January Experiences - Welcome to 2026!

 Hello January! (Oh wait…it’s almost over already!) 

This month has been a whirlwind of activity as we came back to school on the 6th of January, and we’ve been busy with basketball, school, upcoming art competitions, a trip for Roger and I, Chandler’s 18th birthday, and a whole host of a bunch of other activities that I’ve already forgotten! 

I was greatly encouraged by multiple texts to one of my dear friends from Maine this month. I am so thankful for Sharon’s investment in my life, her prayers for our children, and her encouragement to me to “keep the faith”, and press on in Jesus’s name. January is often a month of feeling overwhelmed with many things happening at once, and being over stimulated is a real struggle for me. Sometimes the noise feels very loud at our house, and it is, but I have to ask myself, “are my children deliberately trying to get on my last nerve? Or are they just being boys?” Truthfully, sometimes, I’m just a grouch and need to get over myself! Anyways, I was encouraged to know that Sharon prays specifically for our children, and I need women in my life to mentor and encourage me. It was an unexpected blessing this month. 

Also this month, we had “spirit” week at school and “Homecoming” night. It’s a fun week of activities for the students, and I think most of the teachers willingly join in on the fun. I had the opportunity to help with the “pep” rally, and while it always takes me a minutes to get over myself and get hyped up for the event, I typically have a good time with it. It’s fun to interact with the elementary kids, and I try hard with the Middle school/High school students! It was a fun and tiring week, and I don’t think I remembered to take a single picture of our kids that week, but oh well!

Roger and I got away for a few days to celebrate our 20th anniversary …which was in September, but now was when we had the time to get away. It was such a wonderful and relaxing week with just Roger and I. We talked about everything under the sun as we soaked up the sunshine. I read four or five books on the trip, and it was a wonderful week! The weather started out a bit on the cool side as our first day in the Bahamas was about 69 degrees and overcast, but it was 84 degrees the next day. Roger and I took our first cruise with the MSC cruise line, and it was a great experience. MSC is owned by an Italian company so there are some different things that they do from other cruise lines, but overall the experience exceeded our expectations. It’s hard to know what to expect when the cruise only cost about $720 for both Roger and I for six days, but we were pleasantly surprised by our experience. I am very thankful for the time away with Roger, and it was a reminder of how hard we need to continue to work on our marriage and relationship. After all the kids are out of the house and we face an empty nest, I want to still be in love with Roger. I want to still desire to spend time with him, value his opinion, cherish our time together and that doesn’t happen without intentionality. God is so good, and I am so abundantly blessed. I often fail to realize how God has blessed and orchestrated so many things in His perfect timing, and it was a blessing to have some extra time (in the sunshine) to think about many things regarding our future, children, etc.

 

We arrived home from our cruise on Saturday, and we arrived home just before the ice storm hit North Carolina. We are thankful for God’s protection on the trip home. We had church online on Sunday, and it was nice to spend the day catching up with the kids on all their experiences from the week. Emma stayed with Aunt Jen, and all the boys stayed at home. I was pleasantly surprised at how clean the boys kept the house. We didn’t have a lot of food left in the fridge, but they survived quite well together! The boys were on time to school every day, and the dog survived the week too. We had a snow day on today (Monday), and it was an unexpected day to prepare for the rest of the week. My middle school and high school students are in the beginning stages of preparing for an art competition in a few weeks, so we have a lot to do! It’s probably the most stressful time of the year for me, so I am thankful that Roger and I got away for a few days before the craziness begins. 

Today is also Chandler’s birthday! Where did time even go?! This little bundle of boy has grown into a young man with an entrepreneur spirit, inquisitive mind, and a hard work ethic. He doesn’t always speak his mind in a group of people, but he always has an opinion. He sees the world in “black and white”, and he is a deeply loyal friend. He exasperates me to no end at times, but I pray often and fervently that he will continue to grow in his relationship with Jesus and desire to serve Jesus all of his life. I am so very thankful for this second son of ours, and please pray with us that he will love Jesus and that Chan will have wisdom about college. He is planning to visit Pensacola Christian College next month, and we are praying for God’s clear direction for him. I’m thankful that God loves my children more than I ever could imagine, and that He has a perfect plan for each one. 

God has been teaching Roger and I a lot this past month. We’ve had some new and different experiences, and I feel like God is challenging us to trust Him in new ways these days. Parenting adult and teen children is the most difficult thing I have ever done, and each day brings new challenges. I am thankful that God walks before us and beside us, and that I can constantly lean on Him. We serve an amazing God!

Haiti Journal (Day 7 & 8) Rest day? And Home!

I’m going to finish up our journal about our Haiti trip. It's taken me longer than I would have liked, but getting back into the swing of things at home as also been taking up my time!

 

Friday, January 25, 2019
Rest day consisted of a lot of walking, which I don’t mind at all. It als consisted of being away from the hotel a large part of the day, but such is life. Haitian time is it’s own special time and nothing is rushed or hurried.

We started off the day with breakfast around 8:30 am. Then we decided to take the dump truck to the hospital to check on our patients that had come down the mountian to be seen for additional help. 

All seven girls (myself, Tara, Moriah, Beca, Lauren, Lydia and Krissy) are sharing a room with 2 queen beds. Marcus and Kacie both brought along sleeping mats, so we’ve been able to use those too. We could’ve gotten an additional room, but this way we can save money, and its only for two nights. However the air conditioner doesn’t work in our room and its a bit like a sauna. We decided to change rooms, but then discovered that the air conditioner wasn’t working in the room we were going to move to either! Oh well! 

When we arrived at the hospital we discovered that a few more patients had come down the mountain. Yesterday we had brought down a little boy who’s foreskin won’t retract and he needs to be circumcised. We also brought down a lady that had broken a bone and the bone had not healed properly. The old man with congestive heart failure is here, and he looks worse than he did before. He did tell Pastor Kevin that he was ready to see Jesus. Perhaps the hospital can at least give him something to manage the pain. Two of the pregnant ladies with very, very hig blood pressure were at the hospital as well as the lady who thinks she is five months pregnant. Remember the one that we couldn’t get a positive pregnancy test on? Hannah, Tara, Kacie and Pastor Kevin talked with the doctor for a bit, but since nothing is done quickly, we decided to go see the progress on the Faulde’s house.They are building a house in Cay Jocmel that will be there home as well as a place to provide lodging for the mission teams that come through. 

It was certainly a warm walk from the hospital to the Fauldes house, but I enjoyed the opportunity to walk with Moriah, Garett and Josiah. Their house project has made tremendous strides in a year, but it still has a ways to go. Its going to be a beautiful home when it is finished. 

I was ready to head back to the hotel after seeing the house, but remember we are on Haitian time. I had not expected to have lunch today since the hotel gave us a big breakfast. Pastor Kevin had arranged for us to go to someone’s house for lunch. She was making spaghetti, which is a fast meal-if you are in the States. She bought the spaghetti, stopped to pick up chicken and came home to cook lunch. It was over an hour and one-half before lunch was ready. Garett played soccer with some Haitian kids for most of the time. I actually think she was able to get lunch together fairly quickly considering that she had to boil the water in a pot over the stove, cut up and cook the chicken , and make the juice by juicing the oranges-and not with a powered juicer! The Haitians eat their spaghetti with hot dogs and chicken in it. Its an interesting way to eat it, but Nadine is a great cook. Her food is always yummy. Each plate was piled high with food...way more than I would have chosen to eat! Eating all those carbs and sugar without a lot of protein can make you tired in a hurry. As we finished up our huge lunch, Pastor Kevin announced that one of the staff at the hospital had made us coffee and rolls to eat before heading to the hotel! So back to the hospital we walked to eat more food and drink coffee! I don’t really care for Haitian coffee too much, and I knew if I drank that I would probably lose all my lunch. Instead I sat quietly at a table with Tara and Grandpa. Pastor Kevin told Hannah that he thought the hospital was getting ready to close down for the weekend (yes, that happens)and that she should go check on some of the patients to make sure they were getting their medicine. Hannah, Kacie and Pastor Kevin went to go check on them, but a few minutes later Tara and I decided that we wanted to go too. I told Tara that the hospital isn’t that big, and that we could probably find Hannah. Sure enough I heard Hannah laughing, and we found them! 2 of the pregnant ladies were waiting for some kind of shot and then they would be sent home with high blood pressure medication. They would need to come back in two weeks for a follow up visit. The one mama is at least eight months pregnant,so she could be having the baby any day, especially after a bumpy ride back up the mountain to home. The other lady (the one who told us that she was five months pregnant) is not pregnant. What she has instead is a belly full of worms! She isn’t feeling her baby move, but she is feeling worms in there! Ugh! I cant even imagine! So she will be sent home with worm medication and blood pressure medication. She did not look at all sad to not be having a baby, and she will probably be feeling much better soon! 

We arrived back at the hotel around 5pm. Since we had such a late and big lunch we decided that we didn’t need supper. Garett, Josiah Beca and Krissy got in the pool even though its not full of water. I sat on the edge of the pool with Moriah, Lydia, and Lauren. We had some good conversations about some of the deeper things in life. I sure have come to love and appreciate these girls this week. I will miss them when I go home. It’s good to know how to pray a bit more specifically for them. 

Since we are leaving for the airport tomorrow at 3am, I am going to bed soon even though its only like 8pm. 

It was a busy and full rest day. I’m thankful for deep conversations, friends to love and pray with, and that God is at work in each of our lives. 

Tonight Garett gave the extra money we was given for this trip to Pastor Kevin. It will either go towards the cost of the meals for the clinics that we held, or for hospital bills or whatever the needs may be. Garett also had been given some money that he was told that he could spend however he liked. He decided to give $20.00 to each of the Faulde kids for whatever their needs might be. I’m so thankful for his generous spirit and his desire to help others. I’m praying that he will continue to grow and mature into the man that God wants him to be. 


 January  26, 2019 Saturday Day 8

Today we are heading home! We woke up at 3:00am as the driver was supposed to be here at 3:30am.  To take us to the airport. Well, by 4:00am there was still no sign of the driver! Pastor Kevin called him and the driver said that the van was currently stuck on a sand pile! Apparently the wheels were spinning,  and the van was not moving. Since there is nothing we can do about that, we decided to go back to bed, or at least lie down on the bed. At about 4:45, the driver called to say that he was on his way. He came racing down the road at 5;00am and all the bags were quickly thrown in. Krissy had a flight leaving at 9:45am so we needed to get going! As the bags were being thrown on, one of the ropes to tie them down breaks completely! However, those bungee cords were still in the truck so we were able to solve the problem quickly. Finally, we were on the road for the airport. Our driver drove like a crazy person! He was determined to get us to the airport on time. 

By the time we arrived at the airport, I think we were all feeling a big car sick. However, Krissy did mange to make her flight! Garett and I manage to pack all of our stuff to come home into 2 carryons, so we didn’t have to pay for any checked bags. Josh asked at the Delta counter about our missing bags. The ticket agent said that the bags had made it to Port-au- Prince. We would need to walk to the cargo office to get our missing bags. We knew that if we left Haiti without our bags there was a good possibility that we would never see them again. It was a bit of a hike down to the cargo office, and we never would have found it except that God brought along someone to led us there. When we finally found the cargo office, there sat our missing bags! Who knows how longs they’ve been here, but I do plan to have a talk with Delta about our missing bags. I’m hoping that Delta will work with us on the inconvenience of missing our bags all week. We did survive without them that is for sure! Howeve, the majority of the stuff in my suitcase was to leave with the Haitian people! I don’t really want to take all that stuff back home again! And I definitely don’t want to pay to take it home! Thankfully the ticket agent was kind to us. He waived the baggage fee for our bags. We might’ve walked a mile to get our bags, but now we have them back. 

Since our flight didn’t leave until 1:45pm, we had enough time to chase down our bags. Maybe Ill be able to save the stuff for next year if the Lord allows me to return to Haiti again. 

Another year is wrapped up! God is so, so good to us! Garett smiled the whole week. He told me that he loved playing with the kids, and working on the roof with the guys. I’m thankful for those who helped take care of our kids, gave to us financially, and prayed for us. We are so blessed by the generosity and love others have bestowed upon us. Roger is a good, good man to hold down the fort, encourage me to go, and work his job this week. 

I’m thankful for a home to return to, and a bed to sleep in, a warm shower, and toilet paper by the toliet! I’m thankful for a variety of foods we are blessed to have in the States. I’m thankful for the grace of God that sustains us every step of the way. 

Haiti Journal Day#5 (Medical Clinic Adventures!)

January 23, 2019 Wednesday


Already Wednesday! Today we are headed to Baie d’Orange to have the clinic. We are going to take the dump truck since we are taking so much medicine and a lot of people. However, we may end up having to take motorcycles. 

Today I’m praying that Garett will be able to find things to do to keep busy. Sometimes that can be harder to do when we are away from the mission house. He’s still smiling though and having a great time!

I forgot to write yesterday that Tara rechecked on her pregnant lady in the afternoon and the lady had stopped progressing. This was a great thing as we didn’t want to deliver a baby that isn’t ready to safely come into the world. Dehydration as well as an infection and a bumpy motorcycle ride are the things that probably started her labor pains.  

As we get tired its easy to have a little less patience and grace with each other, so I’m also asking God for an extra measure of that today.   

In Chota, Hannah treated a man who started asking questions about Jesus. Hannah sent him to talk to Pastor Kevin and the pastor of the church in Chota. Pastor Kevin said that the man understood what he needed to do, but kept saying that he couldn’t get saved yet because he had already promised the devil that he would do certain things. The power of witchcraft is a real and huge thing here as 
people grow up in a culture surrounded by fear and superstition. But I read in Colossians 1:12-14    
“Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints         of light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son. In whom we have redemption through is blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” Oh praise his HOLY NAME! I don’t have to live in darkness! 

Looking forward to what the day will bring as  we see the people and God at work among us.   


Evening:
We were on the road to clinic by about 6:20am. Pastor Kevin drove the Parakaleo dump truck with 16 people on the back, and 3 in the cab. The road is hardly a road, more of a trail, but nevertheless,  
on we went! We did have to stop to get a rock out from between the two back wheels. Marcus and    
Josh were able to get it out, which was necessary as the rock rubs on the tires. However we did arrive by about 7:30am. The pastor preached the Gospel message to the crowd that was already there and growing by the minute!  


Clinic was held in the same building that the guys had come to work on Sunday afternoon. When they were there on Sunday, the floor was only about 1/3 of the way done. In two days the men from the church had made, mixed, poured, and smoothed out the floor and it had dried! Those were some intentional workers! The people were very glad to see us come to have clinic in their building. This is the largest building, and we had the most space for clinic...it was great! Pastor Kevin says that in Haiti if you build the building, the people will come. That certainly proved to be true today! 

 Hannah’s 1st patients of the morning were two pregnant ladies. Both mamas had extremely high blood pressure. And they both appeared to be pregnant, but only one of the ladies tested positive in   
  the urnine pregnancy test. The other mama we tested four times with four different pregnancy tests,  and   we never did get a postive test! Hannah is worried about both of them and their babies, so she wants  
them to come down the mountain with us tomorrow to go to the hospital. Hannah had purchased a Doppler for this trip, but guess what? It is in the missing bag! We have this thing that helps you hear the heartbeat, but its like a home thing, so its accuracy might not be fantastic.  Kacie had an older man that came into be seen, and he is not long for this world. His oxygen is failing, and his extremities are very swollen. We paid to have him sent down to the hospital as soon as possible. He probably feels like he is drowning with all those fluids. Kacie also saw patient that had a catheter put in...like three months ago! He was supposed to go have it changed or removed after two weeks, but he didn’t return to the hospital, so now he has a nasty infection! 

We had a lot of people working in the clinic today, so Emelie and I had time for some serious  conversations. Life isn’t all roses, and sometimes life experiences are painful. At one point we were both hiding under the table looking for tissues and trying to hide our tears. Hannah asked what we were doing, and Garett pipes up “They’re talking and then crying! I don’t know what’s wrong with them!” I’m thankful for laughter and joy, but also for deep and meaningful conversations.  

We ran out of baggies to put the pills into this afternoon. We are probably quickly approaching 1000 people seen. Hannah brought plenty of baggies...but guess what? They are in the missing bag! We have extra medicine cups, and I had a roll of duct tape in my backpack. We took the medicine cups, put the pills in, and duct tape across the top! Its not beautiful, but it works! 

We did have a quick lunch break of rice and beans (no surprise there!) plaintains, potatoes, and chicken legs. They also made us some special juice and it was delicious. I have no idea what was in it, but Garett and I both liked it! Having lunch made everyone feel a bit tired, I think! However, the people kept coming! We finally had to tell the people that we had to leave. The nurses were rushing around trying to see everyone that they could while we packed up the stuff from the clinic. Those last few moments were pretty crazy! 

We needed to get back to the mission house before the sun set as the road is so rough! On the way back to the mission house, the welding started to come apart on the back of the truck. We actually had to stop the truck, and everyone had to sit down in the bed of the truck as the sides were so loose. We passed by a man making caskets, and I made the remark that the man was building caskets.  Josiah leaned over and told me, “He might have a lot of business today if this truck breaks!” We laughed together, as the truth is we don’t know when we will die. But I’m not fearful of death...I know that my Redeemer lives, and I have a home in Heaven! 

Shortly after we arrived back at the mission house, the mama with the baby with the burns came to be seen. The baby had kicked off the dressings and the skin was exposed. Hannah carefully redressed the wounds, and gave the mom some very specific instructions for care of the burns. We have no way of providing follow up care. All we can do is help the child, give instructions, and pray for God to heal these wounds. 

It was another long, exhausting day, but I do think that God was glorfied through it all. I cant imagine how tired Hannah, Kacie, Tara and Grandpa must be as they talked to so many people today. Grandpa translated for almost the entire day. I know he must be getting tired of these long days, but  yet his love and dedication for the people is apparent. I know he is getting older, but I pray that God will allow him too come on these trips for years to come.  

The church people wanted to make lunch special for our team. The people that came to clinic were fed rice and beans. However, they wanted for make lunch special for us. Shortly after the clinic started this morning, the pastor came to get Kevin. He walked Kevin down to his house where we would eat lunch later. He wanted Kevin to taste the juice that they had made. Kevin assured him that whatever was made for lunch, we would eat. They wanted the team to know that they appreaciated the medical team coming. 

Pastor Kevin said that the pastor’s father-in-law lives with them, but he has Alzheimer’s. When the pastor and his family need to leave, they lock the old man in the house. The pastor says that otherwise his father in law would wander away and could be lost. The old man doesn’t mind being locked in the house apparently, as he sings to himself the whole time. It’s intersting that they have figured out how to keep him safe, but it’s not at all what we would do in the States. 

In our three days of clinics, I have never seen so many pregnant women! Seguin, Chota, Baie d’Orange...there are a lot of babies and pregnant mamas! The rate of death is also fairly high as we saw a lot of children that are being raised by a family member, as the mom had died. The toddler years seem to be especially high for mortality rate as by the time the child is 2 or 3 the mama often has another baby. The toddler is expected to be “able to fend for himself” which only works out if the child is strong and healthy. 

Hannah had to go make a house call during clinic today. She had seen the mom and the mom wanted Hannah to come and check on her daughter. Apparently the daughter was nine years old and had stopped walking when she was six. They don’t keep track of dates here, so its hard to know. Garett asked to go with Hannah on the house call, and that was pretty special for him. Hannah said that the girl is mentally handicapped, but she is actually fairly healthy for her condition out here. 

God kept us safe today over all the bumps and rocks. He provided a church building that was big and had plenty of space for clinic. During todays message, we had about 6 kids raise their hands for salvation. The pastor of the church took them aside to talk and to pray with them. We praise the Lrod for each salvation decision made this week and we pray that discipleship will follow as these pastors interact with the people. 

Tomorrow we will head down the mountain in the afternoon. We will have a full load going down the mountain as well as any sick people that need a ride down to the hospital.

Prayer requests:
1) a good nights rest for all
2) the baby with the burns to heal quickly
3) a safe trip tomorrow

Praises:
1) safety 
2) salvation descisons made
3) Gods grace

Haiti Journal Day #3 (1st Day of Medical Clinic)

I meant to write all these journal entries consecutively, but life happened! Last week I had a dentist appointment to take Emma to, a Medieval Feast that I helped out with for Chandler’s class, a two-hour delay on Wednesday which meant music classes were moved to Thursday. And then Friday was chapel, hot lunch, and just a busy Friday! Needless to say, I’m hoping for a bit of a “down” week this week. But anyways, I’m back to the missions trip journal!

Day #3
Our first medical clinic is today, and it’s our longest hike. Generally the hike to Chota takes between 2- 2.5 hours (all walking). We have a lot of people and supplies going, so I think it might take closer to the 2.5 hour time today. To be honest, I love the hike to Chota. Ever since my first trip to Haiti in 2017, I’ve enjoyed this hike. It’s invigorating, beautiful and good exercise! 

Garett is going to be a bit tired today as it was about 9:30pm when they arrived back at the mission house last night after working on the roof. He tells me that his stomach is hurting, and I think it might be the Haitian food. He hasn’t eaten nearly as much as he usually does, but if his stomach is hurting that explains why! Praying that he will have a great day today and that his stomach won’t hurt. The plan is to leave for Chota around 6:30 am-so that probably means closer to seven. 

Hannah and Tara admistered the rabies vaccine to the Faulde Family this morning before our hike. Did you know that an average of 1-2 people die from rabies every week in Haiti?! It’s a three dose series, and now it’s complete for them. Tara drew up the vaccine and Hannah administered it. They made quick work of the task, and it was time to hike!


Evening entry:
We did end up leaving for Chota around 7:15am. It’s always a long hike, but we made good time today. The hike only took about two hours. Grandpa Faulde had left a bit before us on the motorcycle, so that he could preach the Gospel message before we started clinic. However, there is not an actual road to Chota. Grandpa could get a ride for a good chunk of the way on the motorcycle, but you still have to hike to the village. Grandpa said that about10 people did raise their hands during the invitation stating that they knew that they needed to ask Jesus to come into their lives. 

The Chota clinic is always a very full day, and this year we seemed to see an abundance of babies and pregnant ladies! It’s always a snug fit under the tarp for all that we need today, and I’m always amazed that this is actually the school building as well. And the school educates about 120 students! So...we have absolutely no reason to complain about any of our facilities in the States! 

Kacie saw a family with a terrible case of  Scabies. Scabies is a parasite  that lives under the skin and causes awful itching and a rash. This family was covered in it. The young girl had it all up in the inner thighs of her legs, and the boy had some infections from all the itching. It basically takes a lot of very hot water, lots of soap, and lots of scrubbing to get rid of scabies. I can’t quite imagine how difficult it will be for this family to get rid of it. I think I’d be tempted to burn down my hut! Kacie was able to give them some antibiotics for the infection and soemthing for the itching. Hopefully that will help and they will be able to get rid of it. 

We did see a few people that had symptoms of either HIV or TB. They will be sent to the free TB clinics down the mountain to be seen and to figure out which one they have. 

I ran the urine aspect of clinic, and I helped Emelie in the pharmacy. Hannah likes to see and interact with the people, but she also has to help answer questions. This year we had a Haitian doctor come along (which is a good thing) but she kept wanting to prescribe medicine that we didn’t have! I mean, we aren’t an actual pharmacy,  and Emelie and I are probably not the best to offer a substitute on an antibiotic! I feel like the only thing I can give out with lots of confidence would be tums and vitamins!  Hannah seemed like she had to help out the doctor a lot which made it seem like we were seeing a smaller number of people. I don’t know that we actually saw less people this year, but we wont know until Hannah counts out how many bands were handed out. The triage nurses are supposed to band the people in numerical order, but Krissy (from North Dakota) could quickly see that wasn’t happening. Nevertheless, she did a good job of keeping the crowd organized and moving forward. Its a challenging job as they all want to be first! 

We did take a quick break for work, and the Haitians sat there and waited for us to come back. The plan was to feed the people that came to the clinic a meal of rice and beans, but only some of the people ended up getting fed. Change is a bit hard to communicate sometimes, so we will just be thankful that some did get a meal and move forward. 

We did see everyone that wanted to be seen at the clinic. We were headed back on our hike to Seguin around 4;15 pm. Garett and Josiah played and chased kids, emptied out the urine sample cups, counted out pills and kept the kids away from the medicine. 

On the hike in the morning, Moriah had shoes that gave her toe a terrible blister. It looked painful by the time we arrived in Chota, but she hadn’t stopped to complain (it wouldn’t have done any good anyways). Tara wrapped her toe the best she could for the hike back, but I know it was still a bit painful. However, Moriah just kept walking! 

When we started back for Seguin, we didn’t have the mule with us this time. (In the morning, the mule had carried the medical supplies.) Although the medical bags were lighter, they were still not light. I started out with one of the medical bags, and it probably weighed between 35-40 pounds. The hike to Seguin is mostly uphill, and I carried it for a while. Then I passed it off to Josiah who didn’t have a bag to carry. Krissy, Beca, Garett and I hiked back together as over the course of the hike everyone gets spread out. I walked at a normal pace for me, and Garett did a great job of keeping up. He really was a trooper and I am proud of him. I kinda walked fast on purpose as I wanted to see if he would complain, but he never did. He did ask how much farther once, but he kept up. I know he is exhausted from the long day yesterday, the long hikes today, and all the playing with the kids, but he kept walking. We arrived back at the mission house before anyone else...even those that had managed to snag a motorcycle ride. The mission house was locked, but that didn’t bother us! We were happy to sit down! As soon as we found the cook, she was able to unlock the mission house. We hurried inside. Even though the generator wasn’t running, showers can still be taken as the tanks are gravity fed. Garett decided today that he needed to take a shower-Hurray! It was almost dark, but we did get showered before everyone was back. When I was in the sower, the water ran out-no water left in the tank! Water can be pumped up to the tanks on the roof when the generator is running, but that was the quick end of my shower. Oh well, I’m cleaner than I was before! 

Still no suitcases today, and I guess I’m thinking that we will not be getting them this week. Maybe they will be at the airport when we fly out on Saturday, but we will see.  However God has managed to provide everything we have absolutely needed thus far. It has actually been really cool to see how God has provided the necessities of what we need, and how His grace sustains us. 

I’m thankful that God kept all of us safe on the hike today. I’m thankful that Grandpa was able to get a motorcycle ride back to the missions house once we were on the main road. I’m thankful that God gave strength for every step. I’m thankful for a mattress to sleep on, a mostly clean sleeping bag and a mostly clean body! 

Prayer requests:
1) a good nights rest for all
2) strength for tomorrow’s clinic
3) unity and harmony as we work together
4) for the 10 people that asked Jesus into their hearts today 

Praises:
1)Safety
2) God’s wisdom for the medical team
3) the Gospel message wa presented 

Haiti! Day #2

January 20, 2019 -Sunday
“This is the day that the LORD hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

I am so thankful that my sleeping bag, pillow and small blanket were tucked away in Garett's bag! I was so tired last night that I fell asleep even before the lights were turned off. The mission house runs its lights on a generator. Generallly the generator is turned off at night, but there were a few people that were here for the dedication that needed the electricity for health reasons. The mission house project has been completed (for the most part) and it is a testimony of God’s grace and provision. Lord willing, until the Lord returns, the mission house will continue to be a beacon on a hill that will house teams that have come to serve, provide a place to encourage the Haitians, and a place that will continue to shine as a light in a dark place. 

Praying for Garett today. I want his eyes to be opened and his heart stirred. Rejoicing in another day to serve Jesus! 

We had our first medical patient this morning. Hannah had just woken up when Kevin told her that a mom and baby were on the porch waiting for her. A mom had brought her baby to the mission house  
because the baby had something wrong with her mouth. It didn’t take long to determine that the problem was a terrible case of thrush! The mom had stopped nursing about a month ago as the baby had stopped sucking. Since that time the baby would eat small bites of food and drink a bit broth or gruel. Hannah gave the baby some Motrin and weighed the baby. Weighing the babies is not the same was what we would do in the U.S. Hannah created a scale using her creative brain side and her  sewing skills. She created a type of sling for infants and a baby jumparoo seat (one of those ones that  
hangs in a doorway) for the older kids. And by using a luggage scale, we can get a fairly accurate    
weight on the children. We discovered that the baby weighs about 12 pounds and is 10 months old. Kacie also looked the baby over and determined that thrush seems to be the main problem. Hannah had found a few containers of baby formula on sale in the states...and miraculously, the containers were not in the missing suitcase. (Of course, God was the One who worked out that detail!) God knew that this baby would need this formula. Hannah was able to get the baby to drink from a syringe, and that baby was hungry! She slurped down about six ounces via the syringe and conked out for a nap! Garett sat patiently by Hannahs side to help her refill the syringe. Garett does love babies! 

The group of people that had come from the states for the dedication were heading down the mountain today. They went back down the mountain with the driver that had driven us up last night. I don’t think the group flies out until tomorrow, but maybe someone will be able to inquire about our bags if we haven’t heard anything by then.  



Time for church...and what to wear!? I ended up wearing Hannah’s  dress that had been packed in her carryon, and Hannah borrowed clothes from Emelie. Maybe our suitcases will arrive today? 

The church house was full when we arrived at about 9:30 am. There doesn’t seem to be a particular time when church starts, just whenever the Pastor is ready to start and the people are there. I thought the church building looked full when we arrived, but the people just kept coming! We all crammed into the church building where the Haitians were already singing exhuberantly. Several other pastors were at the service today as the church in Seguin had been having a Pastor’s conference over the weekend. I always enjoy listening to the church people sing and it was lovely. We were at church    
around 9:30, and church wasn’t over until almost noon! We stood up for one brief 15 second period, 
and then everyone sat down. Imagine...lots of people sitting on hard wooden benches without a back     
on them for over two hours-and the Haitians hardly move! They sit still crammed together and seem     
 to be happy to be at church. When the offering was taken, the people seemed to give what little they    could with joy and cheer. I would estimate that between 85-90% of the people put something in the offering plate! Just imagine if that happened in the U.S.! Tara and I were talking about it later in the afternoon as we had both noticed how the church people gave. Granted their money isn’t worth a whole lot, but still they gave! In America we have people that complain if the church building is too hot or too cold, if the seat is too hard, or if someone sits in their pew! But here the people seem to want to soak in the hearing of Gods Word even if they are uncomfortable. We also had communion at church today. It was clear to see that there were more people than cups for communion. We needed up sharing communion cups and crumbling the cracker into bits so we could share. But God sees our hearts, and I do believe that He was honored and glorified in the service today. 



Everyone was very hungry after church, but it was still a bit of time before it was time to eat. Garett 
told me that the church service was a bit hard because he didn’t understand the language. He also told me that he was thankful that our church services back home aren’t quite so long without a break! Garett also observed the generosity of the peoples giving in the offering, and I was a bit impressed that he had made that observation.

 The church was having a church dinner today as they had so many guests. Some of the ladies in the church had stayed up most of the night making rice and beans for the church people. It also meant  that we had plenty of trash to pick up later in the afternoon! Lauren (a friend of the Faulde’s), Beca (the Faulde’s daughter) and Moriah (another daughter) and myself  certainly spent some timepicking up styrofoam plates from where they had just been dropped as the people finished the food. However,  we didn’t find one plate that had any food left on it. All the plates were spotlessly clean-no waste! 

After lunch we started working on pulling out all of the medical supplies. We have four  Haitian 
nurses and one Haitian doctor from Port-au-Prince that will be helping this week. Its neat to see   these Haitians that have a heart to serve their own country. It was quickly apparent that there were   plenty of people to help organize medical supplies, so Emelie and I started cleaning the kitchen. Its a     
 job that I don’t mind, but it’s a bit of a challenge without an abundance of water, dish soap, and  kitchen towels! We managed to get the stove on so that we could heat water. Moriah came up with a washcloth, and while it took a bit of work, the kitchen was eventually completely clean...at least for the moment! 

Pastor Kevin called to see if there was any word on our missing bags. The first person he talked to had no idea about anything. He called again and spoke to someone else and they are supposed to call him back in a bit. 


After Hannah was done with the medicine, she need to go check on the baby from this morning.  Emelie, myself, Hannah, and Beca hiked down to check on the baby. As we walked up to the house, the dad was reading to the family from the Bible. This family lives in a home that has no windows, straw sleeping mats, limited clothes and food, and yet the dad was spending time reading to his family from Gods Word. The baby was given more medicine and we will be following up with the baby tomorrow- before we head to Chota for a full day of clinic.  

Garett went with Pastor Kevin, Josh, Marcus and Josiah this afternoon to work on a roof. He was excited to ride on a motorcycle (no helmet of course). I’m sure he will come back very hungry as they left around 3pm, and as of now its 8;45 and they aren’t back yet. I’m praying that he will be a blessing this afternoon and that he enjoyed the work.  


Since Hannah and I are missing the majority of our clothes, we needed to come up with a plan. Several bags of clothes had been brought up to the mission house for the pastor to distribute to those in need. Well, the Lord knew that we would have a need. He provided a pair of pants for both of us  
  and a skirt that I can wear as well as some t shirts. Hannah was able to cut off the pants I found as 
 they were way too long! Now we wont need to do quite so much washing in the sink, and hoping the  clothes will dry! After we are done using the clothes this week, we can just leave them here for those in need. We have friends that would gladly share their clothes with us, but everyone has a limited  supply! I’m not going to be looking like a fashion statement this week, and I probably won’t match for most of the week, but my clothes will be fairly clean! I’m thankfuL!


It was a busy and full day with church services, cleaning, visting people, and preparing for tomorrow.  The plan is to start our hike to Chota around 7:00 am. Tomorrow. We have a large team of people going as we have the four Haitian nurses, one Haitian doctor, 2 physician assistants, one nurse, and about 10 other people that will be finding ways to be useful during the clinic. I’m praying that unity and harmony will be sweet and that God will give wisdom and direction.  

Its now 9:00 pm and the guys are not back yet from the roofing project. Kevin’s goal was to finish it  even if it meant finishing by moonlight. Good thing there is a full moon tonight! 

Tara and I switched rooms at the mission house today. We are now in the room with all the medical supplies, and its just the two of us. I certainly didn’t mind where we slept last night, but I’m happy to make this change...maybe I am getting old! Its nice to have a pit of peace and quite and to be able to shut the door on the noise. Of course closing the door doesn’t make all the noise go away, but it does cut it down to a dull roar.  

Prayer requests for today:
1) a good nights rest for all
2) Garett to get back safely
3) for the sick baby 
4) unity and harmony 

God is good!  

 

 

 

HAITI!

 

HAITI!

Our  video from last year is in the following link:

https://youtu.be/l9qWTGJAj-Y

I had no plans of returning to Haiti in 2019, but God had other plans for me! By the time the school year began in September, God had provided all the funds I needed for the trip except for luggage fees
and personal expenses! I was completely astounded, and God never ceases to surprise me with His blessings!


Although I was/am very much looking forward to returning, it does leave a lot of responsibilities for Roger to manage. Not that he can’t do it, but it’s hard to be the bread winner, the chauffeur, the cook, the launderer, and so much more. We are so thankful for each person and family that has offered to help while I’ll be away.



Here’s the really, really big news....Garett is coming with me to Haiti! I had already purchased my plane ticket to Haiti, and we had no intention of allowing Garett to come along with me as he is only twelve. But God, again, had other plans for our family. Roger and I were asked if Garett would like to come along. He was given an invitation to come with me, and Roger and I started praying about it. We didn’t mention it to Garett, but instead decided to look into if it was even possible for Garett to get on the same flight to Haiti with me, I looked into the cost of the ticket as did my sister, Hannah. However, the cost of the ticket had doubled! There was no way that we would be able to get him on the same flights, and as a minor he obviously needed to travel with me. I was so disappointed that God had given Garett the invitation, but then not paved the way! Roger and I continued to pray about what God would have us to do, and we asked several other close friends and family to pray with us. We still didn’t mention it to Garett, but I did talk with his teacher about the possibility of him going to Haiti. As I thought she would be, she was thrilled that Garett might have the opportunity. She assured us that she would work with Garett in any schooling he might miss, but also that the mission field could teach him many lessons that he wouldn’t learn in the classroom. Again, we continued to pray. For four days we prayed, checked flight prices, and discussed what God would have us to do.

Four days later, I looked again at the flight that I was booked on for our Haiti trip. What?! The price was the same as when I had booked my flight! I immediately called Roger, and he suggested calling the airline. I was blessed to talk with someone who could help me get Garett booked on the exact flights that all the Maine people are booked on and for the same price! Isn’t God good? Now that is a God thing!

So now the ticket was booked, and we needed to tell Garett. I printed off his ticket and then Roger told him that he needed to get the papers out of the printer. Garett went upstairs to get the papers, and he glanced through them. He did a double take as he saw his name! “I’m going to Haiti?” He has been estatic ever since. He’s been working hard and saving all the extra money that he can. I helped him write a letter to give to family and friends about his upcoming trip. I’m am so excited that he has the opportunity to go, and I am praying fervently that God will work in his heart. He does need some financial support to finish up paying for his ticket, so if you feel led to give, he would appreciate that. This is a big experience for a twelve year old boy, but God’s hand has been in this every step of the way.

Now...getting a passport for a minor-that is no small feat! Because we are getting to be shorter on time than we would like, we are going to New Hampshire to apply in person. Roger and I both have to go, and of course, Garett. The list of paperwork and application is a bit daunting as we don’t want to mess this up, but we are going on Monday! We would appreciate your prayers for a very, very smooth experience!

We are so thankful for each of you that have helped our family, either financially, through prayer, through helping out Roger, or anything else! We are so thankful! We would appreciate your prayers as we move towards this trip again. I’m excited to see what God will do; I’m thankful that He provided the opportunity for me to go again; and I can’t wait to work in the medical clinics again! To God be the Glory!

Psalm 18:3a “I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised...” 

Our Jamaica Excursion...I mean...Escapade!!

Every place we visit or go has it's adventures; however, some adventures are just funnier and more memorable than others. Bring on our Jamaica experience! :) 

All of us in our group, all ten of us, wanted to try an excursion in Jamaica. Surprisingly, all of us wanted to do the same thing. :) We signed up through the shore excursions desk on our cruise ship, and got up early on Wednesday morning to get off the boat for our excursion. It was cloudy starting out the day in Jamaica, but it looked like the weather was going to clear up.  We departed from the ship, found our tour group, and waited for further instructions. However, everyone seemed to be a bit confused. They left with about 22 people, and twelve of us were left at the bus pickup. So we waited for another bus, and waited, and waited...did I mention we waited?! Finally, after about an hour, we finally got a bus. And we were off! 

My first clue should've been that the bus sounded funny! Our tour guide was a sweet young lady. She told us many things about the Jamaica culture. One phrase she told us was that "In Jamaica we don't have problems, we have situations." Those words would come into play many times over the course of the day. We could tell from our tour guide that we were running late, so we hustled to Dunn River Falls. Once we arrived at the falls, we were rushed to divide into groups, and then hurried up to wait! :) Our group was split up so Roger and I went up the falls with Lorenz and Sara. There were a lot of people and although it was beautiful, it was a little over commercialized for this Canadian guy and his country Wisconsin girl. :)   The climb up the falls was rushed because we were running late. 

There was a little market after we arrived at the top of the falls; but since we were told to leave our valuables in the bus, we didn't have any money. We then climbed back in the bus, and we hurried off to lunch. Lunch was at a beautiful location by the beach, but we weren't able to enjoy it because we were short on time. Most of us in our group left the lunch hungry; but if we didn't get to the tubing spot, we might miss the cruise ship! 

After leaving our lunch location, we hopped by on the bus again. Off we went into Jamaica country...only to get lost! After traveling for about ten minutes, the driver stopped and asked someone for directions. So we turned around, and headed back up a different road. This road was windy and steep, and the bus sounded like it was going to need a push at every hill. After traveling for about another twenty minutes, the driver again stopped and asked someone for directions...yeah, we were going the wrong way! When the driver backed up, the bus sounded terrible with lots of grinding, awful sounds. So, we turned around and headed back down the steep, windy road. As we headed down around a turn, a car coming up the mountain waved us down. The driver of the car told us that we had something dragging off of the bottom of our bus. The driver of our bus also realized that the steering of the bus was gone when he couldn't move the bus off the road. So now we are in the middle of a road, on a hill, with a broken bus. But remember in Jamaica they don't have problems, they have situations! :) We got off the bus and saw that one of the wheels of the bus was no longer attached to the tie rod. Something had broken off, dragged down the road behind the bus, the bus lost it's steering, and we were stuck! I am so thankful for the Lord's protection. We could've skidded that bus down the mountain, and it would've been more than a scary experience. 

                      

After waiting about about 20-30 minutes, another bus arrived. The first thing I noticed was the sign on the back of the bus. It read "Fresh to Death"! We all got a huge chuckle out of that sign on the back of the bus...God definitely has a sense of humor!!

At this point, we were really far behind on time, and I really wasn't wanting to go tubing. But we wanted to finish our excursion, I mean escapade. :) So, off we traveled to the tubing place. Once we arrived, we started almost immediately down the falls. It was actually a lot of fun, and I'm really glad we did it! However, we were supposed to tube down the river to the beach, and that did not happen. We did stop to get out and jump off this diving platform. It was a lot of fun, but a little scary for one member of our group. I'm thankful that God kept us safe. Because we were short on time, the tubing ended early. Once out of the river, we realized that we had been given a different bus...again. The previous driver had unloaded our belonging from off the previous bus but instead of putting them on the new bus, all our stuff was sitting on a picnic bench. Our backpacks with identification, our money, passports, credit cards,etc., was just sitting on the table! We were then hurried back on the different bus to head back to the cruise ship. We never saw the beach today, and the whole day was filled with one experience after another! 

By the time we arrived back to the port where the ship was, our time was almost gone. The driver of the new bus had driven very quickly to get us back on time, which I'm thankful for, but it was a little scary! (I've ridden in vehicles in third world countries, and I've not been unnerved. But passing a vehicle, going up hill, on a steep road, seems a little intimidating!)

I am thankful to be back on the ship, but a little disappointed that we didn't really get to spend much time doing anything in Jamaica. However, The Lord kept us safe, our friendships grew stronger; and memories were made. It was a successful day!