simply serving. serving simply.

Yeah we're still here!

Wow!  It seems like so long since we've talked to you all!  The last couple weeks have been really frustrating.  Not really ministry/life things so much, more things we had taken for granted at home that just really don't work the same here.  But before we go any further, there are some things we are really thankful for.  We were without internet service for about 10 days and were really feeling isolated.  Our budget doesn't allow a lot of time on the phone so text messages were our only contact.  Almost....Good ole' snail mail came through!!!! We just want to send thanks to some people that really came through for us and brought some huge smiles.  Joan, you are the best sister in the world!!!  You're note and the treats were a huge bright spot!  Josie Hicks and the kids at The Gathering Place really lightened our house with your pictures and knowing you remember us!  We have some really great supporters for Heart of Compassion, too.  We'd shared about the needs for some upgrades at the school and several have stepped up to really make it look like we can get the work done.  Thank you so much, you know who you are.

Ok, now to catch up a little. This will be pretty random, because that is what our life is like here.  The frustrations come when you expect things to turn out your way and work the way you want them to. God wants us to depend on Him and be content with the way He works things out.  It's a hard lesson to learn, right up there with learning a new language, but we're getting there slowly. 

My days have been filled more with projects than farming.  I'm kinda out of room to plant stuff till the black bean harvest and we're heading into the dry season, so I've been in my workshop on the roof.  

Building benches for the school.  The cordless drill is a
blessing until the batteries are gone.

Had to rip some boards to make
shutters for the front of the house.

Hanging shutters.

Did I tell you what a blessing a cordless drill is?  Yeah,
I'm drilling in concrete! 

Cheryl's days are probably more random than mine!  I just wear a floppy hat to protect my brain from the sun.  She's more talented than I, and can multi task way better than me, so she wears LOTS of hats!

She's now 'Godmother' to Samyell, the new son of our
friends Tinom and Klotid.  He's a cutie!

She counsels people that appear at the door.  Headaches,
body aches and heartaches.  She's a good listener!

She spends a lot of time at the school, especially helping
with the meals

She's gets her hands dirty occasionally.  This is her herb
garden that is slowly providing some culinary herbs.
Lots of weeds too!

There's lots to learn about cooking in the mountains!

The neighbor ladies like learning to cook on the gas
stove too!

And of course the 'Front Step Medical Clinic' seems to
always be open!

There has been considerable work done on the road since the hurricane, but it's still pretty iffy a lot of places.  There were 3 of the big 'top top' trucks that fell over this week but there were no injuries we heard of.  The people are scared to ride on them.  Can't see as I blame them. Instead, they have to walk, in some cases several hours through the riverbed to and from the markets with their wares on their heads or backs. 

The way they load these things, they are really top heavy with cargo and then they usually put a layer of passengers on top and hanging on the sides!  A truck like this one would usually carry 30 or more people on top of the load you see.  And that's the new road you see behind it.  There is still a lot of water running, and you can see how brown it still is in the main river to the right.  It is unbelievable how much soil was lost in this one storm.  It is heartbreaking, but there is hope.  We are terracing our ground and hoping it will catch on to our neighbors to keep some of this soil on the mountain, but that is a story for another day.

Sunday came and we hiked down the mountain with visions of good company and internet service.  Oops, better not get my expectations up too high! It did work out though.  There are a lot of stories that will come at another time as we continue to adjust to life on the mountain and learn to be more self sufficient in doing some of the things that cause inconveniences and frustrations.  Life is good.  We are slowly learning how to communicate. Maybe I should say that our neighbors are adjusting to our version of Kreole!  This trip down holds a special treat because we have been invited to an ag ministry conference with other missionaries in the area doing the same things we are.  A day with English speakers that are experiencing the same things we are.  We're really looking forward to that!

So, we caught a moto and headed to Fond Parisienne for a night with Vlad and Ashly before heading on into Coix des Boquets for the conference.  This had really been fun, working on a fast internet connection!  It's only 3G, but seems lightning fast compared to what we work with on the mountain.  Thanks to you all for your prayers and support.  God is doing some really neat things on the mountain we share with Him.  Stay tuned and we'll tell you more about the school, the church and everyday life in Soliette!  Love you ALL!
pnc

"God is my friend." Masouk, age 15

A friend living on his own since age 11!