Beach Bananas

Dear Family and Friends,

It’s SO nice to have my neighbors back! This week, the Gutweins returned to Haiti on Wednesday morning after their two-month furlough in the States. They were supposed to return on Tuesday afternoon, but it was storming and the little Tortug’ plane couldn’t land in Cayes. They were all pretty shaken up when they finally got back to Port-au-Prince on Tuesday night, but they all arrived safely on Wednesday morning, praise God! Until then, this part of my little world had been quiet. With Sheila out in the village studying Creole and everyone gearing up for work team season, I’ve had some very enjoyable rest and rejuvenation. That’s all well and good for a while, but thankfully with the Gutwein’s return, things have livened up considerably!

Wednesday evening, Johannes talked about the end times; the key theme was deception. I so enjoy Wednesday night church here. There’s a great variety of topical presentations, thematic videos, speakers, prayer time, singing, and preaching. It’s always a time of reflection and encouragement. Before I left for church, I tried my hand at banana bread. I tend to buy bananas that I don’t really need from a deaf, pregnant banana merchant that comes to my door, but I hate to see them go to waste. It turned out really well, if I do say so myself. I was so cheered by my successful baking venture, that I tried a potato and ham casserole on Thursday to use up the rest of my potatoes, onions, ham, and cheese that were languishing sadly in my refrigerator.

Those of you who know me well will realize what a huge, domesticated step this is for me. I tend to mess up when cooking, even if I follow a recipe to the letter. For example, I once attempted to make monkey bread. It doesn’t take a genius to cut apart those little Pillsbury biscuits and roll them in sugar and cinnamon, but I didn’t realize that you needed to bake them in TWO round pans or one loaf pan. I put them ALL in one round pan. Needless to say...disaster. The ones in the middle were a totally uncooked doughy mess, the ones on the outside were burnt black and charred, and the caramel sauce bubbled over into the oven and proceeded to start small fires and smoke me out of the kitchen...and that’s where I’ve stayed. I thought it the wisest (and safest) option for all.

Friday, I finished with work around noon and went for a nice hike. There are a couple good-sized hills around our compound and after a couple laps on those, I certainly start to feel the burn. I enjoyed an evening of watching Anne of Green Gables with Brett Gutwein, as the others went to visit friends and catch-up on the past two months. I think he enjoyed the movie. I mean, who doesn’t love Anne (with an “e”), right?

Saturday, I cleaned my room (the dust is crazy here), did an interesting devotion with Tess, took a long walk (not on the hills), enjoyed the tree house with Mark and Derrick, checked my garden, collected some starts of philodendra, and watched the Anne of Green Gables sequel. How’s that for variety and fun?!

Today, I went to Renault again with the Wray family. I didn’t take a single picture this time. I just wanted to enjoy the experience. Rod thought that they had the most children today that they’ve ever had – probably 600+! It’s an amazing site to see. After Renault, I hopped on my 4-wheeler with Joan and drove into town to meet the rest of the Reinhards, the Gutweins, and a well drilling team at the Nami Restaurant. We had a delicious lunch! Then, Jan took the team to Port Salut, so I got some wonderful beach time this afternoon. It’s been a really great day!

Thanks for your prayers and encouragement. I’m starting to get super excited for the Bluffton team to come down in December. It will be so nice to see familiar faces, family, and friends. The mere anticipation of their arrival will keep me uplifted through the rest of November!

http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/Nov20083

In Christian love,
Abby