Thankful and then some

 Greetings to one and all,

  You know the Lord is awesome, right?  Well, if you know me, you know that is my favorite word to describe the Lord, AWESOME!!!   He is always right there when we need Him the most, right?  We've been hearing and studying more and more about mountain tops and valleys.  How easy it is to be on that mountain top and be happy and thankful, but not really giving the Lord a whole lot of thought.  Then, when in the valley...where do we turn, yes, THE LORD!!  "Why am I here Lord, why did you allow it, help me, please."  It's SO easy to turn to Him when we have needs.  But He should also be right at the top of our thoughts when we are on that mountain top.  He IS great, He IS awesome, ALL THE TIME!!  

   And here I have to thank Him for letting me go through those rough times, as well, as being right by my side when things go smoothly.  I AM learning to praise and thank Him in and through all situations. I know most of you know one of my life verses is in 1 Thess. 5: 16-18.   "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

   I wanted to share our latest posting on email: 

********************************************************

     In the last few weeks things were rather hectic, but the Lord knew, and He worked things out.  Our visitors, April and Asher arrived safely.  They did have to drive through a bit of that storm in Florida, but made it here as planned.  They totally experienced what it is like to do the buckets.  They filled zip lock bags, then filled buckets, then lifted and stacked buckets and then were able to load the truck and deliver most of them.  They were also able to go the IDADEE Children’s Home and help us get all 41 children weighed and measured.  And they were able to tour the IDADEE children’s home, hospital and clinic.  Of course, they experienced a real Haitian meal, too.  And they even had some down time.  They left Thursday morning which started out with a few concerns.  First RAINS… which thankfully calmed down, then the vehicle didn’t start, but got it moving again.  And I pray they had a smooth flight back, and were able to return to family safely!!  I pray they felt they had a productive and informative time here. 

   I’ll ask that you keep MFI in prayer.  They are doing so much for so many and we want to keep them uplifted in prayer.  They have been doing an awesome job in these difficult times and we praise the Lord for being with them in and through it all.  Please add them to both your prayer list and to the praise list, too.  

   We’ve had frustrations and some upsetting things going on, too.  We had thought our inverter was acting up, but it seems it’s our batteries that are doing it.  So, Don will have to work on that.  And of course, the vehicles need work.  But I think Don will have to get someone to help with some of that. 

   Each night as we gather to pray together, I’ve been realizing that I wasn’t the only one praying for some things, and praising for other items.  Abbie has a heart of gold and she is so concerned about so many things.  But to hear her pray that the Lord will pour out His Spirit over Haiti, then north and south America and then the world…and to hear her heart in all of it, is such a blessing.  She has been raised right, just as her mother was.  Her love for Haiti, and the people here is amazing.  She is following in her mom’s footsteps, for sure. 

   One of my devotionals last week was from David Jeremiah on having “An Attitude of Gratitude”.  At times this is so difficult, but I know that is where the Lord wants us to be.  And although he didn’t use the verse, I keep coming back to 1 Thess. 5: 16-18.  That really sums it all up.  “¹⁶Rejoice always, ¹⁷pray continually, ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  Now, to try and live that verse…

********************************************************

Some interesting things have happened since I wrote this.  But that will be in another post.  Right now I'd like to share a few photos of the buckets and our team who filled and delivered them.

This is Pastor Janiel, Pastor Marcot, Vero, April and Asher.  April and Asher did almost all of the work in creating these buckets.  And then they were able to deliver them to Pastor Janiel's church. They blessed a lot of families with all of this work. 

These first 2 pictures are of Pastor Janiel's church and congregation.  

This is Asher, helping with the weighing and measuring of the IDADEE children.  The one after that is the front of the IDADEE Children's Home.  I wish I had taken photos, but my mind was on getting these 41 kids taken care of. These are thanks to April for thinking of taken some.

   I had to laugh when Asher got excited at meal time.  I couldn't grasp what was going on.... then he said, "Look at this!!!  They spell it right here... Catsup!! It's spelled with a C and not a K."  (We sent a bottle or two with him when he left!)

   All of this, to say, "PLEASE, not just on Thanksgiving, but EVERYDAY, give thanks to the Lord for all He is, all He's done, and all He will do for you!!!"  Keep praying and praising and God bless you all!!!  

November 10th update

Obviously having problems posting on here again...please know I'm trying... 

Greetings,

   There are times when you want to step back and look up and say, “Really Lord?  Now, with all that is going on?”  I’ve hit that in the last few days.  And then this morning, in my quiet time, the Lord showed me in a mighty way that He is THERE, in all those troubles and hard times.  I’ve been doing 4 different devotionals, and believe me, I need them all at times.  But this morning, miraculously, they all centered on what I needed TODAY!!  And then the song, “Sometimes It Takes a Mountain” came to mind.  I’m putting it here because I felt someone else needed to read the words and grasp onto them, too.

 I faced a mountain
That I never faced before
That's why I'm calling on the Lord
I know it's been awhile
Lord please hear my prayer
I need you like I never have before

Chorus:
Sometimes it takes a mountain
Sometimes a troubled sea
Sometimes it takes a desert
To get a hold of me
Your Love is so much stronger
Then whatever troubles me
Sometimes it takes a mountain
To trust you and believe

Forgive me Jesus
I thought I could control
Whatever life would throw my way
But this I will admit
Has brought me to my knees
I need you Lord and I'm not ashamed to say

Chorus……

   I know you’re thinking, what could be so bad that it brings me down?  It wasn’t ONE thing, it was just the culmination of a lot of things.  Some big, some little, some that were just annoying. Have you ever been there?  I guess the one that was “the straw that broke the camel’s back”… was our refrigerator started having some major problems this morning.  And guess what?  FINALLY, I simply said, “Okay, Lord, I can’t solve any of this.  Can you please help?  Show me what to do?”  Then I came in here, sat down picked up the devotionals and here I am.  I have released all these burdens and am now at peace about all things.  Oh, some may need attention, but I know the Lord will direct either Don or I on how to deal with it.  Yes, I faced that “mountain”… and now I am about to the top of it praising the Lord for being with me through all of this. 

    Do we need prayers?  Yes, we sure do!  That is what keeps us on the field doing what the Lord called us to do.  Are there specifics?  Okay, I’ll share a few.  We have a gal and her son coming to visit on Thursday.  We really are looking forward to this.  Pray that the storm in and around Florida will not stop them from coming.  Vero and helpers will be going from the airport today to pick up food items for the buckets we will be doing while April and Asher are here.  Pray for wisdom and protection as they do this.  Pray that the problem with the refrigerator will be something minor that can be taken care of.  Pray for the powers that be at the airport who are charging outrageous prices on anything brought in, that God will speak to their hearts and help the missionaries and national pastors dealing with this situation.  And pray with us for both Haiti and the US, that the Lord will pour out His Holy Spirit to cover and spread over both countries and lives will be changed.  But also, pray with us and thank the Lord for all He HAS done, IS doing, and WILL do, to bring glory to His Name!!

     Have you been trying to climb your mountain of problems?  Believe me, the Lord is right there waiting for you to reach out to Him for His help.  It may seem impossible, but He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  He knows and can get you through things.

   James 4: 7-10.  “⁷Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹Grieve, mourn and wail.  Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up.”

 

   Blessings and joy to you all,

The End of September

 Greetings to all,

   Well, it looks like I tried to post on the 15th and it didn't go through...in fact it was wiped out, so guess I'll try this again and see if I can get it to work.  

  It seems a lot has been going on, but trying to put it all in words isn't that easy.  We definitely did get more buckets finished and what a relief.  The economy here is so bad that people just don't know what to do.  President Jovenel is trying to get things moving, but as with in the states, nothing happens quickly, much less overnight.  So, we are in the waiting stage again.  Pray with us on this, please!

  On the buckets... well, the prices were high and we didn't get as many finished as we had hoped to do, but the Lord knows all about that, and we totally depend on Him for that.  We do have the funds right now to do another batch, but were advised to hold off for a week.  Prices are still high, but now just a few are decreasing, so the advice was to wait a week and pray they decrease to the normal high.  

   In morning devotions the other day, I felt the Lord give me some advice.  I thought well, I'll talk to Vero and see how she feels.  I told her I felt the Lord said this next batch should go to a group, a smaller group obviously, of Christians who are dedicated to the Lord, but don't have money at all.  She looked at me and smiled.  She said, "Mom, I've been talking to Marcot about helping this group of women with some buckets.  They are a group at church who go out and witness and share a lot.  Some are older, with no family.  Some are young women with children, but the dad has left them.  There are all kinds of women who really have nothing. But they are faithful to the Lord in sharing His word with people."  So, guess where our next batch of buckets are going.  We sure do serve an awesome and wonder God, don't we?  

   We had a young man come to help us trim some trees.  We had branches rubbing on the roof of our house and on the dorm.  That young fellow surprised me.  Climbed up the tree, walked across the branch and started hacking at it with a manchette.  Not hanging on to anything.  He was about 25 to 30 feet in the air.  After cutting down quite a few HUGE branches, (and some were 8 to 10 inches across) he walked over to the palm tree in the midst of them all, AND WALKED DOWN IT.  Not sliding, but just hanging on and walking down.  And of course I didn't have my phone then.  It really amazed me to see him.  (I was going to put some photos here, but this site has changed and I can't download what I have.)

   I have been posting on our emails a lot of different songs lately.  The Lord had prompted me to not just listen, but to HEAR what they are saying in the songs.  That took me a bit to understand, but I did just that.  Joseph Larson did two of them that really touched me.  One was "Till The Storm Passes By" and the other was "Didn't I Walk On The Water".  If you can, go on YouTube and listen to them.  But HEAR the words and let them speak to you.  They are amazing.  Of course many of you probably already do hear and listen and know just what I'm talking about.  I have a lot of songs saved to my internet and hearing them, as they are written has been fantastic.  

   As I listened and "heard" the words to these songs, it brought to mind all the things the Lord has done for me.  We have had so many miracles from Him, and being reminded of just how much God loves us and performs these miracles, amazes me.

   Abbie has now started school again.  She is in 10th grade already.  And grandma is back to being a "study buddy".  I'm learning more now that when I was actually in school.  Abbie amazes me too.  She is already thinking of college.  Trying to plan her subjects to help her in that area.  She really likes helping people and has asked one of the teachers if she can help some of the younger kids and help them in subjects they are having problems with.  She has a heart for helping others and I'm so proud of her. 

   I do want to ask you to pray with us for Missionary Flights.  They really have a need for more pilots.  We know the Lord knows about it, and we are just asking so we can get more people praying with us.  God answers and we know that first hand.  So, will you pray with us?  They do such an important job for missions and missionaries, and we should be backing them in intense prayer.

  Well, time to get back to work.  I am trying to set a date to get the kiddos from IDADEE Children's Home over here to check sizes again.  They are growing so fast.  But then I guess I felt that way with our kids, and with all the babies we had here.  They grow too fast!!!  

   Oh I saw a sign on facebook that I copied and printed and told Abbie to take it to her Bible teacher at school.  It says, "I want to get on that road that Saul in the Bible was on.  The road to De-Mask Us."   I think we are all there, right?  Another thing we need to keep in prayer.  "Lord, please clear up this Corona virus mess."   

   Till next time ~ BLESSINGS BEYOND MEASURE and keep walking the straight line with the Lord!!! 

Back home in Haiti!

 Greetings,

   Well, even with all that is going on, we are still praising the Lord and hoping you are doing the same!

   Prayer, praising and rejoicing means so much especially in these troubled times.  As most of you know back at the beginning of June, we were able to get on MFI’s first passenger flight out of Haiti since the start of the pandemic.  We had to have some check-ups and get some minor things taken care of.  We did encounter some delays due to the “quarantine” limits, but nothing that was very hard.  Before we left, we didn’t see much of the pandemic here.  Although after we left, we received news of 2 acquaintances who passed away.  Yet Haiti, at least in the north, didn’t experience the wide spread mess that other places encountered. 

   Then our travels started.  We were able to see almost all of our family on this visit out.  That was our largest blessing.  And, of course, we accomplished all of our check-ups that had been delayed.  It’s always a joy and a blessing to be in American churches and get to visit and see our friends.  But it’s also a joy and blessing to be able to return home to Haiti, to be with those we love here, and also to return healthy and ready to get back to work. 

   And that is what we are doing.  In the last few weeks, there was a lightning strike here on our compound.  Took out some of the internet, damaged one of our inverter systems, and we now have a leaky roof again.  Thankfully MFI had some large tarps we were able to bring back with us, to cover the roof.  (That’s a work in progress this week).  Don is over working on the inverter system at the dorm, and then on to some electrical situations here at the house. 

   We flew in yesterday and brought in a lot of the “extras” we put in our food buckets.  And also, lots of PVC parts and things we can’t purchase here.  Thankfully Abbie was here and helped go through all the tubs of things we brought.  Got it all sorted into the areas they needed to be and ready to go.   I was able to catch up on a lot of the paperwork that gets left for me to do.  And today will start sorting and preparing to get moving on the next batch of buckets.

   While we were gone, the exchange rate here in country escalated quite high.  For someone with American money, it was okay.  But for most Haitians, who have no US funds, it was catastrophic.  Before we left, you could exchange $100 US and get $1,800 Haitian dollars.  That would have been at 18% change rate.  When we came back it is up to 23.5%, which mean we could get $2,350 Haitian dollars.  Sounds good, right?  Wrong!!!  For us it was okay, but for the Haitians who have no US funds, and were having a very difficult time making ends meet before, this rise was awful.  Prices rose with the rate hike, so people are really, really hurting now.  We saw so many desperate people before, and now it will be so much worse.  This rise in the exchange rate effects EVERY area of living.  Food costs rise, gas prices rise, schooling cost escalate…well, it all rises.  And the poor were not doing well before all of this.  Add to all of this health care.  It is a horrid situation for the normal person.  So, this is our main prayer request right now.  That the Lord would intervein and help.  We know the Lord is able and willing to help,

 So, we are asking for tons of prayers for this country.  Will you join us in this? 

   Only being back a day, we haven’t gotten much more information that this.  But I’m sure I will find out more as the days go on.  So, add to the prayer request that God will give us wisdom, strength and insight as to how and where to best use what He gives us.

   I imagine you have all noticed I like to end many letters with “blessings”.  I just read a devotional from David Jeremiah and I’d like to share part of that with you.  I like that it conveys what I feel. 

   “…what does blessing mean? …..In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, the words for blessing literally mean “happiness.”  The Old Testament word osher came from a root meaning “to be level or right, to go forth in properness and rightness.”  The New Testament makarios also means to be happy—that is, “to live in God’s favor.”  So, when we say, “God bless you,” we are invoking the happiness only God can provide.  And we find that happiness by living according to His guidelines for life—full of the Spirit and based on the Word.”

   So, in closing, I would again like to say, ABUNDANT BLESSINGS, and God bless you.

July 24th, 2020

 Greetings to all,

I know it’s been a bit, but I’m finally getting an email out!  We are still in Wisconsin, but plan to head south on Monday.  All appointments are about over and we are in good shape to return home to Haiti!!

A few more stops and we’ll be back in Florida and getting ready to fly!  Time frame?  At this point not positive.  But I wanted to share some with what’s been going on with us.  Don had his physical appointments in Florida and all went pretty well.  We were able to spend some wonderful time with friends and co-workers (in other words, Christians).  Then we headed “north”, sort of.  Went first (while in Florida) to see our sister, Bev.  She’s doing good, but it was wonderful to see her.  Then a few days later, headed to Tennessee.  Saw our son & family and our daughter there.  And were able to see and hold our newest great grandson, too!  (Yea, awesome to hold an infant again!)  We are so blessed to have not only great kids, but some fantastic grandkids, and some awesome great grandkids!!  Really wonderful to be able to see most of our family!!

Then on to Wisconsin!  And the rest of our family and a whole lot of neat friends!  In all places we really enjoyed being in English speaking churches and be a part of fellowship there.  Finished all of my check-ups here and have a new cardiologist that is a hoot, and awesome doctor!!  Spending some wonderful family times is top of the list!!  In both states!!  The Lord has been with us through so much and has been paving the road for all we’ve accomplished. 

Then again, this morning I was drawn to Psalm 117.  “¹ Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. ² For great is His love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.” With all that is going on in the world, I keep coming back to this.  Yes, I do with 2 Chron. 7: 14, too.  It just seems the Bible is coming more and more alive in these days.  The more I read the more I seem to feel closer and closer to the Lord.  Have you experienced that too?  I have read a verse many times before, but all of a sudden it seems a verse lights up and is so meaningful right then.

The pastor in our home church has been going through Nehemiah.  Yes, I’ve read it, but doing a verse by verse study has been really neat.  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this study!  It’s been wonderful to see how the Lord guided and helped rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. (Chapters 2-6).  And the teaching of “working together” is so obvious.  The whole thing is about gathering all of us together to work for the Lord, no matter who we are or where we are!!  God sure is awesome, isn’t He???  I’ve read Nehemiah, but not done a study of it before.  Really have enjoyed this!

Okay, I’d like to ask for some prayers at this point.  Seems a lightning strike hit close to our home.  Wiped out some major equipment, not only in our home, but in the dorm and in Vero’s place, too.  Pray that as we return, we will know exactly what to do and how to fix the problems.  Also pray for our return trip, that it will go smoothly and without incident.  And most of all, pray for both the leaders of Haiti and America.  Pray that the Lord would guide, direct and be with them in these troubled times.  Pray that both countries would turn toward the Lord for the solution of the many problems faced.  We serve an AWESOME GOD, and we know prayer works.  And if His people pray together and walk with Him and follow Him, He will answer those prayers.

We’re praying for the Lord to bless and be with all of you.  Praying that He will guide and direct you in whatever He has for you to do.  Thank you for your time and your prayers!!  It would be difficult to be where we serve if it were not for your prayers and support!!  THANK YOU!!!

Please let us know how we can pray for and with you!!

God did it again!!

Greetings and praises!!!

God’s people did it again!!  We have ALL items needed for 150 buckets to be filled!!!  Yes, it’s all praise to the Lord and to His people for helping the Haitians in such an awesome way.  

The next few days will be spent filling zip lock bags and then the buckets.  And prayerfully by the end of this week, 150 more families will have food!!!!  THANK YOU to all of you who have worked to get this accomplished.  I wish you all could have seen Vero’s face when I asked about the buckets when she came home from the airport on Thursday.  She had such a smile it was awesome!  She said, “Not just “buckets” but beautiful BLUE buckets!”  Thanks to our special warrior who sent them!!!

After this week, we will take a bit of a break before starting on the next ones.  It does take a lot to get it all done, but we are so thankful for God’s people making it possible.

And I’ve also been working on papers and information on the IDADEE 41 children.  With this whole corona virus situation, it has affected the children’s home, too.  We do understand that many were in tough spots and had to stop sending funds to help.  But the Lord is working on that too!   IDADEE had to release some of their workers because they didn’t have the funds to pay them.  But I was amazed that the committee stepped in and were doing the work themselves, although they all have their own work to do. I know that the Lord is working on all of problems Christians all over the world are having. And I believe He will bring us all through this troubled time. 

Oh we did have a earth quake in the middle of the night.  It was a 4.7.  It was at 3:44 in the morning and woke us all up, well, all but Abbie and Debra.  It was a loud bang.  I thought a truck had hit something on the road right behind the house, but that wasn’t it.  No damage here that we’ve seen. 

Just a couple of weeks ago, Abbie turned 15.  I don’t know if I can attach the video I have of her years ago, but I’ll try.  She’s been a real joy to have around.  And we are really proud of her and her determination to do whatever the Lord directs. If the video comes through, that was when Abbie was 14 months old, took a piece of paper out of the garbage and decided to read it to me. (turn the volume on). And then her picture from her 15th birthday!

A good friend who volunteers at MFI also has a group of women who come and sew for kids.  This group has been such a blessing to so many, not only here in Haiti, but in the Dominican, too.  They do an awesome job with sewing machines and with hand sewing!!  The IDADEE children’s home was one of the places that were blessed by these wonderful sewing jobs.  I loved that they took t-shirts and sewed them to skirts they made.  Fantastic dresses for some really happy girls!!!

I just wanted to get a quick note and a few pictures out before we start on the buckets tomorrow!! So, please join me in thanking the wonderful people who are all working to help Haiti in so many ways.  And praise the Lord with us that those who are benefiting are also praising the LORD for all He is doing for them!!  We pray the Lord bill richly bless both the providers and recipients of God’s provisions!!

Psalm 46: 1. “God is our refuge and strength an ever present help in trouble.” 

In the midst of the virus...

Greetings,

   With so much going on in the whole world, it seems a bit silly to send out a letter on what we are doing here in Haiti.  But life goes on, with or without this awful virus.  To start, I am so thankful that at this point the cases of the virus here in Haiti are minimal compared to the whole world. (17 cases as of April 1^st) It brought to mind when we were to get hit with a hurricane here in the north, the churches were open, people prayed day and night, and the hurricane made a 90 degree turn north at the Haiti/ Dominican border.  Unheard of before.  But I believe it was the prayers of the people here that turned it.  And I know they are now praying just as fervently as they did then.

   Are we busy, are we keeping “social distance” here?  To an extent, yes to both.  The busy I’ll explain in a moment.  To the other, well, the police closed churches that did open, totally destroyed the main market and sent people home, and I believe they are actively trying to keep things to a minimum here.  Yes, it seems they are overdoing it.  But in a country where people live on a day to day basis, closing the main market is a disaster for most.  They have to sell some so they can buy what they need for the day.  Most people here do not have any way to buy food for a week, much less for 2 weeks or more.  They really DO live day to day.  Is there a solution in a third world country?  I don’t know.  But prayers are going up and we know the Lord answers. 

   Now on to the busy part.  We have been blessed in the last few months.  We’ve had visitors and really enjoyed the fellowship and being able to catch up with friends that were missionaries here.  But the virus brought that to a halt.  I’ve still been able to help out with paperwork for a couple of missions, thanks to the internet.  And then there is the children’s home.  I was finally able to complete the chart I created to get total information on each child.  And having the children here to be weighed and measured was an experience for everyone.

   And then our major project right now.  We were blessed when a doctor friend sent the money to do 100 food buckets.  With no flights now, we weren’t able to get a lot of the “extras” we like to include, but we were able to get the food for the buckets.  The day Vero, Marco and Leah went to buy the food was the day the police started tearing down the market.  We praise the Lord that they did get all we needed, and were out before the chaos reached where they were.  So, we’ve been working on filling zip lock bags and getting things ready to fill buckets.  The buckets themselves were one of the hardest things to find.  But, as of yesterday, we have 47 buckets filled and ready to be delivered.  And work on the next group will start tomorrow.  Then the next blessing came.  The same doctor is sending the money to do another 100 buckets.  We are praying we will have a cargo plane next week so we’ll receive the funds to move on the next batch of buckets.  Keep it in prayer, please, as we know the needs are increasing daily.  

   Aside from helping fill bags, Don has been trying to keep other things here going.  The problems go from vehicles, to washing machines to trees falling down.  So, the work never ends.  But we are not only thankful for what we can do, we are thankful for those who are helping us here.  We have a fantastic Haitian “family” working with us and we know it’s the Lord who brought us together. 

   We are praying for you, that the Lord will keep you safe and in His care through this troubled time.  Someone asked us if we were afraid now, with this virus.  Well, that’s an easy answer.  NO!!  The Bible says 364 times (once for every day of the year?) “fear NOT”!!  Yes, we are and will continue to take precautions, but no, we don’t have fear at all.  The Lord walks with us and hangs onto us, so why should we fear?  He knows what is happening and we trust Him totally!!  We pray you have that same peace in your life!!

   I keep quoting 2 Chronicles 7: 14, but heard a message just a few days ago about that.  He shared on what comes before that verse and after it.  So, I think we should all read 2 Chronicles 7: 13 through 15.  Check it out and praise the Lord with us on this.

   Praises:

¨ That the Lord has blessed us with health.

¨ That He had surrounded us with great “family”, both here and in the states.

¨ That the Lord is walking before us, after us and next to us in all we do.

   Prayers:

¨ For the Lord to keep His hands on this ministry to guide and direct.

¨ For the Lord to protect us and all those who work with us here.

¨ For His Word to spread and touch hearts and minds throughout the world in this stressful time.

¨ For heartfelt peace for all of His children!

   Our love and prayers go out to you all!  In Jesus Precious Name,

Greeetings from Haiti!!

This is another “late” post.  I am so sorry for not keeping up with these.  I have been sending out email updates quite often, but don’t get them transferred to here.  Please have patience with me.  

At present we have a team at the dorm staying for the whole month.  Dr. Bibiana has returned and is doing teachings and also going out into the countryside to help at other places she has started here.  She and her husband, Sandy, are such a blessing. We are very thankful to be able to turn the dorm over to her for these teachings.
And we have another former missionary couple staying with us here at the house.  They are here to visit all their friends and co-workers from their time here.  It is such a blessing for us to have them with us.  Not sure if we should, but we are praying the Lord will move them to return.  They are really missed by so many!!!


Don and I are doing fine, medically now.  Don has his pacemaker and he has slowed down, but that doesn’t change our ministry a whole lot.  I was able to complete 28 more buckets for our “Bucket Ministry”.  Vero and Marco took them out and went to some areas they had not been before, but knew the needs were so great.  I’ll include some pictures here for you.  

These first two pictures are of some older gals out in the country.  They have families, but not much to feed them.  As I have Vero and Marco distribute, I don't get to talk to people who get these, but find out their stories, as I can.  

This gal has not walked for the last couple of years.  And is limited in what she can do.  Vero said she was really happy to get the bucket and help her family.

 That gal on the right is something else.  Has nothing, but sure has a wonderful smile. She is wearing a dress Vero had taken to her a while ago.  She really tells the story of many ~ barefoot, extremely poor, but happy in Jesus, and how He helps her.

 This fellow was closer to town, but unsuccessful in finding a job to support his family.  He thanked Vero and Marco that he can at least feed his family now.

 This is a sad story.  Vero used to see this young guy way out in the country.  His mom couldn't feed him, so sent him to an aunt.  But when she leaves in the morning, she puts him out on the street till she comes home.  No food or any place to stay, he just wanders.  He was excited he had food and could find a place to make some for himself.

There are many more stories and a lot in more difficult situations.  Vero isn't real comfortable getting photos in some of the areas though.  So, we are thankful for the ones she has.



English Bible Fellowship has been going on.  It’s now here in our living room, since our group is a bit smaller.  But it’s been great too.  We have a much more open time, with questions and sharing together.  Enoch has been such a blessing to lead it all.  This last Sunday we had the continuation of some heavy rains, and we knew we may not have many Haitians attending.  But we still had our meeting and it was wonderful.  We had Sandy & Bibiana (former missionaries), also a doctor from Argentina was with them.  And we had Tom and Helen (former missionaries), too.  And as an added blessing we had Pastor Paul Romeus here.  He is a Haitian, but lives in Fort Pierce now. (His wife and I are prayer partners, and I miss having her here.)  So we had a lot of singing, prayers and sharing.  It was wonderful.  


In my next post I will share a bit with you about another group who had come one afternoon to share the ministry they have in Haiti, with us.  As I always try to do, I would ask you to keep Missionary Flights, International in your prayers.  They are in need of some dedicated pilots to help fly the DC-3’s.  And I think there are other positions they need help in filling, too.  I may not be at the airport working with them, but I do keep busy with things for MFI here at home.  And I’m very thankful for Vero being my replacement at the airport.  She has taken on a lot!  So, keep her in prayer too.  And keep her daughter in prayer.  Abbie is doing wonderful in school.  She is now a freshman and still determined to keep a high grade point average.  


Okay, for now, I’ll close out and thank you for being there for us.  And I’ll close with a verse that both the US and Haiti Christians need to keep in mind:  Second Chronicles 7: 14, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”   Blessings!!