After almost two months stateside, I am back home. It was lovely to spend so much time with family and close friends. There is always so much to catch up on. I spent most Sundays speaking at churches, but was able to just be fed for the last two Sundays I was there. Furlough always feels both very long and like a whirlwind. It was good to be there, but it is good to be home.
I started my travels on Monday afternoon, driving down to Jacksonville to catch a late flight and spend the night in Miami. Early Tuesday morning I flew into Cap Haitian and then flew to Cayes that afternoon. It was a long trip and I was so ready to see my house. That cold shower Tuesday evening felt amazing. Since then it has been way too hot for anything other than a cold shower. It seems I brought a bit of rain with me which is good as it hasn’t rained here in a while. It’s not enough, but it calms the dust down a bit. I am slowly seeing all of my people and getting my ducks back in a row. There is so much to be done! I’m just happy to be here.
An update on my precious Theo… Laws have changed since the last time that I brought a dog to Haiti. Otis’ journey was simple and easy. Theodores, not so much. He has to wait 3 more weeks until he is old enough to get the now required rabies shot. Then another 30 days before he can travel. Sadly, he will be in the states for about another two more months. I miss him already but I know that he is in good hands with Mama and Lenny. I am thankful for them taking care of him and thankful for the Madison vet clinic for all of their work and research. Soon enough he will be here.
Since I lasted updated, we had two more teams visit Haiti. The first was focused on reconnection as well as a leadership training. The second was able to put a roof on their Sister Church. Both teams were such a blessing. I always enjoy building relationships, both with new team members and with nationals that I am meeting. Of course, it helps that I work with the best team ever! We even got to partner with the organization that my friend, Sabina, works with. It was a pleasure to work with her for a few days. We celebrated Haitian flag day (May 18th) while out with a team and I sang the national anthem all day long.
After the teams left, Mama came for a visit. We spent some good quality time together and with my Haitian family as well. I am so thankful that these two families have come together to create one. We ate some delicious food and saw some gorgeous views. She also was able to visit her Sister Church. Together, we said goodbye to my sweet Oti boy as he took his last breaths. Thankfully, we had some restful days after that difficult time.
For now, I am stateside. I have been very busy visiting churches for the last several weeks. It has been a joy to see everyone and answer as many questions as possible. I have also been spending a lot of time with close family and friends. There are still more people to get to. I long to have hours to spend with each one of you, but time is short. Know that I am thinking of you and am thankful for you. Soon, I will head back home.
Yesterday, I brought Theodore to Mamas. He will be staying here until he can catch a flight home to Haiti with Agape Flights. Please pray that all with go smoothly and that we won’t have to be separated for too long. Theo is already snuggling his way right into my heart. It doesn’t hurt that he is cute, too!
Some may think I am silly. But some will understand. This one is from my Oti boy. Early morning May 27th, he left me. I loved this silly dog, probably more than some would call sane. Otis was the best dog ever. I miss him a lot. I miss him every time I come home and no one greets me at the door. I miss him when I am leaving the house and no one is crying at me not to leave. I miss him when I go to bed and no one follows me into the room. I miss him when I have too much food on my plate and have no one to give it to. Whenever I was sad, or scared, or sick, Otis was always right by my side. He was my best friend and my family. The house is so sad and empty without him. Bubbalubba, you were such a good friend to so many, you loved everyone with all that you had. I have heard more jokes about your looks than I can count. But I heard more often how sweet you were. Otis was always ready to play with kids and be gentle with the little ones. He was friends with every other animal he met. He could cheer anyone up with his big ears and goofy grin. So many loved Oti, but I loved him the most. I miss you, bubby, and I always will.
Wow!! 2026 has been busy! I promise I have not been neglecting updating, finding the time is often hard.
We have been so blessed to have teams back in Haiti. Yes, teams! Being the only RMI Haiti missionary, this means that I go out with all of these teams and handle other details before they get here. As of this post, we have had 3 teams and have 2 more coming this month. It has been awesome to see churches reconnect after years of not seeing one another.
Hope for Kidz also stays busy. We fulfilled our spring retake campaign as well as field monitor reports this past month. Now there is a lot of new information to be inputted for sponsors. We also had many gifts to deliver from sponsors. Kids really enjoyed the bikes we did for Christmas this year!
During it all, there was one nice day off where a group of missionaries visited several local islands. How beautiful is Haiti!
Otis is still doing well, we miss Lucy a lot, but we get by.
Please continue to pray. Pray for God to continue to use me as He sees fit here in Haiti. Pray the He will provide in every way needed. Pray for my Haitian family and friends and the battles they’re fighting. Pray, pray, pray.
It’s been a while (shocker, I know), but I wanted to come on and wish you all a happy 2026.
Since my last post, we have had another team visit here in Haiti. The two of them were here for a few days and visited several places. It was a very productive trip. As always, it was wonderful to see them. They were able to visit several finished construction projects that had been recently completed. While I visit these places often, it is always a blessing to see the joy that a new building can bring to a community. Two of the places they visited recently had new classrooms built. This means more children get to go to school!
We also continued on and finished up our Hope for Kidz travel season for the fall. We visit all of our schools twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring. During these visits, we take new profile pictures for each student enrolled in our program, assist those who are writing thank-you letters, gather updated information on our students, enroll new students if necessary, and give any gifts sent from sponsors. I am so thankful for our sponsors who have allowed so many Haitian children to have an education again this year. Without your sponsorships, many of these children share that they would not be able to go to school at all. Education is something that I strongly believe everyone deserves to receive. Because of our sponsors, we always have a lot of work to do, and that is one of life’s greatest blessings because it means more children are in school instead of in the streets.
I spent a brief two weeks in the States over Christmas break. It was a pleasure to spend time with family and a few close friends. I used this time to rest and refresh for this new year. I have now been back in Haiti for a week. Thanks to a new flight that allows you to fly from Miami to Les Cayes directly (and vice versa), this trip was very smooth. My prayer is that this flight will also allow us to have more teams in the near future.
May you all have a wonderful 2026. May God continue to work in miraculous ways around us. May He continue to further His kingdom. May He continue to use me here in Haiti as He sees fit. And may He continue to bless you.
Three months later and there’s finally an update. I used to be so much better at updating my blog and am striving to get back to that in the near future.
Precious girl on the mountaintop.
I may be flower obsessed.
An “after” of one of our schools.
Little beauties in uniform.
My sweet Tati.
An afternoon off… super fresh seafood.
The team visits.
Haiti has the most beautiful girls.
The team visits.
The team visits.
The team visits.
RMI team.
Haiti has the most beautiful girls.
Haiti has the most beautiful girls.
Haiti has the most beautiful girls.
The team visits.
The team visits.
Blessings going out.
I may be flower obsessed.
The sweetest boy.
I may be flower obsessed.
Blessings going out.
An interview with a student.
Haitian views are the best views.
So so so so so thankful for these friends.
Haitian views are the best views.
VBS.
I may be flower obsessed.
Haitian views are the best views.
A “during” of one of our projects.
VBS.
VBS.
VBS.
VBS.
A “during” of one of our projects.
RMI director, Benjamin, and I visiting a school project.
A “during” of one of our projects.
Sour patch kid.
Interview with a construction worker.
Cashew chicken, yum!
My dear mako.
Interview with a pastor.
These two…
I may be flower obsessed.
The last time I updated, I was getting ready to leave the states and head back home. It’s been a crazy 3 months. I hit the ground running when I came back home. I was able to travel with RMI staff members to several VBS’s. It was great to see the kids learning about the Word and havign a good time doing it. VBS is done a little differently here than it is in the States but the basic concepts remain the same. There is still a central theme for the week that the kids learn about, they also learn songs and memorize Bible verses. There are rewards for kids who memorize the most verses. I also was glad to visit some of our Sister Churches and help up with updates and interviews. We spoke with many pastors about the summer happenings in there churches and then sent that information back to the States. Then, when the stateside church responds, we get that information to the Haitian pastor. This way, the conversation goes on and on. We also interviewed a construction worker who shared just how much our construction projects means to him. We often see what it means to the church or school but forget about the individuals that it so greatly impacts, too. It has been wonderful seeing so much of our construction- the before, during and afters.
In October, we had a team on the field here in Haiti. It was awesome to get to receive a team again. They were able to visit with their Sister Church and spend several days with the people in that community. We had a great time with them and are excited to (prayerfully) host another team in November.
We are also getting ready for Hope for Kidz busy season. Starting in 2 weeks, we will be traveling 4 days a week, visiting all of the schools that we work with. The goal is to get a photo of every child in the program. While there, we also meet with the pastor, principal, and other school and church leaders. We hold a formal meeting for the parents as well. We enter in any new applicants needed, help students write thank you letters, and give any gifts sent from sponsors. This is a very, very busy time for us with a lot of work to be done. Please pray for us during this 5 to 6 weeks of travel. Our closest school is 5 minutes away but the furthest ones can be 4 hours or more (one way).
Otis and Lucy are good. They continue to be the best of friends. They were very happy to have me back home. I am thankful to have the sweetest friend who spends time with them while I am gone. She makes sure my house is running and helps out so much.
I was thankful for my visit to the states but am certainly glad to be back home. I am glad I have gotten to spend some good quality time with my friends here, see some beautiful scenery, eat good food, and spend time in ministry. Please continue to keep me in your prayers.
When I flew back to the states in late April I didn’t know just how long I would be here. I was wandering around with no plan at all. If you know me, you know how much I long for a plan. After a few weeks, we decided to turn this into my furlough. I started reaching out to churchs to get plans together. Now, furlough is over and I am currently on a plane flying back home.
This summer, I was able to meet my niece for the first time and spend a lot of good quality time with her and the rest of my family. I was also able to meet a lifelong friends sweet baby boy (nephew?). It was a blessing to get to spend time with good friends. I visited several churches and was able to share with them about the work that I do with RMI and Hope for Kidz. I also was able to teach a local ladies Bible study. This was something totally new to me but I enjoyed it. At the end of furlough, I was able to attend the wedding of some sweet friends. I remember getting the text that they were engaged last fall and the bride asking if I would be able to make it. Like most things, I was unsure if I would be able to attend. I am thankful I could go and support them as they start their lives together.
Ducky and Linda were glad to have me in the states, but I sure am ready to see Otis and Lucy (and everyone else). I am thankful for the summer, for God’s protection, and for my many blessings. Now I am ready to get home.
Sometimes you plant the seed. Sometimes you water it. Sometimes your the sunlight shining on it. Sometimes you’re the one picking the weeds out from around it. Sometimes you’re the one enjoying the harvest. Sometimes you shovel with someone else. Somtimes you hand someone the hoe to till the ground. Sometimes you pay for the shovel. Sometimes you pray for the ground, or the rain, or the sun, or the tools, or those using it. Sometimes you are different parts, and rarely are you the one doing all the work alone. As long as we remember who the One who gets the glory is, I think that’s quite alright.
I don’t know how to explain it. I know others get frustrated with me. Sometimes I get frustrated with myself. How can I be in the place that I was born and raised and feel so homesick? How can I be in the place that everyone assumes would be home and feel so utterly out of place? Why do everywhere I go I find myself thinking about a different place, a different country? I know that people are exhausted with me. They don’t understand how I can spend all of my time talking about a place they’ve never been to. They don’t understand the ache I feel in my chest, that longing to just be home. I go to church, I am underwhelmed. I go to the store, I am overwhelmed. I am driving down the road and reaching for the horn. When I have any free time, I want to call up my friends and see if we can get together. Then I remember they are several plane rides away. I go to grab something to eat and am trying to find the rice and beans. I stop for fast food and there’s no pate. I sit on the couch and reach for Otis and Lucy only to remember they aren’t there. Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful for my time in the states. I am thankful to catch up on things I need to catch up on. I am thankful for sweet times with good friends. I am so glad to see my Mama. I have loved getting to meet my neice and see the rest of my family. But I am so homesick. And I know that when I go home, there are things from here that I will miss, too. It’s a confusing life.. sometimes you can feel like you have one foot in and one foot out. It’s tempting to put both feet in (or out) but at what cost? My feet are confused, my mind is confused. I miss home. I miss Haiti.
That may be an understatement. It has been since October 2024 that I have shared a legitimate update. In my defense, I have tried several times.. time just gets away from me.
I am still not quite sure that this will be a good update, either. I am sharing some of my favorite pictures from the last few months. Sweet times with friends, mama visiting, my spoiled animals, beautiful views, and adorable kids. These last months have been busy with life.
Some days it all runs together. Living life in ministry sometimes you don’t have the time (or energy) to stop and think about what all is happening. I am thankful for this life that God has blessed me with. I get to see Him work each day. I love the people that I am around, I love the country that I live in, I love the job that I get to do, and I love the God that I serve.
For now, I am in the states on furlough. I miss my Haitian family so very much. I miss my home, my church, my friends. I long to be with my work family, on the road to another church or school. I miss those sweet Otis snuggles and silly Lucy adventures. I am thankful for the time that I get to spend with my family and friends here in the states and am looking forward to opportunities to share about what I am doing in Haiti.
All in all, maybe I am a little torn between two places. Se la vi.
Please, keep me in your prayers. And let me know if you want to get together while I am stateside!
Love You to Haiti and Back 