Marching Towards April!

Can you believe it? April is almost here...and hopefully warmer weather, lots of sunshine, and no more snow!! We are looking forward to celebrating Resurrection Sunday this coming Sunday with a sunrise service, breakfast at church, worship service,  and lunch together with some friends. I hope that you take a few moments to rejoice in the fact that we serve a Risen Savior!

We had a three day conference last weekend with a guy from “Friends of Israel”. He spoke on several interesting topics including end time events, the explanation of the Sedar Dinner, and why we can rejoice in the Lord. I’m glad that we had the opportunity to attend, and I was able to play the piano for one of the services, so that was a special blessing to me.

Another blessing that I want to share is that we were given a treadmill a few weeks ago! God directly answered my prayer without me even discussing it with anyone other than Roger. Just a few days before I had sent Roger a text saying that I would enjoy having a treadmill as it’s hard to get in a run outside with having Emma at home, Roger working later in the evenings, and just time constraints. Then on Saturday a friend sent me a text saying that she was moving and did I want her treadmill? Yes! She mentioned that it doesn’t track mileage anymore, but it was still a good treadmill. Roger had off that Saturday, so we were able to go pick it up that day. God is so good to me! I’ve been back to running more faithfully, which is something I enjoy, and I can still run on days that Roger is working. We did have a small hiccup as the track must have gotten torn or something as we moved it, but for $84.00 (cost of track replacement) I have a treadmill that works. I am so thankful!

Also this week, we had people in our home on three different occasions. That’s a lot, even for us, but  it’s the way it worked out. We were certainly blessed by each person we had over to share a meal. On Monday, one of Roger’s pilot friends came over for supper. The boys had a great time discussing fishing and moose in the state of Maine. Then on Thursday we had a couple over from church. It was  also Rogers birthday, but he didn’t mind having company. We enjoyed our time with Robin and Glenn, and it was good to get to know them better. On Sunday, we celebrated Palm Sunday, and then enjoyed lunch with Roger’s boss and his wife, Terri. We are so blessed in the fact that Rogers employer is also our friend. They were excited to hear about my trip to Haiti, so it was good to connect and share with them. It is always some extra effort to have people over in our home, but I don’t ever regret it. I’m thankful for the opportunities to interact with both people from church and also people from the area.

Roger had a birthday this week, and it was the highlight for the kids week! They had bought Roger a birthday present that they couldn’t wait for him to get out! Several months ago we had found a drone and remote control car that were on the clearance rack. The boys thought that this was something that everyone would like (except mom and Emma, of course), and we bought it. While I doubt it’s what Roger would’ve picked out on his own, it has certainly been fun for them all as they race them and laugh together. Sometimes it’s the simple things that are the most enjoyable. Roger and I are hoping to get away for a date on Thursday, with Emma, to celebrate his birthday,  while the boys are in school. It’s been awhile since we’ve been able to get away, so I’m looking forward to spending the day with him...and Emma.

A few weeks ago, Travis won a gift card to McDonald’s for bringing in the most box tops for the School. He was very excited about that, and he won by a lot as he brought in 209 box tops. His brother, Chandler, was upset with him because as he told Travis, “If you had brought in a few less, and given me a few of those box tops then we could’ve gotten the first and second place prize!” Chandler likes to win, and Travis is clearly oblivious to strategy! :) It’s good to lose once in a while, and it certainly made Travis’ day!

We’ve struggled a bit with sickness at our house, as Garett has an ear infection. He started not feeling well on Friday after the conference meeting at church. I know he wasn’t feeling well because he asked to go home instead of staying for the pie afterwards! And he kinda laid around most of Saturday  and didn’t eat much, which is definitely not like Garett! On Monday, yesterday, he said his ears were hurting. I was able to get him an appointment at the pediatrics office, but not until 7:30pm. Thankfully, Roger was home so I just took Garett to the appointment. Sure enough, he has an ear infection! We had to go over to the hospital pharmacy to get the prescription as   that was the only one still open. When it was our turn to get the medicine, the pharmacist told me that I had to be eighteen to sign for the medicine...um, that’s my son, not my brother! And yes, I can safely sign for his medication. Guess what was the first thing I told Roger  when I came home?! Yes,  I do still look young! (At least to that pharmacist- and that made going out at 7:30 pm for an appointment well worth it! Kidding!) Garett stayed home from school today, but I’m sure he will start feeling better soon.

We are quickly come into the home stretch on these academic projects. The boys have been working on them, and it’s exciting  to see the projects coming together. After the academic fair is spring break week, so this is the final big project before then. I am not terribly excited about spring break as I’d rather just get done with school, but since we have one, we are going to do our best to enjoy it! Maybe our snow will be gone,  and we can go on some hikes! Apparently the ticks are bad again this year, but life goes on.

God is so good. We’ve been talking in music class about singing joyfully unto the Lord. This is such a special time of year as we approach Resurrection Sunday, but I’m so glad that we have a God who is alive for all eternity! I hope you’ll attend church on Sunday and be blessed by the services. If you need help finding a church to attend on Sunday, you can contact me and I’ll help you find one! We serve an Amazing King and Heavenly Father!

Blessings,
Sarah

Roger’s Birthday 

  

 Emma with her friend, Annie 

Family Life!

In all my writing about the Haiti missions trip, I’ve become very far behind on our family life updates! I’m so far behind that I’m just going to highlight a few events that have happened in the past few weeks, and hopefully get back to writing weekly about our family.

After I returned from Haiti, it was a whirlwind of fatigue and extra effort to get back into the swing of things. The school puts on a grandparents luncheon every spring, and I am working with the students in some special music to sing for their grandparents. I also purchased a set of “boomwhackers” to use in my music classroom. These are basically plastic tubes of various lengths that play different pitches when tapped against something. The are super easy to use, fun to teach with, and I’m hoping that they will help the students learn notes and how to read basic music. I enjoy teaching with new tools that are fun and exciting for all of us, and some children learn faster when they don’t realize that they are learning!

We’ve had a few bumps in the road as far as sickness in our family too. I struggled with a cold and being very tired after returning from Haiti, and Emma got a short flu bug that kept her down for a day. Strep has made an appearance at the school, so when Chandler said his throat was very painful on Monday, I cancelled music classes to take him to the doctor. He has a viral cold, which is nasty, but not strep. Also this week, we were hit with a huge snowstorm that has caused us to miss school for two days! I’m beginning to think that we will be having a Fourth of July party combined with an end -of-school party! I’m not against having the kids at home, as I love that part, but summer is so short here already! I only remember one snow day ever being called in Wisconsin, so sometimes these snow days are a challenge for me. However, it is what it is! It’s one of the cons of going to school versus homeschooling...but I would definitely prefer to keep sending the boys to school! And  God continues to provide for the kids to be educated at the Christian school in miraculous ways...I serve a God who provides right on time!

 

 

  

 

My friend, Allison and I coordinated a Family Fun Night at church a few Fridays ago. It was a fun evening for families and friends to get together. The turn out was a little smaller than I was hoping for, but the fellowship was sweet. I had a good time planning the games with Roger, and I’m thankful that Allison is good at coordinating events and working with me.

A few weeks ago, I had a meeting with the special education department people, Garett’s teacher and our school administrator. Garett is still struggling in school far more than I would like him to have to struggle. I’ll be the first to admit that we all learn differently and that school is just hard for some kids. While I agree, I also think that finding unconventional methods to teach or figuring out how a child learns are important for educational success. Garett has a great teacher, and I’ve worked with her on several different ideas to try to help Garett learn better. But it’s time to get him tested to see how we can help him better. He will be entering the junior high classroom next year, and we need to help him be prepared for this change. Garett has never thrown a fit about going to school or given me  an attitude, but he does say often how hard School is for him...and it reflects on his grades. We’ve tried doing drills and extra stuff at school, but that is very difficult for both of us as Garett has put all his effort into learning for the day. When he comes home, he “checks” out. He will play outside for hours on end, he knows how to fly an airplane, he can give you directions to get anywhere in our area, he can tell you about gun safety, and he has a sweet heart and good attitude, but School is a challenge in his life like a mountain that has an unseen peak! I love this boy of ours, so I would ask that you would pray that we would be able to help him succeed in school. We need wisdom in how to teach him and he needs help in fighting discouragement.



We have the academic fair for the kids coming up in April, so we’ve been working in those projects. It’s amazing to me how these types of projects bring out the personalities of our children. We have one who is the “get it done right now” style. We have one who is the “I can’t turn this in until it’s perfect” style. We have one who is the “maybe if I put this off, it’ll go away style”. And we have one who is the “I don’t really know what I’m doing, but I’ll write something” style! Garett is doing his on Nate Saint and the missionaries to the Auca Indians. I’ve been reading several biographies to the kids, so we’ve been learning a lot about  Nate Saint. Chandler chose to do his on drones, so Roger has been helping him find information. Wyatt has to do his on something to do with Maine. He chose to do it on the company that Roger works for and why this business is important to the islanders of Maine. Travis had to pick his topic on one of God’s creatures, so he is doing grizzly bears. It’s a lot of projects happening at once, and it’s a bit of a challenge when everyone needs help spelling something at the same time! However, it’ll all be over in a few weeks! Praise Jesus!

I’m preparing a video presentation for chapel on Friday. I was asked to talk about my Haiti trip, so I’ve been working on that for the last few days. It’s hard to pick out just a few pictures out of the 1200 that were taken in Haiti! Please pray that I will be clear, prepared, and that God will direct my words.

I know I’ve left out a lot of things that have happened in our family in the last few weeks, but I’m hoping that I’ll be back on track next week! Thank you for your love and prayers!
Love,
Sarah

Wrapping it All Up!

I’ve arrived at the end of my entries from my Haiti Journal for this missions trip in 2018. It was a whirlwind week, and I will forever be thankful that I had the opportunity to go again. God provided in a miraculous way that my mind will never be able to fully comprehend. I do know that we serve an amazing God!

At the end of the week, I asked a few members of the team what word they would use to describe this week’s trip. Obviously it’s impossible to summarize the trip in one word, but they each came up with one word that God kept bringing to their mind. For one it was “thankfulness”, another “grace”, someone else said “gratitude”, and also “faith” and “love” were mentioned.

As I reflected on each of those words, I’m drawn back to the word that God brought to my mind...faith. This was a week where as a team we stood in faith that God was going to bring that medical bag along at the right time, that God would give wisdom in dealing with Eby’s life, that our faith in WHO God is and WHAT He can do would be strengthened and encouraged. God allowed us to have exactly what was needed to help Eby. From the diapers that Debbie Lynn used to pack fragile items, to the liquid infant vitamins that had been randomly brought along, to the clothes that Emma had outgrown that Eby could wear, to the infant catheter kit that Hannah was fairly positive she wouldn’t even need, God guided our hands and hearts from Stateside to Haiti.

Krissy said that word that she would use to summarize the trip was “thankfulness”. We don’t get to choose what home to be born into or what country we live in. But whether God has given us a home in the U.S.A or a hut for a home in Haiti, as Christians we are called to be thankful. “In everything, give thanks...” not always easy, but God has equipped us to do exactly what He has called us to do.    We can each be ordinary people used in extraordinary ways for God’s glory.

Emelie chose the word “gratitude”. She commented that she was grateful that she can be used in a small way to be a part of what God is doing in Haiti. Wonderful friends to come along to Haiti and share in helping people less fortunate than we are causes the word “gratitude” to come to mind.  Emelie said that she is grateful that God chose for us to be able to see Eby get better every day. The first day when we brought him home, she said she was so scared. All night she was awake and praying, and over and over again she thought she heard Hannah coming to tell Kevin that the baby was gone. Gratitude wells up within us as we realize that because God brought Eby into our lives, the grandmother and granddaughter accepted Jesus.  While it’s all a bit overwhelming to process, she is grateful...as am I.

Love- that’s the word that Debbie Lynn used to summarize the trip. She chose “love” because of several reasons. One, she fell head over heels in love with a little boy named Eby. Secondly, the people brought her much joy and showed great love to her. Thirdly, she fell in love with Haiti and its  people all over again this year.

Each one of us chose a different word to describe our missions trip, but all these words point back to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Although we are all different and unique people, we have a common bond in Jesus Christ. Together we can serve in unity, with compassion, at making a difference in this world for Jesus Christ.

 

 

I’m sure that you are looking for some updates on a few of the people that I mentioned.

1)Eby
Obviously this boy stole a piece of our hearts this week! He went back up the mountain on Tuesday with the team members. Eby has made such great strides in his progress. After the medical team left, Eby smiled that day-go figure! Eby snuggled with the team members that week, smiled and laughed and starting walking regularly again! Some of his family arrived at the mission house on Wednesday to see Eby.  On Friday,  Pastor Kevin presented the grandmother with three  choices  for Eby’s continuing care. One, she could take him home. Although that wasn’t recommended for the best of Eby’s health, it was an option.  Secondly, Eby could stay in Seguin with Nadine, one of our cooks, do that she could feed and give him medicine. If Eby’s health declined, the pastor could take him down to the hospital. Thirdly, Eby could go down the mountain with the team, and stay with Amenci. She would take care of him and get him to the nearby hospital if needed.  The grandmother chose the last option. She made a decision that was probably very hard to make, but she knew it was best for Eby.  Amenci , our Haitian cook, lives in Jocmel. She would take Eby with her for the next six weeks until the Fauldes come back in mid-March. When  the Fauldes return to Haiti, Eby will return to his family. This way Eby will be able to finish his medicine, get extra food, and become stronger. Amenci has told Pastor Kevin that Eby’s favorite thing to do is play hide and seek! He has become stronger, and he acts like a two year old! Eby’s mom came to Jocmel to see Eby, which is a big deal. I’m sure that mama had to put quite a bit of effort into getting from Chota to Jocmel! Some of the construction workers that had worked on the mission house stopped by Amenci’s house to get an update on Eby. They couldn’t believe that the little boy standing by her was the same boy that had been at the mission house! Yes, we serve an amazing God!

2) Fenel is the name of the young man with the broken femur. He was able to get the X-rays done, and they were given to Dr. Philippe to look over and see what can be done. That’s the lastest update in that situation.

3) The girl with the lump in her neck- she did not have the HIV virus. It’s unclear about whether or not it is actually tuberculosis. She went down to the hospital without the pastor, but didn’t actually go into the hospital. (I don’t know what that was about) She will be going down this Friday with the Pastor from Chota to see about test results.

So those are three people that you can continue to pray for along with the young man with low iron. When Emelie returns to Seguin, she will test his iron levels. We are praying that these levels will have greatly improved.


A few fun memories from the trip:
1) One night was had hot tea at our supper meal. I usually enjoy hot tea, so I poured about half a cup. I took a big sip, and it was so not yummy! There was nothing to do but to swallow the gulp I took. Pastor Kevin came along and asked if the tea was good. I replied, “no”. He was surprised that it wasn’t good, so he poured  himself a cup, took one sip, and made a face. He proceeded to pour the rest of his cup back into the pitcher! We don’t want to waste food in Haiti, and since Pastor Kevin did it, I poured mine back into the pitcher too! My dad had come to sit by me, and he had a cup of tea. I smirked and asked how it was. He replied, “Not good, but I don’t know what to do with it.”  I told him to just pour it back into the pitcher, to which he did also! When in Haiti, we don’t waste anything. Since no one seems to be too concerned about germs, I’ll let someone else drink my portion of tea!

2) Remember the day that we had made Eby a bed under the table during clinic? Joe and I had started up the hill before everyone else with Eby and his stuff. The rest of the team tidied up and locked the door (actually it was screwed shut for safekeeping). As they started up the hill, Emilie suddenly turns around and head down the hill. “We forgot the baby!”,  she  yelled. Umm...no, dear, it’s been a long day, but the baby is safe! It did create a laugh as the team climbed the hill!

3) Germs-what are those?! Serving utensils are more of a suggestion in Haiti than necessity. It always takes me a little to get into the routine of just using my eating utensils to also serve myself food. But no one in Haiti seems overly concerned about germs, and life goes on. Faith is very germ conscious, and the first night we had a big meal at the hotel. After the meal, the waitress put the leftovers in a box for one of the Haitians to take home. The expression on Faith’s face was quite funny as she watched the waitress use several peoples food utensils to put the leftovers in the box! Oh well! Here we are-  home again!

Thank you to all those who read my journal entries, commented on what you read, and were interested in this trip. It makes it easier to write knowing that I have friends that will enjoy the entries with me.

Haiti Journal Day #8

Day #8
Monday, February 12, 2018

 

We are wrapping up this week of the missions trip with a day of rest and recharge-kinda. The nurses and P.A.s on the medical team decided to take Eby to the clinic here in Cay Jacmel. Perhaps they would have some insight or ability to inform us of something we don’t already know. Eby is improving every day, but his energy is definitely lacking. He’s also very uninterested in life. Nothing really excites him or changes his face into a smile. He  does let us know that he’s not interested in taking medicine, but even then he doesn’t really scream or cry. He just kinda whimpers and tries to turn his face away. It’s really sad.

Anyways, off to the hospital we went-another walk! While Eby is very light for a two year old, he  does get heavy eventually. Hannah, myself, Debbie Lynn, Faith, Kasie and Eby, arrived at the hospital before the others. Kevin can’t seem to go anywhere without getting distracted by someone   who knows him from childhood, knows him now, or someone who is curious about all these white people with a dark Haitian baby!

Hannah was able to figure out enough from the person at the table to get Eby checked in to see the doctor. Or course we didn’t know the moms name, Eby’s date of birth, and a bunch of other questions, but Hannah could at least get Eby’s name on the list. Eby was called into the nurses room before Kevin and the others arrived. The nurse weighed Eby and took his temperature. Keeping in mind that we are at a hospital, I found the way that the nurse took Eby’s weight was interesting. Hannah and Eby stepped on the scale, and then I held Eby while just Hannah stepped on the scale. I  mean, it works, but it’s not the way it would’ve happened in the States.  I held Eby while the nurse took his temperature. Another mom and child came into the room, and the mom and child stepped on the scale. The mom stepped off and handed her baby to Hannah while she weighed herself. Yes, things are done a bit differently around here! Eby was running a low grade fever, but he’s been doing that off and on for the last few days. After the nurses room, we had to go back in the waiting room and wait our turn for a consultation with the doctor.

   

 

Meanwhile the rest of the team showed up which was a good thing because Hannah didn’t think she could manage a conversation in Creole with the doctor! While we were waiting in the waiting room, the lab tech person knew Kevin. Kevin explained that Joe was interested in the lab, so Joe got to have a hand on look at the lab-which didn’t seem to be a lot to see!

Earlier I had walked out of the clinic to see if I could see pastor Kevin and the others coming down the road. Someone recognized me and tried to talk to me, but that didn’t work out! He looked very familiar to me, but I couldn’t place him. And since I don’t know the language, I just kept on walking. However a bit later I realized that I recognized him as the pastor from Chota. He had come down to the clinic with a few people that we had recommended to come to the hospital. I just couldn’t place him since he wasn’t at Chota! The young man who had broken his femur had come down as well as a young woman who has a large lump on the side of her neck. Parakaleo had said that if these two people wanted to get their injuries looked at we would help pay for their care.

Okay, back to Eby’s story- it was Eby’s turn to see the doctor. This was a very tiny room and since I’m not a medical person, I didn’t try to squeeze in there! It was already full with two nurses, two P.A.s , Kevin, Eby, and the doctor! The consultation did not take very long, and at the end of it the doctor said that he would like a pee sample. He asked Hannah if Eby would pee in a cup. Umm...no. He’s wearing a diaper, and he was recently changed. Hannah asked if the hospital had an infant catheter kit to which the doctor replied they didn’t have one of those! Oh wow. So we have two infant catheter kits up the mountain at the mission house, but the hospital doesn’t have one?! Hannah said that she was sure that Eby doesn’t have a U.T.I infection so she wasn’t too concerned about getting a pee sample.

We went off to the lab for the next step. I’m not a huge fan of needles and small children, so I didn’t offer to hold Eby. I have memories of when Travis had low iron and sitting in a lab with four kids four years old and under while the lab tech tried to draw blood-no thank you! I did stick around to watch some of the procedure.  A few things that I noticed were that the lab tech didn’t wear any gloves or wash his hands first. Then  he pulled the alcohol cleansing pad out of a container, used it, and put it back in the container! Hannah said that he used a straight needle on Eby’s arm, but she was impressed as he did get the blood drawn. Joe went to he lab with the lab tech while we waited.

While we were waiting we heard some information about the two people from Chota. The doctor told Kevin that the lady with the lump either has HIV virus or tuberculosis. If it’s HIV the lady would know today, but the test for tuberculosis couldn’t be ready until Wednesday. The young man with the broken femur was told that it was broken in two places. He would need to go to the hospital in Jocmel as the X-ray machine is broken at this hospital.

Joe told Hannah that Eby’s iron levels were low so that might be contributing to his lethargy and lack of interest in life. Eby also needs more protein in his diet, yes- as does the rest of the country! The doctor prescribed some medicine to which most of Kacie and Hannah said “no” to taking. We have medicine for possible infection, and both girls said that they weren’t comfortable in giving cough medicine to a two year old...especially when it came in a bottle without a label or dosing instructions!

Next came the billing part- how much would  Eby’s labs and  doctor consultation cost? It came to a cost of $6.50 U.S. dollars! While I like the low cost aspect, it’s a little worrisome about all the things that they couldn’t check for in Eby’s blood because they don’t have the proper equipment. It is what is is though!

Pastor Kevin said that we would borrow a dump truck to take the young man from Chota and his mom to the hospital in Jocmel so that the young man can get his leg X-rayed.  As we’re getting ready to do that, the doctor remembered that the hospital in Jocmel is closed this week. Say, what?! Yes, apparently there is some type of festival going on this week so the hospital is closed until Friday! Who closes a hospital?! Such is life in Haiti!

It was eventually decided that we would go to Jocmel anyways to eat lunch and so that those who wanted to get souvenirs could  do so. We went to a restaurant in Jocmel that the Faldes had been to before. It was a pizzeria place, and those aren’t found very often in Haiti! The owner and her spouse had grown up in Haiti, moved to the States, ran a restaurant for 18 years, and then they moved back to Haiti. The restaurant was very clean and tidy, and the pizza was was good-especially for American pizza in Haiti! Hannah ordered chicken wings for Eby as we weren’t sure that he would be crazy about pizza. He has never seemed to be too delighted with our American snacks. However, he was hungry and he kept eating the pizza  as fast as I could cut it...UNTIL the chicken arrived! It was the first time I’ve seen his body shift in focus. He didn’t smile, but he sat up straighter, leaned forward, and reached out his hand for the chicken! He gave me his pizza pieces and  started chewing those chicken wings! Eby can clean chicken bones,  let me tell you! He eats the whole thing right down to the bone, including the gristle, fat, and tough meat! This child knows that when food is available, he should eat! He is going home in a few days, and I don’t think that food is plentiful at his home. We are going to try to get his family a few chickens for eggs or maybe a goat. The pastor in Chota and Pastor Kevin will work together to figure something out.

After lunch we walked down to the bay in Jocmel. This is the same bay that we can see from the mountain top in Seguin! It’s about 22 miles as the crow flies or a 3.5 hour drive! A few people bought some souvenirs, and then we headed back to the hotel.

Morning would come early for all the team members that are heading back to the States. Some of the team members have a 9:00am flight so we are leaving for the airport at 3:30am. Hannah, Josh, Faith, and I don’t leave until 2:00pm, so we have a while to wait at the airport.

We did sit around the table tonight talking and visting with each other. Hannah gave Eby his medicine  and wrote some notes for those that would be continuing with his care. It was a tearful good by for me even though Eby certainly didn’t show any emotion! The team has done everything they can to help give him a boost in growth and a strong chance for survival. Now we must say goodby and continue to trust in the Lord. Even if I never see this sweet boy again, I will never forget him. I wish I could’ve seen him smile and have some life in his eyes, but I can only give him a gentle hug, kiss his sweet cheeks, pray for him, and head home.

We headed back to our rooms to pack our bags, get a few hours of rest, and be ready to leave at 3:30am. This week has been exciting, exhausting, full of adventures and memories, and I am ready to go home! God provided above what I needed for this missions trip, so I was able to leave some money with Pastor Kevin to help cover hospital care for someone, a goat or chicken for Eby’s Family, or whatever the need might be.

I am happy to be headed home to my husband and tribe. We may not have a lot of money by American standards, but we have food on our table, a roof over our heads, a vehicle to drive, hot water, electricity, and so much more! I’m going home with a heart full of thankfulness, a desire to serve God where I am, and a renewed strength and faith in the God that I serve. My heart yearns to return to Haiti next year, but only God knows what a year will bring forth. So for now I will strive to walk in the Spriit, serve where I am, and love God fervently.

God is so good to me. I am so thankful to each of you who prayed for me, financially supported me, helped out with our tribe while I was away, loved on my kids, and encouraged me to go. I am so blessed!

I don’t want to close up these journal entries to Haiti without saying a very special thank you to my husband, Roger. I don’t know of very many men, if any, that would encourage their wife to leave the country on a missions trip for ten days while they stay at home and keep everything running! I am so blessed by Roger’s faithfulness in the little things that are also big things like playing with our kids, working alongside them, taking them to church, having Bible time with them, being an honest and hard worker example to them, and leading by example in their lives. From the bottom of my heart I want to say “thank you” to Roger and “I love you”.
Love,
Sarah

I’m not quite done with theses entries. I have one more coming that will be a follow up on Eby, the boy with the broken femur, and the lady with the lump on her neck. I also have a few funny memories that I want to share, and well as some specific lessons that God taught me.

Haiti Journal, Day #7, Sunday at Moriah Baptist Church

Day #7, Sunday, February 11, 2018

This morning started off a bit crazy as we prepared for church and the day. The hotel had made us breakfast this morning which consisted of spaghetti, salad, eggs, and bananas. We were supposed to leave for the baptismal service at 6:45am., but we didn’t leave until about 7:30pm.-Haitian time!

We traveled to the river bank in Cay Jocmel for the baptismal service where three young people were baptized. I enjoyed the opportunity to witness this baptism service as these young people are making a public profession that they are desiring to serve Jesus. We sang a few hymns on the shore of the river bank while Pastor Kevin did the baptizing and Joe assisted him by helping the young people step into the river. When I say we sang hymns, what I really mean, is that the Haitians sang, and we listened. I recognized the songs that were sung even though they weren’t in my native tongue. The tune to “There is a Fountian” and “Take my Life” are the same in both languages.

After the baptismal service, we headed to church. We stopped at a Baptist Church on the way to Moriah as Grandpa had been asked to preach there this morning. Corey went with Grandpa to that church and the rest of us traveled on.  Since we were late to the baptism, we missed the Sunday school class hour, but we made it there for church. The church service at Moriah Baptist Church was a beautiful service. These dear church folks have worked hard on a new building for several years, so it was exciting to go to church there. The building was full of people!

Debbie Lynn and I had walked over to the Pastor’s house when we arrived to drop off some gifts that Debbie Lynn had purchased for their family. The pastor’s wife was there working on making food for the church dinner that would be held after the service. She was so appreciative and seemed very happy. Debbie Lynn and I snapped a few pictures and then walked down the hill to the church building. The service had already started so Joe, Debbie Lynn, and I stood in the back. The rest of the team was sitting right up in the front. The Haitians like to seat their guests of honor right in the front, but as the building was full, we just stood in the back. Joe had been asked to give a testimony of the  Lords goodness and grace during his bout with cancer. This church family was among one of several churches in Haiti that had been praying for Joe. Kevin translated for Joe, and Joe did a great job. Joe started tearing up a bit at the end, and so did I. I’m tired so everything is a bit emotional for me today. I haven’t even held Eby today as I know how hard it’s going to be to leave this sweet baby. It does seem to me that Haitians are not very emotional people as I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of them cry. They are a strong and sturdy people, and some are very pain tolerant...like pulling their own teeth?! Ouch!

The church service this morning had a lot of singing, which I love to hear! I recognized all of the songs even though I didn’t recognize the words. We sang “The Love of God”, “Since Jesus Came into my Heart”, “There is a Fountian”, and several others. Some of the ladies from our team sang two specials together. I would critique a lot more if I was directing it for church or School, but since I’m not and it was sung from the heart, I pray that someone was blessed by it. This is the church that took up the offering last year in a Victoria Secret heart shaped box, but today I noticed that the Church has actual offering plates. There was also a group of Haitian young people that sang together, and it was lovely. I do enjoy hearing the Haitians sing as they sing with all their heart and soul.

After the music, my dad was asked to preach. Preaching through a translator is always a bit challenging, but I think that he did a good job today. Following the preaching, the church had communion. Communion is always a special time for me, and seeing it here in Haiti was very special.  Here in Haiti the communion table was set up at the front of the church, and the congregation comes forward to get the bread and the cup. I wasn’t sure about taking communion since I didn’t understand      the language, but I figured if Emelie did it so would we. Once Pastor Kevin and Emelie got up to get it the rest of the team followed. By the time Joe, Debbie Lynn and I reached the front, it was clear to see that there weren’t going to be enough communion cups for everyone. Some of the members of our team didn’t get a cup, but as Debbie Lynn whispered “The Bible doesn’t say how much to drink, I’ll share with Joe.” Since some people were sharing the cups, the pastor had one of the young men come over and full up the cups to the very top. (The communion juice was grape soda pop.) Since we cant understand the language it was imperative that we pay attention to what the people were doing. When they ate the bread, so did we. After we drank the cup, one of the young men came by and picked up some of the cups. Then they took the cups to the front, took out a few, filled them with the juice, and then the pastor’s finished the Lords Supper. That’s something we wouldn’t do in the States, but no one seems too concerned about germs, and it was clear to see that their hearts were in the right place.

After church, we tripped up the hill to the old church building for lunch. Lunch was a church dinner with pre-plated food that consisted of chicken, rice and beans, and beet salad. Unlike church dinners in the states, I did not see any food thrown away and every bite was eaten.

Although we were a bit tired after lunch, it was time to set up for the clinic. After church we had put labels in the people in church that were planning on coming to the clinic, as that way we could make sure that we saw those people first. It was a bit chaotic at first as we tried to set up a pharmacy table, a urnine station, and make a place to see the patients. Then we had people who didn’t want to wait in line so every time we turned around someone wa trying to cut in front of someone else! Pastor Kevin finally spoke to them in their language, so we were able to find a method to our madness! I didn’t feel especially needed in today’s clinic as the space was was crowded by the pharmacy table and we had a lot of people working. However, it did allow me to have a conversation with Debbie Lynn, so I was thankful for that.

Gilly is one of our Haitian translators for the medical team. His mom attends the church gathering we are at today, and I wanted to try to speak to her through one of our other translators. Gilly went up the mountain this morning with the construction team. The translator that I was using was a bit on the young side and still learning English so I’m not sure that I was able to communicate what I wanted to tell her. What I wanted to express to her was how much I respect and admire her. Gilly is a young man with a heart for God, a desire to serve his people, and a hard worker. I admire his mom as I know that moms are important in shaping their sons. In ten years or so, I want to have four sons that have a  heart for the Lord, a desire to serve, and a willingness to work hard. (I want that for my daughter too!) I’m not sure that I was able to convey what I want to say, and I was trying not to cry, but God knows my heart.

It felt like the clinic would never end today, but it did. We saw 169 people this afternoon, which me as that we did see over 1,000 people this week! Seeds of the Gospel were planted, some seeds were watered, and we did see some souls saved for eternity! God is so good!

While we were doing the clinic, some of the guys from the team where working on some electrical work in the church building. At one point in time, Joe was hanging out the window over the mountain, and my dad was holding on to his ankles to stabilize him! Then Josh was standing in a   piece of plywood across two benches and the whole thing almost collapsed!

We finished up the clinic, picked up all the remaining medicine and got ready to leave. But now the electrical people weren’t done with their job! So we sat and waited for them to finish. That was probably the most tiring part of the entire day as we were ready to head back to the hotel, but we needed to wait. Oh well!

While we were waiting, a mom came in and sat down in one of the benches. She had a baby with her, and one of the Haitian pastors began talking to her. The pastor then came and asked Hannah to look at the baby. The poor baby had some type of rash going around her ankles and the skin was rubbed raw and very painful looking. We found an antibiotic in one of our bags, and hopefully this baby will feel better soon. Maybe God delayed our going back to the hotel just so we could help this mom and baby.

Finally! At around 5:00 pm, we were ready to go. On the way back we did stop at the place where Emelie and Kevin are building their house. The lot is on a hill side...as is about every lot in Haiti. But the view is beautiful! It would be a beautiful sight to take in every day.

We arrived back at the hotel around 6:00pm, and supper was ready about 7pm. The food was delicious, and my favorite was the goat and fried potatoes. I’m kinda tired of rice and beans, but  that’s okay. We’ve been fed plenty of food, and I’m not complaining.

It’s amazing how tiring these days can be. The construction team that came in yesterday headed up to the mission house after the baptismal service. Dad and Krissy are also staying for another week, but they opted to stay with the medical team. They will head back up the mountain on Tuesday.

Tomorrow is our rest and recharge day. I know that Hannah would like to take Eby to the clinic to see if they have any insight to offer. I would like to go also  as I want to see the hospital/clinic again. I am looking forward to tomorrow.