I can't believe it's November already. Wow, time sure flies. I also can't believe it's still so VERY hot here. I can't remember how many people at the airport on Tuesday were complaining about the temperatures. It's still in the 90's during the day. Okay, it does cool off to mid 80's at night, but doesn't seem like its much cooler.
Looking at things in perspective, the whole world is going through "unusual" times right now. Look at Matthew 24: 4-8. "Jesus answered: 'Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen but the end will come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains."
Does this sound like what is happening? Does this mean the Lord will be coming soon? I know "soon" is a relative term, and no one knows the time, but it is exciting. All we have to be concerned with is if we are ready. Are you ready? I know I need to be better equipped, and need to start delving deeper into the Bible and what God has for me. I don't have "fear" of what is to come. I read the end of the Book, and we win!!! Getting there may not be easy, but we have the Lord walking through it all with us.
With this in mind, we have to take each day and make the best of it for the Lord.
I do have some prayer requests for you all to add to your list. We have several good friends who are facing cancer. Many find it hard to understand why the Lord allows this to happen to good, strong Christians. I can't even begin to answer that, except to say that God knows more than I do. I do know we are living in a world controlled by evil. And yes, I do pray for healing for these wonderful people. But we leave that part in the Lord's hands, once we lift them up to Him. And then I wonder, if it were me in that situation would I be the kind of person they are? I know two of these men are being a strong, positive witnesses for the Lord and all He stands for. Would I be that kind of person? I pray I would, but I don't know. So, I'm praying that the Lord will work in my life to let others see what He has done for me in so many areas. God IS my light and my salvation. I want others to see that and be drawn to His light, too.
Another prayer request is for the IDADEE orphanage. They are meeting some difficult times and have some hard decisions. Please keep them lifted up and close to the Lord.
Vero has been having a really hard time lately. She is doing what the Lord called her to, plus she has been overburdened with work at the orphanage. But she has almost no support and is really feeling the hard times now. She is praying about finding a job to help out. So please keep her lifted up in prayer. If the Lord wants her to continue on this path He has set her on, she will need Him to show her how to do it.
One of our "kids" is planning a December wedding. I thought I was out of this area, but I guess not. I have a very short time to get things together for this day. A dress, flowers, and all the added items need to be gotten. Please pray for me to be able to accomplish this for her and her future husband.
And then there is Abbie. What a joy in a sometimes hard world. Aside from her regular school work, she is taking Spanish and French daily. And how she loves it. She is doing really well in all areas of school, and she really enjoys school and learning. She is such an extrovert and it shows when we pick her up from school. Even the older kids make sure they come and tell her goodbye for the day. She is also taking piano lessons now. (Does anyone remember having their kids take music lessons? Whew...ear plugs would be nice!)
And our final prayer request is for us. Please keep us lifted up before the Lord. We seem to be on this roller coaster ride. Some really great days and then the real downers. But that is life, isn't it? It just seems doubly hard here.
We are thankful for so many things, though. I still rejoice in the time we spent with our kids this summer. And am SO VERY thankful for Bud and Sharon who shared their lives and home with us. And each and every day we are completely in awe of the Lord and all He has done for us. We praise Him and thank Him for being there for us and for keeping watch over us.
We pray you are totally connected to Him, too. Oh, yea, HE IS AWESOME, TOTALLY!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
A sad day
Today is not the top of the list for good days. Don worked on the gate...trying to get things done on it. One thing after another went wrong, then to top it all off, his welder quit. He was SO frustrated. He'd worked most of the day in the sun and heat, and then couldn't finish what he started. Maybe that's the norm for Haiti.
Then he came in and our yard man came and told he to come look at Zoe, our dog. She has been really sick since they (no one knows who) tried to poison her. Didn't seem to get over it at all. Today she finally gave up and passed away. She was such a good dog. And she loved Abbie. And Abbie loved her. This was really hard on Abbie. She cried and cried, and said it was her fault. We can't figure that one out, but finally convinced her it was NOT her fault. When she came home from piano lessons, she was much better, but she still misses her friend. Zoe let her do about anything. Here is a picture taken a while back, showing them together.
Oh yes, Abbie is learning piano. She seems to like it a lot, so we are hoping she will continue and keep with it.
By the end of this week, the IDADEE orphanage will have 19 children. Keep them in prayer. There are many things they need help with now with 19 very young kids. I don't think any of the 19 are over 3 years old.
Our weather continues to be hot and humid. It should be cooling off a little, but doesn't seem to headed that way.
Don was able to deliver all of the food we had here to 2 different schools. They were so happy to get it.
In church on Sunday, I read Psalm 150. We are trying to center on praise in worship. And we had a good speaker, too. He was a young fellow, whose dad is a pastor, but he did a great job.
In reference to Psalm 150.... have YOU been praising God lately? Either in private or in public? The Lord does so much for each of us every day, we should be praising Him, loud and long!! Stop and think about your day...can you see how the Lord worked in it today? I know at first Don had a problem finding things to praise about, but he did. He said he could not believe that VERY old generator had held up for so many, many years and not given a bit of trouble. So, he was praising God for all the time he did use it and what a blessing it has been over the years. And now he is praising God for a time of rest and relaxation. I also keep going back to 1 Thess. 5: 16-18... one of my favorite verses.... "be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in ALL circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (NIV) Reach out and take hold of God's Hand, He is there for you in ALL situations!!
Blessings!!!!
Then he came in and our yard man came and told he to come look at Zoe, our dog. She has been really sick since they (no one knows who) tried to poison her. Didn't seem to get over it at all. Today she finally gave up and passed away. She was such a good dog. And she loved Abbie. And Abbie loved her. This was really hard on Abbie. She cried and cried, and said it was her fault. We can't figure that one out, but finally convinced her it was NOT her fault. When she came home from piano lessons, she was much better, but she still misses her friend. Zoe let her do about anything. Here is a picture taken a while back, showing them together.
Oh yes, Abbie is learning piano. She seems to like it a lot, so we are hoping she will continue and keep with it.
By the end of this week, the IDADEE orphanage will have 19 children. Keep them in prayer. There are many things they need help with now with 19 very young kids. I don't think any of the 19 are over 3 years old.
Our weather continues to be hot and humid. It should be cooling off a little, but doesn't seem to headed that way.
Don was able to deliver all of the food we had here to 2 different schools. They were so happy to get it.
In church on Sunday, I read Psalm 150. We are trying to center on praise in worship. And we had a good speaker, too. He was a young fellow, whose dad is a pastor, but he did a great job.
In reference to Psalm 150.... have YOU been praising God lately? Either in private or in public? The Lord does so much for each of us every day, we should be praising Him, loud and long!! Stop and think about your day...can you see how the Lord worked in it today? I know at first Don had a problem finding things to praise about, but he did. He said he could not believe that VERY old generator had held up for so many, many years and not given a bit of trouble. So, he was praising God for all the time he did use it and what a blessing it has been over the years. And now he is praising God for a time of rest and relaxation. I also keep going back to 1 Thess. 5: 16-18... one of my favorite verses.... "be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in ALL circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (NIV) Reach out and take hold of God's Hand, He is there for you in ALL situations!!
Blessings!!!!
Friday, October 7, 2011
Remember when?
I've been working on cleaning up things, and this included my computer. This thing isn't that old, but I had transferred most of my things from the old one here. I tend to do that, instead of cleaning it up. I was amazed at some of the things I have saved. And thrilled when I found some things I thought were gone. It's like looking in an old shoe box and finding treasures.
Now that I've done this, I want to go through a big tub of pictures I've been meaning to clean out. I wonder what I'll find in there...maybe I'll have to share some of that with you.
One of the things I did find on the computer was a video we took of Abbie. She is about 15 months old on this one. I hope I can download it here, we'll see. The story behind this is funny. I was working here in the computer room. She came in, tried to get my attention, but I didn't listen to her. She picked up a paper out of the trash and started "reading" it to me. I was so engrossed in my work, I sent her to grandpa. Pretty soon she was back, "reading" again. So, I quit and went out in the living room to listen to her. I sat down and she pulled up a metal dolls chair and the fun began.....
She is and was a hoot. She still amazes us with her antics. She's in first grade now, but excelling above her grade level. She sits at night and reads her Bible to her mommie. She sounds out words, and when she doesn't know what they are, she stops and asks, then repeats the sentence. All of this without prompting from anyone. We had put a DVD in, and somehow it was on with the words displayed. She started reading those to us. Then she realized they were what the people were saying and she was thrilled.
We've had a busy week. Went to the airport Tuesday and then waited and waited for the plane. Finally called MFI and found out that our new plane, 500MF was sitting in the Bahamas with a problem. They had to fly 200MF down, pick up passengers and cargo and bring them in. We came home, since the plane wasn't due for HOURS....Don went back, and picked up the pilots, since they had to overnight, coming in so late. Sure enjoyed having them here, though. It used to be quite often that MFI would overnight, with plane problems, or for other reasons. It's been a while since they have had to do that. They are working out the "glitches" of a new plane and should be out of the frustration mode soon. Then we won't have them here again for a long time.
I shared at English church on Sunday. What a hoot that was. I had sat here, doing the whole thing, including the songs and everything, and timed it out to about 54 minutes...good, we have an hour. I ended up finishing in 35 minutes....somehow I got it all wrong on timing. While stateside, I had gotten a CD by Michael W. Smith, "A New Halleluiah". I got it because it had "Amazing Grace" on it. Even before we were Christians, I really liked that song. But after accepting the Lord, it had new meaning for me. Well, this version of the song has an added chorus. This is it:
My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior
Has ransomed me
And like a flood,
His mercy rains
Unending love
Amazing Grace
Since we have about 60% Haitians at English church, I wanted to do that song, but explain God's Amazing Grace before that. I had it all set up.... our friend, Ray, helped with it. There was a lot that went into it, but the basics came down to me holding up individual signs that read, HATE, BITTERNESS, ANGER, GREED, UNFORGIVENESS...and a couple more. I told everyone that once you accept Christ, these things can be dealt with, with Jesus help. Then I read the chorus from the song. I nodded and Ray came forward with chains wrapped around his body, and a lock on it. I said, Jesus went to the cross for YOU, and for ME. But between His death and when He rose again, what did He do? I said, He reached down and took the keys away from the devil. He took those keys to FREE you and me from all that holds us down. I turned and unlocked the lock and took it off the chain. Then I told them, He HAS set you free, but you need to turn to Him and release those things in your heart....I took the paper with HATE, held it up, crushed it in my hand and threw it away...and Ray dropped part of the chain. I took another paper, held it up, said "Give it to the Lord", crushed it and threw it away, and Ray dropped more of the chain. I did this through all those words. And when done, the chain laid on the floor. Then we sang "Amazing Grace" with the new chorus...When we got to "My Chains Are Gone", I held up the chain and threw it away. I looked at my watch and was shocked it was only 35 minutes. I said, we have finished early, but you are free to go....so this week, go and share with someone how your chains are gone and you have been set free. And share the Love of the Lord with them.
What amazed me, was watching the Haitians. Most come to church just to learn more English. They sit and text, or talk quietly on the phone (a real frustration to everyone). But that day not one person did any of that. They all sat with mouths hanging open. Enoch, our musician, asked if I had seen the faces of the people. He was shocked with how quiet they were, and how they paid attention. There was a Haitian pastor and his family there. He knew English pretty well, but he wanted his family to learn more. He told someone there that he was going to use that illustration in his church.
Enoch told me I did a great job....I told him, nope, it wasn't me. God put it all together and simply used me to do it. And God did a great job of reaching some of those people. I guess we are back to my favorite saying (that one of our sons used YEARS ago), "Isn't God AWESOME???"
Now that I've done this, I want to go through a big tub of pictures I've been meaning to clean out. I wonder what I'll find in there...maybe I'll have to share some of that with you.
One of the things I did find on the computer was a video we took of Abbie. She is about 15 months old on this one. I hope I can download it here, we'll see. The story behind this is funny. I was working here in the computer room. She came in, tried to get my attention, but I didn't listen to her. She picked up a paper out of the trash and started "reading" it to me. I was so engrossed in my work, I sent her to grandpa. Pretty soon she was back, "reading" again. So, I quit and went out in the living room to listen to her. I sat down and she pulled up a metal dolls chair and the fun began.....
She is and was a hoot. She still amazes us with her antics. She's in first grade now, but excelling above her grade level. She sits at night and reads her Bible to her mommie. She sounds out words, and when she doesn't know what they are, she stops and asks, then repeats the sentence. All of this without prompting from anyone. We had put a DVD in, and somehow it was on with the words displayed. She started reading those to us. Then she realized they were what the people were saying and she was thrilled.
We've had a busy week. Went to the airport Tuesday and then waited and waited for the plane. Finally called MFI and found out that our new plane, 500MF was sitting in the Bahamas with a problem. They had to fly 200MF down, pick up passengers and cargo and bring them in. We came home, since the plane wasn't due for HOURS....Don went back, and picked up the pilots, since they had to overnight, coming in so late. Sure enjoyed having them here, though. It used to be quite often that MFI would overnight, with plane problems, or for other reasons. It's been a while since they have had to do that. They are working out the "glitches" of a new plane and should be out of the frustration mode soon. Then we won't have them here again for a long time.
I shared at English church on Sunday. What a hoot that was. I had sat here, doing the whole thing, including the songs and everything, and timed it out to about 54 minutes...good, we have an hour. I ended up finishing in 35 minutes....somehow I got it all wrong on timing. While stateside, I had gotten a CD by Michael W. Smith, "A New Halleluiah". I got it because it had "Amazing Grace" on it. Even before we were Christians, I really liked that song. But after accepting the Lord, it had new meaning for me. Well, this version of the song has an added chorus. This is it:
My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior
Has ransomed me
And like a flood,
His mercy rains
Unending love
Amazing Grace
Since we have about 60% Haitians at English church, I wanted to do that song, but explain God's Amazing Grace before that. I had it all set up.... our friend, Ray, helped with it. There was a lot that went into it, but the basics came down to me holding up individual signs that read, HATE, BITTERNESS, ANGER, GREED, UNFORGIVENESS...and a couple more. I told everyone that once you accept Christ, these things can be dealt with, with Jesus help. Then I read the chorus from the song. I nodded and Ray came forward with chains wrapped around his body, and a lock on it. I said, Jesus went to the cross for YOU, and for ME. But between His death and when He rose again, what did He do? I said, He reached down and took the keys away from the devil. He took those keys to FREE you and me from all that holds us down. I turned and unlocked the lock and took it off the chain. Then I told them, He HAS set you free, but you need to turn to Him and release those things in your heart....I took the paper with HATE, held it up, crushed it in my hand and threw it away...and Ray dropped part of the chain. I took another paper, held it up, said "Give it to the Lord", crushed it and threw it away, and Ray dropped more of the chain. I did this through all those words. And when done, the chain laid on the floor. Then we sang "Amazing Grace" with the new chorus...When we got to "My Chains Are Gone", I held up the chain and threw it away. I looked at my watch and was shocked it was only 35 minutes. I said, we have finished early, but you are free to go....so this week, go and share with someone how your chains are gone and you have been set free. And share the Love of the Lord with them.
What amazed me, was watching the Haitians. Most come to church just to learn more English. They sit and text, or talk quietly on the phone (a real frustration to everyone). But that day not one person did any of that. They all sat with mouths hanging open. Enoch, our musician, asked if I had seen the faces of the people. He was shocked with how quiet they were, and how they paid attention. There was a Haitian pastor and his family there. He knew English pretty well, but he wanted his family to learn more. He told someone there that he was going to use that illustration in his church.
Enoch told me I did a great job....I told him, nope, it wasn't me. God put it all together and simply used me to do it. And God did a great job of reaching some of those people. I guess we are back to my favorite saying (that one of our sons used YEARS ago), "Isn't God AWESOME???"
Thursday, September 29, 2011
The days move on
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!!
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!!
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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