the ayars affairs : life in Haiti

school

2012-01-27T21:50:00.005-05:00

On Thursday, Sharon, Lily, Maxi and I headed went to Pillatre to visit their Christian school (Cathy, not a Starfish school, just one nearby!). Occasionally we attend church here, and I've heard great things about the school, and a lot of the little ones from Saccanville attend. We pulled in right at the end of recess (chaos!) but the moment a bell rang, everyone disappeared, and we started our tour.

The school, like many, is used for Kindergarden through fifth grade from 8 am until noon, and then from 1 until 5 pm for sixth grade through high school. Lunch is served at three different times every day, feeding one THOUSAND people. 500 in the morning, 500 in the afternoon. About 10 cooks and all of these big pots made it possible. REALLY impressive. (I break a sweat when I cook for more than 6!)

I could not get over how organized everything was! Organized classrooms, guys on one side and girls on the other, disciplined classes, organized prayers, hand washing, lessons, etc.

We were also really impressed by all the stuff the kids were learning, with tons of educational posters on the walls, lots of good textbooks in Creole and French, and teachers who were taking their jobs of educating so many of His precious children very seriously.

Math, Bible, Creole, French, Writing, Science, Computer and History are taught to all the grades, with school-wide devotions every morning and afternoon.

Lily was mesmerized, and spent the rest of the day asking for a uniform, talking about what the kids had been doing, and asking why there wasn't a plate of rice for her.

(all the kids lined up for handwashing before lunch)

Meanwhile, back at the "Semerary" as Lily calls it, the Basic Computer Skills course just began with Jonathan teaching, and everyone is just loving it! The guys have been really happy this semester, abut new professors, new courses, about the new small group program, about language Fridays (today my classes got Sharon instead and they were thrilled!), and about the symposiums on Thursdays.

There might be a lot problems in Haiti, but good education sure does make a difference!

Thankful to see lots of it happening, and to see His Word going out as children learn to read and memorize it, and young men and women learn to share it!

and again I say Rejoice

2012-01-25T22:02:00.000-05:00

I'll tell you what--the realities of life in Haiti might be pretty heavy and the workload might be pretty intense, and people might bear unimaginable heartache, but we all sure do have a lot of fun.

We have a fun staff, fun students and fun girls, and each day brings it's share of laughs and joy. Take today for example...

I asked Matt to take a few pictures in chapel. Everyone gets kind of giddy when there's a camera around, and before I knew it he was taking pictures of anything anyone told him to take a picture of....like the bread.

Or the freezer. Do you want to know?

Rolls of frozen skin, and a bowl full of brains. Oh, wait, you said you DIDN'T want to know? Sorry.

Laughing with the students...

and laughing with Lucner and Fanfan at Jezula, who refuses to be photographed smiling.

The kitchen ladies wanted an official group shot, then cooking group shots, then individual group shots, then various shots of the kitchen in groups of two.

...and Sofie has no idea what they're doing, but she is playing with Poppy and Lily, so SHE is having fun! Miss Sharon taught Lily, "See you later, Alligator" and how to use M&Ms as pills when playing doctor, which had Micheline and Gertha cracking up.

Things are by no means going great in lives of the staff and students right now. There are many heavy burdens, but as we continue to be told, "Such is life, but God knows!"

Joy is a choice, and we're so grateful to live in such amongst such a joyful people!

abundant living

2012-01-23T20:25:00.002-05:00

Miss Sharon, whom Lily continues to call "her", arrived safely from Port-au-Prince on Saturday, Uncle Don left today (ah, in heaven Uncle Don and Aunt Brenda will live next door!) while Lily was outside playing on his swing (at 7:15 in the morning? yes.), and Crazy Monday is well underway. We had a really nice and relaxing weekend, complete with doing as little school work as possible, as promised! ...baseball, finger painting, movies, baking, visiting, Skype with family, etc....

Last minute students have registered and are off to class, and the classrooms are quite full, actually. A team is coming in March to finally finish off the men's dorm once and for all, and it seems that we'll be needing that second story before too much longer!

I've been thinking a lot these past few days about who God made me--intended for me--to be, versus who I am...about what in my life is bringing me closer to Him and about what in my life is just wasted space in our relationship.

There are so many "harmless" things, small compromises and little allowances that due to laziness or selfishness, lack of discipline or just convenience are allowed in my life, shrinking God and I out of the kind of relationship we could have...settling me further from the abundant life He has in store for me with Himself!

If I only have one chance at this life, only one shot at this walk with Him, surely our relationship merits my very best...ah, tomorrow is a new day!

pray day

2012-01-20T10:52:00.001-05:00

Upon dropping his briefcase on the floor yesterday evening, Matt sighed, "Man, have I earned my paycheck this week!" :)

It has been just an incredibly busy week with tons of tasks, lots of illnesses and an exceptional number of hours in the classroom! Please be praying for and with us!

Praise the Lord that Uncle Don is here, helping out with SO many things and making sure that maintenance issues are NOT ones Matt's been checking off his list. He goes Monday :(

Praise the Lord for Sharon (and later, Martin!), who is on her way to help us for the next several weeks! His timing couldn't be better as that our business office is feeling swamped and so is....well...life! Sabetha is always ready to help in a BIG way, and we're SO glad.

Praise the Lord for the girls, who have had a GREAT first week back with Noel, Micheline and Gertha. They've done so well, are having a really good time being back home and with their friends, and we both just continue to thank the Lord for providing such trustworthy, fun and faithful child-care so that we can minister at Emmaus.

Praise the Lord for a great start to the new year, for several new students and fifty fantastic returning students, and for lots of great new things taking place, like Language Tutorial Fridays (three hours of English, Greek, Hebrew and French), Symposium Thursdays (yesterday was a conference on Jehovah's Witnesses), and Small Group Tuesdays.

Please pray with us for Maxi, struggling with low blood pressure, Giselaine, dealing with the death of her sister, Belony, who despite meds and help is still not feeling well, and Shayla, struggling with high fever.

Please pray with us for the work. This semester, Matt and I are both teaching more hours than we ever have before. We're teaching new classes we haven't taught before. One of our main teachers, Guenson, is still in Port-au-Prince, and with a staff that is all still relatively new in their positions, there is a lot of learning taking place for all of us! In addition, we're working to find funds for students, working to find funds for the budget (newsletters, correspondence, photos, translating), working to manage all the finances (receipts, expense reports, reporting, QuickBooks). Add in trying to prioritize relationships with God, the girls and each other, then relationships with the people around us each day, then survival stuff like laundry, cooking, cleaning... Yes. Please pray with us for the work.

Please pray with us for wisdom in disciplining those around us to DO the work...teaching, assisting, watching, and leaving it. We want to empower those around us to do the work God has called them to, not over-babysit them nor abandon them. Finding that balance and finding the time to help disciple well is a challenge!

Please pray with us for Haiti. The lives of our friends and family here are so difficult...living in the midst of so much need will never cease to be a challenge. I was reminded yesterday when a little bird was stuck in the house of His promise to intimately care for each of His children, and we continue to daily try to be pro-active in His watch-care AND deliberate in trusting Him to provide, according to His leading.

Please pray with us for our perspective. While we cannot control stressful circumstances coming into our daily lives, we can "take every thought captive to Christ." We are working hard to be deliberate in running all our responses through His perspective, His priority and His glory. THIS is the mission-field, isn't it...to live, speak, act, emotion and react as one fully devoted to Christ.

The Lord has never released from us a burden for you: people supporting, following, praying for us. We therefore continue to carry you in our hearts and prayers. Thank you for carrying the burden of us! We love knowing that you are talking to Him about us.

evaluation

2012-01-18T13:05:00.003-05:00

"And you shall be my witnesses...even to the remotest part of the earth." Acts 1:8

That means lives of pure, uncompromising, and unrestrained devotion to the Lord, which will be satisfying to Him wherever He may send us.

Beware of anything that competes with your loyalty to Jesus Christ.

The greatest competitor of true devotion to Jesus is the service we do for Him. It is easier to serve than to pour out our lives completely for Him.

The goal of the call of God is HIS satisfaction, not simply that we should do something for Him.

We are not sent to do battle for God, but to be used BY God in HIS battles.

Are we more devoted to service than we are to Jesus Christ Himself?

O. Chambers

...giving me something to mull over today!...

for His joy and glory

2012-01-17T20:51:00.001-05:00

Man, it was just one of those days!

Abel talking to us through our bedroom window at 4:15 AM started it off. Then we overslept, because let's face it, I can't remember the last time we WEREN'T tired, or the last time Sofie didn't wake us at 5:30.

As we rushed around, I pulled a bowl out of the cabinet to make pancakes and another under it shattered into 7 million pieces. Breakfast, therefore, was late...we, therefore, were late, and rushed to our offices.

I had 7 students waiting for me trying to make payments before class...so late for class...we both taught for three hours, Matt ran straight to his new small group (1 staff for each 7 students for an accountability/discipleship/prayer group), a group of blog-friends from Illinois came by at 12:30...tour, lunch, staff meeting.

Then, Matt had a meeting with a bawling secretary while someone accidently caught the lawnmower on the chain of Lily's brand new swingset, snapping the overhead post in two. Lily, needless to say, bawled and bawled. Sofie's top tooth broke through today (so lots of bawling there, too :)

My plans for cherry cheesecake disintegrated when the precious bar of cream cheese was fermented (poor refrigeration while we were gone), and then again for cherry pudding pie when the unopened, "doesn't expire until 2014", boxes of pudding mix were molded through. Man, this climate is just not great for food!

Two of our staff drove all the way to Port-au-Prince this morning for a promised meeting at 10 that never happened, and Giselaine's dear sister lost her long, completely untreated battle with cancer today.

It has just been a hard day!

However, as always, there were beautiful things, too....

A student who has always given me a very hard time because "a woman has nothing to teach me" came and told me today how glad he is to be back from break and in my class again. A bunch of students who thought they could never pay shared stories of His faithfulness in providing, we both had great first classes, the discipleship program had a great kick-off.

Then I confused the Creole word for kiss (Bizhou) with the Creole word for jewelry (Bisou) and talked about the difference between kisses and treasure for 3 minutes before we all had a good laugh. I got gooey kisses from Sofie and sticky ones from Lily and scruffy ones from Matt...all beautiful.

Most, the twenty sweet minutes I got with the Lord in the middle of naps and being peed on made my day. When you're tired and stink and frazzled and cut your finger and are stepping on toys--remembering that we are loved, precious, and in a relationship with the Mighty God, and that He is in control and that we are alive for His joy and glory--changes everything!

Might of been a rough day, but it was His...and so are we! Hang in there, friends...we are dearly loved!

back in the swing

2012-01-16T20:52:00.000-05:00

First day of the new semester

four new classes

2 new teachers (and one is Dr. Rodney!)

new schedule (more concentrated classes)

four new students

Sofie pulled herself up from the floor for the first time

(and fell off the bed for the first time)

Gertha is back with the girls

and Lily is thrilled.

But best of all,

"my good friend Uncle Don"

gave Lily her swing-set.

greenhouse

2012-01-15T21:31:00.001-05:00

What a great weekend! We spent lots of time getting ready and working on little projects around the house and for the classroom.

Don replaced our sink and made LEFT hot and RIGHT cold again after Matt fixed (ahem) our sink a few weeks ago :) He fixed a ton of leaky gutters, is building Lily a bamboo swing set (SO cool) and did a lot of high trimming.

Matt prepped for a seminar taking place on Tuesday and two courses he is teaching, I'm ready for class tomorrow (one day at a time :) and the girls had a blast playing with their Christmas presents, cooking with Mommy, visiting friends and Sofie, mastering getting into everything.

Church this morning was also great, and today is Abel (51) and Kerline's (35) birthday, so this afternoon we took them birthday cupcakes and caught up! Junior got back last night, so he and a new student who just moved in came to lunch, and Lily was SO glad to see Junior again. ("Mom! He is just my very best friend! I missed him!")

Lots of students arrived this evening, and everyone is just so happy to be back. Their excitement is contagious!

While the end of last semester had everyone tired, after a month off, the thing everyone is telling us tonight is what a peaceful, joyful, positive and godly environment this is...and I feel SO blessed to be able to have that for them!...to be a part of that!

So many of you have helped with that with your construction skills and time and gifts and prayers and teaching and help, and I just am so thankful that in the middle of this spiritually and economically and morally desert-place that Emmaus is a greenhouse for men and women to come, grow in Christ, be cared for, and learn how to give Living Water to everyone they meet.

What a great reminder tonight with enthusiastic hugs from returning staff and students what a blessing Emmaus is...to them and to us and I pray, to Him!

Bring on the new semester!

waving prayers

2012-01-13T21:26:00.000-05:00

We're home safely! Matt was in a staff meeting by 10 am this morning, Don, Lily, Sofie and I got home by 10:30, and we were all at Abel's for lunch at noon!

Lily was thrilled to be back to rice and beans, we've gotten to catch up with various friends, staff members and students throughout the day. Micheline came and helped me out, the dirt is washed out of the house, we're mostly unpacked, Don built a Barbie house with Lily and gave Boone a bath...it's good to be home!

As our flight was taking off this morning at 6 am, I looked over my shoulder in the darkness and saw an older woman silently waving her hands in the air--a Haitian prayer style--asking the Lord for a safe flight. I turned around a little further and realized that half the plane was silently praying with her. It was a beautiful moment, with the dawn just beginning to break, hands waving all around me like tree branches in the breeze, silent prayers being lifted.

It's how we often feel. Though we rarely hear the prayers being lifted for Emmaus, for our little family, for Haiti, we often feel them around us and see the movement of a God at work. We're so thankful to be surrounded by a praying family and a faithful Father. We love you!

almost home

2012-01-12T19:56:00.002-05:00

We are safely in Fort-Lauderdale, where it is much warmer though still too cold too swim, as Lily soon discovered.

Our flight to Haiti is tomorrow morning at 6 AM. Uncle Don just got here, and he and Matt and Lily are at dinner while I get the baby down. Once again, the girls travelled unbelievably well today, and we actually had a really fun day together as a family with our abundance of luggage :)

The last few days has been full of so many business calls from Haiti that we're anxious to get back to help the staff prepare for the new semester--and anxious to be home... rats, roaches, arachnids and all...the REAL reason Uncle Don and his killer flip-flop are traveling with us!

faithful is He

2012-01-11T12:42:00.001-05:00

While we've been blessed so many GOOD things these past two weeks in the States, school starts Monday and it's time to go home!

We've learned a lot these last two weeks...Ashton and Demi Moore broke up, what gluten is, where my grandparents now live, how to use Pinterest, Chocolate Moose Tracks ice cream may be my new favorite, that 2012 is an election year, that Dora's icing skin tone didn't need nearly so much orange, that Lily and Sofia will both play for as many hours as possible at McDonald's Play Place, and were able to catch up with lots of good friends and good family.

Sofie got her shots (sigh of relief), Matt is in a rare Lance Armstrong category of health, Lily's new best friend is Lydia, Matt and I got to go on a real date, we are loaded back up with Crystal Light and diapers and Aunt Patty gifts, we got to spend time with our rapidly growing nephew, we laughed-till-we-cried through the second season of Modern Family, and while we NEVER thought we'd say it after only a few weeks...we feel rested and excited about His work and ready to get back at it with Emmaus!

My prayer four weeks ago was that the Lord would somehow work a miracle and take all of the health issues and stress away from Matt, give Him rest, and somehow excite his heart for His work in Haiti.

He has truly answered that prayer of mine, with Matt telling me ten times in the last three days, "I'm excited! Let's go!"

Matt also had a great meeting this afternoon with the chairman and a member of EBS's board, and that was a great encouragement and motivator, too! To top off all the great news, Uncle Don is meeting us in Florida tomorrow and flying into Haiti with us for about 10 days! Every start of the semester we seem to be hit with an overwhelming amount of maintenance issues, and he's coming to help us get the new semester started well! (and with water!)

Thank you Lord and thank you each for your phone calls, emails, pizza, Skype chats, Christmas gifts, coffee, and MOST, FOR YOUR PRAYERS.

Faithful is He who calls us. 1 Thess. 5:24

good heart!

2012-01-09T23:43:00.000-05:00

Matt met with his doctor and with his cardiologist today with great results! Not only was the cardiologist not concerned about his low heart rate, but said that his heart is in really great shape. He said he hasn't seen anyone do so well on a stress test in years, and to "please get out of my office and go run a marathon."

Everything looks beautiful, Matt's heart and stomach and everything are great, he's feeling really good, we spoke to everyone on staff today, and we're both feeling excited and ready for a new semester!

To top it all off, Dad babysat tonight so Matt and I could go on our bi-annual date :) We went to PF Chang's and it was wonderful! So good to remember how much we enjoy spending time together (not while giving the girls a bath or while talking about work) and to have some time to feel like a couple! I'm so blessed to have a wonderful, loving and godly (and healthy!!!) husband!

Praise the Lord for all the good reports and for what a fantastic trip this has been. We have had such a good time and have been so blessed to catch up with so many people we love... We needed this Christmas break!

...but I'm so tired of being cold :)

what I say about who He is

2012-01-08T16:56:00.000-05:00

We had a great time at church together...a 90 minute church service will forever seem SO short to all of us! It seemed like the service was over a moment after it started...even Lily was shocked! "All done?!"

Then, while the girls were napping, I finally got to finish my "house rules" happy craft I've been working on! I miss happy crafting so much when we're in Haiti that I go a little nuts when we're in the States :) I've been wanting to make a canvas like this for our home for a long time!

This afternoon Lily, Matt and Grandpa are going to a movie (Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked...bound to be a classic :) and I'm hoping to catch up with some good friends on the phone.

I had a short "devotional moment" in church this morning. The speaker shared a great message about the words of Jesus and how much what He says matters. But there were several times that he used little cliches from today (that I've used before) that I realized indirectly said something about WHO God is. I never thought much about theology until Matt came into my life, but have realized these past years how much our words, lives and testimonies can affect what people think God is like...who He is.

For example, when the speaker spoke about a time in his life when he was convicted about tearing others down, he said that "God hit me with a ton of bricks."

I get the expression, and we say stuff like this all the time. But for some reason today, feeling a bit like a foreigner in American church, I thought about what this SAYS about who God is. Does God do that? Drop bricks on us when we sin? Slap us with pain and suffering because we aren't pleasing Him? Is that our theology of God? Probably not. But is that what others are hearing?

Or, "Every day, we just fail to obey God, but it's ok, because God understands" I know that he was trying to share grace instead of guilt, but doesn't the Bible say that it is NOT ok? Doesn't He ask us to be Holy, to be like Christ, even to be perfect?

So, if others hear us say this on the surface, is it possible that underneath that are hearing that our God is One who gives commands He has no intention of us keeping...just for fun or just to see us squirm or something? Or that He wants us to obey Him but totally understands (ie...doesn't mind) when we don't?

What does that say about His character? What did we just say about who He is?

I may not be a theologian, but it made me realize how careful I need to be with my words and with my actions, as one who claims to emit God. I claim to know Him. I'm introducing Him to people of different cultures and experiences and mindsets all the time through my words and actions. I need to be SO careful that I'm sharing who He REALLY is, according to His Word, on a direct AND indirect level.

Ever heard anyone say something 'normal' about God, and think, man, that just doesn't sound right!

This has me thinking today!

why?

2012-01-07T19:49:00.000-05:00

They might understand Creole...

...might think eating organs for breakfast is normal...

...might know how to act in a Haitian church service...

...might not think it's weird for other kids to ask them for the shirts they are wearing...

...or for adults to ask to keep Sofie.

But they have absolutely no clue

why a lake would have "glass" on it...

...why you MIGHT not want to eat it...

...why it breaks...

...why it's cold at grandpa's house when it's hot at our house...

...why Haiti doesn't have any swings...

...and why we always have to miss somebody.

great report!

2012-01-04T21:23:00.000-05:00

Matt still has one more meeting with a cardiologist Monday, but today his doctor sat down with us with all the results from blood work, scans, and tests, and everything looks GOOD.

And correction...his resting heart rate is NOT 38...his resting heart rate is between 50-60 (not low for someone who was an athlete for so many years), and got down to 38 while sleeping, and the doctor is NOT concerned about this.

No blood-sugar problems, no thyroid problems, no parasite, etc., problems, no heart problems....which means that all the major symptoms he'd been experiencing in November boil down to stress.

Crazy how stress can not only mess with your mind and emotions, but really take a toll on your heart and stomach, energy level and appetite! So, we are (as we have been for the last 2 months) looking at more ways that we can help lower and manage Matt's stress level!

Being in a foreign culture is stressful alone, and has been extra hard on Matt who is an introvert (gets his energy from being alone) in a VERY extroverted society. Teaching several classes, writing papers and doing assignments for his master's degree, leading things administratively on the ground at Emmaus, being responsible for maintenance issues on the compound, having two little ones at home, visitors, etc., etc., etc., got him worn down! (imagine that.)

Matt's continuing to spend a lot of time in thought and prayer about what he can let go, what he has to stop doing, how he can make time to exercise and pursue some of the things that he likes to do, etc.

We are VERY grateful to have help (Sam and Cammie) on the way with what Matt calls his biggest burden: the maintenance. (When we lose power and water and everyone looks to Matt to fix it and Matt has a degree in Bible and Theology, it's stressful).

We are also VERY grateful that Matt is OK!!! He is healthy and strong and I'm just so very grateful for that! We were getting very concerned that something was seriously wrong (yet another stressor!)

Praise the Lord for a great report!

Matt's parents leave tomorrow after a great (final!) birthday celebration today for Lily, and we've had a really good time with them! We head back home on the 12th, and all we have until then is R-E-S-T!

Thanks for all your prayers!!

family

2012-01-03T14:26:00.000-05:00

These last few days have been crazy! Matt's brother and sister left on Sunday night, and we left at the same time, driving to Pennsylvania. We got in at 11 pm, went to bed, and spent all day yesterday with my mom's parents, aunts, uncle and dad's parents. It was an especially fantastic day...the girls were happy, it was so good to see everyone, Lily got Christmas gifts and birthday gifts and even 2 birthday cakes, we had lots of laughs and just a wonderful time.

We drove back home last night at bedtime again, arriving back in Ohio around 11 pm, and Matt's parents were here waiting, visiting for the next few days.

As Matt said this morning, "That was exactly how time with family is supposed to be: fun and encouraging!"

Wishing Aunt Lee and Uncle Adam could have been there...but so thankful today to realize that in the last 10 days we have seen all of our parents, all our our siblings, and lots of our grandparents and aunts and uncles. The last 5 years, this has rarely happened! What a gift!

Yesterday, Miss Lily turned 3, and today weighed in at 30 pounds and is exactly 3 feet tall...hah! (doctor's appointment).

We're so very blessed.

Tomorrow, Matt goes back to his physician for all the test results and to discuss what we need to do from here, if anything. THANK YOU all for your prayers! Will let you know...

nothing new under the sun

2012-01-01T11:12:00.003-05:00

Every new year "inspiring" sayings about doing things that scare you and creating a life you love seem, well, less inspiring. We've all "decided" to lose 20 pounds, be nicer, try harder, do more, do less and even the idea of actually keeping a new year's resolution seems to have become a joke.

I know I'm not THAT old, but the older I get the shorter things feel and the millions of things that used to feel like really matter have dwindled to just a few. A lot of things I used to spend a lot of time thinking and worrying about more years, marriage, mommyhood, life in Haiti and I believe, Christ, have turned into things that that don't own my time and thoughts any more.

In (almost!) thirty years, I have seen a lot of suffering, a lot of beautiful things, a lot of bad choices and a few beautiful sacrifices. Mostly, I've seen things be the same. People mostly act the same, and we all mostly want the same and live the same and do the same.

When I think about NEW things this New Year's Day, I realize that the only NEW things I have seen and experienced myself I didn't do, and nobody did for me.

The only NEW things I've seen and experienced, HE has done. The new things done in me, done in others...real miraculous transformed change...truly beautiful creations...all things new, He did. Does.

"Nothing new under the sun," Solomon (who they say was pretty wise :) said after living it all, and here, thousands of years later, I think he was right.

But this year, 2012, God is not under the sun, is He!

Christ, a new covenant. 2 Cor. 3:6
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. 2 Cor. 5:17
I am making all things new. Rev. 21:5
I will put a new heart in them. Ezekiel 11:19
Sing to the Lord a new song. Psalm 96:1

He's the one capable of doing NEW this year, capable of creating it in me and in my life. He knows what that needs to be in my life! Knows how to do it, and how to care for us on the journey.

So my concern for this new year comes down to this: what can I do (with His help) to be the purest vessel, cleanest slate, most beautiful canvas, most free from bondage, holy person that I can be so that HE can do NEW in and through me? What do I need to do so that HE can do NEW?

What do I need to forgive?
What do I need to let go?
What do I need to give to Him?
What do I need to die to?
What relationships do I need to work on? Let go of?
What do I need to stop spending time on?
What do I need to spend more time on?
What chains do I need to ask Him to break?
What doesn't look like Jesus in me?

Grateful to find His mercy to be NEW this morning, as it is every day of my life!

Lord, do your new in us this year!

COSI

2011-12-31T20:10:00.000-05:00

There has never been a child who so loved COSI. Not impressed with rat basketball or with the "pet a roach", because let's face it, Lily sees a lot of rats do lots of things and pets roaches all the time.

Insanely impressed with Dora. Oh man. Thrilled, and Nico was too. "I miss Dora!" Lily's been saying since we left, and is currently making Grandpa tell her a "COSI-Dora-Dora-Lily-COSI" story.

Lil spent the entire day running from one exhibit to the other, kid-watching, and touching everything.

Every time there was a doctor or vet exhibit, Lily would dwell as long as she could...interesting.

Sofia enjoyed a good grandpa nap and watching thousands of people.

Then Nico gave her a 6 foot, color-it castle for her birthday, which kept everybody busy most of the evening.

What a fun day...This sounds weird, but I think all four of us really enjoyed just disappearing in the crowd today. It was nice to not be foreigners, not translating, and doing something that I did dozens of times as a kid. I love to watch Lily fork down rice and beans and run barefoot through the soccer field with the Seminary students. But today, I also loved watching her play on the SAME toys that I did as a kid with a million other kids speaking her language.

I feel so blessed that God has allowed us these two cultures, which have become a part of all of us!

2011-12-30T21:19:00.000-05:00

Matt and Sofie's appointments went well again today, Casey, Laura and Nico arrived safely and all is well!

Several of Matt's tests have come back looking great...the only thing popping up so far is that his resting heart rate is hovering around 38, which should be explaining a lot of his fatigue. Praising the Lord for so many clear test results!!

Fun pictures tomorrow!

how cold is it?

2011-12-29T21:04:00.000-05:00

This morning, Lily asked to go out on the porch. I said ok, let her out in her fleece pants, t-shirt and jacket, and ran to get Sofie. I came back not 30 seconds later, and Lily was standing in the middle of the porch, barefoot, in nothing but her Dora panties.

"Lily!" I gasped, freezing. "What are you doing!? Where are your clothes?"

"Mom!" she said frustrated. "I wanted to see how cold it was!"

Ah, my precious girl, growing up and amazed at the many worlds we live in.

Matt is wired up like nobody's business, with all kinds of suction things all over his chest and stomach and plugged into two different devices, one for 24 hours and the other for 10 days. He had a bunch of blood drawn and tests taken today, and then tomorrow he's doing a few heart stress tests and hopefully receiving some of the results from today.

All they found today was that his pulse is indeed exceptionally low. We'll let you know tomorrow...

Sofie and Lily also have their doctors appointments tomorrow. I am excited to get Sofie some of the shots she has needed in Haiti but missed because she was so young when we left!

Meanwhile, Matt's brother, sister-in-law and our nephew Nico are on their way! They'll be here tomorrow afternoon for the weekend and we can't wait to see them! On Saturday we hope to take the kids to COSI, Columbus's science center, where they're having a huge Dora and Diego display.

We spoke to Maxi this morning, and Abel this afternoon. Abel's mother passed away this morning, and we'd love your prayers for him and their family. She had a lot of health problems, but they were not expecting her to go right now. Thank you!

2011-12-29T09:03:00.001-05:00

After an incredibly long day that began at barefoot 6 am with a sky like this...

...and a crazy hot, dusty trip through town...

...and three very long flights, in which the girls were both SO good, we have arrived!

After tears from two of us over the freezing weather, we got back to my dad's house around 10 pm last night and this morning Matt is already at the hospital for a "24 hour Holter monitor" and then to the doctor afterwards for a huge slew of testing.

We're thankful he has this opportunity for medical care that so much of the world never finds.

We're thankful for a warm house full of family, felines, a full fridge and gifts of beautiful warm clothes for the girls (Patty, thank you SO much!).

We're thankful for the prayers of so many in Haiti, Canada, the States and around the world for Matt's health and for the health, happiness, holiness and wholeness of our family! We feel so loved this season...and most of all by Him.

We'll keep you posted

great news and travel prayers

2011-12-27T21:34:00.002-05:00

We had a really great day today...lots of laundry, cleaning, unpacking and re-packing, but also some great time with friends in Saccanville and in Vaudreil.

Lily and I walked down the road to a friend's house and while I enjoyed catching up with friends, she enjoyed running like crazy with a few other little ones, eating up Kerline's rice and beans and putting on Shayla's make-up. Then tonight we had coffee and fantastic cookies at Bud and Cindy's with the other four missionaries here right now (several are in Port and many still in the States).

We are thrilled (understatement) to share with you that some good friends of ours, Sam and Cammie, have just been accepted to come work with us here at Emmaus! They have lived in Haiti before, have three little kids, and have a heart for Biblical training and being a part of people growing in Christ. Sam is also a plumber/electrician/fixer-person (how's that for Stacey's description of a profession) and Cam is an evangelist if I've ever met one.

They are funding now and hope to join us after our crazy month (March) of visiting professors. Ah, the thought of having help with the maintenance-side of things and having someone else living here with us full-time is just divine!

You can check out their blog here. If you are interested in helping get them here, you can find out how on their blog. Please be praying for them as they fund and prepare for this big transition!

Meanwhile, we head for Ohio tomorrow, and would so love your prayers for safe travel and for fantastic behavior from our 2LOs (two little ones). Please pray for cantankerous Sofia to just be miraculously content...or miraculously sleepy. One of us is very excited about icy weather, one of us is very excited about icy cream, both of us are very excited about seeing lots of family and about medical appointments (starting on the 29th) to get to the bottom of Matt's health issues.

Thanks for your prayers! We have truly felt and seen His presence so closely these past weeks, and are so grateful!

more than enough.

2011-12-26T18:51:00.003-05:00

Every vacation picture should look like this.!..your family having a blast in front of you, warm sun and sand and ocean, baby sleeping in your lap...no dishes! no papers! no laundry! Ah...

The 23rd was Adam's birthday, and we had a special party for him with sparklers and cake and guitar music...so much fun, and so grateful to have such a thoughtful, caring, hilarious and positive brother-in-law!

Sofie wanted some cake :) Sofie ate a LOT of food she shouldn't have this vacation...which could be said of all of us, I guess :)

Somebody got her mama's ice cream gene.

We swam, read, walked and talked for days on end, and had an ice cream float any time we wanted, which for me, is pretty close to heaven :)

We also celebrated Lily's 3rd birthday (January 2nd) while we had Aunt Lee and Uncle Adam with us...They got her a wooden birthday cake, and she has thrown at least 50 birthday parties since then.

So thankful for such a fantastic aunt and sister! While Lily admits that I love her the most, she says Aunt Lisa is her very best friend.

We finished Lily's month of the Christmas story and ornaments yesterday with a bead cross, because, as Lily says, "Thank you Jesus came to die for my badness!" Then we opened Christmas presents in Lisa's room and had another nice relaxing day together. At bedtime Lily cried and cried, saying, "I'm so sad because Christmas is over!" Ah...we were all sad for this much needed and much appreciated time away and together to be over :(

...though none quite as sad as Sofie :)

As Lily said today as we got in the car to drive home: "My face feels sad!"

Tonight we are safely back in Haiti after a few hours on the road. This picture was taken right as we crossed the border in a moment of complete insanity. We'd just come over the border, and there are thousands of people milling around, coming and going, selling and buying, waiting and watching. Matt had to park right in the middle and run to offices on both sides of the border to take care of our paperwork and fees.

He goes to do that, and I pulled a sobbing Sofie out of her car-seat to give her a break and release Lily from her buckles. Lily climbs in the front with me, I lock the doors, and realize that the major smell is Sofie...whose pants and shirt (and now my skirt) is soaked in an exploded dirty diaper.

A moment later, a huge semi-truck was trying to pass us, I'm trying to change Sofie on my lap, digging through the bag at my feet for wet-wipes, there is baby poop literally EVERYWHERE, Lily is climbing back and forth with a 100 piece puzzle scattering everywhere and asking "Mommy, why does that man only have one leg? Why, Mommy? Why?", there are a dozen people outside my window just watching, and every two minutes someone was tapping at my window to beg for money.

oh man. It was such a "welcome back to reality" moment.

"Father, help me!" I prayed out loud, overwhelmed, and Lily immediately says, "Mom, grandpa is not here. He's at the airport!"

We both laughed, and I was so thankful, I am so thankful, that my Father is always with me, and is enough...for vacation, for Christmas, and for everyday life. More than enough.

2011-12-25T07:45:00.001-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The internet here is just terrible, and since we'll be home tomorrow, we'll wait for photos!

We're having just a wonderful time...restful, good time with family, great time at the pool and beach. We're making some wonderful new Christmas memories and enjoying remembering Christmases past, as well.

Last night we had a special Christmas Eve "service", which started on the beach but ended up on the porch due to the rain. We had hoped for a candlelight service, but the only candles I could find at the market were and old box of trick candles.

This ended up making the service extra special, holding candles, singing Christmas hymns, and each time we finished a song, Lily blew out all our candles, we'd sing another song...they would light again, she'd blow them all out again...It was great, and Lily was thrilled!

Tomorrow morning we head back to Haiti, and will have pictures then.

Today, we are thinking of so many of you, praising the Lord for you, thinking of our family and friends in Haiti, in the States, in Canada, in Africa...and wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas. What a wonderful chance to celebrate His Great Gift!

Merry Christmas!
Matt and Stacey, Lily and Sof

family

2011-12-21T12:27:00.001-05:00

We have been having a great time! Matt was really sick for about 24 hours, but is doing much better now, and confirming our thankfulness at having the opportunity to get him some medical exams and care starting on the 29th! It is SO good to be with family, the girls are having a blast, especially at the pool, and we are just so grateful to be here and be together!

Check out the Seminary blog for our Christmas letter from EBS! More pix when we have better internet...

2011-12-19T08:24:00.000-05:00

Safely here...

2011-12-18T09:03:00.000-05:00

We've arrived safely and Lily is happily catching up with Grammy and PopPop. It's raining today, but we are just greateful to be off school, safely here (after coming past a horrific accident in Cap Haitien)on vacation, with family, and getting a break from cooking and dishes!

My dad and sister and brother in law arrive tomorrow afternoon!

spandex and we're off...

2011-12-16T20:03:00.000-05:00

Grading final exams today...

Have you ever tried any risky sports or activities?
No way, I've never tried! Because I want to live a long time.

Describe your appearance:
I am very handsome. (ALL 17 students. Every one. The last added: ...and VERY good-looking)

What are 2 ways to improve your health?
Stretch, and always play cards.

And the best one...

What kind of clothes do you like?
Stretch. Yes, Stretch. I'm so very happy when I wear stretch. And, I am more handsome.

One thing we can claim is that the students at Emmaus have very healthy senses of self-esteem :)!

We ended the semester with a special chapel service ("I never wanted it to end!" Lorma shared with me later in the lunch line) and huge goat/fish fry, in which Matt was gifted the precious goat liver for being the leader. Go, Matt.

The rest of the day has been spent busily grading final exams, calculated averages, finally finishing financially and academically registering the last students, packing, cleaning, arranging for staff paychecks, planning for the dog and security, gift giving and making sure that we are leaving WELL.

We have a lot of events, burdens and blessings in the lives of our staff and students taking place these next 4 weeks to keep close to our hearts and prayers, and I was blessed today to know that there are many praying for us, as well!

Ah, what a blessing to be a part of the varied, gifted, beloved body of Christ!

We head for the DR tomorrow morning as soon as we're ready, and Matt's parents are already there!

Yay for Christmas vacation! (and for being teachers, and therefore getting a Christmas vacation :)

fèt

2011-12-15T18:25:00.002-05:00

I don't think there are many places in the world that do Christmas like Emmaus Biblical Seminary. Let me just try to condense for you the 4 hour Christmas party this afternoon!

It started and ended with a praise service and prayer time, a really beautiful way to open. I don't think I'd ever been to a Christmas party that started with a worship service before coming to Haiti.

Then came the speeches, which are always a very important part of gatherings culturally. Matt shared a short devotional, Pastor Elizay (almost fully recovered from his surgery) shared a few words, and Belo thanked everyone for a great week of Christmas festivities.

Then, of course, the very important soccer championship win was announced, which included speeches by several team members, bestowing of the trophy, slo-mo re-enactments of key moves, etc. Third year took the title, in case you were wondering.

Then started the talent competition, in which three different competitors would share their talents, and everyone would vote for a winner, then move onto the next three. (Lots of prizes like this :)

This year, Freny busted out some sweet break dance moves, winning for his group.

A lot of what qualifies as "talent" at EBS is whatever makes people laugh the hardest, even if there is no real talent involved :) There was a LOT of that today! Everyone had SUCH a good time.

Voting

giving out prizes

And the reigning champion of the day for the talent contest: Brave. With a pillow in his shirt. With music playing. Dancing like an old man.

From the moment he walked out of the bathroom with the pillow until he sat down at the end, everyone just LOST it.

We dunno.

Then there were several very serious rounds of musical chairs (TRY this at your office Christmas party and see if it's better as a grown up :)

Then, the "button shirt" game, which involved four students putting button-up shirts, with the exact same amount of buttons, on over their shirts, and having to button all the buttons faster than the other three. LOVED it. Five rounds of that.

Confession: all I could think the whole party was, "WOW, imagine if there was drinking involved?!"

Even Sofie and Lily had a blast (for the first 1.5 hours).

Tomorrow is our big Christmas feast, with goat (which we sadly greeted this morning right before...yeah, right before.), fish, rice and beans, Cokes, and vacation good-byes (while staff members will be frantically grading final exams before leaving).

Yesterday, we were blessed to attend the Christmas program at Cowman School down the road. It was as cute, crazy and creative as it looks! It was a really great time, and Lily loved seeing all the kids! Sometimes I think she forgets that she's a kid and not a seminary student!

What a great day following a GREAT week!

Christmas games

2011-12-13T21:06:00.001-05:00

I don't care WHO you are...you would have had fun today at Emmaus Biblical Seminary!

As Belony shared while DJing the event with the sound system normally used for chapel services: "Here at Emmaus Biblical Seminary, we don't just teach the Bible! NO! We don't just teach English! NO! You don't just learn Hebrew and Greek! NO! You don't just learn to preach and teach and evangelize! No NO! Here at EBS we learn how to have FUN!"

Lily is proving to be as good of a student in this as any.

There were about a dozen kids hanging in that tree the whole time...see 'em?

The mid-match game today was, "The Game of Water" (in French) or "The Spit the Water in the Coke" game, as Lily called it.

Contestants started at one end of the soccer field by drinking water out of these bowls without touching them, then running to the other end, and spitting all the water they could into a Coke bottle without knocking it over or touching it, over and over again, until somebody filled theirs (which as you can see from the first pictures, was like winning the million dollar lottery).

The use of the sound system to 'broadcast' the whole game brought in dozens of members of the community, which made things extra fun (and was good for the community to be a part of, too.)

The DJ's took the broadcasting very seriously, with sideline interviews, play by play commentary, and creative cheers. These guys are grown men with such heavy burdens and responsibilities on their shoulders. But give them Coke bottles to spit in and a microphone and we were able to see the boys :) I was laughing so hard :)

By the end, there were another dozen community members hanging over the wall, all young men, "too cool for school" as Matt says...I was touched by what a great example Emmaus' men were. Kind to each other, respectful, clean, uplifting. His light shone so brightly in the students, today, intermingled with the community...what a great way to honor Christmas.

Tomorrow, musical chairs, which I HATE that we'll be missing. The elementary school down the road is having their Christmas play, and Lily is anxious to go!

simple joys

2011-12-13T10:00:00.001-05:00

I love Christmas week :) Despite all the exams pending, financial pressures to pay off the semester and stresses of preparing Christmas programing in their churches, the students get INSANELY excited about Coke drinking competitions, musical chairs, egg races, water games, soccer matches, Bible competitions and talent shows.

This year is especially exciting because a friend from home sent us a big box of brand new tennis shoes, which are like gold in Haiti (as you can see, Lorma was playing soccer yesterday in his loafers, and many others were playing one-shoe-d.) The shoes have all been bagged up with other gifts and are serving as the prizes, and oh man, everyone is stoked.

Lily thought the egg races were downright hilarious...she kept clasping her hands over her mouth and squealing, "THEY ARE BEING SO SILLY!"

The best part was that no one could keep from laughing long enough to keep the spoons in their mouths, despite "hours" of pre-game "training."

Then, 2nd year slaughtered 4th year in the soccer match (fourth year was just too old, I'm afraid :), and move on to the championship round Wednesday.

Life in Haiti hasn't been easy...not for Haitians nor for us. But it is a very rare day that passes that I don't feel incredibly blessed to be living with our Haitian brothers and sisters, trying to do His work the very best that we can.

Sharing this difficult and beautiful life with Lily and Sofie and Matt will always been one of the joys of my life.

kè poze

2011-12-11T19:58:00.009-05:00

Big Christmas weekend! We made candy. We made fudge. Lily ate 900 pieces. Then we went to Cindy and Bud's, where we had ham (woo-hoo) and carmel corn and Sofie slept on the couch while Lil' snuggled with Cindy and in their new laundry hamper, which she thought made a good "kid house."

Then this morning we walked to church down the road and through the mud and joined our brothers and sisters in worship.

Matt shared a message that was simple, but one I'd never heard before. In light of Christmas (though this isn't a big holiday here, both due to lack of means and due to the fact that because Jesus wasn't actually BORN on Christmas day, many Haitians don't believe it should carry so much weight), Matt spoke about Joseph.

He spoke about Joseph's set up, which frankly, I've never thought much about. Lost his reputation and whether people thought he got Mary pregnant, or choose to marry her despite the fact that someone else had gotten her pregnant, was surely hearing it from everyone. Had to leave home with a 9 month pregnant lady. Had to go pay a bunch of money to be reminded that some other man ruled over him. Did all that, finally got there, and there weren't even any rooms available. Excuse me for saying, but most of us would have blown a gasket :)

But, Matt reminded everyone, the whole time all of this was happening, in Joseph's mind and heart were The Promise. The promise Gabriel gave him of the paternity. Of the future. Of the hope...for the world and for Joseph.

That promise, and Joseph's faith in it, had to have affected how he responded during these hardships. Had to have made them dim.

God choose Joseph for this huge responsibility of caring for His Son. And yet God didn't prevent any of the hardships in return. He didn't work it out so Joseph didn't have to go, or hide the tax money in Joseph's pocket, or even make sure a hotel room was open. God allowed all the hardships to take place, and some had big reasons, and some maybe had no reasons at all.

But Joseph's trust in God's Promise, held at the front of Joseph's mind and heart, had to have given Joseph a calm, determined, hopeful heart...peace...in the midst of these things.

So have we no such promises today? The SAME promise Joseph had we have, AND have seen already carried out. The Child DID come, Son of the Most High, to "give His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of our sins, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and to guide our feet into the way of peace" (Luke 1:77).

We have that "accomplished redemption" available, and I pray, in our hearts. In addition, He's promised so much...to care for our cares, to provide for our needs, to speak to our hearts, to hope for our future and a promise of eternal life.

So as we face daily challenges and trials, some we may understand one day and others we never will, do we face them through the lens of these promises? Have we bound them to our foreheads and written them in our hearts so that they affect the way we respond, think and even FEEL in the midst of trials and suffering?

"So if we have a tax to pay," Matt concluded to a surprisingly engrossed crowd, "Pay it. Kè poze (heart at rest, at peace). If someone demands something crazy, do it, kè poze. You've got Jesus. If someone takes your last shirt, robs you, you have an accident, lose a job, fall sick...kè poze! You have Jesus, don't you? We have Jesus!

"If His promises don't change how we view our suffering, don't change how we speak, how we react, then perhaps we don't believe them...or don't have Him."

A simple, but Great truth for me today, putting back into His hands and perspective my "problems." Grateful to have been able to be in church today and to have His Word before and within us.

Crazy days!

2011-12-09T16:53:00.004-05:00

Have we mentioned lately how CRAZY things are right now!? Oh man!

To top it all of, we've been having some fun generator/inverter issues, so after 15 hours of no power or water (never realize how many times I turn on the sink until nothing comes out), Matt and Maxi somehow got the thing going this morning around 5:30. Praise the Lord for that! We have such a love-hate relationship with our power system.

We will be very excited when we have someone here that is able to do more than pray over and experiment with our power system ("Is there water now? What about now?"). Exciting news coming soon in that arena...!

We enrolled several new students for next semester today, and just one last week of exams, grading, registration, etc., before Christmas break!

Meanwhile, a busy weekend is ahead, with Gertha visiting this afternoon, another student movie night tonight (can our couch hold 17?), a Christmas ham tomorrow with the Lenkers (put the word "Christmas" before anything and it sounds special), papers to grade and final exams to prepare, Matt is preaching on Sunday morning, laundry, etc. Looking forward to having time together and with friends!

I had mentioned on Lily's blog that she has named her wise men Elisa, Maxi and Maria. Here they are! :)

break

2011-12-07T21:34:00.002-05:00

Our "Christmas Palm" is heavy with red berry nuts, and the poinsettias are blooming all around us. Lots of plans are underway for next weeks' Week of Christmas...which will basically consist of an abundance of soccer games, egg races, musical chairs, talent competitions, Bible competitions, etc, followed by an abundance of soccer games :)

Final exams are next week, so we're busy getting ready, interviewing 7 possible new students tomorrow, doing course registration for next semester, teaching...oh man. Yeah, it's a little crazy right now! But it's always like that right before Christmas vacation, or you wouldn't enjoy Christmas vacation as much, right? Check out the EBS blog for another great student testimony.

Our break plans have changed several times, but here's what we're going with: Praise the Lord, we are REALLY excited about heading to the Dominican on the 17th! Our family is meeting us there to celebrate Christmas...Matt's parents, my dad, and my sister and brother-in-law. As Lily has told everyone a million times, "they have 3 pools and one ocean and good food!" It's going to be fantastic!!!

While we'd planned to spend the rest of break back on our side of the island, having these weeks off seems like the right opportunity to look into some medical issues Matt's been having. While he'd been referred to a heart specialist two years ago, we returned to Haiti before we had the chance to go...which has been the case several times now :)

This time, we're going! We've got a slew of tests and appointments lined up for him on December 29th in Columbus, Ohio and we'll get the girls their shots and appointments while we have the chance. We won't be traveling or speaking or anything, just taking a few days to get Matt checked out.

Then, we'll be back here before school starts again on the 16th...gonna be a busy break!! Thank you so much for all of your continued prayers.

We're feeling so blessed lately to be His!

Emmaus

2011-12-06T12:09:00.004-05:00

Well, it took me the whole semester, but finally here is a photo of our first year class!

It always takes a few months to figure out the 'identity' of each class, and this is a really special one!

Several of these students are exceptionally intelligent, just eating up everything they are given, mourning when they receive a 98%, and challenging each other constantly to work harder. They're constantly challenging professors, too, in a good way.

Yesterday, one such brainiac, Moise (Moses), asked me in English, "What does, 'Somehow we have been drifting farther and farther away from the truth' mean?"

"Where did you hear that?" I asked him, laughing, as that most students in first year English classes are just asking what "truth" means.

"Oh, in a Bible and Theology book I was reading this weekend for fun," says Moses, and I thought, Huh. Matt might make some friends in this class!

They are also proving to be a very joyful, positive and caring group, and I just couldn't be more thrilled to have each of these guys (and Roziane!) at the Seminary.

This is a big week at Emmaus with course registration for next semester underway...I never realized as a student how much WORK from how many people this represents! Matt, Lucner, Vilmer, each class advisor, and I (in the finance department) are keeping busy!

Meanwhile, everyone is really excited about some changes taking place next semester.

Because so many of our students are already in full-time ministry, trying to attend Emmaus on the side, we're trying to be more accommodating! We're focusing more time in various classes over less days, so students can only register for Tuesday/Thursday classes or Monday/Wednesday classes if it would be better for their ministries.

We're also making it possible for students to pay per credit instead of one set price for the semester, so that students who aren't able to afford a full course load can STILL attend with a smaller course load.

Also, Fridays are becoming language days, with tutorials, help and activities focusing on varying levels of English, French, Greek and Hebrew. This is something the students are always wanting, and everyone's excited to try it out!

All the while, we're trying to finish strong in the classroom...which continues to be a favorite place for Matt and I both! Praising the Lord for all His help and energy and for all the gifted people He has put around us to help build His kingdom in Haiti!

birthday

2011-12-04T08:18:00.007-05:00

How is it even possible?

community and Christmas

2011-12-02T10:10:00.004-05:00

Have to admit that we're a bit depressed today with Dodo and Bubba! Yesterday they headed out, and the girls aren't the only ones who didn't want them to go! Having true Christian community has been such a gift...We visit in the afternoons, we swap lacking ingredients mid-baking, we eat together several times a week, Lily runs next door several times a day to "Gonna go see Dodo and Bubba! Be right back! Don't come with me!"

We've been very blessed to have so much help and so much family in Dodo and Bubba.

Living together in Christian community, giving and taking, sharing and serving, ministering and encouraging, praying and helping, is how it's supposed to be!

Other members of our Christian community had me laughing out loud last night...I was just taking a Calzone out of the oven when I heard Lily squealing outside. I headed out in the yard with Sofie only to see a hilarious line up.

First ran Junior down the road, carrying Lily, who was laughing deep belly laughs. A few yards behind them ran Giselaine and Roziane, in their dresses and tennis shoes...(Granny Giselaine has diabetes and is trying to lower her sugar or something like that). Then a few yards after them ran Matt and Boone, who is terrible on a leash.

Lily and Matt had gone to fix the generator, so I don't know how we got from point A to point B, but if I had a lawn chair, Sofie and I would have sat and thoroughly enjoyed the sport :)

Tonight is Christmas Movie night at our house with the weekend students, so the fifteen of us will be enjoying Home Alone or Elf or It's a Wonderful Life.

Meanwhile, we're working through a GREAT Christmas advent program with Lily that she is adoring. (If you have a little one at home, we'd absolutely recommend it!) Each day we read a passage from the Word that throughout the month shares the whole Christmas story, then we make a special ornament together that highlights the story.

Yesterday we kicked off with a passage from Isaiah, then made a candle ornament with melted yellow and orange crayons. When Matt came home hours later, Lily ran to the tree, grabbed her ornament, and yelled, "Poppy! Jesus it the light of the world!"

Merry Christmas, Stacey! I don't have words to describe the joy of hearing my baby proclaim His truth and begin to hide it in her heart. I've never experienced any joy like it, a continual reminder that she really is just "on loan" to me from Him. I'm so glad she is His, and so glad that she's beginning to know it and beginning to love her Father. For over three years now I have prayed ever day, "Lord, help Lily to know and love you"...

Life is a bit crazy these last few weeks of school trying to get things from this semester sewn up, trying to prepare for next semester, working through student billing, registration, courses, etc.! But, despite a lack of cold weather, Christmas decorations, and our home culture and traditions that come with Christmas, the joy of what this season means is ringing deep lately to Matt and I both.

Long lay the world

in sin and error pining

till He appeared

and the soul felt it's worth

the thrill of hope

the weary world rejoices

for yonder breaks

a new and joyful morn.

the ask.

2011-11-30T20:12:00.000-05:00

“If you ask the Father for anything in My name,

He will give it to you.

Until now you have asked for nothing in My name;

Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.”

John 16:23-24

“After God, it is YOU”, is a phrase that Matt and I commonly hear.

Someone needs some money for school or for a doctor or needs food or books or sound systems or a visa, and to add to an already convincing argument, finishes the ask with “After God, it is YOU I am relying on! You are my only hope…just after God!”

While this argument makes it incredibly hard to say ‘no’ to whatever the request, we were reminded a few months ago by a missionary friend that “after God” there is NONE. While that may be how we are perceived, we are not to be the ‘only hope after God’ or ‘fully relied upon after God’, nor should we start thinking of ourselves that way!

Praise the Lord, there is none like Him or after Him, none needed in addition to Him or alongside of Him! We've never been here because He needs us to be...just thankful to be used by Him nonetheless.

And here’s the kicker that’s got me thinking this week…It seems from this passage that God WANTS us to ask Him, telling His disciples that their joy can’t be made full until they have asked for things in His name.

Huh.

Because we get so exhausted and even irritated at being asked, asked, asked all the time, I fall into the lie-mindset that I am bothering Him, or exhausting Him, or annoying Him, by asking for anything.

I try to save up my asking for something REALLY important, try to merit my ask before I make it, or feel the need to pair an apology with my ask. “Sorry to be asking this, but…”

But here Jesus is urging His friends to ask, to ask for anything! Anything in His name, and it will be given, AND we will receive, AND our joy will be made full.

Why is that? Why would He WANT us to ask Him for things when it gets so exhausting to have people asking US for things all the time?

Is it possible that asking is a sign of our faith? If I ask Him for nothing, am I exhibiting any faith? Is it possible that I’m not asking because I don’t really think He can do it? Or because I don’t think I need Him to?

Is it possible that refusing to ask God for things could be because of my pride? Could it be that I have just so busied myself that I don’t even have time to think about what I really want to be asking Him?

Does He LIKE giving good gifts to His children? Yes…

If you then, being evil, like to give good gifts to your children, how much more then will your Father who is in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him? Matthew 7:11

Does He LIKE when we speak to Him? Yes… After asking us to pray SO many times in the Bible, He must enjoy His command.

Does He LIKE doing things that only He can? Yes…Not just for the ones receiving or beholding the miracle, but He takes joy in changing, in creating, in doing, in working!

Matt and I get tired sometimes of being asked for things all the time because we AREN’T God.

We frequently CAN’T do anything about situations people are in, so being asked over and over to work miracles is painful. We don’t have what it takes to be anyone’s “only hope”, so being treated as such is frustrating and overwhelming. We aren’t second to God—because there IS none—so be addressed as such feels so impossible! We are so limited by time, money and energy that being confronted as unlimited beings is overpowering.

But He!

Perhaps part of why He loves our requests because it shows Him that for us, He is IT! He is ONLY. He is powerful. He is able. And we believe it. Enough to ask Him.

It’s one thing to believe that He can do it. But are we asking Him to?

He WANTS us to, and after dwelling more on this passage, I believe that even our asking can be given as a gift unto Him, our One and Only.

So, what are we asking today in His name?

babies

2011-11-28T09:43:00.002-05:00

We had a great time at church yesterday seeing baby Victoria (and three other little ones) dedicated, and hearing Lucner preach.

In light of Doctor Rodney's (Bethesda Clinic head and pastor of the Vaudreil Church) recent near-death experience (appendectomy), Lucner shared that many people had threatened to leave the faith if Dr. Rodney had died.

He preached a great sermon on our disappointment when God doesn't seem to do what we wanted Him to do, or when we wanted Him to do it, using John the Baptist's beheading as text.

It was a great sermon and a great reminder that we are here for His glory, and a great re-commitment for myself to be seeking, praying for and living for His glory above my own desires.

Baby Victoria, meanwhile, looks so much like Luna (and looked so cute in her huge dress and matching cap and veil)! We also got to sit with Gertha and baby Thalia, and it's always so good to have some time with this gorgeous little one!

Also saw friend and student Devicoeur there. Having Dodo and Bubba at church with us made the three hour (yeah, that's a full 180 minute church service on a wood bench) SO much easier with the girls...extra help! Sofie had to cut out half way through, but Lily made it the whole service. MAN, this girl is going to miss her Dodo and Bubba come Thursday!

We continue to be so thankful for Lucner, for the ways God is using he and Luna, and for this little miracle!

on the first day of Christmas...

2011-11-26T21:45:00.001-05:00

We may have been in shorts, and the tree might have come from a garbage bag full of roaches, but it is the weekend after Thanksgiving, and we decorated! Lily had SO MUCH fun!

She INSISTED that Matt try on "Santa's Boot" (a Christmas stocking).

Sofie loved the lights, and has officially mastered sitting by herself...being a Haitian reindeer...and wearing Lily's shorts on her head.

Lily "re"opened her favorite Christmas thing of all time, a nativity set Uncle Don got her for her first Christmas. The entire rest of the day she lined up the wise men, fed the donkeys, napped with Baby Jesus, and made the angel sing...it was great. We caught Sofie gnawing on the camel, so the love for the Fisher Price nativity set lives on!

Tomorrow Lucner's daughter is being presented at church (similar to a dedication in the States), so we're heading to Vaudreil for that and stopping at Gertha's to see how Thalia is doing. The last visiting professors of the semester left today (Jim and Sue S., Jerry C.), and we're soaking up our last few days with Dodo and Bubba before they head back to Canada on Thursday.

Monday, Matt starts back into teaching Romans and Intro to the Old Testament, and we're heading into our last 3 weeks of teaching for the semester! You can now follow Matt on Twitter at matthaiti.

a Great Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T20:36:00.002-05:00

crafted...

baked...

smelled...

sweated...

waited...

yielded...

ATE...

talked and laughed, remembered and laughed.

grateful.

for friends, family, food, freedom...yes. But, most, for the things no one can take away...

He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world

He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus to Himself

He freely bestowed His grace on us

in Him we have redemption through His blood

in Him we have forgiveness of our trespasses

He made known to us the mystery of His will

We have obtained an inheritance

We are sealed in Him with the Spirit as a promise

Eph. 1

2011-11-24T12:02:00.001-05:00

if we do not grow weary

2011-11-23T13:14:00.002-05:00

Let us not lose heart in doing good,
for in due time we will reap
if we do not grow weary.

So then, while we can,
let us do good to all people,
and especially to those
who are in the household of faith.

May it never be that I would boast,
except in the cross of Jesus,
through which the world has been crucified to me,
and I to the world.

a new creation.

Instead of telling you why I need this verse today, I'm just going to keep holding on to it...believing it to be true, and trusting Him who gave it to give me all I need to do it.

Galatians 6

working from a place of rest

2011-11-20T20:33:00.002-05:00

...was the theme of this year's much-needed retreat, based on John 4 when a worn-out Jesus rested, asked for water, and shared living water with the Samaritan woman.

And these are the people that we work from rest together with, apart. We may only see each other once a week, but we are so blessed to find ourselves a part of this household of faith and one-minded community! From 86 to 6 months, Oregon to Delaware, we are praising the Lord tonight for such a family! (And this was AFTER four days and 15 hours in the car together :)

(l to r: Maury, treasury, Marilyn and Dave, treasury and acting field leader, Erica, elementary teacher, Bud and Cindy, maintenance and child sponsorship program, Kate, elementary teacher)

Crossing the border...never easy. We somehow managed to do it on foot this time, and were charged $0 douane for all the stuff (namely dairy products and frozen turkeys!) we bought in the DR...great news!

The DR and Haiti might share the same island, but the moment you cross the border going either way, you're in a whole new world...Creole to Spanish, soccer to baseball, African culture to Latino culture, bicycles to millions of mopeds, mangoes and papaya to grapes and tangerines.

And Sousoua, DR, was ever so beautiful.

To help gap the literal dozens of languages represented at the hotel where we stayed, buffets were simplified with a photo of whatever animal was in the pan...Lily thought this was delightful. The ex-vegetarian in me had a bit more trouble.

It is debatable whether it was Lily or Sofie who enjoyed the pool more. Mommy and Poppy would have enjoyed it more if it had been 10 degrees warmer. Haitian heat has ruined us.

Just being in such a quiet and beautiful place helped us relocate that healthy place of inner rest in Him...we also found a lot of opportunities to laugh, from shopping trauma to fishing tales, cross-cultural stories to those of days long past, it was good to laugh with a North American sense of humor :)

Then we shared in several different sessions of Bible study, prayer, praise and singing, and we are So Grateful for Miss Sue, who played with Lily and most often with Sofia, too, so that we could share this time with our team without forming playdough or being chewed on (Sof is teething like crazy!) at the same time.

We're just as grateful for her husband, Jim, for guiding these times together.

There may not be any other kids on the field right now, but Lily was gleeful all weekend to have so much time with "my friends." Mr. Silly Bud is one of her favorites.

The guys had a great fishing trip, though somehow after 6 hours, there was not ONE fish to be caught (I suggested they should have tried casting their nets on the other side, but...) and the girls returned after a much more productive shopping trip :)

Was shopping with options in a packed-out Dominican store in Spanish and with Peso pricing really overwhelming? Yes.

Did every single one of our credit cards get shut down for "Irregular Card Activity"? Yes.

Did our American or Haitian cash work? No.

Did we almost have to put back a cart-full of groceries? Yes.

Did we finally get everything paid for yet end up with 10,000 pesos that are no good in Haiti? Yes.

Did we do all of this in several languages? Yes.

Did we do all of this with 2 babies? Yes.

Did we finally get everything loaded up only to discover the battery of the van was dead? Yes.

Are we really glad Matt skipped the fishing trip to take the ladies shopping?

oh yeah.

Getting a good picture of BOTH girls is starting to prove impossible...

impossible.

Another 7 hour car trip/border crossing today has us admittedly exhausted tonight, but very grateful to have been met by Him, to be blessed by family and to be safely home and back to work tomorrow!

2011-11-18T14:24:00.002-05:00

made it!

2011-11-18T08:08:00.000-05:00

After a VERY long day of traveling and border-crossing fun yesterday, we arrived safely at Sousoua around 3 pm and Lily was in the pool minutes later :) We've even managed to secure some internet this morning, though not enough to share any photos with you.

It is SUCH a joy to be here with Matt and the girls, and with a great team family. No cooking, no dishes, no papers to great, no admin meetings....a swimming pool just feet from the beach and ocean, time to catch up and enjoy everyone. The men are planning their deep sea fishing trip, and the women are getting haircuts and planning our grocery trip (perhaps not normal vacation practices, but VERY exciting for a Haitian team!)

We have two team sessions today and lots of Lily pool time...

Thanks for your prayers!

the Minican

2011-11-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

We are off for the Dominican Republic (or "the Minican", as Lily exudes) for a weekend retreat with all nine of the current OMS Haiti missionaries, along with speakers Jim and Sue S. from OMS Headquarters. Sue will also be helping out with the girls so I can attend these spiritual retreat sessions...what a blessing!

We were unable to attend last year's retreat due to political upheaval, and we are REALLY EXCITED to get to go this year, and are very much so looking forward to a few days away with such a fantastic team in such a great place...

Pray for Thursday and Sunday travel days (and the girls) and for Friday and Saturday's spiritual retreat! Photos of yet an entirely different county and culture to come!

reconciliation

2011-11-16T11:52:00.002-05:00

NOTE: This is a TMI (too much information) post. If you don't want to be uncomfortable, don't read ahead.

Sometimes I feel so used to this culture that I think nothing will catch me off guard again. Saturday was one of those days.

Sitting on the front porch of Jean-Sius's house with Kerline, Shayla and Naomi while Lily played out back with the goats, talking and laughing about life and feeling entirely blessed by these sweet friendships and quite at home, I could forget.

Forget that I'm not Haitian...that we were joking around in Creole...that chickens walking between our ankles wasn't "normal" for me...that the rest of the family taking bucket baths next to us wasn't "how it was when I was a kid" on Saturday nights getting ready for church.

Then a lady I recognized from down the street milled around the yard with her daughter and then approached the house to talk. We all chatted for a while while her daughter and Lily played, and then Lily says to me, "Mommy, what's wrong with her arm?"

I looked at the little girl's arm, and was horrified to see it was all mangled. "What happened to her arm?" I asked the mother.

"Ah, last Sunday she fell in the cook fire. I wanted to wash it, but she won't let me, so...huh." Shrug. Shrugs all around. Back to the conversation.

I called the girl over and got a closer look...chunks of ash and even charcoal seemed to be glued into the open wounds...dirt...infection.

I bit my lips to keep from vomiting. That wasn't infection...her untouched wounds were crawling with maggots.

"Mommy, look!" Lily said at the same time, very interested. "There are wormies in her arm!"

Lily and I were starting to disturb everyone by devoting too much attention to a toddler when adults were trying to talk. But I didn't know what to say. And I didn't know what to do.

The little girl looked at me blankly with a snotty nose, round cheeks and wild braids, all trailing off in a different direction, not even blinking at the painful active travesty that was her little arm.

I was blinking enough for the both of us.

The next morning Lily and I left early for church to visit a different friend, Angeline, who just had a little boy in their wood-woven hut on Thursday. We gushed over the curly-headed little boy, clearly knit together by His hand.

"I'm gonna play with the other baby," Lily said, running off to peek-a-boo at a seemingly random and unattended little girl, not much older than Sof. She grinned huge dark eyes at Lily, and I returned to my conversation with Angeline.

When it was time to go, I walked over to Lily and her wee friend and squatted down with them, fingering her tiny braids.

Just barely old enough to sit up on her own, the little one was wearing a little t-shirt and nothing else. As is probably normal in many third-world cultures, there is no money for finery like diapers, and no one sees any sense in wasting time washing rags (soap = $$$, water = precious) over and over again when the baby is just going to pee again in a few minutes. So, Wide Eyes was sittin' bare-butt in the dirt yard.

I quickly realized that she had been....for a long time. She sat alone in a virtual mud/urine/poopy puddle, and with the worms of yesterday still burned in my mind, I tried to push away thoughts of parasites, worms, disease.

I force-grinned into her brilliant deep chocolate eyes, and tried to push away thoughts of fair Sofie's perfect, plump rump, parked just a few feet away from this little one's (and so many others).

Her derriere is wiped a dozen times a day with dewy baby wipes that I have brought in from the States, swaddled in a fresh Sesame Street imprinted diaper (which I also have brought in from the States) before she is coddled into her clean Bumbo chair or on her bleached play mat, covered with a clean blanket just in case and surrounded by age appropriate toys for her development.

Once again, I'm "walking away" from these situations, and so many others, asking the Lord to form my perspective, begging Him to help me know how to think and how to feel, asking Him how to reconcile the worlds represented in my life, asking Him to tell me what to do...how to live...who to BE...

...in light of Haiti
...in light of Humanity
...in light of Him

note: We gave the first mother money to take her burned daughter to the clinic and to buy any medications needed. I do not know if she did, or if she will.

new feature...

2011-11-14T13:35:00.002-05:00

...over at EBS's blog!

"Starting Tuesday, November 15th, Emmaus wants to help you get to know us a littler better!

Welcome to Testimony Tuesdays, a weekly post you'll find right here introducing you to the life story of one of the staff or students at Emmaus.

As you meet the men and women God is using to build His kingdom in Haiti, you will...

- learn more about the culture of Haiti

- read about the staff and students in their own words and styles

- get to know other members of the Emmaus body in an intimate way

- be blessed by the powerful ways that God is at work in Haiti

- know how to better pray for Haiti and for Emmaus

- become better aquatinted with a student you may support

- see how God can use your support of EBS to transform Haiti in the same way He has transformed the lives of Haitian leaders!

Tomorrow, we'll start with a young man in third year that you probably feel like you already know quite well....Junior!"

the best part

2011-11-13T19:10:00.003-05:00

"Mommy?" Lily tells me very matter-of-factly this afternoon, "We should obey God needs to obey us."

"We need to obey God, hun?"

"YES. We need to obey God. Because....because...because of Jesus."

"Because it makes Jesus happy?"

"YES. Because it makes Jesus happy in my heart."

"Jesus is in your heart?"

"YES" she says, immediately feeling her heart. "UMMM. I don't feel him!"

What a great opportunity. "Yeah, but He's there!" I shared. "Even when you can't feel Him or see Him or hear Him, He's there! And He can always hear and see you! Any time you talk to Him or need Him, He is there. And He loves you!"

"Like you do?"

"Even MORE than Mommy does. Because He MADE you!! And I asked Him for you, and He gave you to me! And every day, I say thank you!"

"He gave me to you?"

"Yes!"

"And He gave ME to me?"

"Ummmm.."

"No, no. God gave YOU to me?"

"YESSSSS."

Looking at her heart and talking loudly: "THANK YOU JESUS."

oh man. There has been no sweeter part of motherhood so far than sharing precious conversations about the Only One who loves her more than I do...the One who takes care of Lily better than I'll ever be able to. What in the world would I do if I couldn't put precious her in Trustworthy His hands??

Lily's starting to know Jesus, and it makes both she and I so happy...

continued goodness

2011-11-12T13:22:00.000-05:00

The Lord is just blessing our socks off lately.

It truly seems that every desperate situation we have brought to Him over the last weeks He has done something with...either miraculously changed the situation, brought healing, given peace, changed course, provided for, answered, made a way, shown hope, redeemed.

Now that I think of it, that has been true all our lives.

I have been crucified with Christ,
It is no longer I who live,
but Christ who lives in me;
and the life which I now live in the flesh
I live by faith in Jesus,
Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
I will NOT nullify His grace.
Galatians 2:20

As we try, often stumbling and failing, to live by faith, He continues to love us and continues to give Himself up for us...beautiful grace...and continues to be alive in our lives. He continues to be at work, all through the lens of His love for us each.

Friday we met with Dr. Thorton (see previous post) for about an hour, a meeting we walked out of saying to each other again: "Wow. That was a God thing. Somebody write that down!"

What a beautiful image of Christ we saw through Dr. Thorton. Rich in education, experience, wisdom and knowledge, I wasn't even sure if he remembered us, and was confident that he would be far more interested in the powerful ministry tools he brought to Emmaus than in our lives. How humbling and powerful it was, then, to have him sit us down, ask how we were, look at our situation, offer his help and advice, pray with us, encourage us, laugh with us.

How powerfully and miraculously the Lord can use a willing vessel! The Lord spoke clearly through this man to affirm our hearts and to replace much of the turmoil, exhaustion and uncertainty of the last months with His peace. He listened, he cared, he brought himself into our situation with us, he shared what the Lord put on his heart, (which was unarguably from Him) and he offered to help.

All very simple. Only 50 minutes. But life-changing. Truly. We've been asking the Lord to fill us up and to pour into the vessels of our lives that we are constantly pouring out of, and He has been!

Then, Tom, Jerry P. and Troy headed out this morning after a great "last supper" last night, and only a few hours later, Jerry C., Jim and Sue Smith pulled in, preparing to teach courses this week. Thursday OMS Haiti is taking a 3 day spiritual retreat to the Dominican, where Jim and Sue will be sharing. The hot weather is finally cooling down a bit (it's only 90 right now :), we had a good phone call from dear friends, got to speak to my Dad this morning...all ways that He loves us.

Grateful for His call on our lives, for the beautiful work He has set before us, and for His great love and grace towards us, manifested in so many ways!

Contextualized Discipleship

2011-11-10T13:38:00.003-05:00

Today is a buzz-day at Emmaus! Last night, Dr. Phil Thorton and Dr. Charles Lake arrived to spend 48 hours at Emmaus.

If you've never heard of either of these men, you can read a bit about Dr. Lake here and here and learn a few things about Dr. Thorton here and here.

Even more interesting than their past experiences and current passions (at least to me) is that Dr. Phil Thorton was our professor when we were students at Asbury, and as I pursued a minor in foreign missions, I took every class Dr. Thorton offered. Listening to him teach again this morning, this time with our students as his students, was just really an awesome experience.

All the "bones" and hypothetical examples he laid out for four years in the classroom now has skin in our lives, and we are able to share it with our professor!

So here's what it's all about. Dr. Thorton and Dr. Lake are teaching church leaders in various oral cultures (cultures dominated by illiteracy) to be more effective in their communication of the Gospel by using culturally appropriate methods instead of trying to teach it in a Western way (as many missionaries and ministries have naturally taught it to be done over the past 200 years).

To show what he was talking about, Dr. Thorton used popular Haitian proverbs, which are well-known and carry the same cultural interpretation, and asked students to think of Biblical parallels that could be taught by these proverbs.

The students also learned how to take cultural stories that everyone knows, many of which would be considered Voodoo myths, and identify principles in these stories that have Biblical parallels. Thorton taught that it is best to start with that which is already known before moving into teaching the unknown, and how to do it in a culturally appropriate and Biblically sound way.

We all talked about myths, about proverbs, about songs and dramas and how to use these cultural norms to share and teach the Gospel better. The students loved it, the staff loved it, Dr. Thorton had a blast...It's been a GREAT conference so far.

For example, at one point, Dr. Thorton asked someone to read the wedding at Canaan from the French Bible. Before the store was really underway, some of the guys were dozing (this would be the normal way the story would be shared in most churches.

Then, Dr. Thorton asked a student to stand up and tell the story of the wedding at Canaan. There was more interest. Finally, several of the students were asked to perform the wedding, and everyone was on the edges of their seats, involved and interested. There might be more effective ways to communicate the Scriptures in this culture than reading It!

The whole conference, so far, has been incredibly practical and exciting, and EBS was blessed to also be joined by a group of leaders/pastors from Gonaives who are also interested in teaching the Gospel in a more effective way.

With the final two days of intensive courses sandwiched in the middle of sessions, there is a lot of great, practical and transforming material being given to Christian leaders at Emmaus today!

We are incredibly grateful to have Dr. Thorton and Dr. Lake here, and for the Jesus that is easy to see in these humble, joyful men (let's face it, humility is a wildly popular attribute in a friend of any culture!) Also continue to be so blessed to have Pastors Jerry Poff and Tom Black, and handy man Troy with us for just a few more days!

for His glory!

He continues...

2011-11-08T10:28:00.001-05:00

Ok, Finally! My third "good stuff". This is really good.

If you've been with us for a while now, you'll remember Konpech. If not, you can read my initial post here on this near-by but very isolated and deeply dark area, or scroll down a bit and click on "Konpech" in the word bank and read the whole story.

Junior and several other students have had a continual burden for this little community, about 80 people who are all descendants of the same one or two witch-doctors. Deeply entrenched in the old ways, Junior has carefully and prayerfully been working to spread the Gospel here, but after a few set backs at the end of the school year, had not returned for many months.

Until last Sunday.

"It's time," he told us a few days before. "I've been waiting and waiting for His timing, and I feel that it is time. I'm going Sunday morning, because I know they will all be there, and won't yet be busy making the big meal of the day or doing laundry. Six of the guys are going with me. Please pray...I don't know what to expect!"

one of the trees of Konpech that the people believe to be inhabited by demons

All throughout church I was thinking and praying for them and the precious people of Konpech, anxious to get home and hear, uncertain of what the morning would be bringing Junior.

We waited anxiously after arriving home at 11:30, but the guys didn't return until just after 1 pm.

Junior beelined for the house grinning, and sighed "That was GOOD" as he sank onto the couch, weary from the hike and five consecutive hours of ministry.

"Everyone was so excited to see us," Junior relayed. "They immediately found a bench and brought it out for the 7 of us to sit on, while dozens of the community sat or stood around us on buckets or rocks or on the ground. They knew I was there to talk about God, but instead of asking me to leave or indicating they didn't want to hear, they brought a bench...they wanted to hear what I had to share. This excited me!

"So, after we all talked for a few minutes about how everyone was, we began again. I acted as if no one knew anything about the Bible from what I had shared last year, and just began telling them the story of Scripture. We talked about how God made the world, how sin came into it, different people's stories in the Bible, what God decided to do about the separation and death sin brought in, Jesus' birth and life, His ministry, His death and resurrection.

"I just laid out the whole Gospel, and the guys helped me, and everyone listened. It took about four hours, and everyone listened.

Junior on the road to Konpech

"You know me, Stace. I don't ever like to force people to accept what I'm saying, or even try to persuade them to accept it. So I didn't even mention converting or accepting or believing or changing or anything like that. We just laid the Gospel out there, and after we had, we said, 'Ok, well, it was good to share that with you!'

"Wait!" a woman called Zouta told Junior as they rose to go. "All of us! We must all be saved! We all want to be saved from all our sins!"

"Whoa, whoa," the crowd quickly shushed her, not forgetting they were standing on demon land next to demon trees and were demon committed people. "Speak for yourself. That's a big thing. We're not ready for that."

"Fine!" Zouta quickly brushed them off. "Then me. I must be saved. I want to be saved from all my sins."

"Me too," another woman, Youseline, said, stepping out from the crowd.

"What do you mean?" Junior asked, ever the one to make sure conversions are sincere and that people know what they are talking about before making any decisions.

The two woman and the 7 guys discussed what being saved fully means, all while the crowd listened intently.

"This is what you want? To make Him Lord of your life and die to your sins?" Junior asked.

"Yes" Zouta, "Yes" Youseline, and then a surprising third woman stepped out, "YES"...Edline.

the isolated community of Konpech

"OK!" Junior said, and after sharing a bit more about how to ask for and receive salvation, Junior asked them each to ask God for it, again, in front of all their peers. The three women prayed, and when Edline finished, a young man, Rolin, asked Junior if he could pray for the same thing in his life.

Four conversions, in a place like Konpech, with NO invitation for conversion and no pressure from the guys and no pressure by the presence of missionaries (everyone knows what we want them to do just by being missionaries), no gifts or food or Bibles for motivation...four conversions like this are a big deal.

(Don't get me wrong, of course...any conversion is a big deal. There are just a lot of indications here that these conversions were very sincere in a very poor country where many people have converted two dozen times in hopes of pleasing you, in hopes of getting you to leave, in hopes of what you might bring them or in hopes receiving some kind of aid.)

Junior and the guys returned again this past Sunday and started back at the beginning of the Bible, using chronological Bible story telling to teach far more about God than the brief summary of the week before. In the midst of torrential rains, they found far less people Sunday, but are encouraged and dedicated to heading back each Sunday morning to study the Word with the new believers, and many non-believers, in Konpech.

Junior's past in Voodoo (until he became saved as a young teen and banished by his witch-doctor father) continues to make him a great vessel of God in heavily voodoo areas (he knows the beliefs), and it's such a joy for Matt and I to see God use him, the other students, and everything that they are learning for His kingdom. Five of the seven are currently taking "Spiritual Warfare" with Tom Black...all the better!

Please keep Konpech, Zouta, Youseline, Rolin and Edline, and Junior and the other students in your prayers.

He continues to pursue His people. He continues to have a plan. He continues to provide for it. And He continues to let us each be a part!

Praise the Lord...He continues!

friends

2011-11-07T08:20:00.002-05:00

As if it hasn’t been clear enough lately that He is intimately in love with our little family and that He continues to have a perfect providential plan for our days, Elisa and Maria’s visit would have confirmed it. We see Mia and Elisa once or twice a year, but saying good-bye this morning didn’t just have Lily in tears!

I’m not sure how we’ll make it without all the help they’ve poured out the last ten days…dishes and cooking and coloring with Lily, bouncing Fussy-Fuss, cleaning, grading papers, typing student letters, babysitting…the list goes on and on.

They have the spiritual gift of thoughtfulness, and came laden with daily activities for Lily, meal components for quick-and-easy cooking, new worship music, fall decorations, little gifts…

But even more than the physical help and gifts they gave, we are blessed to have had the help of friendship…Listening ears, interested questioning, prayer responses, tears at tears and shared laughter at joy, great conversations about old times and these times and the future.

Their true friendship has our family all feeling much more rested, hopeful, thankful and peaceful than we did 10 days ago…how do you thank someone for that?

We tried, and we’ll continue to thank Him for knowing what we needed and when, and for working through these two dear friends in the perfect time and way.

Meanwhile, a very tearful Lily (“I’m gonna miss themmmmm!”) is being distracted by pancakes at Dodo and Bubba’s (another blessed friendship), Matt’s off to town for an airport run, to purchase steel, chicken legs for the seminary and laundry soap, and I’m giving a test on housing, professions and the present continuous.

Go be a selfless friend to someone today…He can use you in miraculous ways just through relationship.

more good stuff

2011-11-05T09:35:00.001-05:00

For several months now, we’ve been having increased water issues: poor water pressure, lack of water, etc. Matt’s been asking several people over the past months to put in an additional water pump, but the replacement was expensive, things kept coming up, and/or no one was here to do it. Finally, on Thursday, a replacement arrived, and someone was supposed to come yesterday to replace our old pump.

However, yesterday they never showed, and so we figured maybe sometime next week.

Last night, while we were watching a movie with our friends, we noticed that there was no water, and after about 30 minutes outside in the dark, Matt and Troy, a visiting welder, discovered that our water pump was DONE. Couldn’t do one more thing, dead.

“Hey,” Matt says, “there just so happens to be a BRAND new water pump right here that came yesterday!”

A few hours later, Matt, Troy, Maxi, Jerry and Tom (who says visiting professors can only teach J?) had our new water pump installed and water flowing.

Wow. I mean, the pump JUST CAME on Thursday. And our current pump died completely on Friday. We could have been weeks without water. We could have had NO one here that knew how to replace it. We could have had some major problems. Instead, after a few hours, it was done.

“I’ll never forget tonight,” a very dirty and tired and happy Matt shared last night when he finally came in. “Again, another true work of the Lord. That pump has worked for five years, and there is NO coincidence that it lasted until the day we got a new one and had a friend here to replace it!”

Pretty crazy stuff, being recipients of His love and being in the palm of His hand.

We never realize at the time what God is putting us through—we go through it more or less without understanding. Then suddenly we come to a place of enlightenment, and realize—‘God has strengthened me and I didn’t even know it!’—O Chambers

Still haven’t shared the biggest testimony from this past week…we’ve been having some pretty extreme internet issues! Will do this weekend…

God's good stuff

2011-11-03T09:29:00.000-05:00

I have two very concrete and beautiful testimonies to share with you...one today and one tomorrow... both that just continue to move me...not just to a feeling or an emotion, but to a better place with Him and others.

Our little family has been struggling quite a bit these past few months. We have been working and living at the Seminary almost entirely alone until recently (aside from the students we are here to minister to), and while our Haitian family has been around us and alongside of us, the heavy burdens of feeling ultimately in charge of administration, finances, maintenance, operations, security, teaching, internet, electricity...etc., have been wearing on us, Matt especially.

While many are ready and anxious to help, there are just a lot of things that need done that no one is trained or experienced to do, so Matt has been filling a lot of gaps that he also isn't trained or experienced or wired to do. Ever present needs for help and funding and teachers, translators, maintenance, etc., are ever wearing.

"The life of the missionary", sure. But it sure can be exhausting and frustrating! Matt even continues to be plagued with feeling sick, vomiting and stomach pain, and I can't help but think that stress is contributing! (A stateside doctor is helping us narrow down some possible issues, as well)

Lately, I've been praying over-time for Matt, that the Lord would help show him what things need to just be let go in light of keeping sanity, and that He would restore unto Matt the joy of His calling and work.

For some reason, the last few days have been especially hard, and we prayed together last night late into the night that God would restore us, give us a new perspective, change things, move, work, give peace.

I was then up with the girls a record number of times through the night, and when they both got up at 5:30, Matt took them out to the main room so Mommy could sleep a few minutes.

At 6:00 am I awoke to the guys singing, a very common sound here at Emmaus. However, it was much too loud to be coming from the nearby chapel, and I realized that they were in the next room. I threw on a dress and came out only to see a group of six young men standing in a circle around Matt and our jammied girls, singing their hearts out.

I took a mental picture and joined Matt in the middle, a bit amazed (this has never happened before) as the singing turned to prayers, six of our brothers lifting us up individually, but together. As they prayed, I singled out one voice after another, listening to bits of their prayers, claiming them for our little family. Belony prayed for peace. Mogene, for healing. Augustin prayed for energy and wisdom, Gesner for joy for us each.

Astounded, I listened to each of these men, NONE of whom were aware of our recent burdens or feelings, ask God for EVERY single thing that we had been praying for last night. For EVERY single thing that I have felt we need, and more. Neither pajamas or the early hour diverted His precious presence, and intimately blessed, I looked up to see Matt's face shining with the same joy and awe that mine was.

When the men finished, together we prayed a series of common Haitian repetitive prayers, affirming and cementing in what we were asking the Lord for.

Bless the name of Jesus.
Bless the name of Jesus.
Jesus, for joy.
Jesus, for joy.
Jesus, our security.
Jesus, our security.
Jesus, for healing.
Jesus, for healing.
Jesus, for wisdom.
Jesus, for wisdom.
Jesus, before us.
Jesus, before us.
Jesus, behind us.
Jesus, behind us.
Jesus, beside us.
Jesus, beside us.

We rose together, all shaking hands as is the custom (starting and finishing with holding hands), and Belony said, "We each felt very strongly this morning that God wanted us to come and pray for you. Each of us. We don't know why, but we trust Him, and were pleased to obey."

I hope you have goosebumps, as I do. There may be a lot of things lacking in Haiti. There may be a lot of things lacking. But one of those things is not faith.

I know without a shadow of a doubt that God told each of those men this morning to come and pray for us. There can be no coincidence. We were up into the night last night, begging His help.

I know God sent them, and I know that while these students may have no money, no jobs, no family, no healthcare, no possessions...they are walking close enough to our Father and are surrendered enough to Him to hear His still, small voice. And while they did not understand why He was saying what He was, they had the faith and the discipline to obey. Immediately.

We may work in many places throughout our lives, with people that "have" far more than our current family, but I'm not sure that we will ever meet a people with more abandoned faith than those around us now.

Healing and recovery when my mom left us for Jesus was a long road, but I could vividly recount to you the day, standing knee-deep in icy water under the Haitian sun scrubbing laundry in Port-au-Prince, that He met me and put me on that road.

Healing and restoration are a long process, for sure. But there has to be a starting point, and I believe that comes only by a work of God. A moment of healing in His presence that puts you on that road.

Christ in Belo, Mogene, Gregori, Augustin, Gesner and Devicouer did what only He can do this morning, and I am so grateful!

When God talks to someone else about you, it sure makes you realize His love for you in a new way!

Grateful this morning that He loves us each, that He cares for us each, that we have obedient brothers in Him, and that His plan for ALL of us includes joy, healing, peace that passes understanding and GOOD stuff (to borrow a theological term from Charlie).

Praying the same for you today!

in the classroom

2011-11-01T15:19:00.001-05:00

Have I ever mentioned how much I love teaching? Coffee-in-hand might give away that teaching is a bit difficult when you're up several times a night, but hands down, playing with Lily, drooly Sofie kisses, and working with the students in the classroom are the best parts of my day.

Starting on October 31st, Emmaus is taking a break from the normal block schedule to fit in four weeks of intensive courses, making it possible for various visiting professors to join us! Yesterday, Tom Black began teaching Spiritual Warfare to 2nd, 3rd and 4th year (due to a last minute cancellation of our 2nd year teacher) and Jerry Poff began to work with the 1st year class through Intro to the New Testament.

above, Jerry Poff, working with Wadner

So far, so good...everyone is enjoying having more time daily to dive into one course (plus all language classes) and the students are enjoying getting to know a "new" professor. We're so thankful for these VP's and for the new dimensions of expertise, friendship and experience they bring!

Tom Black, working with Joshua as translator

and then there is Lily, working with Maria and Elisa on pumpkin cookies. A girl just can't have enough Aunts! She is loving brushing their hair, enjoying all their little gifts, like this new chef get-up, and they have colored a million pictures.

We find ourselves incredibly blessed right now to have good friends from college helping at the school and at home, great friends next door caring for our visiting professors, great visiting professors helping with teaching and to spend fun evenings with, and a great welder who is fixing all KINDS of things! Having VP's here also means that Matt has a much-needed four week break from teaching!

Lots of hands make light work!

not for us

2011-10-30T16:20:00.000-05:00

I’m so thankful for some of the unique opportunities raising the girls in Haiti allows. Yesterday, we all piled in the truck with Maria and Elisa (our good friends from college who arrived yesterday morning), and drove an hour to a children’s home. We’re friends with the couple who own the kids’ home, where they currently have 60 children under 3 years old.

Almost 100% of their children come in because of extreme malnourishment or medical emergencies. The home tries to help these kids return to good health, whether that means a few months of good food, working towards medical visas for major surgeries (like heart deformities or brain tumors), helping with surgeries, etc.

Then, the kids’ home tries to return the children to their original homes, or if the situation in the home is so desperate that the family is sure that the child will simply return to his or her original state, the family can choose to release the child to the children’s home, who immediately starts working to find adoptive families.

We all drove out yesterday for a fall party, and Lily was THRILLED beyond belief to find a playground. A real playground. And kids. Lots of kids. We were happy to meet several other younger missionaries from this children’s home and from an orphanage in town. While there weren’t any other kids there who spoke English, Lily had a blast none-the-less.

It has also given us some good conversations with Lily, with each other and with God about this world, and why things are the way they are, and how to see things with His heart.

The children in the most heart-breaking states were in a small room together, completely emaciated little stick children with wide knees and large heads. I’ve never seen such starving children, all new to the children’s home and on the brink of death. Even more shocking was to see these little ones stand up and toddle around, or crawl all over the place, when upon first sight you would be confident they were only a few weeks old due to their size.

“Mommy?” Lily asked me. “Those kids are sick, huh. So they have to stay inside?”

“Yeah, hunnie.”

“We need to pray for them?” she kept asking.

Two more things I’ll never forgot:

As I was talking to another woman, I was holding Sofie while she was babbling and drooling and grinning. A third woman walked up holding a tiny little baby, maybe 4 or 5 weeks old, with lots of little fuzz and an adorable grin. She was holding “Ruff” the same way I was holding Sofie, side-by-side.

“How old is this cutie?” the woman asked me.

“Five months,” I smiled down at squirmy Sofie.

“Oh,” she said, “I was just wondering where Ruff stood.”

“Why? How old is he?” I asked, grinning back at his adorable face.

“Seven months” she said, and I swear, all I could think was, “You must be lying. That’s just not possible.”

I mean, Ruff was a third of the size of Sofie. ITTY BITTY. And over 2 months older. My mouth went dry and suddenly Sofie seemed huge. And healthy. And as I found out later, surrounding by children who had been exposed to measles. I started worrying about Sofie who hasn’t had her MMR vaccine, and yet here were 60 other little ones living in the midst.

Later, I followed Lily as she went from new toy to new toy, a trail of toddlers following after us and playing on whatever Lily wanted to play on. I took a seat on a bench while Lil and a group of adorable kiddos played on a teeter-totter, but quickly moved my feet, realizing that a huge swarm of fire ants were devouring a few greasy grains of rice someone had dropped off their lunch plate.

A round little boy sitting next to me saw me jerk my feet away, and looked down to see the 14-15 grains of rice and the hundreds of fire ants carrying them away through the dirt.

“UH!” he mumbled quickly and dove off the bench, attracting near-by boys who fled from Lily’s side to my feet, all diving for each small piece of rice, completely ignoring the stinging red ants crawling up their sticky fingers.

“No, no, guys,” I told them quickly. “That rice is SO dirty and look at all these ants!”

But it was too late, and they did not care.

I’ll never, as long as I live, forget seeing those little hands darting out after each little grain, shoving rice and fire ants and dirt alike into their anxious mouths. Their round bellies and dimpled cheeks showed that they were no longer starving. But their actions showed that they had been…and already at such a young age, they know to eat what you find when you can as fast as you can, before someone else does.

Heartbreaking. Lily, clean and round and unknowing of what hunger even is, now standing by my side, watching the whole thing and asking me to explain. Heartbreaking.

As I said Wednesday, there is SO much to do in the world. So much of His love to give and so many people to share it with. I’m thankful that the God who sees each sparrow rise and fall and who clothes each flower is close to these little ones, their loving Father. He knows each inside and out, fearfully and wonderfully made them, and sent His Son for them each. He knows who they are and who He made them to be, He knows what He made them to do.

All I could tell Lily was all I could tell myself.

This world is not for us, is it. We are not here in this world for ourselves. We have been sent for others…Just as He was, and the world is waiting for what we have. Let us be urgent.

Yet again…Christ in us, the Hope of Glory.

limitless confidence

2011-10-28T14:27:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we kicked off the EBS Women's Bible Study : Christian Character. The highlight was just sitting (and sweating) around the table with all the female cooks, housecleaners, secretaries and students. With women from 18-60, no education to a master's candidate, from all over Haiti, with all different giftings and passions, it was exciting to realize as we sang our opening hymn that we were sisters.

As I tried to share my Bible with Roselore, I quickly realized that she could not read, embarrassed that I may have embarrassed her. Then there was Rosejezula busting out some Greek...one of our biggest challenges may just be staying together! It was challenging to study God's Word together when several participants were unable to READ God's Word! Pray for me as I work to find ways to "study" verses in an oral, repetitive fashion instead of saying, "What do we see in verse 18?"

We began the base of this 12 week study on Christian Character with Romans, discussing how we are "Freed to Serve God", though none of us were found righteous, no, not one. We spoke about His justification, and about things that still seek to enslave us, though we are now justified and free. The women had tons to contribute and the hour flew by all too fast, followed by a few minutes to pray for and with each other.

Please be praying for this study and for wisdom and creativity on my part as I seek to facilitate. My "plan" is to lead this Christian Character study these 12 weeks, and then ask who would like to lead the next study after...there is no reason why I need to be at the reigns with women who have followed the Lord, many, their whole lives.

Meanwhile, I am heartbroken over the women who have loved Jesus for years and have hidden His Word in their hearts, but who must be dependent upon others to receive it due to illiteracy. There just seems to be NO END to all of the ways one could minister here...I'd love to start teaching them to read! But unless the Lord unexpectedly gives me the gift of "no sleep needed", I just cannot do one more thing! (remind me of this!)

On another note, we have two friends and one visiting professor (who is also our friend, of course! :) coming tomorrow, then another VP and another friend on Sunday. Our third VP who was set to teach on Monday cancelled at the last moment, so it's been a busy time trying to re-schedule and register all the students with other courses!

We had a great service in chapel today in which a VERY nervous Junior (1000th time preaching, but first time preaching in chapel to his peers) shared from 2 Peter 1 about what holiness looks like. It was a great, practical and challenging message, and I was blessed to hear the Lord put on his heart to share some of the same issues that Matt and I have been praying for regarding the students...and ourselves! Junior is just such an ernest, passionate and humble man that I love to hear the Word through his lens.

The Lord has done some pretty neat things this week to encourage our hearts, and I am so thankful.

My O. Chambers reading from the other day asked this: Am I abandoning the great supernatural position of limitless confidence in Christ Jesus, which is really God's only call for a missionary?

As life and all it brings has passed this week, I keep finding myself asking "What would unlimited confidence in Christ look like in this situation?"

I have fallen short in most cases, but in the rare moments where I was utterly abandoned to trust in Him, the process to His faithfulness was much sweeter.

He is good.

a prayer for quietness of heart

2011-10-26T13:36:00.001-05:00

Give me, O Lord

that quietness of heart

that makes the most of labor and of rest.

Save me from passionate excitement,

petulant fretfulness and idle fear,

keeping me ever in the restful presence of your love.

Teach me to be alert and wise in all responsibilities,

without hurry and without neglect.

Tame and rule my tongue,

that I may not transgress your law of love.

When others censure, may I seek your image in others,

judging with charity, as one who will be judged.

Banish envy and hatred from my thoughts.

Help me to be content amid the strife of tongues,

with my unspoken thought.

When anxious cares threaten my peace,

help me to run to You,

that I may find my rest

and be made strong

for calm endurance and valiant service.

amen

W. Lewis of Milan

because of love.

2011-10-25T08:34:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure how to share this without getting too specific and boring you all to death, but it's too good not to share.

Matt knew coming back that a major confrontation had to happen upon his arrival, so we thoroughly anticipated yesterday being a rough day. And it was...for two hours he and a friend/employee tried to work through several major issues that have been mounting for months. They could NOT get on the same page, were both becoming more and more heated, and finally, both lost their cool, something that happens VERY rarely with Matt.

Matt immediately apologized for losing his temper, and dejectedly hung his head in his hands, confident that there was no other place to go in this relationship. It was finished. There was nothing else he could do. However, before the friend left, Matt tried one last approach. Love.

"If this stuff was happening with just anyone, I wouldn't even care," Matt told the man. "This is so important, and so heartbreaking, because it's YOU. YOU are my friend. I love you. And these circumstances have abolished all trust, which in turn greatly diminishes our relationship. And because I love you, this is heartbreaking."

They talked another thirty minutes, and by the time they finished, things were "good enough", patched together and function-able. But Matt came home with no joy or hope over the conversation, and our evening was full of tears over sin and selfishness, expectations and disappointments, a lost friendship and perhaps a work relationship that needed terminated. There was nothing much I could say to encourage Matt, and throughout the night I prayed that God might still somehow work in the situation, though it seemed to be closed.

Blessing one...Lucner, though incredibly busy and finally home with his wife and baby, having overheard the argument earlier, called Matt around 8 pm, just to see if he was ok. (Note to self...these little things, just five minutes of effort, but often overlooked, can transform a person. DO it!)

Matt tossed and turned all night, sick over the lost friend, broken situation, unfruitful confrontation and generally dejected in ministry here.

But at 7 am, that same man showed up at our door, looking equally terrible.

"I couldn't sleep all night. All this time that you have been trying to tell me these things, and I have never listened. And I didn't listen yesterday. I said some terrible, awful things. And then you told me about your love for me, and I realized for the first time that this whole time you have truly cared about ME. You haven't been upset about how I've been acting because you want to bring me down, or to hurt me or to trick me, as I had thought. And that changes everything. I have said and done so many terrible things, and I am SO SORRY. I am just sick this morning, more sick than I have ever felt. Please, won't you forgive me? Please!"

I'm not a crier, but man, seeing these two haggard men embrace this morning in our doorway, transformed by love, I was fighting back tears.

What a beautiful picture of His love.

He tries to show us how to live, to tell us which way to go. He tries to bring us closer and closer to Him through holiness. He tries to give us discipline, and we reject it, buck it, hold firm to our own understanding. We are sure that He isn't out for our own good, but is out to ruin us, or to harm us. We're sure that we know what is best for us, and that we need to look out for our own good.

And then, in brief and beautiful and heartbreaking moments, He makes us realize that all of these things He is asking for in us isn't to box us in, or to harm us, but to give us hope and freedom and a future. It is because of His LOVE for us, His great love.

And it is that great love that transforms us. That melts our stubborn hearts. That changes our perspective. That takes us from arrogant hot heads into humble and repentant children.

I'm so incredibly thankful for this miracle of His love in Matt's life, and am so incredibly thankful for the reminder of HIS unwavering love for me...in how many ways am I subconsciously today resisting that transforming love?

It's why we're His, it's why we're able to be Holy, and it's why we're here.

because of love.

American/Haitian/His.

2011-10-24T14:12:00.001-05:00

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but soon, face to face;

now I know in part, but soon I will know fully

just as I also have been fully known.

1 Corinthians 13:12

These past two weeks have been interesting, making me realize what a weird situation we live in daily!

We grew up in America around Americans, and therefore have many American mindsets and cultural "norms" built into our DNA. We've lived in Haiti for five years now, and find that we have not only added many Haitian cultural norms to our personal culture, but have even replaced some. So today we find that we have a unique cultural DNA.

When we're in the States, we feel weird. When we're here, we feel weird. No situation ever feels 100% "normal" any more, and then we throw our girls into the mix, who are both growing up in Haiti, with 98% of their friends and daily acquaintances being Haitian, in a semi-American home to semi-Americans.

These past two weeks, Matt was in the States but traveling and living with Haitians, and I was here, but with my American dad and sister living with me. And with new Canadian neighbors :)

To top it all off, both our worlds have proven to be largely secular, without-god cultures, and we have both taken on an entirely new and different Christ-culture, changing the way we see and experience and believe things, all the more.

Having so many visitors in the house while I was so sick was really hard for my sister...and by the end of the week, really hard for me!

However, a good friend did not come and see me when I was sick (as I had thought I wished everyone would do) and I was genuinely hurt.

When Lisa and I were driving to town on Friday we saw something really painful, and saw a group of young children laughing at it...and instead of being appalled as I would have been years before, I found a sense of cultural understanding: life is too painful and has been far too ugly for small children to accept, and thus the cultural norm of laughing at misfortune or heartbreak is born.

But when a group at Wesley shared a presentation and were rather "ripped up" by their professor, Matt was surprised that all four of his Haitian classmates were laughing hilariously.

Having the man behind them in Starbucks say some rude and hurtful things (rather normal in any culture, I guess) to Luke and Vilmer about "how things are done in America" was really painful and embarrassing for Matt, but at the airport in Cap-Haitien when dozens of people were fighting Matt for his suitcase, Matt was quite at ease.

In the jumble of it all, I am so thankful that I am not at the mercy of any culture, nor must be defined by any. I am happy to be well-grounded and identified in Him as His, belittling the importance of "cultural" norms and where I am from.

We should be strange here...not because we're Americans seeking our American culture, but because we are His and seeking His. And we should be strange in the States because we look like Christ, who I'm pretty sure never looked too "American". And as we work in both cultures AS both cultures, we always want and need to have people in our lives who share our Host Culture: Christ.

Very thankful to have people like that here and there and everywhere.

Once again, as we struggled these past weeks with "what we are" and "what is normal", our peace has come from what He describes as His 'normal' in His Word and as He describes how we are to act, respond, live and think, regardless of country. We'd be lost without it!

Prayers for the Week:
-continued healing for Matt and I both
-a great return and re-dedication to Biblical study for our students
-my women's Bible study begins THURSDAY on Christian Character!
-the 2 weeks away helped Matt identify some changes that need to be made...praying for strength and wisdom as he does so!
-for Lily, who is struggling with Grandpa in and out, Lisa in and out, Dad being gone for two weeks...instability
-for the 6 visiting professors and/or friends coming in this weekend to help at EBS!

news

2011-10-22T13:29:00.000-05:00

The bad news is...

...after 3 sick days and 1 great day and 1 fantastic day at the pool, Aunt Lisa, Lily's "very best friend", is gone.

Good news is...Matt is safely home (and quite sick). Praise the Lord for family here while Matt was away, for bringing him home safely, and for being so Faithful to the girls and I in Matt's absence. Praying for a quick recovery for Matt...because school (and better blogging :) starts Monday!

2011-10-19T21:41:00.000-05:00

Oh man. I have been one sick chick. Turns out a lot of prayer, iv fluids, antibiotics and another 36 hours was just what I needed...I am FINALLY feeling better tonight, and will try to take on eating something tomorrow...not sure if I've EVER been so sick.

PRAISING THE LORD for your prayers, for my amazing sister who has done baby duty, dish duty, fixed our washing machine, princess duty, cooking, answering the door (cultural note: absolutely EVERYONE comes to see you continuously whenever you are sick, so that you know they love you. we feel the love.) and for the McCluskey's, who have helped with meals and errands and making sure we're making it over here!

sent

2011-10-17T20:26:00.002-05:00

Today was one of the hardest days of, well, a really long time! I woke up sick, feeling like I had food poisoning, but convinced myself that we were GOING to the airport to get Aunt Lisa! Junior went with me (Lord, thank you for putting this on my dad's heart to insist that Junior went, too!) Her flight was a few hours late, and by the time we had Lisa, I was really struggling physically.

Junior doesn't have a driver's license, and my sister can't drive stick, so I had to keep on! On our way home, approaching a major point in town, I saw literally thousands of people rioting. (Would have been good to know that today is a major national holiday...prone to political rioting).

It came up so quickly that I wasn't sure what to do, but mobs of angry people filled the street ahead. I was blocked in on all sides by other cars and rioting in front. At the wheel trying to quickly decide what to do, feeling terrible, with the three most precious girls in my life in the car with me...I was so tempted to fear. But He met me in that temptation and was strong.

I praise the Lord because He gave me the wisdom to pray and ask for guidance, and while Junior said to push through the crowd and assured me that they'd let me through, I did not feel like that was the right thing. There were SO MANY cars and motorcycles and people around me, that I'm not sure how I did it, but I did a u-turn right there and booked out of there, though now totally unsure of how to get out of this part of town and back home.

In the whole massive throng, I know it was the Lord that directed me to one man...just some 20-something man hanging off the back of a tap-tap. A MILLION faces, and as I scanned the crowd and asked the Lord for help, this man and I locked gazes, and he motioned for me to follow him.

"Don't follow him," Junior said, "it might be a trick."

I stopped my swirling head and prayed again, and I said, "Junior, I really think the Lord sent me that man."

So I followed him. In and out of tiny back streets, back and forth, places I've never been and places that didn't have a great spirit. But the Lord helped me truly not to fear, and all of the sudden, we were on the road home, all the trouble behind us. I don't know how we even got there, but that man kept motioning this way and that to me, even blocking crowds at time to allow me through, I followed everything he told me to do, and suddenly, we were on our road.

We made it home, praising the Lord, and BAM, I was SO SICK. Since the moment we got home I have been unable to even scrape myself off the floor, vomiting every sip of water I try to take.

While I HATE that my poor sister has had to entirely take care of my girls all day, fix their meals, answer the door, etc...I do NOT KNOW what I would have done if she weren't here! For the first time since Lily was born, I have been physically incapable of taking care of my girls at all, and here is my sister.

Needless to say, it has been a God day. I am so thankful to be His child, for His good gifts, and for His voice...and for sending that man, and Lisa, right when I needed them.

An awesome new toy Aunt Lisa brought a very Aunt Smitten Lily...

...and an Aunt-Smitten-Sofie.

goats, friends and the harvest

2011-10-15T13:18:00.000-05:00

Having these two weeks off school (and having Dad's extra set of hands) has given us more time in the community, too. Yesterday morning we visited several good friends, and went to see "Oreo's" new baby goats.

Sofie and Kevins are only 3 weeks apart, but he is beating her in chub and in hair! It was wonderful to be able to catch up with lots of friends in Saccanville, and Lily REALLY had a good time making new little friends and playing in the mud and with all the goats, chickens, dogs, cats...

We also had good time here at home with Grandpa, with Dodo and Bubba...

...and with Junior, Civil, Fanfan, Belony, and other staff and students as they are using the campus as "ministry headquarters." If this was a women's university, we would have a lot less dinner guests :)

Junior, Belony, and a box of Bibles headed out yesterday morning to Yolene's church community, and met up with 11 other students. They all then joined with member's of Yolene's church plant and broke into three groups, going throughout the entire area, preaching the Gospel.

"I'm not going to lie to you," a very weary Junior and rather down-trodden Belony told me upon their return. "It was a really hard day. It was like EVERY person we met wanted to fight with us. One long debate after another, everyone had so many arguments. Some days, it seems like everyone is interested in Jesus, and today it seemed like NO one was...everyone was interested in being told that nothing needs changed."

One woman argued that she never had sinned, therefore had no need of Jesus. Many argued that they pray to demons and spirits, Jesus, God and Satan, and that it didn't matter who you spoke or committed to, as long as you were committed. Lots of people felt that a commitment to the saints was the same as a commitment to Jesus.

As Belo and Junior revealed conversations from the day, I found myself uncertain about what the right response to varying debates should be! These were hard issues, hard arguments. "What did Brave SAY when he said that?" I kept asking, or "How did Jasmine respond to that kind of an argument?"

As Junior and Belony told me what each of the students had said in response to each debate, I quickly felt as if I had been to church. AMEN, I kept thinking. Hah, YES...that's it. Ah, what a relevant Scripture to bring in at that point....YES, way to go, Benjamin....that IS the truth! Amen!

While the guys were exhausted and a bit discouraged in the retelling by people's responses to the Gospel, I was invigorated, thrilled and blessed by the students' presentation of the Gospel! THEY HAVE GOT IT! What Matt and I came to Haiti to do, to accurately teach leaders the Gospel so that they could take its' transforming message throughout Haiti, has happened, is happening.

We tend to get so frustrated by the immediate picture that we haven't seen the big picture like I did yesterday. A student threatened another student, and had to be expelled. Failure. No matter how big the portions are, a small group of students continue to gripe that they aren't served enough food. Failure. We want the seminary to have a high academic standard, and half the first year class didn't even know the books of the Bible. Failure. By OUR standards.

And yet here this evangelism day yesterday and the fluency, accuracy and passion with which the students were able to boldly present the whole Gospel in the face of persecution, ridicule and worldly thinking...Success...By His.

To encourage Belony and Junior, I told them again that they weren't responsible for how the Gospel was accepted, for people's responses, or for conversions. They weren't responsible for what kind of soil the Seed fell upon. They were responsible to give it. To preach it, and they had.

As they drug themselves back to their dorms for a well deserved rest, holding my hands and affirming, "Yes, Sister. You are right...praise the Lord"...I realized that this same message was for my encouragement, as well.

I feel so blessed and encouraged to be used by Him, to give the Gospel...unresponsible for how the students accept or apply it. It is He who cares for the harvest...and He is.

Praise the Lord...

p.s...11 new brothers and sisters joined us in His Kingdom yesterday!

one of the crazies

2011-10-13T21:08:00.004-05:00

WHEW. What. A. Day.

At any given moment today, there was one screaming-bloody-murder or teary-whiny-fussy infant or toddler, someone at the door, a ringing phone, bread or a pot pie or a roast in the oven, a student that needed help...man...it was just a crazy, GO GO GO relentless day. I am SO thankful Dad is here, or you would have found me in a corner crying by noon! My brain was so numb just from working in two languages literally every moment today that I found myself talking to dad in Creole this evening and confused about why he was just staring at me.

However, now that it is over and I'm literally falling asleep at my desk, there were a LOT of GREAT things today...

Maxi, Dad and Abel, a dear relationship that has formed over the years. Very thankful for these men, for the unity they have in Christ, and for an unexpected and powerful "break-through" conversation I was able to have with Abel this evening.

Friends. Shayla, Kerline and Max are three of my best friends, not "in Haiti," but in life right now. I'm so thankful for these three, and this afternoon was particularly blessed by the way a very fussy, tired, dad-sick, stuffy Lily transformed into her joyful, gleeful self just a few minutes after their arrival. I can be myself with these friends, they are real with me, they love our girls, and having them in our lives greatly improves our lives.

Baby Gertha. While she still hasn't been given a name, 'Baby Gertha' is just beautiful and wonderfully healthy and such a joy. Gertha was just beaming that first-time-new-mom smile this morning, and I am so grateful to see this little miracle unfold.

Lily had a blast with baby Gertha, too, though she was very discouraged that Sofia and baby Gertha didn't hit it off better, because apparently they are "suppose to be friends!"

More friends. Noel and Micheline went with us this morning to visit Gertha (and insisted that fussy Sofie was fussy Sofie because she was too hot, and therefore took off her clothes, all the while bundling Baby Gertha.) These three women are a great joy and encouragement to me, and time with them is good time. So grateful for these true and transparent relationships. Plus, we could not have made the steep hike to Gertha's house with Lily, Sofie, and three boxes of baby clothes and diapers without their help :)

Also, praise the Lord, Dodo and Bubba (Dorothy and John McC.) arrived safely today and are sound asleep next door...YAY for friends next door!

End of the day...Matt is doing well in Jackson, we've had sweet time with dad/grandpa, we have help, I've been especially touched by the transforming power relationship has in our lives, and I am richly blessed this evening to realize that in the midst of a million tasks and people today, a handful of His children that I came to minister to minister instead to me...on the good days and on the crazies!

2011-10-12T06:58:00.002-05:00

Gertha had a little girl at 1 am this morning and is now home. I haven't seen her yet, but she said this morning that she is good and the baby (no name yet) is good, and wow, I am just praising the Lord for another miracle! We'll go see her this afternoon and get some pictures! Praise the Lord!

prayers and beach

2011-10-11T20:15:00.000-05:00

First things first....

Lily and Sof with Gertha, friend and nanny.

Please be praying with us continually for Gertha and her baby. She called at 7 this morning and was bleeding. She went to a nearby clinic, who with no information and no treatment, sent her several hours later to the main hospital downtown. She is there now with minimal pain but continued bleeding, and each time I ask what the doctor's are saying, she says, "nothing."

She is concerned, I am concerned...the baby is expected to come in October. Please join us in praying.

Also, Micheline has had several people die of cholera in her area the past 10 days...her rumor is that "it's back." Please be praying that this strain is squelched by "over-care" in how everyone is cooking and drinking right away...

We had a good time at the beach, though electrical/water/mosquito issues and colds for all three of us girls brought us home a bit more worn out than we had hoped today. SO glad my dad is here and thankful for a rare day away from normal life!

Matt and the guys are safely in Jackson and enjoying their first day of classes today!

Liked ice cream like her momma...

2011-10-09T13:42:00.000-05:00

It's rice season again (comes with the rain) and I love watching our neighbors work and plant the rice fields...especially if my dad's here! Dad arrived safely on Saturday morning, we all have today together, and then Matt leaves for Jackson first thing tomorrow morning.

Rainy season also means all the roads look like...the rainy season.

Lily loves reading to Sofie...and Sofie loves it too!

Sometime this week, I'll get a picture of the three of them!

Since it's fall break from Emmaus, Dad is taking us to the beach tomorrow after we take Matt, Luke and Vilmer to the airport! Yay for family and for some rest...

living by faith

2011-10-07T15:20:00.000-05:00

Living in Haiti these past five years have caused Matt and I to spend a LOT of time in prayer, in Scripture, in conversation and in thought over money. Poverty. Blessing. Need.

Every time we pass an outstretched hand, and that is daily, we think about it. Every time someone comes to the house, and that is daily, to ask for financial help, we think about it again. Every time we see a hungry child, a sick friend, a widowed family...every time we see an internet ad for $100 jeans, an article about the stock market, and email about our support account.

When you live as Americans, on support from others, in a fifth world country where people are fighting to survive, not to thrive, it makes sense that cents come up a lot.

Our living conditions might not be as nice as what we grew up with, but we are the ONLY PEOPLE in our entire village with running water. With a toilet. With internet. With a laptop. With a camera. With a washing machine. With warm water. With drinkable water. With fans. With electricity. Our house is comparatively HUGE and luxurious.

We have two physical worlds (the US and Haiti) that we come from and live in, and two inner worlds of human (desire for and dependent on stuff) vs. spiritual (desire for and dependent on Christ alone)....And trying to reconcile these worlds and realities full-time keep us up many nights.

If anything, we have more questions now than we had answers five years ago. Once my head gets to boggled and my heart too heavy, I ask Him to bring me back to the basics, and yesterday, He blessed me by doing just that.

Our good friend and past student Enick dropped in to see me in my office yesterday morning. I laughed inwardly when I saw him because I had JUST received an email from a stateside friend that I never hear from about him just several minutes before.

Enick's the pastor at Coup-a-David, a favorite little church of ours WAY up in the mountains. Gifted, intelligent, honest, clear-eyed and tireless, Enick has blessed us many times through the years with his joy, his desire to please the Lord, and his constant unselfish outpouring of Christ alone on all around him.

In August, he bought his little brother Walnique to the Seminary, telling me that while he had tried and tried to talk his brother into going into ANY field BUT the ministry, Walnique was determined that he was called to follow in his brother's footsteps. We didn't talk about it much then, but Enick forked over all the crumpled bills he had, introduced us to a smaller version of himself, and left.

Yesterday, he met my joyful greeting with a chagrin smile. He knew Walnique owed money. I knew Walnique owed money. He knew I knew. But I didn't mention it, and instead inquired all about ministry on the mountain, musical and medical ministry he's involved in, and his family.

"How is Walnique doing?" he asked me, and it was my great pleasure to just drip with compliments. "He's SO quick," I told him. "He thinks WAY more critically than the average student, he keeps all his teachers on their toes, he works hard, the other students really like him, he's very eager, tireless. He really is exactly what EBS is looking for. He's a lot like you."

Enick grinned sheepishly, and then told me how proud he was of his little brother. However, again he told me how much he had wished Walnique had done something else with his life.

"Why do you say that, Enick?" I asked, "When it's SO obvious that this is what God made Him for? When you yourself are doing it?"

"Stacey," he said. "Have you ever heard me complain?"

"Nope," I said, truthfully.

"You know a lot of times I am shaking, because I haven't eaten in a long time. You know I sleep often in the mud, that I never have ANY money, and that I never know where my next meal will come from. Everything I have is the charity of others. But I never complain, not because I am trying not to complain, but because I truly LOVE it.

"I live by faith," he continued, "and that has been wonderful. God continues to provide so much for me and take such good care of me. The work for His kingdom is so hard and SO good.

"But you know I am the oldest son. I have two elderly parents that have no jobs. I have 4 younger brothers and sisters. It is one thing for me to choose to live by faith. It is something else to go to my families house and see that there is NO food, and ask THEM to live by faith. They are ALL looking to me, and I have failed them.

"Walnique is more talented, more intelligent, than I. He could really DO something for this family if he became a doctor, a business man. SOMEONE has to take care of my family. What am I going to do, with Walnique in theology?" he asked, head in his hands.

I'd never thought through his situation like this. I never had seen in five years of working with him his true burden.

He continued, "I know we owe money for him. I know I have this bill," he pulled it out of his jacket pocket. "But I don't know what to tell you. I don't have anything. I have tried to find the money every way possible. You know I HATE asking for help, but I even emailed a friend from the states weeks ago, but never heard back. I don't know what to do. Stace, I need help."

Yesterday, I saw a miracle unfold before Enick did.

"You mean, you contacted THIS friend?" I asked, turning my computer around so he could see my inbox, an open email on the desktop from that morning.

He peered at my screen with surprise. "Actually, YEAH. That friend. What...? Did she email YOU?"

I found an email from Enick. He said he needed some money to pay Emmaus, but I didn't read it until just a little while ago. Can you give me an extension and give me some time to help this young man financially? I do not have the money right now, but I have someone I can contact. It seems so important.

"What?" he asked me. "When did you get that?"

"Thirty minutes ago," I smiled.

"Right before I came in?" he asked again.

"Yep. It looks like your need was already met before you even asked. Looks like asking your family to live with you by faith might be awesome for them, too. Looks like maybe God thinks it's HIS job to provide for your family, not yours."

Enick broke into one of his signature huge gap-toothed smiles, but this time with rare tears mixed in.

"Yes" was all he could say and I swear I could "see" the burden lifted from his bony shoulders. "Yes."

Back to the basics. He says if He feeds the birds and robes the flowers, then He cares for and will provide all the more for YOU. For Enick. I needed the reminder as much as Enick, and when our mutual friend emailed again last night these words, I was blessed all the more.

How can I send the money? I know that Enick lives by faith trusting the Lord to supply his needs. This is a good opportunity for me to be used by the Lord to channel funds from a donor to a very worthy cause. It gives me great joy. I don't remember that Enick has ever asked me for anything for himself.

And as if that weren't enough, almost $900 USD has been pledged so far for Bibles. (yeah...WOW.) We were able to buy 41 this morning (that was all the bookstore had right now) and have funds to buy more as soon as more come in. That means 41 Bibles are going out with Belony and students right now, to be distributed as they feel led over the next two weeks of evangelism and discipleship.

God's Word. God's Provision. And God's joy to be had by all in the giving and receiving and giving again.

Very blessed, today, to be somewhere in the middle.

Thank you...

all the pictures on this post (except for the Bibles) come from Coup-a-David, the area Enick pastors.