New Little Family

We have been blessed, since my last post, with a darling little girl! She was born the morning of September 16th.  We named her Bityah which means "daughter of YAHWEH" in Hebrew.  The last week has gone by so quickly!  We have been busy learning to be parents to this lovely little girl.  There have been challenges, but we have been blessed to have my mom be with us since Tuesday, the 17th.  Her knowledge and wisdom has been more help than we could have hoped for.  

Now, a week and a few days later, Bityah has had her first vaccinations, I am finally feeling more normal again, and we are getting ready for the arrival of my sister and dad.  We are also heading into the embassy tomorrow to get Bityah's paperwork all completed to make her a US Citizen and get her a passport.  Please be praying that this process goes better than expected as we have plans to travel to the states on October 23rd for my sister's wedding--we know that God can make that happen.  He is faithful and He has brought us this far!

Thank you for all your continued prayers!  I will continue to post as I can in the coming days and weeks.  

Four Words I Love to Hear

It's been a long 20 hours.  I went to bed exhausted last night and not in the best of moods.  I woke up several times during the night sweaty and needing to drink water.  I woke up this morning with a really bad headache. I stayed in bed until 11.  Sleeping and sweating most of the time.  Our batteries in our fans had died during the night.  I finally got up and showered.  Decided to have grilled cheese and chicken soup for lunch as my hubby had fish with rice and beans--he did offer to pick me up something else, but I didn't want anything else.  After lunch, I wrote and prayed.  Then I cleaned the floors, watched the kittens play, did dishes, cleaned the rest of the kitchen and decided to hop online--glad I charged the computer yesterday because in the last 20 hours, we didn't have power.

This time, the four words I love to hear were, "Honey, there is power."  Almando yelled them up the stairs and I joyfully yelled back, "YAY!"  It's funny that such a thing, many take for granted, I rejoice over when we are given this gift of electricity.  It's been dark here for about an hour and our batteries that can power the lights in our house were almost out of juice and we were about to have to start the generator.  A blessing of power came to us tonight.  A blessing.

Typically, we get power every day, but I have never seen it stay on for a full 24 hours.  We have had it for up to 20 hours at a time and for as little as 20 seconds.  It comes and goes--it seems--as it pleases.  It is one thing that the government here wants to have fixed, but it's on a long list, so we have to be patient in the process.  Sometimes, this is really frustrating--like when you want light or have to charge your computer or would like to use your freezer to stock up and keep food for long periods of time--but we learn how to make do and make it work.  Most of the time, we can even keep ice.  :)

One thing I have learned from this is to never take anything for granted.  You really appreciate something when you know it won't last forever.  I really appreciate when I can charge my computer, watch a movie, or have ice water.  I really appreciate when I don't have to use batteries to have a fan on a hot night.  I really love to hear--or say--those four words, "Honey, there is power."

Waterfall Rains

Well, I realized this week when I didn't recognize the weather patterns happening around me, that I had never spent a FULL August here in Haiti, even though I have been living here for almost 3 years.  This is the time of year for unpredictable weather and, since we are heading to late hurricane season, the potential of hurricanes.  I guess I never realized how different the weather actually was--until I started paying attention.  I am paying attention now as some of our nights have become incredibly steamy--even after a good rain--and I am incredibly grateful for my battery powered fan.

I noticed it first several weeks ago when the wind changed.  I don't know exactly how it changed but it felt different.  Then it stayed hot.  Really hot--even at night.  Soon the thunder came every day around 3pm followed by the breeze which cooled things down until around 7 when it got hot again.  For a couple of weeks, the thunder would come and the breeze and the clouds, but the rain wouldn't come.

Last week, though, came the waterfall fains!  Because our roof is tin, it sounds like you are in a cave behind a waterfall.  You can't hear anything except that sound.  You can't talk to the person next to you unless you are really good at reading lips.  It just rains.  I love that sound.  For a few nights, the waterfall rains came only at night.  I used to look forward to rain at night because then the air would cool off--not that first time.  It cooled off for just an hour or so and then it was still, muggy, and hot.  Having those fans was a huge blessing.

Now, the waterfall rains do cool things off and are beautiful to listen to as I am falling asleep.  The last few nights didn't just bring the rain--but lightning and lots of it.  Since our bedroom has windows on every side--which I love, the room flashes and glows for hours.  The rain sparkles in the lightning and I am reminded of how great our God is--just because of the weather.

So, the weather in August is a little different than those other months.  Now, that September is soon to be upon us, I know that the weather will continue to change.  We will have days when you step out of the shower a start sweating and days when you want a cup of hot chocolate and your sweats.  I love the changes the seasons bring--yes, we do have seasons in Haiti.

Perks of Pregnancy in Haiti

A lot of people have asked me in the past, "What are some of the biggest cultural differences you have noticed between Haiti and the US?"  Well, the US has lots of different cultures and the one I was brought up in was actually fairly similar to the one Almando was brought up in.  We have exchanged stories of our Grandma's quilting and the freedom of running around our country homes--mine on a farm in central Minnesota and his in the mountains surrounding Bainet, Haiti.  We were both taught the importance of our relationship with God, education, and hard work.  In some ways, our upbringing was very similar, in some ways different--especially with the language and the general scenery, but it wasn't until it became obvious that I was pregnant that I noticed significant differences in the culture.  Now, I've never been pregnant in the US, but some things have really surprised me here in Haiti.  I call them the "Perks of Pregnancy in Haiti".

I noticed it not long after our trip to the states.  We were in the bus with a team heading south and it was hot and there was traffic.  I stood up to give some directions and guidance to the team.  Our bus driver, Elie, told me very quickly to sit down.  One of our male staff came up to me and asked me what I wanted communicated with the team.  I told him and he stood up to make the announcement.  I can no longer stand up on a bus to give directions--I realized this very quickly.

Later, on this same bus ride, the same staff member and Elie kept checking on me making sure I was okay and was drinking enough water.  I had forgotten my water bottle in the car.  Elie proceeded to call out the window for "Machan Dlo"--"water merchants".  They started coming up and Elie ended up buying all 30+ people on the bus ice cold water and got me one that was extra large.  He told me I need to drink more.  So, I drank.  I was being taken care of by those around me in a very intense way.  It was a blessing--to the team too!

A couple of weeks after the bus incident, I was walking around a grocery store picking up snacks and supplies for the team which was about to arrive.  I noticed I was being watched carefully by the store employees.  My basket (not cart) was getting full and I noticed them following me, soon they offered to carry my basket for me.  I tried to tell them I was fine, but they weren't going to hear it.  When it was time to stand in line, the clerk left me for a minute and set the basket on the floor.  I reached down to pick it up when it was my turn and was almost scolded by those around me.  Someone picked up the basket and unloaded it for me onto the counter.  I didn't touch those items again.  They brought them to my car and didn't even want to take a tip.  The PPM staffer I was with said, "They made you not carry the groceries didn't they?  I can't see you letting them do that willingly."  We both laughed.  It's true.  I never would have thought I couldn't carry those three bags by myself.

As time went on, I noticed more and more things like this especially when I got to be 7 and 8 months along.  My hospital has a very long line to make your payments (you have to pay before you can see the doctor here) and sometimes I would spend 2 hours in line.  Not when I was 8 months along.  The security guard escorted me to the window and made everyone else stand back.  No one questioned.  No one wondered why.  You don't stand in line when you are pregnant.  Not at hospitals.  Not at banks--which is a HUGE deal because you can spend all day in line at some banks here.  Not at the grocery store.  Everyone is so helpful.  Respectful.  Conscious of the baby growing inside.  Making sure mom doesn't stay on her feet too long.

Pretty amazing.  I definitely get funny looks when I tell people I will have the baby here.  People are surprised to see me pregnant.  But there are definitely perks to being pregnant.  One morning, Almando's brotther, Odne, went with me on some errands.  To 2 banks, the clinic, and the hospital.  He loved it!  We accomplished more in one morning because of the not standing in line than we could have in a day and a half if we would have had to stand in those lines.

There are some of the Perks of Pregnancy in Haiti.  I hope you have enjoyed them--I know I have been blessed by them in the last couple of months!

The End of One Season...

Today marks the end of a very busy summer for Almando and me--along with the other PPM staffers who serve along side us.  Almando has officially crashed for the afternoon and I actually took a really wonderful long shower and used a hair dryer for the first time since the beginning of May.  (Oh, the little things.)  The last week, Al was in Jacmel with team, while I stayed at home working on end of summer stuff--mostly financial stuff.  It's good to have him home and have almost all the financial stuff done.

We still have a couple of trips to facilitate this year, but--God willing--they will be close to home and Al won't have to be far away from the family.  That's right.  Family.  Next month, Al and I will be parents.  Those nine months really do fly by!  Even now, the little coconut is moving around a lot and getting ready to make a grand entrance into this world.  I keep explaining to the little one that patience is a good thing and he or she should wait just a few more weeks before arriving.  I think he or she will.  In the meantime, Al and I have much to do in preparation for our growing family and in ministry.

We get the question a lot:  "When you aren't leading trips, what do you do for ministry work?"  Well, this will help you be able to pray for us in the coming weeks and months.

• We are hosting our end of summer staff reuinion/meeting next weekend.  What goes into that is much planning--where to have it, what to cover, etc.  Then we host the meeting and cover all those things.  Please be praying that God would give us wisdom to know how to best debrief our staff as they go back to "normalcy" after a summer of intense ministry, wisdom to know what to cover in general, and for our staff as the end of the summer is often hard on all of us.
• We are following up with pastors.  With well over 1,000 people serving in several communities all over Haiti, we have our work cut out for us.  We will be asking them how it went this summer and if they truly were encouraged in their ministry.  We will be asking them how we can better encourage them in the future.  I love this aspect of the ministry we do.  We may be holding a Pastor's Conference this fall to get them all together to share ideas and thoughts.  Pray that God will lead us in all of this as well!
• We are setting up for future trips.  Like I said, we have a couple more trips yet this year and those have some set up to do.  We will make sure our teams will have a good partnership church, lodging, food, transportation, etc.  We have so many pastors asking us to bring them a partnership team, so this is a great time to start meeting and setting up with them.  Pray that God will prepare pastors and churches in Haiti as well as in the states to serve Him well.
• I am transferring a lot of my responsibility--especially financial responsibilities--to one of our dear friends down here.  I will be spending a lot of time training and prepping him for the work he will be doing.

There is always much to do!  A couple of personal things you can pray for as well in the coming weeks and months:

• My continued health and the baby's health as the pregnancy is coming to an end.
• We are finishing up house preparations for the baby's arrival.  Pray that God would continue to give Almando the strength and wisdom to complete the projects ahead of us.
• The vehicle.  I know this has been a prayer request for months now, but we are really feeling the pressure to have a reliable vehicle for when the baby arrives.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions regarding the vehicle and please continue to pray that God would provide for us in this way.
• Rest.  After the long summer, we are needing to rest.  Pray that in the midst of the busyness we would find time to do just that.  Rest.

I will continue to keep you posted as much as possible on how we are doing, things that are going on, and how you can be praying for us!  Thank you again for your prayers, friends!

Demen (Tomorrow)

A beautiful thing about Haitian culture has to do with the word "demen" meaning "tomorrow". You will seldom hear this word by itself. Most of the time it will be accompanied with a wonderful phrase: if God wants. The absolute reliance on the will of God in using this phrase amazes me. I have been considering this phrase lately-especially since the sudden passing of Sam-Mya. Life is fragile. So very fragile. We don't know when our time here on earth will come to a close or when a family member or friend will pass away. When we make plans for tomorrow, it should be for tomorrow if God wants.

Yesterday, Al and I attended Sam-Mya's funeral. The church seats 3,000 people. There was no room to sit. People from all over south Haiti and beyond these boarders came to grieve with Pastor Samson and his family. I was shocked to read in the program that Pastor Samson would be giving the meditation. I prayed for God to give him strength as he stood up to begin surrounded by some leaders of the church.

He stood and spoke with the power of God. His message was clear. We can either resist the will of God or accept it. He was choosing to accept it. His daughter was in the arms of her Creator and he was going to accept that this was God's will. He was choosing to believe that God is God and the whole time we were praying for Sam-Mya, we were praying for His will to be done. And it was.

He preached that God is still God and preached the Gospel clearly. He offered to pray for people who wanted and needed to know Jesus. And he ended with a song that is a song of declaration: I Believe. He sang with such conviction and the congregation joined in. Tears came to my eyes. He did believe and he is clinging to his God whose will was done.

This morning, at church, Pastor Samson showed up and surprised the congregation at the end of the early service. He got up and asked again if there was someone who needed to know Jesus today. He said that you can live without Jesus, but do not die without Him. He sang the song again. It says, "Lord, I believe You are God...I believe you died. I believe You rose again. Yes, I believe You are the Master of life....Yes, I believe You have all the power."

So, two things to think about today--two things to encourage you:
1. Tomorrow if God wills.
2. Do you believe?

James 4:13-15
Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"-yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."

Prayers for Two Families

Yesterday seemed to never end and neither did the endless string of emotions.  Yesterday, two people moved on in two very different ways and I am requesting that you pray for these two circumstances.

First, Almando's sister, Suze Jean Louis with her son Micke moved away from next door to a country far away.  They moved to Chile where Suze's husband Maxen has been living for the past year.  It was a tearful goodbye yesterday because the whole family was together and we don't know when we will all be together again, but we know that it is better for her to be with her husband so they can be a family.  Almando brought her to the airport with the other three brothers while I stayed here.  It was a good thing they got there early because there were problems getting through the airport due to communication issues and lack of information.  When it was all said and done, Suze and Micke boarded a plane bound for Panama then Chile and none of us had dry eyes. 

We got word this morning that Suze, Micke, and Maxen were finally together as a family.  They made it safely!  There were cheers in this house this morning when everyone knew they were safe.  

Please continue to pray for Suze, Micke, and Maxen because there will be a lot of adjustments happening in the coming weeks.  Suze does not speak Spanish in a Spanish speaking country.  Seven month old Micke met his dad for the first time this morning.  Maxen has not seen Suze since March, 2012.  Pray that their transition into family life would be smooth and that God would be glorified through them.  Pray for Almando's family too.  Micke is the first grandchild for Al's parents and Suze is their only daughter.  Please pray for peace and comfort for them.  There is joy in this moving on.  There is sadness too.

Next, Sam-Mya, Pastor Samson's daughter--who my last blog post was about--passed away yesterday.  The news came to us late last night and it was shocking.  Just under 2 weeks ago she was a happy, healthy, beautiful young woman and now she is a happy, healthy, beautiful young woman in the arms of God.  The doctors have no idea what sickness did this to Sam-Mya, but God knows.  Knowing Sam-Mya, her siblings, her mom and her dad has been a blessing to me and now my heart goes out to her family.  It breaks for her mom.

Please be praying for Pastor and Madame Samson and their 3 other children.  Sam-Mya will be missed by them enormously.  Her joy and laughter in their house was infectious.  This lovely woman won't be forgotten.  There is joy in this moving on--she is in the arms of God  and no longer suffering.  There is sadness too for those left behind.

These two families need your prayers in the coming weeks and months.  If you have a prayer list, put them on it and pray for them often.  Thank you, brothers and sisters in Christ, for your willingness to pray.