The End

Dearest Family and Friends,

I'm home. I'm really home.

After four planes, one missed flight, four checked bags and three carry-ons, two ginger ales, and too many people to count, Grace and I made it back to Bluffton on Saturday night. We were greeted by our family and the drizzling rain. My last week in Haiti was busy with good-byes, packing, helping the staff prepare for my departure, and cleaning up my room. But, when all was said and done, we made it safely home. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness.

Thank you. Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, love, cards, uplifting words, and support. Thank you for the boxes of goodies, the smiles, the greetings, and the friendship. I will miss my friends in Haiti, but I'm so happy to be home. I hope you've enjoyed this little picture into my Haitian adventure. Thanks for reading this blog and staying connected to my life and the people, children, and missionaries of Haiti. It's been an experience!

http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/July20091?feat=directlink

God bless you.

Abby

My Last Post from Haiti

Dear Blog Readers,

This is my last official post from Haiti. I'll be writing one more entry next Sunday from the States. Can you believe that? Lord willing, I'll be home for the Bluffton fireworks on Saturday night, and I'm scheduled to help with lunch on Sunday. By Sunday evening, my blog and my Haitian adventure will be over.

This week, I tried to take pictures of my everyday life. I went to work everyday, shopped for butter and paint trays, conversed with my community, went to church, ate at a restaurant, babysat, swam, did housework, and generally lived as you all live...just in Haiti. Going to work involves riding my 4-wheeler instead of driving a car. Shopping in Les Cayes means dealing with beggars and bargaining with the vendors. Conversing with my community means Germans, Canadians, Haitians, and Americans. Going to church means packing a flashlight and toilet paper...just in case. Eating in a restaurant involves picking between the two that are safe and finding something on the menu that they actually have in stock. Babysitting includes looking for tarantulas and eating mangos for a snack. Swimming, thankfully, is just swimming - except you generally have an audience, and housework is universal - except I have to heat my water on the stove, line dry every piece of laundry, and sweep chewed up pieces of almond off my porch left by the rats. So much the same, yet so different.

But, one thing is for certain: God is the same here, there, and everywhere. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The Spirit is ever present and ever moving. Praise God for His faithfulness!

http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/June20094?feat=directlink

Blessings,
Abby

Recreos and Waterfalls

Dear Blog Readers,

I've been telling Grace that Haiti is kind of...boring. When it gets dark, there is just not much to do. I tend to read and watch old episodes of the A-Team on Hulu, but I was worried that Grace would be bored in the evenings. Alas, she has assured me that Haiti is anything but boring. And I quote, "I climbed a waterfall, for goodness sake!" [Grace is awesome. She is full of incredible awesomeness. Awesomeness flows through her veins and makes up the majority of her aura. Her nickname down here has become "The Awesome One" and she has become an instant celebrity...mostly owing to the fact that she is awesome and little bit because she is white. The End. God Bless.] As I left for but a moment, Grace proceed to write the previous entry in my blog. I think I'll leave it...

In any case, this week started out with Grace feeling less than awesome. Being the poor guardian that I am, I wasn't paying too much attention to her eating and drinking habits. On Monday morning, I was eating my toast in the kitchen when I heard this little voice say, "Abby, I think I'm going to faint." Grace is on the floor, completely white and clammy with cold sweat. I got her back into bed, but every time she stood up, she felt nauseated and lost her color. As it turns out, she was dehydrated. Sometimes, I forget Haiti is hot. I stayed home with her Monday and forced her to drink water and Gatorade. (Grace is NOT an awesome patient. I had to nag her for hours to finish one glass of water. Ridiculous!) By Tuesday, she was feeling better. However, on Wednesday, we were both feeling a little sickish, so we stayed home from Bible study and listened to Bluffton service. Thursday, feeling much better and ready of an adventure, we followed Christophe to the waterfall. It was a really lovely day. I think Grace enjoyed the two hour 4-wheeler ride as much as climbing the waterfall itself.

On Friday, we went to work in the morning and watched the Pfister kids in the afternoon while Rich and Amber attended a kindergarten graduation. Then, we had the pleasure of listening the the Bible School program. Saturday, I took Grace to Port Salut for the first time. We ate lobster on the beach and enjoyed the sun. Today, we went to Renault for the last time. Molly had left a box of toys and candy for distribution, so we took them to Renault for prizes today. If a child could say a memory verse or sing a Sunday school song, they got an extra treat from the goodie box. It was so much fun to watch the kids get bubbles or a jump rope, but more than that, it made me feel proud and grateful to have been a small part of teaching a child about Jesus, to have helped feed hungry bodies and souls. Renault has been a highlight in my Haitian adventure.

I'm going to be working hard this week at Child Care making sure Marie Lucie has everything she needs before I leave. I'll be copying files, writing requirements for the children for next year, working on time sheets and mileage accounts, instructing the Pastors on backups and backpay, and whatever else needs to be done.

http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/June20093?feat=directlink

I'm also on the Stateside job hunt for the next two weeks, and I need to get all my things around to distribute to the other missionaries. I'll be coming home with some clothes and....well, that's about it. It will be fun to give all my things new homes. All in all, this week will probably go fast!

Many blessings,

Abby

The Family Visit

Dear Family and Friends,

We are now two full weeks into June, and I’m just getting my first blog of the month done. My Dad and two sisters were here from June 3 to June 8, and Grace is here until I leave on July 4th. Speaking of leaving....

My time in Haiti has been a blessing. I’ve learned so much about God, His plans, His timing, His ways. I’ve also learned a great deal about myself, how little I am, how much I’m blessed, how for granted I’ve taken my community and daily conveniences. It’s been a hard time, filled with loneliness and frustration, but it’s also been an amazing opportunity, overflowing with new experiences and new friends. I’m leaving in July and I won’t be coming back. As my time in Haiti draws to a close, I’m left feeling grateful for the time I’ve spent here and anxious to see my family and friends again, to hug my grandma and kiss my niece. Hopefully, I’ve been a good student of this experience and will take the life lessons I’ve been taught home with me. God is God. God is faithful. God is good.

When I compiled the pictures from the last two weeks, I had over 900! I’ve only uploaded 135, but I’ve captioned each one so you can follow the last 14 days of my journey.

Thank you to each and every one of you who has sent me an encouraging email, lifted up Haiti and the missionaries here in prayer, or followed my journey on this blog. I appreciate your support and ask that you continue to pray for the next stage of my life. I’m oddly nervous to return to the States but at the same time ready, relieved, and excited.

http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/June1And2Family?feat=directlink

Much love,
Abby

Whoo-hoo for Wednesday!!

Dear Blog Readers,

My family comes in three days. Whoo-hoo!!! I'm so excited. God knew that I would need my family, in the flesh, at just this time. He is so good to me.

I'm all in a tither. I've been baking and washing and cleaning and prepping and making all kinds of lists...which I'm sure will prove utterly pointless in the long run. Haiti has a fabulous way of ruining even the best laid plans. It helps to be extremely flexible because things never work out exactly the way you think they should. But, I did need more food. I don't think my family would appreciate eating peanut butter sandwiches for two meals a day and cinnamon/sugar bread for the other. Sometimes I eat eggs or oatmeal since they take me longer to eat than to make (my standard for how long a full meal prep should take), but I don't really keep excess groceries lying around. And, I needed to clean. We haven't had a cleaning lady for a while, and Haiti is very dusty and web friendly. It doesn't take long for the house to be truly dirty. The rats eat almonds out on the porch and make a big ol' mess at night, and the spiders are diligent in their quest to create a beautiful little death traps for all the insects that fly around our humble abode. In any case, we hired Jete, a very nice woman who works for the Gutweins on most days, to help us clean during the week. I think it will be an excellent arrangement.

Thanks to all of you who wrote me such nice notes and prayed for my healing. I am feeling better, but I still have this little phlegmy cough and my voice is not ready for Carnegie Hall. It's not even shower ready, but I'm feeling much better, and that's what counts. I spent the first part of the week resting. I went into work Monday and left at noon. I stayed home on Tuesday and tried again on Wednesday. I think I was driving them crazy with my barking cough followed by gagging phlegm. I was driving myself crazy! So, I rested Wednesday afternoon, but I wanted to go to Bible study that night. It was Tess' last night in Haiti, and I wanted to spend one more evening in worship with her. She flew back to the States on Thursday and promptly had a job interview on Friday. She's so talented, I know she'll do great and meaningful work wherever she ends up.

Life goes on. On Friday, I took my afternoon to shop in town and get the aforementioned food. I tried to find the yummy things, but the choices are always limited. I love to look at cookbooks (which is baffling since I have very little intention of ever really cooking, but they are creative and useful, two qualities which I deeply admire). As I look, I have to keep in mind the ingredients that are available to me. We don't have the "regular" fruit here, so pies are pretty much out. You can't find brown sugar, which by the way, is what makes cookies soft. Yeah, I learned that little fact when I exchanged brown sugar in an oatmeal raisin cookie recipe for white sugar, since that was all I had, and ended up with oatmeal crisps. Like crunchy cookies with raisin accents. Very poorly done. It's a big treat to find cream cheese and meat is questionable. I have a hard time distinguishing between spam and ham when it's in the fridge wrapped in paper, so I generally pass. But, it is amazing what you can find in town considering it's all shipped in from around the globe.

Friday evening, Sheila and I went to a single ladies waffle night at Beth and Suzanne's house. Suzanne made pudding, the kind you have to cook. I always thought pudding came in those little pudding cups or was whipped together out of a box with cups of cold milk. It was delicious! When I put that thick, vanilla pudding on my waffle, it was just like eating one of those donuts filled with Bavarian cream. Mmmm....donuts....

Anyway, Saturday was a baking day. I made peanut butter cookies (executed poorly), soft chocolate chip cookies (executed brilliantly), muffins (bag mix-add water), and a chicken casserole in which I took great liberties with the ingredients and amounts (we'll see). Saturday was also Tim's birthday and Andrew's last free day in Haiti, so we went to Pan Dora. It's a little restaurant in Cayes that serves hamburgers and pizza. I think I embarrassed Tim when I whipped out a cupcake and candle while we forced him to endure "Happy Birthday." The restaurant staff caught on and starting pumping their version of the song through the speakers. A good time was had by all... (That's kind of an inside joke in our family. At the Fiechter reunion, someone always reads the minutes from the last year and ends with "A good time was had by all." Did anyone else ever notice that?)

Today, the gathering at Renault was the biggest I've ever seen there. It was a special day because the Wray's were distributing bags of rice pilaf and cans of turkey to celebrate Mother's Day here in Haiti. There was easily 1000 children there. I tried to count children on benches and multiply that by the number of benches, but it was simply too overwhelming. All in all, it went very well inside the gate. It got a little physical outside the gate. It's difficult for the children to get home with their treasures because the older children or adults outside the gate will push them down and take their food. Rod and some of the older teens created a human gauntlet of sorts that allowed the children safe passage through the crowd. Upon receiving their bags of rice, the smart kids immediately stuffed it into their pants or under their shirts for safety. And, the Wray's started using hard plastic plates today and real spoons! It's more economical...and more colorful (!)...and creates less waste now that the kids are trained to return their utensils. It was a very satisfying way to spend a Sunday morning.

I'm so excited to show my family all the things and people and places that I've been talking about for the last 10 months. Now, when I say I'm going into Cayes or stopping at Madam Util's or heading to Rainbow beach or Port Salut, they'll know what or where it is. I'm just so thankful to see them again.

http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/May20095?feat=directlink

Lots of love,
Abby

Just Plain Sick

Dear Blog Readers,

I'm sick. I have this gaggy, hacking, body-racking cough. My lungs ache, and I've lost most of my voice. Interestingly enough, I've found that when you whisper at people, they tend to whisper back at you. It makes for many quiet exchanges. I'm chugging tea and colloidal silver and chewing as many vitamin C's as I can. It's been a wretched week.

All that rain I mentioned last Monday just kept on coming. By Tuesday morning, Cayes was flooded and the river came over the bridge. The UN helped the situation by directing traffic and maintaining order, but the flooding devastated houses and gardens. It was still raining on Wednesday, but the flood waters had receded somewhat. We had so much lightening that I was concerned about our computer equipment at the office, and when I went to check on it Tuesday morning, there was standing water in the reception area. Apparently, the outer doors and window slats are no match for driving rain. After church Wednesday night, I began to feel this tightness in my chest. I wasn't feeling the greatest on Thursday (in spirit or in body), but we had an evaluation team visiting Child Care in the morning, so I made my appearance for the meeting and left quickly afterwards. I stayed home from work on Friday and tried to doctor myself while getting my laundry done. It was the first truly dry day for a week, so I had to take advantage of it.

Saturday, I spent a lot of time on the couch, but I was able to babysit the Pfister kids last night. We played Chutes and Ladders and Uno. Today, I've barely moved from my reclined position. I have precisely six movies and three books on the table in front of me, in addition to a cup of tea, a roll of toilet paper, a bottle of vitamin C's, my glasses, and a pair of earphones. I listened to the services from Bluffton North and watched to two Jane Austen films while drinking numerous cups of a chamomile concoction.

Truthfully, I'm not looking forward to next week. My spirits are low, my throat is raw, my nose is peeling, and Tess is leaving for the States. As down as I am now, I'm sure my spirits will be much improved by the following week. My Dad and two sisters are coming for a visit! I've been looking forward to this since March. Grace is planning on staying for the month of June, and I'm traveling back with her in July. I must say, I'm very excited to have them here! It gets lonely.

http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/May20094Flood?feat=directlink

I'm making myself another cup of tea. I'm going to float to my bed tonight, but if my throat feels better by morning, it will all be worth it. Thanks for the prayers. It's been a rough week.

Abby

The Highlights

Dear Family and Friends,

It’s raining. Really raining. Sheets of rain. It’s actually Monday morning here, but I’m going to date this blog for Sunday night because I enjoy continuity and because I can.

It’s been raining off and on for two days. I’m feeling permanently damp. The concrete floors seem to have a continuous sheen of moisture and the rugs feel clammy. I ran my finger over my computer this morning leaving a little line in the dampness. Thank goodness, I don’t have to go to work. It’s Flag Day in Haiti, and all the MEBSH offices and banks are closed. It would be a very unpleasant walk up the hill to the office; I haven’t quite learned to walk in mud yet without wearing some of it all day.

The highlights from last week:

Visiting Tess in the hospital after she and Jan went down on his motorcycle. Thankfully, nothing was broken, but according to the pictures Val took, knee stitches do NOT look fun. They were maybe four hours away from the clinic, but Tess insists that her knee went numb after a while and she didn’t have much pain on the way back. Unfortunately, she can’t say the same thing about being numbed up for the stitches. Check out that needle in the pictures and you’ll see what I mean. OUCH!! The gash was deep enough to need inside stitches and outside ones, too. I told Evil Knievel to keep the high flying entertainment to a minimum this week.

Hosting a movie/dance night with Tess, Alisha, and Kara where we forced Andrew to practice the samba with us (being the only boy in the group) and did the electric slide around the living room. The night evolved into Indian leg wrestling followed by the limbo. We ended the night just chatting and eating pretzels.

Unpacking the container and receiving 500+ school and health kits for Child Care, as well as our new motorcycle for the Child Care school inspector. I got three amazing boxes from my family and my cousins, Leah and Liz. Plus, I am now sitting on our new couch from my sister, Molly. Previously, we were couch sitting for the Reinhards until their new house was done and ready for furniture. I’m so thankful for it as I very often spill out into the living room to work, read, or chat. My room just doesn’t have the airflow to stay cool during the evening hours. So, I really appreciate a good couch, and I’m loving this one. Thanks, Molly!

Learning to drive the old Toyota and making my first solo drive on the main road into Cayes. My uncle, Ted Habegger, taught me to drive a stick shift in the States in March. Nick and Leah graciously let me borrow their car to practice with for a week, but I haven’t had any practice since. On Saturday, Jan took me out to practice with the old Toyota. Then, he let me drive Andrew to Azile Dorcus as he rode along. Finally, when Andrew was done, he let me pick him up all by myself. Yes, I killed it three times sitting in the Gutwein’s yard until I realized the emergency break was on just doing its job, but other than that, no problems.

Enjoying the fellowship and support team that came in Saturday and having a singing with them on the Gutwein porch Sunday night. We visited Azile Dorcus after church and were stuck there for an hour as sheets of rain poured down from the sky. We couldn’t even sing because the noise was so tremendous on the tin roof.

If you have a weak stomach, don’t look at Tess’ stitching pictures. Yikes! And, a big Happy Birthday to my brother, Joe, one of my best friends, Stefanie Kipfer, and my Dad. I love you!

http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/May20093?feat=directlink

A bushel and a peck and a squeeze around the neck,

Abby

Happy Mother's Day!

Dear Family and Friends,

Happy Mother’s Day! I once heard that Mother’s Day is the busiest day of the year for the phone company, so I called my mama yesterday to be sure I got through. See what a good daughter I am.

This week contained an array of events, some documented on film and others left to the imagination. Monday evening, I attended a missionary orientation for the Pfisters. This included the answers to questions like, “What should I take with me when driving?” and “What do I do if my dog bites someone or kills someone’s animal?” (Answers: Your license, identity card, money, water, tool kit, and first aid kit AND pay, pay, pay.) I learned a few things as well, like where to buy fresh fish and the natural dangers of Haiti including, but not limited to, black widow spiders and scorpions. (This was later validated when Sheila found a good-sized scorpion in her shower. Ewwww. And I repeat, EWWWW!!) Other areas covered: What to do when you have an accident, dealing with beggars, food preparation, and cultural expectations for weddings and funerals.

Tuesday, Sheila and I hosted tea. We served peanut butter popcorn, ham and cheese bites, chocolate butterscotch cookies, mangos, watermelon, and juice. We had a very nice turnout. Before tea, I went into town with Tess and Andrew to do some clothes shopping. Andrew really didn’t have any dressy clothes to wear to church, and Haitians always look very sharp when attending, so Tess and I took him shopping on the Kennedy. The Kennedy is a few streets in Cayes with masses of clothing, like an outdoor Goodwill or Salvation Army. In fact, many of the clothes on the Kennedy come from those places. It got its name from JKF who began sending huge bales of clothing to Haiti when he was President as part of our charity to the poorest country in our hemisphere. The name stuck. It’s not quite like Target or Wal-Mart, but Tess and Alisha are amazing at finding good deals among all the rubbish. It’s like a gigantic garage sale. The only difference is bartering madly with the vendors and stepping over ditches full of sewer water to check out a size on a shirt....otherwise, totally the same.

A bunch of the teenagers on the compound came over on Tuesday night to play a few games. There was much gaiety and competition. The game of Spoons got semi-violent and Pictionary became an all out rumble. Good times.

Wednesday, Volker had the Bible study on Jesus: The Crown and the Cross. It was inspiring! A medical team lead by Dr. Keith Knepp came in on Wednesday, as well. They spent the next two days working at mobile clinics and seeing patients. Thursday was a little bit of a catch-up day for me with nothing of interest to report except that I had a ham and cheese sandwich for supper and went to sleep early.

Friday, I was getting ready for work when Rich called with a babysitting request. He needed to take a few of his LSM kids to the mobile clinic and Amber wanted to ride along. They took Silas, and I took the four others. We watched two short movies (one about motorcycles and the other about lumberjacks), took a short ride to Simon for cookies and drinks, a long 4-wheeler ride through some rather deep mud puddles, and a nice stroll to visit the Gutweins and introduce Daisy (the Pfister’s new puppy) to Bella (the Gutwein’s new kitty). I was having a late lunch around two that afternoon when Val came over to borrow my 4-wheeler. As I went to get the keys, I heard her say, “Oh, there’s smoke in your house. Oh, we have a fire!” Sure enough, there was a fire in my bathroom. As it turns out, an uncapped ground wire accidentally got charged by touching a live wire, sparked, and started to burn. It didn’t do much harm; my house is made of concrete. Rod Wray came over and check it out, declared it very unusual, and recommended capping all the wires in the box. I readily agreed.

Saturday, Dr. Keith and his team members gave us an excellent session on first aid and emergency care. We learned the ABC’s (airway, breathing, cardiac) to help an unconscious person, moving and stabilizing a person after a fall, how to treat heat stroke, and how to stop bleeding just about anywhere. It was very informative, although I hope we never have to use it. Saturday afternoon, I went to Rainbow beach with the team. It was a stellar afternoon; the water was clear and the sun was bright. We had a singing on the Pfister porch that evening. It was nice to pull out the Hymns of Zion and sing some old favorites.

Sunday morning, I listened to Bluffton North services (Hannah and Samuel in honor of Mother’s Day). We all met up for lunch at the Nami and then proceeded to Azile Dorcus, the nursing home in Cayes. It’s definitely not a Christian Care, but the residents do receives meals, beds, and medical care. We planned an outing to Jelly Beach for the residents. It’s very close to Cayes and the local church helped to host our party. The residents thoroughly enjoyed themselves! One man hadn’t been out since 2004! They simply don’t have the staff or vehicles to take their residents anywhere enjoyable. Nearly all the residents ended up in the water at some point; it was a blessing for me to witness their pleasure and contentment while enjoying the ocean.

http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/May20092?feat=directlink

I don’t know what this week holds for me, but I know I can rest in the knowledge that God is in control. Blessings,

Abby

The Island of Cows...and Mangos

Yes. I know I missed a week, but it’s hard to blog on “The Island of Cows.” That would be Illavach, and trust me, I stepped in enough of their poo while trekking from village to village to fully believe that the name is appropriate and justified.

The last two weeks have gone fast. I spent some quality time with the Pfister kids. We took a little field trip to Tet Simon where the kids played in the pond fed by an artesian well. It’s good for me to spend time with fresh eyes. Everything is still an adventure, fun and exciting. They invigorate my perspective of Haiti; I sometimes only see the dust and poverty. We painted sun catchers on my porch, snacked on popcorn and peanut butter M&Ms (Thanks, Ann!), watched a movie, jumped on the trampoline, took a 4-wheeler ride, and played in the tree house.

Two weeks ago, the MEBSH church in Simon hosted the Convention. It’s a bit like our elder conference. It draws huge crowds of people from all over – pastors, deacons, teachers, and church members come to hear speakers, praise God for the past year, and plan for the next. Our generally small village of Simon became a beehive of activity – vendors set up shop in every nook and cranny selling drinks, rice and beans, fried plantains and breadfruit, clothes, books, bags, and shoes. I wanted to attend one of the many services, just for the experience, and I did – for exactly 10 minutes. It took me that long to realize that the Simon church was only going to get hotter and tighter with more and more people, and since it was already stifling (at 9 AM), I decided I had experienced enough of the Convention and went home. Amber, Katelyn, and I went into town that morning and took a little tour of the action in Cayes.

Saturday, I headed to Illavach with a work team led by Anne Nelson, the daughter of Bob and Vera Stewart. Vera Stewart is the founder of Child Care. She turned 80 this year. Her name is still spoken reverently inside the walls of the office. Anne is amazing and her team was wonderful. I want to be Anne when I grow up. She travels the world doing pro-life seminars, speaking for and defending the unborn. She is fluent in Creole and French and has an excellent sense of humor. I loved watching Anne and David work together, the strength and playfulness in their marriage. It is such a testimony of God’s love.

At the first job site, Madam Bernard, we ladies built 10 church benches and the men put a new, larger roof on the church. The team showed the Jesus film in Creole on Sunday night and a National Geographic film titled “In the Womb” on Monday night. The second film was in English, so Anne had to interpret various parts, but a picture is worth 1000 words, in English or Creole. The whole birthing process didn’t need much narration...

We took another boat to the second site, Castra, and worked on a school building. The men were incredibly fast workers, so we had nearly an entire afternoon on Wednesday to visit some interesting sites on Illavach. We hiked to a resort area called Port Morgan. It’s very beautiful and very pricey. We had a wonderfully relaxing afternoon on the beach, free of charge, and hiked back. Illavach may have a lot of cows, but it has even more hills and valleys, and I only brought flip-flops...because I’m stupid. Let me tell you about the mud...oh, never mind. You almost have to experience Haitian mud mixed with incredibly steep slopes and flip-flops to get it, but imagine mud in your hair as the end result.

Illavach also has a lot of mangos. Actually, it’s mango season, so everyone has a lot of mangos. At both sites, we had beautiful mango trees to sit under for shade, but you have to be careful. One good gust of wind and you’re likely to get whacked with a mango fruit. In any case, the highlight of my Thursday was a shower and clean clothes. I went to work that afternoon and caught up on my letters and such, then joined the team for supper at the Nami. It was sad to see them go on Friday, and I sincerely hope they will be back for more next year. Friday was a holiday in Haiti, something like our Labor Day. I spent the whole day doing the rankest laundry I’ve every produced, cleaning my bathroom, re-potting my dying plants, and answering emails. I felt very accomplished by the end of the day.

Saturday, Tess, Alisha, and I went to HaitiVert (Haiti Green). It’s a horticulture, botany show in Berguard, a little east of Cayes. It was worth seeing. The organizers have mapped out a picturesque hike through the various plants and trees of Haiti. They have universities that specialize in agriculture and agronomy come and sell plant starts and tools of the trade. It had a distinctively fair-like feeling with food booths, Haitian arts and crafts, jams and jellies, jewelry, and snacks. I bought an aloe vera plant and something purple and pretty that looked hardy – I’ll Google it later. Just as we finished with our tour, the skies opened up and drenched us. As we were already soaked from the ride home on the 4-wheeler, we decided to make the most of it and played in the rain puddles for a while. Two of the Christenson kids were having a birthday party, and the 20 or so little guests were having a wild time sliding on a huge, soapy tarp in the rain. It looked so fun, we had to try it. I’ll get some pictures from Heather for next week, but I fear that a nearly 30 year-old gal flopping awkwardly on a tarp is not as attractive as I think it is in my mind. We’ll see...

Today, Tess, Alisha, Andrew, and I went to Renault for the feeding program and Sunday school. Then, we all piled into the new Toyota and went to Port Salut for the afternoon. It was fun to hold little Faith in the water and play in the sand with Gabriel and Derek. After my third shower of the day, I decided to catch you all up on my escapades from the last two weeks. I hope you enjoy the pictures. I’m off to eat my supper – mangos!

http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/May20091?feat=directlink

Abby

Welcome to Haiti!

Dear Family and Friends,

It's quiet today....too quiet. No horns, no loud buses, no shouts from the village below our house, no magnified church worship drifting up the hill, no hubbub of humanity. It's election day and all private cars have been ordered off the streets. The UN is out in full force to keep the peace; I heard four helicopters yesterday close to Cayes. So far, so good.

My week started with a bang. On Monday morning, bright and early, I headed up to Child Care and happened to be the first one there, not terribly shocking as I still operate on Western time schedule, which involves being on time for work. As usual, I had to unlock the two padlocks and the regular door. The padlocks are protected by metal covers, so I have to reach up into them, find the key hole at the bottom of the padlock, and twist it correctly to open the lock - without being able to see anything. No problem - most of the time. The bottom padlock opened just fine, but I have to shove it up to the top of the metal cover in order for it to unlatch from the door. (Check out the pictures and this will make much more sense.) Monday, that lock would not shove up. So, with great gusto, I smacked it up hard and guess what fell out with my padlock? That's right - a huge tarantula! It's shocking that I didn't get bit. Here I was with my hand up in the metal cover, jabbing at it with the padlock, and squishing it further and further up into the metal cover. It's a wonder it didn't go for me, but maybe it just didn't have enough room to get its fangs to my hand. It was that big. I'll admit it - I shrieked like a little girl when that tarantula fell out (slightly injured) and danced around for a while. Yucko! Like two seconds later, Cresnel (the killer of Bob, Jr. and our yard man) arrived at Child Care and I said, "Touye li, souple! Mesi." Kill it, please. Thank you. Not 20 seconds later, I walked into the office to find a lizard resting comfortably on my printer. I see lizards all day long, and I have never had an issue with them, but seriously! I feel like I'm working in a friggin' zoo.

It's been the week of tarantulas. I opened a drawer in my bedroom a little later in the week, only to find a nice sized one in there. This is a rarity. I've only ever seen one in the house (a little one in a kitchen cupboard), but this was in my bedroom! Alisha came and sprayed it with Baygon, the equivalent of Hot Shot in the States, my old friend for wolf spiders. It was quite the commotion. I watched it shrivel up and felt a great deal of pleasure. I would never kill one outside, but this one was so bold as to infringe upon my only safe spot. It had to die.

Aside from the exceptional number of animal encounters this week, the Pfisters arrived safe and sound in Haiti. They hit the ground running! I've been fortunate to spend some time with them and their children this past week. Katelyn, Will, Seth, Kendra and Silas are sweet kids and very fond of 4-wheeler rides. On Thursday, we jumped on the trampoline, took a ride on the quad, played with Legos, and checked out the construction on their house. It seems like they are adjusting well to Haiti.

Friday marked the end of an era. In a three hour ceremony, Luise Schuerer officially retired from the Cite Lumiere Domestic Center, her life's work and passion. Olga Thissen will be the new administrator. The ceremony was marked with prayers and praises. The ladies of the Domestic Center served everyone a delicious supper complete with Gutwein popcorn. Johannes and Luise will be leaving Haiti in May for seven months, spending time in Germany and traveling and speaking to many of their supporting churches and congregations. They are such a fixture in this small community. We will certainly miss them!

Saturday, the Gutweins graciously let me join them for some beach time. On the way to Rainbow Beach, we stopped at the remains of a French fort. It's amazing to me how the history of Haiti has lain untouched for nearly 300 years. We walked right up the stone stairs of the old fort, touched the abandoned cannons, and wondered at the view the French must have had in defending this outpost near Zanglais. In the States, this kind of history would have been roped off to the public; we would be charged admission and shuttled through a gift shop afterwards. In any case, it was beautiful. The beach was great, as always. We got rained out around three and headed home. I spent a little time with the Gutweins that night, watching them play Rook. You know, each family has their own rules for Rook. The Gutweins don't use the 1's, put counters in the nest, and whoever wins the last trick gets to claim it. Weird. Joan Gutwein, Jan's sister, is here for a few weeks, and it's been great getting to know her face-to-face. She's funny, quick, and absolutely loves her nieces and nephews - and I got some of the Easter candy she brought, so thanks Joan!

Today has been relaxing. I listened to Bluffton services in the morning with Sheila. At lunch, we all gathered at the Gutweins and ate together - the Pfisters, Bob and Ann Meyer, Al and Becky Pfister, Shane Shaw, Bill Rager, the Reinhards, Sheila, and I, and all the Gutweins. I don't have any big plans for tonight, which is nice. I'm working on a baby blanket for Joe and Heidi, need to plant some new starts for my flower pots in the house, and prepare for next week.

Maybe this week will be spider free. One can always hope...

http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/April20093?feat=directlink

Much love,
Abby

Illavach and Easter

Dear Family and Friends,

It's been a very lovely week! Justin Reinhard and Ted Habegger were here until Saturday, and it was great to spend time with them in the evenings. They were installing the Pfister's kitchen and helping Tim and Joan with some closet work. Everything looks amazing!

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Sheila, Deb Blunier (visiting for a week), Tess, and Alisha, and I, had a holiday on Illavach, the island of the coast of Cayes. The sun was out, the water was perfectly clear, the food was terrific, and the company couldn't be beat! Check out the pictures because the water there was such an amazing color. In addition, the Abaka Bay resort has 900 American TV channels, air conditioning, lobster, leather couches, the most wonderful beach you've ever seen, and great service. It was truly an island getaway!

Good Friday, I tried to keep the kids entertained during the day, and Sheila and I hosted Justin and Ted for supper. Saturday was a getting-my-life-back-in-order day. Sunday morning, I attended an Easter Sunrise Service at the MEBSH gazebo. It was a beautiful morning and remembering the Resurrection was uplifting. After the service, I went to Renault with the Wrays.

It was a special Sunday at Renault. First, the children were shown a portion of the Jesus film in Creole. I was amazed that when Jesus was baptized in the film, the children cheered and clapped. When he was nailed to the cross, some of them gasped. They were really paying attention. In addition to the film, each child was given a bag of rice to take home. The Wrays kept it very orderly for dealing with 900 children. After Renault, Sheila and I ate Easter lunch with the Reinhards. It was delicious!

April seems to be going really fast because on Tuesday, the Pfisters arrive in Haiti! I'm so excited to see them again. I'll be praying for your safe arrival and adjustments in the first few weeks.

Well, I'm off to collect Easter leftovers from the Gutweins. I'm truly thankful that I live next door to a bunch of excellent cooks. They feed me all the time! Thanks, Gutweins.

http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/April20092?feat=directlink

Much love,
Abby

Bob, Jr.

Dear Friends and Family,

I think I've mentioned Bob, the resident tarantula of Child Care. Well, today I met his son, Bob, Jr. Unfortunately, Bob, Jr. didn't make it through the day. Cresnel, our yard man, took a size 10 boot to him. Bye-bye, Bob, Jr.

I'm a little late this week. Those Haitian time schedules (or lack thereof) must be rubbing off on me. In any case, it's been a good week, and I'm looking forward to another good one. It's considered a holy week here. We only work a half day on Thursday and we're off for Good Friday. The Martins are planning a sunrise service on Easter Sunday, I'm going on an excursion for two days, and Uncle Ted and Justin Reinhard are here for the week. It should be fun!

Enjoy the photos. There are a couple graphic ones for those who have weaker stomachs - an infected eye and a cleft lip and palate.

http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/April20091?feat=directlink

Happy Birthday, Molly!!!

Much love,
Abby

A Little Place Called Denial

Dear Family and Friends,

I think it’s a sign. I saw this straw container today at the same instant that I heard her exact cell phone ring tone in the Nami. I had barely finished saying, “Awww...that’s my sister’s cell phone ring. That makes me so sad,” when I saw her name in blue and white right in front of my eyes. So, here’s a virtual shout out to my sister, Molly. Molly and Anthony very graciously allowed me stay in their home while I was back in the States. She let me drive her car, go to all the places I wanted to eat, and keep her daughter out of school periodically. Molly has always been a fantastic hostess! It’s one of her many and varied gifts. This just reminded me how much I love and miss her and all my family. I'm going to take this as a sign that I'm supposed to visit her again shortly, like July :) As is turns out, that's exactly what I'm doing anyway. Nicely played, Fate. Nicely played.

It hasn’t been a bad transition. The only time I really lost it is when my plane touched down in Port-au-Prince on Wednesday morning. I was sitting pretty comfortably in this little place called Denial. (It’s one of my favorite destination vacations. I often visit there and stay until a Reality plane comes and flies me out.) In any case, my travels went well. I flew to Ft. Lauderdale on Tuesday evening and “slept” in the airport. It didn’t take long for the automated update lady to drive me nuts. “The TSA warning code is orange. Please blah, blah, blah.” She must be the annoying cousin of Julie, the automated Amtrak lady. Anyway, the flights were fine, and thankfully, I was able to board the noon Tortug’ flight to Les Cayes. I went to church on Wednesday night and spent a little time with the Roanoke team. Thursday, I jumped right back into work. I have a little catching up to do but not so much that I feel overwhelmed.

Saturday, Sheila hosted a group of women that were here assisting the Domestic Center. She made a truly terrific broccoli and beef stir-fry with rice. She had mango, abricot, and pineapple for dessert. Ed and Jeni Schwartz are here for the week, and I took Jeni into town earlier (on my 4-wheeler!) to get a few items for different households. We bought the aforementioned pineapple together outside the market.

It’s been such a nice day today! I tagged along with Jon Zeller’s second work team to Torbeck church. We visited the LSM group home, ate at the Nami, made our way to Welch were LSM is assisting a group home for HIV positive children, and toured the beachfront there. Then, it was back to the Torbeck home for pictures and Frisbee and a quick trip home. I decided to stay home and get organized, but the rest of the team headed out to visit some old French plantation ruins.

I want to send out a sincere thank you to all of you praying saints that lift up missionaries around the globe. A quick story: Wednesday evening, Jan Gutwein was driving into his front yard to load up some materials in his truck. He noticed Joel, his almost two-year-old son playing in the front yard with a piece of hose. He didn’t think much of it and went inside to grab a set of keys from the house. He loaded his supplies in the truck, started the engine, and had just began to inch forward when he noticed a little piece of hose bobbing directly in front of his truck’s bumper as little Joel scrambled to get out of his way. Brothers and sisters, keep praying. But for the grace of God and the prayers of the saints, Jan would have run over his son. You are bridging the gap, calling down miracles and guardian angels, warring against the darkness, glorifying Jesus, and keeping us safe here in Haiti, even if by just a little piece of hose.

Thank you.

http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/March20092?feat=directlink

Abby

Hello...Goodbye.

Well, I’m officially a bad blogger. I leave for Haiti tomorrow and this is my first and only update from the States. It’s hard to blog when you’re busy living.

I’ll let my pictures tell the tales of the past four weeks. Here is a general event guideline:

Home on Feb. 18, off to Champaign to serve lunch with Joe and Heidi and check out the growing bump, Pokagon for three days (swimming, snacking, and games), Sophie turns 3 with a big party, presents, cakes, and family, play date with Habegger cousins, food packing for tornado victims at the BDC, day sewing with Grandma Gerber, chatting with friends at the Stoller’s house, family supper and picture, an evening with Grandma and Grandpa Habegger, Grace’s play at Kingdom Academy, watching Joe’s presentation on prayer at St. Luke’s, breakfast at the Snug, reunion with the cousins at Bekah’s house, St. Patty’s Day at J.K. O’Donnell’s, supper with the Pfisters, reminiscing with the Bluffton 2008 December work team, croquet at Grandma Gerber’s, buying tuna, quart sized bags, and canned cherries, packing and flying out March 24.

http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/March2009Home?feat=directlink

Whew!

Thanks for the great time, everyone. I’ll see you all again in July. Now, off to pack.

Much love,
Abby

Homeward Bound in 3 Days

That’s right – 3 more days and I’ll be home! I hate to say it, but I’m betting I’ll be totally worthless at the Child Care office Monday and Tuesday. I’m mentally making lists, packing, cleaning, watering, and planning. My head is so full of home that I’m fairly sure it won’t be willing to reconcile or correspond to anything. We’ll see...

Monday morning, I went into the office early and put the finishing touches on the storage room. I wanted it to look fresh and clean for Marie Lucie and the pastors. I think it was a big success. When I get back, I’ll be tackling the old filing cabinets, outdated forms and procedures, and supply room where Pastor Joe used to work. In any case, it was nice to have this project finished! I can’t remember what I did on Monday night...I really can’t. It’s blank. Too much has already happened since then. Very often, I can’t remember what I’m wearing if I can’t see it. Whenever I would wear my winter coat in Indiana, I couldn’t recall what I had on underneath it unless I physically unzipped my coat and looked. So, it’s no big shocker that I have trouble recollecting my Monday when it’s Sunday.

Tuesday is blank, too. Sorry. Oh, wait. I remember now. Tuesday was tea at the Moses’ house and some of the S.E.E.D team came and joined us. Mary Honegger and I chatted about sea containers. It’s all coming back to me now. Bob and Mary were having supper that night at Johannes and Lusie’s house, so Doris invited Sheila and I to join them at the Nami for supper. It was a lovely night. I got to talk with Ricot, Mandy, and Micha, which was a lot of fun, and meet some more of the team. It was such a nice treat! On the way home, it started to rain and I noticed that someone left a light on a Child Care. I got plenty wet getting to the door. Then, since I was wet anyway, I decided to play in the rain. As it turns out, I have a kindred spirit in Sarah Reinhard. I met her at the swings in the pouring rain. After a charming, soaking bout of swinging, we decided to play chess at my place. Sarah and Bethany brought Dominos and taught me how to play while we drank cappuccino. It was a great way to spend a rainy night.

Wednesday, Bible study was packed! I’ve never seen it that full. Val and I ended up sitting in the very back of the classroom on top of a desk. Art Mueller gave us a history lesson about missions and the need for senders and goers. I spent a good hour after the service with Larry Kaufmann discussing Child Care, Haiti, and missions in general. Thursday, Bob and Mary came to Child Care to say hello and Regan met her little boy, as well. Thursday afternoon, I tagged along with Regan, Alisha, and Tess to the LSM home in Fond Frede. It was super fun watching the little girls color pictures. I traced their hands on their papers and they decorated them beautifully! We went into town after that and bought snacks and supplies for the weekend. That night, the girls came over for movies and popcorn.

Friday after work, I cleaned out my closet and made lists for the supplies I need to stock up on when I get home. I said goodbye to Mme. Marie and Mme. Emilio. I won’t be seeing them again for a month. I spend some quality time with Regan on Friday night. It’s been so nice to have her here this week!

Saturday was a beach day! Sun, lobster, surf, books, sleep, snacks. Yes.

Sunday, Regan and I went to Renault. The new permanent building is beautiful! They just put the roof on this week. The team was super fun! We had the most peaceful exit I’ve ever seen. Dwayne, from the Wray’s team, did an amazing job working the gate with me. He’s big, intimidating, and quick – a perfect combination for a Renault gate worker. In any case, I think Regan had a good experience and I loved being there for my last Sunday in Haiti for a while. After Renault, we went directly to the LSM home at Torbeck to take pictures of the girls in their Sunday best. After many hugs from the girls, I took Regan to Tet Simon. We soaked our feet in the spring and just relaxed for a few minutes. After working through Renault, being smothered in little girls and covered in road dust, it felt amazing to take a shower this afternoon and sit for a while. The girls are coming over in a minute to watch a movie, and then I’m going to call it a night. I have a couple of busy days planned for next week!

I’m going to keep blogging this next month. I think it’s good to record my thoughts and activities before all the days go totally blank....were was I? Oh, yeah – blogging. Maybe some of you readers will show up in my pictures these next four weeks!

Please pray for traveling mercies on Wednesday. I have some tight connections. Thanks! Homeward bound...

http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/Feb20093?feat=directlink

Abby

25 Random Things About Me

Dear Friends and Family,

Well, I thought I would be in an organizing frenzy this week like a piranha on a goat carcass, but life has a way of removing your desire to feed. Monday and Tuesday were just normal days of writing letters and data entry. Wednesday, I went to the beach with the Waibel team. The Waibel team consisted of Matt and Lisa Waibel and six of their children! We had a great time and made it back for Bible study that night. Thursday, I left work early, and Tess cut my hair. She really is a very talented girl. Then, we all went to supper at the Nami. All of a sudden, I realized that it was Friday, and I had yet to start my major revamp of the storage area. So, I stayed a little later that night and got the heavy stuff moved out. My plan was to plunge into my project early on Saturday morning, but Regan from LSM dropped by to say hello, and we ended up chatting all morning.

Thankfully, after lunch at the Gutwein’s house, Regan and Tess offered to help me deal with the mess I had made on Friday. I was so thankful! In a couple of hours, we had that place lookin’ good! Tonight, I’m going to head up there for a final cleaning. I want it to look fresh for Monday morning. Today, Regan, Sarah, Beth, and I went to Torbeck for Sunday School. Then, we listened to the Bluffton services and enjoyed cheesy mac and chicken for lunch. I spent the afternoon working on my update, playing chess with Sarah, and cleaning at Child Care. I'm heading back up there in a bit - I lost power and there are no lights attached to the batteries. I don't mind meeting Bob, the resident Child Care tarantula, when the lights are on, but in the dark...well, I decided to wait until we had power again before I continued.

I like to keep track of my friends using Facebook, and there has been an interesting application going around for a few weeks – 25 Random Things About Me. I enjoyed reading the lists from everyone else, and because I am certainly prone to peer pressure, I did one myself. I decided to share them with you – maybe you’ll learn something about me you wish you hadn’t, but I hope you enjoy the glimpse into my mind (and don’t come out too twisted).

25 Random Things About Me

1. I hoard books. I literally can’t stand to give/discard/lose a single one, even if I thought it was poorly written, cheesy, and/or twisted.
2. I wish I were naturally musical. I would love to play the violin and make people weep, but I’m too lazy to actually put the effort into practicing.
3. I sometimes dream about living on a little farm by myself. I would raise goats and chickens and knit by the fire while listening to old reruns of Paul Harvey and A Prairie Home Companion.
4. My iPod is filled with a very eclectic mix of music, everything from Dean Martin to Guns N’ Roses, Tupac to Elvis, ABBA to Amy Winehouse with a little R.E.M and New Bethel. Lots of variety.
5. I think the space program is a huge waste of money. Who cares if there is water on Mars? But, I love to look at pictures from the Hubble telescope. It gives me perspective.
6. Sometimes, I waste a lot of mental energy thinking about imaginary numbers. We have an infinity of real numbers. Why do we need imaginary ones?
7. In the third grade, I totally made up a book and turned in a fake book report on it. It had something to do with worms bouncing on a trampoline. I did not get caught nor have I confessed.
8. My dad loves his job. He says things like, “Thursday is my day off. They won’t let me work," and looks genuinely sad. I want that.
9. I’m always unsure how to answer the question, “How do you like Haiti?” The question, and the many possible answers, keep me up at night.
10. I hate feeling incompetent or unprepared. God has trapped me in my worst fears like Jonah in the belly of the whale. I’m looking forward to being vomited.
11. Children that I used to baby-sit are now married and having children of their own. That makes me feel old and a little sad.
12. I like to think I’m immune to peer pressure, but I recently jumped off a waterfall simply because I was taunted.
13. I would let my sisters pick out my husband and marry him sight unseen. That’s how well they know me and how much I trust them.
14. On that note, I miss my family dreadfully. I was blessed with an amazing family, all of whom I would choose for friends. Molly is my best friend (dearest seester), Joe is one of the wisest men I know, Will is wonderfully eccentric and hilarious, Carson is a musical vagabond, and Grace is incredibly smart and gorgeous, the whole package.
15. I want my future home to replicate the feeling of Grandma Gerber’s house. She always made you feel welcome and wanted. We played with her marble roller and toasted Shrinky Dinks in her little oven. I love playing Christmas BINGO and going there the first night of Street Fair for chili and potato soup.
16. I color pictures as therapy. I love the idea of using all the crayons in the box on a single picture or doing the whole page in shades of green.
17. I do not believe in soul mates.
18. If something takes me longer to cook than it does to consume, I consider it a waste of my time. But, I am secretly jealous of those people who truly enjoy cooking and do it well.
19. I handle Haitian tarantulas better than I handle Indiana wolf spiders. Figure that one out.
20. I’ve worked as a massage therapist, a secretary for a pulmonlogist and ENT doctor, a florist, an EKG/ECHO tech, a telecommunications operator, a health food store clerk, and a nanny. Now, I’m in a missionary field office working on accounting and correspondence, and I’ve never balanced my own checkbook.
21. I am constantly amazed at God’s sense of humor.
22. I love to dance. I’m no good and everything jiggles that isn’t supposed to, but I dance anyway.
23. Whenever I go to the dentist and get a healthy dose of nitrous oxide, I lay very still and soon it feels like my arms are twisting behind me and rotating at the shoulder. I love that feeling.
24. My financial goal in life is to never have to fill out anything more complicated than a 1040EZ form for my taxes.
25. I eat some form of peanut butter everyday. See #18.

http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/Feb20092?feat=directlink

These are some catch-up pictures and a few from this week. Sarah was kind enough to give me copies of my waterfall jump and some from past events - New Year's Eve and our island adventure. Enjoy!

Much love,
Abby

An Island Adventure

Dear Family and Friends,

Check out that beautiful baby! That’s right...Baby Gerber, courtesy of Joe and Heidi (Knobloch) Gerber. I’m going to be an aunt again!!

That’s my most exciting news by far, but I did have an amazing adventure on Monday. The Reinhard family had planned a one-day construction project on Lazile Rameau for the visiting Grubes, and they let me come along. We started out early on Monday and drove to the Zanglais area loaded down with the makings for ten benches. Along the way, we stopped to drop off a piece of tin that went missing from the last construction team. Whenever there is a walk-in project where the team and their Haitian helpers need to carry in all the supplies, it’s not uncommon to have a piece of tin or tool “walk” away from the site in-route. Once, Tim had a completely pre-constructed rafter disappear in-route to the worksite!

After that delivery and subsequent reorganizing of the supply trailer, we headed to the area the Pastor had indicted he would meet us and direct us to the boats we would take to the small island. We carried everything to the little beach where three Haitian boats were docked. I thought, “Oh, good. We’ll only need two, one for the people and one for the supplies, but it was nice of them to bring three.” I’ve been here for nearly six months, and I still don’t think like a Haitian. Why would you need two boats? The people can sit on the lumber and tools, and there is always room for one more person. That’s right – we piled all the tools, lumber, water jugs, bags, and people into a single boat. In addition to the twelve of us, several Haitians took the opportunity to appropriate a free ride home to the island. All in all, there were 21 people on that boat, and we were riding low....really low. Praise God, the sea was relatively calm. Everything and everyone made it safely to the island. Some of our wood got wet and needed to be sun dried before we could varnish it, but there no other problems. See, there IS always room for one more.

The people of this island were poor, even for Haitians. Their little village was constructed of mud and thatch. They planted corn in the rocks, up and down the mountainside. The little MEBSH church was one of the nicest building on the island, but it only had two, skinny little benches inside. The people would come to service and just stand. It was a blessing to be able to fill their sanctuary with ten quality benches. After we finished the benches, we took a boat tour to a tiny little rock island where we snorkeled and swam. The beaches were covered with hermit crabs. I think the girls brought home 82 or something like that. They were everywhere. On the island, two fishermen were cracking open shells and removing the little slimy creatures inside. It’s a good protein source. (Gross.) Joan found two large sea urchins while snorkeling and Gabriel had a good time digging a “shelter” for them.

The next stop was on the mainland in an idyllic cove. The village people there apparently found us extremely entertaining as Sarah built a sand castle and Gabriel was buried in the sand. It’s very common to have a large audience for just about everything out on a worksite. I imagine it’s like being a celebrity. The Haitians watch us, even if we’re just sitting and resting. In any case, after a good time on the beach, we headed back to our original island to collect our gear, move the benches into the church, and have a quick supper. We were breathing easier on the way back without all the lumber and extra Haitians! As we drove home, we sang hymns and chatted. It was a very pleasant day!

Bright and early Tuesday morning, the sea container was unloaded, and I got my filing cabinets and two boxes of goodies from my family. My sister, Molly, sent me some wonderful snacks – Twizzlers, Skittles, chocolate covered caramel corn, movies, books, magazines, Crystal light, Lemon Heads, and other delights! My mom sent me a whole box of diversions and some lavender flowers for Luise. I had a Tootsie Pop last night that tasted faintly of lavender! Did I mention that I love my family and they are fabulous people? Well, they are! Tuesday Tea was at Joan’s house, and I caught up on all the compound news, bought bread from the breadman and eggs from SEED, and generally enjoyed myself. Everyone is so busy these days with teams that tea has become a good time to fill people in on what’s going on, who’s going out, and who’s coming in.

Wednesday, the MEBSH leadership had organized a time of discussion at their offices, and all the missionaries were expected to attend. Pastor Luders, the president of MEBSH, talked about the body of Christ, how each of us needed to effectively communicate to the other for the greatest glory for God. We spent time discussing concerns and giving updates for each department. Marie Lucie translated for those of us who lack in Creole.

Friday, I finally got the filing cabinets to the Child Care office, thanks to Mark. He helped me load them in the Ranger and drove, very carefully, up to the office. I had planned to take a long walk on Friday afternoon to shake off a lingering case of the Haitian blues, but I got stopped four times in the first lap by people who were asking for more than a smile and wave. I wonder what they would do if I actually gave them my shirt one time? You know, that kind of thing gets pretty old, pretty fast. I gave up and went home. Thankfully, Tess came over and asked if I wanted to come watch a movie with the girls. As it turned out, their inverter gave out before we started, so they came over to my place. That was even better – nothing like junk food, a chick flick, and a bunch of friends to kick your depression to the curb. Am I right, ladies?

Mandy and Ricot are a young couple from Canada. Ricot is Haitian, and he and Mandy moved here to explore the possibility of full-time mission work. For now, they live at SEED. Mandy invited me to go to Rainbow beach with them on Saturday, and I gladly accepted. We were joined by Micha, a German here doing his year of civil service. We had a very interesting discussion about the differences between German, Haitian, Canadian, and American politics on the way there. The day was perfect! We drank coconuts, read, swam, walked the sand, and slept. Saturday night, I watched a series called Sue Thomas, F.B. EYE with Tess and Alisha. Apparently, Sue Thomas is a real deaf person who worked for the F.B.I. reading lips and doing undercover agent work.

Today, I listened to the Francisville service with the Gutweins and enjoyed lunch with Beth, Susanne, Irene, and Sheila at Beth and Susanne’s home. It was a great time of fellowship and German chocolate, an excellent combination! I don’t have a lot of plans for tonight – just some reading and maybe a few emails. I’ll be an organizing whirlwind this week, but for now, it’s nice to relax.

http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/Feb20091?feat=directlink

I took a bunch of pictures this week. I hope you enjoy them! Much love and congratulations to Joe and Heidi!

Abby

Looking Ahead

Dear Family and Friends,

As I sit here and eat another delicious Valentine’s Day cookie from my mother, I’m reminded again how blessed I am to have such a marvelous family. Jay and Ronda Grube and two of their children, Jamison and Reagan, came to Haiti on Thursday from Bluffton and delivered some gifts from my family – heart cookies, vitamin C, cards, candy hearts, and Peeps (yum!). Sophie, my precious little niece, sent me a card with all kinds of little “drawings” on it, and taped inside the card was a quarter from her gumball machine. How sweet is that?! My Mom always made us a Valentine’s Day feast, complete with big Jell-O hearts, shrimp, cheese ball, and some scrumptious dessert. I’ll be missing the feast, but I’m hoping they’ll save me a piece of the dessert (hint, hint).

I’m heading back home for a month in...24 days. Whoo-hoo! World Relief gives us two months of furlough each year, for which I’m extremely grateful. Marie Lucie and I both felt like it was wise for me to split my furlough instead of taking it all at once. The Gutweins go home for harvest and the Reinhards go home during the summer. Since I’m not connected to work teams, I can go whenever as long as Marie Lucie approves. Well, two months is a long time to leave the books and correspondence unattended, so I decided to take a month now and a month in August. So, I’ll be back in time to help Joe and Heidi serve lunch for the first time at Champaign/Urbana, vacation at Pokagon State Park with the Gerber family, celebrate my niece’s third birthday at Chucky Cheese, observe St. Patty’s Day with my friends, and watch Grace’s high school play at Kingdom Academy. In case you can’t tell, I’m super excited!

I’m excited for this coming week, too. The Reinhard’s are taking the Grubes out to a little island on Monday, and I get to tag along. We’ll be building benches for a small church in the morning and swimming in the afternoon. It will be good to get out of the office for a day of sun and surf. I’ve never taken a Haitian boat out onto the ocean before, so that should be an adventure. Wednesday morning, all the missionaries are invited to the MEBSH offices for a meet and greet. The MEBSH leadership want to know more about who’s who and what our particular missions are and have organized a time to share together.

This past week, I spent most of my time at Child Care, but in the evenings, I enjoyed the Love Comes Softly series from Hallmark. I just started the Beverly Lewis book series Abram’s Daughters about the life of an Amish family in the 1940’s. There was tea Tuesday and church Wednesday. Today, I went to Bambou church with the Gutweins and the new well-drilling team. The van died just as we entered Simon, so Val took a motorcycle taxis back to their house and got the Toyota. We piled a bunch of people in and on that vehicle! Check out the photos. After lunch at the Nami, we took a little tour of the wharf. I’ll be spending the evening making cookies for tomorrow, finishing my reading, and prepping for the week ahead. I like to feel like I have a plan even though it is Haiti, and nothing ever turns out quite the way you think it should.

I wanted to thank all of you who made encouraging comments on my blog or sent uplifting emails. I felt your prayers this week. In fact, I’m reading a book right now called Touch the World Through Prayer by Wesley L. Duewel, a former missionary to India and president of OSM International. I’m learning more and more about the importance and power of prayer. It does make a difference, so thank you again for the many prayers on behalf of Haiti and all who live and work here.

“Not only can your prayer reach heaven, but the arm of prayer can also span the miles to any part of the world, and you in your place of intercession can touch someone who needs you, even thousands of miles away. This is not make-believe. This is spiritual reality.” – Wesley Duewel

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In His service,
Abby

MEBSH Child Care

Dear Family and Friends,

It occurred to me this week that I haven’t talked about my job much in this blog. Normally, I mention all the fun, after-work activities or adventures I’ve enjoyed that week. This week, I’d like to tell you a little bit more about what I do everyday in the MEBSH Child Care office.

First, we need to ask the question, “Why was I sent here?” Primarily, I was sent here, to this particular field office, to fulfill the request of Madam Chavannes Jenue, known to the world in general as Marie Lucie, the director and administrator of Child Care. She asked the ACS (Apostolic Child Sponsorship) Board for assistance with the program’s bank reconciliations, sponsor/child correspondence, and general financial accountability. I work with issues in all these areas and a few others besides. Let me give you a theoretical vision of how the office is supposed to run. (Of course, as Rob Lehman likes to say, in the fog of war, it doesn’t always go as planned.)

The students are required to come to the Child Care office at least every three months for their support and to write and respond to any correspondence from their sponsors. At this time, Jean (receptionist, driver) checks for four items: a church attendance card, a report card, the last letter they wrote, and the last picture they had taken. When all is in order, he sends the students into the building where they either go directly to Pastor Amos for their support check or wait to see Marie Lucie about any questions or concerns. If they need shoes, books, extra money for food, a doctor’s appointment, or additional help, they speak to Marie Lucie about it. In turn, she will check their accounts and see what extra support they have available. We are able to help children who do not have any additional money for extras through a general fund called “Where Needed.” This is a huge blessing for the program as food and tuition prices have skyrocketed here in Haiti. When the student’s needs are met to the best of our ability, they go to Pastor Amos who writes the support check.

This ends the process for the student, but there is more to be done. The checks are all entered into Quicken, along with the deposits from the fundings for each of our support organizations. ACS is not the only donor to MEBSH Child Care, but it is by far and away the largest. I’m guessing that ACS supports about 75% of the students and costs of running this field office. We also received contributions from Puschendorf and German Missionary Fellowship (two German organizations), FOI (a French Canadian organization), and direct sponsors. All the money going in and flowing out is recorded first in Quicken and then again in the Child Care program. The Child Care program (gifted to us by the talented Rob Lehman) keeps track of all the details of the students – what school they attend, where they live, how old they are, when they are expected to graduate, the cost of their education, the support they receive, the money we pay out for tuition, uniforms, supplies, medical help, books, etc. It also can give us detailed reports for nearly every aspect of the office. We use Quicken to follow the money and deal with the banks.

So, it’s my job to take the bank statements and reconcile them with Quicken. Then, when I’m sure the statement is good and the information in Quicken is correct, I move on to reconciling Quicken with the Child Care program. It's a challenge with five different currencies, five different banks, and numerous accounts. In the meantime, I assist the Pastors by doing data entry into both programs and keeping up with correspondence from the children to the sponsors and vice versa. Lucner is our translator, and as he finishes letters, I reread them, note the date in the Child Care program, and individually label it with the correct funding organization, student, sponsor, and numbers. I write emails to our supporters and funding organizations and organize the files. In fact, I should be receiving two big filing cabinets soon to help me do just that. Right now, some of the files for 2008 are in a cardboard box. I love to organize, so I’m looking forward to a weekend when I can dig into the years of files stored in the office and categorize, label, and arrange them into some type of manageable system.

There are other facets of Child Care. For instance, we support 90+ schools by increasing teachers’ salaries. We give community aid to fix roads and host teaching seminars. We give education aid to help students who don’t have a steady sponsor pay for tuition by the semester, if we have the funds. We are starting a program to send out a school inspector to increase accountability among the staff and students. We distribute your generous gifts of school supplies, health kits, and extra money for food. My prayer is that my presence here will lift Marie Lucie’s burden, increase accountability, expand the program, and most importantly, glorify God.

But, I want a moment to speak plainly. Something my sister said to me has resonated within my heart for weeks. We are blessed to instance message nearly every day since we both spend most of our time at our computers. She said to me, “I read your blog and think everything is just great. Then, you IM and I see how things really are.” It’s not as if I’m making things up to put on my blog, but I do choose the best of the best that week. I work hard to make everything seem exciting and fun and blessed and uplifting, but you know what: This is life, and it’s hard to live here alone.

It seems to me that if I need your prayer support (and I do...desperately), then you should know the real issues that I deal with here in Haiti. These are the things that they warn you about in missionary training, the things you don’t write home about. So, let me be frank. I honestly believe that this is an amazing opportunity, a gift, and a blessing. I’ve learned a great deal about God and who He is and what He’s all about in the last five months. I’ve learned about relationships and culture and perspectives and conflict. I’ll be the first one to say that this has been an excellent time of refinement. But, I’ll also be the first one to say that it’s not a lot of fun – being refined by fire is not the most hilarious experience you can have. Trust me, it hurts.

Life on the mission field should not be romanticized. I still have to get up everyday at a certain time, report to my desk, sit at my computer, deal with difficult co-workers and office drama, and do boring and seemingly endless data entry. Then, I go home alone. I have a desk job, and I’d like to correct one misrepresentation: I’m not a missionary. I know, I know. You are all throwing up your hands and saying, “Abby, we are all missionaries! Our whole breath and life and purpose is to spread the Word of God, the Good News...Jesus!” I get it, and I agree. But, I support those on the front lines. I’m on the JV squad, the B list, a second-stringer, and that’s OK. The front line workers need the support of the senders or they would fail on the front lines. I support Pastors and teachers and schools who represent Jesus and are speaking the Gospel to their own nationals through education and the program requirements. It’s a good work. It’s just not a glittery, shiny, flashy work. It’s real life. It’s lonely here for a single woman. I miss my family. It’s not all zooming around on polished, red 4-wheelers or swimming in cold waterfalls or going to the beach in January.

I think I was very grounded when I first came here. Unfortunately, I didn’t even have that great honeymoon period where you think that your new culture is so fabulous and the people are so interesting and the work is so fulfilling. I expected it to be hard and lonely and different. I just got here and got to work, like everyone else does wherever they live. What I didn’t count on so much was the lack of fulfillment, the unsettled feeling, the lack of joy. It’s a war down here, and every single day, I have to choose to be happy. I consciously have to choose to be content. I think that was my biggest mistake, to think that something about serving God on the mission field would automatically make me fulfilled and content and happy. Please don’t worry about me, though. I’m fine. I'm deep into practicing contentment and happiness. I’m just attempting to be more transparent and truthful. There is a balance of good and bad in any occupation, and I’m just trying to present a more balanced perspective of my life and work.

In any case, please pray for me and the Child Care office. I want to continue to grow in dependency on the Lord, to be more like Him, to be His true disciple, to be a person of character, peace, joy, love, and contentment. Please pray that the program will continue to improve in accountability, efficiency, and influence. Please pray that all the changes that are coming will be wise and God honoring. Thanks.

Abby