many people and to want to help them because I KNOW the need and KNOW and care for these people, and yet ....I do not have the means to help everyone! I have been trying to remember to keep my eyes lifted to THE ONE who can handle all the requests for help. I become overwhelmed on my own. The Lord reminded me this week of how GREAT He is! Earlier this week, a young man asked if I could help him to send his little sister to school. I told him that I would help him if I could, but I just couldn't. I encouraged him to pray and told him that I would pray for them as well. Yesterday, after I arrived home from school, this young man came to my door just to thank me for praying for him. He said that the Lord has provided and his sister will be going to school on Monday! Praise the Lord! God is so Good! I do not know who or how....but I do know that GOD is AWESOME!

There are a couple of other issues that I have needed to deal with this week. I asked the Lord for wisdom and guidance and to prepare the hearts of the people that I needed to speak with. The Lord worked in these situations even better than I could have imagined. Miraculous! My heart rejoices as I think of the tough situations that we often find ourselves in - and how when we trust them to the Lord, He does the "impossible" for us!

Which brings me back to my chapel lesson. We do not have to be thankful FOR every situation, but we are to be thankful IN every situation. How? Look at what God as already done, and give thanks for His deliverance....past and future!

2010-09-21T21:11:00.000-04:00

Thanks for praying for Brett! He is doing MUCH better today! Now, we will need to work to fatten him up.....NOT an easy feat here! :)

Cowman School Roof Project

2010-09-20T21:13:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, Cowman School is in serious need of a new roof. A couple of months ago, I gave the project # as our regular Cowman Account, as I did not yet have the new and approved roofing project #. For those wishing to give to help with our Roofing Project the Account # is: #407861

For those who gave gifts to the regular Cowman account # - No worries....I have spotted them and they will be transferred over.

Currently over half of the needed funds have been raised! Praise the Lord! Thanks to all of you who have contributed!

2010-09-18T11:31:00.000-04:00

The kids and I are thankful that it is the weekend. Though we are enjoying school, the heat there is pretty intense - it does wear on a body! We are glad to stay home today under our shade trees! I got to sleep in this morning until 7:00 a.m - which is when we usually start heading out the door for school -- it felt nice to not have to rush around! The kids made a delicious breakfast of eggs and pancakes! What great kids! (though the kitchen is a mess!) :) We do need to work on the cleaning up part of cooking! :)

Brett has been sick since Wednesday....he went to the clinic yesterday and received needed medicines - his fever is gone and he is already appearing better today. Thank you for your prayers!

Please continue to pray for the issues that I have only casually mentioned in regards to some in the community who wish to stir up conflict. Pray that the Lord's power will be revealed and His name proclaimed! Please also pray for our Seminary community - they have been without a generator for just over a week now. Thankfully, we have been receiving more government power than usual! We also thank the Lord for those who are working on getting parts, sending parts and provisions for the repairs to be made!

It is so amazing to be able to sit back and watch the Lord work through His people!

Wow...Help Me Lord!

2010-09-12T15:10:00.001-04:00

School will be starting later than usual this year. Most schools in Haiti will begin their new school year the first week of October. To be honest, I have already been fighting the urge to be overwhelmed with all the people that I would like to be able to help to send their kids to school.

To add to that, is the house that is being built for a friend of mine that is not quite able to be finished. She and her invalid husband, and 5 children have been told they have to leave the room where they have been staying.

As if that wasn't enough to weigh me down, this evening a young friend of our family came to me asking me to listen to a problem that he has. He is the Treasurer for the Youth Group of His church as well as another active Group for Young People in the community where he lives. Unfortunately, a week and a half ago, this young man's keys disappeared. Included in the set was one for his room at his house that he kept locked due to his responsibilities as treasurer and the "money keeper". Now, this is highly unusual from my understanding of Haitian culture for a young man in a large family to actually have his own room - but this emphasizes the importance he and his family placed on his responsibility as treasurer.

The night that he lost his keys, he and his family went to church. The next day, he went out to buy a new lock so that he could break the old one and get into his room. (Remember, no 24 hour Wal-Marts here). He waited to break the old one because he did not want to leave the room unsecured.

He was able to purchase a new lock, break the old one and enter his room with no problems. Later though, when he went to get out some money that was needed for the Youth - he found all four envelopes that had contained money were empty, an amount approaching $1,000 U.S.! The amount was so great because the Youth had been planning an 11 day Retreat to the Dominican Border.

He says that his heart began pounding so hard that he almost couldn't stand it! His keys had not been lost - they were stolen - and the person knew that the house would be empty while the family was at church.

When he told his mother what had happened, his mother practically lost it- yelling, and shouting and wailing. When he told his father , his father was more calm but later encouraged him to consult a witch-doctor to get to the bottom of this. My young friend told his father, "No, we cannot go to the witchdoctor! We are either with Christ or against Him. We cannot say we are for God and at the same time walk with Satan!"

I am proud of our young friend for remaining faithful to the Lord even in this EXTREMELY difficult time in his young life. Though he says that he is praying and asking the Lord to help him; he says that at the same time his household feels as if someone has died because they are in such mourning and despair.

It is such a heart breaking situation. This young man has such potential! He is involved in so many aspects of the church. He is a musician, often leads worship, and is an all around well-respected young man. Please join me in prayer for him and his family. Pray that they will not despair, that this situation will not harm his reputation, and that the Lord will protect him and restore what has been taken! Please also pray that they will SEE how the Lord IS faithful and more powerful than any other!

Please also pray for me - that I will not grow overwhelmed with all the requests for help; but instead, to keep lifting my eyes to the one who never gets weary with our cries for help!

Obedience in Baptism

2010-09-11T12:50:00.000-04:00

Jake & Alanna made expressions of their faith through baptism on Sunday!

2010-09-11T12:37:00.000-04:00

Radio 4 VEH finished up their special summer programming with a Rally at our local church. Everyone had a BLAST! It was awesome!

2010-09-03T17:40:00.000-04:00

We made it to the weekend! :-)

Thanks to all of you praying for me while I sub for our middle school students while having Kristina with me. We have had our challenging moments, but for the most part it has gone exceptionally well.

We are also still in the process of parents coming to the school wanting information on admission for their children. Maybe next week will be a little calmer in that department - which will be fewer things that I am trying to juggle. Though we are happy about having new students!

Since we have had several preschoolers apply this year, and since I have Kristina with me so much of the time at school anyway, I decided that we would add a PreK class this year. Thankfully I had enough sense to inform the parents that preschool classes would not start until our Middle School teacher returns. I would be in BIG trouble juggling several preschoolers while teaching Middle School! :-)

2010-08-31T14:54:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is our 1st Day of School! I will be subbing in the "Big Kid Class" for the next couple of weeks or so while our teacher is out for her new grandbaby to be born. :)

Please pray that I can juggle the class AND Kristina! Our babysitter is flying into the U.S. for the first time today. We are excited for her!

But the issue that weighs heavily on my mind....what to do with Kristina??? Hopefully she will be content to sit in class, write and color, and play quietly?

I would appreciate your prayers over this!

Summer Fun in Illinois

2010-08-31T09:29:00.001-04:00

What a blessing to spend time with family! Birthday parties, gatherings and time with our newest member of the family! :) Cherished memories!

Our last days in Florida before flying back to Haiti

2010-08-29T08:01:00.000-04:00

We enjoyed spending a late night with friends, Chris, Russell, & Clay whom we met them when they came down on a Work Team last October. We enjoyed meeting their families and warm, southern hospitality! :)

Upon our return, everyone here raved about our awesome tans! We all think it is funny that we have to leave the Carribbean to get tans! Sad, but funny! :)

Summer Family Time

2010-08-28T17:31:00.000-04:00

More views from our Cabin in the Smokies

2010-08-28T17:21:00.001-04:00

Our views from our cabin were absolutely gorgeous! We enjoyed basking in the glory of our Awesome Creator!

More pictures of our cabin in the Smokies

2010-08-28T17:08:00.000-04:00

The kids all enjoyed sitting on the top deck and looking through the binoculars! :)

Prayers for our community and friends

2010-08-27T09:27:00.001-04:00

Some of you may have heard that there has been some community struggles lately. We praise the Lord that there has not been any recent events. Please also join us in prayer in asking the Lord to guide our decisions.

I would also like to ask for prayer for Edric's family. Many of you know Edric as one of our right hand guys here at the mission. His wife delivered their baby just as we arrived back into Haiti, however, she was just not quite 8 months along. We received word yesterday that the little one passed away during the night. Please pray for them and their family (they have 3 other children who were very thrilled with their little sibling.)

This morning, I received word that another friend of ours was driving a motorcycle taxi. A thief shot the passenger, and took the motorcycle. Now, the owner of the motorcycle (another friend whom those of you who have been here before would know, but since I am hearing this 2nd hand do not want to release the name yet), has to pay the hospital bills for the passenger who was shot (thankfully the bullet passed under his shoulderblade and back out, so he is doing okay so far), not only do the medical bills for the passenger come out of his pocket, but our friend has also lost his source of income - his motorcycle.

Our Time in the Smokies

2010-08-22T19:11:00.001-04:00

This is the cabin that we were blessed to stay in. Thanks to Little River Reality in Seiverville, TN; we were able to have a much needed time away for peace and quiet and renewal! We thank the Lord for providing this time away for us!

The kids, my mom and Alane's famlily joined us for the last night at the cabin. I will show more pictures in another post.

Our Hike to the Chimney Tops

2010-08-22T19:03:00.000-04:00

Yes, we hiked to the top of one of these mountains! They are call the "Chimneys' in the Smokies. :)

The hike was LOVELy! The views from the top were incredible. I will post those on the next post.

Getting to the Top

2010-08-22T18:31:00.000-04:00

We really enjoyed out hike up to the "Chimney Tops"

2010-08-22T17:59:00.000-04:00

As hard as it is to leave family behind, it is amazing how much our return to Haiti feels like HOME. Our kids are all happy to be back - and have taken no time at all to settle back into life in Haiti.

Our summer was a wonderful time of refuge - a time of rest and renewal after the exhausting 6 months after the earthquake. We thank the Lord for His awesome presence and blessing this summer.

Upon our arrival to Haiti- we enter into various storms that are taking place. Not storms caused by the weather (though those are on the horizon), but storms of disunity, storms of unrest. We thank the Lord for the blessed rest that He provided for us this summer that allows us to enter into this season of unrest here, refreshed and encouraged so that we can be a source of peace and encouragement in times of turmoil.

2010-08-18T21:22:00.000-04:00

We are sad to leave behind our family and friends in the States. I thought this would get easier with time?! The aching of my heart is telling me that it does not.

I pray that the Lord will bless us with a smooth flight tomorrow, and ask that He will help our transition back into Haiti to go smoothly as well. He has blessed us exceedingly more than what we could have imagined this summer- with His presence, with His rest, with the joy that can be found in enjoying His awesome creation......... hiking in the mountains, playing in rivers, and playing in the ocean. I also pray that He will ease the ache in the hearts of my loved ones who have to let us go.....again.

I love you guys!

2010-07-24T07:40:00.000-04:00

I have been in the middle of an internal struggle. Brett & I have been looking forward to getting away for a few days for our anniversary. We have never done so in our 12 years of marriage. The hectic pace and weight of our time in Haiti this year was such that we thought it would be a great time to get away for some quiet time.

However, I just haven't been able to book our cabin in the Smokies as I have intended. There are some beautiful cabins! But, when I see the total cost for those few nights combined with the reality of those still struggling in Haiti. I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

Yesterday morning, I lifted the situation to the Lord and said......"this is what I want...but if I am wanting something that is not in your will --- then I don't want to do it." Later that day, I had the awesome opportunity to talk with the owner of a cabin rental agency - a Christian man who offered us a great deal! Sometimes, I am just blown away by the way the Lord blesses us. I had nearly given up on us getting away for some quiet R & R - and then boom, the Lord just up and takes care of it. :)

We pray that the Lord will bless this man who so willingly wanted to bless us! We also pray that as Brett and I are up on the mountain top - that we will be able to give the cares and all that weighs heavy on Brett's shoulders to the Lord. Even as we have been in the States, Brett continues to do hours of email regarding each of the different ministries in Haiti and the daily struggles of the mission and life in Haiti. The status of the Radio Station also continues to weigh on him heavily as we are in great need of a Station Manager.

We live in a world full of trouble, we live and work in a country where the needs are so extremely great and the cares of the world can be overwhelming. Yet, the truth is: "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, rests in the shadow of the Almighty!" (Ps. 91)

2010-07-24T07:07:00.000-04:00

This morning, I read and pray Ps. 90......"establish the work of our hands Lord."

The Psalm begins by reminding us that our God WAS before the mountains were born, before he spoke the world into existence.

That concept used to keep me awake at night and terrify me as a little girl. I would lay in my bed wondering how was it possible for God to always have existed, and in my mind I would go back to before the creation of the world and see utter darkness. I would actually lie in my bed terrified because I could not understand how it could possibly be, and our enemy would torment me with my doubts. Now, I know to cling to the truth that I can understand and thank the Lord that He helps me to know Him more and more.

Later the same Psalm reminds us of the shortness of our days, of how one day we will "fly away"

What a contrast.....How Great is OUR God, how small and swift is our life. May He establish the work of our hands so that our efforts are for eternal purposes and enduring!

2010-07-06T17:46:00.000-04:00

Our time in Illinois is coming to an end. It has been so nice to visit with friends and family. Each and every gathering it has been so good to enjoy such sweet fellowship. As our life is so full of "goodbyes" .... I am so often reminded that in heaven we will not have to say "goodbye." My human mind cannot fully grasp the wonderful truth that in heaven we will not be dictated by time.....we will have eternity together! I cannot fully grasp it.....but I do rejoice in it! :)

A roof for Cowman School

2010-06-30T14:57:00.001-04:00

This past year we were able to have another lunch table made for our students at Cowman International School thanks to donations from the First Baptist Church in Salem, IL.

This is a picture of our ceiling at Cowman School.

As you can see, some of our ceilng tiles are falling down due to leaks in the roof.

If your church, VBS or any other group would like to help with this project we would love your help! :)

Project # 300370.

2010-06-28T14:43:00.000-04:00

Kristina turned 3 years old yesterday. It is hard to believe that my baby is 3 already!!!

She had a perfectly horrible birthday. She is not adjusting well to all the changes and new faces. To spend the day away at 2 different churches and visiting family between church services was just not her cup of tea - and she let everyone know it!

Tonight we will celebrate her birthday here at home (Brett's mom's house). Hopefully she will enjoy it! :)

2010-06-24T12:53:00.000-04:00

Harold Brown, Pastor Vangione, Brett, and Pastor Josef meet in the tent church that was set up after the church was destroyed in the earthquake.

One of the most important items to disucss was the "Homes for Haiti" project.

During this trip in Port, they met a group from the Korean Holiness Church who were there to help bring relief.