Haiti Journal - Day #3 “Medical Clinic in Seguin”

 Day #3 

Medical clinic #1 

I awoke this morning with a massive tension headache running through my shoulders. The kind that makes me want to take a bunch of ibuprofen and crawl back into bed! But that’s not on the agenda for today! 

What a day! I am so, so thankful that it is time for bed. We saw 296 people in our clinic today, which is a record number for Seguin. 

While the clinic seems to be chaos, it is actually fairly organized chaos! Hannah is extremely well organized when it comes to these clinics, and she puts a lot of time, effort and energy into preparing and planning. Last night she assigned everyone their jobs for today, and thankfully I have the same job I’ve done for the past three medical clinics. Officially, my title is lead lab tech. That’s a glorified name for “urine and pregnancy person”! :) A few weeks ago, it looked like we would have several Haitian doctors and nurses on our team, but things changed per usual. We had one Haitian nurse, Samuela, who came with us from Port-au-Prince, and then today a Haitian doctor showed up to help in the clinic. He is a doctor in Jacmel who has recently started coming to Seguin two days a week. We also have several Haitian pastors that have given of their time this week to share the Good News of the Gospel  with the people who come to the clinics. It was such a blessing to me to hear the Haitian people singing “The Solid Rock” this morning while we were setting up clinic. 

We didn’t see anyone that was terribly ill today, but we saw a lot of pregnant mamas, people with high blood pressure, and hungry people. We handed out a lot of the RUTFs (highly nutritional meals for kids) to the mamas with large families. 

We started setting up for the clinic around 6:00am, and we weren’t back up to the mission house until 5:30pm. It was quite the long day! We did take a short lunch break, but then got right back to seeing people. While it was exhausting, it was such a privilege to serve in this way here in Haiti today. I learned how to give a hemoglobin test today as well as a malaria test! It was a busy and full day, but God protected us. He gave us the energy to do what we needed to do. 

Tomorrow will be a very early morning as we will be leaving for Chota at 5:00am. It’s 9:00pm, I’ve climbed up the mountain many,  many times today. We are all ready for bed. Moriah, Hannah and I packed up the medications for tomorrow’s clinic while others counted out vitamins, anti acid tablets and iron tablets. My forehead is still tender and sore, but I’ll live. God is good. It is such a blessing to see so many Haitian pastor here and wanting to tell others about Jesus. To God be the glory! 

Bag update! Good news- our bags are found! The bags are back in Port-au-Prince! Apparently, they never made it off of the MAF flight, so they went back to Port-Au-Prince. MAF will be putting the bags on a flight to Jacmel tomorrow morning, and Pastor Falde has reached out to someone to see if they’ll bring our bags up the mountain. While my bag isn’t nearly as essential, I’ll be happy to have my own pillow, those nutritional meals, and all that food! Hannah needs her bag for the medical clinic, so we are very happy that it looks like we will be able to get the bags back sooner rather than later. 

So many people stepped up today and worked outside of their comfort zones! It was amazing to see everyone working together. Ashley stepped into the role of “consultant” as in she saw people and prescribed treatment. Emelie, Amanda, Gina and I worked in pharmacy and the lab. Hannah managed about everything and everyone all while not losing her mind- I have no idea how she did that! Beka Falde managed the people waiting after triage, while Jodi  and Jackie worked in triage. Moriah Falde helped in pharmacy and also helped with “consultations”. Those that weren’t helping in the clinic today took a hike to check out a place for a landing strip someday. They also worked on projects around the mission house, and whatever else needed doing. Honestly, I didn’t see much of Garett today but I know that he’s in good hands with Micah and Josiah Falde and my dad is around here somewhere! God is good! 

Haiti missions trip- Day #2! “Bags found, Bags Lost!”

 Haiti Day #2

It was an early morning! We arrived at our hotel in Miami around 9:00pm, and then showered and hopped in bed! 3:00am comes early! 

Ashley and I spent some time praying for the trio before going to sleep, but my mind just kept on going. I don’t think I will ever forget how abundantly God provided for Garett and I to go on this trip in 2021. I am so thankful for Rogers willingness to chauffeur kids, make meals, watch the dogs, and keep everything moving along, as well as work a full-time (or more) job. I am so blessed to be married to him. His quiet faithfulness and kindness remind me of how good God is to me. The mercies of the Lord are new every morning! 

It’ll be an interesting day today. We arrived at the airport around 4:15am, and made it through security without a hitch. Then the quest to find one last cup of good American coffee began! There were not very many options this early in the morning, but at last we found an open coffee shop. Yay! 

Our flight wasn’t scheduled to leave until 6:00am, so we thought that we’d have plenty of time to get coffee, fill water bottles, and use the bathroom. But by 5:26am, the crew was making the final boarding call! Josh was still in line for a bagel, when the final boarding call came. The lady took the bagel out before it was finished, but Josh made it on the plane! It was kinda crazy though because then we sat on the plane until 6:00am to depart! 

When we arrived in Port-au-Prince, we had to pay the fee to get into the country. Then navigate through customs after picking up all our bags. We’ve been praying that all our bags will arrive and that we will clear customs without any problems. While in the customs line, a lady was taking everyone’s temperatures. She then asked me if I had a Covid test. I replied, “Yes, but not recently.” She wanted to see proof that I had had a Covid test, but of course I couldn’t produce it! She then proceeded to ask me my telephone number so I rattled it off, and then she replied, “Go ahead”. I was completely baffled, and it totally caught me off guard! Haiti is not requiring Covid tests for entry, so I’m not sure what her purpose was in asking if I had one. Oh well! Anyways, we navigated that hurdle and then on to baggage claim. 

We had met up with the rest of the team in Miami so we had twelve people and over 24 bags-each weighing close to 50lbs! After collecting our bags, I noticed that I was missing a suitcase....not again?! While nothing of extremely great need is in that suitcase, I don’t bring stuff to Haiti for the fun of it-we need it! That particular suitcase contained my pillow, sleeping bag, nutritional meals for children, and food! 

After a few moments of chaos and confusion one of the baggage people came over with the suitcase. Thank you, Lord! Of course the baggage man needed a tip, so I gave one to him and his friend quite gladly. Then Grandpa Falde told me that he also had already tipped the man! Oh well! 

We made it through customs with only one bag being pulled- a bag full of vitamins! The custom agent wanted Hannah to produce a paper saying that the vitamins weren’t expired. Hannah had brought along one, but she didn’t know which bag it was in. Hannah told them that the vitamins weren’t expired (truth) and that she was bringing them to children (truth). She also produced her nursing license certificate that is printed on fancy paper and lots of English words, and that was good enough! On our way again! 

Next step was to load all the bags and people into one large dump truck for the five minute trip over to the MAF office. The trip was uneventful, and we arrived at the MAF office safely. There we unloaded everything and everyone. Everything and everyone had to be weighed. And then we waited...and waited... We needed to take two flights to Jacmel to get everyone and all the bags there. Eight people went on the first flight and lots of luggage too. Then some of us (myself, Garett, my dad, grandpa Falde,) waited for the next flight. Our Haitian nurse joined us at the MAF airport to join us on the second flight also. It was kinda a long morning, but we all survived. Around 11:45am, the plane came back from its first trip, and shortly afterwards, we were on our way. It was a very windy day, and kinda bumpy, but we made it. In fifteen minutes we took a flight that is normally a three hour drive! 

Some of the team had already left for Seguin when we arrived in Jacmel as they needed to get started with sorting out the medical supplies. There was supposed to be two dump trucks to take us to Seguin, but only one truck was there...a small one. It wasn’t big enough to take us all up to Seguin. It was not big enough for the five of us that had been on the plane, plus the two ladies that had waited for us in Jacmel, and two Haitian cooks and their stuff too! The truck was a small one with a welded frame (like bars over the pickup frame). I hopped up into the pickup bed to help load the bag. I turned around and smacked my head right on that welded frame! Immediately I felt the warm and sticky substance of blood on my face. The Haitian man that was helping me load the bags immediately gave me his handkerchief to put on my forehead. Another Haitian dumped water on the wound and applied pressure. No one was wearing gloves, nothing was sanitary or overly clean, but they jumped in to help an ditzy American. Jackie (one of the ladies that had gone on the first flight) had some bandaids, so we slapped two of those on my forehead, and carried on. I had a very bad headache, like the kind you feel like throwing up from. But there was no time for resting, and I’ll survive! I drank some water, took some meds, and started up the mountain. On the back of the small dump truck was myself, our Haitian nurse (Samuela), two Haitian cooks, and two other ladies from the team (Jackie and Amanda). My dad, Garett, and Grandpa Falde waited in Jacmel for another dump truck to take them and the rest of the bags up to Seguin. We made good time in our little dump truck and it only took us 2 1/2 hours to get up the mountain. 

When we arrived, I helped to put away stuff from the many bags we had brought. Some sorted clothes to give away, some worked on other jobs, etc. We worked on emptying out bags and suitcases, and we realized we had a problem. We had acquired a bag that didn’t belong to any of us! Somehow we had managed to get a bag at he MAF office that didn’t belong to any of us! Someone was missing their bag! 

Oh but wait! So were WE! We realized that we were missing two suitcases! That same suitcase that had been missing in port-au-prince was missing again! And Hannah was missing one of her medical bags that she needed for clinic! Perhaps the bags were left on the second flight that MAF took? We didn’t know...we just knew that we had had ALL the bags when we arrived at the MAF office so the confusion happened somewhere there. Pastor Falde tried to call the MAF office but they were already closed for the day. Where were those bags? On someone else’s mission trip? Stolen? At this point, we have no idea! It sure would be a bountiful blessing if we could get those bags back! 

Tomorrow we begin our first clinic in Seguin @ 6:30am. It’s sure to be a busy and full day. We don’t have as many medical personnel as a we usually do on these trips, so those that are medical people or know what they are doing will be kept very busy! It’ll be exciting to see how God works through me in the next few days. God is good! 

But now, it’s almost 10:00pm, and I have 25, 000 steps. I have a major headache, and I’m going to bed. I’m thankful that there was an extra sleeping bag at the mission house, and that some dear Haitian lady washed this sleeping bag. It doesn’t smell moldy, there is no rat poop on it, and it smells like fresh air- Thank you, Jesus! 

Haiti Journal Day #1- $32.00 Carryon!

 We’ve been back from Haiti for just over a week now, and I’m pretty sure my mind is still whirling from all the events, sights,  and activities that we put into the days we were there. I am so thankful for all that God has done and will continue to do. Roger said the hardest thing about me being gone this time was the amount of food that Chandler and Wyatt can eat these days! Roger didn’t plan to work all the days we were gone, but he ended up working almost every day. I’m so thankful that God orchestrated it for Chandler to stay home this year as he was able to keep the laundry caught up, the dogs taken care of (my sisters dogs) and everyone fed (a lot of eggs, ramen noodles, and bread!). We are also deeply thankful for so many of our friends that either helped to transport our children, kept them overnight, loved on them, and encouraged them. Wow! We are so very blessed! My friend, Renee, told me that one of the days that I was away Emma looked rather sad at lunchtime. Renee went over to talk to Emma and asked her if she missed her mom. Emma replied, “yes, I miss my mom.” Renee asked if there was anything she could do to help Emma. Emma looked at her for a moment and then answered hopefully, “Maybe some ice cream?” Oh goodness! That girl! Renee did have a doughnut hole so that seemed to help Emma not miss mom so much! I got a good chuckle out of hearing about that! 

I journaled every day that we were in Haiti, but the days were long and tiring. I know that I left out more details that I normally have in years past, but between getting up between four and five am, working hard all day, coming back from clinic and resorting and counting meds, and then going to bed around 10pm, I was tired! However, I do want to write about the journal entries that I did make and share some photos from the trip. We are currently working on a slideshow for church and it’s been a challenge! I took over 1000 photos and now we are trying to make a four minute slideshow! But, by the grace of God, we will figure it out.  

When we came back from Haiti, Garett had a slight stomach bug so he stayed home on Thursday, but I went right back to teaching kindergarten! I was so happy to see my students again, and I was reminded of how thankful I am that I get to teach them. Chandler also stayed home from school that Thursday as he was tired too. Roger said that he had done a lot of the helping to pack lunches, meals, laundry, vacuuming...I’m always amazed at how everyone steps up when mom is away! 

Anyways...I’m ready to write. Day #1 - January 11, 2021

We can probably all relate to the fact that God works in mysterious ways. Sometimes we can see those works clearly evident and today was one of those days! 

Garett, Ashley and myself left firm school around 10:30am. I had wanted to teach this morning as I want to be away from my class as little as possible. Needless to say, that decision made for a crazy Sunday of packing and preparing! It was a late night, but we arrived at the school by 6:50am. on Monday morning with all our bags in tow! Travis ended up forgetting his backpack and lunch box in the flurry of the excitement, but he will survive on some snacks from the school snack box today. 

We arrived early at the Bangor airport -around noon. I figured we would have about an hour wait before anyone else showed up, but just as we were unloading our bags, Hannah and Josh showed up. Then it was a mad dash to weigh all the bags, redistribute weight, and make sure all the bags were at the right weight....50 lbs! Most of the bags were already at 48.5-50lbs. So there was not a lot of extra weight space! We still had some vitamins that needed to go somewhere and some hygiene kits and some odds and ends. I had kinda poked fun at Ashley earlier for not having a backpack AND a carryon, so I was giving her grief about not having a carryon for us to put all this miscellaneous stuff into! But then Hannah said, “Well, we have a lot of time before the flight. If Ashley wants to drive over to Marshalls, maybe they’ll have a carryon there.” So Ashley and I hopped in her van and drove over to Marshalls. In less than ten minutes we had found a carryon (and on the clearance rack for $32.00) and had checked out. While driving back to the airport, Hannah called to say she didn’t think we would need the carryon after all because the two other ladies coming from Maine had arrived.   Gina and Jodi both had space and weight in their bags. But since we had already checked out, Ashley decided to just keep the carryon. And when we arrived back at the airport, we stuck a few random things in the carryon anyways. 

We went to check in with all our bags, and between the seven of us coming from Maine we only had about seven pounds to spare! Yes, we packed with a scale and we squeezed out our 50lbs each!  We had thirteen  checked bags each weighing about 50lbs. After going through security, we headed for our gate. The flight attendant asked if anyone would like to gate check their carryon. Hannah’s husband, Josh, said “Yes, please!” His carryon was full of prenatal vitamins and weighed about 65 pounds! The flight attendant took it down the ramp, but then returned to tell Josh that the carryon was too heavy, and the bag would have to go as a checked bag and not a carryon. And we couldn’t just redistribute the weight among our other carryons because the flight attendant had sent the bag to the ticket counter! Now what?! We had about twenty minutes until the flight left and one of our bags was at the ticket counter and overweight! And it was a very important bag to boot! 

Hannah and Josh took the carryon that Ashley had just bought and headed to the ticket counter. After about five minutes, Hannah called me to tell me that she had left her passport in her backpack at the flight gate! So I took my passport and boarding pass, and Hannah’s passport and headed to the ticket counter. Thankfully the ticket agent was very helpful! He was willing to check the carryon at no additional fee if we could get the bag to weigh at or under fifty pounds. So Hannah took out fifteen pounds of vitamins and put them into the carryon that Ashley had just bought! Now to hurry back through security dragging Ashley’s carryon along. We made it through security and back to the gate. We were the last ones to board that plane. Without that carryon we would’ve been struggling to figure out what to do as Josh’s carryon was too heavy to go as a checked bag, and none of us had a lot of extra space in any of our carryons. 

I’m so thankful that God worked out all those details so that we would have exactly what we needed, and right on time! 

We flew from Bangor to Charlotte and then Charlotte to Miami. We had an overnight layover in Miami, and then an early morning flight to Port-au-Prince tomorrow. We arrived in Miami around 9:00pm, and we figured out how to Uber to our hotel. The hotel shuttle isn’t running due to Covid, but thankfully all our checked bags are checked through to Port-Au-Prince. All we had to worry about was getting ourselves and our carryons to the hotel. 

We are thankful to be at our hotel. It was nice to spend some time praying with Ashley before falling asleep. I am very much looking forward to seeing all that God is going to do in the next week. To God be the glory! 

Christmas Break! And Haiti!

 Welcome to 2021! It’s hard to believe that a new year is already upon us! While 2020 was full of challenging moments, I am thankful for several things that happened during 2020. But more on that later because for now I want to recap on Christmas break and give a Haiti update!

Christmas break was great! Our family has been saving for three years to go on a family vacation together. We had thought we would go on a cruise, but 2020 kinda but a damper on the cruising industry! So we took our five gallon jug of silver coins, went to the bank, and decided that we were going to take a family trip to Florida over break! Crazy? Sure! Amazing? YES! We left on December 23 and spent the whole week in Florida. We enjoyed some warm weather (and some quite chilly), we soaked up hours and hours of swimming together, and we savored our time together. It was a much, much needed time together as a family. It was truly an amazing week. While Covid exists in Florida, they sure are a lot more chill about the whole thing, and that was greatly appreciated by all of us. We experienced a few chilly days in Florida.  When we woke up on Christmas morning the temperature was 39 degrees! However, the pools were heated at the resort we stayed at, so off we went to go swimming! We had almost the entire water park to ourselves, so that was kinda a neat thing. I thought the kids might miss the tree, the presents, and the excitement of Christmas Day, but all of our kids asked if we could do this kind of trip again next year! It was a different way to spend Christmas Day with the Christmas story reading in our condo, swimming, and lunch at WaWas (a kind of gas station/convenience store), but I wouldn’t trade the memories for anything! 

One of the best things about Christmas break was having two weeks off of school! This gave us time to fly to Florida and still have a few days upon returning home before school resumed. 

Garett and I are leaving for Haiti in the near future. Chandler will not be able to go on this trip due to the whole passport situation. I’ve been on the phone with the passport people so many times that they probably know me by name! Since Chandler is a minor, both parents must appear with him. However, they won’t give you an appointment until 72 hours before leaving the country. The only available appointment is for the day that we are scheduled to leave. And I mean the only available appointment! We looked within a seven state radius and there are simply no appointments available! It’s frustrating and disappointing, but God still has a plan. While Chandler is disappointed, Roger and I are both at peace with the situation. Roger will need to work while I am away, and it’s helpful for Roger that Chandler will be around. Chandler can cook food, do laundry, and keep things going while Garett and I are away. In fact, some of the house will probably be better managed than when I’m home! Our pile of things for Haiti continues to grow at a great speed, but so far we haven’t packed any clothes! I have a bunch of things I want to take with me that I wasn’t able to bring two years ago....remember when my suitcase was lost?! However, when its’ time to go, we will be ready...Lord willing! I spend a lot of my time trying to prep for my subs, make a simple meal plan for the family while I’m gone, coordinate pick up and drop off for our children, and make sure that I am leaving clear directions for those teaching my classes. Somehow, God always makes a way for all the pieces of the puzzle to fall into place. Some of you have already given towards Chandler’s trip. Ive reached out to many of you, but if I have not and you’d like the money you give to be returned, we are happy to return it. God has provided for Garett and I in a great and mighty way...far exceeding what I could’ve dreamed possible! Last year when I donated my missions trip money to Parakaleo when we weren’t able to go, I knew that I’d need to come up with $1600 again for the next trip. But, we serve an amazing God! So many people have been generous and thoughtful with their monetary gifts for our family. Others have offered to help with our children at home. And many of you have covered us in prayers. Please continue to do so! 

Merry, Merry Christmas!

 

Thankful for this dear friend! 

Christmas Break! The last few days before Christmas break are crazy every year, and even with Covid restrictions, the week was full! 

Last Sunday, we attended a small Christmas concert at our church. It was enjoyable and pleasant, and always nice to hear Christmas songs sung at night in a decorated church building. While it was not largely attended (due to our governor’s restrictions at the moment) the crowd that came was happy to be there. It was a fun way to finish out our last teen group meeting of the year. 

Do you know what one of my least favorite Christmas songs is? “Mary, Did You Know?” I know that there are a lot of people that really, really enjoy that Christmas song, but it’s definitely way down there on my list of favorite Christmas songs! Truthfully? Mary DID know! Maybe not all the things listed in the song, but she knew that a lot of those things would come to pass...um, the angel told her! Remember? Anyways, if you love that song- great! A few of my personal favorites would be “Joy to the World” and “Noel” and “Silent Night”. 

The rest of the week was also a flurry of activities! On Monday, our parent group hosted a Christmas shop where students in the school could shop for others. It’s a favorite event for the students, and I always love to see what the little ones pick out for their moms and dads. One little boy was totally convinced that his grandpa would want slime for a Christmas present! Another little girl picked out a journal for her mom. I asked her if her mom liked to write, “No, she doesn’t. But this is so pretty!” Oh, okay! They are just so cute as they pick out gifts for others. It was a busy and full afternoon with helping with that, but thankfully having fun mom friends to work with makes it even more fun! It’s a good experience for the students to think about others. 

Tuesday morning found me a bit frazzled as I realized that the Christmas shop needed to be moved so that gym classes could be held in the space where the Christmas shop had been. Since the kindergartners still needed to do their “Christmas shopping”, we needed to have the items accessible for them to shop on Tuesday morning. So by 6;45am., my boys, Emma and I were moving items from the Christmas shop into another space! It was a bit crazy! On Tuesday afternoon, one of the boys from Travis’ class came home for the afternoon and evening. Ethan stayed overnight which was a super special treat for the boys. Normally, I’d never allow that on a school night, but by Tuesday our whole schedule already felt off, so it was all fine! It was a fun time for the boys. 

We had special music classes on Wednesday that the parents could attend if they wanted to come. Since we were unable to have a school Christmas program this year, we decided to have a special music class that the students could perform a Christmas song for their parents. It was not the same, and it made me really sad to do it this way. However, it was better than nothing, and the parents seemed to appreciate the opportunity to hear their child sing, play an instrument, etc. It also provided an informal opportunity to meet some of the parents, so I did really appreciate that. But....it made for a crazy afternoon of tuning instruments, preparing, and presenting with the students. Both of the classes that I teach did very well, and I was thankful for their efforts. 

Snow day! And it was a real snow day! We have computers so that the students can be taught remotely in the event of a snow day, but I was delighted to hear that Thursday would be an actual snow day (both as a parent and as a teacher!) Every time I start to think about remote learning, I feel my blood pressure start rising, my palms getting sweaty, and a bit of nausea sweep over me. It’s due to thinking about educating my class as well as helping five kids at home get done what they need to get done! However, God gives us grace for every moment, so if we needed to do that, He would help me through it. BUT, please keep praying that we can keep going to school in person and at school! “Lord, please continue to keep us protected and healthy!” We spent our snow day outside, making gifts, laundry, preparing for our class Christmas party, and getting ready for a crazy Friday morning at school. 

Oh, crazy, chaotic Friday! It was a wild morning! The students were wired, and excited for their gift exchange and party. In our kindergarten class, they worked on wrapping their gifts for their parents. I loved how the gifts that they created reflect their personalities. We didn’t get done everything that I wanted to get done before Christmas, but from talking to other teachers, I know I’m not the only one who feels that way! It felt like we were moving into the school when we arrived a little before 7:00am. We had laundry baskets with gifts, food for parties, supplies for games, gift wrapping supplies, and it felt like everything but the kitchen sink! It was a cold, brisk December morning, but a quick one. I personally like the structure and routine of a regular day, but I know how special and fun these party days are for the students. A party day leaves me feeling a bit exhausted and messy (or maybe it was from the “snow” that we created for our sensory bin!?). All the students were dismissed at 11:30am, but it was closer to three pm by the time we arrived home. I needed to take down my classroom Christmas tree so we could use it for a church event, and I wanted to leave my classroom fairly neat and tidy over Christmas break. The boys and Emma were good sports about sticking around after school. They played outside for a few hours,  Came in and ate some more food, helped me sweep and straighten up, climbed into the church attic to find Christmas program costumes, and then ate some more! At least I didn’t have to worry about bringing a lot of food home! 

Roger had off on Saturday, so that was a nice day for our family. The boys were invited to an airsoft party at a friends house, so they spent three hours tromping around in the woods playing air soft. Emma had a hair cut appointment with Roger, and I went to visit an older lady in our church and take her some cookies (she wasn’t home, but I tried!). Then the kids had Christmas program practice. The boys were about as excited about having practice as they were about going to the dentist, but we went anyways! Sometimes we have to do things we don’t necessarily want to do but its to bless someone else. I feel that way as an adult, and we are trying to teach our children that the world does not revolve around them! (There are some adults that also need to learn that lesson!) 

Sunday before Christmas?! How did that come up so quickly? It’s been a busy last few days for sure, so it was a blessing to watch the children participate in a simple Christmas program this morning. Is there anything more cute and lovely than watching a bunch of children participate in an old-fashioned Christmas program? You know...the kind where bathrobes are used for costumes, and half the children’s outfits are held on by safety pins and sashes! Garett was a huge shepherd boy, and I know it was not his favorite thing to dress up and be in a children’s program, but he did it with a willing heart. While we butt heads on occasion, I do love his laid back mannerisms around other people (just not his siblings!). Chandler and Wyatt were part of the wisemen crew along with the pastors son. They were just as rag-tag, but super cute...just don’t tell them I said that! Travis was also a shepherd, but he was okay with that as long as he had a staff to carry! Emma played the part of Mary and she was a very exuberant singer! We had a small Christmas party for the children after the morning service. We played a game, fed them food, sang a carol, gave them a treat baggie, and sent them on their way! Merry Christmas! 

This afternoon (Sunday) our family went to visit the lady from yesterday who wasn’t home. Wyatt and I were the only ones who went to the door because you just don’t know how people feel these days about seven people on their door step. We both wore our masks, but she was delighted to see people. She invited us right in and wanted us to stay for tea. I felt bad when I told her that we couldn’t stay long, but I promised that I would return sometime after the new year to visit with her. I have plenty of things to do every day, but when you start to interact with these older people you can almost feel their desire to have a conversation with people. I told this dear older lady that I would be back, and I would bring my friend, Allison, with me. At least Allison and I can laugh (most of the time) at our adventures together, and hopefully spread some good cheer.  People are lonely, some of them are the loneliest they have been in years. Many are afraid and fearful, but some of them just desire fellowship and conversations with people. We were not created to be an isolated and introverted people! We must be diligent to pray that God will give us opportunities to connect with people, and to encourage other around us. I know that I am often discouraged these days, and I’m never faced with hours and hours of quietness! 

Monday night we had Christmas with Hannah and Josh! Lots of delicious food, good fellowship, and a fun time by all! It was good to catch up with them for a bit before we meet up together in Haiti next month. 

Tuesday afternoon found us hosting a living nativity at our church. While the night was cool, it wasn’t overly cold and it wasn’t raining! It was a crazy and long afternoon trying to get everything set up for that, but at six pm, Mary and Joseph were in their places. (The shepherds, wisemen and Angels might have been a little wound up, but oh well!) While we didn’t have any living animals, the event was lovely against the night sky with white lights. We had carolers, cookies and cocoa, and the community seemed to appreciate the event. We handed out tracts, interacted with people, and hopefully pointed people to the real reason for the season - Jesus! What I pictured in my mind for a living nativity, and what happened at certain moments throughout the evening did collide at several points! However, all I had to do was catch Allison’s eye, and I had a hard time holding back laughter at times! It was a fun memory for 2020...for the most part. My friend, Hannah, kept some of our kids for the afternoon and that was really helpful so that our children didn’t have to spend all afternoon/evening at the church property. People helped to take down and put things away, so it was not as late of an evening as I expected. I’m thankful for those that still have visions and desires to reach out to our communities...of course, we need to do things wisely and smart, but Covid 19 does not give Christians a free pass to bury our heads in the sand and do nothing in the name of “safety”! Need to be careful? Yes! Considerate? Absolutely! Impassive and disinterested? Never! 

There is darkness and gloom all around us in our fallen world. Yet, we have the greatest hope ever offered to mankind...the best that ever was and ever will be! Our hope is in Jesus Christ! That baby that came into the world did not come to stay a baby in the manger. He came to be the Saviour of the World, oh thank you, Jesus! Our prayer for you is that you will be encouraged this Christmas season. It probably looks different for you this year. Christmas is certainly looking different for us this year as has the entire year of 2020!  I’ve cried, fought depression, anger, feelings of injustice and  faced overwhelming floods of emotions this year, far more than any of the other years of my life. Yet through it all the steadfast love of our Lord has never faltered or changed. He is the Giver of Hope, the Peace Bringer, the Light of the World, and He is my Lord. Regardless of what the future holds or what changes, our foundation is on Jesus! Rest in that, dear friends! Merry, Merry Christmas! 

Hustle & Bustle and Quietness!

 

                                                             Beautiful Snow! 

                                                        Asleep by the Christmas tree! 

As the flurry of activities and festivities swirl around us, I’m thankful for quiet reflective moments in God’s Word each morning. I’ve been reading through Paul Tripp’s advent devotional again this year, and I am enjoying my time. We are also reading through the book of Luke as a family, and I treasure those moments with our children.  (I cling to the fact that God’s Word will not return void as twice this week Travis and Emma have fallen asleep while we’ve been reading!) 

I’m also thankful for family moments...getting a Christmas tree, making cookies, Christmas shopping together (which mostly consists of mom giving out ideas to each child about the person they are shopping for!). A few years ago, we decided that each of us would draw names for someone in our family. Roger and I set the limit on how much to spend,  but this way it involves our children, and it doesn’t feel like Roger and I are doing all the gift shopping. Garett and Chandler both have enough money saved that they buy their own gifts for the person who’s named they’ve drawn, but the younger three still get help from mom and dad. Garett had Emma this year, and he came to talk to me one day about a gift for Emma. He handed me twenty dollars and said, “Mom, I know Emma will want something pink, sparkly and probably messy. I know that you can make this twenty dollars stretch really far in gift giving so will you help me?” It was so sweet. We found Emma a pink tent and a very fuzzy pink jacket that Garett thought was terrible, but he knows Emma will love it! 

Travis picked out Rogers name this year, and he’s come up with all kinds of wild ideas! I love hearing his thoughts on what dad might like...usually, he’s right, but way, way out of the budget! Travis did get a wallet for Roger, and he picked out some heat warmers. Travis didn’t realize that they lost their heat and couldn’t be reused, so at first he was going to wrap a whole stack of ones that he had already opened! Haha! Oh, the memories! 

Last week on Friday, I went to a ladies Christmas party. It felt like such a “normal” Christmas thing to do in a year that has been so “not normal”. It was so fun! Garett and Chandler watched three young boys at our house (they are working on raising money for their Haiti missions trip). Allison, Ashley and I all rode together to the Christmas party. We did a Christmas mug exchange, and all the mugs were so different but fun! (Only two mugs out of 16 were the same ones, which isn’t bad in an area where there are not many places for shopping) Our friend, Robin, hosted the party and we had a wonderful time laughing, fellowshipping, and of course, eating! It was a good time of renewing and strengthening friendships. 

                                                              So very thankful for this friend! 

Last Saturday, our family went Christmas shopping. This consisted of a stop at Mardens (a fun discount store) and a discount grocery store, and dinner at Taco Bell. All of our children like Taco Bell, except Emma. The biggest bummer is having to eat a fun dinner in the car. We don’t get to go out to eat very often, and sitting in the van with seven people eating Taco Bell is it’s own kind of adventure! But the boys said that they had a fun time, and even Garett put up with shopping for an afternoon. I’m pretty sure he feels like he’s done his shopping for the year! 

When we came home from our shopping adventure last Saturday, Roger had a phone call. One of his friends was calling to see if our family was interested in any hunting, fishing, camping supplies. Chandler’s eyes swelled up really big, and said “Yes!”. So Roger took Travis and Chandler to go look at some stuff that was free if the boys wanted it. Oh my! Our boys were so excited! I don’t know why I’m amazed sometimes, but God cares about the smallest details in our lives! We weren’t looking for hunting, camping or fishing stuff, per se, but we sure do have some boys that are interested in that! Gary and his wife were so generous in giving to our family. The boys came home with sleeping bags, camping chairs, deer scent (nasty), a tent, fishing lures, and enough treasures that the boys spent hours and hours in the basement this past week looking over their treasures! It was like a Christmas present for the boys. I did nearly have a meltdown when I went into the basement later in the week and saw the stuff e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e , but we managed to get some type of order to their madness. They were thrilled, and I know they’ll talk about “that time when Mr. and Mrs. Peabody gave us all that fishing and  hunting stuff”.   God is in the little things also! 

                                                   The boys are excited and eager to try out this ice fishing equipment! 

It’s been a hard year for most of us, and our family is certainly no exception. I found myself feeling the same kind of depression that I felt back in March. Between the Presidential election, our state governor, and several other disappointments, it’s been quite the week. But one of my dear friends reminded me, “We have Emmanuel! God with us!” Yes, I’m discouraged, disappointed that our country seems to be surrendering to evil, overwhelmed  with concerns for America and our children, but...God is still with us! I can find peace in that. And I will continue to pray, fight against evil, call our senators, and beg God to show Himself strong and mighty! 

We are in our last week before Christmas break! We’ve stayed in school thus far, which is due largely to the fact that so many of you are praying for God’s protection on us. Please, pray that our school will be able to continue with in-person learning, that God will continue to protect us, and that we will be a witness for His honor and glory to those around us. God is faithful. 

We head into a week of busyness with classroom activities, fun events at school, and preparing for our own Christmas. Our church is planning a living nativity for December 22, and we need some animals. Will you please pray that God will help us find someone who can bring some animals? Please also pray for our nation, our states, our church and pastors, families, and the elderly who are especially lonely this year. Also, will you please pray that we can get Chandler’s passport for his missions trip to Haiti? I know that I’ve been convicted to write more cards as of late, as there are so many people who need encouragement. God brought along several people to encourage me this past week. I pray that I can also encourage someone this week. 

Thanksgiving Break...and Haiti!

 We had a break from school last week as we celebrated Thanksgiving. While we had our break days from school, we celebrated Thanksgiving day. I went shopping with my sister, Hannah. We picked out a Christmas tree. I made lesson plans, graded, and prepared for the next week. We decorated my classroom for Christmas. And we spent lots of time together and outside! 

2020 has been full and unusual and different circumstances, and Thanksgiving was no exception. We invited several people and families over to our house, but either due to previous arrangements or Covid, no one was able to come over. It was our first time also in a very long time where  no invitations were extended to us either, as it’s a weird year. Our children were a little disappointed that no one was coming over, but we did take a pumpkin roll dessert over to our new neighbors in Wednesday. It was nice to visit with them for a few minutes, and the older boys were delighted to hear that our neighbor was looking for someone to do some yard work for him in the spring. Garett and Chandler eagerly agreed to help out, and it was nice for them to be asked. 

Thanksgiving day dawned a bit drizzly and overcast, but it provided a nice opportunity for us to sit and visit together for a while before getting started with the day. Originally we had planned to eat our dinner three pm, but it quickly became apparent that all the kids would be “hangry” by then! We ended up eating around one pm, but that’s the beauty of it just being us - we could eat whenever the food was ready! We asked our children what they were most thankful for this year, and what was the hardest thing about 2020. Unanimously, the kids all agreed that Mr. Kevin’s death has been the hardest thing about 2020. The answers of what they were thankful for varied from child to child. School, family, friends, grandparents, church, our home, Roger’s job, their teachers were all things that they are thankful for this year. I’m so thankful that we’ve finished  thirteen weeks of school -in person! We keep praying for God’s hedge of protection, and He’s been merciful and faithful to us. 

Last Sunday, our children and Allison’s girls put together fruit and goodie baskets for some of the older folks in our church. Allison and I always come up with what we call these “good, bad ideas!”. These are ideas that seem great in the moment, but when it’s just us and our families doing the majority of the work or we are tired or it’s getting long, it becomes a bad idea!! However, after over four years of friendship, we manage to laugh our way through most of our ideas! Our children made cards and helped assembly the baskets, and several ladies delivered most of the baskets to the older folks last Monday and Tuesday before thanksgiving. The kids and I had several baskets to deliver after school in Wednesday, and the older folks were so happy to have a visit and a small gift. While they kept their distances and we kept ours, they were still so happy to have someone to talk to. The visits took a bit longer than I had planned, but our kids were good sports about it all. I’m so thankful for our children! 

Some of you may remember that last year, I was planning on going to Haiti on a medical missions trip. However, due to unrest, then Covid, and a host of other things, the missions trip ended up being cancelled.  I had most of the trip paid for, and I was looking forward to going. However, the country of Haiti has also had some difficult challenges over the past year, which have been more starvation than Covid. I ended up giving the money for the missions trip to Parakaleo so that they could give money to the Haitian pastors to buy food for their people.  I have been saving again, and God has abundantly blessed! I have all the money that I need for this missions trip! Also, this year, Garett and Chandler will also be coming to Haiti with me!! They are thrilled with the opportunity, and we are praying for God to show Himself strong in a mighty way to both of them. They are looking for jobs to do to earn some money for the trip, so if anyone local needs some work done, we have two boys that are willing and able to work hard! If you feel so led to give towards their missions trip, I know that both our boys would be extremely grateful. This is an amazing opportunity for them to go on this missions trip, and I am looking forward to this experience for them! My dad is also planning on going on the Haiti missions trip in January, so it will be three generations of us on this missions trip. God is awesome! 

We do appreciate your prayers as we plan and prepare for this missions trip. It means a substitute teacher for kindergarten, a lot more work for Roger, three kids still at home that will need meals, and lots of other important pieces! Whenever I start to feel overwhelmed or stressed out about it, I’m reminded that God is bigger than all my struggles! 

Last night, Roger and I attended a staff Christmas party, which our administrator put together. It was a lovely night with the dear staff and school board members...delicious desserts, fun games, fellowship, and a sweet time of memories together. We are so blessed with the staff members that God has provided for our school this year. There has certainly been plenty of struggles and challenges, but we are almost to week #14 with in-person learning! Thank you to those who pray diligently with us for the hedge of protection around our church and school. God is so good!