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

ESLC Thanksgiving

We had such a good time today! We cooked to big turkey's and every bit of it was eaten. Earlier in the day we had a spelling bee which was fun. After dinner, we took some time to talk about being thankful. It was a good day. I'm trying to get the a couple of video's on the blog.

Tuesday Evening

OOPS! Almost forgot to blog..........how can that be, since I always want to talk? Just to update you all.....we now have Steven's brother, Wilgins. He's a nice boy, looks so much like Steven it was a hard day or two for me. He's ten. Trying so hard to fit in and in a world that's so strange but today was better than Monday. I'm in the midst of cooking Thanksgiving dinner for El Shaddai. It won't be quite like it would for a family, I don't have that kind of time or stamina. Turkey, potato salad and macaroni and cheese. Also, I think I'll have the cook make rice and beans because someone will want them. (Gary!) We are going to another mission on Thursday then Gary preaches at a big city wide Crusade Thursday night. It was quite an honor being asked by St Marc Pastors Association. They haven't really liked us very much in the past due to a former employee but evidently, that's truly the past. We have Friday off except Friday evening Children's Church and Saturday we go to Port to work at Agape the mail service, Sunday is truly our day off. We had to cancel Bible School, Saturday so we could fulfill our commitment to work at Agape, comes up about every six weeks. Bible School and the Monday night Bible study are getting so exciting......the interest level is arising and the anointing is wonderful. Have a Happy Thanksgiving. Taking pictures tomorrow at school so check back later to see them! Carolyn

Thursday Morning

Amazing how quickly time moves, isn't it? We have school today but not tomorrow. Since there are no days for us to make trips to Port au Prince, we had to cancel school so we could go. We have no groceries. You can buy a few things in St Marc, but not much. We need to purchase turkey's for our school so they can experience an American Thanksgiving. The menu will be turkey, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, fried plantain. They should get nice and full on that. Meat for them is a bit of an afterthought. So, getting a big piece of turkey (that isn't fried crisp from the thigh), will be an interesting venture. I hope to make some pumpkin pies for them, but that will depend on how much time all the rest takes.
We tried to buy some ice cream yesterday to celebrate Jerry's sixth birthday, it wasn't to be had. Joe went to three stores. No ice cream. Count your blessings and be blessed today. God is good to all who put their trust in Him.

Tuesday November 13, 2006

We traveled up to Russeau mountain village this afternoon after school ,to meet with the church. We've been doing this every Tuesday for a couple of weeks and it's been quite interesting. A short term team came into Haiti to build a church in Russeau which had none. Of couse, the witch doctor runs the village and nearly everyone is in darkness. Untold poverty, no water, nothing around but mud huts and dry ground. Several received the Lord during the time the team was there and we've been asked to disciple them. We go on Tuesdays, Daniel goes with us to interpret and also goes on Saturdays, so they are getting attention. Today was particularly interesting as the Holy Spirit was reading their mail. Things got terribly quiet and in moments like that, one wonders what is going on in hearts. You see, when folks are ridden with fear of the witch doctor, coming to Christ doesn't mean they are through with voodoo. Last week I taught on creation, Adam and Eve, went back over it this week and continued with the punishment for sin, Jesus coming and dying. They came forward for prayer at the end, declaring to make Jesus Lord of their lives. The Holy Spirit is wonderful, of course, and there will be those who meant what they were saying, those whose hearts were pricked and repentance was real. Which ones? Only God knows that. Our job is to continue to work with them, speaking the Word without fear and praying over them to be set free of those chains that so many have binding them. Two weeks, the first week I had a physical problem that attacked me on Wednesday morning, last week it was a back problem that showed up as we drove down the mountain, this week, we were a bit more wise and bound up all infimity. Pray for the people in Russeau and pray for us as we plow and sow the Word that it'll truly take root in their hearts. I asked how many had been dedicated to the devil when they were babies.......the whole room! May the captives be set free in Jesus name.

Monday evening, after Bible study

We just got home from our weekly neighborhood Bible study. We had six there tonight. Marko accompanied his wife Rose so that he could speak with us afterwards. Whenever Marko comes it's because he wants to speak with us, he's yet to be converted but at least he comes for the whole Bible study and doesn't wait until it's over to pop in. Tonight he needed to borrow bus fare to go to Port au Prince for his job. He's a guard at one of the bank branches in town and they are going to Port for a meeting. Evidently, he and Rose spent their whole pay checks already and it's not even the middle of the month. But, we were glad to give it to him. He actually had a hard time asking. I'm glad he asked rather than putting Rose up to asking. We don't lend money, we give it. We've learned that no one pays loans back and knowing how hard it is for our employees, if we start out saying it's a loan, we forgive it by the time next payday rolls around. Have you ever tried to live on $80 USD a month? That's a good salary but with inflated prices, it doesn't go far.

We got nice comments on our blogspot. I just have to remember to work on it and chat with everyone daily......that is how it works isn't it?

The wall is coming along nicely and as soon as we get up there to take pictures you'll see it.
Whoever it was that stirred up the problems and halted the work in the spring of the year, has gone away. We know who was doing it now. It's sad how we allow the enemy to use us when we should all work to see His Kingdom come on the earth.

The kids were great today. We had a good time in school. The day flies by so quickly that even as I'm penning this I'm thinking "Was there school today?"

Hot and muggy tonight. Need to get a cold glass of water. Until next time...........Carolyn

Here it is Sunday and I slept all night without pain! Praise the Lord. I think if I'm real careful, the injured back is definitely on the mend, but riding in the truck is out for a while. I don't know if you can imagine being jostled, violently, but if you can you know a back cannot take that kind of treatment........even a good back!! We have a KIA, single cab, flatbed that we use for everything. It's my dream to have a smaller vehicle for short trips, such as downtown to the store. I have a friend who just bought a mo-ped. She's brave and ten years younger than I. It took her about two weeks to feel comfortable but, she's brave......I've thought of a donkey but I think that would be just as detrimental (if not more)to one's spine as the truck, just easier to get around?? It looks funny to see donkey's in town but they are there. Between bicycles, mo-peds, walkers, big trucks and cars, and no speed laws, no stop signs, no traffic lights, no line down the middle of the street, driving is hazardous to say the least. Then there are speed bumps, called "police cushays" which means "policeman laying down" ......they are intermitant thorough out town. On the side streets, rather than being raised up they become a canal. People have to do something to slow down traffic or no one would ever survive a walk to market. It's quite interesting to say the least and if one is to be jostled, they will be for sure. Add to that pot holes and being passed on the wrong side by mo-peds just as you are trying to pull over to the side to let one of the students off.
Today I'm having company, which will be a nice reprieve while taking it easy on my back. Dinner was in the freezer so that's not a big deal. Cabbage rolls that I managed to make last week sometime. Cabbage is abundant here and it's what we eat for salad, rather than lettuce which we don't get very often. The cabbage rolls idea came to mind as I wondered what would become of all the cabbage Elliant bought a week ago at Pont Sonde market. We use it for school lunches, Rose making picklees, a hot mixture of carrots, cabbage, peppers, sort of like cole slaw, but hot and a bit sour rather than sweet which is a side garnish to rice and beans. Anyway, Elliant is trying to impress us with her ability to buy and she buys too many heads of cabbage. I still have three more in the refrigerator after a huge pot of cabbage rolls and a big salad yesterday. We eat with the school everyday except Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Those are our American food days. It's not like what you think. Most things are improvised to be what they would be in the States and I can't run to the store and get what I don't have. Usually, the store in town doesn't have much. With Saturday Bible school, we don't have the option of going to Port au Prince, where you can get most anything in the food line, imported from the States or other places.
It's time to move on from this place and make some sense out of today, hopefully accomplishing a few things, like organizational things. We watch Family Harvest Church service via internet at 10:30AM. It's a highlight for us, and where we get fed, since the rest of the week is giving out. God is good and we Praise Him for the work He's doing to bring my back in line with the Word of God. I wonder if I dare pray for deliverance from being jostled in the truck?

LATER SATURDAY

Gary got home from Bible school jubilant over the way they responded to the teachings today. I had lunch ready and due to the heat of the afternoon, there's not much energy for anything else. Just read that two Jordanian Peacekeepers were killed in Port au Prince. Evidently, they were in Cite Soliel patrolling and came upon a band of thieves. Perhaps these deaths will bring more attention to the fact that these gangs must be stopped if Haiti is going to move forward. I don't have any answers of how. We travel in and out of Port all the time but there are routes we dare not take due to the violent criminals. Young, fearless, poor, faithless, controlling a large slum in Port with not much resistence. St Marc is rather peaceful although, there are two gangs raising their heads after long silence. We pray it stays quiet. I always pray for nine months of peace so the children can go to school. But, violence came to one of our students and I cannot explain why. Until next time, Carolyn

Learning!

I just learned to put pictures in but can't figure out how to move them. Determined to beat this blogger thing!

Saturday Thoughts

Sitting here nursing an aching back, is not my idea of what today should hold! For some reason, I've come under this attack and can't shake it although, I'm hanging onto the Word of God. I'm supposed to be on my way to Montrouis to teach in our Bible school but this aching back will not tolerate the jostling and bumping that takes place traveling. It's a half hour to forty minute ride. I was better on Thursday, opted to ride with Gary as he took our El Shaddai school children home and Friday I couldn't move. So, here I am, sitting at the computer, blogging, which is something I've wanted to do for a long time .......perhaps in spite of missing Bible school, there will be a desire accomplished!

I'm not at all sure how this works or who will read what I pen, but I must tell about El Shaddai Learning Center, our English school from pre-school through high school attempt to bring up children who can think and reason. El Shaddai is Christ centered, using ACE curriculum and with 25 students, we rejoice in the family atmosphere. We feed the children breakfast, lunch and bus them home. Originally, we targeted the business sector in Saint Mark, but have taken in six children who are from poor families and have several children who are American citizens. So, it's quite a mix and we are enjoying every minute of it........well, almost every minute. There are those times as in any school when children will be children and conflicts become confusing when listening to both sides. (We cry out for a spirit of discernment and lean heavily on the Holy Spirit a lot). El Shaddai is in it's sixth year, having started with two students. I teach kindergarten and first grade, Pastor Gary was recruited, teaching the largest elementary group and the high schoolers (thank God he is good with Science and Math, but when it comes to English, he calls me). May I take the liberty to insert that we are crying out for North American help at El Shaddai, perhaps someone reading this knows they should be answering the cry. We employ four bi-lingual and two Kreyol speaking Haitians who work with us to get these 25 children through a school day. We also employ a Haitian woman who cooks for the children and a man who cleans the school daily. I can safely say that we have a good staff, everyone except the custodian is Christian and we are enjoying that fact. It's taken us five years to find a good staff!

Two weeks ago we shocked to hear that one of our first graders had been murdered. We dropped him off at his home on Friday at about 12:15 PM (Friday's are shorter days, Monday through Thursday we end school at 1:45PM, Friday ends at noon, a Haitian custom ). On Saturday he was dead. It seems his throat was slit from his ear to the middle of his throat. OH! The pain of this news! Why? No one knows. Who? No one knows. When? No one knows. Steven was the step son of Alix Miot, who has yet to come from Miami where he's been for nearly a year. Madame Miot ran the business in his absence (a disco and money changing business) and word has it that she resented Steven, although, Steven never told me about problems at home. When the UN Special Investigators of high crime questioned me, they asked if there were adoption papers. Not in Haiti. Steven was the son of a very poor, peasant family. Several years ago, Steven was with his father who was selling ice, Alix came by saw the child and asked if he could take him and raise him. There is never a hesitation to a request like that. Of course! In Steven's fathers' eyes, Steven now became a hope. Being raised and educated by a wealthier family meant that someday, Steven would pull the peasant family out of their poverty. No, there are never adoption papers. Steven was six years old, had come to El Shaddai. October 2004, and died October 28, 2006. He loved his teacher and his teacher loved him. He was so smart that he was translating my English into Kreyol. Always smiling, active and ornery. When I figure out how to put pictures on this, there will be pictures. We miss him, I miss him. We gathered the children in the room we use for chapel, telling them that Steven was in heaven and how honored we were to introduce him to Jesus. The Bible has a lot of promises about Heaven, and we read some of them to the kids. Some of them were scared that they too would be murdered. Some of them didn't react. Death is so real and often here, they learn to sweep feelings "under the rug". By the way, Haiti is the most corrupt country in the world according to reports just released. Murder is rampant, seldom is there a conviction. Madame Miot is in the big prison downtown. Everyone seems satisfied that she is the murderer. Who knows? We'd like to hear of a funeral date. Steven's body is at our landlord's morgue, in the freezer. How long will he be there? No one knows.

Gary just left for Montrouis, after having to make copies of the lesson being taught today. My class will join his and miss the test I was giving them, doubt they'll really miss it!

So, we teach school five days a week and on Saturdays teach a Bible school, affliated with International Accelerated Missions out of Bern, New York, Pastor Jay Francis. He recently sent us an email asking that Pastor Gary go to Jamica and teach in that IAM school for a week or two. While that sounded like a lot of fun our schedule will not permit it. On Monday evening, we have a neighborhood Bible study, Tuesday evening we go to a mountain village, Russeau, and disciple a group of new Christians, Friday evening we have a neighborhood Children's Church and on Saturday, IAM Bible school. HELP!! IS THERE ANYONE READING THIS WHO FEELS CALLED TO THE MISSION FIELD. Jesus said it so clearly. The harvest is white, pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send LABORERS into His harvest. It's so true. There is so much to do and two people cannot do it all. Our Haitian staff is in training. None of them have the initiative to move on alone as yet. As a matter of fact, none of our staff are teachers or preachers, they are interpreters. We are training them to become teachers. So, add to our teaching at El Shaddai, a constant teaching of our staff. Sometimes it can get very frustrating.

I haven't told you yet about our band. We have the only music program in Saint Marc. Pastor Petit Homme is a good musician, and after a few arguments he got the message that our music program was going to be done our way and not the Haitian way. The Haitian way was to play the instrument in the student's presence then hand the instrument to the student and say, "Play". Play how? What do you do? For about three weeks, we listened to the teacher playing the instruments and the child doing nothing. It took a nose to nose argument to get him to do it Pastor Gary's way, but now we have a real class and the kids are learning to play, clarinet, saxaphone, trumpet, guitar, harmonica, and recorders. Yes, Pastor Petit Homme can play all those instruments! He's learning to play flute as well. He teaches notes and they learn to read them out of old Methodist hymnals that we acquired a few years ago. When I figure out how to put pictures on here, you will see them. Or maybe even a video! Pray that I understand all the modern techniques of blogging.

This ministry operates out of two rented buildings in a nicer neighborhood just above the city of St Marc. We acquired property on a mountain near here and have just begun to build the wall around it. That's a whole other story which I'll tell at the time I get a picture of what's going on up there. We are building a school and living quarters, eventually, with the hope of having an orphanage as well. We do have a dream of housing El Shaddai children from Monday night through Friday, sending them home on weekends. Some of our kids go into very undesirable environments, such as where Steven lived..........so the buildings we build will take care of needs we see daily. We have a program called COTS, Child of the Street, where we feed about a hundred kids through another missionaries' efforts. Networking like this is unheard of in our circles, but we give Barbara Macloed, several thousand Haitian dollars every month to feed the kids with whom she works. These children, many of which need housing will move into our orphanage once it's built. The wall has begun. We have to wall in the property before any construction can take place so that everything is safe once building the buildings begin. We hope to have a "bare bones" structure to move into by April, thus not having to pay rent here. We are quite comfortable where we are living now, but are willing to rough it for a while so the rent money can be used to continue building. "Bare bones" may be an outdoor toilet, no electricity.......oh dear, how will I blog?

Well, I'm going to hit PUBLISH and see what happens. Then I'll peruse the instructions again as to how to put pictures on this thing. Until next time......Carolyn