Prayer and More rain

Hello again,

Sorry I have taken so long to get back on line. What a hectic few weeks we have had. I flew back into Haiti on the 6th of December. Still nothing resolved with our daughter. Our son's condition has also not been totally diagnosed. So, please keep them both in prayer. It was very hard to leave there and come back home when nothing had been decided. But we are depending on the Lord to work it all out.

I came back to prepare for the team coming on the 11th. Stan was coming to open the latest container and sort and start distribution of the Christmas Bags for Haiti. For reasons unknown to us, there is a strike at the docks. Our ship DID come in, but they could not unload any of the cargo they brought. So, it sat for a week, then the ship left, with our container still on board. We have NO idea where it went, or when we will get it. It all hinges on the strike being settled, I guess. So, that is another prayer concern.

This team of 5 had their work all cut out for them, and now... here they are. But the Lord did work out some things for them to do. They were able to distribute most of the bags that had been sent ahead of time to many ministries. And they were able to see things they would not have seen, had the container been here.

This team leaves on Tuesday, and another one comes in on Thursday and will be here over Christmas. One of the things they had planned was to distribute bags to one church. Thankfully they have a full week doing other things, so this one thing won't hinder the team totally.

This last week we had some excitement. The sub-tropical storm, Olga, went through. We had a lot of rain, which we did NOT need. We also had some strong winds. We lost a lot of branches here and one tree. Not a big one, thankfully, and it did no damage. But on the way to Cap Haitien, a HUGE tree went over and took out a cement block wall, and blocked the road into town. The picture is of the tree after they had cut it up, partially and gotten it off of the road. Many places lost trees, and there was some damage, but as far as we know, no one was killed in this area. This storm went through (the main part of it), during the night. Prayerfully, the rains have stopped for a while, and we can dry out some.
Now remember, this is ONE tree... not several. And they do not have chain saws to cut it up. They used hand saws. Quite interesting, right?

We are still waiting word on when our newest grandson will be able to go home to his family. It is so frustrating for everyone concerned. Keep this in prayer also.

Don, Abbie, and Vero survived while I was gone. But they said they are glad I'm back. Humm.... maybe I should do this more often, huh? Well, it's good to know I was missed anyway.

Remember, keep CHRIST in your CHRISTmas. In our view point, Christ is the center of the season, so it IS politically correct to use the term CHRISTMAS!!! We pray God will bless your season and draw you closer to Him through Jesus.

Till next time.... blessings!!!

Thankful and still waiting!

It's so hard to be where you want to be and not be able to do what you think should be done. I have now spent 3 weeks here in the US and am still "in the dark" as to what is wrong with our daughter. Lots of testing done and nothing found at this point. The docs admit there is a real problem, but are having a time finding what it is exactly. It's a bit upsetting for them, and frustrating for me, but my heart goes out to our daughter. She is simply in limbo with all of this. She has to keep on working, although they want her to quit. She has no income, so has no choice. The sermon yesterday (Sunday) gave me a bit of encouragement. Even if we do not know the "what and why" we are to praise God. My favorite verse is I Thess. 5: 16-18..."Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (NIV) It says give thanks IN all situations, not for all situations. So, in this confusing and unresolved time, I will give thanks. I am thankful the doctors are still searching and trying to find what is wrong. It's just hard when you watch your child (no matter the age of the child), go through such a hard and difficult time. But my trust in the Lord, and I will praise Him!!!

We had a "Thanksgiving gathering" with three of our kids the Saturday after the official holiday. What a joy to finally see our two great grand sons. It was good to spend some time with our kids and grand kids. I was even able to spend a couple of days playing FOOSBALL with three of our grandsons. Nope, I didn't win much, but it was fun!! I think the Lord let me spend this special time with family, not only for those with problems, but for me. I miss family so much and it was such an uplift to be with some of them for a time.

Christine and her boys were one the main reasons I came out. I stayed with them.
I was able to spend some good time with Dale and his family, too.
And then Todd and his family came to spend time. I was able to spend more time with Todd than the whole family, but it was good time. And I finally got to meet our great grand sons, Alex and Hunter. Grandpa is holding Hunter and Mommy is holding Alex. Please keep us all in your prayers. I'll post again soon. Hope your thanksgiving was special and God blessed.

HANG ON

Hello to all~

Yes, it's COLD here in Wisconsin!! And it's still HOT and RAINING in Haiti. I thought we had seen the last of the rains for a while before I left, but evidently they have gotten a lot more. Keep them in prayer. We sure didn't need more rains. The ground is totally saturated already.

Don's been busy, delivering food, dealing with customs at the airport (evidently a rough day on Tuesday), doing his "normal" stuff and now taking care of Abbie and trying to do my "stuff", too. He's been cooking, cleaning and chasing a very active two year old around. This is NOT easy on the best of days, and it seems he needs me there to help out.

But here I am in cold Wisconsin. It's so easy to forget how cold, cold is!! These temps are not bad for those who live here all the time, but anything below 70 degrees is COLD for me. And it's down near freezing. I just have to remember that "This too shall pass". It's so neat to sit and think of what heaven must be like... everything, temperatures included, will be perfect. Yet we really have NO concept of what heaven will really be like, do we? We think of the "ideal" in our minds, and yet, it must be so MUCH more than we can ever imagine. Very tempting to say, "Come Lord Jesus!!" But here we are, facing each day and it's struggles in this imperfect world. Don't really know how those without Jesus in their lives do it. But glad He is the rock and fortress in my life, someone I can lean on and depend on, no matter what the circumstances!!!

Please keep our kids in prayer. Two with health issues and one with "adoption" issues. All these tangled ropes that we wish we could just yank and straighten out. But life is never easy, is it? Praise the Lord we can hang on to His hand and walk through it with confidence that whatever we face, HE will be there and see us through. No, He doesn't take all the problems away, but He does walk through them with us, if we let Him.

Within the next few days we pray we will have some positive answers to some of the problems. Please pray with us on this. Keep Don in your prayers as he struggles daily with his own work and now the added things.

May the Lord wrap you in His arms, as He is doing for us!!! Till next time, or till we meet Him face to face.... grasp onto the Lord and HANG ON!!!!

A short note...

Just thought I'd get a quick note out to you and let you know what is happening. I, Karen, am in Wisconsin. I flew out of Haiti on Tuesday, and up here to the COLD weather today (Thursday). Two of our sons picked me up at the airport. And we drove up here. It's good to be with some of our kids again.

Don was left in Haiti, to manage things. He has Abbie, he has to deliver food, he has to keep things going on all fronts. He will do fine with it all.

There is so much for him to accomplish, but he will get it done. Please keep him in prayer. And keep our kids in prayer. We'll be in touch soon.

In His, through Him, and Because of Him...

Some prayer needs

I just did a newsletter, so decided to copy it here so you all would know what was written. I mentioned the blog spot, so others may check it out too! Please keep me in prayer as I head to the states. And keep our kids in prayer too. Here is the letter, in part:

I just checked on our last news letter. It was way back in June… right after returning from the US. Wow, a LOT has happened since then. I guess it’s best to simply start where I remember…

Our container did arrive in June. Just after our son and family left. Yes, T., A., and J.M. came for a visit and we had a great time. Sadly, they left Haiti without him. And here it is the first of November and the papers are STILL not done

The container was a blessing and things were distributed quickly and efficiently. Many, many people were blessed by all the effort put into that container. All we can say is that God will bless those who put forth so much effort to get it here.

We had more teams over the summer. And such a joy and uplift for us and so many others. Have I ever mentioned how awesome God is? He accomplished so much through His followers. We praise Him for those He sends to help out.

The middle of September, on a Monday, just before a team came in, Don injured his foot. X-rays showed a hairline fracture just behind his toes, and he had torn the ligaments in the foot, also. Now, the first week of November, he is out of the “boot” and doing fine.

Our next container was to arrive the first week of October. Through circumstances beyond our control, it did not arrive until the 19th. It was a 20 foot one, packed tight. We received our first shipment of food from “Feed My Starving Children”. Wow, what a blessing!! It will help SO many areas!! Don has started delivering it already and people are really pleased with it. Add to this the other food items and you have God’s richest blessings for the people in our area. Not just food, but some always needed anti-acids, women’s products, SOCKS (Lots of socks), and the start of our Christmas Bags. Our Christmas container will be a majority of the Christmas Bags and scriptures. There was a great response and we should have in excess of 8500 bags to distribute. God is gracious, righteous, and awesome, AGAIN!!!

Our next item is a prayer request. Our oldest son and youngest daughter have some serious medical problems. Karen is going stateside to be with them for a while. Please keep Don, Karen and the kids in your prayers. Don will be alone for this time, Karen will need guidance and direction on what to do and what to say, and the kids, of course, for God to touch them and heal them, or be with them through this situation.

With Thanksgiving approaching, we want to give thanks for everyone who has helped us, and for all the work teams have accomplished. And we pray especially for those who have helped us with these containers which help SO MANY here. We are so thankful for what the Lord has done here in Haiti through the ministry here.

With the Christmas season approaching, please keep in mind, through all the “glitz and glitter” of this time, that the real reason for this season is Jesus Christ and all He did for us!! Jesus IS the reason for the season!!!

Until next time, or we’ll see you on the blog spot, remember, 1 John 4:4b, “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

In His Name and Love

Tropical Storm Noel and us

Greetings from WET, WET Haiti!!!

It wasn't long ago I was praising God that the rains had stopped. And we WERE happy. But then along came tropical storm Noel!!! So many things could have been worse... it could have developed into a hurricane (although hurricane season is "officially" over). As a tropical storm, Noel did do a lot of damage where it went. Here in our area we had a lot of rain, an over abundance actually! Roads are quagmires and the holes are filled with water, so you aren't sure what you will hit!! We lost a few limbs from trees, but nothing that did damage. Don saw on the internet where quite a few people have lost their lives, but not in this area. So, although overly saturated, we are none the worse for wear.

The one thing this storm did was to cancel our MFI flights, both Tuesday (yesterday) and Thursday (tomorrow). The storm is sitting in the Bahamas and we can't fly through it. MFI is praying the can come in on Friday, for we have almost 40 passengers to get out. Yes, it will take two planes. And it will be a long day, for sure!! One flight has to go to Pignon and back and then fly out. Those days end up being very long for us.

We have ONE bit of good news. Don is out of the boot for the first time today. He is doing good. He will still take precautions but for the most part, that problem is over.

Still no news on our grandson's papers from Port au Prince, so please keep praying. It is so hard to be positive when things are stagnated like this. Yet, we know God is in control.

Please, also pray for two of our children! Our oldest (Todd) and our youngest (Christine). Both are facing some major health issues and need a lot of prayers. It is VERY difficult being so far away when you want to be there for them. This is the hardest part (for me) being in Haiti. You never outgrow motherhood!!

Keep soggy, soaked, waterlogged Haiti in your prayers. People are in some pretty bad situations right now.

Till we talk again.... God bless and keep smiling!!!

Rain, Wind and a lot of food!

Greetings, again!

We have started back to having rains again. Not as hard as before, but definitely not needed quite yet. Roads are soggy... never heard of a "soggy road"? Come and see ours!!
Guess I should back up a bit here.

Abbie's cute little puppy, Rusty, was stolen. It was sad and hard for Abbie, but not much we can do about it. We just pray that whoever took him will take good care of him. On to Don. He is doing much better now. He's driving Ti-Dove and making deliveries all over. Trying to get the food out before the roads are impassable. It's been a joy to see so many happy people when he arrives with the supplies. Not only food, but socks, too. Now, Americans may not get thrilled about socks, but they sure do here! The first orphanage who received the food from Feed My Starving Children were thrilled. You can see the happy faces below. Gilda, the Jamaican woman who runs it now, was so happy to get it, and the other supplies Don took out. And Don has made several other trips out with the supplies, too.

Today, Sunday, we had an unexpected trip to the airport. MFI called us last night and asked if we could be there to meet our small plane. A missionary from up the mountain needed to be taken out for medical reasons. So we were there to help process things and get the family of six on the plane. We are so thankful for MFI and all their services, but this emergency plane has been a true blessing. Keep them in prayer.

We have another container in the works already and are very thankful to everyone who helps get these much needed supplies to Haiti. We know Stan works so hard to make all these arrangements and then many times, goes and gets the supplies, and then loads the container, and then starts the work all over again. We know he can use your prayers too.

I've been working on logistics for teams for the last week, and talking with pastors and having meetings with them, to make sure things will be working right once the teams get here. It doesn't sound like much, but it sure keeps me going.

Well, for now, I'll close this out and send a couple of pictures from the orphanage. More will follow as things start to move. Keep it all in prayer. I'm sure I've left out something here, but there is always tomorrow.... till then.... God Bless!!

Finally, the container

I can finally say, "The container arrived"...not only in Haiti, but at our place. It was only a week late (maybe a bit more), but it came yesterday. Once it was here, we were surprised at how quickly and efficiently we had it unloaded. And the customs man was great too. He did check things, but found the people who sent it were truthful in what they sent. He ended up joking with our guys who were unloading it, so it was a great day. And, surprisingly, a short day. The fellows worked fast and carefully and did a super job. When you consider there was 29070 pounds of cargo, it went fast. but the guys were really worn out and muscles hurting. The great thing was, some of the food has already gone out. There were things for others, too, and those will be picked up soon. But we can truthfully say, Praise God for His provisions. This will help so many people. We received our first shipment of food from "Feed My Starving Children". We are very anxious to get this out to the orphanages and others. We (Stan, MFI, and us) have been working on this since last May. It's exciting to see it come to fruitation. You can check out this wonderful place by going to www.fmsc.org Don was up on his foot for a lot of the time while unloading, and he paid the price later in the day. But he seems better today. This has been very hard on him, not being a major part in unloading this container. We also have part of the "Christmas Bags" for Haiti on this shipment. This has been a blessing too. Our next container will mainly be the Christmas bags. Another great project for helping people here in Haiti. You can check that out at: www.christmasbagsforhaiti.com

Althought it's for Christmas, it ends up being a year round thing for many people who start collecting items early. We praise God for Stan and his crew and all their work for Haiti...through Christmas Bags, Containers and work teams. Stan is working full time for Haiti and he is a blessing!!

Till next time...God Bless!!

Pictures

I am trying this again... we'll see if it works. The first picture is of Don and his faithful companion, "BOOT".

The second picture is of Abbie and her faithful companion, Rusty.

Hope you enjoy...
Blessings,
Karen

On a NON rain day

Hello to all,

We are praising the Lord right now! We had NO rain yesterday and skies are clear today. Add to that, the container won't be in until tomorrow...so we won't get it here at the compound until the earliest, Monday. Prayerfully the ground will have a chance to dry out some.

I have tried and tried to get photos on here, but, well, I guess I'm not the most talented person in the world. I would have loved to send a picture of our new addition. We have several stay dogs who come to "visit" our dogs. Ti-Bear (male), in the back yard, and BJ (female), in the front yard. We ended up with three pups (at least ONE of them is Ti-Bear's pup). He is brown, not black like Ti-Bear. We have named him Rusty. He is Abbie's puppy. He is fat and round and Abbie loves him.

Don is getting around fairly well now. He does keep his boot on. He found out that it hurt if he took it off, so that is some progress. He is still frustrated that he can't drive or do any of "his" things. It will come, but he needs to let the foot heal totally.

One of our MFI pilots, Wes, and his family, are here in Haiti for a week. They are staying with our friends in Limbe. Tomorrow we will have the whole group here for the day. We are looking forward to that. What a blessing Christian fellowship is.

We are in the process of planning the trips for teams for this coming 7 months. So many areas and so much to be accomplished, but a pure blessing for everyone. Both on our end and on the teams end. Keep it all in prayer.

Till next time, or till we meet in the air!!!... blessing on you all!
Karen

Sunday evening

Hello again,
Not a lot of news going on here. We have had so much rain it is curtailing everything. We are really praying it stops now, since our container is due this week. We need the ground to dry out so the semi can get into the place we need it. If not, we'll work something out, but it sure would be nice to have it drier here for a bit.

Don is now off crutches and walking with "the boot". I have to admit that it has slowed him down some. But I know he is so frustrated with things. Had three of "our boys" come and help me clean out containers and depot and dorm, to put the items from the container. It was a long job, but good to have it out of the way. And Don wanted so much to be out there helping. Keep him in prayer.

Our service at English Bible Fellowship (EBF) was good tonight. A small group, but some eye opening comments on scripture. Isn't it great how God works with His word? You can read and read, but then all of a sudden, a new light dawns and you see it in a new way. God is so good. Hearing the praises from so many of the missionaries on how God is working is inspiring. And sharing prayer needs brings us all closer, too. Our family at EBF are great prayer warriors, as we know a lot of you are.

A few prayer requests for this week. T & A got a bit of bad news on Thursday. They moved our new grandson backward in the system. Not only him, but many others. We need a LOT of prayer for God to intervene and get things moving in the right direction again, and fast, too. J needs to be home with his family, and the system here is preventing it. I mean, everything is legal and he is theirs, but they can't take him home without that passport. So, please pray for this to be resolved. Thanks.

Another request is for the container that is to come this week. Pray that it comes on time, and that customs clears it quickly, and it can be delivered quickly. These processes drag out so much. There are a lot of people waiting for this container to come. Most don't even know the help in on the container, but they know they have to wait till Don has food again. Pray for this too.

Something I have not mentioned in a while is Missionary Flights (MFI). They do so much for so many. The hurricane that hit Nicaragua (Felix) did so much damage. We praise God that MFI was able to fly in and help out. Check out their web site and go to "Up to the Minute" and read the story. (www.missionaryflights.org). You'll enjoy reading that, plus a whole lot of other things they have done. Also, keep them uplifted in prayer. It seems like we all fight a spiritual battle when serving Him. The Lord can overcome all of these, if we but pray.

As always, we lift you all up in prayer. May you continue to walk in the truth of God's love.
Karen (for all of us)

As time goes on...

Hello again,
Just another quick note on here. Doc was here to see Don yesterday. He reviewed the x-rays and decided there might possibly have been a slight fracture just behind one of the toes. He gave Don another week on crutches and then 4 weeks with the boot on. So, keep praying for Don. His frustration level rises each day he realizes he can't do something.

We received word that our container should be in, in about ten days. (Another frustration level for Don). We are anxious to get it and start distributing the food. So many people are hurting here.

Another note of frustration is that our newest grandson, "J" has his tenth birthday today, and he is still not HOME with his family. He was seven when this whole process started. Pray for the whole family as well as the man who has yet to sign the papers to release "J" from Haiti. We believe in prayer and answered prayer, and we ask everyone to pray with us for this special request.

We have been inundated with rain. It seems every evening, we get some heavy, heavy rains. We have had enough now, and hope it stops soon. Vero and I went out the other night to change the water in Abbie's pool and wash Ti-Dove. Well, the pool got emptied (it's not real big), and we had started washing the truck when the evening downpour started. Since Don couldn't help, he stood in the doorway, TAKING PICTURES of us out in the downpour. But the truck was washed and clean.

Speaking of pictures, I have still been unable to find the program I want which reduces the pixels for putting them on here. Eventually I'll have some.

Every family has it's problems, and ours is not without. Please keep our kids in prayer as they walk through the problems they are facing. God is in control, but they need to concentrate on Him, not on problems. I guess that's true for ALL of us, family or not. It's a hard lesson to learn. We tend to keep the problem at the forefront, and not the Problem Solver, Jesus Christ. It's hard to overcome human nature, isn't it? But we can do it.

"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you." 2 Thess. 3:16

Another day...

It was just another day at the airport for some of us. But we sure are missing having Don there to do cargo and mail. We had over 2,000 pounds of cargo, plus the mail and passengers. At this time of year, there are fewer passengers, so I can help out with cargo, but it's a hard job. Everyone misses Don out there. Praise God most of the missions were there to receive their cargo and it was all distributed.
Don is trying to stay off his foot, but he is having a very hard time doing it. So, please keep him in prayer. The more he is on it, the longer it will take to heal.
Our daughter-in-law said "blogging will become additive". Well, it might, but it's such an easy way to let everyone know what is happening here. I promise not to bore you with a lot of things.
I will try to post a picture later tonight, if I can. Remember, I'm still new at this.
Keep Haiti uplifted in prayer...it is always needed.
A good friend here has a growing church and is under attack constantly by unbelievers. Pray for their mission to stand firm and strong in the Lord. Pastor Paul, his wife, and another couple are doing a fantastic job, thus the reason satan is not happy. I keep thinking of the song we sang years ago... "Let God arise and His enemies be scattered". Amen to that in Haiti!!!
For now, God bless,
Karen

Our own "blog"

Hello to all,
Well, this is new to me and I'm trying to figure out how this all works. I hope it works so we can do our updates on here and make it easier on everyone to read them, and the archives, too.
Our team left this morning and we are regrouping now. They were great. Their main objective was to teach welding to some fellows the IDADEE committee chose. The new orphanage is on it's way and definitely in God's Hands. Watching God work through, not only these young adults on this project, but through teams who come to help is awesome. It is really faith lifting to see how God combines talents and jobs in His own way. This small team was more than a team. They were some great friends who came for a visit. And this teaching was an added blessing. We loved having them and spending precious time with them.
Don is ... well for lack of a better word, stewing. He wants to be out and doing his work, he wants to be with people, he wants to get things done, and he simply can't. He is trying to be good about keeping the boot on the foot and using the crutches, but his frustration level is very high. He does not "sit still" well. So please keep him in prayer.
Abbie is a great distraction for him right now. She is a little over 2 and very smart and active. She learns quickly almost anything you put before her. Don has spent quite some time just laughing at her antics and her outgoing personality. She uses any little thing she picks up as a "telephone". She talks to everyone she can remember. Some of her converstations are in English, some in Creole and some in "Abbiease". She is a joy to have around, for sure.
Vero, Abbie's mama, and another gal are living with us right now. They are such a blessing to have here and such a help! God has blessed us with them.
Well, for now, I'll close, but ask for some prayers as you finish reading this. First, for Don and his healing. And for our son, "T", his wife, "A", and their adoption process. Pray for God to touch the heart of the person in Port au Prince holding up their papers. "J" is legally their child now, but they can't get him home until that paper is signed. Pray for the container coming, in just a couple of weeks, that it will bless many, many people. And finally pray for Haiti, it's leaders and it's Christian community. We are praying for a mighty revival to start and sweep the country.
Till next time... God bless...
Karen