Greetings again from our wonderful "home on the lake".
A lot going on... and not really a lot of time to do things. I had mentioned that Michelle and Don have been watching our animal population out the window for a while. It's been a thrill for both of them since none of us get to see the wild life where we are. The funny thing is, as close as the deer are, they don't seem afraid of us watching them. Oh I imagine if we were to get closer or move a lot, they'd run. But two of the following pictures are not in zoom mode. One is, the close up of the face, but others were not. They really enjoy sitting here and watching the deer come so close. They get to do this for about half an hour each evening. There is a glass door between us and the deer, though.
It's fun to be so close to the creatures God created.
An added blessing for us this week was when one of our "heart babies" came to visit. Well, guess we can't call him a baby anymore. Nathan and some of his family came to visit. In the photos, I want to let you know Don and I are standing on a step behind Nathan. He's a junior in high school. He is excelling in basketball. He has very good grades and has several colleges looking at him to attend their school. So many of our "heart babies" are really making us proud. Wish I had photos of them all to share with you. And I will share that the families that have adopted these great kids have done an awesome job of raising them and training them. We are praying God will bless them abundantly for letting God guide their hearts this way. I especially lift up Jeff and Carol, Nate's folks, for the wonderful job they have done. And I praise God for the wonderful man Nate has become.
We talked to Bud and Jane in Haiti last night. They are caring for Savanah. Please keep them in prayer. Running after these two 1 year olds must be really a challenge. We were able to talk to Savanah for a bit, too. Jane said she had not danced or sang since we left (this was a time consuming thing she did daily before we left). Jane's phone went dead, and they called back. She said after talking to us, Savanah was singing and dancing in the room. Lifted our spirits a lot.
Well, time is moving fast for us, so I'd better close. I hope you will let the Lord be your guide today and always. He really, really IS an AWESOME GOD!!!
Wow, where do I start? This has been a whirlwind week and what a time we've had.
We did arrive in COLD Wisconsin, as I had stated. But now...we've had a couple of snow storms and some rain, and really cold weather.
The night of our anniversary we celebrated with 4 of our 5 children and their "other halves". We had a great time. And received some wonderful gifts from them. Their presence would have been enough, but they did present us with gifts. '
From left to right, Jay and Christine (Child #5) (Jay is her boyfriend), then Dale and Dawn (Dale is child #3) {{his twin, Tim, was not present, he is #2}} followed by Don and I. Next is Deb, Todd's wife (Todd is child #1), and Michelle (child #4) then Todd. We had a wonderful time with them.
On Sunday was the "official party" for our 50th wedding anniversary. Our daughter, Christine was pretty much responsible for all that went on. She did so much work, and then worked on the food. Michelle and I helped with some of the food, but the majority of work was done before we got there, by Christine.
On that morning, we woke to one of the snow storms. So much fun... Don repeated many times that afternoon about the fact that on our wedding day, he had gone riding on his Harley.... NOT possible at the anniversary.
But what a turn out there was that day!! So MANY family and friends. And a lot of those we had not seen in many, many years. It was wonderful. Now for a few of the pictures.... We renewed our vows. Just as we finished, Dale came up and put a ball and chain on Don. Then gave me the key. (I did give Don the key). The next photo was showing our rings. Don had taken his in to have it shined, and unknown to me, got me a new ring. I was really surprised. It's lovely. The third picture is Don and I with Duane and Carolyn Schultz. Duane is the man who's life was a witness to Don (and eventually became Don's boss), and he and Carolyn are the reason Don and I came to know the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. An awesome couple who love the Lord and serve Him daily. Duane led our re-dedication service. He gave a wonderful message and shared the way to know the Lord for all who were there.
In addition to Duane, the pastor of our home church (Pastor David) was present, and having them both there, both strong men of faith, was a blessing for us. These are two men who keep our eyes focused on God and His word!
This may not be the best picture of either of them, but it sure shows that the Lord we serve inspires fun and laughter in all of us... at least we believe God wants us to be happy and joyful... and we are, and these men of God are, too!
Well, I will have to close for now. I just wanted to share with you just a small portion of the great time we had on our 50th Wedding Anniversary. Soon I will share some photos that Don and Michelle have been taking of the deer who visit us daily. They are SO much fun to watch.
We'll have more news from here in the states soon. We do miss Haiti and our "family" there. But God has richly blessed us while we've been here so far. Keep tuned for our updates on this trip. God is working wonders all the time.
So, keep your eyes and ears tuned to the Lord at all times. Let Him be your guide. It is such an exciting time to be serving Him. I hope you are feeling that same experience in your life!! BLESSINGS!!!!
Greetings from COLD, SNOWY Wisconsin. We made our trip to Mobile, Alabama to pick up our daughter. Headed from there to Tennessee to see our son and family. Then made the trip up here to Wisconsin. And into SNOW. We thought we were seeing the last of it as we arrived at our very nice, comfortable, WARM house here on the lake. The temps stayed at about 37 degrees... brrrrr... really, really cold for us.
We had some rain, and then woke this morning to snow falling again. This is April 19th, and it's snowing... not something normal for this area. I thought you might want to see a couple photos of us in this snow....
That is our daughter (yup, out in the snow with a cane) and me throwing snow balls at each other. Then there is Don out there putting seeds out for the many birds, and even deer. Don sat and watched a deer this close last evening.
Tomorrow is our 50th Anniversary. We will be going out for a meal with most of our kids. Then Sunday there will be an open house for our family and friends. We are pretty excited to be able to see some of the family we haven't seen in a LONG time.
Today is Don's first appointment with the eye doctor. Next week is his physical, then the following week, the first meeting with the surgeon. And a few days later his first operation for the cataracts. Keep it all in prayer, please.
We've gotten some discouraging messages from Haiti concerning the adoptions. The powers that be seem to be wanting to stop little Sammy's adoption to the family who is anxiously waiting for him. Please keep this one in constant prayer. As far as Savanah's adoption, we aren't sure where that stands, but we are praying that the fact that a biological aunt is one of the adoptive parents, may be a positive thing and that things will work out more easily.
We really believe that God would not have worked things out this far in the adoptions to have it stop completely. God has constantly opened doors and placed His people in our path. We believe that somehow, in God's way, things will continue to go forward. Please put this at the top of your prayer list. Both Sammy and Savanah need to be with their adoptive families, soon. They are missing the love and support of these families. And pray with us, earnestly, that God will again intervene and work the problems out in His way, but soon.
Thank you so much for being there for us. Thank you for your support, both physically and prayerfully. And please continue to pray as both Don's situation and the adoption processes continue.
Also, remember to put the Lord at the front and center of all you say and do. Keep Him in all areas of your life.
Until next time, blessing to you all!!
We had a great flight out today. Landed in Fort Pierce early. Like maybe 3:30. That's a first for us, and we sure did like it.
Went out to eat with some friends, checked into the hotel then went shopping for those at our house in Haiti. And now it's time to simply chill out and relax a bit. I did want to share a few photos with you though. And tell you a bit of a story.
One of the men Don had hired many, many times over the years, had a horrid accident. He was out chopping rocks to sell to make money for his family. A huge bolder came down and crushed his lower leg. They had to amputate it below the knee. Don helped him with hospital bills, but still felt so bad. This man was a worker and not someone who depended on others for a handout. When we were out last moth, he had asked Dick, at MFI, if they had any wheelchairs. They didn't. Don explained why he was looking for one. Dick said that they had a P.E.T. Well things worked out and Dick sent it down. Don and our friend Bud got it put together. They took it to Bosié (Bow-see-yea). He was so happy to get it. They got some photos of him and his new mobile. He was praising God for a way to get around and carry things. God works in wonderful ways, using others to help those in need. I know I have posted the web site before, for P.E.T., but I wanted you to see THE HAITI end of what a great thing it is.
Last Saturday we had some more horrible rains. Our friends, Bud and Jane, went to help their watchman/yardman get his family out of hip deep water and move them to their place. While they all worked on this, we were blessed to have little Sammy for a hour or so. He and Savanah are such buddies. And they are only 3 months apart. Aren't they a pair?
Well, for now I'd best close out and get some rest. We stop at MFI tomorrow morning then hit the road and head toward our daughter's in Mobile, AL.
Blessings on all, and please continue to pray for those in Haiti. Keep Vero, Abbie, Savanah, Bud and Jane in prayer, in our absence. They are standing in our stead while we are stateside.
Till next time, keep Jesus at the front of your life. He is willing and able to do all you need. Simply turn to Him, and praise Him for what He has already done.
I'm sorry I haven't gotten on and updated things. It's been a whirlwind here. But then, I guess it normally IS that way in some form or another.
First, the truck... well we sort of went around and around on things. Yes, it was settled with the man who was hit... but then came the figuring out of "others" that we needed to ... pay. The watchmen who watched the truck, the police who did their paperwork, the judge who had to make so many trips to court for us... (actually for the man who didn't show up), and the list goes on and on. Now, before I complete this story, I want to share with you another one....
Yesterday at English church, we had another missionary friend speak. I know I have shared on here a while back about Pritchard and Dana Adams. The miracles in the lives of these great people is such an inspiration to so many. Prit shared yesterday and was just as wonderful as we had expected. I really enjoyed listening to him speak on the scriptures, and the power of God in us. The passage that really hit home for both Don and I was in Mark 11: 22 $ 23. Jesus is talking here about having the faith OF God. Not the faith IN God. After checking different sources, the real translation of that is having the faith OF God. And then when you say to this mountain be removed, it will be cast into the sea. Prit is a very powerful speaker, and the Spirit of God really flows from him. I'm sure many of you have at some point in time, sat under a gifted teacher and could feel the moving of the Spirit. That is exactly how it was yesterday. I thought it was just me, but after service, I heard the Haitians even saying that they could feel God's presence, and that is not something they admit to very readily. Anyway, Prit and Dana had said if anyone would like prayer, they would be happy to pray with them after service. Don told me to ask them to pray about the truck situation. The four of us held hands and were praying, and I felt such an overpowering peace come on me. It was like a refreshing of my whole body. I learned later that those standing close by had the same experience. God WAS and IS moving in our lives. We are so excited about it. I think the part that uplifted my faith a lot was when Dana said something to the effect of moving the mountain of things blocking the truck from being released. And I knew, that I knew, that I KNEW the truck would be in our yard today. Talking with Don later at home, he felt the same way.
Then this morning, Belfort, our faithful friend, came to tell us he was headed out to the court and the judge yet again, to see what could be done. He said, "I'll see you later, and maybe we will have the truck." I told him Prit had prayed yesterday about the whole situation and that the truck WOULD be released today. He smiled and said if Pastor Pritchard prayed, it will be done. He smiled and said we'll see you later with the truck. The day wore on, and no one came. Don was in the garage working on the generator (it's been leaking oil). I was in the living room and in walked Belfort and Daniel. Daniel held out the truck key and asked where Fre Don was. I said sit down, I'll get him. I went to the garage and Don said, "look at this...", I don't know where he was pointing, but I simply held the key under his nose and smiled.
So, we started praising God, BIG TIME!! He moved the mountains... and the boys agreed. We have the truck and the final papers on the accident, and it is finished!! We are so relieved. We can now fly out tomorrow and know that the Lord has taken care of it all and it is over. Don't we serve an awesome God? But I seem to keep mentioning that, don't I?
On to the adoption.... I think I had shared that in with all of the papers we have (the legal ones), we have the power of attorney from the Haitian courts to act on behalf of Savanah. And that is GREAT. But this week, we received the Power of Attorney from the Canadian government, via the Haitian consulate in Canada, also. We are covered on all fields now. God is working in so many ways that it's almost hard to believe. He has done so much and accomplished things we never could have done. We really do stand in awe of Him and how He has worked in so many ways in our lives.
The rains we had two nights ago were devastating in many areas here. In one area, the homes are flooded again. We had those horrible rains in early December and now again in April. Please keep the people here in prayer. The river is so high, the old French bridge that we normally cross to go to the airport is under water. So we'll have to go through town again. That means homes in many areas are under water. It's heart breaking to see these people, who have no where else to go, living on their roofs. And if it rains, they get wet yet again. But what choice do they have. They have no money to move, no place to go, they are simply living a very hard life. YET, you see them smile..... they survived and are alive. With nothing but their lives. And again, I think .... "THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD, GO I". It could be any one of us. Me, you, or your family. How would YOU respond to that situation? It's very humbling and very thought provoking.
Well, I'll have to close for now and pray that blogger will let me post. It seems to be fighting me tonight, but I know the Lord will help me get it posted. Until next time, probably from the state side, keep Jesus at the front and center of all you do and say. Let the Lord be your guide and trust completely in Him. He is ABLE and WILLING to hear and help us in all situations. And remember, to praise Him for all the answers He sends your way, too!! Blessings!
I keep telling myself that the Lord has things in His Hands, and I can trust Him to take care of it all. And yes, with this whole accident thing, I have done it, and now I can praise Him for how HE is doing it.
Pastor Cebien, Belfort and another policeman friend came this afternoon. Now, we do have a lawyer, but pastor Cebien didn't want him involved. He had been out to the judge one time before with them. Today was a culmination of many things.
First, the man finally showed up at the courts. He had THREE lawyers with him there. The judge called in OUR lawyer to be there. Mr. Durand (Charlie) is our lawyer for the adoption and we had called him in on this case. We are so happy the judge wanted him there. Charlie started out by asking the fellow, do you have an identity card (required in Haiti). He said no. Do you have a voters registration? He said no. Do you have a drivers license? He said no. Okay, then the policeman asked, why are you driving without a license? No answer. Then Charlie asked him if he saw Don's truck coming. He said yes. Why didn't you move over? I was going to fast. At this point, the fellows brother stepped in and called him aside. So, he turned and walked over to him to talk. WRONG decision. The judge turned to the policeman and said, Put cuffs on him and arrest him. He has no respect for this court." So, off he went. His lawyers all left just before he did. They had already written the whole incident down before Charlie got there. So, papers are filed, and the decision will be made in two days. Don can pick up the truck at that time.
Evidently EVERYONE is of the opinion that there is no case here and things will go in Don's favor. Yes, Don paid the hospital bills. And he will pay to repair the bike. And he did settle an amount with the judge. So, all in all, even with the cost, we are glad it is over.
Something that happened the first time Charlie went out there still upsets us a bit. This other lawyer got Charlie aside and said, "These are WHITE people, with MONEY. You need to charge them a LOT." Charlie told them, "No, that is not how I work. These are missionaries and we are to help them." The response? "You are against the rest of us and we will make it hard for you to do anything." But Praise God, Charlie stood his ground. YES we will pay him. He was there immediately for Don the same day of the accident. And he has stood by, in case he was needed again. When the judge called, he came immediately. He is a Christian and has stood on his beliefs. God will honor him for that, and we will praise God for putting us in contact with someone so good.
I have to laugh, though. If you had seen Pastor Cebien telling us all of this, you would have enjoyed it. He started laughing and said, "It's been a REALLY good day today. And I really like your lawyer. He takes no nonsense from anyone!!" And Charlie did do a great job. Listening to all three of them tell about it, I wondered how they didn't laugh right there in court. And it was obvious why his lawyers didn't want him in court.
It's true, we don't have the truck right here in the yard. But are we worried? Not at all. Even Don has a calmness that he didn't have before. And that is due in large part to all of you praying. We thank you so much for those prayers. So now we ask you to PRAISE GOD with us. And yes, pray the truck does get released as everyone says it will. God went before these men and prepared a way. Don, Belfort and I prayed before Belfort left to go to court. I had such a calm and restful spirit, I KNEW God was already working.
So, again... i repeat, WE SERVE AN AWESOME GOD!!!!!
Well, I've waited (maybe a bit impatiently) for our truck to be released. We are STILL waiting. Don did get his license back last Friday, though. This other fellow simply does not show up at the court. If this were the US, the case would be thrown out... but it's Haiti, so we wait. Daniel, one of our former puppeteers, is now a policeman. He is working out near the area where the accident happened. He went and talked to the judge. He said this judge is a good person, and a Christian. The fellow Don hit has a lawyer show up, but he doesn't. The lawyer was caught in a lie, and the judge is not happy with him. So, I have a feeling things WILL be resolved soon. I have a peace about it that I haven't had before, so I'm not worried about it. Don is just concerned we get the truck back before we leave next week. So, please pray about the situation and about peace for Don. Pastor Cebien is still working on it. And he has a calm demeanor which is great.
I have been the leader for English Bible Fellowship this month. (Not one of my favorite things, but I do it). For Easter, we have a sunrise (or Son Rise) service at 6:30 AM. One of the other committee members is in charge of the fellowship breakfast (or brunch) after service. We have everyone bring something to share, but she does all the extra stuff... getting coffee ready, buying plates, forks, etc... all the "stuff" that goes with having a meal. Our speaker for that service is an OMS missionary, as is Kate, who was in charge of the breakfast. OMS had a retreat in the Dominican over the holiday weekend, but returned on Saturday. Late Saturday afternoon, Brett, who heads up OMS in Haiti, called. He was at the Dominican/Haitian border. He had gotten through to Haiti, but the rest had stopped at a restaurant right by the border. As he went through, they closed the border so they could go home.... 2 hours and 20 minutes early. Brett said, "I'm sorry but Kate is in the Dominican and won't be there for the service. Oh, and so is Matt, (our speaker)." I very calmly said, "Well, Brett, looks like YOU are our speaker for tomorrow morning then." He sort of hemmed and hawed and finally said okay. But that left me in a real state of panic. We had nothing for the breakfast. I started calling the other committee members to let them know. Then Don and I made a trip to the store... and they had everything we needed... Huge container of Tang drink mix, coffee, plates, forks, spoons, napkins and some other other things I needed to make extra food. That in itself was a miracle. Most stores have nothing like this, and all of a sudden, this one was stocked. Humm... another "God thing", huh? So, I was relieved. In the morning, VERY early, we started getting the coffee ready... the pot leaked. Don got that fixed. Then I made the Tang.. and the little rubber thing you push to open the spout started a fountain of Tang all over the floor. A rat had eaten a hole it in. Found another jug to use... when you make 4 or 5 gallons of drink, just a gallon jug won't do. But the Lord had a jug there for us to use. The service went well, and we had a great message. Guess Brett was supposed to speak that morning.
After church our friends came over and we watched the second session of "The Bible" from on the History channel. We had watched the first one on Good Friday. (Their daughter taped it and sent it in.) We did enjoy that. Oh there were a few things that were not exact, but the overall thing was good. And in the late afternoon we went to have supper with another of our former puppet members (Ruben and Phanie). He and his wife have a beautiful home. But Savanah being the little stinker she is, ended up pulling down one of the curtain rods. Don said, overall, it was great... the food was fantastic. Phanie is a GREAT cook. And we did enjoy the fellowship.
Then it was on to today and trying to get caught up on work and papers that need to be scanned and printed. I am amazed at how much I have accomplished today. Again, it HAS to the the Lord orchestrating it all. I now feel I'm on the upswing of getting things accomplished. Taxes done, bills paid, paperwork for while we are gone printed. And all of Savanah's papers organized. Plus wash done, and meals made. I KNOW it's the Lord doing it, because there is no way I could do this on my own.
Don's been accomplishing a lot, too. All these little things that get left, because they are little, he is now getting done. That is a huge relief for me, but for him, too.
Please keep us in prayer as we get ready to leave. So much to get done, but it's going so well. Thanks for your prayers and for being there with us through thick and thin. We are praying God will bless all of you abundantly. God walks with us each and every step of the way and we are SO thankful to Him for being there, and for you for being an intercessory prayer warrior for us. Until our next post... keep your eyes on Jesus, and your ears attuned to what the Lord wants.
