HAPPY EASTER!!! HE IS RISEN!
It's still early on Easter morning, but we have come home from Sunrise (SON-rise) service and it's a beautiful day. We had an excellent service and a lot of people attended. Our breakfast following it was really nice, too.
I thought today I'd share some photos with you and let you see what we have been doing lately. It will give you a little insight into Haiti, too. Some of these are our photos, some are from the teams. But I hope you enjoy them all.
This first one is a boat at the docks. It just shows how they use everything and anything they can find for their purposes. Patchwork sails are very common.
This one is a load of clothing bales. Most of these sell for about $1,000 Haitian (or $120 American). A lot of money on that cart. And a LOT of weight. Would you like that job, which pays very little? These carts are all around, carrying things from clothes, to furniture, to cement, to blocks and whatever else anyone needs. 
Now this one is heart tearing. Abbie wanted to help grandpa fix the truck. He made her put the tools down and she just laid there and said, "But Grandpa, I just want to help!"
Here is a bit of our town. This is in the driveway for the gas station. There is a car wash, a cell phone store and our bread store, "Croissant D'or, Boulancerie Patissorie". That is the pink building. Anywhere that you deal with money has a guard. But they are usually friendly.
This is Abbie and Tammy, one of our team members. Abbie loves to have teams come. They are her "playmates". She doesn't get to see children often, so attaches herself to teams. And they love to spoil her. One of the teams taught her something. I asked her if she was a spoiled brat, and her response was, "NO, I'm precious!" 
Abbie loves to read. She sat her "babies" down and was reading them a book. She told me they liked it, too.
Well, this was just a quick "catch-up" for you all. I think you can see we're a bit prejudiced when it comes to Abbie. Sorry if it bores you.
On this wonderful, Christ centered day, rejoice in what He has done for you, and all of us. God turned something that looks horrible (the beating, the blood, the cross and death) into THE MOST PRECIOUS gift of all time. A part of one of the songs this morning was about when Jesus hung on that cross, He didn't see the pain and suffering He went through, He saw ME... He did this for ME (and for you, and for ALL who will accept Him.) And then He triumphantly arose and was still doing it for ME. Praise God He thought about all of us!!
Enjoy your day and keep Christ centered in all you do. He is also the reason for THIS season.
I didn't realize I had not written in so long. I guess living in the "fast" lane has kept me pretty busy. So much has gone on in the last few weeks, I'm not sure where to start.
We had two weeks of teams. I guess that's where I'll start. The first team spent most of their time in another town, doing medical work. And then one day here at a church doing a clinic. Our involvement with that was minimal. They sure did accomplish a lot in the week they were here, though. They helped so many. We are thankful for that. The second team was a construction team, who came to work with the new orphanage (IDADEE). These guys we WERE involved with. They are a group who have been here before, with a few added new recruits. We had a GREAT time with them. The team included some of our strong prayer warriors, too. And while here, they were put to the test on praying.
Everyone knows our truck, The Dove, is getting OLD and having a lot of problems. Don is spending more time fixing it, than using it for ministry. On Saturday, Don took the team to the Citadel. On the way up the mountain, the truck overheated, really bad. They limped into "parking place", where Don normally waits for the teams while they make the trip the rest of the way up the mountain. With the help of some old friends from Milot, that we have known since living there, Don was able to work on the radiator and get water in it and clean it up again. On the way down from there (with the team on the truck), he lost some of his brakes. This is so dangerous! He kept it in first gear and did a lot of praying. A stop at the tourist market was next on the list. I met him there with a team member who had not gone to the Citadel. The team had just started "shopping" when a hole in the gas tank was discovered. Draining fuel meant "get home quick". So we loaded up and went directly home. Don, with the help of the team, worked on the Dove the rest of Saturday and most of Sunday. They missed a Haitian service, but were able to attend English Bible Fellowship (next door to us). They also didn't get to go to the hotel for swimming and a meal out. I went and got the meal and brought it back. We had even tried to borrow a truck (from the IDADEE group) to take them to the hotel. The truck arrived, and while sitting here, the starter burned up. Guess we were not meant to go to the Mont Joli!! The team was GREAT through this whole episode!! They were much calmer than Don. They did get the truck going again (but it still needs so much work). They flew out on Tuesday and Don started working on the truck again.
To get a license for the truck, ALL lights have to work. So, he was making sure everything was in order. One of our "kids" took the truck for inspection. That's the FIRST step in a LONG line of things to get the license plate. (NOTHING is easy in Haiti!) When he got there, only one set of headlights was working. AND one of the backup lights was not working... and FINALLY, the light on the back license plate was not working. Now this is in a country where tap-taps run without any tail lights, maybe ONE headlight and definitely NO license plate light. This was SO frustrating. But Don and Daniel worked and worked and got everything working. By the time Daniel got the truck back to town, some were not working again. Somehow he got it inspected. The first step in a long line of things was done. Daniel went in again to get the paperwork done and pay the fees. His longest wait, for that part, was waiting for someone at the bank to write him a certified check for payment. He has to go back again on Monday to finish up and prayerfully get the plates. This is 4 full days of work to get license plates.
Okay, back to the Dove and it's problems... A few on the team asked if anyone had considered raising money for a new truck. We said it had been mentioned, but we had no idea if anything had been done. Knowing this was an urgent need, they asked me to contact someone and see if it had been set in motion. When our home church was here in January, they saw the need for a new truck. So, I called our son and asked if the situation had been brought up or forgotten. He said, well, they had wanted to surprise us, but now knew the need was urgent. The board had approved the request for them to raise money for a new truck. I won't go into all the details, but it is now in the works. Don has had Remy (our contact in Port, and the president of IDADEE) go to the dealer and get prices on different models. We will have that in hand tomorrow, so we can start the process of getting the information to our church, so they in turn can share the need with others. So our HUGE rejoicing is that a new vehicle is on the horizon. Please pray with us on this, and that the Lord would provide all the needed funds to get this quickly. What makes this even more exciting is that Don will be able to spend all his time in ministry, not fixing the truck 70% of the time and only 30% doing the work God sent him to do.
We are now regrouping and catching up on things left undone while we had teams. We are trying to work ahead on some things, since in two weeks have will have the start of three weeks of teams, back to back. We are looking forward to the teams, but want to keep our other ministries going too.
For now, pray for us. The Lord is guiding and directing, so pray we are open to what HE wants us to do and when we are to do it. Till next time, keep your eyes focused on the Lord and your ears open to His leading. That is our prayer for you, but for us, also!!!
Hello again,
We live in a whirlwind here. About the time we think we might be able to sit down and take a deep breath something else comes up. And yet, through it all, we have to keep our focus on the fact that GOD KNOWS what is going on and where we are.
Don has delivered most of the food that came on the first container, praise the Lord! And the Christmas Bags have finally been taken care of. Now we have to start praying about getting this second container released at a reasonable rate. The cost is staggering, and the Lord is the only one who can change that. A real need for prayer is the whole situation with customs here. Food and materials are becoming scarce. With nothing being released, many are suffering now. It won't be long and it will become a very critical situation.
We have another team here now. It's a medical team. They have gone quite a ways out to spend a few days doing a clinic. Praise God for good weather and safe roads for the trip. They will return here, today, and have a clinic at another church on Monday. So many needs in this country and we praise God for the people He has called to help out. The team has some of our "old" friends and some new ones, too. We are so happy when people return to serve again, but also when new people feel the call to come and help. It's great how the Lord works it all out.
The frustration of our son and daughter-in-law's adoption process is continuing. Please keep this in prayer. We realize they are not the only ones in this situation, but they are the ones close to our hearts and we want to see our new grandson come home before he gets any older. He was seven when they started and he is now ten. Pray that hearts and minds will be changed and that this, and other adoptions, will be facilitated quickly.
We are back to the "maybe tomorrow" point with the second container. This last week we were told that we could get the inspection done. So, each day we get ready to go down to the wharf and do it. Each day something new comes up and we are put off. It was supposed to happen again this morning, but now they say, Monday. If God is teaching us patience, we are VERY slow at learning. I keep thinking of the scripture where it says through trials we will be perfected.... I know we aren't perfect, but with all of this, we must be coming close!!! (No, I really know we aren't, it just feels that way!)
Our good friend, Roy, sent a devotional on being salt. It was so good! What good is salt that is left in the salt shaker, and what good is salt that has lost it's flavor? Neither is doing it's job. It's the same with us. Is our "salt" (the love of Jesus) left inside of us, or are we using it to "flavor" others? Or has it become useless, with no flavor left? Tip your shaker and start "flavoring" others, or replace the useless stuff and become "new in Christ". If we become stagnant in our zeal for Christ, we, as well as others, are missing out on the blessings the Lord has for us. Salt the earth with your love for the Lord. Let others see your "flavor". I remember a commercial, from a long time ago, that said, "reach out and touch someone". That's what, as Christians, we are to be doing. Wow... was that a sermon or what? Guess I'd better get the salt shaker moving!! And all thanks to Roy!!!
Okay, for now I have to get moving and back to work. I just wanted to come on and let you all know we are still here and working... if going in circles constitutes work!! But we are also still depending on the Lord and following His directions!
Blessings... and remember to shake up your salt shaker and get it working!!
Greetings again...
This time it's with great joy and rejoicing. We are SO excited and pleased that the elusive container is now in our hands. The following is just a few pictures of our day, yesterday, February 14th, Valentines day in Haiti! We had a team here at the time. It was MFI's president, Dick Snook, and his group. They didn't get to deliver any bags, like they had hoped, since it came the last day they were here, but they really got to experience "unloading a 40 foot container".
This is our moment of rejoicing. The container finally being pulled into our yard. It's quite a job to get a 40 foot semi into our yard with the sharp turn they have to make. 
The driver was really good. We have had some deliver 20 foot containers that had to make 5 or 6 turns to get it right. This fellow made two swings and backed it up to right where we wanted it. He was GOOD. 
Everyone was amazed watching him drive. (He must have trained in the US!) It took just a few minutes for him to get it in the right place for us to get to work on it.
We had another missionary couple here at the time. Ray works at the airport with us and Bonnie watches Abbie for me. We had just gotten back from the airport when the container came, so they stayed to help out. What a blessing!! Bonnie was up on the container bagging socks and Ray helped haul boxes.
We had so much to unload. Well, consider it had 39,645 pounds of items!! You KNOW it was a lot of heavy work to get it done. The fellows (all 25 that we hired) did not complain once. And when it was all done, they had a meal of hotdogs, mac & cheese, chips and cokes. They were happy campers. These are almost all older boys from the orphanage. They work hard and really earn their pay!
The problem was, where to go with all the Christmas Bags when there is a team here? Well, you can see, looking in the door of the dorm, it went into the living room and dining room areas. A few paths were left to get to the bedrooms, but that's about all. Good thing it was the teams last night here... no place to sit or eat, except the bedrooms!!
God brought this to us in His time, not ours. Not it's our job to get these things sorted out and delivered. Don is right now on the road with some of the food. (The containers on our property have their share of the load, too!) We will start on the Christmas Bags tomorrow!!
So, please, keep praying. We have another container ready to be inspected, but need to get this one delivered quickly to make room.
Our love to everyone who has helped make this a reality, both through prayers and finances.
In His Grace...
Karen, for the whole group here.
Here we are... now 2 months into the wait for the Christmas container. Do I seem frustrated? You bet I am. It is everyday that we sit here, wondering what we can accomplish, when we have to wait to see if they will call and say come right now and get the container. This whole last week, AGAIN, it's been "maybe today". Then later in the afternoon, it's "they say tomorrow morning we'll get the papers." Each and every day it's been like this for two months. "Lord, please show me what you are trying to teach me and help me learn it quickly!" I really, really am trying to turn this all over to the Lord, but it's SO DIFFICULT when you have to sit daily and wait for someone who is just trying to show his power over the whole country.
Well, enough about such items. We have praises to share, too. We finally had a team from our home church come to work and visit. They did a pastors conference, and some work in a clinic, and they visited several other missions, to see what is happening here. It was a great team and we were so blessed by them being here with us. An added blessing was our son and grandson on the trip. Two years ago, Dale came with his oldest son. This year, his middle son came along. Both times Dale taught pastors at a conference. His heart for the people shows through each time. The funny part is that both times, two years ago, and this year, half way through his teaching, he switched from English to Creole, without knowing it. The translator was great!! He simply switched from Creole to English. When the laughing started, Dale paused to see what was wrong. It was a fun time and a learning time for everyone. The team left on Tuesday and our son and grandson were able to stay until Thursday. What a joy for us to be able to spend some quality time with them.
Each team that has come down, came with the hopes of helping unload the container. I guess they were able to see some of our waiting time... and frustrations... when you can't control things or make them happen when you want them to. The sad part is, most of them had things they needed to use on their trip, in the container. But the Lord was there each and every time and showed them HE was able to supply and they needed to depend on Him, not themselves. It really was awesome to see how the Lord helped each team "made do" with what they could find.
In another week and a half we have a team coming down to help distribute some of the Christmas bags... which are STILL on the container. What will happen if it's not here? Who knows... well, GOD knows, and He'll be there helping them see what HE wants them to see. There was a phrase we learned a long time ago and it's so "in our face" right now. It is, "When you walk with the Lord, you don't get bored!!" He sure is keeping us on our toes.
Abbie is growing and talking more and more. She is 2 1/2 and going on 15. Wish I had a just a small portion of her energy. She is really keeping us young, not age wise, but activity wise. And her stories keep us in stitches. She has a very active mind.
I'll try to post some pictures soon of things from the last couple of weeks. Till then, keep praying and let the Lord shine in your life!!
Karen
Greetings to everyone,
It seems like time rushes by and we can't figure out where it went. The dental team has returned home. It's amazing how much they accomplished with so little. But the really neat thing is that they found most of the supplies they needed here in country. God was definitely watching out for them the whole time. We had a great week with them. They saw SO many patients and it's overwhelming how much was accomplished in hard circumstances. Several people have requested they consider coming twice a year. It's now a matter for prayer. Please keep that on your prayer list. This picture shows the three hygienists and the three dentists (in the background) at work.
Last Sunday we went to the Mont Joli hotel with the team. Had a good meal and they got to swim, too. We had Abbie along. She went in and sort of splashed on the edges, where there is a ledge. Then all of a sudden, in she went...WAY over her head. None of the team were there at the moment, so I went in after her, fully clothed. I had NOT intended on swimming. Got her up on the edge and wiped her face and the little stinker SMILED at me. No fear at all. She fell in again later on, but was right next to one of the team members, who grabbed her immediately. I had a hard time the next two days, thinking of what COULD have happened to her. Here is Abbie with Eric, one of the dentists. (Grandpa in the background).
The team left on Tuesday, and STILL no container. What a frustrating time, yet what a miraculous time, too. God showed us HE was in control, not us, and it worked out great. The problem is still with us. We were told Thursday that we would be able to get the container on Friday. Well, Friday at about 11 AM, we got word that we COULD have gotten it, but there was no room at the docks to put it down so it could be inspected. So, they told us that today we could come and get it. Does it surprise you that we got the SAME message today? Nope, no room to put the container down to be inspected. Now they are promising it to us on Monday... we will believe it when we see it. The problem now is that we have another team coming on Tuesday. It's a team from our home church. We are so excited they are coming. And our son and grandson will be on it, too. Another added blessing for us. If the container comes on Monday, much of the cargo will be stored in the dorm until different missions can come and get it. This will take up space the team would normally utilize. Pray about this with us.
Now the next saga comes in... the team is spending a day and a half at a clinic right near here, which is great. Then on Thursday and Friday, they are doing a conference for pastors and their wives. Well, today the pastor came to talk to me. The conference WILL take place, but it might be without the pastor from the church. He is having heart problems and is heading to the Dominican tomorrow. He hopes he will be back in time for the conference. He is an excellent man, and has made arrangements so that if he can't make it, it will still take place with others in charge. Pray for Pastor Codo. He is a wonderful pastor and we really need to lift him up in prayer.
MFI is still going strong. But can always use your prayers. They face a lot of struggles. Since the move to Fort Pierce, their passenger load has decreased. We know the move was something the Lord worked out and we are in awe as to what HE has done so far. But He will need to bring about another miracle to keep MFI moving. They may have to raise their rates, which for some missionaries would make it difficult, but they are way below not only the other airlines, but the other mission air services, too. So pray for them as they make the decisions that have to be made. We pray the Lord will give them wisdom and peace in their decisions.
Our weather is cool, and really nice. The rains have stopped for a time and we appreciate that. But with the temperatures down in the low 70's at night, a lot of people are getting sick. For Americans, this would be ideal. For Haitians (and us transplants) it's COLD when it gets down to 70. So, pray for those who are suffering from this weather.
I've been re-reading some books by Francine Rivers. They are the series of 5 about women in the Bible. Very humbling when you think of what some of those women had to go through. And we complain about such mundane things here. Sure opens your eyes to their dependence on the Lord for all things. Brings to mind the 23rd Psalm. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death..." Sometimes our experiences make us FEEL like we are there, But then the Lord steps in and shows us He can lift us up and keep us in His care. We lift up our lives to Him daily and ask Him to take charge. I remember the bumper sticker that read, "If God is your co-pilot, change seats." That is SO true in our lives. We need to depend on Him FIRST and then go from there.
Back to work and study, so you all have a super great evening, and a really wonderful Sunday with the Lord!! May every day be filled with the presence of the creator of all things!! See you here, there or in the air.....
This one is a load of clothing bales. Most of these sell for about $1,000 Haitian (or $120 American). A lot of money on that cart. And a LOT of weight. Would you like that job, which pays very little? These carts are all around, carrying things from clothes, to furniture, to cement, to blocks and whatever else anyone needs. 
Now this one is heart tearing. Abbie wanted to help grandpa fix the truck. He made her put the tools down and she just laid there and said, "But Grandpa, I just want to help!"
Here is a bit of our town. This is in the driveway for the gas station. There is a car wash, a cell phone store and our bread store, "Croissant D'or, Boulancerie Patissorie". That is the pink building. Anywhere that you deal with money has a guard. But they are usually friendly.
This is Abbie and Tammy, one of our team members. Abbie loves to have teams come. They are her "playmates". She doesn't get to see children often, so attaches herself to teams. And they love to spoil her. One of the teams taught her something. I asked her if she was a spoiled brat, and her response was, "NO, I'm precious!" 
Abbie loves to read. She sat her "babies" down and was reading them a book. She told me they liked it, too.
Well, this was just a quick "catch-up" for you all. I think you can see we're a bit prejudiced when it comes to Abbie. Sorry if it bores you.
