Greetings,
We have had some really weird weather here. When we first moved to Haiti, almost 28 years ago, we had soft rains nightly (and no lightening) and sunshine daily. These last few weeks, we have had HORRID rains and lightening every evening and sunshine during the day. With these storms come some heavy winds, too. This is something even the Haitians are commenting on. The older folks say they have never seen weather like this before. It's not quite 2 PM and already the thunder has started and it's getting dark. Pray for the people in homes that have leaks and those living on lower ground. We had thought that maybe the rains would take the temps down, but nope, it's simply hot and MORE humid than before. September is our hottest month, but this is something beyond what we have seen before.
We've been working like mad on so many things here. Biggest challenge was replacing the toilet in our home. That took a few days. But, praise God, it's in and working great. Doing a lot of sorting/cleaning out/ and getting rid of things not needed. Things sure do tend to pile up. Of course, as soon as we toss something, we'll need it, but that's life.
Don is still into his intense study of scripture. At least three or four hours each morning. I've been doing a search on "grace"....wow, it's something else. I lead English church this coming month. And with our speaker not coming for this first Sunday, I am going to find scriptures and songs dealing with GRACE. I've found some neat things, and some interesting things. Love getting into the scriptures, though.
An "Abbie update"..... she is doing really well in school. She is in first grade and aside from all her other "classes", she is learning French and Spanish. Each night she wants to say grace at supper, and she does it both in French and in Spanish. Her teacher says she is the one student (our of the school of 40+ kids), who loves to sit and listen and learn. She also sits with mama at night and reads the Bible. Some words she has to stop and ask what they mean, but I can't believe she is doing so great. The words she doesn't know, she sounds out and then repeats, to make sure they are right. The only thing she doesn't like about school is math. She's good at it, but it takes more time than the other things, and she doesn't have a lot of patience. She wants everything to move along at a quicker pace.
Vero went to Ti-Gauve (south west of Port au Prince) yesterday. She and her brother, Smith, went to pick up three more little boys for the IDADEE orphanage. All right around 2 years old. That will make 13 little ones, all under 2 1/2 years old. Quite a challenge.
Well, I'd better get back to work and get some things done. Didn't go to the airport today. I'm only going on Tuesday's now. But there is enough work here to catch up on. And it's a good time to study when I'm here alone. Since Abbie is doing so well in school, I think it's time for some "Abbie cooking" time. She loves to help make things, so maybe something special for supper is in line. I'll let her pick it out. She is such a quick learner, it's fun to work and teach her.
I'll leave you with one of the scriptures I'm using on Sunday.... 2 Corinthians 12: 9... "But He (the Lord) said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'...." God's grace is sufficient for ALL OF US!!
Blessings....and keep your eyes on Jesus!!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
A hard time
Just a short note here, asking for prayers for Don and his family. One of his older sisters passed away 2 days ago. She had been in a nursing home for quite some time, but was looking forward to getting back home in the next few months. We are so glad we were able to spend some time with her this summer. As hard as this is, we do know we'll see her again. She accepted the Lord many, many years ago in our home. She is now pain free and having a great time. It's those of us left here who grieve and hurt. "Parting is such sweet sorrow" has real meaning to us now.
When my sister passed away 2 years ago, we had that same feeling. So, both of our sisters are now together and rejoicing with the Lord!!
We will not be able to go to the funeral, but our thoughts and prayers are with her children and grandchildren. They were very close and this will be difficult for them. Please, keep them in prayer.
In July, Barb was able to get to the yearly family picnic. It was a great time for everyone. It was the first time in a very long time that we were there for the picnic. Such a blessing for us.
These are her daughters with her at the picnic. Her son was there, but I didn't get him in the picture.
Thanks for sharing in our memories. And please, keep the family in prayer.
When my sister passed away 2 years ago, we had that same feeling. So, both of our sisters are now together and rejoicing with the Lord!!
We will not be able to go to the funeral, but our thoughts and prayers are with her children and grandchildren. They were very close and this will be difficult for them. Please, keep them in prayer.
In July, Barb was able to get to the yearly family picnic. It was a great time for everyone. It was the first time in a very long time that we were there for the picnic. Such a blessing for us.
Just before we left Wisconsin in August, Don was able to spend time with both his older sisters. It was the first time in a LONG, LONG time the three of them had been together. And I think the first time in a long time we saw Barb smile so big. She was thrilled both Yvonne and Don came to see her together.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
The Maiden Flight of N500MF
We had a busy day yesterday. Not only busy, but with the temperature over 100, and out in the sun all day, it was HOT!!! Two MFI planes came in, one of them being N500MF, our new turbine aircraft. Before I share photos, I want to share just a short part of what MFI's president, Dick Snook, shared last Friday. After explaining the almost 5 months of waiting on the US government to certify the aircraft, that certification came last Friday morning. Here is just a short clip of what he wrote....
"...On Tuesday, September 13th, N500MF will make her maiden voyage to Haiti and the Dominican Republic hauling a work team, mission cargo and mail. I suppose you might guess who will be at the controls. I do not pull rank very often at MFI but I did this time. Pray for a great flight with the "new" (68 year old) DC-3 being flown by a 64 year old captain. (With a big smile on his face.)..."
Yes, he did have a big smile on his face when he arrived. It was a great day for everyone. A bit of a note Dick sent out today follows...
"....This airplane carries more weight than our other aircraft and does it in style. Going to Haiti, we cruised at 17,000 feet at an average of 240 mph. On the flight home to Fort Pierce, we averaged 235 mph. Today, with fuel costs so high, efficiency is very important for MFI. We moved nearly 7,000 pounds of mission cargo to Haiti yesterday and brought 7 passengers home including a badly injured motorcycle accident victim. A special thanks to everyone who has prayed and given to this aircraft project..."
You can see Dick, along with everyone else at MFI, is really pleased with the performance of this new aircraft. A little side note here...all of our other DC-3's have a rest room, as does N500MF, but the new aircraft has a FLUSH toilet. The others have a bucket below, with a normal seat on it. (This is a real point of note for the passengers who fly regularly with us.) It doesn't seem like a big deal to many, but it's an upgrade that many of the missionaries will enjoy.
Now, it's on to the pictures. I hope you enjoy them. Keep praying for MFI and for their aircraft to keep performing in the normal great way!!
You will note that our pilots (yes, even the president of MFI) do the loading and unloading of the cargo, with the help of our Haitian workers. (A side note here, that is OUR aluminum they are unloading, to help stop the leaks in our dorm roof!)
There are the two aircraft on the ground at Cap Haitian. Between the two aircraft they hauled well over 10,000 pounds of cargo yesterday. N500MF alone had almost 7,000 pounds, some of which was destined for Pignon. N200MF had passengers and the remainder of the cargo, some of which went to the Dominican.
Can you believe our pilots look so good after unloading all that cargo? It's a lot of HARD work for our crew.
I took this one when they took off....I loved the Citadel in the background.
This last photo is an added bonus. Having animals walking around at the "international airport" is a common site. But the Haitians do not like getting very close to those horns.
We hope your day today is special, like ours was yesterday. But even if God's blessings are small, they are there every day for all of us to enjoy and grasp on to. Look for YOUR special blessings from the Lord today. It may be something as simply as a cool breeze on a very hot day, or something bigger, like our new aircraft finally making it's maiden flight to Haiti. Either way, God bless you, and we'll see you soon, either here, there or in the air!!!
"...On Tuesday, September 13th, N500MF will make her maiden voyage to Haiti and the Dominican Republic hauling a work team, mission cargo and mail. I suppose you might guess who will be at the controls. I do not pull rank very often at MFI but I did this time. Pray for a great flight with the "new" (68 year old) DC-3 being flown by a 64 year old captain. (With a big smile on his face.)..."
Yes, he did have a big smile on his face when he arrived. It was a great day for everyone. A bit of a note Dick sent out today follows...
"....This airplane carries more weight than our other aircraft and does it in style. Going to Haiti, we cruised at 17,000 feet at an average of 240 mph. On the flight home to Fort Pierce, we averaged 235 mph. Today, with fuel costs so high, efficiency is very important for MFI. We moved nearly 7,000 pounds of mission cargo to Haiti yesterday and brought 7 passengers home including a badly injured motorcycle accident victim. A special thanks to everyone who has prayed and given to this aircraft project..."
You can see Dick, along with everyone else at MFI, is really pleased with the performance of this new aircraft. A little side note here...all of our other DC-3's have a rest room, as does N500MF, but the new aircraft has a FLUSH toilet. The others have a bucket below, with a normal seat on it. (This is a real point of note for the passengers who fly regularly with us.) It doesn't seem like a big deal to many, but it's an upgrade that many of the missionaries will enjoy.
Now, it's on to the pictures. I hope you enjoy them. Keep praying for MFI and for their aircraft to keep performing in the normal great way!!
Monday, September 5, 2011
We are home
Well, we are finally home and almost settled in. We sort of waited around at my brother's place to make sure hurricane Irene wasn't going to hit MFI, then we headed over to the east coast of Florida and made our final purchases before heading in.
We came in on Tuesday. It was such a blessing to finally be on home ground again. The down side to this is that we already miss our family and friends in the US, A LOT!! But we do know we are where the Lord wants us. We received a wonderful reception at the airport. Nice to know we were missed there. And we had no problems with customs, even with our large amount of cargo. We really had nothing to declare, except food and household items, so that wasn't a surprise. When we have taxable items, we let them know. But thankfully this time, there weren't any.
When we walked in at the airport, Abbie came running out to meet us. She didn't know we were coming. Security immediately grabbed her and took her back in. She has grown so much in the 4 months we've been gone.
As normal for Veronique, our house looked fantastic. Polished and shining. Then we came in with all of our "stuff". I felt bad for her. And here it is almost a week later and we still don't have everything unpacked. Working on it slow but sure. And we are doing it around all those who have come to welcome us home again.
We were happy to be able to spend some time with Pastor Saint-Ange the day after we arrived. He has been such a blessing to us. And his wife, Evelyn, is a gem, too. Well, there were so many people who came, the list would be really long.
Yesterday at English church we were happy to see our missionary friends and national friends as well. Got to hold Ray and Bonnie's little Jauncie during the service. Well, little is a misconception. He has grown a LOT. He wasn't sure who I was, but adapted quite quickly. I'll try to get some photos of Abbie and him on here soon.
Weather is hot and humid. I had been thinking it may be similar to Florida, but it's not. Seems like it's hotter, even if the temps are the same....well, maybe not. We got down to 85 last night. Guess we have been used to sleeping in temperature controlled homes while stateside. None of that here...just pure heat and humidity. But we are re-adapting quickly. And back to two showers a day.
Prices in the US are rising, and they sure are here, too. Food prices have gone way up. But electric...wow...we can't believe the increase in price. I will be spending some time trying to figure out exactly how much more in the next few days. And they have changed from Haitian dollars to American...which increases it 8 times more, over the increase in price. I think we'll need a lot of prayers where this is concerned.
Well, I'd best get back to sorting and putting away things. The Lord showed me, very definitely, while in the US, that we need to slow down some. And we are trying. But the needs have not decreased, they have escalated. So, we'll need some prayers on exactly how to adjust our time and do what He wants us to do.
It all comes back to one of my favorite passages....Isaiah 40: 31 "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Now we have to learn to do things in God's ways and in His time. Pray with us on this. The other verses that mean so much to me are 1 Thess. 5:16-18 "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus, concerning you." I think these two sections of scripture go together. Now if we can only learn to do exactly what it is saying....we are trying. I hope these are an encouragement to you as well. Simple truths, but not always easy to instill in our lives.
We are praying for you all, that the Lord will make Himself real and active in your lives, as He has been doing in ours. May you walk daily with your hand in His and listen to His guidance in all you do. Have a God blessed, God guided and God centered day, in Jesus Christ!!!
We came in on Tuesday. It was such a blessing to finally be on home ground again. The down side to this is that we already miss our family and friends in the US, A LOT!! But we do know we are where the Lord wants us. We received a wonderful reception at the airport. Nice to know we were missed there. And we had no problems with customs, even with our large amount of cargo. We really had nothing to declare, except food and household items, so that wasn't a surprise. When we have taxable items, we let them know. But thankfully this time, there weren't any.
When we walked in at the airport, Abbie came running out to meet us. She didn't know we were coming. Security immediately grabbed her and took her back in. She has grown so much in the 4 months we've been gone.
As normal for Veronique, our house looked fantastic. Polished and shining. Then we came in with all of our "stuff". I felt bad for her. And here it is almost a week later and we still don't have everything unpacked. Working on it slow but sure. And we are doing it around all those who have come to welcome us home again.
We were happy to be able to spend some time with Pastor Saint-Ange the day after we arrived. He has been such a blessing to us. And his wife, Evelyn, is a gem, too. Well, there were so many people who came, the list would be really long.
Yesterday at English church we were happy to see our missionary friends and national friends as well. Got to hold Ray and Bonnie's little Jauncie during the service. Well, little is a misconception. He has grown a LOT. He wasn't sure who I was, but adapted quite quickly. I'll try to get some photos of Abbie and him on here soon.
Weather is hot and humid. I had been thinking it may be similar to Florida, but it's not. Seems like it's hotter, even if the temps are the same....well, maybe not. We got down to 85 last night. Guess we have been used to sleeping in temperature controlled homes while stateside. None of that here...just pure heat and humidity. But we are re-adapting quickly. And back to two showers a day.
Prices in the US are rising, and they sure are here, too. Food prices have gone way up. But electric...wow...we can't believe the increase in price. I will be spending some time trying to figure out exactly how much more in the next few days. And they have changed from Haitian dollars to American...which increases it 8 times more, over the increase in price. I think we'll need a lot of prayers where this is concerned.
Well, I'd best get back to sorting and putting away things. The Lord showed me, very definitely, while in the US, that we need to slow down some. And we are trying. But the needs have not decreased, they have escalated. So, we'll need some prayers on exactly how to adjust our time and do what He wants us to do.
It all comes back to one of my favorite passages....Isaiah 40: 31 "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Now we have to learn to do things in God's ways and in His time. Pray with us on this. The other verses that mean so much to me are 1 Thess. 5:16-18 "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus, concerning you." I think these two sections of scripture go together. Now if we can only learn to do exactly what it is saying....we are trying. I hope these are an encouragement to you as well. Simple truths, but not always easy to instill in our lives.
We are praying for you all, that the Lord will make Himself real and active in your lives, as He has been doing in ours. May you walk daily with your hand in His and listen to His guidance in all you do. Have a God blessed, God guided and God centered day, in Jesus Christ!!!
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