Vacation Week, Another Birthday...and Testing!

 

 

 

A lot has happened around here in a week! The kids had the academy fair last Thursday at school. I helped with hot lunch for the school on Friday.  We had a special singing group from Canada at our church. We had a church dinner in Sunday. We took a few days as a family earlier this week. We had a birthday party for Chandler and Wyatt. And we only have a few days left of spring break! (Updated: now break week is over!)

I have to say that I am very thankful that the academic fair is behind us! It was no small feat to help four children with research, reports, backboards, and projects! Roger was a huge help in the project area and helping the boys finish out their ideas. As a family we learned the most about Nate Saint as we read through his biographies during the evenings. Chandler did his project on drones, which is not something I’m very interested in,  but I did help him use the internet for pictures and articles! Wyatt did his on the company that Roger works for, so this was the second year in a row that Penobscot Island Air was represented at the academic fair! Travis made a bear den for his project and he is still learning the concept that more is not necessarily better! However, after using an entire can of spray foam on his bear den, Travis declared it was “perfect”. It was fun to see him so excited about something that had to do with School! On Thursday evening, the school had an open house where parents and friends could come and see the projects. The boys were excited to see Rogers boss, his wife, and another friend from work come to the open house event. It was a long day but a good day. I am also thankful that it is over for another year!

Fridays are a long, busy day for me. And no matter how prepared I try to be, it’s still a long day. Thankfully, my friend, Claire, made most of the casseroles for hot lunch. That helped free up a lot of my time on Thursday so that I could enjoy the academic fair. We had a singing group from Canada also at school on Friday, so that meant an extra nine people at hot lunch. However, we’ve always had   enough food and everyone is full. My friend, Claire, also brought me flowers today! That was such a special surprise. It totally made my day and warmed my heart. I don’t serve in the school or church for recognition or praise, but the flowers were such a sweet gift and made a long day not seem so long! After lunch we had a parents group meeting to discuss some upcoming events at the school. The grandparents luncheon is right around the corner, so we had much to talk about for that. I always enjoy making lists and seeing the boxes get checked off as things are completed, but sometimes the list seems way longer than the amount of time available to complete the list! However, we have a small group of moms that a small in number but mighty in spirit! I’m excited to see how God is going to bring everything together!

Roger had off on Saturday and after five days of flying, he was tired! Roger’s job is not an 8-5 job, and it’s very physically and mentally intense sometimes. He enjoys what he does, but with the days getting longer, it’s harder to have supper together. Generally, it’s just mom and kids unless the weather is bad. I’m not complaining, we’re just adjusting! Roger leaves for work about 5:00am., and generally gets home around 6:30pm. So after five days, he was ready for a break, and we were ready to have more time with him! We spent Saturday working on cleaning up the yard, taking trash to the dump, and preparing for Sunday school on Sunday. Roger and I will be working with the Childrens Sunday school classes at church every Sunday. We are starting an opening program with the kids where we will sing songs, take an offering, learn a Bible verse, and have a missions moment. I think it will add a lot to our children’s ministries, and I’m excited about Roger and I working together in a ministry again.

Sunday night, after the Childrens’s program, we had a singing concert with the group from Canada. I could tell that Roger felt right at home, and he recognized many of the traditional Canadian songs that they sang. It was very good, but I’m glad that we were entering into a break from school. The singing started about 6:00pm., and it wasn’t over until after 8:00pm. By that time, we had kids sleeping on the pews! The older people in our church looked like they could’ve kept going for  another couple of hours, but all the parents with kids looked like they were about ready for bed! It was a picture of the different seasons of life!

On Monday morning our kids were up early in spite of a late night bedtime! About six months ago, I  had purchased some gift cards to a trampoline park in Portland. I had gotten a really good deal on them, and we decided to take the kids over spring break week. We figured that the trampoline park  might be a bit busy during the school break week, so we decided to get there right away at nine am. We pulled into the parking lot just as the employees unlocked the door. It was perfect as there were only about fifteen kids in the whole place for the first hour! The kids had a two hour pass, and they jumped the whole time. It was good exercise for the whole family, and we had a good time together. After that adventure, we went to Sam’s Club for lunch. Roger took the boys to Cabelas for a bit while Emma and I wandered around at Target. Since Wyatt’s birthday is later this week, we decided to surprise the kids with an overnight at a hotel on the way home. I had already booked the hotel, packed everyone’s clothes and swim wear, and it was a nice time. For under $100.00 we  were able to make some great memories with our family, and I’m soaking up these times together. The days are flying by, parenting is getting harder, and I treasure these times together. I’m glad that Roger had off several days in a row so that we could do this together. The weather has been rather overcast and rainy this week, so a trampoline adventure and fun at the hotel was time well spent this week.

Roger went back to work in Wednesday, but we certainly did enjoy our few days together as a family. On Wednesday my sister, Hannah, came down for a visit. It’s been a while since we’ve visited together, so it was good to catch up on her life. The boys were disappointed that she didn’t bring the dogs, but they spent the time putting up the trampoline. I was excited to see them work together and they managed to get it up by themselves! It didn’t bother them that it rained in the afternoon, and they spent several hours outside on the trampoline.

Thursday morning brought us a visit from another friend, also named Hannah. Hannah has three little ones in three years, and I see so much of myself in her. I think she’s doing a great job, but parenting is hard work. It’s so nice to have someone to relate to that understands where I’ve been and where I’m trying to be. We talked about families, church ministries, children, and parenting. The morning passed super quickly, and it was a morning well spent.

On Thursday evening we had a small birthday party for Chandler and Wyatt. Chandler’s birthday was in January, but we didn’t have time to have friends over before I left for Haiti. And Wyatt will be nine  on Friday! We didn’t have very many friends that could make it to our birthday gathering between traveling and people being sick. However, we still had twelve kids between three families! The weather turned rainy again in the evening, but the kids had a good time playing hide n seek in the house. I do wonder why I bother to clean the house BEFORE a get together?! It was a fun evening, and I’m thankful for friends to share in our birthday celebrations.

Friday saw Roger back to work for another day, and the kids and I at home. Friday was also Wyatt’s official birthday, and he is now nine years old! I remember so much emotion crowding around the arrival of this third son...as Garett was only 2 1/2 at the time. I wondered what God had in store with gifting us with another son. Yet Wyatt has brought a special delight to our family. He is sweet and kind (except maybe not always to his brothers!). He is a hard worker at school, and he applies himself diligently to try to excel. He also likes to make people happy, which is good. We are just working on applying ourselves to do our best, but not making mountains out of the molehills when we make mistakes. Wyatt enjoyed playing with his birthday gifts, and then we had piano lessons in the afternoon. After piano lessons we were able to meet up with Roger and we had dinner together at the place that Wyatt choose-Taco Bell. I am so blessed to get to be the mama to this sweet boy, and although I often fail, he still loves me.

 Saturday was our trash day. Roger was working, so that meant it was a job for mom and the boys. I don’t like  hauling trash to the dump, but I certainly don’t like having it pile up at home! Several people from Rogers work have given the kids their cans. They know that the boys are working on saving money for a special family adventure, so they gave Roger several bags of cans for the boys. They boys loaded all the cans into the truck on Saturday morning as we made that our first stop of the day. Through the generous gift of others and the cans we’ve collected from our walks, we recycled over 1,000 cans/bottles! The total was about $53.00! The boys were very excited and we put the money into coins. We are working on filling a five gallon water jug with silver coins only! It is taking us a long time, but we will be able to put the money towards a family trip that will be debt free and soemthing everyone has worked towards. It was a busy day with taking the can in to be recycled, doing trash, and grocery shopping. The boys definitely don’t enjoy grocery shopping, but it’s something that must be done around here! We survived.

Sunday was a day of worship with other believers at the house of the Lord. I was thankful for the opportunity to play the piano for prelude, and Roger and I taught children’s Church together. Chandler and Travis wanted to go on a walk to collect more cans in the afternoon, so I did that with them for a while. Travis isn’t that interested in collecting cans, but he likes the idea of making a few dollars. Unfounded, he doesn’t realize that it takes a lot of cans to get a dollar. He kept asking Chandler how much money he had every time he put a can in the trash bag. Chandler got tired of him asking and told him to “just keep working and stop asking!” We did find a package that belonged to one of our neighbors in the ditch. The package was about a mile away from the address on the package. My guess would be that perhaps the package fell out of a mail box and then it was swept down the road with the snow plow. It was fairly undamaged, so we were able to return it to its rightful owner. (I will admit to being curious as to what was in the package.) On Sunday night we had our Childrens program. I certainly haven’t minded working with the preschoolers this school year, but I am excited that we only have about four weeks left! With all the other responsibilities I have on my plate, I’m eager to wrap up this one. I mean, I’ve enjoyed it and all, but VBS is right around the corner!

The boys started their standardized testing at school today. They will have testing all week in the mornings, but the afternoons will be something different and fun. All the boys seemed to be excited about having a different week at school, except Garett. He doesn’t enjoy testing, and it’s hard for him. We’ve been praying that these tests will give us a better idea of where he is at and what he is understanding. Since I usually teach music on Monday mornings, my day was a bit different with most of the classes in the afternoon. Roger had today off so he was able to pick up Emma from preschool, and he stayed to play kick ball with the boys on lunch break. They always enjoy the days when Roger is able to come to play on break with them. I taught music classes, and then I picked up the kids from school. It was a bit of a long day for me, and I’m glad that music is taught for another week. Travis had a rough afternoon. He told me that the testing was too hard, and that he doesn’t want to go back to school-ever! I reminded him that it’s okay that the tests are hard, and that he just needs to do his best. He was a bit of an emotional basket case, so I’m praying that a good nights rest will refresh his body and encourage his heart. It’s hard on this mama heart that this is so hard for him, but I can pray and encourage him through this. It’s an opportunity to point him to the fact that God is bigger than Travis’s problems. I do love that boy though, so extra prayers are appreciated.

I think that wraps up another week! Thanks for reading about our lives and staying in touch with us. We love you!

Ladies Conference

My friend, Allison, and I attended a ladies conference this past weekend. While I enjoyed the ladies conference, one of my favorite parts was just the opportunity to have some uninterrupted conversations with Allison! We never run out of things to talk about, and I know that she will hold my confidences on the things we discuss.

However, the ladies conference was good, It started on Friday night, and by the time we arrived, the snow was really starting to come down! I’ve attended a few ladies conferences in the past, and I used to enjoy helping out with our own ladies conference at our church in Wisconsin. Each one is different and unique. The one we attended had about 100 ladies at the Friday night conference.

 We started out with singing some worship music. Music is very important to me, and I had been curious to know what the music would be like at this conference. Most of the songs we sang were newer songs, but doctrinally solid. We also sang a several hymns, which I knew. However, the hymns were what threw me for a loop! When music is on an overhead, you obviously can’t see what’s on the next slide. But when you know the hymn, you envision what the next slide is going to be, right? We started off with “Come, thou fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy praise. Streams of mercy never ceasing call for songs of loudest praise”. In my mind the next slide would say, “Teach me some melodious sonnet, song by flaming tongues above, etc.” Um...that’s not what happened! The next slide was “Be thou my vision”. I know that one also, but it’s hard when you’re  not following written music, but rather a slide to figure out what’s going to happen next! And after two lines of that song, it went into “I need thee every hour”. Don’t get me wrong, I know these songs! I enjoy them. But trying to follow along made me feel like I was always half a beat off or confused the whole way through! That’s not the way that I would’ve done it, but hey, no one asked my opinion!

The speaker did a good job on speaking about waiting on God and abiding in Him. I would’ve enjoyed to hear more of her personal testimony, but what she said was good and from God’s Word. Honestly, quite a bit of what she said is applicable to me (and some to Roger too) on where we are today. Truth is, there are a lot of things I miss about our church in Wisconsin. I miss the fact that people understood that Roger is perhaps more of an introvert but were still willing to connect with him and ask him to be involved in various ministries. I miss the closeness I had with the pastor’s wife, and Roger and I both greatly miss the children’s pastor and his wife as we worked closely and often with them. Sometimes it’s hard to get past the feeling of not being connected out here. Most of the people in Maine grew up here, attended the same church all their life, have every family member within two hours of them, know about everyone, and sometimes it can all feel a bit cliche. But for some reason, God has directed the steps of our life out here to Maine. We are living life to the best of our ability and in the center of His will as He directs us!

After the Friday night main session, we had small break-off groups. I went to one on Music and Allison went to a different one. While I enjoyed the break-off group, it wasn’t what I was anticipating. For one thing, it was a lot of discussion (which isn’t all bad) but it lacked Biblical depth. I teach music classes at our school, and I’m often teaching my students what God’s Word says about music. I would’ve enjoyed some more of that type of teaching. I did learn that there are a wide variety of personalities and opinions portrayed in group discussions. I actually have lots of opinions too (just ask Roger!), but I’m not always comfortable sharing in a group setting.

By the time the evening wrapped up on Friday night, I was tired! Fridays are always long and busy for me, but the conference was good. Allison and I made a quick trip to Walmart because I needed a snack, and then headed back to the hotel. We stayed up late talking, but we had some good discussions on many things!

The conference started at 9:00 am., on Saturday morning. Since I didn’t sleep well, I was up before six am. I was happy to get in some exercise and devotions before a long day of sitting ahead of me. We had breakfast at the hotel and then headed to the conference. The group sessions were good as well as the smaller break off groups today. The first break off group I attended was on marriage which is a  topic that is dear to my heart and important to me. The lady who taught the session also told her testimony, which I enjoyed. She and her husband work with a “Weekend to Remember” which hosts marriage conferences. I would enjoy going to one of those weekends sometime with Roger. It’s good to be reminded of the importance of marriage, and to be challenged  not to be complacent or lazy but to work at having a good marriage.

The last breakoff session Allison and I atttended together. This session was on finding and using your spiritual gifts. The speaker spoke briefly on each of the spiritual gifts, and then offered a survey to each of the ladies. I don’t remember the last time I took a spiritual gift survey, so that was intriguing to me. I realize that it is a survey, and that the results should not be taken as infallible. However, it was interesting to me to see what my strengths are in my life. I scored really high on administration (which is why I have to work at not being bossy!) and giving. I don’t think I realized that administration might be one of my gifts, I just like to be organized and structured when it comes to events and life. Service/helps was another area that appeared to be one of my gifts, but I was lower than I thought I would be on the gift of hospitality. Perhaps I’m just hospitable because I see a need?! I can see how God gives each believer gifts to complete the body of Christ, but I need to be careful not to bite off more than I can chew because I see a need that I COULD help with. Pursue with Prayer needs to be my motto! I did find it interesting that out of the 18 women in the room, about 15 of them listed giving as one of their top three gifts. But giving is also what keeps the church moving forward, helping missionaries, and seeing the needs around us. It’s the body coming together to work in unity and harmony. And when the church works together, it’s a beautiful picture. We are so blessed have the opportunity to serve a great God, and I want to make sure that I am using my gifts to give Him all the glory.

Allison and I headed home before the conference was completely over. We had about 1 1/2 hour ride to get home, and while the conference was good, we were ready to go. It was a good weekend, and  I’m thankful that we had the opportunity to attend this conference.

On Sunday morning, I sat at the kitchen table with Roger. We were talking about the conference so I got out my notes. I still had my survey from the spiritual gifts session, so I had Roger take the survey. Surprise, surprise! We have different gifts and strength! (I’m kidding, I already knew that!) Roger scored very high on discernment, which I would’ve said was one of his gifts before he took the survey. Roger is very good at seeing people, and while mercy is also one of his gifts, having discernment in our marriage has helped us many times! It’s Roger’s  discernment that keeps me from getting completely swallowed up in too many things that I see as service or helps. We both had a few more strengths that balance out our marriage, but one thing I’m very thankful for is grace. Grace is not a gift, and it is freely bestowed on each believer! Hallelujah ! God gives grace for what we need, and I am so thankful that I don’t have to work to obtain God’s grace.

I am thankful that Roger kept the home fires burning and that I was able to go to the conference.

Also this week:
1) Chandler turned in his cans and bottles. He’s made $19.85 this year so far!

2) The academic fair is this Thursday, and we are all looking forward to having it behind us!

3) Travis is continuing with speech lessons, but we are having another meeting to see if we can help him achieve other academic goals.

4) Spring break is next week, and we don’t have school. I’m both thrilled and sad about that. I just want to be done with school; but since we have the week off, we are going to enjoy it!

5) I was able to present my Haiti video to the church on Sunday, and I was thankful for that opportunity.

6)  We appreciate your continued love and prayers

 2 Corinthians 12:9 “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 

April Showers and Flying Adventures!

    

 

April is here, and hopefully bringing May flowers! But we haven’t had any snow days in at least a week, so that is definitely something to be thankful for!

Last week on Thursday, Roger, Emma and I left after morning drop-off at school. We headed on our date to Portland! A friend of mine had offered to watch Emma, but since I knew that we would probably be gone most of the day we decided to bring her along. She definitely enjoys going to Target and Sam’s Club! My friend, Allison, said that she would get the boys from school, so that we wouldn’t have to try to rush back to pick them up at three. The boys were very excited about going to their friends house, so they told us to be gone a long time! We had a good day together. Emma and I went to Target while Roger went to Cabela’s. It’s not that I don’t like Cabela’s, but I find a lot of things more interesting at Target...and Target takes coupons! Roger has been looking for a gun holster for his pistol, and since he’s left handed sometimes a bit of a challenge. He was able to find one that fit his budget (his gift card amount), and I was able to find some good grocery deals at Target. I was  just telling my mom the day before that eggs and milk are so expensive out here. The price for a  dozen eggs at the local grocery store the week before was $2.39. Target had 18 count eggs for .99! We will be eating lots of eggs next week!

After Roger came and picked Emma and I up, we went to the craft store. The boys have these academic fair projects, and Travis decided to build a bear den with modeling clay. Garett is,  of course doing something with aviation, so he needed paint for his airplane project. It’s been a learning experience, but the boys are doing well with working independently!

I love how God hears our prayers and responds to each one of them. One of the things that really eats at our grocery budget is fresh fruits and vegetables. The boys look forward to having fruit in their lunch boxes and four boys times five lunches is twenty pieces of fruit...just for lunches! Roger and I had discovered that a department store in Portland has also a fruit and vegetable stand inside the store (kinda odd, but it works!) We made a quick stop in there and this week the store had strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries for $1.00 a package! I bought ten packages of berries, and we managed to make them last until Sunday night. I was also able to purchase fresh asparagus, cucumbers, and oranges at great prices. God is so good to us!!

We made a quick stop at home to drop off our groceries, and then went to Allison’s house to get the boys. When we arrived, Chandler had on purple boots, and Travis had on pink boots. They were both as happy as clams, and all the kids were outside. At this moment the boys aren’t interested in fashion, just in being outside! I hope it stays that way for a loooooong time!

Since Friday was Good Friday, the boys had the day off of school. Roger had to work,  but the rest of us enjoyed the day at home. Chandler has been on a warpath about earning some of his own money. He’s come up with the idea to collect cans and bottles along the road. Thankfully, he has a mama that certainly doesn’t mind walking with him! He has collected several garabage bags of cans now, and it has been a learning lesson as well. Those beer can and bottles smell terrible, and he’s dumped out several bottles with tobacco juice in them. He practically gags, but I figure it’s a good way for him to hopefully not want to do it-ever! He is hoping to take in his cans and bottles this weekend to see how much he’s made so far. We’ve had some good talks, lots of long walks, and I certainly have enjoyed this one-on-one time with him.

On Saturday Roger needed to go into work for a little bit, but then he was free the rest of the day. An  airplane was free as well, so we decided to take a trip out to one of the islands. As a family, we are trying to come up with a bit of extra money for something special, and we knew that we could find  lots of cans and bottles out on the island. While the rest of the world was taking their kids to egg hunts, the Robertson kids were out having their own hunt for bottles and cans! We worked for a little over an hour and we had four garabage bags full! Emma tends to want to pick up the smashed cans, but those aren’t worth five cents. Garett kept telling her to throw those back in the weeds! Travis ended up with two wet feet in spite of his rubber boots, but I kinda expected that! After we filled our garbage bags, we took off again. We headed to another island to make a delivery and to meet one of the people that Roger  flies often. It’s always nice to put faces with names. We truly had a great time as a family, and I’m thankful for the memories! After we came back, Emma and I went grocery shopping. Roger took the boys to the can and bottle redemption center. The boys were pretty excited that they had collected over 400 bottles and cans! They were able to add a little over $20.00 to our  special fund.

Sunday was Resurrection Sunday. Our church hosts a sunrise service which was at 6:00 am. Since our family are early risers, it really wasn’t too much extra effort to be there on time. After the short service, we had breakfast with the church family. We went home for a bit before Sunday school and worship service. One of the ladies in our church gave the boys each a kite and a small bag of treats. Emma also got a special treat. It’s always such a nice gesture when someone remembers your kids. As a mom, it makes me feel really special too!

The week before, Allison had invited our family to spend Easter afternoon with their family and extended family. Since we weren’t going to be able to get together with Hannah and Josh, we said yes. While I brought a few things to contribute to the lunch meal, it’s so nice to eat dinner at someone else’s house! Carolyn had made a Easter bag for each of her grandchildren as well as our children! That was really sweet and thoughtful! Carolyn’s house is fairly close to a pond that had a canoe and kayak in it. Our boys were out in the pond with some of their friends, Josiah and Caleb. Any guesses as to what happens with boys, canoes, and water?! Well, let’s just say that Josiah, Chandler, Wyatt and Travis came back up to the house wet up to their waists! Carolyn was able to find an assortment of clothes, and while not exactly the right sizes, the clothes were dry! It was a good afternoon of food, visting and also walking. Annah’s family (one of our school friends) was also at lunch as Carolyn is her mom. Our boys greatly enjoy  playing with Annah’s kids also, so they  enjoyed a fun afternoon of running around, being wet, and just being kids! I also enjoy Annah’s friendship, so it made for a fun afternoon. A year ago, our Easter was quite quiet.  But God provided friends to include us, and we are thankful!

Allison and Jason (Allison’s husband), Roger, myself, and Aaron (Annah’s husband), as well as some of the kids,  took a hike through the woods after lunch. It was a wet foot kind of walk! While a lot of the snow has melted, most of the woods are still very soggy! We laughed our way through it and enjoyed the memories!

So the week was pretty full with making memories. I taught music class on Monday, which I enjoy, but I’m also tired after three hours of music classes! This week has been a bit cooler in temperatures, but no snow.   Chandler and I have been out collecting cans several times, and Roger has been  interviewing pilots for work this summer. We have moments of discouragement as does everyone, but spring is coming! Roger and I could use your prayers as we have several important decisions to make. God is so good to us, and I am thankful that He is always faithful. He never loses His patience  , responds ungraciously, and loves unconditionally. Oh, how I want to point our children to Him!

We love and appreciate each one of you.
Love, Sarah

 

Our “Tribe”

 

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.