Now Thank We All Our God...

In this season of Thanksgiving, I have been thinking about all of the things that give us cause to be thankful to our great God.  Of course, we are first thankful that Jesus came to Earth, that He lived among men and served as the first missionary to spread the Gospel, and that He became the ultimate sacrifice for forgiveness of our sin.  We are thankful for God's Perfect Plan of Salvation!

In addition to salvation, we are thankful for many other blessings.  Living in Haiti, we find ourselves being very thankful when we have electricity and running water.  At times, we find ourselves feeling guilty for the abundance and luxuries that we enjoy as missionaries; however, I was recently reminded that we were called here not to "live as" the Haitian people, but to "live with" them and provide support and stability within their community by operating a functioning clinic and hospital.  So, we are thankful to be here and thankful for God's guidance in the work here.  And, we are thankful when we have luxuries like electricity and running water.  

We are thankful for this beautiful smiling face!

Little 3-year-old Sika has one of the best smiles and she is usually smiling and giggling. We are thankful for the opportunity to sponsor Sika so she can attend school.  Her mother, Mimose, brought her to see us earlier this month so we could see Sika in her school uniform.  She loves school and gave me a hug and a kiss for making it possible for her to attend the first year of Kindergarten.  In Haiti, most school have 3 years of Kindergarten which seems to be similar to our 2 years of Preschool and 1 year of Kindergarten.

We are thankful for transportation!

Our missionary group recently received a new vehicle and we are all very thankful.  We are still 7 households that share 4 vehicles, but with the addition of the new Land Cruiser we now have enough room for everyone in vehicles when we have a team here.  This is especially important when we have church services in Cayes.  In the past, we have had occasions when a family or two had to stay back because we did not have enough room to transport everyone to church.  

Another plus of the new vehicle is that it has a forward facing back seat with seat belts. For me, this means I can go to town without other adults and take Selah with me in a car seat.  Our other Land Cruisers have bench seats along the sides and no place to strap in a car seat.  Also, more forward facing seats helps those of us that are prone to be car sick.  

We are thankful for another successful Hospital Lumiere Auction!  Thank you to all of our supporters.  We appreciate all of you very much!

These photos were taken at the HL Auction that was held in Washington, IL on Nov. 14th. Once again, the Lord moved in hearts to provide funding for HL.  While our mission depends heavily on the generosity and support from our churches, the auction provides a needed contribution to covering operating costs.  Praise God for His provision!

We are thankful for a great school for our MKs!

Our missionary school kids presented a play entitled, "In Search of Freedom".  The play told of the journey of the Brewster family from England to the New World with a stop in the Netherlands.  Our young thespians put lots of work into sets, costuming, rehearsing lines and they put on a wonderful show.  Below are some pictures of set design:

And a picture of Squanto teaching the Pilgrims how to plant seeds with fish...

We are thankful for work teams and visitors!  Our latest visitors were John and Lori Baumgartner.  (Lori is Rick's sister for those who may not know that fact)

When Rick traveled back to Haiti after the HL Auction and the HL Board Meeting, John and Lori came with him.  They came to visit, but also to help with the Support Weekend for the ACWR Missionaries.  John prepared a Bible study for the adults and Lori had Toddler Learn and Play Time with our little children.  There was also a Bible study for our Young Adults/Teens and Charlotte Barton and Bonnie Isch presented a mini VBS for our school-age children.  

Several other couples that serve on the boards for the various ACWR missions in Haiti came from the US.  The visitors and all the ACWR missionaries were together at Abaka Bay Resort for the weekend.  We have 11 missionary households which totals up to 43 missionaries (including children) and we had 7 couples on the support team.  Altogether, we were a group of 57 people.  We didn't use the entire resort, but we did use 21 of their 27 rooms.  It was blessed weekend with time to study the word, time for fellowship, time for play and time for relaxation.  It is a beautiful resort and the food was enjoyable too. Here are a few pictures:

Our family on the boat ride out to Ile Vache.  The ride out was on a smooth sea and very enjoyable.  The ride back on Sunday was very rough and I got to experience feeding the fish off the side of the boat.  

  

                        Dining Area where we had meals    Youth enjoying VBS Activities

  

                       Breakfast on Sunday  AM                 Church on Sunday AM

Our family getting hit by a wave while trying to get a family picture.

We are thankful for a wonderful extended missionary family!

This is the group of missionaries serving in Southern Haiti that gathered together for Thanksgiving Dinner.  This year the group was 138 people - the biggest ever.  We are so thankful to have such a wonderful group of believers serving with us in Haiti.  We truly do gain strength and support from one another.  

Now I want you to get up and go look in the mirror - We are thankful for an outstanding support team.  The prayers, emails, cards, care boxes and many other acts of kindness in support of our family are appreciated more than we can express.  We need each of you and we are thankful that you allow Christ to shine forth in your lives as you lift us up.  

Thank You!

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever.  

Psalms 136:1

Songs & Celebrations

Songs

I am going to back up a few weeks into September with the picture above.  This pictures was taken in September when a large group of our missionaries went to sing hymns at Azile Dorcas in Cayes.  Azile Dorcas is a nursing facility for the aged.  Most of the people who live there are very thankful for a place to live as such facilities are not common in Haiti. The average life expectancy in Haiti is around 60 years and most of the population is below the age of 25 so their isn't a great need for nursing facilities.  Most older people live with family and help care for children and the home.   

While we were singing for the residents at Azile Dorcas, this woman asked if she could sing for us.  She had a strong voice and sang praises to God.  A few others joined in as well.  The man in the picture recited some Bible verses.  Often, when we go to minister to others, we find that they minister to us.  It is special to feel the bond of Christ crossing cultures, skin color and language barriers!

At the beginning of October, Miss Desma organized and directed a Children's Choir.  This choir consisted of the Missionary Kids and the Haitian children that take an English class with Miss Desma.  They sang two songs with parts of each song in English and parts in Creole.  Here are a few pictures:

Rick tying ties on little boys.  Notice the line of boys behind him.

Mara and Krae enjoyed singing in the choir!

I did not get a picture, but we were treated to a mini-concert by several ladies from Goodfield, IL who sing with the ladies group, Redeemed.  When the team from Goodfield came to work on the Plattner home, four of the ladies (including Joan Plattner) were part of the team.  We enjoyed hearing them share the gift of song too.

Birthday Celebrations

Many of you already know that October is the month for birthdays in our family.  Here are a few pictures of the celebrations:

Krae turned 8 years old on October 5th  

(this is my birthday too, but I am just a bit older)

He was very pleased with the Legos he received!!

Selah had her 3rd birthday on October 19th.  She wanted pink cupcakes, pink ice cream and pink lemonade.  She is our "girly-girl".



Rick and I also celebrate our birthdays and anniversaries within 5 days during the first part of October.  This year we took a short get-away to Abaka Bay.  It is a resort on Ile A Vache, a small island just off the coast of Haiti.  We took a short boat ride from Cayes to reach the island and enjoyed about 24 hours of rest and relaxation.  The bay is beautiful; here are a few pictures:

             

We are looking forward to a return trip to Abaka Bay for an ACWR Missionary Retreat Weekend that will be held November 22-23.  

More Celebrations

The majority of the funds for the electrical upgrades at HL have been secured.  We praise God for His provision and for moving hearts to help with this great financial need. It will be some time before we see the full implementation of stabilizing the electrical system, but plans are being made to move forward with a solar power installation.

Other reasons to celebrate in October resulted from the labors of a team that came from Rockville, CT.  This team was varied in scope and had team members with many different talents.  Some of their labors included a successful dental clinic, a new tile floor for the Guest House outdoor kitchen, progress on the clinic renovation project and a 5 year old girl named Suzy who took her first steps.  

We are praising God for the rains that we are experiencing this November.  It started raining on Sunday, Nov. 9th and has rained some or a lot each day.  I have measured a total of 10 inches of rainfall since Sunday.  

The Kurt & Joan Plattner have moved to Bonne Fin along with their four children, Reggie, Toby, Hadley and Brenna.  They are getting settled in their new home, taking language lessons and acclimating to life in Haiti.  Kurt will begin his new position as Director of Operations at Hospital Lumiere in January.

Prayers

Many of you read the story of Suzy in the Hospital Lumiere News that was emailed earlier this week.  It is an uplifting story and we ask that you keep this young girl in your prayers. She took her first steps, but there is a long journey before her.  Please pray that her little body will respond to therapy.  Pray for the therapist that work with her.  Pray for her mother who was ready to give Suzy up to an orphanage because she was unable to walk and was becoming a burden to carry.

Rick is currently in the US for the Hospital Lumiere Auction and a board meeting.  The auction will be held Friday, November 14th in Washington, IL.  For those that cannot attend the auction, we appreciate your support in prayer.  It is our prayer that God will move in hearts to provide what is needful for the hospital.  Rick mentioned this past week that God knows what the hospital needs and we should be prayerful for no more and no less than what He has planned.  

We continue to appreciate the prayers that are offered for the staff of the hospital.  The next few weeks will be difficult as new contracts are signed.  Please pray for God's guidance and wisdom for the leadership team as they make decisions about staff positions.  Also, please pray for those that will not given new contracts; pray that God can use this hardship to strengthen them and that He will provide what is needful for them.  

Fun Fotos

I will close this post with a few fun photos:

Selah in her birthday dress!

Krae relaxing at the beach

So pleased with her muddy hands and feet.  

(notice the muddy handprints on the the white wall behind her)

September

The new Welcome Center entrance to the Hopital Lumiere opened on September 1st.

The new entrance is part of the first phase of creating a more patient focused system of admittance to the clinic and hospital.  The admissions staff has undergone some additional training in customer care and the new entrance creates a more inviting and stream-lined process to receiving health care.  On August 29th, there was a dedication service and the new entrance was opened on the following Monday, September 1st.  

            

To the east of the entrance, John 8:12 and to the west of the entrance the hospital mission statement.  

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.  John 8:12

The mission of Hospital Lumiere is to provide excellent and effective medical care with compassion and Christian love.

The hospital staff during the dedication service and Rick giving a short speech in Kreyol. Other speakers included two pastors that serve as chaplains for the hospital and the pastor who is serving as the president of MEBSH, the Haitian mission organization that owns the hospital.  

The following pictures were taken the next week and show the new Welcome Center in operation.  It is has been operating smoothly and is a much better atmosphere than the old system.  We are thankful for the funding and work teams that made this possible.

Patients checking in and waiting to be called by the nurse to see a doctor.

(Selah was not a patient, but was interacting with some of them and got into my pictures)

This is the pass-through window for dossiers or patient charts.  Once a patient checks in, the admissions staff pulls their chart and places it in the appropriate cubby.

The move to the new space also provided an opportunity for the missionary team to work together to move and reorganize all of the archived patient files.  It was a bit tedious, but with everyone working together (even the kids helped), we were able to complete the work in a few evenings.  The kids thought it was great fun to be "working" in the hospital.

Shortly after the Welcome Center opened, demolition started for the next phase of the project.  The clinic will be renovated and reorganized in several phases.  I believe members of a work team from Rockville will work on the clinic at the end of October.

Here are a couple of pictures of demolition in the clinic.

        

The first weekend in September,  the missionary team had another opportunity to work together by making sausage.  Four of the missionary families purchased a whole hog and made it into sausage.  We ended up with about 20 pounds for each family.  I hadn't made sausage before so this was a fun and new experience.  We are enjoying the sausage! 

                        

Mara, Grace & Leah making the marinade               Mara and Komari mixing pork into the marinade

  

Some of the butchers, Daryl & Komari      Grinding the Sausage          

Another fun event for the kids in September was Safety Town.  Miss Desma and her older children set-up a mock town on the basketball court and the children had to navigate through the town on their bicycles.  They studied rules of the road earlier in the week and were required to observe traffic laws or receive a traffic ticket from Sheriff Desma.  They were able to shop in several business such as a bakery for cookies, a library for books and they received medical care at the hospital.  The event ended at Pizza Hut where they were served pizza crackers and a juice box.  Here are a few pictures of other parts of Safety Town.

Overall view of Safety Town

Selah making a red light at the traffic light

Sheila at the camel crossing

(The camel was leftover from the Christmas play last December)

As you can see, we had many fun highlights in September; however, many of you read an earlier post that requested prayer.  While we have much to be thankful for and several events that were uplifting, the overall atmosphere at the hospital for the missionaries was stressful.  We continue to have challenges with power and running water.  While these challenges are not uncommon, it seemed like the first part of September was filled with issues in both areas.  

In addition, this is a very difficult time for the staff with a compression (reduction in staff) in process.  The leadership team has been working with Haitian lawyers and officials to be sure the Code of Travay (Labor Laws) are followed and the staff is given adequate notice of the changes.  New contracts will begin in January, but unfortunately not every current employee will have a new contract.  The current staffing levels are not sustainable (and haven't been for a long time) and difficult decisions will be made in most departments.  A great amount of fear and uncertainty exists and Rick has spent many stressful hours meeting with staff in groups and individually.  Unfortunately, a few employees have behaved in a manner that does not exhibit Christian character and this has made the situation more difficult.  

Please continue to pray for 

• Godly wisdom and guidance for the leadership team.
• Peace and clear understanding for the hospital employees.
• God's glory to shine through these difficult situations.
• God's will to be made evident and to be done.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
                                                                                                                          II Timothy 1:7