Still hanging on

Hello again,
Well, I'm not doing as well as I had planned on keeping this updated. But there are reasons. We have another great team here and they are doing wonders. I think I should start off with a "Thanksgiving List" for the last year, actually.

We have had 16 teams this year...that's a lot, considering no teams in May, June or December. Each and every team has done so much for so many here...it's awesome. And yet, no two teams have been the same, or had the same work project. We (and the Haitians) have been so VERY blessed by teams. It's hard to single out one team and say they did the best, because they have ALL reached out and touched a lot of people.

We are thankful for all the people we were able to see while stateside in May and June. We are thankful that Bev, my sister-in-law pulled through her really rough time. And, yes, I am even thankful that my sister has gone to be with the Lord. She is now pain free and celebrating with Jesus!!

We're thankful we have had no major lasting illness. Yes, there have been "times", but God has been, and continues to be, with us. There have been missionaries that have had to leave the field because of ongoing illness. God has kept us from that.

We are REALLY, REALLY thankful for our faithful prayer warriors. That is what keeps us going here. And we DO realize how many prayers have gone out on our behalf. Our financial partners have kept us here, doing what we need to do, and we are very thankful for those faithful people.

We are thankful for Stan and Gloria Curtis for all their continued work on behalf of us and the Haitian people. Without them, our ministry would be really difficult. They are a blessing, in many ways. Leg work in the US to get supplies for the containers, constant work with teams, and a friendship that means a tremendous amount to us, personally.

We are thankful for the many Haitians who have become a part of not only our ministry but our lives. What a blessing for us to have those we can depend on here.

And we are thankful for those of you who keep in touch, through the blog, emails, and letters. You all keep our spirits up and help us to focus on why we are here.

In our newsletter, Don shared about a pastor we have been helping for quite some time. Don had helped his wife through school, to some extent, and helped him at times through Bible School. Now he has been working for years in the church he established in a very rough area. The pastor needs your prayers, too, as he faces challenges we never even think of. His name is Pastor Wagner Wasembeck. He and his wife and two children have been working in a very small house they converted into a church. His needs are many and the challenges great. Please keep him in prayer.
The team that is here now has done an awesome job on many things. Finished our fence, cleared the dorm roof and took down a branch that was a huge problem. And to top it all off, they went over their goal for filling buckets for us. They completed 201 buckets. PLUS they bagged a LOT of other things to put in future buckets. Some of the items for buckets we cannot get here, so have to wait on the next container, which SHOULD come on the 30th. Today and Monday they are out helping Don deliver some of those buckets. They can see the fruit of their labors. Pray with us that these will be a blessing to many, many families.
This is bucket number 201...what a celebration. We were all so pleased they accomplished so much!!

And now...time to get to work and catch up on some of the things left undone while teams are here. Keep us, and all of the things we do, in your prayers...we want to keep focused on the Lord and what HE wants us to do. Pray for strength and wisdom in what we do. And say an added prayer for us, as we will be missing our granddaughter's wedding in December. It's a heartache, but there is no way we can go. Our hearts will be there, but we wish it could be our bodies, as well.

We pray you will have a really wonderful Thanksgiving, and remember to put the Lord at the front of all those "thankful" things. He has done SO much for all of us. We need to remember to praise and thank Him, constantly.

Busy as always

Trying to catch up seems to be the normal here now. But with work and teams, time is precious. Add Abbie into that equation and you can see busy is the word.

We had another team...and man did they work. We had 9 people, but two left for another trip after a day and a half. So, we had 7. Two were the gals (one mom and one daughter) who did the cooking, so it was 5 men working. Let me fill you in on just a little of what these guys did while here....Completed a roof for a Sunday school building; put in 3 (yes THREE) septic systems, one for a home, two for churches; made a tool to put in the fence posts for our yard, and put the posts in; worked on a vehicle that had some problems; and did other odd jobs around here. So, busy did not quite fit...they were ULTRA busy. And yet, had a morning at the Citadel. And to top it off, they were a great bunch of guys (and gals) who were fun to be with. Here are just a couple of their work projects...We have another team coming in next week. We are praying they will be able to help with the buckets again. They did such a fantastic job last year and it helped SO MANY, that we are more than happy to have them work on this again. Of course, there will probably be other projects for them, too...we'll see.

Every time we head to town, Abbie wants to take the camera. Her and Grandma like to get boat pictures. These pictures are a couple we both liked. The one is the fishermen bringing in a catch, like they did in Jesus time. The other is just unique sails...from banners across the road.
I'll keep this post short, but hope to keep you all updated again soon. Don will be making some food and water runs this week, so have to help get ready for that.

God bless, and keep Jesus at the center of your life!!

Back to "normal"?

Hello again,
Well, I "think" things are getting back to normal here...but then again, exactly what is "normal"? I was thinking about that on my return flight from the US on Tuesday. We have had some real mountain top, and valley experiences these last two months. And yet, I'm not sure just where "normal" fits in. So, I came to the conclusion that "normal" is simply being where God wants us, doing what God wants us to do. The highs, lows, and middle of the roads are all just a part of it.

In the last month we have had two teams come in. The first from the Lancaster area of Pennsylvania. They put a roof on the school where they had worked on the church last year. I think I have already mentioned them, but wow, talk about workaholics... those guys (and gals) got that roof finished in 3 days. Here are a couple of photos... first work day and then the dedication on Sunday of the building. Awesome? You bet!!!Our second team was just as awesome. They got all the work done, plus a lot more than planned, and had a good time doing it. They were also from Pennsylvania, but from the Pittsburgh area. Talk about people with a love for others... they sure fit the bill. My only regret was that they came in on Tuesday, and on Thursday I left to go to Fort Pierce. (They did fine without me, but I sure missed being here with them.) They not only worked on projects, they got to be with the orphans and then out at the IDADEE orphanage site, with the area kids there. And with both teams...spoiling Abbie was part of the mission, I guess.
This picture is of "our two girls" and our "new" daughter from the US. It's Betty, Shannon and Vero. Our family is expanding.On my short trip to the US, I was asked to share our ministry and the Christmas Bag ministry with a women's group in a church in Vero Beach. Talk about some awesome ladies. They were so gracious and outgoing. (And they sure can cook, too!!!) Had a wonderful time with them, and also with the gals from MFI who went along as an encouragement for me. As our plane left Fort Pierce on Tuesday, I got a photo of the sunrise...the world awakening...and I pray it will awaken to the light of the world in Jesus Christ!!!
Our last group helped bag items for the bucket ministry, and Don is now busy getting those things distributed...keep that project in prayer. We have a team coming on Tuesday again, so the work never lets up. We keep praying that God will be glorified in all that these teams do for Him. It is FOR and THROUGH Him that these projects are accomplished.

For now, Keep Jesus at the center of your life and let others see your light shine, FOR HIM!!

A very thoughtful note

Each month, our mission in Georgia sends out a letter along with receipts to our supporters. This month, the letter opened a new door in my thinking. Now I want to stress right now, we are NOT asking anyone to support us. I just thought this was something I had never given a thought to before and wanted to share it with you all. So, here it is, in it's entirety:

From World Outreach Ministries

Dear Friends in Christ,
Your prayers and financial support are vital to your missionary's success. Without the practical side of things being taken care of, the "spiritual side" of a ministry can not take place. The truth is, your support is critical to their outreach.

Did you know that the same principle was true in Jesus' life? Most people do not realize that Jesus had supporters during his 3-year ministry. Luke 8:3 says, "And many others, who ministered to and provided for Him and them out of their property and personal belongings." Amplified Bible

Jesus operated the same way as missionaries do. It says that "many" were supporting Jesus and His disciples. Because of their help, Jesus and the Apostles changed the world forever. Never doubt that your help IS important to God's plan.

I guess I never thought of the fact that even JESUS was a missionary and needed others to back Him. In the back of my mind, I just figured God took care of all of that. And yes, in a way, He did, through others. That was just such an eye opener for me, that I wanted to share it with you. Maybe I am the only one who never put those things together in my mind, but it is so neat to see. I never gave a thought to the fact that Jesus WAS a missionary.

I leave Haiti tomorrow for 5 short days. I will be going to a church in Florida to share the Christmas Bag project. I've not done this before and I think I'm a bit nervous, but I know I can do it. It's such a worthwhile project. We have a team here right now, but they are great and can handle things without me. Sort of makes one humble to know that others can do without your help, but that is fine. With Don here, they will do great. We also have Stan here with the team, so we have no worry at all.

We have had some very constant rains, and heavy ones at that. But it's been mostly at night. I guess the only problem with that, is that the dorm roof is leaking, and pots and pans have to be set out, and beds moved to avoid the water. Time to start praying for a new roof, huh?

Guess an "Abbie update" is due. She has finished her "kindergarten" work and is now into 1st grade work. She is so proud of herself. But it's sort of sad, too. She is only 4, and is moving ahead so fast. Where does childhood go these days? But time does move on, and kids grow up. A neat statement from her came out the other day. She said, "Grandma, everyone needs Jesus IN THEIR HEART, so they know He is with them EVERYWHERE." What a concept for a 4 year old to grasp. Vero is doing a great job every night, teaching her from the Bible. And Abbie loves it.

An added note here: check out both the Christmas Bag web page and the Missionary Flights web page at right. The MFI page has a sad story to relate, but it shows where MFI's heart is, with the missionaries. And I will stress here, they do these emergency flights, with no cost to the missionary. MFI truly "Stands in the Gap" for us!!

On that note, I'll close and if I get a chance while in Florida I will post again. If not, I'll talk to you all next week!! Be faithful and share the love of the Lord with others!!

We are back...

FINALLY, we are back on line. What a time it was not having internet. We sure get spoiled with having these modern things in our lives, don't we? Through these 6 plus weeks of not having internet we have felt so cut off from the world, but now are back in communication with everyone. Although we did have a few days where we could get on, thanks to the loan of a modem, we were without email, or internet for so long.

We have a team here now. Talk about HARD work. They put rafters and a roof on a school building. From start to finish it took 3 days. I can't believe how quickly and efficiently they work. These are a great group of people who come each year. What fun we have with them, too. God has blessed us so much with this group. They all work like a well oiled and running machine. It is wonderful. Today is a day of rest and some shopping and swimming. I'm sure they will enjoy that, but they also deserve it, BIG TIME.

While in town one day (we always take the camera), we got a shot that brought to mind how fishermen in Jesus time worked. I thought I'd share it with you, so you can see that yes, we are a bit behind times here, but still find ways to work and feed families.We see these things occasionally, but never cease to stop and compare things to Jesus time and how they lived then. Throwing the nets out and bringing in the fish...just as Jesus told us to be fishers of men.

For now, PRAISE GOD for His mercy and love and for being with us. My next blog will share something from our mission in the US. The president sent a letter to our supporters and it included things I never really thought of before.

Let the Lord lead you today in all you do. Praise Him for His loving kindness!!!

Wedding photos

Well I finally figured out the problem, and yes, it was the operator. I guess I was just so exhausted I wasn't paying attention. I did want to share with you some of the pictures and you can see how happy Betty and Ronald are.

Yesterday we got a call from them, in the Dominican. It was good to hear from them. They called simply to say thank you for the wedding. They will probably be gone a week, Ronald said.

Don's been busy working on getting the material for our team coming in a little over a week. The fun never ends here. And we have another team right after that one. Teams are a blessing to the Haitians as well as to us. They bring us new insights to things, and fun and laughter and of course, they accomplish a LOT of work. And God always uses teams to bring us encouragement and they help uplift our faith.

Well, just wanted to get these few photos out and let you see them. What a blessing technology is to us, to be able to share with you so quickly.

For now, will close and get ready for church. You all have a really wonderful, God centered day. Our love to everyone and we thank each of you for your support and care for us and for the people of Haiti.

Time to regroup

Hey to all,
Well, the wedding is over. It was such a wonderful time and the bride and groom were awesome. But they are on their way to the Dominican for some time alone...don't we all wish we had that? Really, it was a great time. But now it's time to relax a bit then to regroup. This has been a tough couple of weeks, but we are back on track now.

This last week, we have had some really awful rains and thunderstorms and lightening strikes. Praise God we weren't hit, but we heard it hit elsewhere, close by. Our ground is saturated again. We either have feast or famine...and it seems we are never happy with either. When it's really dry, we pray for rain, when it rains and rains, we pray for it to stop. It would be nice to be in the middle somewhere, but we won't complain anymore either way...right now we are thinking of an ark...yet we know God said he wouldn't flood the earth again, right? Maybe just Haiti???? We are on our way there it seems.

I'll sort and get some pics put on here of the wedding in the near future. I tired to put one, but something isn't working right, probably the operator. In the mean time, have a super great God filled day. Remember to keep Him at the center and front of all you do.