Dec. 9th and it's TOO quiet

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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