Nine Months are Finished!

It's hard to believe we've been here nine months and it's once again time to go to the United States. Sickness made the last two weeks drag but time passes irregardless and with time and God's grace we are both feeling better! Gary had to make an unexpected trip to the US for his mother's funeral. Due to finances and the work load here, he had to travel alone. He was really not feeling well and got very little sleep, leaving St Marc on Friday and returning on Sunday. At 94, his mother couldn't fight the pneumonia that had set in and now she's with the Lord. She'll be missed.

I lost the password to the blog so I couldn't get in to change it or add to it. Cleaning up the office after our busy year was the solution to the missing password. May I learn to put things in order before they are in disorder! Now, I have to figure out how to do this all over but I'm determined to make a concerted effort and keep everyone posted as to our travels while in the US.

We had two wonderful school closings. IAM Bible School students received their certificates and are looking forward to returning in the fall for the two year diploma program. El Shaddai students received their awards for working hard all year. We had 30 IAM men and women and at least 30 joining the program in the fall. El Shaddai ended with 27 students and we have no idea how many will attend in the fall. But, we aim to be prepared. God seems to bring us the very best.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Christmas over for another year and a new year looming large. What will 2007 bring especially in this land of turmoil? We can only trust the Lord and continue what He's begun through the work of our hands. We are in the process of feeding 500 kids for Christmas, the first being the mountain village Russeau. We were gripped with fighting back tears as these kids got their container of rice/beans and a fried chicken leg. They opened the box then closed it and then opened it again and looked a second time. They couldn't believe their eyes. We had to encourage them to go ahead and eat. And eat they did!!! Our Christmas dinner was spent with other missionaries and several Haitian young people, it was fun. We've been "mission sitting" for a week and it's been good and bad. I'm determined to think on the good which has been much needed quiet time, studying and praying. We'll be here over New Years going into St Marc, only for necessary items and to feed the dog. The blessing is we won't have to live through the hours of noise all night long as the Haitians welcome the New Year. It's next to torment. One more week and we'll be back at El Shaddai, into our routine. Routines are good for the soul although they get tiring, I think I function better when in the throes of such! HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! MAY OUR LORD BLESS YOU EXCEEDINGLY, ABUNDANTLY,ABOVE ALL YOU COULD ASK FOR THINK OF OR IMAGINE.

Merry Christmas

We can't believe Christmas has come upon us so quickly. We've been running for the past three weeks. One Friday was a beach day for El Shaddai, the following Friday a Christmas Parent Meeting, the next Friday a Christmas party at El Shaddai with a group from Chicago, Family Harvest Church. They did an Eye Clinic and a Christmas Party, simultaneously. The following day they did an Eye Clinic in Montrouis and a Bible School seminar simultaneously. Sunday they were at the mountain village of Russeau and back to Montrouis to do children's ministry, whew!!! Monday we bid them adeiu and now we are mission sitting. We have three weeks off, but here we are at the end of the first week. We will feed children at three different sites over the Christmas holiday. We are blessed to have time off, but we miss our loved ones dearly. Our El Shaddai kids had a wonderful Christmas, each receiving presents from the team they didn't expect.

Because of the teams generosity, we purchased steel belted radial tires for the truck. After struggling with flat tires since September, we are exceedingly blessed. More Gary than I because he was the one who had to change them.

Jesus is Lord! Christmas is a time to focus on Him and God's wonderful plan of salvation. Isn't it interesting that what used to be a time the heathen took a moment to see the babe lying in a manger, now the religions of the world want to shut up the mention of His name, not allowing the manger scene nor the wishing of a Merry Christmas. It's time for us who love His appearing rise to the occasion and let our desire be known that without Him there would be no Christmas, nor would there be anything for which to be merry, joyful, peaceful! Merry Christmas to all and may God bless us in our doing. Jesus is Lord!

Busy Busy Busy

It's getting harder to get time to do this! We are anticipating a group from IL Thursday, which is tomorrow. That means I have to run school without Gary......HELP!!! He has to go to Port to pick up the team, and without him at school it's been exhausting in the past, maybe we'll have smooth sailing tomorrow. Our Haitian staff is very good, so we'll see. We had our parent meeting last Friday, the kids performed and they were great. When I couldn't remember how to start the song with my kindergartners, they started it on their own. Now that's progress for them and regress for me. WE NEED SOME YOUNG BLOOD WORKING AT EL SHADDAI!!!
Must run, time for this is gone, more later........I'm still trying to get movies on here and have help to do so, but haven't gotten the info to the help. Jessica if you are reading this, forgive my lack of getting the stuff to you so you can put it on the blog. You see friends, when computer work gets complicated I back off. If I can't remember a children's song, how can I remember complicated computer directions!!!!

Wednesday.....a bit of time in the evening before getting a shower for bed. I'm back on my early bed schedule so mornings can be spent with the Lord. No longer taking cold showers, heating water now, as the weather has changed and the humidity seems gone. We've had a lot of rain, but not that intense humidity we were praying to stop. We got stuck in a mud hole on the way to the mountain yesterday, four wheel drive stopped working, but Praise the Lord, it started again and with Barbara, Daniel and I on the back to give it some weight, Gary was able to slide through it. Made us late and the service had to be a bit shorter, but we got there and got back through the mud hole on our way out. It was kind of fun. Why should we be bored with routine, a little excitement now and then, like getting stuck in a mud hole, keeps life interesting!

We are having fun with the kids. They are beginning to speak English more clearly, complete sentences but yesterday, Faona asked if we were having "chokey" at the beach (on Friday, their treat for working so hard for nine weeks). I thought it was a Creole word so I asked Daniel what it was. His reply was, "Oh, Chokey is a movie." About that time, I figured it out. She was saying "turkey". We'd had turkey for Thanksgiving, and she'd like some at the beach. Her asking let me know that the baked turkey they all got was really a treat.

Maybe we'll do it again for Christmas!

Celebrating our 7th Wedding Anniversary

Sunday, our 7th wedding anniversary. Since the day we married, we've been running for the Lord. Gary is preaching tonight at the city wide crusade, put on by the Pastor's Association of St Marc. It's the last night. He was supposed to preach Thursday, but it poured rain. I believe God promoted him to speak on the last night! It's an honor to be asked. We've been here six years and this was the first invitation.
We bumped our way to Port yesterday. With all the rain and erosion, the highway was quite rough. Our backs are feeling the stress of the ride today. But, we have much for which to be thankful because, we are not nervous about going and coming. Everything appreared relatively calm and normal in Port. We had to work for Agape mail service, part of the commitment of being a member. Since Bible school is on Saturday, we had to cancel. OH!! The need for help looms large at such times.
God is good and we Praise Him for this long weekend, peaceful mornings, good fellowship on Thanksgiving. Nice! Thank you Lord. We did miss being with our kids and grand kids though. We've not had a Thanksgiving or Christmas with family in so long, we've about forgotten what that's like. Nor have we had an anniversary outside of Haiti.

Check out the video of our kids!
http://www.xanga.com/touchministrieshaiti