Furlough Fun!

We love you all, but getting to know
this little guy was best of all!

Well here we are, are back in Haiti after 5 ½ weeks In the states- It is good to be back here, but as a young man just asked me today – “Which is better USA or Haiti” ? I answered –“ USA is better because my family & friends are there”!! And that is exactly the reason why !!!!

 Oh yea I got to put clothes in a washer – no scrubbing by hand but no beautiful scenery either.

We had WARM showers & COLD drinks, even ICED COFFEE!! J

I got drive & drive & drive – its been a whole year ! Just like riding a bike – comes right back to ya!

The stores were so many  & so full of food & things to buy !!!

A fun night out with good friends

We even had places to get dressed up for & go. Like really go someplace besides up or down the mountain!

There were times to just act silly!

And just being together made us smile!

BUT the best part was being with you  family & friends!! NOTHING, I mean NOTHING can take the place of that. We had no idea how much we really missed you all. And that little grandson was the highlight!

Lovin' hanging with the guys!

 We have been so blessed by the encouragement & support that you all showed us. We are sorry we couldn’t have been with each of you personally , but it was a treat to see so many of you at church or in your homes or at the church camp or lunch, or early morning meetings, or at the clinic or hospital. The time went fast & I was sure I was gonna be bored- you know, NOT having a job for ALL that time . Well bored I was NOT! I think we had to come back here to “pose”- rest a little !! J Each one of you have been a part of what is going on here in Soliette- we couldn’t do the little we do here without your part- praying , sending, encouraging, financing! SO THANK YOU!!!

Kaufman reunion with Mom & Butch (someone had to take the picture)
and Mike &  Brenda

We were  able to spend time at many family gatherings, time in TN with Pats family, 

Thanks mom for making the trip up to see us. Loved our time together.

my mom came up to OH, many soccer games, 

Had to get a picture of the 'whole family'

Brandin' calves in flip flops.  A modern day cowboy!

out to WA to see Cole,& many church gatherings, WE truly are blessed !

God also confirmed His faithfulness to us – that He cares for our needs

 … O you of little faith? Therefore don’t be anxious, saying , “ what shall we eat?”or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?”  

We were blessed with medical care, dental work, meals, finances, ice cream J, telephone service, coffee by the bag & by the cup ,meals paid for mysteriously, a great room to live in,  things to bring back like  saw blades, supplies, pics from little friends to cheer our home, a world map,

Can't wait to see this 'gator' crawling up
the mountain to our house!

   a gator – the 4 wheel type to make our hauling & travels easier. 

But most of all by your prayers & gift of time. We serve an AWESOME GOD who is sovereign & cares for each one of us & provides for us when we obey & walk with HIM. This was just such a confirmation & encouragement to us. Now back here I need to keep reminding & remembering ALL HE did for us & trust HIM with our future & lives, & the lives of those we love back in the US. !

Just had to get one more pic of this little guy in!

We just want to say a BIG THANK YOU again  to each one of you for being an encourager to us.  We return ‘home’ with great memories and a few extra pounds. We all need each other & up here on the mountain this has been soo evident to us. Blessings to you . May God continue to direct each of our lives in the way we should walk- close to HIM, trusting & loving HIM.

Little projects

Once upon a time, shortly after we moved to Haiti, we needed some storage space so I made a couple simple shelves.  Little did I know what that would lead to.  It started with me getting material to build some benches for the school.  The shelves were made from scraps from that project, a little stand for our water bottle and a 4 shelf corner shelf for books.  That’s when we really started to take note of how observant our neighbors are.  Most of them haven’t even been in my house, but they can probably tell you more about what’s in it than I can, just from standing at the door and looking.  Anything new or different catches their attention immediately and of course; they’d like one just like it.

Any piece of furniture with a door on it you can secure is called a ‘bifet’ (pron. beefet).  Everyone wanted a bifet.  I got along for a while just putting them off, and when that wouldn’t hold them off anymore, I broke down and made one for a friend.  The requests kept coming so I started saying they had to buy hinges and a lock and provide the wood. 

The first project was from the old man across the field.  He showed up with the headboard and footboard of an old bed and asked if I could make a table out of it.  

That one worked out to have almost enough wood.  I only had to provide fasteners (thanks Bart!).  Some things you don’t mind doing because you know there is no other way they could have gotten a table.  The best part came the next day when his wife showed up with a big, ripe mango and hot, sweet, Haitian coffee for us.  Out of their poverty….

About a week later one of the boys from my English class came up the path carrying a plank.  ‘Could you help me make a door for my house?’ he asks.  It wasn’t exactly what I had planned for that morning, but that usually doesn’t make much difference.  Up to the roof we go.  Pretty soon another boy (I say boy, but one is 19 the other 17) came to help and they got a good lesson on ripping 1 ½” thick hardwood with a hand saw (not electric) in the tropical sun.  

We got rained out about half way through, but he returned the next day with a piece of tin roofing and we covered the frame we built.

  

A couple days later he returned with a ‘sitwon’ (like a key lime) tree he had started from seed.  It’s now growing in my yard.

A couple ladies from church were here visiting and somehow got talking about needing ‘bifets’ too.  One of them showed up a couple days later with a big, rough sawn plank and admitted she’d be happy with just shelves. J  The other lady was here with her plank a little while later.  She wanted a ‘bifet’ about the size of our stove and I finally got her to understand that I couldn’t make anything like that with one plank.  A little while later her son shows up with another plank about 8’ long that is split up the middle about half the length.  This project isn’t going to happen any time soon! The planks by the boy's feet in the above picture are the ladies' materials. 

In the mean time, the boy that needed a door returned with a friend, a small board and 3 sticks about 2” in diameter.  Would you help us make a table?  It was Sunday afternoon and a nap was sounding really good!  But he was going to start selling candy as a little business on Monday and needed a table to display his wares.  I think these guys sometimes think up things to make just to see what other kinds of tools I have!  And this opportunity was more important than a nap anyhow, so up to the roof we go.  They’re pretty good helpers if only they could learn that the screw gun doesn’t have to be used full speed.  

About an hour or so later we had a little splay leg table 

and Dickson was in business.

 If you’re waiting for the big take home lesson from all this I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed.  It’s mostly just a peak into another facet of day to day life here.  Sometimes it’s overwhelming to look into the face of the owner of something that is just flat worn out and see the hopeful look that maybe, just maybe, you can fix it.  Sometimes I just have to say I’m sorry, but most of the time we’ll at least take a run at it.  My neighbors are people of simple faith.  They trust God to make it rain so they don’t starve, and when they have a busted something or another, they believe I can find a way to fix it.  And more than once, the Spirit has shown me how to do it.  God really does have a sense of humor! Some things He brings just to give me a good laugh, but He always has the last laugh when He works it out to have just the right tool, just enough wood or whatever we need to do the impossible.