Someone stated that I tend to share everyone else's pictures on here, but seldom any of me "working". Well, who wants a picture of someone doing the laundry, washing floors, doing dishes, cooking meals, and all the other "fun" stuff? Taking care of Savanah and Abbie are NOT work, so I can't include them in that statement. Yes, it's time consuming and does require some work, but it's a joy, more than work.
Not too long ago, Abbie mentioned that we haven't put up the swimming pool in a long time. The reason for that is the stray dogs around here. They tend to try to get into the pool, and put holes in it, and then, no pool. Don had gotten a heavy duty tarp from MFI. He reluctantly agreed that we could use it for the pool, "for a while". When the day of swimming is done, we simply pull the excess over the pool, and it's so heavy the dogs can't get to it. Yes, there are drawbacks, but for a time, the kids can enjoy the pool. Abbie's first comment on the pool was, "Grandma, I thought the pool was a lot bigger." Her mama said, "Nope, Abbie you were a lot smaller."
With the heat and humidity, cooling off and playing in the pool was a relief for the kids. Abbie had a few days so far, where she invited friends over to play in the water. The first day she had Daniel's 2 girls, and Oliane's daughter come. We had a good time. And then I made pizza for lunch for them. Kids played in the pool and parents played games inside, near a fan. Even Savanah got to "sort of" participate with the kids, sitting on the side of the pool.
Then Abbie told me she wanted Savanah to come into the pool with her. Well, can't just put a 9 month old in a big pool, so grandma had to get in too. Savanah loves being anywhere where Abbie is, so she loved it. But she sure enjoyed the water and splashing, too.
Then Abbie invited Kettia's son to come for a day of swimming. The kids sure did have fun.
This next picture I had to share with you all. You know that every American woman has to have that "little black dress" for any and all occasions? Well, a good friend sent Savanah some really cute clothes, but this one was a huge hit with everyone. She now has her own "little black dress", well, sort of "dress". But it's so cute. Thanks Kim for sharing with this special kiddo!!
While we were all having fun, Don was working. He sat in the hot, REALLY hot, garage and bagged and packed pails to take to families. The rice meals and oatmeal were the main things in the buckets, but he also put other things in there as well. Don's work is a bit different from my "work".
On Wednesday Don and almost all of our MFI crew from the airport went to the funeral of Perard, one of our workers. It was three hours long, but Don said it was really nice. SO many people came. And Pastor Saintil shared with everyone how much Perard meant to us and to MFI for all of his hard work at the airport. Perard's brother introduced Don to most of the family and some of the friends who were there. It goes without saying that we, along with MFI and MAF, will miss Perard's presence and hard work at the airport. But he was also a friend who would come and pray with us. So we will miss his fellowship, too. Please keep his family in prayer.
Please keep Haiti in prayer. We received an email from "those in the know" about the imminent danger of a major earthquake here in the northern section of Haiti. We have known about it for quite a while, but now the word is "official" and precautions are being shared. I don't know when or where this will actually occur, but I am thankful that the government as well as the people are taking things seriously. There is a lot of preparations being done in the area of emergency supplies and communication. Don is a part of the Ham radio net being set up to help with communication. Keep it all in prayer.
Well, I'd best close and get back to my mundane work here. Oh yes, I do have other work beside what I mentioned. I have computer work for MFI, paperwork for Don's surgery and a lot of other "little stuff" to do. And have to get it all done while the baby sleeps.
Looking at the world and all that is going on everywhere, I hope you are centering your thoughts and life on the Lord. He is coming soon, and I pray we are all ready for that great day.
I have to say this program has been a real pain lately. I added a post, and it's not there, from a week ago. And then when I tried to sign in, it wouldn't let me. Aside from the frustration of technology, we are doing okay.
Since the last post on here, life has been a bit hectic. Savanah and I never made it to the airport. She came down with chicken pox. This poor kiddo is just going through so much. But it amazes me how quickly she has overcome it. I was in touch with the doc in Cap, getting advice from an American. I took some pictures to send her, but they were so bad you could not tell anything. After describing what it looked like and how these "blister" type things were acting, it was determined, through her and with advice from a US pediatrician, that yes, she had chicken pox. She did have a slight fever twice, but not really high. And she responded to the Tylenol quickly. The baby benadryl helped with the itching. But we had to try and keep her covered, so she wouldn't scratch and infect the spots. Now, THAT was NOT easy. We are in the upper 90's and low 100's, and having to put pants and sleeves on her was torture. Praise the Lord, we are over that and she is doing really well.
Now the next saga has started...Veronique has chicken pox. I was concerned that the kids at IDADEE would have it, since Savanah was out there when she must have contacted it. (Not sure of the incubation period, but the doc figured it out, and it started before we returned). Vero said the kids out there were "itching", but she didn't think it was what Savanah had. Now that she has blisters all over, she is thinking maybe they did have it. Be that as it may, we hope everyone is on the way to healing.
We have had some really bad winds lately. The one day the wind picked up, real quick, and my first thought was that we didn't realize a hurricane was coming. It wasn't, but it sure seemed like it. I thought for a while that we may lose some of our roof. But we didn't. Then we found out the next day that this short, bad, wind "spurt", had been all over Haiti. It took down a billboard in Port au Prince and killed a couple of people. The winds only lasted, at the worst, about 45 minutes. But it was a bit scary.
Don has been hauling water all over. He took one load part way up a near mountain to one of "our kids". Then made a second trip to that area for others in the community. They were so thankful. Like the US, we were going through a time of no rains and no water for anyone. We praise God our well is deep and good and that we have never run out of water. I think the Lord has kept it full, to help others who desperately need it. Don has also taken food to some very needy areas. We have had a bit of rain, but not enough to even settle the heavy dust that is everywhere.
I don't know if you all enjoy the Gaither "Homecoming" videos, but I sure do. I only have one, but I sure enjoy listening and watching all the "old" favorites sing songs that I have heard through the years. My brother and sister-in-law had given my sister a dvd by Bill Gaither. It was a memorial dedicated to George Younce, one of the greatest Christian singers of all time. When my sister passed away, they gave me the dvd. The two songs I enjoyed most that he made famous were, "This Old House" and "Thanks to Calvary". Anything he sang was memorable, but those two were awesome. And they remind me so much of how each and everyone one of us need the Lord with us at all times. I enjoy music, but really have been touched by this dvd.
Well, it's back to work. Savanah is sleeping and that's the time I get some work done. I am praying that God is working daily in your life, as He is in ours. Each day we have so much to thank Him for, and each day we have so much to learn from Him. I pray you are walking hand in hand with the Man who stilled the waters. (Another song I enjoyed a long time ago). And a final line from a Christian chorus, "When you walk with the Lord, you don't get bored...!". Isn't that the truth though? We never cease to be amazed by God and His awesome works. I pray you are walking with Him, and keeping hold of His hand in all you do. Until next time, God bless and keep you!
Wow...I can't believe it's been so long since I have posted. I'm really sorry about that. Since coming back we have been ultra busy. Not anything exciting, just "living" and getting back into the swing of things.
We were able to spend a very short time with my brother and his wife. But it was good time. Bob looked and acted much better than we thought he would. Guess the saying, "Can't tie an old dog down", fits. I can comment on his age, since I'm right behind him. The one full day we had with them, some friends they used to be with while "on the road" (they were full time motor-homers) came for a visit. Very nice couple. But we did have two evenings with Bob and Bev. Please keep Bob in prayer. He has finished his radiation and is now waiting for the next step in treatment. Keep Bev in prayer, too, as this is also hard on her.
Keep our friend Lauri in prayer, too. Her husband made the journey to be with Jesus, and she is without him now. Lauri and Bill were and ARE a very important part of our lives. But losing a loved one is not an easy road to walk. Bill is happy and rejoicing with Jesus, but those who love and miss him are suffering. Please keep Lauri and her family in prayer, for God's comfort and peace.
We flew into Haiti on a Tuesday and were anxious to see everyone. Sad to have to listen to Vero explain her aunt and brother's deaths. That was such a hard, hard time for her. She spent two weeks in Port au Prince, first day or two with Smith (pronounced Smit), then the rest of the time making funeral arrangements for him and getting things straightened out there. She came back here just a couple of days before we arrived back. Please keep her in prayer as she now has to assume all the responsibilities of her family. Smith had a couple of businesses going, and she has to get a lawyer to get things straightened out with all of that. Plus, like her, he supported quite a few kids in school. She doesn't want to ignore them, but life has put a whole lot of new challenges on her plate now. She keeps plodding on but it's so hard for her. She still has all her responsibilities at IDADEE and now all of Smith's situations, too.
One of the fellows from IDADEE brought Savanah to us after we were home. As I had feared, she didn't really know us. But I was holding her and started to sing a song I always sang to her. She pulled back, looked at me, then all of a sudden she smiled and leaned in and hugged me. Now we are back to her clinging to me. She will go to Vero, and to Don, but if I leave the room, she yells. I'm slowly breaking her of that. I think she feels I'll leave her again. She was a bit lethargic when we got here. Being at the orphanage with 23 other very young kids, she was treated as one of them and was sort of left in her bed a lot. Not crawling or getting around, it was the safest place for her. Now she is crawling all over the place, and yup, getting into things. But that is fine. She is improving so much in the last 2 weeks. She got her second round of shots yesterday. Slight fever last night, but other than that, she didn't respond at all. She is such a good baby, we sure couldn't ask for more. When we say "praise the Lord" she lefts her hands in the air. And this kid LOVES to eat. I brought back a lot of baby food, well, forget that. She won't eat it, she wants REAL food. No teeth yet, so have to really mash things up, but that's fine. When Abbie walks in, she lights up and gets all excited. They watch TV together and it's so funny. Abbie likes anything with dancing in it. And Savanah has good rhythm, too. She bounces right along with Abbie. What a blessing these two are.
A lot of our time has been setting things back in order here. Our inverter quit...well, it wasn't technically the inverter, it was our batteries...they had gone dry and died on us. Don did find two of the 8 that are usable. So, he charges them each day so we will have a fan at night. No security lights, but that's life. Once we get enough funds, we'll work on getting batteries. There were a lot of other minor things that needed attention and we are finally getting to the point of having them all taken care of.
Like American, a lot of political stuff going on here. But we don't get involved in that at all. We are here for the Lord, not politics. And our weather...well, America has been having some major heat situations, and so have we. We are at the point of praying for rain again. We had a major storm go over us, and we didn't even get one drop of rain from it. But our humidity has been right up there in the 90's the whole time since we've been back. You'd think we'd get some rain, but nope, not a drop. And yes, our temps were in the 100's, too, with that awful humidity. It would drop down to the low 90's at night. Now we are in the 90's and dropping to the low 90's at night. We even got into the upper 80's once. Okay, for you all that is bad, right? Well, YOU have electricity. Maybe not air conditioning (but most do), but at least fans. Our power was going off at 6:30 in the evening and not coming on till 5 in the morning. No fans, no electric at all. We now have ONE fan working at night, and praise the Lord, it's in our bedroom. You all can praise God you have an alternative to the heat. We have one fan, but I think of the Haitians who have NO alternative, just sweltering heat and bugs. I praise God a LOT for our one fan.
Looks like Savanah and I will be making a work day of it at the airport on Tuesday. Vero has to take Abbie to the Dominican to get her passport again. A very tangled web concerning her passport. (Was lost here in Haiti, they didn't want to issue another one, so she went to the Haitien consulate in the Dominican to get a replacement. Now the Haitian government doesn't want to re-issue it, since it ran out. She has to go back to the Dominican to get it renewed. What a mess.) So, I'll go and work on Tuesday at the airport. We'll see how that works out.
I am so thankful that in our travels in the US the Lord went BEFORE us, went WITH us and kept His hands ON us. It would have been very hard to have had Don in a hospital somewhere where we knew no one. But He was also with us on the road. We got excellent gas millage, so spent less on fuel this time. A minor thing, but major when you have to pay for it. Oh there are things we forgot to get and things we would have liked to do, but God knows all of that, and He walks with us and guides us, so we are happy. We are so thankful for all of our friends and relatives we were able to spend time with. Two college graduations, one high school graduation and getting to be with grand kids was special. Everything was super, even the delay for minor things on our return.
So, a HUGE thank you, first and foremost to the Lord for being with us, and then to our family who was a super blessing for us, and also our friends who make life a fun place to be. We are blessed beyond measure. I pray you are in that place too, where you can praise God for all He has done for you. Even in the rough times, He's there and has His hands on you (and especially on US). Be blessed, and praise God for all He does for you. Until next time.... keep your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith!
