Dear Family and Friends,
It’s been a busy week here in Haiti, but I would much rather be busy than bored!
On Monday night, I joined the Gutweins and the well-drilling team for a little music and popcorn on their porch. Derek had found a baby bird, and we took turns holding it. I thought the tiny guy was awfully cute until he had a little accident on my napkin. After that, he was promptly returned to Derek’s diligent care. With three skilled guitar players, we had some very nice musical accompaniment to our hymns and praise songs. The Gutwein's porch is the perfect place to entertain a large crowd. They have comfortable air chairs and the breeze seems to flow right through their veranda. It’s a very pleasant place to pass an evening with new friends.
Tuesday was an adventure! It was a holiday here in Haiti, a remembrance of the last battle for Haitian independence from the French. The Childcare office was closed for the day, so I decided that I would take my 4-wheeler (quad) to Port Salute for some beach time. Port Salute is about 40 minutes away and I’d never taken my quad so far, but I wanted to try. The road is good all the way there, and I’ve been feeling more and more comfortable with the flow of traffic and the lack of road rules. Tess and Alisha decided to join me. Tess was going to take her motorcycle, but after dragging it around the compound behind my quad for 20 minutes, the engine still wouldn’t stay running. So, Tess hopped on my quad and Alisha took her smaller dirt bike, and off we went!
We made it about 15 minutes from home when we hear this gunshot pop. Alisha’s tire had blown out, but thankfully, she was able to control the bike and bring it to a stop safely. We called Jan to the rescue, and like the white knight he is, he came and picked up Alisha and the bike. We thought after all the engine troubles and tire issues, maybe we weren’t meant to go to Port Salute. But, it was a holiday and we really wanted to go to the beach, so we took off again, barreling toward our destination. When we got there, the beach was beautiful, and we had a great time in the sun and an awesome lunch Then...it was time to head back. We were making our way up a mountain when I went to downshift, and something went terribly wrong. I still don’t know what I did, but man...that engine sounded terrible! We had the pedal to the medal and we were barely moving. Our pride was a little wounded as we were being passed by bicycles! We made it as far as the LSM home in Torbeck where Joan, praise God, picked us up and got us home. So, the beach was great. It was just the getting there and back that was the problem.
On Friday after work, I went to the first Bible club of the season with Beth Newton at the Torbeck church. They had the biggest turnout in Bible club history, nearly 130 children. It was a blast! The lesson was on the miraculous catch of fish. We sang and played a game called Zonk. The kids loved it! It was girls against boys, and they had to answer questions about the lesson in order to draw points from a bag. They could draw as long as they wanted, but if you drew a Zonk card, you lost all your points. It was a great way to review and have a fun doing it. Of course, the girls won.
Friday night, I had a slumber party at my house for the older girls on the compound. We had an amazing array of food – Special K bars, little sausage sandwiches, cream cheese puffs, peanut M&Ms, sugar cookies, and homemade bread sticks with pizza sauce! Kara Wray taught us to crotchet hats. Mine turned out really well, although I don’t know that I’ll have an occasion to wear it here in Haiti. I prefer to let my body heat out down here, not contain it with a woolen hat! But, I will wear it when I get home. We watched movies and talked about all things girly. They stayed until about 10 the next morning. I spent the rest of my Saturday reading and putting my house back together. Saturday night, I had another great evening with the Gutwein women, as the men had left to explore and dominate the island of Ilavach.
Today, the Reinhards and Beth went to pick up Sheila from the village where she’d been studying Creole. The road to get there is pretty bad, and I wasn’t feeling up to be shaken around for four hours today. I listened to the Bluffton Country service and joined the Gutweins for lunch. Sheila made it back safe and sound with some great stories to tell and a better understanding of the language.
At Childcare, we've been working on getting all the children's Christmas letters ready for mailing in the States. I've been spending a lot of time on correspondence and bank statements. I made peanut butter cookies for the Pastors this week, and that was a big hit. I might have to bring something every week now that I'm enjoying baking so much. I'm sure the Pastors wouldn't mind eating my extras!
http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/Nov20084
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone of you! Enjoy your holiday, and please know that I am thankful to all of you who read this blog, pray, care, love and remember me in Haiti. May God richly bless you.
Abby
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
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
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
Sunday, November 9, 2008
How Time Flies
Dear Family and Friends,
I can’t believe another week has passed so quickly. Let me give you some of the highlights of my week here in Haiti.
Last Sunday night, after I posted my blog, Joan and Tim hosted a singing and prayer time on the Gutwein’s porch. We prayed specifically for the Presidential election in the States and the country of Haiti. Haitians are very interested in what happens politically in the U.S. because the leadership of the country generally affects any international aid programs, of which Haiti is often a beneficiary. On Tuesday, I found myself working alone in the office with Marie Lucie. I said, “Hey, where did all the Pastors go?” Marie Lucie said, “They’re listening to the election coverage outside!”
Monday night, I said goodbye to a new friend. Christina (aka Tina) moved back to Germany after a year of service in Haiti for the Cite Lumiere Domestic Center. I will miss her, but I know God will continue His work through her wherever she is; her passion for the oppressed people of this world is inspirational, as is her smile and joy in service. Sheila and I also had Rick Schwartz and Christophe over for supper on Monday night because they’re boys, and it’s a well-established fact that boys tend to starve when left to fend for themselves in the kitchen. I’m kidding! It’s fun to have company over for food and fellowship.
Tuesday afternoon, I enjoyed ladies tea at Joan’s house and we discussed our missionary Thanksgiving. It felt a little strange to talk about turkey and stuffing while sweating in the shade of a palm tree. Tuesday night, Christophe, Rick, and I watched The Princess Bride (classic!) and ate some famous Gutwein popcorn while I proceeded to bribe Rick with Paydays so he would play mailman and take out all the Childcare Christmas letters. It turns out that bribery was unnecessary. He has a good heart and agreed to take five pounds of mail to the States for me. Thanks, Rick!
Wednesday night at church, we watched a testimony of a woman who was born with one finger on each hand and one toe on each foot. She talked about her life, struggles, and joys, and then...she played the piano! It was amazing! It certainly made my little trials seem like pebbles next to Mount Rushmore. It was a good adjustment for my perspective.
Thursday, we had a Cite Lumiere Committee (CLC) meeting. Friday, I said goodbye to Rick and Sheila. Rick left (with my mail) for the States, and Sheila left for two weeks to live and study Creole with a Haitian family. So, Friday night, I hosted a movie night at the Gutweins. It was a good time with junk food and friends. Saturday, I took at break from computer work and Creole assignments to swim at the Wray’s house with Katie.
I had such a great Sunday! I went to Renault again with the Wray family. This time, Dr. Paul and his wife, Mary, came, too. It was wonderful to see the program in action again and greet the children. Rod showed a portion of the Jesus film in Creole and everyone was fed again with the four huge pots of rice and beans. On the way back to Les Cayes, a truck was stuck up ahead of us on a very narrow pass, so Rod had to pull him out. Right after I got home from Renault, Dirk and Karen Martin picked me up for an afternoon at Port Salut. It was the perfect day to go to the beach. The water was warm, the sun was shining, and the beach was clean and fresh. We even had lunch on the beach! It was the perfect way to relax after a long week.
Is it too early to ask for my Christmas present? Well, I’m going to ask anyway because I know exactly what I want: I want to fund the Wray’s Sunday school program for a week, which comes to about $300. They provide the rice and beans and water for each child, the generator, sound systems, gas, prizes, and tents, not to mention the love, dedication, time, effort, and energy it takes to run a program this size. I’ve felt God’s hand upon this program, and I’ve seen the results of how God’s Word and the love of Christ in action can touch the lives of these little kids in their smiles and hugs. It’s my Christmas wish that this program continue to grow and succeed. I’d like to be a part of what God is doing in Renault. If you’d like to be a part of His work in this area, you can send a contribution with a memo of “Wray-Sunday School” to:
Harvest International
3711 N.E. 42nd Lane
Ocala, Fl. 34479
Phone: 352-622-1818
Your prayer support for this program, and all the other missions and missionaries in Haiti, is just as crucial. We at Childcare ask that you continue to pray for the students in the program, the school and churches we support, and the Childcare staff.
Thanks so much for all your love and prayers on my behalf. They make all the difference in the world! I got some great pictures this week - I hope you enjoy them.
http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/Nov20082
Love,
Abby
I can’t believe another week has passed so quickly. Let me give you some of the highlights of my week here in Haiti.
Last Sunday night, after I posted my blog, Joan and Tim hosted a singing and prayer time on the Gutwein’s porch. We prayed specifically for the Presidential election in the States and the country of Haiti. Haitians are very interested in what happens politically in the U.S. because the leadership of the country generally affects any international aid programs, of which Haiti is often a beneficiary. On Tuesday, I found myself working alone in the office with Marie Lucie. I said, “Hey, where did all the Pastors go?” Marie Lucie said, “They’re listening to the election coverage outside!”
Monday night, I said goodbye to a new friend. Christina (aka Tina) moved back to Germany after a year of service in Haiti for the Cite Lumiere Domestic Center. I will miss her, but I know God will continue His work through her wherever she is; her passion for the oppressed people of this world is inspirational, as is her smile and joy in service. Sheila and I also had Rick Schwartz and Christophe over for supper on Monday night because they’re boys, and it’s a well-established fact that boys tend to starve when left to fend for themselves in the kitchen. I’m kidding! It’s fun to have company over for food and fellowship.
Tuesday afternoon, I enjoyed ladies tea at Joan’s house and we discussed our missionary Thanksgiving. It felt a little strange to talk about turkey and stuffing while sweating in the shade of a palm tree. Tuesday night, Christophe, Rick, and I watched The Princess Bride (classic!) and ate some famous Gutwein popcorn while I proceeded to bribe Rick with Paydays so he would play mailman and take out all the Childcare Christmas letters. It turns out that bribery was unnecessary. He has a good heart and agreed to take five pounds of mail to the States for me. Thanks, Rick!
Wednesday night at church, we watched a testimony of a woman who was born with one finger on each hand and one toe on each foot. She talked about her life, struggles, and joys, and then...she played the piano! It was amazing! It certainly made my little trials seem like pebbles next to Mount Rushmore. It was a good adjustment for my perspective.
Thursday, we had a Cite Lumiere Committee (CLC) meeting. Friday, I said goodbye to Rick and Sheila. Rick left (with my mail) for the States, and Sheila left for two weeks to live and study Creole with a Haitian family. So, Friday night, I hosted a movie night at the Gutweins. It was a good time with junk food and friends. Saturday, I took at break from computer work and Creole assignments to swim at the Wray’s house with Katie.
I had such a great Sunday! I went to Renault again with the Wray family. This time, Dr. Paul and his wife, Mary, came, too. It was wonderful to see the program in action again and greet the children. Rod showed a portion of the Jesus film in Creole and everyone was fed again with the four huge pots of rice and beans. On the way back to Les Cayes, a truck was stuck up ahead of us on a very narrow pass, so Rod had to pull him out. Right after I got home from Renault, Dirk and Karen Martin picked me up for an afternoon at Port Salut. It was the perfect day to go to the beach. The water was warm, the sun was shining, and the beach was clean and fresh. We even had lunch on the beach! It was the perfect way to relax after a long week.
Is it too early to ask for my Christmas present? Well, I’m going to ask anyway because I know exactly what I want: I want to fund the Wray’s Sunday school program for a week, which comes to about $300. They provide the rice and beans and water for each child, the generator, sound systems, gas, prizes, and tents, not to mention the love, dedication, time, effort, and energy it takes to run a program this size. I’ve felt God’s hand upon this program, and I’ve seen the results of how God’s Word and the love of Christ in action can touch the lives of these little kids in their smiles and hugs. It’s my Christmas wish that this program continue to grow and succeed. I’d like to be a part of what God is doing in Renault. If you’d like to be a part of His work in this area, you can send a contribution with a memo of “Wray-Sunday School” to:
Harvest International
3711 N.E. 42nd Lane
Ocala, Fl. 34479
Phone: 352-622-1818
Your prayer support for this program, and all the other missions and missionaries in Haiti, is just as crucial. We at Childcare ask that you continue to pray for the students in the program, the school and churches we support, and the Childcare staff.
Thanks so much for all your love and prayers on my behalf. They make all the difference in the world! I got some great pictures this week - I hope you enjoy them.
http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/Nov20082
Love,
Abby
Sunday, November 2, 2008
The Reformation and Rice
Dear Family and Friends,
Well, it’s back to the grindstone this week.
Tuesday, at ladies tea, I met two new missionary women who are serving in the Les Cayes area. Sarah is a guesthouse manager and Mandy is here with her husband, Rico (who is Haitian), working with SEED ministries. It was fun to talk about the wedding and dresses with the other women; the first team of the season returned from their trip out to the villages during tea. Everyone arrived safe and relatively sound although Tim earned a nasty gash above his eye during a fall on the worksite.
Pastor Jonas was injured in a motorcycle accident while I was away, so I’ve been learning his job this week. On Wednesday, I made one of the biggest mistakes at Childcare I’ve ever made anywhere! Pastor Jonas normally does the computer input into our Childcare program, but I didn’t want him to be behind when he returned to work. I asked Marie Lucie to teach me to do data entry for him, so we went through the first couple of batches together. I worked really hard on Wednesday doing all this data entry, only to find out on Thursday, that I had been adding these amounts to the children’s accounts instead of subtracting them! Needless to say, I spent all day Thursday doing everything over again – TWICE, once to make it right and once to actually subtract it. Lesson learned!
Wednesday night, Johannes gave us a lesson on the Reformation for church. Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to a church door 491 years ago this week. It was an extremely interesting lecture. On Thursday night, the work team, Reinhards, Sheila, Christophe, and I all went to the Nami to eat. It’s nice to get out sometimes and just enjoy each other and some different food. Before a team leaves, we often invite some local vendors to come to the Guesthouse and sell their wares. I bought a few paintings for my bathroom.
Friday night was a first for me. I told Doris I would help her with her son’s birthday party. Daniel turned 13 and invited about 20 of friends over for a party complete with games, food, and presents. Mandy and I were in charge of games and crafts in the backyard, and Mandy’s husband organized soccer in the front yard. We played “Pin the Nose on the Clown” and did crafts like make paper airplanes and color. Doris made pizza, dessert bars, and popcorn. In an effort to control the crowd, we put in a movie for the kids. Then, we got to spend some time chatting as adults, which was great.
Saturday, I worked on a missionary directory for the MEBSH administration all morning. Then, I got to play with Katie in the Wray’s pool during the afternoon. Saturday night, a few of us went to Luisa and Johannes’ house to watch the move “Luther.” Johannes had a printout with character descriptions and gave us a short history lesson on the movie and the timeframe. It’s easy to see that he loves history and is an excellent teacher!
Sunday, I was privileged to join the Wrays for their Sunday school lesson in Renault. Renault is an extremely poor part of Les Cayes. The Wrays began their outreach there in February; they have made amazing inroads into a community that has been ignored for years. Here in Haiti, church is big deal. It’s a time to dress up. Unfortunately, if you don’t have any nice clothes, or any clothes at all for that matter, you don’t go to church. Here, the idea is to come as you are and hear the Gospel, no matter how you look or what you wear or where you come from. Many children came with only a shirt; some came naked. But the point is, they came.
There is an incentive: food. After the Sunday school lesson, the Wrays have a feeding program. This may be the only meal the children can count on all week. Some of the youth leaders have been up since 4 AM cooking four huge pots of rice. This week, we fed about 525 children. Now, you’d think that if this were the only meal you were going to have for a week, you’d sit and eat every last bite of it in the safety of the enclosed area the Wrays have managed to provide you. Unfortunately, the cultural idea of sharing is so strong, the children often try to smuggle the food out in their shirts or pants, which makes for some interesting confrontations at the gate. Nevertheless, the children seemed to enjoy participating. They learn a new verse and song every Sunday, and if they can remember their song and verse from last week, they get a little toy. I was so impressed with the program and the energy and passion of the Wrays and the youth leaders. It humbled me to see the work, love, and dedication they have poured into this poverty-stricken area. The children are seeing the love of Jesus in action! If anyone is interested in learning more about this ministry, send me an email and I’ll see how we can assist the Wrays with their outreach into Renault.
Thanks for your prayers! Please continue to pray for my language and accounting skills. Both are lacking! Enjoy the pictures.
http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/Nov20081
In His service,
Abby
Well, it’s back to the grindstone this week.
Tuesday, at ladies tea, I met two new missionary women who are serving in the Les Cayes area. Sarah is a guesthouse manager and Mandy is here with her husband, Rico (who is Haitian), working with SEED ministries. It was fun to talk about the wedding and dresses with the other women; the first team of the season returned from their trip out to the villages during tea. Everyone arrived safe and relatively sound although Tim earned a nasty gash above his eye during a fall on the worksite.
Pastor Jonas was injured in a motorcycle accident while I was away, so I’ve been learning his job this week. On Wednesday, I made one of the biggest mistakes at Childcare I’ve ever made anywhere! Pastor Jonas normally does the computer input into our Childcare program, but I didn’t want him to be behind when he returned to work. I asked Marie Lucie to teach me to do data entry for him, so we went through the first couple of batches together. I worked really hard on Wednesday doing all this data entry, only to find out on Thursday, that I had been adding these amounts to the children’s accounts instead of subtracting them! Needless to say, I spent all day Thursday doing everything over again – TWICE, once to make it right and once to actually subtract it. Lesson learned!
Wednesday night, Johannes gave us a lesson on the Reformation for church. Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to a church door 491 years ago this week. It was an extremely interesting lecture. On Thursday night, the work team, Reinhards, Sheila, Christophe, and I all went to the Nami to eat. It’s nice to get out sometimes and just enjoy each other and some different food. Before a team leaves, we often invite some local vendors to come to the Guesthouse and sell their wares. I bought a few paintings for my bathroom.
Friday night was a first for me. I told Doris I would help her with her son’s birthday party. Daniel turned 13 and invited about 20 of friends over for a party complete with games, food, and presents. Mandy and I were in charge of games and crafts in the backyard, and Mandy’s husband organized soccer in the front yard. We played “Pin the Nose on the Clown” and did crafts like make paper airplanes and color. Doris made pizza, dessert bars, and popcorn. In an effort to control the crowd, we put in a movie for the kids. Then, we got to spend some time chatting as adults, which was great.
Saturday, I worked on a missionary directory for the MEBSH administration all morning. Then, I got to play with Katie in the Wray’s pool during the afternoon. Saturday night, a few of us went to Luisa and Johannes’ house to watch the move “Luther.” Johannes had a printout with character descriptions and gave us a short history lesson on the movie and the timeframe. It’s easy to see that he loves history and is an excellent teacher!
Sunday, I was privileged to join the Wrays for their Sunday school lesson in Renault. Renault is an extremely poor part of Les Cayes. The Wrays began their outreach there in February; they have made amazing inroads into a community that has been ignored for years. Here in Haiti, church is big deal. It’s a time to dress up. Unfortunately, if you don’t have any nice clothes, or any clothes at all for that matter, you don’t go to church. Here, the idea is to come as you are and hear the Gospel, no matter how you look or what you wear or where you come from. Many children came with only a shirt; some came naked. But the point is, they came.
There is an incentive: food. After the Sunday school lesson, the Wrays have a feeding program. This may be the only meal the children can count on all week. Some of the youth leaders have been up since 4 AM cooking four huge pots of rice. This week, we fed about 525 children. Now, you’d think that if this were the only meal you were going to have for a week, you’d sit and eat every last bite of it in the safety of the enclosed area the Wrays have managed to provide you. Unfortunately, the cultural idea of sharing is so strong, the children often try to smuggle the food out in their shirts or pants, which makes for some interesting confrontations at the gate. Nevertheless, the children seemed to enjoy participating. They learn a new verse and song every Sunday, and if they can remember their song and verse from last week, they get a little toy. I was so impressed with the program and the energy and passion of the Wrays and the youth leaders. It humbled me to see the work, love, and dedication they have poured into this poverty-stricken area. The children are seeing the love of Jesus in action! If anyone is interested in learning more about this ministry, send me an email and I’ll see how we can assist the Wrays with their outreach into Renault.
Thanks for your prayers! Please continue to pray for my language and accounting skills. Both are lacking! Enjoy the pictures.
http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/Nov20081
In His service,
Abby
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Ahhh...Home.
Dear Family and Friends,
I thought about starting this entry with one of those cheesy wedding announcements. Something like, “The bride, resplendent in white, was preceded down the aisle by her seven gorgeous bridesmaids, each uniquely draped with an exquisite pashmina that perfectly reflected the cascade of falling leaves on that faultless October day.” You know, one of those gushy, overly sentimental pieces that admires every detail of a wedding from the gift bags filled with popcorn and chocolate covered almonds to the amazing rehearsal supper complete with an incredible video and delicious Aspen tea.
The fact is, Heidi and Joe’s special weekend was one of the best times I’ve ever had at a wedding or otherwise. It would be a perfectly acceptable event for me to gush over. For starters, I was home. I could stop right there and be happy, but no, there was more. The weather was perfect – crisp, sunny, with the leaves changing in the background. The Knoblochs did a truly magnificent job of making everyone feel welcome and loved in their home, even though we descended like a plague of locusts to fit dresses, try on shoes, take pictures, eat them out of house and home, and generally overrun the camp.
Let me start at the beginning: I flew home on Tuesday, Oct. 14. I started my travels before dawn and arrived home at 11:45 PM. Yes, you can get home in one day, but it’s a l-o-n-g day. After four planes in four different airports, I was a little fussy. But, as soon as I saw my sisters and parents at FWA, I was rejuvenated in mind and spirit. (It took eight hours of sleep and McDonald’s to rejuvenate my body.) We left for Morton on Friday and attended Heidi’s personal shower on Friday night. It was a great time to meet all of Heidi’s friends from college, work, church, and the YG. Heidi’s sisters did a fantastic job of planning her shower and making everyone laugh with their game, “How well do you know Heidi?”
Saturday, we spent the morning relaxing by the pool with the kids and the afternoon trying on our dresses and shoes at the Knobloch house. It was fun to finally see all the Knobloch siblings and spouses together with their children. We all arrived at the Morton church for the wedding rehearsal around four. It went very smoothly and Cheryl kindly took pictures for us as we practiced. The rehearsal supper was held at a tearoom outside of Morton. It was just beautiful. The Knoblochs created a truly amazing video of Joe and Heidi, Dr. Omar Gava shared a Spirit-filled testimony, Marie Lucie talked of Heidi’s dedication to missions, and Ed Schwartz spoke about Joe’s heart.
Sunday morning dawned clear and sunny. It was literally the perfect fall day, like the kind you see on the front of every college brochure as the cute co-eds pose in their new sweatshirts with the college’s name prominently displayed on the front. Anyway, a perfect day. We took pictures in the morning and then hurried to the church for the wedding service. It was an uplifting message about agape love.
The reception was wonderful! I spent most of my time chatting with family and friends and meeting new people connected to Joe and Heidi. After we sent them off to their honeymoon via bubbles and cheers, we left to head back to Bluffton. On the way home, Mom, Dad, and I hit a deer on 69 going 70 mph. It’s not only a miracle that nobody was hurt, but the car wasn’t even damaged that badly. We drove it right home, although we had a few interesting souvenirs left over from the collision. It took two automatic car washes and a diligent car wash attendant to remove all the...remains.
Monday and Tuesday, I enjoyed my time with family and friends. Tuesday night, Molly and I took Sophie to the Ft. Wayne Zoo Halloween. She went as a purple butterfly. I mean really, could there be anyone cuter? Perhaps I’m a little biased, but she is such a pumpkin!! Just check out the pictures. Wednesday, we made a quick run to the BDC to drop off some additional supplies for my next few months in Haiti. I left Wednesday afternoon, stayed in Ft. Lauderdale that night, and made it into Cayes by two on Thursday where I continued my constant battle against homesickness.
Sheila, Christophe, and all the Reinhards left with the first work team of the season early on Saturday, so I’ve been enjoying my solitude. Today, I stayed home from church to welcome a family to the Guesthouse since Sheila was unavailable. Beth Newton and I listened to the Bluffton Country service over the phone. After the second service, I made chocolate chip cookies, went swimming at the Wray’s house, and had a wonderful discussion with another missionary woman until after dark. When I finally got home, I made myself some cheesy chicken and macaroni. (Leah, you can stop reading here. I know you have a weak stomach. Amber, don’t let this deter you. You’ll get use to it very quickly.)
OK. So, I’m used to bugs by now. In fact, I have a least four different types crawling on me as I type. There are beetles reading every word I write because they are sitting on my monitor. It’s pointless to shoo them away; then, they just fly around and whack into my face which is even more annoying than obscuring my monitor. I have to double sift my flour - first, to remove all the live bugs crawling around in it, and then to remove all their little dead carcasses and eggs. It’s OK. You just adapt.
Anyway, I finished making my mac and cheese and proceeded to eat a large plate full while working on my photos for this week’s blog. I wasn’t paying too much attention to my food. My mistake. I decided I wasn’t quite full yet, so I went back for another helping. I was just about to shovel a new fork load into my mouth when I noticed something odd about a noodle and took a closer look. Ladies and gentlemen...worms. That’s right. Worms. Little white, worms. Of course, they were dead seeing as how I had boiled them for 4-6 minutes until tender. But I mean, gross! Even being accustomed to bugs, this just about made me puke.
You know, they say that a first year missionary will throw out something with bugs in it. A second year missionary will remove the bugs and eat it, and a third year missionary says, “Extra protein.” I’m not quite there, yet. Tillie, Gutwein’s dog, had a special cheesy treat tonight...with extra protein.
Love you all! Thanks for the prayers.
Abby
http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/Oct2008Wedding
I thought about starting this entry with one of those cheesy wedding announcements. Something like, “The bride, resplendent in white, was preceded down the aisle by her seven gorgeous bridesmaids, each uniquely draped with an exquisite pashmina that perfectly reflected the cascade of falling leaves on that faultless October day.” You know, one of those gushy, overly sentimental pieces that admires every detail of a wedding from the gift bags filled with popcorn and chocolate covered almonds to the amazing rehearsal supper complete with an incredible video and delicious Aspen tea.
The fact is, Heidi and Joe’s special weekend was one of the best times I’ve ever had at a wedding or otherwise. It would be a perfectly acceptable event for me to gush over. For starters, I was home. I could stop right there and be happy, but no, there was more. The weather was perfect – crisp, sunny, with the leaves changing in the background. The Knoblochs did a truly magnificent job of making everyone feel welcome and loved in their home, even though we descended like a plague of locusts to fit dresses, try on shoes, take pictures, eat them out of house and home, and generally overrun the camp.
Let me start at the beginning: I flew home on Tuesday, Oct. 14. I started my travels before dawn and arrived home at 11:45 PM. Yes, you can get home in one day, but it’s a l-o-n-g day. After four planes in four different airports, I was a little fussy. But, as soon as I saw my sisters and parents at FWA, I was rejuvenated in mind and spirit. (It took eight hours of sleep and McDonald’s to rejuvenate my body.) We left for Morton on Friday and attended Heidi’s personal shower on Friday night. It was a great time to meet all of Heidi’s friends from college, work, church, and the YG. Heidi’s sisters did a fantastic job of planning her shower and making everyone laugh with their game, “How well do you know Heidi?”
Saturday, we spent the morning relaxing by the pool with the kids and the afternoon trying on our dresses and shoes at the Knobloch house. It was fun to finally see all the Knobloch siblings and spouses together with their children. We all arrived at the Morton church for the wedding rehearsal around four. It went very smoothly and Cheryl kindly took pictures for us as we practiced. The rehearsal supper was held at a tearoom outside of Morton. It was just beautiful. The Knoblochs created a truly amazing video of Joe and Heidi, Dr. Omar Gava shared a Spirit-filled testimony, Marie Lucie talked of Heidi’s dedication to missions, and Ed Schwartz spoke about Joe’s heart.
Sunday morning dawned clear and sunny. It was literally the perfect fall day, like the kind you see on the front of every college brochure as the cute co-eds pose in their new sweatshirts with the college’s name prominently displayed on the front. Anyway, a perfect day. We took pictures in the morning and then hurried to the church for the wedding service. It was an uplifting message about agape love.
The reception was wonderful! I spent most of my time chatting with family and friends and meeting new people connected to Joe and Heidi. After we sent them off to their honeymoon via bubbles and cheers, we left to head back to Bluffton. On the way home, Mom, Dad, and I hit a deer on 69 going 70 mph. It’s not only a miracle that nobody was hurt, but the car wasn’t even damaged that badly. We drove it right home, although we had a few interesting souvenirs left over from the collision. It took two automatic car washes and a diligent car wash attendant to remove all the...remains.
Monday and Tuesday, I enjoyed my time with family and friends. Tuesday night, Molly and I took Sophie to the Ft. Wayne Zoo Halloween. She went as a purple butterfly. I mean really, could there be anyone cuter? Perhaps I’m a little biased, but she is such a pumpkin!! Just check out the pictures. Wednesday, we made a quick run to the BDC to drop off some additional supplies for my next few months in Haiti. I left Wednesday afternoon, stayed in Ft. Lauderdale that night, and made it into Cayes by two on Thursday where I continued my constant battle against homesickness.
Sheila, Christophe, and all the Reinhards left with the first work team of the season early on Saturday, so I’ve been enjoying my solitude. Today, I stayed home from church to welcome a family to the Guesthouse since Sheila was unavailable. Beth Newton and I listened to the Bluffton Country service over the phone. After the second service, I made chocolate chip cookies, went swimming at the Wray’s house, and had a wonderful discussion with another missionary woman until after dark. When I finally got home, I made myself some cheesy chicken and macaroni. (Leah, you can stop reading here. I know you have a weak stomach. Amber, don’t let this deter you. You’ll get use to it very quickly.)
OK. So, I’m used to bugs by now. In fact, I have a least four different types crawling on me as I type. There are beetles reading every word I write because they are sitting on my monitor. It’s pointless to shoo them away; then, they just fly around and whack into my face which is even more annoying than obscuring my monitor. I have to double sift my flour - first, to remove all the live bugs crawling around in it, and then to remove all their little dead carcasses and eggs. It’s OK. You just adapt.
Anyway, I finished making my mac and cheese and proceeded to eat a large plate full while working on my photos for this week’s blog. I wasn’t paying too much attention to my food. My mistake. I decided I wasn’t quite full yet, so I went back for another helping. I was just about to shovel a new fork load into my mouth when I noticed something odd about a noodle and took a closer look. Ladies and gentlemen...worms. That’s right. Worms. Little white, worms. Of course, they were dead seeing as how I had boiled them for 4-6 minutes until tender. But I mean, gross! Even being accustomed to bugs, this just about made me puke.
You know, they say that a first year missionary will throw out something with bugs in it. A second year missionary will remove the bugs and eat it, and a third year missionary says, “Extra protein.” I’m not quite there, yet. Tillie, Gutwein’s dog, had a special cheesy treat tonight...with extra protein.
Love you all! Thanks for the prayers.
Abby
http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/Oct2008Wedding
Sunday, October 12, 2008
I'm Coming Home
Dear Family and Friends,
This past week seemed to fly by! At work, we prepared for the Childcare Board meeting on Friday morning by updating accounts and completing reports. On Tuesday, Sheila and I hosted ladies tea for the first time. We had a great turn out, and Debbie Wray brought us delicious treats to serve. We continued our series on God’s glory during Wednesday night services. Brother Tim Butikofer flew in on Thursday for the Board meeting. Johannes and Luise Schuerer kindly invited Tim, Sheila, and I to supper that night. Friday, Sheila and I tried our luck at market again; I feel like we’re really getting the hang of haggling and finding good produce! Saturday, we hosted the Reinhards and Tim for a pizza lunch and a ride to Tet Simon. It was laundry day there, so there were many people bathing, washing clothes, and generally hanging around. It was a beautiful view yesterday as the skies had cleared and the sun was shining. I must say, Tim did an excellent job on his first 4-wheeler drive! He handled that bike like a pro.
My next blog entry will be from...HOME! I’m flying out Tuesday morning to come home for Joe and Heidi’s wedding. Words cannot express how excited I am to see all of you again. Please pray that no weather conditions will delay my departure, and that my connections and flights will go smoothly. God knew that I would need this trip home to look forward to; I’m thankful they had such a long engagement – good for me, bad for them!
I will see you all soon!! Much love,
Abby
http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/Oct2008II
This past week seemed to fly by! At work, we prepared for the Childcare Board meeting on Friday morning by updating accounts and completing reports. On Tuesday, Sheila and I hosted ladies tea for the first time. We had a great turn out, and Debbie Wray brought us delicious treats to serve. We continued our series on God’s glory during Wednesday night services. Brother Tim Butikofer flew in on Thursday for the Board meeting. Johannes and Luise Schuerer kindly invited Tim, Sheila, and I to supper that night. Friday, Sheila and I tried our luck at market again; I feel like we’re really getting the hang of haggling and finding good produce! Saturday, we hosted the Reinhards and Tim for a pizza lunch and a ride to Tet Simon. It was laundry day there, so there were many people bathing, washing clothes, and generally hanging around. It was a beautiful view yesterday as the skies had cleared and the sun was shining. I must say, Tim did an excellent job on his first 4-wheeler drive! He handled that bike like a pro.
My next blog entry will be from...HOME! I’m flying out Tuesday morning to come home for Joe and Heidi’s wedding. Words cannot express how excited I am to see all of you again. Please pray that no weather conditions will delay my departure, and that my connections and flights will go smoothly. God knew that I would need this trip home to look forward to; I’m thankful they had such a long engagement – good for me, bad for them!
I will see you all soon!! Much love,
Abby
http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/Oct2008II
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Everyday Life
Well, I’m officially out of tourist mode and into actual living mode here in Haiti. I didn’t take a single picture last week which is why I skipped my Sunday blog entry. Let’s see if I can remember what happened...work, language lessons, tarantula, work, rain, massive thunderstorm, work, crafting, marketing, language lesson, work...pretty standard fare for two weeks in Haiti.
The thunderstorm was really something, though. I was at the Childcare office. just working away, when BOOM!! I have never heard anything like in my life. The sky was just beginning to look a little threatening, but no rain had fallen and I hadn’t heard any thunder, yet. It was like a single bolt of lightning struck Childcare. A ball of fire came shooting out of Marie Lucie’s electrical socket! Needless to say, we scrambled around unplugging computers. It poured sheets of rain after that and during the night, the lightning actually hurt my eyes and the thunder was absolutely deafening. It was WILD!
That night at church, it was hilarious to hear everyone’s account of the random lightning bolt. We all thought we had been directly hit. A computer monitor and light bulb blew out at the school, and that’s on the next hill over!!
Sheila and I decided to do our own marketing this week, so Miss Beth drove us into town and helped us haggle with the merchants. It’s a good way to practice Creole and establish some good relationships with the local venders. I need to find the best places to buy our food – I bought some oatmeal last week to make oatmeal and raisin cookies for ladies tea on Tuesday. They were terrible, but I couldn’t figure out why. Then, the ladies at tea told me that I should never buy oatmeal at a certain store. They spray all their products with a chemical that kills bugs, and it infects all the food that is not wrapped in plastic. The next time I went in, I could smell the spray. My cookies tasted like bug killer!
Today, we attended the Charpentier church which started at 7 AM. We got home in time to listen to the Sabetha morning service and the Bluffton North afternoon service. It’s always refreshing to hear a voice from home. We were invited to the Reinhards for supper along with Christina and Irene, two German missionaries. Miss Beth dropped in later for dessert. It was a regular party!
I’m looking forward to starting a new week. It’s a nice feeling to be refreshed in body and spirit. Thanks for your prayers and many blessing to you all!
http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/Oct2008I
The thunderstorm was really something, though. I was at the Childcare office. just working away, when BOOM!! I have never heard anything like in my life. The sky was just beginning to look a little threatening, but no rain had fallen and I hadn’t heard any thunder, yet. It was like a single bolt of lightning struck Childcare. A ball of fire came shooting out of Marie Lucie’s electrical socket! Needless to say, we scrambled around unplugging computers. It poured sheets of rain after that and during the night, the lightning actually hurt my eyes and the thunder was absolutely deafening. It was WILD!
That night at church, it was hilarious to hear everyone’s account of the random lightning bolt. We all thought we had been directly hit. A computer monitor and light bulb blew out at the school, and that’s on the next hill over!!
Sheila and I decided to do our own marketing this week, so Miss Beth drove us into town and helped us haggle with the merchants. It’s a good way to practice Creole and establish some good relationships with the local venders. I need to find the best places to buy our food – I bought some oatmeal last week to make oatmeal and raisin cookies for ladies tea on Tuesday. They were terrible, but I couldn’t figure out why. Then, the ladies at tea told me that I should never buy oatmeal at a certain store. They spray all their products with a chemical that kills bugs, and it infects all the food that is not wrapped in plastic. The next time I went in, I could smell the spray. My cookies tasted like bug killer!
Today, we attended the Charpentier church which started at 7 AM. We got home in time to listen to the Sabetha morning service and the Bluffton North afternoon service. It’s always refreshing to hear a voice from home. We were invited to the Reinhards for supper along with Christina and Irene, two German missionaries. Miss Beth dropped in later for dessert. It was a regular party!
I’m looking forward to starting a new week. It’s a nice feeling to be refreshed in body and spirit. Thanks for your prayers and many blessing to you all!
http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/Oct2008I
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