Back Home in Haiti?

We returned to Haiti and the mission field at the end of July.  While we were home, I was asked many times if I felt like Haiti is home now.  It seems like this question creates some inner turmoil for me because I can't really say that Haiti feels like home and at the same time, we don't have a home in the United States right now.  Our physical residence is in Haiti and we do feel like a family here and enjoy our home, but it's just not the same as our home in the US.  These feelings have led me to focus more on the Heavenly Home that is waiting for each of us in eternity.  As well as the need to share the news of that Heavenly Home with others.  Isn't it exciting to see how God can refocus our minds on His kingdom.  It is encouraging to me that even the stress in our lives (such as feeling misplaced) can be used to renew our minds.

In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  John 14:2

All of that said, it is was nice to return to our home in Haiti and find it in good order.  It was also nice to sleep in a familiar bed after several weeks of travel and many different beds. Most importantly, we are encouraged by the time we have as a family and the blessing of our home here.  No matter where we find ourselves, there is beauty all around, when there's love at home.

Our home in Haiti

Our return at the beginning of August found us busy with activity.  A few days after our arrival, the Kurt & Joan Plattner family came for a vision visit.  They plan to join our missionary family in Bonne Fin in early November.  It was wonderful to have them here and see how the children bonded.  Mara and Krae are very excited to have more children in school with them.  

The following week, the missionary ladies held a Ti Mache sale for the hospital employees. Everyone was very thankful for all of the fabulous items that were donated from our churches in the United States.  I will mentioned to those of you from Sabetha and Bern that the staff was very pleased with the selection of backpacks and large bags.  Thank you very much for the generosity.  Here are a few pictures:

Because of the generosity of brethren back home, each employee of the hospital as well as our temporary employees, day laborers and missionary household workers each were able to select:

• 5 pieces of clothing for each department of men's, women's, children's and baby's clothing
• 2 pieces of linens
• 1 - 2 towels depending on size
• 2 pieces from housewares
• 2 pairs of shoes
• 5 pieces of toiletry items (shampoo, soap, toothpaste, deodorant, 
• 2 pieces of bags (backpack, suitcases, purses

We limit the number of pieces that each person can purchase so that all of the staff have equal opportunity to purchase items for a low cost.  If a person selected as many items as they were allowed, their total came to about 250 goudes or $5.50 in US money.

Unfortunately, we do not have plans to hold another sale in the near future as we do not have a space for it.

We celebrated Mara 11th birthday on August 17th.  She chose to have another beach party for her birthday, so we drove to Rainbow Beach for a day of fun in the sun.  She also requested Strawberry Cream Cheese Rolls instead of cake!  it was a fun day for all.

Our kids started school on August 27th.  Here are some pictures of them saying Good-Bye as they head off to school.  Selah was not too upset to see them go because she and Mommy were doing Preschool at home that day too.

 

And they are off...

This year, Mara is a 5th grader, Krae is a 2nd grader and Selah is in Preschool.  As I mentioned above, I am doing Preschool lessons and activities with Selah at home.  We set-up a little corner in our living room where we do school for her.  

I am teaching Krae his reading/language arts again this year and I am teaching the Writing Strands curriculum with some of the older children at school.  So, I have preschool with Selah three days per week for about 1 hour in the morning; reading with Krae for 30 minutes after lunch every week day and Writing Strands at the school for about 40 minutes in the morning on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  I am so thankful that we have a teacher for most of the school work, but I am enjoying the time with the children.

The kids had 2 days of school and then our teacher, Miss Desma, had to make a quick trip home to help her mother with an issue with her home.  So, we had the first full week of school at home.  This was also the week that the hospital had many issues with power, water and staff that were referenced in Rick's post regarding prayer.  Needless to say, it was a crazy week; one in which we had to put our trust in God and keep moving forward. We were encouraged and thankful for the outpouring of prayer that we heard about and felt!

School for the kids is back to normal now and they are enjoying it.  The Klopfenstein family is planning to take some furlough time in October so we will 3.5 weeks without Miss Desma.  We will have some school at home, some fall break and a week with a couple of substitute teachers.  Alyssa Knobloch and some of her friends will be visiting and have agreed to teach school for a week.  

I have lots of news to report for September, but since I seem to be about one month behind in posting, I will end this post and will post more very soon.   

Asking for Prayers...

We are sending out a special request for prayer on behalf of the mission here in Bonne Fin.  We have always known that satan wants this mission to have trouble and fail.  We know and believe that God has called our church to this mission and responsibility of Hopital Lumiere.  This past week, we see evidence of satan's redoubled efforts against it.

We have had challenges this week that are stretching and growing our reliance on God.  Praise Him for that and for all things!

We are asking today for continued prayer for the mission, the missionaries, our staff and patients here.  A few specific things that are challenging us:

• This past week, we had a power failure of our 40Kw Generator which is now out of service and being repaired.   This failure was caused by a lack of following procedures we have asked the staff to adhere to for power use. 

• Our backup generator is very old, oversized and inefficient.  It is also in a state of failure today.  Specifically, the voltage regulator is not functioning, causing it to put out poor power that is not usable.   We have a “Boss” (Haitian generator expert that is very good) that has been able to get it to work.  We hope to have him come back today. 

• Our extended lack of rain here at Bonne Fin has reduced our water supply for the hydroelectric generator.  As a result we can operate it 6-8 hours a day maximum.

• The above has caused us to have to be without power in the hospital and on campus for 2 nights in the last 3 days.  As you can imagine, this is a very serious challenge.

• This past week, we had broken pipes in our drinking water system on campus, causing about 18 hours total without water on ½ of campus.

• We continue to take steps in the hospital to improve operations and patient care.  This past week, one of our departments (operating room) staff has been challenging these changes and causing disruptions in our workflow and in giving patients the best care we can.

Through this, we have much to be thankful for.

• We all are in reasonably good health
• We have food, clothing and shelter.
• We have received about 6/10 of an inch of rain in the last 24 hours.
• We have many dedicate employees
• God blessed us with a timely message in the sermon we listened to on Wednesday night.
• God has moved 2 more families to come and help with the work our Church has been blessed with here at the hospital!

We ask you and our churches to please pray for us specifically in the areas mentioned and for us all as missionaries.  The missionary family here at present are:

• Rick and Komari Aberle, Mara, Krae and Selah
• Daryl and Norma Luginbuhl
• Sheila Moser
• Eric and Jami Hartzler, Leah, Grace, Conrad, Quincy and Gideon
• Lee and Desma Klopfenstein, Beth, Bekah, Jared and Chloe

I was reminded in my morning devotion of the whole armor of God.  Pray that we can keep the shield of faith raised high so that the fiery darts of our enemy will be warded off.

Summer...

It was a great summer!  We so enjoyed our time in the United States and the opportunity to see many of you.  We continue to be thankful for the love and support of our family and friends at home.  It is our connections to home that keep us encouraged and moving forward in the work that God has called us to do.

We had many activities this last summer; I am going to use pictures to give the highlights.

Fun in Grandpa's yard with some of our old toys.  

Selah even had a few driving lessons around the farm.  

My three Astronauts in training at the Kansas Cosmosphere in Hutchinson.  We had a fun day here on our way back to Sabetha after visiting family and friends in Kiowa, KS.

Selah with a new friend, Eden Beyer.  

Kaleb & Angie Beyer were our neighbors in Sabetha for about 10 years before they moved and then we moved.  They are in Morton, IL now and we spent a weekend with them.  Our older kids remember being neighbors and playmates, but these two little girls were just getting acquainted and had great time!

Mara participating in a Wednesday "Lunch in the Park" program at the Sabetha Library.  This was part of the Summer Reading Program.  We spent a lot of time at the Library this last summer and did bunches of reading!  Mara read 1800+ pages, Krae read 54 books and Mommy read 54+ books to Selah!  So thankful for access to a library!!

This picture is of the Fire Engine Rides at the Bern Kansas 4th of July celebration.  I took this picture because it reminded me of how the Haitian people will ride on vehicles.  Here's proof that Americans do it too!!

We enjoyed the old tradition of the 4th in Bern.  Once again, the Fireworks Show was amazing for such a small community.  It was good to be home for  the 4th this year!

We had lots of ice cream cones while we were in the states as they are not readily available in Haiti.  This one with chocolate coating was almost more than Selah could handle.  It was a yummy mess!

A huge highlight of our time at home was 3 days and 2 nights at the Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City.  We had a ball at the water park and did most of our clothes shopping at The Legends Shopping Center.  Here are some fun photos:

                  

   

                

The end of July found us on the road and traveling to Chicago, IL, then on to Bluffton, IN.  Fortunately, the kids slept alot in the back seat of the truck and the trip went well.

We spent a few days in the Bluffton and Ft. Wayne area doing our shopping for the year.  The ten tubs of supplies will be loaded onto a sea container later this month; we hope to receive the container in October.  The containers are mostly filled with supplies for the hospital and construction projects, but we are able to take a bit of room to send down household and food supplies.  We are so very thankful for this benefit!!

While Rick and I were shopping, our kids got to spend some time with old and new friends!

Krae playing Legos with the Pfister boys.  The Pfister family lived in Bonne Fin for several years.  We were here with them for about 3 months before they returned home in November.

              

One of my good friends while I was growing up was my second cousin, Missy Frieden.  We spent time together often when she came to Kiowa to visit family.  Now, she is married to Travis Bussel and they live in the Bluffton area.  Our kids spent an afternoon with their family and then we all went out for pizza.  The kids were enjoying lollipops after supper!  

A special thank you to Sam and Dar Habeggar who hosted us in their home while we were in Bluffton.  We enjoyed our time with them very much!  We also had the opportunity to spend a weekend in South Bend, IN with Bob and Sue Beebe.  We were treated like royalty while with them as well.

From South Bend, we headed back to central Illinois for a few days in Bradford for a Missionary Orientation/Retreat.  En route, we stopped for a few hours at Tanner's Orchard where we met up with Aunt Katie Martin, her daughter Debbie and all of her grandchildren.  It was a great play stop after many hours in the truck.

Just down the road from Tanner's, we spent 3.5 days at Shallowbrook Farms Conference Center for a missionary orientation / retreat.  This event was organized by Kirk & Keri Plattner and Frank & Kathy Sauder for new missionaries preparing to enter the field and for a few that have already been in the field.  We were unable to attend last year, so we made a point of staying in the US until the end of July to be able to participate.  

It was a wonderful few days, even if very fast-paced with lots of information.  In many ways, it was good to attend after being in the field for a year.  We found that we could relate to most of the content and found areas that we need to work on.  We were there with 8 other Apostolic Christian couples and families and the fellowship was wonderful.  I have to mention that Kathy Sauder's food was amazing!  

The final weekend in July, we were back in Sabetha packing up for the trip back to Haiti.  We enjoyed the last weekend with our home church attending Sunday services and having a potluck in the evening.  We do have the opportunity to fellowship with many people in Haiti, but it is special to be in the United States and fellowship with our brethren.  We are thankful for the time we had at home.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.  I John 1:7

Retreat - Rest - Renew - Revive

Living in the mission field in Haiti does present a unique setting.  While our daily stress levels can be high and we are learning how to live in a different culture, we have been able to find bits of time for retreat.  The picture above was taken from the RMI Retreat Center that is a little over an hour drive from our home.  We were able to spend some time there in April with other ACWR missionaries and an ACWR support team that visited us from the US.  I will give Cindy Hitz credit for taking the above picture.  She was active with her camera during the visit and we appreciate her willingness to share her talent!

In May, I had the opportunity to join a group of missionary women for a Ladies Retreat at the RMI Retreat Center.  This was a wonderful weekend of rest, spiritual renewal and I returned home to my family feeling revived.  Rick deserves special recognition for staying home with our children for 48 hours while I was gone.  Here is a picture of the group of women that attended:

Also in May, we enjoyed having a medical work team and a construction work team.  The medical team brought a couple of cousins from my Farney side of the family as well as a doctor and his wife from Kansas City that we know well.  It is very special to us to have familiar faces and loved ones visit us in Haiti.  This team also had a dentist and some hygienists who held a dental clinic at the hospital.  I walked down to the clinic a few times during the week and was excited to see the hustle and bustle of activity.

The construction team came from Rockville, CT and brought many people that we have not met before so it was fun to make new acquaintances and connections.  This team finished the renovations on the chapel and new admissions area.  

In mid-May, we invited some a missionary family from Cayes to come up and a Sunday with us.  We attended church together, enjoyed a quick lunch and then hiked to the hydro-electric plant.  We got to know the Seel family when we lived in Cayes last summer; Mara and their daughter Caitlyn are the same age and have formed a special friendship.  We had a great hike and a refreshing swim in some of the pools along the creek that flows in the rocks beneath the plant.  A great way to renew and revive our physical bodies.  The mom of the family, Alex, took some great pictures and I will share a few of them. 

Mara jumping in the smaller pool and Krae climbing up to jump again.

     

A small waterfall into another small pool & the creek winding through the rocks

   

Daniel jumping into the larger pool.  They used a rope to climb out.  Rick and the girls standing just above the jumping off spot.  He did not jump in with Selah on his back, thankfully!

Mara and Caitlyn relaxing in a little waterfall

Selah "swimming" in a shallow spot in the creek

Krae walking down the little waterfall

Overall, it was a very fun day of fellowship and fun with our good friends.  God even provided a cooler day for us so the hike was not too hot!

As the end of May drew near, Mara and Krae were busy finishing up school work and preparing for the Bonne Fin Missionary School Talent Show.  The children and Miss Desma came up with 15 acts with a little help from the older Klopfenstein children and a few of the other missionaries.  It was a big night for the kids and they did put on an exciting show and shared many of their God-given talents.  Unfortunately, I was running a camcorder (or trying to do so) and did not take any pictures to post on this blog.  

The last week of May, we prepared to return to the US.  The kids and I flew to Atlanta on May 31st and then on to KC on June 1st.  Rick will join us on June 24th and we plan to return to Haiti on July 30th.  

On June 3rd, my Aunt, Kathleen Farney Miner went to be with the Lord after a battle with breast cancer.  I was able to visit her back in February and was so thankful for that visit.  Once again, God's timing is so perfect as I was back in states and was able to attend her funeral and be there to support my dear cousin April - Kathleen's only child.  Aunt Kathy had planned most of the funeral service beforehand; it was very special and reflected her personality and love for others.  All of her nieces were able to be there and it was a great to be together.  (No nephews on the Farney side of the family)

Since we have been back in Kansas, we are enjoying some restful time and lots of play time.  Mara and Krae enjoyed an Art Workshop and participating in VBS at the Bern Apostolic Christian Church.  Krae is taking swimming lessons right now and with some warmer days, we enjoyed the Aquatic Center in Seneca.  The kids are enjoying Summer Reading and some of the fun activities at the library.  We especially enjoy the Wednesday Lunch in the Park when the library hosts guest speakers.  For those who aren't familiar with Sabetha, the library sits on a full block and is surrounded by a park.  This park has been a favorite of our family for years.  We used to walk there from our home in Sabetha.  Here are some fun pictures of the kids in the park:

We have a trip planned to Kiowa, KS to visit my family and friends there as well as a trip to Illinois for more visiting.  Rick will attend an HLGB meeting in Illinois as well.  In July, we will spend the first two weeks in the Sabetha area and then travel to Indiana to shop and deliver household supplies to the Bluffton Distribution Center, where the supplies will be loaded on a sea container and shipped & trucked to Bonne Fin.  The last full week of July, we will attend a missionary orientation/retreat in Central Illinois before heading back to Kansas to say our final good-byes.       

Our summer is going quickly already, but we are thankful for the chance to see loved ones and be in familiar surroundings.  Hopefully, we will return to the field feeling rested, renewed and revived.   As I think about our travels this summer and our coming and going from and back to Haiti, a special verse comes to mind and gives me comfort.

The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.    Psalm 121:8

The road of life...

Recently, an analogy came to mind for me.  We have all heard analogies of how life is like a road, but it occurred to me that changes in our lives could be likened to the changes in the roads we drive.

In Kansas, we enjoyed smooth, wide highways and interstates that provided a pleasant and carefree ride.  Even the gravel roads in Kansas were typically rather smooth and straight.  In Haiti, our roads are filled with up and downs and lots of bumps.  Then there are the curves - you never really know what might come zooming around the corner and which side of the road it will be on.  

In a similar way, our lives have changed from a smooth ride of most things staying the same and knowing what to expect.  We rode in the comfort of familiar surroundings, family and friends.  Our life and activities stayed mostly the same from year to year with a few small changes along the way.  The past year has been filled with many ups and downs and too many bumps to count.  We have navigated around curves that held unseen possibilities and a few big and scary trucks.  We are always watching for changes in the road from rain, use and manifestations.  Even when you think you know the road, there can be changes.

The one thing that has stayed the same is the driver - our Almighty God.  He was with us on the smooth roads and He is with us on the mountainous, bumpy and curvy roads that continue to change.  The road and landscape have changed, but we still have the best driver to carry us along the way! 


I will begin this post with a few pictures from when Scott & Dorine's family was here with a work team.  They brought their children and the cousins had a great time being together.

We drove a very short distance down the mountain road to attend church on Sunday (MEBSH services were not held that day due to their annual convention in Cayes)

The kids enjoyed a scenic view from atop the landcruiser!

The kids joined the group that hiked to the hydro-electric plant and 

were able to take a dip in this beautiful spring fed pool.

A waterfall along the route.

A group of very happy kids after their fun play time in the water!

Kalahan, Mara, Kamden, Krae, Klaire 

Handing out clothing, food and Kreyol Bibles in a nearby community.

The kids had many other activities including making and giving out rubber band bracelets, visiting Jimmy's Honey Bees and going to the Beach.  Unfortunately, I did not get pictures of these things.  Overall, it was a great week.  Scott and Dorine each had a day or two that they didn't feel well, but they seemed to recover quickly.  The team was able to complete some nice work on the Chapel in the hospital as well.  We are thankful for all who came to share with us!!

The time that we had family here was a real highlight, but we also had some low points in the road during that time.  We had to replace the man who works in our yard. Mackenson, the young man who had been working for us since September experienced some social issues with other Haitians who live in the Bonne Fin area.  He did not grow up here, but in a neighboring community.  His family does not have a good reputation and he has brothers that are involved in gangs and stealing from others.  

It had appeared that Mackenson was trying to break away from the reputation and activities of his family. He proclaimed to be a Christian, attended the Bonne Fin MEBSH church regularly, was learning English quite well and was attending a Business and Technical College.  

Some of the locals believe that he has been involved with reselling some of the stolen goods from his brothers and there seems to be some evidence to support it.  Because of this, some people in the community threatened to put him in jail or take his life so it is not safe for him to return to Bonne Fin.  Unfortunately, he didn't tell me what was going on until he didn't show up for work for about 1 week.  There is really nothing we can do to help him at this point but keep him in our prayers.  My heart was broken as I really wanted to see this young man make a life for himself.  It is so very difficult to break away from family, even when they are dragging you down.  

Of course, he claims to not be involved in any immoral activities, but we don't have the level of trust with him to know if he is being honest with us or not.  I just don't know...
One part of mission service anywhere is disappointment.  We must leave the situation in God's hands for now and know that he has a plan for all.

So, we have hired an older man and he seems to be doing well and enjoys the work.  He kept the yard for Dr. Rudy for about 7 years so he has some experience and has been bringing in some beautiful plants for our yard.  If we could get some rain, they might take off and grow!

Selah and Berlika Reinhard enjoying Easter Weekend together!

We hope that Easter weekend was a blessing to all.  We had a busy weekend, but enjoyed time with other missionaries at a Sunrise Service in Cayes (that was rained out - they are getting more in Cayes) and a wonderful breakfast potluck that followed.  We returned to Bonne Fin in the afternoon and enjoyed time with the ACWR Caribbean Committee Support Team that was visiting Haiti that weekend.   We were able to partake of Holy Communion on the evening of Good Friday.  It was a special evening of remembering Christ's Broken Body and His Blood that was shed for our sins.  


Now for some random pictures and stories:

This man is named George and he is demonstrating how to use a corn grinder that he made.  He puts the corn into the top which is a plastic jug with a whole in the top and a whole in the bottom.  He is turning the crank with his hands.  It is a rather efficient manual corn grinder.  George is married to a beautiful young lady named Nadia and they have three small children.  They also attend the MEBSH church in Bonne Fin.  They have a beautiful jaden or garden surrounding their home.  George had several small plots of corn and beans and 4 good-sized pigs.  He seemed like a natural born farmer!  Here is a picture of some of their jaden.

Here are a couple of pictures of a mushroom variety that has been popping up in our yard.  They like to grow near an old tree stump that sits on the edge of our yard.  

                

These guys are rather exotic looking.  When I asked my yard guy about them, he replied that they are "pa bon" or not good and yanked them out of the yard.  I had to wait a few more days until some more came up to get a picture.  An internet search revealed that these mushrooms are call Clathrus Crispus.  They are more commonly known as the Lattice Stinkhorn.  Upon closer inspection, the kids and I discovered that Stinkhorn is an appropriate name as the mushroom smells like rotting meat.  Oh yes - YUCK is the first word that came to my mind too!   Flies are attracted to them too just like raw meat. Interestingly, the Clathrus Crispus was first documented by a French botanist who found them on the island of Haiti in 1820.

Another fun picture is this one of the biggest Pineapple I have ever seen.  Typically, the pineapples we buy in Haiti are smaller than what you find in the US grocery stores.  I have a young lady named Brimarie Venieze (I call her Miss Bri) who comes to my door once a twice a week with Anana or pineapple.  Because I will pay a bit more for my pineapples, she usually will come here first and give me first pick.  She brought me this one last week and my cleaning lady, Elina was so impressed by it's size that she insisted I take a picture of it.  It was very sweet and enjoyable as well as being large.

We are asked often, "How should we pray for you."  There are so many needs here and so many facets of mission service that require prayer.   On a general level, we ask that our loved ones join us in praying that we will serve in Haiti in accordance with God's will and always seek His wisdom and guidance.  Also, we ask you to pray that the mission statement of the hospital be understand and carried out by our staff.  Along with that, we want our loved ones and supporters to know that our mission here is about operating a hospital to provide healthcare to people who might not have access if Hospital Lumiere did not exist.  Our primary goal is not evangelism, although we many times have opportunity to introduce Christ to someone who does not know him.  Our primary goal is not to provide food and clothing to everyone on the mountain, although we do have opportunities to give these from time to time.  Our primary goal is not to provide education for Haitian children, although we have many opportunities to help children fund their education. The needs are great, but to be effective, we must focus on the reason God asked us to move to Haiti.

Please read the mission statement and then pray for the leadership team at HL, the staff at HL, and all of us that live here and impact the operations of the hospital.  

The mission of Hospital Lumiere is to provide excellent 

and effective medical care with compassion and Christian love.

We will also share the vision of Hospital Lumiere and ask that you keep these two statements in context as you pray for our work in Haiti.  The vision is: 

Hospital Lumiere will seek to transform the lives of the people living in the Bonne Fin area to the highest degree possible by delivering excellent medical care and sharing the love of Jesus Christ.