Events

It seems like the last two weeks have been filled with events.  While we are still working on getting settled into our new home, we have also been busy with many events.  I will summarize and give a few pictures along the way.

Miss Norma (Norma Luginbuhl) has hosted two afternoon teas for the little missionary girls.  For the last tea, they were to bring a doll and be prepared to tell a story about their doll.  The story could be a story that came with the doll, such as the American Girl doll stories or it could be a made up story.  Mara took her look alike American Girl doll, she and her doll wore matching aprons and she made up a story to tell about her doll.  The teas are much anticipated by the girls and we appreciate how Daryl and Norma have fallen into the role of grandparents and have special relationships with the children.  For the next tea, the girls are to come as a Bible character.  Mara plans to go as Ruth.

Rick and his parents arrived on Tuesday, September 24th.  Also traveling with them were Bob & Sue Beebe and Ron Palitto.  Bob is the Executive Director of the Hospital Lumiere Governance Board (HLGB) and has also served as the Interim Administrator.  Ron is the Chairman of the HLGB.

On Wednesday, September 25th there was a ceremony at the hospital to thank Bob for his service as the Interim Administrator and to install Rick as the new Administrator.  Several speeches were given.  Below are pictures of Rick and Paste Etheard speaking at the ceremony.

       

On Friday, September 27th, the children from the Bonne Fin Missionary Co-op School put on a musical play entitled Let it Shine.  It was quite a production complete with a stringed quartet (Cello, Viola, Violin and Piano), lights, a stage curtain, and props.  The kids did a great job.

 Jared, Beth & Bekah Klopfenstein on strings

The missionary kids on stage during the play

We enjoyed a wonderful BBQ before the play and had a bonfire for roasting marshmallows and pudgie pies after the play.  It was a very fun evening for all.

On Saturday, September 28th, we celebrated Krae's 7th birthday.  Yes, this was a week early, but he wanted to be able to have a party while Grandpa & Grandma were here. We had everyone up to our home and hosted our first gathering since moving into it.  Another fun evening with gifts, snacks, banana cake with two types of frosting (peanut butter and Nutella buttercream) and lots of fellowship!  

On Sunday, we were planning to have a combined English church day with our brethren from Les Cayes.  In fact, we were expecting a large group with several other missionaries joining us for our worship service.  Unfortunately, the sky opened up and we had a drenching rain.  It was a bit too risky for the group from Cayes to come up the mountain, so we had to cancel our combined service, but we still had a nice service and potluck for those living in Bonne Fin.

On Monday, Amber Pfister (she did the driving) and I took Roger and LaVonne down to Les Cayes to see a few of the sights.  There were rumors of possible manifestations so we avoided the downtown area, but still had a nice day visiting the Centre Lumiere Domestic Center (where the linens for the Pumpkin Soup sales are made), seeing the apartment where we lived for the our first 9 weeks in Haiti and eating lunch at the Hot Spot.  On Tuesday, Rick's folks traveled back to the US.  They left our home at 4 AM and reached their door about 1 AM so it was a very long day of travel for them.  We are thankful they were able to come and spend time with us and for safe travels!!

Now, its been another week already!  We are starting to feel more settled in our home although there will always be little things that need to be done.  I did hire a lady for house cleaning and she started today.  It went very well.  I showed her what I wanted done and she jumped right in and did a great job.  I am going to appreciate Madam Elina's help!!  She seems to be a very joyful person with an easy smile.  I was quite humbled several times; I had to demonstrate how to flip the switch to turn off the ceiling fans to clean them, how to turn on the water faucets and how to flush the toilets.  Madam Elina is a very intelligent lady, but she was a bit mystified by the bathroom and uncomfortable with cleaning it.  It is obvious that she does not have running water or electricity in her own home.  It would be very easy for me to fall into feeling guilty, but I try to remember that God sent us here to serve, not to feel guilty for the blessings he has given to us. Madam Elina also had a beautiful prayer for our home and family before our noon meal (Rick was gone today).  I was touched by her willingness to minister to our needs, even though we have been blessed with more material things.  What a joy to see the evidence of the Holy Spirit within the actions of another person!

I am reminded of an old campfire song that I learned as a child.  The words say:

We are one in the Spirit

We are one in the Lord

  (Repeat)

And we pray that all unity may one day be restored

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by  our love

Yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if you have love one to another.                                      John 13:34, 35

Mountain Road

Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am.  Psalm 39:4

This verse came to mind when I realized how fast the days are moving.  It has been a bit over two weeks since I posted; even though a lot of things have happened, it seems like I was just here typing away.  When I think about the measure of my days and realize that my mother died when she was about my age, I gain a fresh perspective to live each day as if it were my last.  As well, living in Haiti and seeing how difficult daily life can be, I gain a new appreciation for the life that God has given to me.  

I do want to thank everyone who offered up prayers for Rick and his parents while they were traveling.  All travel during the last few weeks went smoothly and the situation with bandits in Ti Goav (Petite Goave is the official French name) has settled down with an increased presence of UN forces and some Haitian Special Forces.  

I do want to tell everyone about how wonderful the mountain road up to Bonne Fin is right now.  Many of you have traveled here before and remember the treacherous conditions of the mountain road between Cavillion and Bonne Fin.  It is about 14 kilometers (8.5 miles) and took about 45 minutes to travel when we visited in September of last year.  When we came in June, workers were just starting to bring in dirt, gravel, a road grader and a roller.  The work started just outside Cavillion and continued up the road.  We have enjoyed seeing the progress as the huge (like across most of the road) potholes are filled in, the rain ruts are filled in and the road is widened and smoothed.  During the time that Rick was back in the states, the road crew was working just outside the gate to the hospital.   Rich Pfister had the idea to serve the workers a meal in appreciation for the work they are doing on the road.  The ladies put their heads together and had a meal for about 20 workers.  Since I was not very settled in our home yet, I didn't help with making the food, but Selah and I did go and help with set-up and serving.  Here are a couple of pictures:

        

The men seemed to appreciate the meal and there were many expressions of "Bondye Beni Ou" (God Bless You).  The meal consisted of Fried Chicken Legs, Rice & Beans with Bean Sauce, Cole Slaw, Fried Plantains and a bottle of Soda.  Yep - pretty typical for a meal in Haiti.

So, getting back to the condition of the road.  Those of you who know and remember the old, very bumpy road would be shocked.  It is still gravel and rocks, but it is much smoother and the huge potholes and ruts are gone.  Now, it takes about 20 minutes to get down to Cavillion.  The road has been a prayer request for many years and we continue to see God's hand working to improve conditions at Hopital Lumiere.  Of course, without maintenance, the road will be back to it's old condition after a few rainy seasons, but we are extremely thankful for the current condition of the road.  

Ministering Brother, Bob Beebe is here right now and in his sermon this evening, he quoted a verse from All the Way My Savior Leads that seems fitting to add to this post about the road as our winding path to Bonne Fin has been "cheered up".  The second verse says:

All the way my Saviour leads me, 

Cheers each winding path I tread;

Gives me grace for every trial, 

Feeds me with the living bread;

Tho' my weary steps may falter, 

And my soul a-thirst my be,

Gushing from the Rock before me,

Lo! a spring of joy I see.

I will post more about the past weeks tomorrow or Friday as this piece about the road turned out a bit longer than I had planned.  

Hello Again...

I just took a quick look at the calendar and realized that it has been 3 weeks since my last post.  A lot has happened during the last three weeks and my absence as a Blogger is mostly due to not having an Internet connection that allowed me to get online.  I will try to give a brief recap of the last few weeks.


On August 28th we loaded up the belongings we had in Cayes and moved up to Bonne Fin.  Unfortunately, we were not able to move into our house yet.  The doors still needed to be hung on the cabinets and closets, the new windows still needed to be installed and Rick wanted to redo some of the tile work.  He wasn't satisfied with some of the tile work that was done by the Haitian Bos,so he cut out a few pieces and fixed it himself.  The tile does look much better and I guess Rick has experience laying tile now. 

The first few days up here were rather difficult for me.  We came up on a Thursday; Rick took off the next day for meetings in Port-Au-Prince and was gone until late on Saturday. The kids and I were staying in the Couple's Cottage and living out of suitcases and boxes without hot water or internet. I was hesitant to do to much unpacking because we planned to move into our house as soon as possible.  I know that Satan used this time and circumstance to discourage me. Even though work was progressing on our home, it appeared that so much still needed to be done and everything was covered in a thick layer of dust and dirt.  The best word to describe my emotional state would be overwhelmed.  For those of you that like pictures, I wish I had taken some of the mess that was in our house, but I simply did not even think of it.

On that Sunday, Mara, Krae and I went to the beach with some of the other missionaries and had a much needed relaxing and fun afternoon.

The first week of September, things really started progressing.  The window Bos and his crew chipped out (the windows are set in the concrete walls) the old windows.  Imagine chunks of cement laying around below the window on the inside and outside of the house.  They worked quickly and had the new windows in by the end of the week, but they did not get screens in until the following Wednesday.  Rick and some of the other Haitian laborers worked very hard to get other details done so we could start cleaning up the mess.  There were several tense moments (the showers have been a continual issue), some blood (Rick bumped his head and put a nice little gouge in it) and just a few tears.

By Thursday, most of the dirty work was done and I was able to work with some day laborers on the cleaning process.  The dirt and dust was so thick, that we began with a dry wiping (so as not to make mud) of walls, fans, lights, windows and floors and then followed up with soap and water on Friday.  By the end of Friday, we were starting to unpack!  What a great feeling!!

During this week, Mara and Krae started school.  Their first day was September 5th and I did remember to snap a few pics of them in their classroom.

They are enjoying school with Miss Desma and the other missionary children.  Their classroom is varied by age and grade level, but Miss Desma and her teaching assistant, Beth, (Desma's 19 year old daughter who is studying education) seem to have a good system for working with all of the children and keeping them all busy.

On Saturday, September 7th we spent the first night in our new house.  We still had a living room of boxes to be unpacked, but the beds were set-up, the kitchen was unpacked and I found some towels for showers.

Unfortunately, I started feeling ill after church on Sunday and then spent the rest of Sunday and Monday in bed.  Rick was a hero; he took care of the kids, made meals and even did the laundry even though he had many projects that needed to be done on the house.  By Tuesday, I was feeling better and the unpacking commenced.

It is now a week later and we are mostly unpacked.  We are still missing some furniture that did not get put on the sea container that came in July.  Our living room furniture, piano, mattress for the master bedroom, and a few other miscellaneous items are on a container that is currently enroute and we are looking forward to its arrival.  

In closing this post, I do have a couple of prayer requests.

1.  First, Rick is planning to travel back to the states on Wednesday, Sept. 18th for a meeting with the HLGB.  There have been some violent protests and hijackings on the road to Port-Au-Prince between Petit Goave and Grand Goave.  Rick will have to travel this road to get to the airport in Port.  He plans to ride on a large bus and it appears that the bandits are targeting cars and vans that are transporting teams.  Rick feels he will be safe on the bus, but we would appreciate prayers for his travels.

Rick will return on Sept. 23rd with several of the HLGB members and his parents.  Again, they plan to travel out to southern Haiti on a large bus, but prayers are needed.

2.  Second, I will be hiring our household workers soon and I would appreciate prayers for God's direction.  The ladies we hire for cooking and cleaning will spend a lot of time in our home and I ask you to join me in praying that God will provide Christian women who have a heart to follow Jesus.

Living here, I could easily fall into the snare of fear.  When ever I start to feel fearful, this verse from Timothy gives me encouragement.

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


Here are a couple of fun pictures to wrap it up:

This rooster usually wakes us up in the morning.  Fortunately, he crows at about 6 AM instead of at 2:30 AM like the rooster who lives by the Couple's Cottage.  He likes to strut around our yard looking for bugs and such.  Mara refers to him as our "friendly neighborhood rooster".  

This tarantula used to live in the drain pipe under our back patio.  When I wash laundry and the washer drains, he usually comes scrambling out to get away from the water.  We've seen him a few times and were thinking of a name for him (Ted, Fuzzy, George).  Unfortunately, he met his demise today when Mr. Daryl stomped on him .  As long as he was outside, I was happy to let him hang out in the drain pipe and eat bugs. Daryl gave me the funniest look when I said, "Oh, we didn't even get to name him!"  :)   

Some Fun Pictures

Not a lot of news today, but I do have some fun pictures that I want to share.  Enjoy!

Krae up in a tree.  He is standing on a piece of wood (step) nailed to the trunk.  I believe this is the look-out post for the Boys Fort that is below in the bushes.

Krae's friend, Collin, who is making a hole for a catapult pole.  The catapult will be used to shoot almonds at the girls.   

Mara and her friend, Caitlyn.  They made accessories from palm leaves!  

Today was the first day of school for the Citi Lumiere Christian School.  Many of the missionary children in Cayes attend this school.  Even though Mara will attend school in Bonne Fin, they invited her to participate in their opening ceremonies.  In this picture, some of the children are doing interpretative actions to a song about the holiness of God.

Selah giving her baby a bath in the shower.  She is very into babies right now and loves to take care of them.  She rocks them, feeds them, gives them a bath, pushes them in her doll stroller, reads them stories and sleeps with them.  She is such a good, little Mommy!

Woo-Hoo!! Our kitchen counter-top has been installed along with the appliances and sink.  Doors for cabinets are made and painted, just waiting for install.

This counter-top went in easily and fits like a glove.  The counter top was poured and shaped by Ted Habeggar in Indiania, using Wilfred Strahms measurements.  It came mostly in one piece.  We are so thankful that God blessed these two craftsmen with amazing skill and that they are using their talents to give glory to Him. 

Bathroom fixtures are in and working.

Right now, we are waiting for the install of the new windows.  Once that is complete, we should be able to clean and move in.  Please pray that the Bos that is installing the windows will take care to not damage anything around the windows.

We plan to move up to Bonne Fin later this week and will stay in a smaller residence that is called the Couple's Cottage.  It is smaller and works well for a couple.  It won't be home, but it will be fine for a week or so.

Mara is 10!

This past Saturday was Mara's 10th birthday.  Since we celebrated with a party at the beach the weekend before, we had a birthday breakfast for her before heading up to Bonne Fin to work on our future home.  Yes, that is a pancake with 10 candles in it!

I suppose every mom reflects on the day each child was born on their birthdays.  I always remember how it felt to hold that newly, born person in my arms.  Now that Mara is almost as tall as me, I still remember her round little face and dark eyes looking up at me.  She was such a little punky and as that nick name has stuck, she will always be my punky!

A very big thank you for the emails, ecards, calls, gifts and cards for Mara.  She felt very special with all of the birthday wishes from friends and family at home as well as from her new friends in Haiti.  Rick and I appreciate all of the love and support that has been shown to our family.  


Work does continue on our home in Bonne Fin; however, it will be a few weeks before we are able to move into it.  We had planned to move up this coming weekend (Aug 23rd), but we have delayed the move by a week or so because we will not have a place to stay until then.  When we do go up, we will spend a week or two (maybe three, but let's pray not) in a smaller residence that is frequently used by HL board members who travel to Bonne Fin.  Bro. Bob Beebe and Bro. Tom Hitz will be staying there this coming week.

To update those who are interested, the kitchen cabinet doors and drawers have been constructed and painted, but not installed yet.  Rick installed a lazy susan and the microwave in the kitchen this week.  The new tile work have been done, but Rick will probably do a bit of finish work on the showers.  The toilets and bathroom vanities are installed and work with the exception of a couple of slow drains.  Rick plans to go up on Saturday to help install the kitchen counter-top and possibly install some of the other appliances.  

The Fe Foje has been installed on the front porch.  Fe Foje is translated as wrought iron or more literally, iron wrought.  (Fe = iron, Foje = wrought)  It is pronounced with a short e in Fe, a long o in Fo and je sounds like zjay.  This happens to be one of my favorite Kreyol words to say along with zaboka (avocado).  It's not that these things are special to me, the words are just fun to say.  Beluga is another fun word to say, but it is not Kreyol and I digress.  Here is a pic of the Fe Foje on the front porch.  It is common in Haiti for homes and yards to have a wrought iron gate for security.  Yes, it is raining in this picture.

We found out this week that all of the windows will have to be replaced in our house.  A bos (skilled laborer) came to repair the broken mechanisms on the hurricane windows and when he was done, none of them would stay open.  We found out that hurricane windows are not made with the old mechanisms anymore and parts to repair them so they will stay open and shut when needed are no longer available.  Soo, the recommendation is to replace the whole window unit for all of the windows.  This should take about a week.  The bad news is that this will delay our move into the house and is expensive.  The good news is that we will have new windows in our home.   To the ladies that helped clean the windows in our house in May, I am sorry that your labors were for nought.


We continue to make progress with language.  Rick has been praying in Kreyol for our noon meal when our house help eats with us.  The progress is still slower than we would like, but we need to remain patient.  My driving is going well too.  I drove to the grocery store by myself the other day and I drove out to the little airport in Cayes today to meet the Agape Flights plane and retrieve our mail.  


On the home front, Rick's folks and business partner, Brad, plan to move our household belongings to storage this coming weekend in Sabetha.  We understand that many have volunteered to help with the move and with cleaning the house once it is empty.  A great big thank you to each one of you that helps.  We cannot express our gratitude for everything that is being done for us back home.  


While we are doing well, the adjustments and being unsettled can be difficult at times.  I find myself wishing Jesus would return and take us to glory so that I don't have to face the difficulties that still lie ahead of us.  My Life Application devotional spoke to this feeling yesterday and I would like to share it with you as I finish this post.

The farmer must wait patiently for his crops to grow; he cannot hurry the process.  But he does not take the summer off and hope that all goes well in the fields.  There is much work to do to ensure a good harvest.  In the same way, we must wait patiently for Christ's return.  We cannot make him come back any sooner.  But while we wait, there is much work that we can do to advance God's kingdom.  Both the farmer and the Christian must live by faith, looking toward the future reward for their labors.  Don't live as if Christ will never come.  Work faithfully to build his kingdom - the King will come when the time is right. 

Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord.  Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain.  Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.    James 5:7-8

Just a cute picture of Selah "reading" to her baby!

Piti Piti Zwazo a Fin Nich

The title of this post is a Haitian saying that says:  Little by Little, the Bird Builds a Nest.

Someone shared this with me recently when I was discouraged about learning Creole. We continue to study and learn, but it takes time to be able to understand dialog and be able to have a conversation without a great amount of effort.  I must remember that as we continue to learn vocabulary and sentence structure and hear the language, we will eventually get a grasp on it.  

I am reminded of a Proverb that also speaks of remaining diligent:

The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty, only to want.        Proverbs 21:5

As we are trying to diligently study Creole and learn about the Haitian culture, our lives have been rather routine for the last two weeks.  We have had a few highlights with pictures to share with everyone.

We had the opportunity to meet the little boy we sponsor through the Child Sponsorship Program.  His name is Kervans Dume and he is 7 years old.  He lives here in Cayes and Marie Lucie Jeune, who runs the Child Sponsorship Office here, brought him to meet us last week.  He was extremely shy and only said a few words to us.  I'm not sure if he was more worried about meeting so many "blan yo" (white people) or my attempts at Creole. Anyway, we did enjoy meeting him and hope we can see him again some time.  As we gain experience with the language and culture, it would be nice to meet his parents too.

The next picture doesn't have a story, but I wanted to post it to show one of Selah's favorite past times - playing with stones.  She loves to find the bigger ones and make a pile of them by our gate.  Here she is pleased with two stones that she found.

Last Saturday, we went to Rainbow Beach with several other families and had a small surprise Birthday party for Mara.  (She will be 10 on Aug. 17th)  It was a very fun day and she was especially excited to receive the complete set of the Anne of Green Gables books.  

I have been reflecting a bit this week on how different our lives are now compared to ten years ago when I was very pregnant with our first child.  As an overprotective, first-time mother, I would never have considered moving to Haiti with a family.  It is amazing and inspiring how God changes our mindset!  I still struggle to see the logic in this move at times, but I rest my worries in God's plan and trust Him.  Most of the time, I can hardly wait to see how He will provide in the journey that seems so illogical to me.  We try to keep it a joyful anticipation of what is ahead instead of an anxious worry for the future.

Here is another beach picture.  Krae is hanging out with some of the other children in a tree.  They have fun climbing in and around the trees at the beach.  

Last Sunday, we had the opportunity to meet Madam Lorette's husband and baby son, Daniel.  We invited them to our apartment for refreshments on Sunday afternoon so we could meet her family.  The Reinhard family was gone so we were on our own for communication (no one to translate if needed).  While we didn't have any complex dialog, we did enjoy having them over and we were able to communicate. (sort of)  It was probably a very good thing that we were on our own as it forced us to attempt to converse in a way that we might not have otherwise.

I will also mention that Baby Daniel is the little guy who was sick with Bronchitis several weeks ago.  He is well now and seems to be thriving again.  Here is a picture of their family.

Madam Lorette, Her husband Henri Jean Michel and Baby Daniel (11 months)

Later on Sunday afternoon, we took a four-wheeler drive to Tet Simon.  This is a high point (tet means top of or head) of the missionary compound that looks out over a beautiful valley.  Also, you can see several different mountain ranges in the distance. There is a church up there and a small lake that serves as a swimming hole to the Haitian families in the area.  There were lots of people and children about when we drove up there.  The little boys were fascinated with our little blonde baby Selah.   In this picture, she is holding court with them.  You can see a bit of the beauty of the surrounding area in the background.

I have heard many comments about the beauty of the pictures on our blog.  Haiti is a beautiful country with many breathtaking landscapes.  At the same time, there is great poverty and areas full of trash and filth.  Obviously, we haven't posted too many pictures of the trash and filth, but it certainly does exist.  We have also noticed that living life for the people in Haiti is difficult, at least by our standards.  Many people do not get their basic needs fulfilled on a daily basis, yet some of the churches have services every evening.  Even amid hardship, the Haitian Christians love to worship God.  

Praise ye the Lord.  Praise the Lord, O my soul.
While I live will I praise the Lord  
I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.    Psalms 146:1-2

Driving, Smores & Rainbow Beach

Even though I just posted a few days ago, some fun things have happened in the last few days and I wanted to share a few of them.

Driving
Yes, I had my first driving lesson on a manual transmission in Haiti.  I drove Rick's old white Ford one time a few years back, but that really doesn't count as knowing how to drive a stick shift.  Anyway, Rick and I drove around Citi Lumiere (the missionary compound) and I didn't even stall out.  The next day, I drove to Super Star Market (a grocery store that is fairly close by) and actually made it there without stalling out or hitting anything or anybody.  It was rather nerve racking, but we did make it there.  I think I made Rick nervous; he offered to drive to the other store we went to and then back to our apartment.  I was relieved!!  We were out on Saturday which is a busy market day and usually has more traffic.  Those of you who have been in Haiti understand what more traffic means - lots more vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals, carts, etc... coming at you from all sides.  My new friend Becky Thompson made the comment that driving in Haiti is a 360 degree experience - you have to be aware of what is around you at all times.  I think I will stick to back roads for a while until I get more comfortable with remembering to shift before heading back into town.  On the other hand, I know I can do it if I have to.

Unfortunately, Rick had to do some work on the vehicle after I drove it the first day.

OK - so it really wasn't my fault, but the line for power steering fluid sprung a leak and the vehicle became very hard to steer while I was driving.  Rick did a quick and dirty repair, but it might take a real mechanic to completely fix the problem.

Smores

This past Saturday night, we were invited to join the Thompson family for a small bonfire and Smores roast.  Krae and Drew Thompson (he is 8 years old) have become good friends.  Mara also enjoys spending time with their daughter Tessa, even though she is only 6 years old.  Drew loves bonfires and wanted to invite Krae's family for one.  It

was a fun evening for everyone.  Rick and I enjoyed getting to know Rob and Becky Thompson.  Rob is  the director for RMI (Reciprocal Ministries International) in Haiti and they have lived here for about 3.5 years.

Rainbow Beach
On Sunday afternoon, we drove with Joan, Mackenson and Berlika Reinhard to Rainbow Beach for an afternoon of sun, surf and dinner on the beach.  The Klopfenstein family, along with Stu Kilgas and Naomi Luginbuhl met us there.  Naomi is the grand-daughter of Daryl & Norma Luginbuhl and is visiting her grandparents in Bonne Fin.  Stu is an industrial engineering student at Purdue who is serving as an intern in Bonne Fin this summer.  We first met Stu when we came down in May with the work team.  He traveled with us and became a part of our team that week.

Anyway, we had a great day at the beach.  It was fun to watch Selah's reaction to the waves.  She would stand at the edge of the water and just plain crack up with giggles when the surf would wash over her feet.  She did get a bit too adventurous a few times and I had to grab her as the tide pulled her off her feet, but she handled it well.

Selah at Rainbow Beach

Mara and Krae had a great time on Boogie Boards and playing in the sand and water.  We were all tired and ready for showers and bed when we got home in the evening!

Other News
We received word from Daryl today that they have put the roof on our outside depot at our house in Bonne Fin.  Also, he mentioned that all the doors for our kitchen cabinets have been cut so things are progressing on our home.  

Rick will make a quick trip to Miami for a meeting with the HL transition team this week. He will travel to Port Au Prince and then to Miami on Thursday with the Luginbuhl family that is visiting Daryl and Norma.  His meeting will be on Friday and then he will travel back on Saturday.  He will probably take a public transportation bus from Port to Cayes on Saturday.  Prayers for his safe travels and our time without him are appreciated!!

I continue to pray for peace and joy in this journey.  While the transition is going well, there are times that we are all homesick and long for the comfort of our old lifestyle. We know that nothing about this move is easy, but we have a peace that God is directing our path and He will provide what is needful along the way when we trust in Him.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.        Isaiah 26:3

Adjusting...

The title of this post says it all.  As I think about the past two weeks, the best word to sum it all up would be adjusting.  Adjusting to a new country, adjusting to a new language, adjusting to a new culture, adjusting to a new life.  So many things have changed for us in the past month that I am reminding myself that the one constant right now is Jesus Christ. He is still with us, He is still leading us and He will be with us through this journey!  

As a bit of housekeeping, our VOIP (voice over IP) number has been ported and we are able to receive calls on our home number.  This is the same home number we had in Sabetha, but it now rings in our apartment in Les Cayes and will go up with us when we move to our home in Bonne Fin.  As long as we have internet, we should be able to receive calls.  This number is 785-284-2950.

Our second week in Haiti went well overall.  Selah was struggling with heat rash, a bit of a yeast infection on her scalp and then a rather severe ear infection toward the end of the week. We had a couple of rough days and nights with her.  Joan helped us take Selah to the Citi Lumiere clinic in Cayes.  Dr. William saw her and agreed that she did have an ear infection.  She had some gray/green discharge from her ear, so it was pretty evident.  Dr. William checked the pharmacy to see what antibiotics they had available for a toddler and then wrote the script.  After a round of Keflex and some ear drops, she is doing much better.   We have been treating her scalp with Apple Cider Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide.  I think the peroxide is bringing a bit more red out - she's not a strawberry blonde yet, but it is definitely more red.

Also during our second week, Rick took me out for a 4-wheeler driving lesson.  It was the day that Tropical Storm Chantel was to hit.  We saw the storm coming in, but thought we could get a quick drive in before it hit.  We almost made it back to our apartment, but we did get a good soaking.  For those of you that are laughing that I needed a 4-wheeler driving lesson, remember that I am not a farm girl and I have not driven one before.  Next driving lesson is learning to drive a manual transmission in Haiti - should be interesting!!

Regarding the storm, it did not even make it to full tropical storm status and we were a bit disappointed that we didn't get to experience our first tropical storm.  It was like a severe thunderstorm that we have back home, but no tornadoes.

A highlight of this week was going out to the LSM Ranch and seeing the projects that are being started out there.  The ranch will serve as a technical school of sorts for young people who have grown up in LSM Homes of Hope.  The goal of the ranch is to train young adults in a vocation and help them to be productive citizens of Haiti.  More info on LSM can be found at www.loving-shepherd.org

Toward the end of our second week, it started to sink in that this is more than a long vacation and we all started to feel homesick.  Krae seemed to be having the hardest time. He is struggling a bit with figuring out how to fit in with the other boys and he is missing his buddies from school.

While washing dishes(all by hand) together the other night, Mara and I discussed what we missed from home.  She is so funny; she misses flour tortillas the most, while I was missing my dishwasher and other kitchen stuff.  Mara also mentioned that she misses her Sunday School class and going to OUR church.  

Our third week was more of a "settling in" week.  The kids started getting into a routine of things to do and Selah was feeling much better.   Rick and I have a basic understanding of how to get around in Cayes and know where to get most of the supplies we need.  We have gotten acquainted with the other missionaries that are here at Citi Lumiere right now and have enjoyed fellowship with them.  Many of the families are on furlough so we appreciate those who are here.  

We did say Good-Bye to Rick's cousin LaNae as she headed back home.  Her husband, Randy is here until mid-August to finish up his project.  We enjoyed having LaNae as our neighbor for a few weeks and we are missing her already.  

We continue to learn in our language studies, but we both wish we could absorb more quickly.  We realize that it takes months to learn a new language and we know we must keep plugging along and learn as much as we can as we go!

At the end of our third week, we received word that the sea container that brought most of our belongings to Haiti would make the trek from Port Au Prince to Bonne Fin and was scheduled to arrive Friday evening or Saturday morning.  We drove up to Bonne Fin after supper on Friday evening to be there to help unload the container on Saturday morning.  

We were there when the truck with the 40-foot container pulled through the gate to the hospital.  I am simply amazed that a truck that big can maneuver up that mountain road.  I am thankful for the skill of the driver! 

A quick note about the road from Cavillion to Bonne Fin.  About 5.5 km of the 13 km of the road has had the big chuck holes filled and it has been graded.  When we first took the road, Rick and I thought we might be on the wrong road until we recognized some landmarks.  The work on the road is wonderful and we can keep praying for continued work and maintenance!

The 40-Foot Container that brought our "stuff" to Haiti!

The customs official and inspector came out to Bonne Fin to watch the truck being unloaded.  This is not the normal protocol, but I believe they will make the trip occasionally to be sure all is well.  The positive to them being there was that it slowed down the unloading process a bit and everyone was more careful with the cargo.  It did take longer than usual, but we were not complaining.  

Unfortunately, there was a minor accident while the truck was being unloaded.  There were 8 wooden doors that will go into our home on the container; they became unbalanced and started to come down.  Stuart Kilgus was standing in the container and in their path; fortunately, he was able to get out of the way and avoid injury.  Unfortunately, Daryl & Norma Luginbuhl's grandson, Josh, put up an arm to try to stop the doors and he sustained a fractured wrist.  It was a small fracture, but it was still quite painful for him.  He was handling it well when we left later that day, but a prayer of healing for him would be appreciated.

For now, most of our belongings are sitting in the middle of our living room and will remain there while the renovations are completed on our home.  The container had wood to finish the kitchen cabinets, doors for the house, the kitchen counter-top, sinks for the kitchen and baths and several other items needed to complete renovations. An unforeseen blessing was that our sofa, love seat and piano did not make it on this container (these items will be on the next one); this allows more room in the living room to store everything while other areas are completed.

We brought most of the food items down to Cayes with us so we can start using them and to make sure things don't get buggy.  I found Krae's Lego tub, so he was happy!  We are thankful that most of our things arrived.  Hopefully, everything will stay safe and secure until we can unpack and move into our home.  


As we begin another week here, we are very thankful for the prayers, emails, calls and messages from home.  While hearing from home does make us a bit homesick, we do appreciate hearing about what is happening in the lives of our loved ones back home.

I will close with a specific prayer request for a little baby boy named Daniel.  He is the 10-month old son of Madam Lorette who cooks for us.  He has been very sick for several days with a bad cough and his mother is very concerned.  She took him to see a doctor last Saturday, but he has not been able to keep his medicine down and he is getting weaker.  She is planning to take him back to see a doctor tomorrow (Thursday).  Please pray for healing for this little guy.  Joan shared with us that Madam Lorette has miscarried several times and was so thankful to be able to carry this baby to term.  She is very concerned about his health and losing another child.

As she left our apartment today, Madam Lorette made the comment "Si Bondye vle" - If God wills- when we said we hoped her son would be better soon.

Our First Week in Haiti

Before I get into the highlights of our first week, I want to point out that there is a new page on our blog with our contact information.  If you look at the top left hand corner, you will see two tabs.  The first is Home and will always take you back to the most current post. The second is Contact Information and takes you to a second page that has a list of the various ways to contact us while we are living in Haiti.

Now a picture of our family:

This picture was taken on July 4, 2013 - after our first full week in Haiti!

Our first week went well.  Rick and I started language studies with Met Jean Claude on Monday.  We each spend one hour with him on Monday - Friday.  Using the term Met with his name is a way of showing respect as this means Master.  He is a language professor at the American University in Les Cayes and is well respected in the community.  He is also referred to as Pastor because he is the pastor of a local church.  Met Jean Claude is a very kind man and he is quite patient with us.  He begins each lesson with us with a prayer; we are very thankful for him.

We feel that we are learning some language skills, but we will need to continue our studies  and practice for a long time to feel confident.  We can put some simple sentences together and are recognizing words and phrases, but when dialog becomes more complex, we get lost quickly. 

We have enjoyed good food from our cook, Madam Lorette, who will be cooking for us Monday - Friday while we are in Les Cayes.  She comes about 9 AM and begins by finishing up our breakfast dishes.  She prepares our noon meal (dine - pronounced dee-nay) and then cleans up the kitchen and leaves between 2-3 PM.  Her food is very good and I appreciate the time and care she puts into her cooking.  Most of the meals have some Haitian elements and some American.

Madam Jean Louie will come to clean and help with laundry 2-3 times per week.  Since our windows are always open (hurricane panes with screens), what we would think of as weekly cleaning is more like daily cleaning here.  It is amazing how quickly things are covered with dust and little bugs.

I am sure many of you are thinking, "What is Komari going to do with all that help."  Well, I am going to really appreciate the chance to focus on language and helping our children adjust to a new way of life.  Also, I will mention that culturally, it is expected of missionaries to hire household help as this provides employment in a country where unemployment can run as high as 75% of the population.  At any rate, we are thankful for the good help and pray that God will bless us with reliable help when we move up to Bonne Fin.

On Thursday, most of you celebrated our nation's independence.  I hope it was a happy and safe holiday for all.  We had more of a normal day here, but were invited to Randy & LaNae Meyer's cottage for a 4th of July picnic.  They had hamburgers and hot dogs, watermelon and many of the other traditional American picnic foods.  It was a fun evening.  

Friday was a big day.  Madam Lorette went to market for me where she bought many fresh fruits and vegetables.  This is something I would like to do with her or someone else sometime for the experience of seeing what is available and to see how she bargains,etc...  Here are pictures of some of the produce she purchased:

   

She spent most of the morning at the market and then brought the produce to our apartment in the afternoon.  She then thoroughly washed all the produce with clean water and a bit of clorox to make sure all bacteria, germs, etc... are gone!   

I also did a bit of shopping on Friday with Joan Reinhard who took me to a couple of stores in town.  These are small grocery stores with shelves stocked with canned goods and other non-perishables as opposed to the open-air market where Madam Lorette went to purchase produce.  The stores carry lots of American products, but they are very expensive - usually double the price we would pay at home.  For example, I bought a bag of Tostitos Blue Corn Chips for 230 goud or about $5.50.  A box of cereal runs about $7.  So, you decide what you really want and you make it last as long as possible.

We stopped at a Western Union Office to buy frozen chicken.  Nope, it doesn't make much sense, but this little shop has a Western Union Desk and a walk-in freezer for Tyson Chicken Legs from the US.  So, we now have 40 lbs of chicken legs.  The saying is that the Americans eat all the breasts in the US, so they send all the legs and thighs to Haiti. 

Joan also made a call to the Lobster (woma) man and the beef (bef) man to bring us some meat.  When we arrived home, Pierre, the Lobster man was waiting with a bucket of whole lobsters.  I purchased 5 lbs for 125 Haitian Dollars and paid him 625 goud.  Most of the vendors who come to your home or who sell in the open market give you the price in Haitian Dollars, but payment is made in Goud.  The ratio is 1:5, so you have to do the calculation before paying them.  Yes, interesting!  Pierre cleaned the lobsters for me and gave me just the tails.  I put them in the freezer to freeze before we cook them.  The tails are small, but will be just right for each of us to have one for a meal and should provide a few meals for us.

5 lbs of Haitian Lobster Tails

The beef man (I am not remembering his name) came on Saturday morning with a 10 pound hunk of beef that was still warm from the kill.  I put it in the fridge to age for a few days and turned it over each morning.  Madam Lorette cleaned the fat and grisel off today and then soaked it in sour orange juice. (zoranj si)  Zoranj si look like limes, but taste like very sour oranges.  We have a tree with this fruit in our yard up at Bonne Fin.  I am told the only use for this fruit is for tenderizing meat.  The price for beef was 270 Haitian Dollars for 10 lbs of meat, so I paid 1,350 goud.  This converts to about $32 US or $3.20/lb.  This was a bit hard for me since this meat is not even close to the John Baumgartner beef we are used to getting at home.  Sigh!

It was an experience to get the pantry and freezer stocked, and this gave me some resources to make a few meals that are familiar to our family.  Last night after a meal of Mexican Lasagna, Guacamole and Chips, and Mango Smoothies (some of our favorites at home), Mara thanked God for providing the resources for Mom to make some American food.  Ha - not so sure those foods would be considered American, but we enjoyed them.

On Sunday, we attended the church where Met Jean Claude (our language professor) is the pastor.  The music and singing was a bit louder than the church in Bonne Fin and a bit overwhelming for our children.  Joan did some translating of the service, so I was able to enjoy some of it.  Rick spent most of the service outside the back door with Krae and Selah who did not enjoy the decibels projected by the loud speakers.  We will have to get used to Haitian Church Services!  After a quick lunch at home, we listened to the afternoon service in Sabetha through online streaming.  It was a comfort to hear familiar voices and songs.

Overall, it was a good week.  We are struggling a bit with missing the comforts of home and with getting used to the heat.  The main room in our apartment stays rather warm, so we spend a lot of time out on our balcony where we can catch a bit of breeze.  Everyone has had a bit of heat rash, but poor little Selah is suffering the most.  She breaks out when she gets too hot and her little head sweats so much.  Her head was starting to smell a bit like yeast, so we wash her hair with some Apple Cider Vinegar and it seemed to help.  Hopefully, we can keep her from getting a yeast infection on her scalp.  Cool baking soda baths seem to help her heat rash too.  If anyone has other suggestions to treat heat rash, please let me know!

Right now, Rick and I are sitting side by side with our computers on the balcony.  It's a great place to work/study when it is not raining.  I will leave you with a picture of the view from our balcony in Les Cayes.