Summer 2024 Questions

What does the school year look like? A typical school year should follow the general schedule that we follow in the states (different holidays, of course).

Why is my kid not smiling in their photo? This is just cultural! I promise we are begging them to smile but it is hard to do something you are not used to doing.

You’ve been teaching English to RMI staff? Yes! When we have the spare time, we try to make good use of it.

How does the grade level system work in Haiti? Haitian children start school at age 3 for their 1st of 3 years of kindergarten. The national system goes to 13th grade. Different schools and different areas offer varying grade levels.

What are class sizes like? I have seen as small as 25 and as large as 50+, it all depends on grade level and location.

Why do you not share more photos of peoples homes, living conditions, etc.? I do my best to try and be respectful. There is a fine line between sharing in order to help people understand and sharing in a way that is not appropriate. And I am learning it really isn’t that fine of a line. I used to be the team member that took pictures of anything and everything, not thinking about those who were in the pictures, just wanting to show people in the States. I would take pictures without asking first. I have learned to ask, always ask my coworkers and those who are involved. And sometimes I don’t even ask, I just don’t do… I try to put myself in that persons position, would I want someone I don’t even know taking photos of me living my every day life, of my home? I am coming to terms with the fact that God called me as a missionary to Haiti, to Haitians…if I am doing something that makes Haitian uncomfortable, I am being disobedient to God. So, I will take less pictures and just be better at describing things.

How is my area affected by the things that happen in and around the capital? Thankfully, we have not experienced much of the violence that is in the capital. However, chaos there does affect our area due to roadblocks between the area I live in and the capital where everything comes into the country.

What are your work hours? RMI Haiti is open 8-4 M-Th and 8-12 on Fridays. But that does not necessarily mean that those are my work hours. During HFKz travel season, when we have teams, and other busy times of the year hours can almost be 24/7.

What is MEBSH and how are you connected to it? MEBSH stands for Mission Evangelical Baptists of Southern Haiti. This is the church association that our ministry (RMI) works with.

Where do you go to church? I go to a local MEBSH church…the big church on the corner for those who are familar with Simon. You can watch live on Facebook or Youtube at Tabernacle MEBSH Simon

How long do you plan on living in Haiti? I have no idea. I moved to Haiti on a 9 month contract in August of 2018 and I am still there. I never thought I would live there and now I find it hard to think of leaving. I will follow as God leads…

Are you ever scared to live there? I truly am not. I can go on and on explaining how far I am from the unrest, how we have security guards, the rules that I follow to keep me safe, how careful we are, how much we keep up with what is going on, the close relationship we have with a police officer, etc, etc… but it doesn’t really explain the why. All of these things are wonderful and do help others to feel better about my safety. As for me, God has given me an unexplicable peace about being in the place He has sent me.

Life On It

One of my favorite albums is Life After Death by TobyMac. I remember listening to TobyMac when I was younger, even going to see him in concert at Wild Adventures. I always thought he was so cool and loved the music. But I don’t think it was until I was older that I really understood exactly what the meaning of these songs were. This album came out in 2022 after his son died. It can be a hard listen. It’s good for grief, challenging yourself, but also enouragement. One of the songs on the album is called, “Life On It”. Check out the chorus:

I’ll put my life on it
Willing to die for it
No matter what they say, if I ever go MIA
They took my life for it
I’ll put my life on it
I’ll put my life on it

I’d rather live for somethin’ than to die for nothin’
I’mma live for somethin’, I’mma live for

I feel like God has been asking me lately if I would really lay my life down for Him. Am I really willing to give up everything in order to serve Him?

A few months ago, a young missionary couple living in Haiti was killed. They lived in a dangerous part of the country and knew what the dangers were. I don’t know exactly what took place that led to their deaths, but I have been impressed with the stories that I have heard. It is important to note that there are many stories swirling around this event and the family has stated that not everything on the news is true. The family even said that they do not know and will never know exactly what happened. But they have said that even though they knew how dangerous this area was, they felt that God was calling them to stay there with their Haitian brothers and sisters, to serve God alongside them. But that isn’t what really called out to me, it was this quote from their missions Facebook page (Missions In Haiti, Inc.), “The whole time Davy kept preaching to the gangs and telling them that God loves them and will forgive them, quoting scriptures and telling them the plan of salvation. They would tell him to shut up and he wouldn’t, so they would hit him. He was told by one staff to please be quiet and just lay there, but Davy said he couldn’t, that these guys needed to hear about the Hope of Jesus, and the plan of salvation. When the second group came with over 100 guys all shooting, Davy was seeking shelter in our house at the other end of the property. The staff and kids in the big house could hear him from the house doing the same thing. Telling the gang guys about the love of God, quoting scriptures, and telling how to be saved and forgiven and have a home in Heaven some day. They said he did that until they killed him.” The entire time that the entire thing was going down, this man chose to preach the gospel. He would not be detered from what God’s call on his (and all of our lives) is.

Sunday, I spoke at my home church First Baptist of Pinetta. While there, I learned that my childhood pastor, Brother Tommy, and his lovely wife, Mrs. Ann, were supposed to be there Sunday night. I have shared before what a big part Bro T played in my journey to where I am now. I have not seen them in several years and was excited for the opportunity. Of course, it was wonderful to hug them and chat with Mrs. Ann some about what it is like to live a life of 24/7 ministry, but I was also excited to hear Brother Tommy bring the message. He shared about a friend who had grown up in Uganda. This man grew up in a time period where anyone opposing the government was persecuted and killed, especially Christians. He had shared that he remembers the special forces coming through his village in the middle of the night and shooting up homes. He remembered his sister and her kids being forced to watch her husband, a pastor, executed. But he also remembers the crowds at church being bigger after each attempt to discourage the Christians.

I have also been a part of a womens bible study group this summer. So far, I have only been able to participate online but I am hoping to be able to be there in person soon. It is an eye-opening, encouraging, challenging (seeing a theme?) Bible study written by a local friend. I have been blessed so far by it. (If you are a woman and interested, let me know!) Last week, one of the passages of scripture we looked at was 1 Peter 4:12-19. If you’re following along with me here, I don’t even have to explain it… you’ll see as you read these verse.

12Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal  comes among you to test you as if something unusual were happening to you.  13Instead, rejoice as you share in the sufferings of the Messiah,  so that you may also rejoice with great joy at the revelation  of His glory. 14If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ,  you are blessed, because the Spirit  of glory and of God rests on you.  15None of you, however, should suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or a meddler.  16But if anyone suffers as a “Christian,” he should not be ashamed but should glorify God in having that name. 17For the time has come for judgment  to begin with God’s household,  and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?

18And if a righteous person is saved with difficulty,

what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?  

19So those who suffer according to God’s will should, while doing what is good, entrust themselves  to a faithful Creator.

Pulling all of these things together, I really feel like God is asking me that question, are you willing to give your life for Me? And giving my life does not necessarily mean to be a martyr, it means whatever it is that I am holding back, can I give it to Him? We are all holding something back, unwilling to let go. I know I am. But when we let go, that’s when we can fall into the arms of Jesus. When we finally agree to die to self, that is when we truly live. A verse in the song that I mentioned earlier goes like this: “I never thought for a second when I asked You to save me, That I’d ever be steppin’ into the waves that would take me, To the valleys we’ve crawled or the peaks that we’ve run, From the blessings poured out, to me losin’ my son, You’re my way and my truth, I’m a disciple of You, Through the highs and the lows, my heart will always stay true, They could put me in chains, they could lock me away, They would slay me in vain, I will always remain.” I never thought that I would be where I am today. I had to give up control. It was something I clung (still cling sometimes) to. And I had to give it over to God. Allow Him to be in control in my life. Allow myself to know that He had been in control all along. And now I am thankful for that, for Him forcing me to overcome my fears. I pray that I will always remain. I pray that I can truly say I put my life on it. That I am willing to die for it. I pray that I can deny myself, that I can truly say it is no longer me that lives, but Christ in me. That I can follow Pauls example and know that to live is Christ and to die is gain.

February – May 2024

I started writing this post right after my last update went out in mid March. Well, I should say I wrote the title. At the end of every month, I changed the title. But I never did start writing because I don’t know what to say or how to say it.

When I think about the post I made at the end of January and what was planned for the upcoming months, it seems like a lifetime away. I can honestly say that absolutely nothing these last few months has gone as I expected them to go. After Mama’s visit in January, I was getting ready to have a very busy spring with several teams coming and a full HFKz schedule. That all quickly changed.

Due to insecurity in the capital, teams have not been able to come. We have been blessed with continued safety and have been actively traveling getting things done for HFKz. So much has gone on but it all runs together.

These last few months have been a whirlwind. I got to see one of my closest friends ordained as a deacon as another close friend was voted in for another term. I visited with Niolita’s sweet little boy who is all giggles. I hung with some of my favorite coworkers, getting work done but having fun doing it. I visited many, many schools getting retakes for the season. I was able to be there for a friend as his father passed and encourage he and his wife in the aftermath. I got to meet Rameau’s new grandbaby. I took way too many pictures of Otis. We celebrated Rameau’s 74th birthday. I ate delicious street food with Sabina’s help. Spent a lot of time with a friend who is sweeter than honey. Enjoyed sunrise Easter service with other missionaries on the rooftop before going to Easter service and participating in communion with my Haitian brothers and sisters. I enjoyed walking around Simon with a friend during annual MEBSH convention. Made Rameau and Niolita sport more than one pretty flower. Enjoyed looking at the starts after long days. Planted a breadfruit tree in honor of national agriculture day. Got in good snuggles with a silly puppy. Started working on some major video projects for HFKz. Met all kinds of people with incredible stories. Obsessed over how nice my yard in looking. Celebrated the 60th wedding anniversary of a missionary couple who have spent almost 50 years in Haiti.

All in all, it has been a very busy few months. Things have not gone as I planned, maybe not even how I wanted. But they have gone exactly how God has wanted. I am thankful to have been able to spend these last 4 months doing life with my Haitian family as well as the other missionaries. We may not know what each day will hold but we know Who holds each day and that is more than enough.

At the end of my last blog post I shared some prayer requests and praises. We continue to thank God for safety in the area I am located. I am thankful for His provision and mercy. He continues to show us grace, which is so undeserved. I continue to be thankful for my Christian Haitian brothers and sisters who tirelessly and passionately serve their Lord and their country. I am thankful to give the update that my friends who were trapped out of the country were able to return. Many who needed to leave were also able to leave. I continue to ask for prayers for the capital and surronding parts of the country. Things are very different there than where I am. My heart breaks when I see some of the news coming out of these areas. So many Haitians are suffering. There was also a news story that broke last week I am sure many of you saw. I will not be discussing that story but will continue to pray for all of those involved. Please continue to pray for Haiti. God is at work here even if we do not see it on a large scale. Peoples lives are changing, one by one. I am thankful to have the opportunity to live in such a beautiful place with wonderful people. My life is touched daily by my Haitian family and friends. Thank you for your continued prayers and concern.

An update

In the past few weeks, I have had several reach out to me asking how I am. I want to thank you all for your concern and continued prayers. It means a lot that you care so much for me, my Haitian family, and my fellow missionaries. I want to share a short update to help put your minds at ease and further explain the situation. This will not be a typical monthly update, one of those will be coming in a few weeks. Please keep in mind, I am not a reporter and do not intend to become one. You will not find hard hitting news here. I will not be sharing anything about the political situation or unrest in the country. I will not be speculating about anyone or anything in the country. Lastly, I will not be sharing my opinions of everything going on. I will share the facts that I know to be true, as well as some prayer requests.

Haiti is a beautiful country full of wonderful people whom I love very much. This week is the 7th year anniversary of the first time that I visited and fell in love with all that Haiti had to offer. It is crazy to look back and remember how in awe I was then, and how in awe I continue to be now. That girl never dreamt she would be living here and have such wonderful relationships and experiences. Thankfully, God called me here whether I agreed to it or not. While I at first tried to fight it, I now could not imagine life any other way. I love Haiti, I love my Haitian family, I love the work that I do, I love the life God has chosen for me.

Many of seen and heard many stories on the news of Haiti over the years, some of which are true and some are not. I personally can have a difficult time discerning what is truth and what is just clickbait. I continue to pray for God to open my eyes to the truth and thank Him for putting people in my life who understand things much better than I do. These last few weeks, Haiti has been a big figure in international news. There are reports that are true, that are scary and sad, and there are also reports that are again, made up.

Here is what I know: I am safe where I live in the South. We have been working and have been able to travel all across the Southern departments to visit schools. In the last two weeks, we have traveled through 4 of Haitis 10 departments. Schools are functioning normally, I can go to and from where I need to safely. I feel safe and comfortable at home, at church, at work, visting friends, shopping, etc. I am thankful that God has continued to protect the Grand Sud. At this point in time, there is no reason for anyone to be alarmed or concerned for my personal safety.

However, there are many problems that we face because of the unrest in other areas of the country. There are no flights, international or domestic. I know several who are trapped either in or out of the country or in other areas of the country with no clue as to when they will be able to travel. The roads from the capital continue to be blocked which means that the food our schools depend on is not able to be delivered to us. These same blocks also keep us from getting thing that many not be local to our area, such as imports from other countries. Many Haitians in these areas of the country are in danger and are fearful of what is happening around them. This is hard to hear and hard to witness, it truly breaks my heart.

Thank God for: safety, protection, provision. He has allowed us to travel and work, He has provided food, electric, and water for my home, He has allowed us to be safe and feel safe. The country of Haiti that He created and the many Haitian Christians who are His children and continue to serve Him through it all.

Ask God for: peace in the country. Roads to open up so that people can travel to and from the capitol freely and other items can be transported. Flights, internationally and domestically, so that those who are not home can be home. Clear direction in following Him and His will, both for me and my Haitian brothers and sisters. Peace in the hearts of my family and friends, both in the states and Haiti.

January 2024

Happy January! And happy 2024! May the Lord be with us all this year and may we do His will throughout the year, striving to please Him. Enjoy this short review of what has happened this month.

Mama came to visit! To say we were all excited is an understatement. It is always a good time melding my two families.

We visited the dairy farm in Torbeck. I have been here many times but it has been quite a while. I didn’t even realize that Mama had never been. It is always a beautiful and peaceful time out at the farm. We enjoyed oohing and ahhing over baby cows and spending some time with some pretty special friends while there.

Of course, we had to get some work in. Mama spent quite a bit of time at the office. She always loves to see my sweet coworkers and they her. We visited some schools and she got to see her sponsor child for the third year in a row. I got to hang out with my friend, Ashley. This silly one belongs to one of my coworkers, I have spent a lot of time with her since she was born, enough that she will call me her Mama. But she didn’t want to talk to me in front of her friends. You know, first year at school, you gotta pay it cool.

We love to visit other ministries around us and of course spend time with my close missionary friends. We visited Centre Lumiere and got a tour of their growing garden. Mama was thankful to talk to them about how ministry is going.

At the end of last year, Rameau retired from RMI after 30+ years of service. It was a bittersweet time for all of us. I am thankful to have gotten to work along side him and blessed to know him. He is currently still working at my house part time but certainly missed in the office. Mama was able to be here for his retirement party. The staff all had wonderful things to say about him and we had a great time together. Edy made some beautiful and delicious cakes, Rameau loves his sweets.

Oti got in a lot of good Grandma time over the week or so Mama was here. He could tell I was getting ready for a visitor before her arrival and was already excited. He likes that she will play with him and is always thankful for the extra snuggles. He knows when Mama sends a care package that he is getting something in it so to see her in person he could hardly stand himself.

We got to spend 2 Sunday mornings in church together. 1st Sunday is communion Sunday so we took communion with our brothers and sisters. I did my best to translate the services that we attended.

Finally, we had to get in some extra special time with Sabina. Not sure what I would do without this friend of mine. We love her so much. She and I both refer to each others Mamas as Mama and they both consider us 2nd daughters. God provided with this one. We had some other fun times with friends but no pictures were taken. All in all, it was a wonderful time.

During some of our “down time” this month, we have started up an English club. We weren’t able to have the team we were supposed to have and are not in HFKz busy season so we are doing this in an effort to use our time wisely. I enjoy doing these English lessons, I learn a lot doing them and get to teach for a bit again.

Other things happened this month but as I sit here writing this and I can’t remember them all. It was supposed to be a busier month than it wound up being but God knows the reason why. We continue to do our best to get the work done here in Haiti. Please keep this beautiful country in your prayers.

December 2023

It has been a December to remember! The season has been wonderfully busy! Oti and I spent a few days feeling pretty chilly and being under blankets before the weather went back to requiring fans. I love that even to take out the trash I have beautiful views! This country and its beauty never ceases to amaze me. Also, I made my first attempt at cheesecake for Christmas! It was a delicious passionfruit cheesecake shared with friends at a small gathering.

Sabina graduated!!! Well, Sabina graduated last year but due to different things happening in the country, she wasn’t able to have the ceremony until this year. She got a degree in Business Administration and Management from AUC. This girl works so hard at all she does, spreads smiles all around, is SUPER smart, and is kind to all she meets. I am so proud of her and thankful to know her! It was a pleasure to celebrate her.

We had some fun visitors this month. Of course, visitors always mean eating together. Thankful for these relationships and how Haiti has brought us all together.

A day at the island with good friends. It is crazy to see how much has changed over the last few years. The earthquake changed so much of this island and even since then I see such a different, the island is getting smaller. They are working very hard on cleaning out around the fort and trying to make it more of a tourist attraction. If you ever have the chance, you should visit! The history is cool and it’s also just gorgeous out there.

Ended the month (and year) with a beautiful wedding of a coworker. (I didn’t take photos of the bride and groom.) Now we are anxiously awaiting 2024 to see all that it will bring.

interruptions

Interruptions are the worst. Personally, I can’t stand them. If I am working and super focused on something, you can expect to be snapped at if you interupt me. Even if it isn’t work related, if I am in the middle of doing something or going somewhere, I don’t like to be pulled away from that. And I think that most can agree that they react the same way. I don’t believe I am alone in this struggle. And we know that this isn’t good.

I know that as a Christian I am supposed to strive to be more like Christ. And I am the first to admit that I am far far far away from being like Him. I am the biggest sinner I know. But in my longing to be more like Him, I have to study Him and learn from how He reacts to others.

Jesus was interrupted many times that we see, and I would imagine there were other times that are not recorded. I would like to look at two (or three) examples. In Matthew 9 we see it happen twice. In the beginning of the chapter, we can see that He is preaching to the people. In verse 18 it says as He was telling them these things, this to me says that he was not yet done sharing. A man came to Jesus to plead with Him to heal his daughter. (Check out the story in Matthew 9.) And in verse 19, it says Jesus and His disciples got up and followed the man. Jesus could have easily told the man to wait, He was in the middle of something. He could have ignored him altogether. But He didn’t, He quickly got up and followed this man to heal his daughter. Now, in the same chapter, verse 20, a woman approached Him. This story is a little different because she does not actually speak to Him or ask Him to heal her in the beginning. She simply wanted to touch Him. And again, Jesus could have kept moving. He could have ignored her, or even been annoyed that she was touching Him. But instead, He stopped what He was doing. Twice within this chapter Jesus stops what He is doing happily to help and heal others.

There is another time in Matthew that Jesus is interrupted. Matthew 14 really touches me. At the beginning of the chapter, John the Baptist is killed. John was a good friend of Jesus, his cousin. The Bible shows us a picture of a close relationship between the two. So clearly, this death is hard on Jesus. In verse 13, we see that Jesus drew away. He wanted to be alone. This is understandable after the traumatic death of someone you are close with. You want to be alone to mourn. And yet, when Jesus goes somewhere, we know crowds follow Him. He is trying to go away to be alone, and they follow Him. In verse 14, the Bible says that Jesus fills compassion on the crowd. He stays with them, He heals the sick and later in the chapter we know that He feeds them. In a time where all Jesus wanted was to be away, He chose to use that interruption as a blessing.

Jesus continously has patience with those interrupting Him. He constantly stops what He is doing to heal them, love on them. What if we all started doing this? What if we stopped getting so annoyed and started loving on those who interrupt us? I will admit that this is an area of great weakness for me. An area that I need a LOT of work in. But I am working on it. Because I long to be like our Savior, turning interruptions into blessings.

November 2023

November has come and gone faster than I can believe. It has been a month of work as well as celebrating.

Top left: Otis favorite place to be. I love having a dog that just loves to be near me.
Top right: Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving celebrations these last few years seem to get smaller and smaller. But the joy and love shared remains the same. It was a good day with these people.
Row 2: Mamas birthday was the 11th. We called to sing happy birthday and share our best wishes with her. I love how much my family loves one another. Mama was so happy to see them and Rameau, Niolita, and Sabina were so happy to talk to her as well. Of course, she was sung to in several different languages, Ra even added in a verse about how old she is getting.
Row 3 left: Belated birthday celebrations with some of my favorite people. Tina always makes a delicious dessert, this year it was coffee caramel ice cream. We played Monopoly Haiti and Isaac beat us into the ground.
Row 3 right: This little guy! When we got to his school he came up and stood talking to me. I love his little hands in his pockets, clearly mimicking an adult he has seen standing this way before. I so enjoyed our conversation… he told me all sorts of things. I was thankful to see that he was added to the program that day as well.
Row 4/5 left: Otis loves me, y’all… that is no secret. Sometimes you just need a little snuggle time and he is ALWAYS ready for that. But he also knows no boundaries.
Row 4 right: A missionary friend scheduled for some of us to spend a few hours one afternoon at a local hotel. They renovated since the last time I was there. It was beautiful! I was also happy to hear that they are getting a lot of business.
Row 5 right: Some friends spent a day with us at the house. Otis has missed having kids around and he sure was happy to have a friend for the day. The only complaint I heard was that dog is too lazy!

Them bones, them bones…

There is something so unique about storytelling. Whether it be a true story or something made up, whether it be something based down for ages or something brand new. Storytelling is something that is a part of every culture on the earth in one way or another and dates back to Bible times.

In Genesis 17, God promises Abraham that the land of Canaan will belong to him and his descendants. We know that Abraham never sees this day, but clearly he believed what God told him because he passed this story down. This promise was a story told over and over again throughout the generations. Several generations later, Joseph is told of this promise.

Now as Joseph starts to die, he remembers the story he was surely told as a child, one that he told his children. He remembers that promise so many years ago to Abraham. And he reminds those around him while also making a request. Genesis 50:24-25 24Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die,  but God will certainly come to your aid and bring you up from this land to the land He promised Abraham,  Isaac,  and Jacob.”  25So Joseph made the sons of Israel take an oath: “When God comes to your aid, you are to carry my bones up from here.”  HCSB Joseph wants his bones to be buried in Canaan when the Israelites reach that promised land.

Now, I certainly do not want to add to God’s word, but I do have a few guesses about how those generations have felt. Abraham probably thought he would get to see this promised land as his. I am sure that Isaac and Jacob also longed to see the land as theirs and didn’t get to. Joseph maybe thought, “Wow! Look at how God has used me! Certainly he will allow me to see this promised land!” And yet, none of these men got it. But they didn’t lose hope, they continued to tell this story, this promise, to their children.

After Joseph, all of his brothers, and the king had died, the new king came in and wanted to get rid of the Israelites. He ordered for all male babies to be killed. One mother saved her son by putting him into the river. We know that this baby was Moses, who grew up in the kings house. I don’t know if he heard this promise as a child due to who raised him, but we do know that his biological mother helped to care for him. We can imagine that she shared the old stories with Moses just as an Israelite mother would.

Now, Moses grew up and God used him to set the Israelites free from slavery. And as they were leaving Egypt, Moses remembered the promise that Joseph had made his brothers make so long ago. Exodus 13:19 Moses took the bones of Joseph  with him, because Joseph had made the Israelites swear a solemn oath, saying, “God will certainly come to your aid; then you must take my bones with you from this place.” HCSB

Moses wandered around in the desert for 40 years with the Israelites due to their sin. And we know that while Moses got to see Canann from afar he didn’t get to enter the land. But we can also clearly tell that he held onto God’s promise as well as the promise made ot Joseph. Moses clearly passed these promises down to the next generation. When Moses died, Joshua became leader in his place. The people of Israel finally were able to enter the promised land after many generations heard the promise. And Joshua upheld the promise made so long ago to Joseph. Joshua 24:32 Joseph’s bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt,  were buried at Shechem in the parcel of land Jacob had purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for 100 qesitahs.   It was an inheritance for Joseph’s descendants. HCSB

And again, this story is passed down, as we see the author of Hebrews mention it again in chapter 12. The hall of faith reminds us of so many stories of wonderful faith. And it also mentions the promise that Joseph made his brothers take. By faith. By faith, Joseph knew that the stories he had heard of God’s promise would one day come true. By faith, he didn’t say IF God saved them, but when God saved them. And by faith, the next generations listed to what he said. Hebrews 11:22 By faith Joseph, as he was nearing the end of his life, mentioned the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions concerning his bones. HCSB

It is our job to share these stories, to share these promises with the next generation. If we aren’t telling them, who will? If we aren’t raising up children to know the promises of God, who will? The next generation needs us to tell them the old stories. We need to carry those bones until the day finally comes.

September and October 2023

September. I often procrastinate and write a blog post at the end of the month. By then I have forgotten what has happened during the month. This month I told myself that I would write it throughout that month so this wouldn’t happen. But here I am, starting on the 12th of the month and I honestly don’t remember what has happened so far this month. Life moves by so quickly but also so slowly. And days that are normal for me are days that others would be shocked to hear about. So far this month I have spent a lot of time with dogs. This should come as no surprise to any. I love puppies, I love mine and I love other peoples. Oti was of course happy to have me home and continues to be happy. He only gets mad if I leave the house. Most mornings he will hardly let me get ready for work because he is so close to me. He also is back on his mode of destroying toys. That toy you see on the bottom left lasted 6 days before it started getting ripped. The photo was taken after almost 2 weeks of having it. It looks gross but if I throw it away he tries to dump the trashcan over to get it!

I was thankful to be invited to a school dedication this month. Some friends and fellow missionaries, Juska and Jona of God’s Vision for Haiti, opened their school this fall. I am so proud to know them and get to serve alongside them. They are Haitians that are truly giving back to Haitians and encouraging others to do the same. Such a large and nice school is a big deal. I am excited to watch the school open and see how it all goes. I pray that all who are affected are blessed by it. Lydianne and I went to the ceremony and enjoyed the time together.

Oh, y’all… remember in the first paragraph when I said I was going to update this throughout the month? That was a good joke. Good intentions on my part but the follow through just didn’t happen. Here I am, finally updating again after about 7 weeks. It’s been busy! And that is such a blessing. It is insane to think of where we are this year vs where we were last year. Last year I was just praying that we would be able to leave the house and travel at all and this year we have not had to close once and have already visited almost all of our schools! Traveling means seeing the sunrise and sunset most days, being in the car for hours, being so so so tired, and feeling so fulfilled. I love getting to get out and visit these schools. I see so much of Haiti and it’s beauty and get to meet so many sweet kids. It also means yummy street food!

As November begins, I can honeslty say the last two months have been wonderful. I love getting to see God at work. The days all run together sometimes and I can’t pinpoint what happened when, but I know that busy days running together is a blessing. Otis and I are doing well, he doesn’t love me traveling but he is spoiled enough without me. Please continue to pray for Haiti.