Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Time moves so fast

I guess when you are busy and don't have time to stop and think, time rushes on.  There has been a lot going on around here and we sure have been busy.  

In case you haven't heard, we have changed our email address.  It is now:  Davis2Haiti@gmail.com    We had some major problems with Starband, and ended up paying for service for 6 months with NO service.  So, we are finally off of that server and using a Haitian server now.  They seem to be a really great company and we are happy to have them.  We had a glitch for a couple of days, and when contacted, they were right on it and corrected the problem.  We sure couldn't ask for more.  

I just helped Vero post an update to the IDADEE blog.  If you'd like to get a glimpse of the children there, go to:  www.IDADEEchildrenshome.blogspot.com   I was finally able to post pictures of all 32 children.  They sure are an awesome bunch of kiddos.  Vero works so hard out there and you can see how much the children love her.

Tomorrow we leave Haiti for a couple of months of rest and quality family time.  Sad to say we won't get to see all of our kids.  We are flying from Florida to Wisconsin, and we'll miss two of the kids and their families.  But with all we have had going on this year, and since I do all the stateside driving, I didn't think I was up for that long drive this year.  Still having some repercussions from that Chikungunya Virus, so need to take it a little easier this year.  

We really do hope to get to at least talk to most of you while we are stateside.  We will spend our first week in Florida, since the flights were a bit messed up.  But that will be good, too.  We'll get to spend some time with friends there and rest up a bit before flying north.  

Our weather has sort of calmed down a bit and we are back to "normal" temperatures of upper 80's and low 90's now.  We still have some upper 90's but not often.  It feel SO MUCH cooler that when we were over the hundred degree mark.  And the humidity has sort of come down some too, so that helps a lot.

Vero and Abbie have moved into their home.  Still need to add the bathroom and a bedroom, but it's livable right now.  Once the addition is finished, the room they now use as a bedroom will be a dining room.  The ground is marked off for the foundation of the rooms, and Vero will have some of the fellows get that in soon.  Then when we return, Don will get the plumbing in and work on the walls.  I'll be looking for curtains and some extras for the house while we are out.  I will also be searching for new curtains and rods for the dorm.  The ones in there now are VERY, VERY old and falling apart.  It will be a challenge to get the things we need, but the Lord knows what we need.  

We are all packed up and ready to leave on Missionary Flights, tomorrow.  Savanah will be staying with Abbie and Vero here at our house.  Please continue to pray for the adoption to be finalized.  I'm not sure if we will need to be here for it to be completed, but if we need to, we will be here.  The kiddo was sick for a few days, but thanks to the nurse that is now living at the IDADEE orphanage, she is doing great.  She loves being out there and with all the children.  And it does free me to get some work done here.  

So, for now, I'll close and ask you to keep us in prayer as we travel.   And also pray for a safe return to Haiti when our time is over in the states.  And we are praying for you, too, that the Lord is working mightily in your life and in ways that other can see HIM in you.  Blessing and prayers... from Haiti to you!!

Saturday, May 2, 2015

FINALLY able to get on

Well, it's taken me forever to finally get on here.  I am so sorry if you have been checking and there was nothing here.  I am still not sure what the glitch was, but praise God, I am on.

I was looking back and discovered it's been well over a month since I have updated.  Actually almost 2 months.  So much has been going on and we have been going in circles.  

I've been at the airport for each flight.  It's good to be back and working there again.  SO much has changed at the airport and it's looking great.  Oh there are still the glitches to be worked out here and there, but with any advancement and change, there are those.  And we are working with some really good people there.  One of these days I'll have to take a camera along and get some photos.  It's just that we are normally so busy I don't even think of it.  

We have been working on getting Vero's house finished...well, done enough for her and Abbie to move in, anyway.  Within the next few days Don and Vero will be marking off the area for adding a bathroom and bedroom.  Then the room that now serves as a bedroom will be the dining room.  Until the addition is on, Vero and Abbie will have a "portable potty" to use at night.  That was the only hold back right now.  I'll put some photos here and let you see where we are at with it all.
 Above is Vero's bed, and below is Abbie's bed.
 
 Their small kitchen and security door on that room. 
 And the living room.  Don't have all her things in there yet, but working on it. 
 Getting this all done was a major part of the work done these last few weeks.  But in between those times, a lot was also accomplished in other areas.  

We had our English Bible Fellowship Easter Service and breakfast again this year.  I am amazed at how many people turn out for that each year.  And it's always a great time of teaching and then fellowship after service.  And when it starts at 6:30 AM, it's still cool enough to enjoy not only the service but the weather.  Many of those who come we only see at Thanksgiving and Easter...because of the distance they travel to come.  

Then in April we had a two week team.  Actually it wasn't OUR team, they simply used the dorm.  But they are good friends and we had a great time the few times we were able to sit and talk with them.  They do so much good work in the medical field.  And they are all good friends with both Abbie and Savanah.  I would be sitting here working and all of a sudden realize Savanah was not here.  I would get up, start looking, then finally find her at the dorm, being spoiled by team.  I did get work done while they were here though.  

Abbie is doing great in school.  I am surprised her two favorite subjects are history and science.   She is pretty good in spelling, too.   She does not like math though.  She will be 10 in just a couple weeks.  And sorry to say we will miss her birthday yet again.  Had a mix up when making our flight reservations, so we will be leaving before her birthday.  But she'll still have her party and guests.  But G'ma and G'pa aren't really needed when it's a bunch of 10 year old girls.  

Savanah's adoption is STILL in the waiting process.  All the papers are in the government hands and we are simply waiting for them to forward them to the court here in Cap Haitian.  Waiting for the government to move, not only in Haiti, but anywhere, is a real trial in patience.  I do not pray for patience.  I pray for wisdom, peace and for the Lord to move it in His time.  But at times I do wish He would move it a bit quicker.  So, when we leave in a couple of weeks, Vero will again have the job of caring for Savanah.  Savanah has been spending time at the IDADEE orphanage and loves being there.  A few times the fellow who brings her home came and said, "she wouldn't come.  She wanted to stay."  So she ended up staying there.  One day Vero was ready to leave and called her to come.  She said, nope, you go, and waved bye to her.  There evidently isn't a problem with her staying with them, but I don't want to be a burden there either.  She LOVES the kids and the school.  I'm not sure she is learning a lot, but she does come home with some of the things they are learning.  And she has a special friend, too.  His name is Desir.  I guess they really like playing together. So, pray for Vero and for the people at the IDADEE orphanage while we are gone.  Savanah can be a challenge at times.

In among all the things we had going on, Vero left to go to a missions conference in the states.  I did a presentation board for her, and helped her get things organized for presenting the orphanage situation.  We all missed her the 9 days she was gone.  She was also able to see a US doctor while there.  Her legs and feet just keep swelling and she is in pain a lot.  They did a lot of testing for many things.  Her heart is fine, her veins are fine.  But her potassium level must have been low.  They put her on those type of pills.  The weird part is, once she is stateside, the swelling goes down.  She comes back and it's right back up there again.  She is a mystery to everyone.  So, please pray for her and pray for the Lord to touch her in a real way and heal whatever the problem is.
I cannot believe it is only the first week of May.  Starting last week, our temperatures were in the 100's for quite a few days.  The highest I saw was 105.1 degrees.  And humid... wow, it's been like 90%.  But no rain.  And we NEED the rain right now.  Ground is cracking up and I'm afraid that gardens will be really effected by it all.  I think I felt the heat the most while at the airport.  It seems the cement there just soaks the heat up and constantly gives it off, even when it cools down.  Does make me wonder what August and September will be like.

I've given you some things to pray about with/for us.  Please keep the prayers coming.  God has been answering so many of the prayers we have been lifting up, but we keep Him busy with things going on, that's for sure.  We do covet your prayers along with ours for the things going on in Haiti, and also in America and the world.  

While we are stateside, we hope to get to see many of you.  Since we are flying from Florida to Wisconsin, it does cut down on the places we will be going, but we can try to at least talk to many of you, if we can't see you.

As always, we are praying that you are in the place the Lord wants you to be and that your are walking with Him and following His leading in your life.  So, blessings beyond measure are being sent your way.  And may your hand be in His Hand always!