Fun with the TLC team and Beginning Language School

 Sorry that I have not been able to up-date this blog in quite a while! We have been in Carrefoure for almost 2 weeks now. We had a great week with the TLC team in Grande Riviere :o) They were a huge help with the ongoing  work projects for our house. They put on a 3 day VBS and we had around 200 children some nights :o) They all enjoyed getting to know the boys and had a great time playing with the children. Several of them brought treats to hand out and some of the team even donated some of their clothes. We put together goody sacks for each one, including Pastor and Madame Dominique, Madame Masees, and some of the helpers that cooked and washed clothes for us. It was fun to watch them open them, knowing that it was like Christmas to them as they rarely get fun stuff just for themselves :o) We thank God for His help and protection and for giving us all a good week! We also thank you for your prayers!

                                                  

                                     

   We began language school last week and God is helping :o) Our teacher is our good friend, Escotte, who is doing a good job helping us learn creole. The kids are learning how to count in creole too :o) Language school is costing us $250 a month. If you feel lead to help towards this cost you can click the donate button. Thank-you!  Escotte has taken us to the market a few times and we are learning how to barter and buy our groceries. Completely different then going into Walmart ! ;o)

 I am learning how to 'cook' again, as cooking here is very different than in the States! I thought I knew how to cook but I am discovering that I do not! You have to plan ahead to soak the beans, wash the rice and wash all the veggies and fruits. The flour must be sifted. The eggs must be washed well with a little bleach and water. Leftovers do not keep due to the heat and the in-consistency of the electricity for running the fridge. These are just a few lessons I am learning. ;o)

 Life here is hard. We have a lot of comforts that we take for granted in America. In America we turn on the tap and fill our glass with fresh, safe water, open the freezer and pop out ice cubes into our drink, proceed to the living room where we sit down in our comfy lazy boy while enjoying the cool breezes of the Air conditioner!  In Haiti we get our drinking water from a jug of water that has been filtered and IF the power has been on long enough, it might be cold from being in the fridge. Ice is a rare treat here. We sit down on hard chairs by the open door hoping that a breeze might be out today. Notice the differences?! The moral of the story....enjoy America today and pray for God's grace and help as we adapt to Haiti.

  In other news, we are in NEED of a team to come to GR (Grande Riviere) the first or second week of August. We plan to be putting up the walls in our house, possibly plumbing in the bathrooms and other house projects. We are looking for 8-10 people who are not afraid to ROUGH it and are willing and able to do HARD work. Rewards will be enjoying Madame Dominique's DELICIOUS cooking, getting to the KNOW the boys at the orphanage and the BLESSING of helping to further God's work in Haiti! All interested applicants email us for more details such as cost, what to bring and etc.

We VALUE your continued monthly support and prayers as we go thru language school and fight sometimes daily culture shock! Blessings on you all!

Hello from Grande Riviere!

 We have arrived safely and are doing well. The culture shock has been minimal so far. The city power has actually ran pretty steadily here in GR and we have been able to have our fans going and keep our water (dlo) cool in the freezer ;o)  We brought Terro and other bug sprays/killers with us and it has helped a lot with keeping the creepy crawlies away! We were received with shouts of joy, open arms, hugs and kisses from our Haitian family when we finally got here Tuesday afternoon. We had a long day of travel with minimal problems. Praise the Lord! God helped us thru customs, even though we had a few hairy moments. We have NO DOUBT that your prayers went before us and God intervened during the long, frustrating process.
  Our kids have had a wonderful time playing from dawn to way after dusk. They play futbol (soccer), wheel chair races, duck-duck-goose and anything else their imaginations can come up with. Danny has gone to Cap-Haitian with Pastor Dominique and is beginning to learn the ropes of shopping. I have went to the open market twice now with Madame Dominique. What an experience! I am thankful that she has been helping me as it is a LOT to learn! With God's help and your continued prayers, I will get it :o)
  Madame Dominique is a very good cook and she has been teaching me how to cook like a Haitian! I am enjoying it and learning a lot of creole words in the process. We made Diri and pwa with pul today and colsla ju to drink :o) (Rice & beans with fried chicken smothered in cashews. The juice is made with a fruit that grows here in Haiti...Mmmm!)

   We are all getting things ready for the Touching Lives for Christ ministry work team that will be here next Monday evening :o) Keep them in your prayers as they help with some building projects for our house and teach a 3 day vbs. We are looking forward to them coming. Will post up-dates as often as possible!  Bonswa! ( Good evening!)

Our family at the airport ready for the adventure!

Timoun jwe (children playing!)

Last Sunday in the States

 Life is full of 'lasts'. Last day of school. Last day at work. Last cookie in the cookie jar. Last time you see a loved one before they move or pass on. Today is a significant 'last' for our family. This is the 'last' Sunday we will be in the States for a span of time. As we sat in the service this morning, we were aware that next Sunday we will be worshipping in a completely different culture that will soon become 'normal' for us. We will understand about 25% of the service as it will all be in creole until we learn more of the language. We will hear very little English, if any. We will be with people we do not know very well, but will learn to know. We are all feeling a range of emotions: Sadness about saying goodbye, anxiety/fear of the un-known, Excitement for what lies ahead and overall a deep, abiding peace. That peace over-rides all the other emotions and it tells us that God is in control. This amazing journey that He has set us on has been His idea from the beginning, He has called us, prepared the way, provided for our needs and given us a ever-growing passion for Haiti! We are going to Haiti with His protection, His strength, His grace and He will NOT fail us! And we know that we are also going with the support of an awesome group of prayer warriors who are not afraid to touch Heaven on our behalf! Thank-you! You may never know, this side of Heaven, how MUCH your prayers mean to us and to every other missionary who is in the midst of deputation or on the field of their calling laboring for the Master. Thank-you for praying for your missionaries!

Please remember us in these SPECIFIC ways:

-Pray that God will make our way thru customs smooth, in-expensive and without incident.

-Pray for the culture shock that will no doubt hit us immediately as we experience the intense heat, warm drinks, no a/c, creepy crawlies and the language barrier. ( We will be without an interpreter for a week)

-Pray for the Touching Lives for Christ ministry work team that will be coming to Grande Riviere the 11th-18th. They will be flying into Port-au-Prince and driving up to our compound. Pray for safety on the long, winding roads. Pray for all of us as we minister to the children through Vacation Bible School and as the team works on various building projects.

-Pray for all of us as we will be driving back to Carrefoure (day long drive) to take the TLC team to the airport. Then our family will move in to the same guest house we stayed in last summer and began language lessons.

We will try our best to keep you all up-dated with pictures and blog posts as we can.

On to the Adventure!