We are finally home. We had a great trip, saw some of the people we had hoped to see and are back in Haiti. Funny, but after about an hour, it felt like we hadn't even left. The problems and the situations are still here, and we are now gearing up to meet a lot of needs. We had plans to do some needed items right at the start, but you know the best laid plans of mice and men...... well, we haven't even been able to start with anything yet. There are the things that need immediate attention, of course. things that quit working, or have problems, need to be attended to first. So, Don is working on some of those things now.
We knew we would need to get our new desk top set up and going before we could do anything on the internet...but then our sat system had shut us down. The fellow here who works on it for us came yesterday and got us up and running again, PTL!! Now the work for me starts in earnest. I have to retype all our email list (since I can't remember how to transfer it from the other computer). And even if I could, we don't have a monitor to use to work on that one now.
One of our neat surprises was the way the house looked when we got here. I had asked Vero to have Phignole put a planter on the wall on the front porch. He did a GREAT job. And so much more. He put flowers not only in the planter, but down on the ground, too. He redid our front porch and we are so pleased.
While we were in the US, Don decided it would be nice to get a small fish tank for Abbie. We know that watching fish is relaxing and thought maybe it would help calm her down a bit. She loves her fish...has named them...but the only one I remember is Sally...that's her angle fish. We lost a few in transporting, but still have enough to make it look good.
We will be contacting the pastors to find out where the most help is needed at this point. There are still so many needs in this area. Helping get people settled both here in Cap and in Port is an on going job. Jobs are needed and there just aren't any to be had. There are so many willing to work. Pray with us that we will be able to direct people to the places they need to be.
We have a container on the way. One should be docking either today or tomorrow, but that one is for others. Our container should be just a few days behind that one. Pray with us that it will be a quick turn around and that there will be minor charges on it. The items on it are SO needed, with so many hurting people in this area.
We do have some prayer requests... one is for my sister-in-law. She has undergone a heart operation and is recovering, but can still use prayers, as this has been a very difficult time for them. The next is for our good friend Carolyn, who is starting radiation treatment this coming week. They feel they did get all the cancer, but do not want to take any chances, thus the radiation. Then we need some major prayers for our very good friends Bill and Lauri on the west coast. Bill had been cleared of cancer, but now is facing a recurrence, and it seems worse this time. Through all of this we know satan is hitting hardest in our weakest spots. Pray for all three of these that the enemy will NOT be victorious, but that God will reign in each situation. We KNOW that God can heal, and that He DOES heal. But we also know that His timing and His ways are not our ways. Pray for God's healing touch, but also pray for God's will to be done. Pray for peace and comfort in each of these situations.
When we see our friends and family hurting, we want to storm the gates of heaven and demand action. But that isn't how God works. We can storm the gates of heaven with our prayers, but then we need to step back and let God work things out His way. Pray with us that the Lord will grant peace to all those involved in these troubled times. Driving down the streets here in Haiti is heartbreaking, too. We see the hopelessness on so many faces. No jobs, no food, no money, no place to lay their heads....and so little help coming their way. Pray with us that the Lord will direct us in where and how to help the best way possible. We know without a doubt that the Lord has directed us to use the national pastors to work with these people. Pray for the people to see the true light of a loving and caring God in all these deplorable circumstances. We do know God is in control, even when we can't see it. We just want to be a part of His Light to the world.
Thank you so much for your help and your prayers. Without you, we could not be here. We are praying for you, too. Let the light and love of the Lord shine from you to those around you, too. At this point, that is YOUR mission field...so spread the love of Jesus to those you come in contact with. Until next time....God Bless and Keep you!!!
We had another great day today. We drove to Hendricks Motor Sports terminal. We met Dick Snook (MFI's president), his wife, Linda, and Roger and Judy (MFI staff), who flew in to be with us on this great day. Dick presented Hendricks with a really wonderful photo, framed beautifully, with a scripture verse. It was a thank you gift for all the help they gave to MFI and Haiti after the earthquake.
Got a tour there (FANTASTIC place). Had lunch with the crew who work there...great guys and gals. Then we were given a personal tour of the Hendricks Motorsports Compound. We really enjoyed meeting and sharing with so many great Christians. We got to see the making of the race cars and even were given a really unusual momento. Don got a spark plug from Jimmy Johnson's car that he drove (and WON) last week. We were all given a spark plug from various cars. Now, to many of you, this isn't exciting. But to those of us who enjoying following the races (via MFI pilots taping them for us), this was a double thrill. Thanking them, and then touring the facilities.
We are taking an extra day to simply relax and not do much moving. Then we head back to Florida and do some final things before returning to Haiti on the 13th. I'm not sure if I'll get another chance to do any catch up on here, so, if not before, we'll catch you on the 14th.
We are praying all of you have a REALLY AWESOME 4th of July. Remember, the Lord was a very important part of the founding of this nation. We need to keep Him at the front of all we do and say. And we need to pray that our nation will wake up to the fact that this country was FOUNDED on the Lord and all He stands for. So, don't just celebrate the Independence of the USA, but THE ONE who it was all based on!!
So much has gone on, and we've seen so many people. It's been great. And we are finally getting to a point where we are relaxing. It's taken a long time, but, Praise God, we ARE relaxing. I guess we were wound up like a tight spring, and now we can take a deep breath and relax. We are in Pennsylvania, and guess what....there was an earthquake here yesterday. Yes, we were here in the path of it, but I guess we didn't realize it was a quake. Gee...are these things following us around? I don't think so. I truly believe that what is happening is right there in the Bible. It's exciting to be a part of things set forth in the Word of God, isn't it? Yes, in a way, I guess it's a bit scary, but it's so much more. We are walking through some of the things that were set forth so many, many years ago. I pray you are walking with the Lord and can rejoice with us in this. The Lord is the only way to have peace in all that is happening now, and all that is to come.
Okay, I'll back up and share some of our joys and trips with you. We will only be able to see 3 of our 5 kids, but we are happy we were able to see them. We also were able to spend some time with some very special friends. This couple prayed us into the Kingdom. God used more than just them, but their prayers were so important, then the witness of another great couple sharing their faith through their walk with the Lord, and finally, a fantastic pastor who opened the door and we walked through...God used many to lead us to Him, and we are so thankful. We were able to spend some time with Duane and Carolyn, (who's walk showed us the Lord loud and clear). What a blessing to be able to praise God with those who had such an important part in leading us to the Lord. Thank you, Duane and Carolyn, for walking in a way to show us the true love of God.
When we visited our son in Green Bay, he and some of his family went with us to a really wonderful church, to worship with Karen and Gary, who prayed us into the Kingdom. (Karen and I have been friends since 7th grade). The service was such a wonderful uplift and joy for us. And a gal sang a song she wrote that was so evidently God inspired. Wish we could share it with you. The people in that church were gracious and loving. We are so thankful to have been there. And then we were able to spend some very special time with Karen and Gary the next morning. It is AWESOME (yes, there is that word again)...to see God working in and through those who had such an important part in our lives. God is SO good!!!! (Yes, this is Karen and Gary, and we are in awe of what God is doing through them!)
These are our kids (well, some of them)....Christine and her boys are always so willing to put up with us. We keep praying they will keep growing into what the Lord wants them to be. And it's a blessing for us to be with them.
Dale and his family are always a blessing as well. It's exciting to see how the Lord is working in the lives of our family. These young men are rising up to be such an inspiration to many.
Todd and his family...YES those are our GREAT grandsons. It as a joy to see how they are growing. We pray God keeps His hands on all of them.
We are so thankful that God is working in the lives of our children. As we walk with the Lord (and as our children are on their own path with Him) we have to praise God that He is there for all of our children, grandchildren and GREAT grandchildren.
I hope you enjoyed our short trip with our kids (those we were able to see, anyway). We miss our kids so much, but just keep praying they will all be with us for eternity, with the Lord.
As I have mentioned before, we get daily and weekly devotionals via email. They are such a blessing for us, in SO MANY ways. The problem is, that when we are on the road, we don't always have a way to read them each day. But I wanted to share with you a small part of just one of those devotionals. If you want to read the whole thing, go to: www.cathyconger.com. It is "On Pens and Needles". She shares more than just the e-devotional there, and it's an inspiration. But the part I wanted to share with you today is this:
10 Predictions for 2011
1. The Bible will still have all the answers.
2. Prayer will still be the most powerful thing on earth.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still honor the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.
6. There will still be singing of praise to God.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the cross.
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost when they come to Him.
Isn't God AWESOME? I pray you are walking with the Lord and holding onto His hands. Let Him be your guide today and always!!!
Hello,
We are back in Wisconsin, after our trip to Camano Island, Washington. And YES, I finally, after all these years, saw a whale. What an experience.
But first, let me recap our trip. The house we called home when we were there....isn't it beautiful?
And then....our good friends and hosts, Bill and Lauri, on our Island Adventure. They are an awesome couple...here I go again with that word!
And more of our good friends, Glen and Nancy...Glen had a birthday while we were there. Never miss a chance to celebrate someone else's birthday. And the sunset from their front patio.
This seal was a cute thing...he waited till we were close and then lifted his head and tail so I could get a photo.
And the Orca whales. It was SO neat...but alas, while taking photos, I got motion sickness and missed some of the trip. But it was FANTASTIC!!!! Look at these whales. The big one was named Mega. And yes, he WAS mega. His dorsal fin was 6 feet 3 inches tall. On the photo, you only see less than half of the whole whale.
We also saw an eagle, another highlight for me...he was trying for all he was worth to get his catch up in the air.
Well, the trip was great...got a lot of rest, which we needed, and saw some good friends and shared meals with some great people.
If you want to see some of the photos the people take who run the trip, go to: http://blog.island-adventures.com/ They have a day by day blog of what they saw and when. And they tell you a bit about the whales. Check The Whale Report, and go to Tuesday, June 8th, for the day we went.
Again, we were able to see and appreciate all of God's beauty and enjoy the wonder of all the fantastic things He has created. The power of the ocean, the majesty of the mountains, the glory of all His creation, it holds you in awe of what God really is. Yes, HE IS AWESOME.
Greetings on a day of remembrances.
Yesterday in church we did remember those who served our country and lost their lives. But we also remembered those who served our country and came back. Both of these are the reason we have the freedoms we enjoy. There have been so many emails concerning our servicemen and women. We should be thankful to all of them for their willingness to stand in our stead and keep us safe and free. We pray God's blessings on them for their service to US, in the USA (and Americans everywhere)!!
In our time here in Wisconsin we have been able to see so many friends and family. It's been such a good time. We are both starting to unwind and relax a bit now. Had a good gathering last night with friends and family. And today we visited Don's sister in the nursing home. Talk about memories...wow...some of it was hilarious. Some were between Don and Barb, and some I remembered as well. It was a great time.
We have talked to Vero in Haiti a few times already. And yes, Abbie, too. We had gotten some needed information from Vero and were ready to hang up when Abbie started crying and wanted to talk to us. So, I got on the phone talked for just a minute, then asked if I could talk to mommy again. She said Yes, you can. Let me talk to grandpa. She was full of stories to share (from Haiti to Wisconsin).
Wednesday we fly to Camano Island, Washington. We are excited to see everyone there, too. I hope the weather holds out and is warm there. As nice as the temps are here, being in the house has been cold. Everyone here has their air conditioning on, which we aren't all that fond of. BUT then again, the pollen has been really bad. So, when you think of air conditioning or pollen, the air wins out.
Please continue to keep us in prayer as we travel. It's really not a vacation as some think, but it is different than being in Haiti working. We'll try to keep you updated as we travel.
Keep looking up and asking the Lord to guide you. We need to constantly grasp the Lord's hands as we walk with Him through the good and the hard times. He will always be with you and with us.
We are in Haiti temperatures right now. Sure makes us feel at home. But the funny part is hearing everyone here complaining about the awful heat. Feels real good to us. We drove straight here to Wisconsin from Indiana, where we visited with Stan, Gloria, Missy and Bill. Great time, although too short. The trip here was long, but we wanted to get here to be in church on Sunday. Our son Dale was doing a presentation on his trip to Haiti. It was good to be back in our home church and be a part of some great preaching, too.
We haven't done a lot in the two days here, but we have rested a lot. The fun we are experiencing is trying to get the "love bugs" from Florida off our car. They are stuck like glue. Went through a car wash and it did NOTHING...not even the dirt. Guess the bug juice collected the dirt and they are on there forever. We are going to use some special stuff to get them off.
We have another week here, then it's off to Camano Island, Washington for 8 days...well, two days traveling so 6 days there. But then back here to wait for our glasses to come in. And then....well, guess we need to get our act together and make some plans. I know we will be heading to Pennsylvania. Just have to figure out the dates on that.
On our return to Florida we will be heading down the east coast to stop at Hendricks Motor Sports. We want to stop and say thank you to them from someone from Haiti, for all their help during the first weeks following the earthquake. They were such a blessing to MFI, to Haiti and to all the people there. And we hope to stop at Gibbs Motor Sports, too, and let them know how much we appreciated their help as well.
So, all in all, we are still sort of in limbo....we have never been like this before, but it's so good to just simply be here and rest.
We talked to Vero and Abbie a few days ago. I had sent some things in for Abbie's birthday, but it was a very sad time for us, AGAIN, to miss her special day. But she had some friends over and they had cake. Abbie cried because we had sent her some presents. All she wanted was apples and grapes, but we did send some other things, too.
Well, for now, we'll leave you with the thought that God is leading and directing us in all things. I hope He has His hands on you, as well, and is taking you to places where you can see His majesty and glory. If you're in the pits, grasp His hand and He'll pull you up. If you are on top of things, grasp His hand and praise Him for all He has done for you. He IS our strength and shield and we long to do what He wants. Walk with Jesus and let others see His light shining from you!!!!
Hello to all...
We are on the road. Actually we spent 5 days in and around Fort Pierce. Most of that time was spent sleeping. Don't know if we actually caught up on the sleep, but it sure felt good to be able to rest and not hear people at our door calling us.
We were sad to leave Fort Pierce without Abbie and Vero. But we did send Abbie some birthday presents...she wanted apples and grapes. We also called and talked to her on her birthday.
One highlight of those 5 days was that we got to see Carolyn in West Palm. We are SO REJOICING with her...she is cancer free and healing nicely. What a mighty God we serve. And yes, He is TOTALLY AWESOME!!! Carolyn and Rodney can still use some prayers though. It seems so many people we know are having problems in so many areas. But these sweet people need some extra prayers, so please put them on your list.
Right now we are in Knoxville, TN, at a motel. We are on our way to see Stan, and then up to Wisconsin. It will be good to see some of our kids this soon.
Please keep us in prayer as we continue on this trip. We really don't have an itinerary set up yet. I think just coming out and crashing has been good, now we need to sit and figure out where we are going. We'll be checking in here and adding what we come up with. We hope to get to see many of you in the next few weeks. Time will fly, we know that, but we'd like to get to see everyone. We know we can't, but we will try.
And please keep Haiti in your prayers. We continue to find ways to help so many who are still suffering. Although we are not there, everyone there is still in our hearts and minds. It's hard to leave them but we knew we needed a break. But in reality, our hearts are still there.
We have to remind ourselves of the fact that God IS in control, He is still the author and finisher of our faith, and we are to TOTALLY depend on Him for all things. Do you sometimes have that same problem? It's a good thing God is so faithful and so loving.
I'll close for now. But remember, keep Jesus at the center of all things you do. And when you are down, grasp His hand and let Him pull you back up. We do that a lot lately!!
Keep praying, keep smiling and keep looking up!!!
While we were in the US, Don decided it would be nice to get a small fish tank for Abbie. We know that watching fish is relaxing and thought maybe it would help calm her down a bit. She loves her fish...has named them...but the only one I remember is Sally...that's her angle fish. We lost a few in transporting, but still have enough to make it look good.
We will be contacting the pastors to find out where the most help is needed at this point. There are still so many needs in this area. Helping get people settled both here in Cap and in Port is an on going job. Jobs are needed and there just aren't any to be had. There are so many willing to work. Pray with us that we will be able to direct people to the places they need to be. 
