Taste of Haiti

The question inevitably comes from people visiting Haiti: what should I bring home? There are the typical suggestions of a painting, wood crafts, jewelry, or painted tin carvings. But what should be brought home?

 If you are a person who likes trinkets and a lot of variety in the decor of your home, the typical suggestions may work well, but I have started to suggest a taste of Haiti. Three things I have decided are fun and fool proof gifts for family and friends (I also enjoy them) are Haitian peanut butter, Haitian vanilla, and Haitian coffee.

From time to time, I walk down my stairs and wonder "who is burning toast?" as I smell the air. Then I remember that it smells like burnt toast when someone is roasting coffee and it doesn't take long for the smell of freshly roasted coffee to take over the house. Mmmmmm. Here, they roast the coffee beans with the tiniest hint of natural cane sugar. This gives it the perfect sweetness. Haitian coffee is something you must try while you are here and something that will remind you of your time here every time you brew a cup!

Natural juice is something I miss when I am in the states. Tropical fruit juice just isn't the same in Minnesota. A secret ingredient in many Haitian juices is a splash of Haitian vanilla. For those who have been here and bought Haitian vanilla in the past, you know, it is so great for baking too! We have had participants ask to fill their suitcase with vanilla so they wouldn't run out before they come back to Haiti. 

You can get Haitian peanut butter two ways: spicy and non-spicy. Both ways are all natural, so they need mixing before each use but it is worth it. I prefer the spicy peanut butter. It just has a wonderful kick to it that goes so good with bread and jam. It's fun to see the reactions of people you serve this treat to, but it may be a good idea to warn then that this is not regular peanut butter!

People are always wondering if these food products are so good, how come we can't find them in the states? I'm sure there are international markets that have some of them, but I have no idea why these delicious products aren't exported. I am glad they are being produced and consumed here! For now, I love being able to bring back to the states a little taste of Haiti for my family and friends!

Not Your Average Slaw

When our teams are going through the food line on trips, I like to pour the juice so I can hear how everyone is doing, learn names, and help them make sure they get the most out of their Haitian meal.  They usually aren't too timid about taking the rice, meet, and lettuce salad, but the slaw needs to come with a little bit of a warning.  As people pile the colorful slaw onto their plates, I think to myself, "I hope they don't take a giant bite of that..." I chuckle when I think of when I didn't know what was in it and took a big bite.  It was quite surprising, you see, because it is not your average slaw.

This salad is called "pikliz" and, although it looks like coleslaw, it has some major differences that people should probably know about.  Pikliz is often times very spicy!  Sometimes spicy enough to make your nose run, your face turn red, and your eyes water.  It really does need to come with a warning, which is what I do when I'm pouring the juice.  "Hey, guys, that's a little spicy.  You may want to mix it in with your rice or put it on your fried plantain to tame it down a little bit."  I also like to share my favorite way to eat it:  you put your meat on a fried plantain, add pikliz, and top it off with another fried plantain--yummy!

So, what makes this pikliz so spicy?  If you would like to try this at home to see, here's how it's done.

For an "eat today" pikliz, you will need:

-a package of coleslaw mix from your local super market (cabbage and carrot typically)

-lime juice

-vinegar

-a small onion

-a green bell pepper

-salt

-one or two scotch bonnet peppers

Here's what you do:

-Thinly slice--not dice--the onion, bell pepper, and scotch bonnet peppers

-Put the coleslaw mix, onion, and bell pepper in a large bowl

-Add scotch bonnet peppers--depending on how spicy you want this, you may not want to add all of them

-In a separate bowl, mix lime juice (1-2 TBSP), vinegar (1-2 TBSP), and salt (1 tsp or to taste).  NOTE:  you may need more or less of this depending on how much you are making

-Pour the lime juice/vinegar/salt mixture over the top of the veggie mix

-Toss/mix together well

-Enjoy

WARNING:  this may be hot!

Days such as these

8:25am: Al and I jumped into my parents white ranger pick up and drove the 4 miles to Elim Lutheran Church where we were greeted by familiar faces. Al sat at the drums, sticks in hand, and I stepped up to the microphone. It was time to practice.

9:15am: a white board, a single sheet of lined paper with handwritten (by Almando) notes, and 4 pictures of kids in uniform. It was the first day of Sunday school, so it was the perfect place to share about the life of a child in Haiti.

10:40am: the organ had finished the prelude, the welcome had been made, and the call to worship had been read. Time to sing praises to our King! A beautiful sound. 

10:55am:  and GO! 10-15 minutes to update the church on what God has been doing in Haiti! So many stories, so many lives touched, so many pastors encouraged. Time flies! 

12:00pm:  food! Nothing quite like a good old-fashioned church potluck for some fellowship time!

1:30pm: what it takes to host a team, build a bathroom, encourage pastors, and simply live in Haiti. Question and answer time in a casual environment with no time limit. 

Lots of time sharing, lots of good questions, many hours of preparation. It ended up being a great time of fellowship, encouragement, and blessing for Al and me.

The final question was this: how can we pray for you personally?  The pastor explained to us and those present clearly that we cannot pray for the ministry without praying specifically for the ministers. The ministry will not happen if the ministers are not being lifted up in prayer.

We are blessed by days such as these. Blessed.

My English is Not So Long

Summers are incredibly busy for us.  We have led 9 short term mission trips in 9 different communities since May.  Besides leading those groups we have coordinated the staff, lodging, and projects for most of the other short term mission groups coming to serve here throughout the summer.  We have spent many days making and answering calls, texts, and emails communicating with all of our staff and pastors to make this summer of ministry as effective and encouraging as it can be for all involved.  This has been a challenging task this summer and has often left us exhausted at the end of each day.  What makes it worth it is knowing that we do all of this for the glory of God--and HE IS WORTHY!

Pastor Jacky stood in front of one of our teams this summer and spoke to them in English for a good while, then he threw his hands up and said, “My English is not so long!”  He continued his welcome speech with the help of Almando’s tongue.  We sometimes feel like that at this point of the year when we have been going and going and serving and serving and giving and giving.  We feel like throwing our hands up in the air and saying, “My strength is not so long!”  But God’s is.  His strength is made perfect in our weakness.  We rely on Him for our strength, of course, but as we start stretching ourselves to the limit, we know that His strength increases!  “Our strength is not so long!” But His is.

The stories we are hearing of God’s faithfulness coming out of all our mission teams have been amazing and encouraging.  We know that this is why we do what we do.  We love what we do and know that it is for God’s glory that we are doing all this and this is the busy season, so we prepared ourselves for that, but we are also grateful that this season will end soon and we can rest.

We are currently stateside for some time with family and some time visiting some of you!  We will be there for around 6 weeks and we are looking forward to what God has in store for us while we are there, whether that be travel, meetings, fellowship, or just rest. Please continue to pray for us as we continue to serve and give God all the glory.

Precious Water

My heart sank and tears came to my eyes. "The well is dry," Almando told me. I tried to wrap my head around what that means and talked through potential solutions in a panic. "Are the pipes too short to get the water in the well?" I wondered. No. The water is simply gone. 

Rainy season is mostly behind us in Haiti, with the exception of occasional showers throughout hurricane season. The problem is it didn't really rain here this year. Everything is dry and dusty including the plants, the roads, and the well that has been supplying us with water for over a year. The water table has dropped so wells that are shallow--like ours and several others in the community--no longer have water. The deep, machine dug wells still have good water supply, but, without rain, there is a good chance they would dry up as well.

Water, at our house, has become a precious commodity. We think twice before flushing the toilet, jumping in the shower, or washing dishes. Bityah's bath water becomes the mop water and the laundry gets prioritized. Water has become so precious and we no longer can take it for granted.

So, what are we going to do? Pray for rain and trust that God will provide. Period. Many people have been praying for rain for us and I would request that you all continue. We really do need water. The city turns water in every once and a while, so God provided for us that way the other night when our tank was just about empty. We were able to run a hose from where the city water is to fill our tank completely! Praise The Lord! 

We don't really know what we should do for the long term. We have considered digging a deeper well--an expensive option. We have considered having city water run to the house--a possible option. We pray for rain a conserve water--definitely a must do option. 

Friends, please be praying for us as this is an unexpected challenge at the end of a very busy season. Please be praying for our community as we all deal with the challenge of getting water to our homes. Pray for rain. 

Wednesday Evenings

This summer, we have had anywhere between 1 and 7 trips happening every week in different locations.  It has been amazing to hear all the stories about how God is working in each team, community, and staff member.  Since I have not necessarily been on a trip every week, but still have much responsibility to make sure trips happen well, I have been getting into a routine on Wednesday evenings (sometimes Thursdays).

I sit down with my computer and review the trips that will begin in the next week.  I double check that the staff are all assigned correctly and make any necessary changes.  Number changes, staff availability, and a number of other variables make changes almost inevitable.  For each trip that will begin, I start a "conversation" for all the staff on facebook.  The trip leader, assistant trip leaders, and interns all get a message reminding them that they have a trip to lead together.  They can use that message to communicate about what time to meet at the airport, whether or not to bring air mattresses, what ministries to look forward to and prepare for, and details about the team that is coming in as well as the community they will be serving.
Here is an example of what I sent this week:

Hey Pelicans! You all are going to be serving with a team north of PAP this week. You will be staying at a familiar lodging location, so that means you will have to be making sure of several things as soon as you get there--lights, water, garbage cans, toilets all working, etc. Please take initiative to make sure everything goes smoothly! Enjoy the week and let God use you all! GO MAD!

After this message is sent, it's up to the trip leader to make sure each individual staff member knows where to go and what to do.  Sometimes they do this in a text message, a call, or they simply add on to my message.

Another part of what I do on Wednesdays is go back through all the trips that are going to end in the next couple of days and send a message to all the staff members who have been serving this week.  I thank them for all they have done and ask that they would review the trip and let PPM know how they felt the trip went that week.  I enjoy doing these things and making sure everyone feels valued, informed, and important.  I am grateful for things like facebook that helps me communicate with everyone easily and coordinate everyone.

This is just a little peek into what I do behind the scenes to make sure each mission trip has the leaders in place and ready to serve with each team.  I know that I am working for the Lord, even in these little details as we continue to go through the summer.  It is all for His glory and fame!

Continue praying for all the teams that have come, the communities that they have served, and the staff who have served with them.  And, of course, be praying for the upcoming weeks as we still will be hosting many teams in many communities.

Building Bathrooms to Develop Partnerships

Forming new partnerships is one of my favorite parts of what we do down here.  We get to meet new pastors, visit new locations, and watch God develop relationships between communities here and in the states.  Sometimes there are challenges in forming these partnerships.  Maybe the road is too bad to physically bring a team to a location.  Maybe it is simply too far.  Maybe there isn't a good place for the team to stay. Maybe there are no showers or bathrooms.  

When we place our teams, we have to keep these things--especially the lodging necessities in mind.  Most times, we are able to bring teams to some pretty tough locations.  How?  We have tents that we use from time to time for places with no lodging and my talented husband sees potential in communities and builds bathrooms to develop partnerships. 

Bathrooms are often problems for our lodging locations.  Many times we can find a school or a church to lodge the team at, but there are no working toilets--only latrines--and there are no showers.  This is a problem for teams because in the Haiti heat showering is a necessity and bathrooms are a must.  

Last summer, Almando developed a partnership with a community in Jacmel where the bathrooms were going to be a problem.  He decided--rightly--that this partner would receive a group well and needed the encouragement, so something had to be done.  He worked with the pastor on a plan for bathrooms.  A couple of weeks before the team came, he made the trip to the mountain community and built bathrooms.  This is a blessing for the team and for the community as they now can receive guests and use the bathrooms themselves.  

This really is a huge blessing as we have found many locations with the same problem.  Last year, Almando built bathrooms in three locations.  Two of those locations have already received teams again this year and were able to use the same bathrooms.  As of today, he has built two more sets of bathrooms/showers in two new locations so new partnerships can be developed.  Monday and Tuesday we were in Les Cayes building showers and today (Wednesday) he drove to another remote location to build a whole set of bathrooms and showers.  

Before the summer is over, he will have to build at least one more set to lodge our teams at new locations.  These things that so often get taken for granted are often such hindrances to the work we are doing.  Tonight, as I am thinking of my husband and the many gifts he has been given, I am grateful that he is able to do this.  To make a way to develop these new partnerships where there hasn't been a way before.  It would be easy to just say, "Nope, we can't bring a team because you don't have bathrooms."  But we don't say that.  We say, "let's see what we can do." and try to make it work.

So many more partnerships are formed because we see potential instead of obstacles.  Al was just telling me about the group who served in Jacmel where these bathrooms were built last year and returned this year.  He said that it felt like community members who were in the states for a year just came home.  That's a beautiful partnership.  What if we said, "No" because of the bathrooms?  

Praise God that He has given Al this ability to not only see potential, but do something to really make a difference. I am blessed to watch this happen.  To hear these stories.  And to know that God really is using us.  To build bathrooms and bridges to bring cultures and the Body of Christ together.  All for His glory.

Why did you come?

It was the end of a great week for the small team of 10 from Osakis, MN.  The week was spent serving at a school not far from my house.  They worked with the kids, painted, and held a kids' club every afternoon.  They were well loved here and I knew the community would miss them.  The week was good--great even.  Each individual on the team, I'm sure, was changed by the passion, joy, and love they saw here.  I also know that they left their mark here.  God worked on them, through them, in them, and in spite of them.  It was beautiful.

The end of the week had come and it was time for the team to say "goodbye" to Pastor Junior and Brother Denis.  Pastor Junior stood and started his thank you speech in Creole and then decided to speak directly to the group in English.  What he said touched my heart.  He told the team that he had been thinking about why they came to Haiti.  Was it to build a big building? No.  Was it to do a big thing? No.  Was it to see a new place? No.  He told them that God had planned for them to be here for this time.  Why did God send them?  Because they came, God told Pastor Junior, "I know you are here."  Because they came, God told Brother Denis, "I know you are here."  Because they came, God reminded the two of them, "I know your school is here."

Tears came to my eyes as I heard him say these things.  This is exactly why they came.  Pastor Junior and Brother Denis know that God knows they are here, but this teams presence shouted to them, "I haven't forgotten you."

Many people ask me why they should go on short term missions.  To me, because of what I do as one who works to encourage local pastors here in Haiti in their ministry, this is a very good reason why.  It's more than just sending money.  The presence of brothers and sisters from somewhere else--maybe even from the same country--is a whole different level of encouragement.  It is a beautiful thing.

Pastor Junior and Brother Denis will not easily forget the team from a small town in Minnesota that God used to encourage them and remind them "I know you are here."  I know I won't forget how God used them or how Pastor Junior put it.  Why did you come?  To be the voice of God saying, "Pastor Junior, I know you are here."

The Ministry Continues!

After our great summer kick off with over 600 people seen during a eye clinic, Almando headed directly to Jacmel with a team of 16 ready to work hard to encourage a local pastor there.  If you want to read all about their week of ministry, click HERE.  It was Monday of that week, when I started feeling a little stiff and sore.  I knew what was coming and asked some friends and family to pray.  There is a virus going around here in Haiti that causes a fever, rash, and joint pain.  We all have had it at this point and are all doing better.  And the good news is, once you have it you can't get it again--kind of like chicken pox.  I called Al at 6 am on Tuesday morning and he decided to come home for a day to help with the house and Bityah so I could just rest and recover.  He left a couple of our staff guys in charge with the team.

The ministry continued without any hiccups even with Al not there.  This tells me a couple of wonderful things:  1. We are not needed for effective ministry to occur.  God takes care of that!  It is HIS work after all--He just chooses to use us.  2.  Our staff guys are more than capable of leading teams on their own.  We have been working toward this for a long time and we are so excited that we have so many solid staff members that when something like this happens, our wonderful Pelican staff can handle it!

This week, there is a team in the country, being led by another one of our Praying Pelican Missions staff from the states and the ministry is continuing to go well!  We have so many full weeks still ahead of us as more and more teams are coming into the country, so we are definitely busy preparing.  Praise God for all He is doing and all He will do here this summer.

Friends, be praying for all of our teams, local pastors and churches, and our staff as we continue on an incredible adventure all over Haiti.  Pray that our pastors will be encouraged, lives would be changed, and that we and our staff would continue to be shining examples of Christ-centered, servant-hearted leadership!

The Great Summer Kick Off

It's the middle of May.  The time for confirmations, graduations, Mother's Day--love you, Mom--and the beginning of trip season for us here in Haiti.  We have been preparing for this for months in meeting with pastors,training our staff, and praying that God would do a big thing in Haiti this year.  So, here we are:  May 13th, in Les Cayes, Haiti, and already two days into the first trip of the summer.

I have been getting very regular reports from Almando and the other staff members about how the trip is going--Bityah and I nearby as she is recovering from a bout with fever.  There are 32 optometry students here this week trying to share the love of Jesus by checking people's vision and distributing glasses.  Yesterday, they saw a great crowd of people and even had to turn some away--a daunting task for our assistant trip leaders.  There simply wasn't enough time.  Later in the afternoon, they invited the kids in the area for a short program.  They didn't know over 250 children would show up!  They are doing the same thing at a different church in the area today and, from what I have heard, there are many people again.

Talk about a big day for our team and for our staff.  We know that many have already been touched by the love of God this week and are praying for many more lives to be touched and won for the Kingdom!  It's going to be a great summer of ministry.  I believe that God will do mighty things!

Please be praying for us and our staff as we begin to minister with and to our short term mission teams.  Pray for those of us who are feeling under the weather with a fever including Bityah and Almando.  Pray that this great summer kick off would continue into a great summer of ministry and encouragement.  Pray for rest when we can find it.  We will have groups in the country from now until mid-august.  We will not be leading all of them, but we will be making sure they all go well.  We look forward to all God has in store for this summer!

Squares and Circles

Last week, I held a training session in my home for some of our Haitian staff and we talked about getting into the minds of the short-term missionaries that come here.  How do we help them transition from their culture to ours?  How do we help them process what they are seeing and learning while they are here?  How do we help them transition back from our culture to theirs?  I shared with them a diagram from one of the many books I have acquired on this process.

I explained to them that cultures can be represented by shapes.  For example, United States culture can be a square and Haiti culture can be a circle.  When an individual leaves the square culture and enters the circle culture, everything will seem strange and different.  The individual may feel overwhelmed or afraid or out of place.  As time goes on, the individual will start to make sense of the circle culture and appreciate different values within it.

Since our teams only come for a week, it is our job--as leaders--to help them through this process quickly.  To help them see the benefits and value in our circle culture.  We have to ask the right questions at the right times throughout the week to help them see the value in the circle while--at the same time--be preparing them for the transition back into the square.  This is a challenge.  The balance of preparing to come, coming and serving and growing, and then leaving changed.

I tried to help our staff see the responsibility each of them has to help our teams through this process so they can go back into "normal" life changed.  If they have been changed, they will go back into the square culture looking like a rounded square.  They may see things differently.  They may be shocked by the square culture.  They may be wondering how they can continue to live as a rounded square in this square culture.  The transition isn't easy--from personal experience, I know this well--but, I know that it is possible to remain changed.

Something that teams don't necessarily realize is that while they are leaving Haiti as a rounded square, those they have had an impact on--our Haitian staff in particular--are staying in Haiti as a squarish circle and have the same questions to deal with.  How do I continue to live as a squarish circle in this circle culture?  It's another tough transition and reality our staff have to recognize.

As I talked through this with our staff, they reminded me of something very important.  The transitions are important, but you can't do them without prayer.  This is so true.  I am glad they recognize this.  Whether we are in the square culture or the circle culture, whether we end up as rounded squares or squarish circles--we must remember the one thing we can always cling to is Christ.  The One who brings us together.  The One we have in common, no matter where we are from.  Beautiful.

6 Months and Counting

It's been 6 months since we have been blessed with this little bundle of joy!  People are telling us all the time what a relaxed, peaceful, and calm baby we have--even on the 17 flights she has been on so far! They are always surprised when I tell them "Yes, she sleeps through the night."  And always comment on how she looks like her daddy (or like her mom depending on who is talking).

As I was laying her down for one of her three naps of the day today, I thought to myself, "I love being a mom."  On Sunday, Al was watching her jump in her Johnny-Jump-Up and he looked over at me, smiled, and said, "I still can't believe she is mine."

We are both in awe of how being parents is such a blessing.  We are learning about how God loves us as His children--no matter what.  We are learning how we should be as His children--completely trusting and depending on Him.  How beautiful this is!

There are so many more lessons that we have learned and we have yet to learn.  So, we have only been parents for 6 months (and counting), but we are enjoying the ride.  I hope you enjoy the pictures of our little family and remember to pray for us as we continue to serve the Lord!

Be Blessed, Friends!

A suitcase?

A couple of weeks ago, I got a call from Al who was in Jacmel with a team. He was in the hospital. "Why? What happened? Are you okay? Can you drive?" My string of questions went on and on. I was really concerned and wanted to make sure he was okay. After I heard what happened and what the plan was going forward, I decided I would tell his parents what happened with his brother there to help me if I stumbled through my creole.

I proceeded to tell them the following: Al was in a little accident at the worksite. They were working and a suitcase fell on his head. He went to the hospital and has stitches now. He is okay. 

They looked at me-stunned. And asked me what they were doing with a suitcase at the work site and if it was big. 

I looked at Daniel, who looked at me and smiled. He asked me in English: didn't you tell me a hammer fell on his head? 

I looked at them-stunned. I had mixed up the word for hammer and suitcase--both start with a "ma" sound. I blushed. I laughed. I corrected myself. I left. Embarrassed.

Guess I still have lots to learn. Guess I needed humor in that situation too. 

Al came home the next day. Head shaved and a bandage right on top. He is doing great now. He also finds my language blooper a little funny. 

The stories...

This week the stories I am hearing amaze me. Al is leading a team from Madison, MS that partners with our home church here in Haiti. It's a wonderful thing to see this church partnering in such intentional ways. Our church here doesn't need a building-they have one, so what did the team do if they were not building a building for their partner church? Many other things. 

1. They are among the many teams that have contributed to an have served at a daughter church, Mariani. This week, they smoothed out the insides of the church walls--meaning the church is getting done! Through this they built relationships with the Haitian workers and the kids who wanted to help.

2. Door to door evangelism. This got people out of their comfort zones for sure as they told people about Jesus. So many stories poured out of this ministries of people being blessed by the community as community members prayed over the team and team members led people to The Lord!

3. While part of the team was out Mariani, at Cote Plage there was aesical clinic going on. Nurses from the states and doctors from Haiti saw many patients and made an impact on the community there.

4. On the side, the two worship teams from the two churches met together and talked about what true worship is and why it's important to lead well. On Sunday, they led the worship service together. How beautiful to invest so intimately in the church here.

5. On Sunday, the men met with therm of the church and on Monday, the women met with the women. Sharing life together. Really loving each other as brothers in Christ and sisters in Christ. 

This team invested in the partnership they have. They truly are partners in the Gospel. For them, it's more than just building a building--although that is definitely sometimes the need that is to be met--it's investing in and building relationships with the people. Sharing life. Sharing stories. Sharing Christ.

I am thanking God for them tonight because, although I wasn't able to go out with them, the stories I heard about each ministry and how God was moving blessed me and I can't imagine how they blessed the people who lived them--both Americans and Haitians.

Staffing and Building

This week finds Al and I separated by a mountain range. Literally. Gressier is on the northern coast of the southern peninsula and Jacmel is situated on the south coast. The miles are not that many but the almost two hour drive winds through one of the mountain ranges of Haiti. On my side of the mountain range, Bityah and I are staying in our normal daily routine of me cooking and her napping.  While she is napping, I have been working on staff schedules, coordinating trip set up with other staff and working through emails praying that nothing gets missed.

It's getting to be a daunting task getting all those trips staffed. I try so hard to be fair so all our staff serve on an equal amount of trips. They all want to serve well. They all want to serve much. I believe we now have the quantity and quality of staff members we need to lead the many trips that will take place this summer. All for God's glory. I have to remember that as I am praying through the schedule and placing staff members where I think they are needed. Pray with me, friends.

Al is in Jacmel serving with a team of eight. Woogy, the pastor of the group has been coming to Haiti with teams since 2010. Often, he brings a youth group that focuses on sports and children's ministry. This time it's an adult group and they are here to build.

On the previous trips Woogy's team visited an orphanage. The pastor's vision was to add on to the orphanage so the boys and girls would be separated more. In almost 2 years, nothing changed. Woogy and his church decided it was time something was done. They felt the call to come and build. So here they are. Building. Making a difference for these children. Making a difference for the Kingdom. 

So, there is a mountain range between Al and me this week. We are both serving. We are both wishing we could be together--I can't pretend that it's easy. So be praying for us friends. Pray for the ministry. Pray for us and our family. Pray that God would continue to lead and guide us.

Refreshed and Exhausted

Last week flew by so quickly. But, why? Al and I have been incredibly busy with different things. He was busy with meetings with pastors, visits to communities, responses to emails and preparations for our staff meeting while I was busy communicating with staff, writing and updating our staff manual, and preparing for training with our staff. The time flew by as I tries to think of every possible scenario our staff may encounter and every policy they need to be aware of and I became tired. At the end of Al's day, he would find himself energized and me exhausted most of the time. 

The time for the meetings came and we were delightfully more prepared than we had ever been. We even got a good night of sleep the night before the meeting. We planned to spend some time in worship, but didn't realize how much time. And. It. Was. Awesome. We covered what we needed to cover and had good discussion about being a servant of God and signed all the places we were supposed to sign and spent time in fellowship with each other and, somehow, God multiplied our time.

The piano, the drum, the guitar, the voices. All in harmony. All praising the only One who deserves praise. Song after song and then a switch in languages. Beautiful. For the audience of One. 

At the end of the day I felt refreshed and exhausted at the same time. The long day may have worn me out but it energized me to be in the presence of our King.

A wonderful day.  I am blessed even when I am busy. God even sent another blessing as we were going to sleep. Rain. I fell asleep a very happy and blessed and refreshed and exhausted person that night. 

Thank You, God for the blessing of serving You, worshiping You, and resting in You. Amen.

All that land.

When my dad was here last fall, he spent a day "working traffic" with a good friend of ours. That means he spent a day on a crowded--3 adults to a seat and people standing in the aisle--school bus in the middle of the overpopulated city of Port-au-Prince (population 4 million-ish). The bus made its route back and forth from downtown to a northern suburb on the streets filled with vehicles and so many people going about their day. At the end of that day, my dad could just not get over how many people he had seen. Every once and a while, he would shake his head and say, "I just can't believe all the people." Even when he tells this story, he still shakes his head in wonder. 

Every day many people leave the states and land in this cement city full of people. Many people don't get out of it before heading back to the airport to see more of Haiti. They see all the people and rarely here what I did when Al got back from a day trip to a "farm". He shook his head in wonder and said, "all that land..."

Outside of Port-au-Prince there is a while different side of Haiti that so few people get to see or experience. Mountainous beauty, calm lakes and rivers, and fields of fertile ground waiting to produce a crop. Al saw all of this yesterday but what astounded him the most was the sheer vast amount of land that was rich for farming but was not being farmed.

One of our partnership communities owns a lot of land and the leadership has a vision: to farm. Farming and agriculture has been a staple for the economy of Haiti for a very long time, but it is dying and creating this great contrast of the mass of people in the major cities and the mass of land sitting there needing to be worked. 

Our partners want to see this land worked but are unsure how to do it effectively and efficiently. We are praying about how to best encourage them in this great endeavor that would provide jobs and a local food source for the community. Be praying for them. Be praying for us as we continue to encounter different opportunities and pray through how to best proceed. 

There is so much going on in Haiti both in the bustling city with so many people and in the countryside with all that land. 

One Night

You know that old hymn "Heaven Came Down and Glory Filled My Soul"? Well, we have it here,too. Only it's translated "heaven came down. It fills my soul with joy". That has me thinking. I love the reminder of the joy filling my soul. 

It was 10:30 pm here and from the church up the hill I heard this song sing in thanksgiving to the One joy-giver. Sometimes hearing the music and noises around me frustrates me as I am trying to sleep or Bityah is sleeping, but not this night. This night I happily hummed along to song after song. I listened to the harmonies. I could almost hear the angels sing along. I looked up the hill and thought about what the scene looked like as I had been there before. 

The woman in the flowered dress with her eyes closed and hands raised singing and swaying. The youthful sixteen year old girl marching back and forth across the platform with the microphone in one hand and other hand lifted high worshipping the King and inviting others to do so. The twenty-something guy off to the side finding the harmonies and passionately praising. The little boy that has rhythm and dances along to the drum beat. 

"Mesi Senye" I hear as the song ends. "Thank You, Lord." It's said and repeated several times and I picture the hands raised and waving side to side. Then clapping. Applause for the One joy-giver. In my mind's eye, it's a beautiful sight. 

On this night, the noise did not bother me. On this night, my heart was filled with joy. On this night, a little bit of heaven came down and filled my soul with joy.

On the Road Again

Yesterday, we hit the road again.  It was kind of like old times, except this time we had a car seat, pack-n-play, and two diaper bags with us.  That means Bityah came with. We left our house and headed south toward Les Cayes, where we would spend the next three days.  I felt like the truck wanted to go faster all the way there, but Al held it back because Bityah was with us--crazy how that changes.  We drove through the mountains and saw the beautiful scenes of valley towns and splashing ocean waves on rocky or sandy beaches.  This is January in Haiti.

We may not have a lot of teams this time of year, but we definitely have a lot of work to do in preparing for teams to come!  Now is the time for meetings with pastors, finding new staff, searching for new lodging locations and forming new contracts with all those involved.  Contracts that will improve accountability and consistency in ministry. Staff that will represent Christ and their country well.  Lodging locations that will make our teams feel safe and comfortable and offer them a good night of rest each night.  Pastors who have vision for their church and their community.

This is why we took the little road trip.  This is why.  We met with a couple of previous partnership pastors yesterday to set up weeks for them to have teams come and encourage their ministry.  I love what one of the pastors said when he told us about the projects he would like to see in his community this year:  a library/community center and a public playground at the beach.  He wants to his community to see that his heart is not just for his church--it's for the community. So many times communities get "stuck" while the church buildings grow and grow.  He doesn't want that to happen in his community.  He has a beautiful vision.

Al met with a new pastor this morning who has definite vision for his community.  Once the two of them got started, the pastor fell in love with all the ideas Al had for community development and is hoping and praying that a team would come to his community soon.  New pastors are fun to meet with because we get to see their heart and their eyes light up when they talk about what they are truly passionate about.

Me?  Well, Bityah is with us now, and she is my main ministry and our pastors love meeting her.  I get to the meetings when I can, but I love seeing Al's joy when he briefs me on each meeting.  He shares with me the exciting new finds and maybe something funny the pastor did or said.  I know that God is doing a great thing here!  New partnerships.  Strong community development.  New staff.  Solid friendships.  Moving forward.  Getting ready.  Ready to share the love of God.  In communities.  With teams.

Pray for us as we continue forming these partnerships and growing our relationships with these wonderful pastors.  Pray for them as they march on sharing the Gospel in their communities--pray that they find encouragement in our presence.  Pray for those teams coming to serve.

Pray.

My Day in Pictures

On Friday, Al came home from a long day with a headache--he had waited too long to eat, but he was so excited to share his day.  He asked, "Do you want to see my day in pictures?"  I, of course, said yes!  He left that morning and headed north of Port-au-Prince to a place called Thomonde.  He was checking out a potential ministry partner for our future teams.  He went with Gens, another Haiti staff member, and Pastor Josue, a pastor we currently partner with in the Port-au-Prince area.  Here is what he saw.

A School and Church that has been started but never completed.

The inside of the church and what they currently use as the school.

The chalkboard.

The Altar

Repairs Needed.

The ouside

Where they would like to add on.

A beautiful entrance.

To this hotel.

Lovely

Captures the eye.

Another walkway

One of the rooms.

Exploring the hotel.

A waterfall.

Seating

Meeting room.

The garden

Breath taking, isn't it?

The wall.

A hospital on the way home.

Parking and walkways.

Welcoming

Still more construction.

The Hospital.

Waiting room.

How it came to be.

One last look.

That was his day in pictures.  The beauty of Haiti--where there are still needs.  The progress that is being made.  All in all, it was a good day for him--despite the headache.  I enjoyed hearing the stories too.  I hope you enjoyed his day in pictures.

Please continue to pray for us and our partnership pastors and communities.  We have many more to find and encourage.  Pray for this one specifically in Thomonde.  Pray for the team that will serve there hopefully this year.  Pray for the administrators of this new hospital.  Pray.  Pray through the pictures.  Pray that God would continue to work in Haiti and make His name more famous through us.

How does one remember?

4 years have gone by. 4. I remember that day. Where I was when I got the call from Matt. I'd never been there before. Never met anyone from there. Why would I care? Somehow I did. My heart broke when I heard the news. When I saw the pictures. I didn't know then that the "there" would turn to "here". Haiti. 

Before the earthquake that devastated the capital city, Port-au-Prince, I had never visited here. Where I live now. Where my husband grew up. Where his family lives. Here. Haiti. That day, 4 years ago, the thought didn't cross my mind that my future husband was in the middle of a terrible natural disaster that could have claimed his life. I didn't think that at all. My heart simply broke for this city and the millions of people affected by this tragedy. I didn't think I was one of them, but somehow I was.

I am reminded today of that day. A tragic day that somehow impacted my life. A day that impacted the lives of so many I now call family and friends. 4 years ago.

Today, right now, people are gathering at churches where testimonies will be shared. Where people will celebrate and praise the God that saved them. Where there may be moments of silence to remember those lost. There will be much rejoicing because we are here and God is shining a light in Haiti. 

What a great way to remember. Celebrating, rejoicing, praising God for the life you have. The church here amazes me. I remember that day with my family and friends here. 

Continue to pray for Haiti. For God's name to be made famous here. For Haiti to be a light even as we remember that day.

My Pelican Family

Every few months or so we host a staff get together/meeting where we are able to regroup and grow closer together as a family. We spend time in worship, in God's word and in fellowship besides laughing and meeting about important ministry practices. Our worship time has been dynamic and passionate as we know our family loves our King well.  People are concerned if they miss our worship time. 

Our last meeting was an interesting one as we told our staff that they could invite potential pelicans to join us for a day of introduction and orientation and fun. We were shocked that so many people showed up. We had 43 people there who were either already part of our family or who wanted to be. As we all introduced ourselves, it was a blessing to hear why people wanted to be involved with PPM. The answers were almost all regarding how PPM is a family that takes care of each other and how with PPM they are or heard about how they are treated as leaders, as equals. As we read applications, the answers continue to reflect the idea that PPM is a family that develops people into leaders. 

I think of this now as we have new pelicans serving for the first time this week with a team and as we plan to continue to train and develop our staff and our family to be good leaders and representatives of Christ here in Haiti. It's the time of year when we evaluate how we can better prepare our staff for every situation they may encounter.

Please be praying for us. We want to be good examples to our Pelican family and  lead them well. We want to provide them with the resources they need to lead our teams well in the coming year. Above all, pray that God is glorified through each of us and our lives would point people to Him.

I love our Haitian Pelican Family dearly and pray that they continue to grow and lead others well.