Our Family Circus

What Christmas Eve looked like for me...minus the food preparation and dish washing and basic parenting that just happens.   1.  Go through the stash of goodies we have collected and outgrown and pick out gifts for our security guards to give to their children for Christmas.    2.  Listen to a grown man giggle when he is radioed to come to the security gate and to be handed toys for his daughter. 3.  See their love for one another as they radio their coworkers to come and meet us. 4.  See a man smile big with something as simple as 2 small balls. 5.  Go shopping on the street to give our local vendors some holiday cash. 6.  Make your shopping list of who to shop from next so everyone gets some business. 7.  Shop on credit...not a good idea.  "You take it.  You can pay me later."   They will get you every time! 8.  Share jokes, laughter, and love with young men you are beginning to re...

My day is pretty normal, like most of the of world there is a routine in it.  I begin with time with the Lord, then school with the children.   We have lunch and I take off to work at Mountain Maid and then will have English Class 2 days a week and another day I am part of a ladies' Bible Study.  It is pretty routine and that works.  But something turned my ordinary into something pretty exciting!   I hope I do not get too wordy, but the details of God's plan have been so beautifully laid out. A month ago, I joined our sending church as they were with their partnering church in our country.   I stopped in for the day and allowed our children to play with the other children.  I noticed a precious girl outside of the gate of the school.   She was not in uniform and had a radiant smile.   I wondered if her family could not afford for her to go to school.  I stopped to talk with her and som...

Hurricane Matthew swept over our island taking roofs, fences, gardens, crops, trees, and even livestock with it. Some areas did not see any destruction while other areas are still devastated with loss followed by excessive rain that has lead to flooding.   The mission has been unable to get supplies to where they need to be because of the washed out roads.  Earlier this week, I found myself focusing on what we were unable to do instead of focusing on God, who is sovereign and holds every detail in his loving hands.   I looked at all that was wrong instead of what was right.   It was easy to see the struggles but harder to see that God has it already worked out.  He showed us this in many ways as we have seen Him at work, but how quickly I forget. I later challenged myself to look for that good!  And THIS "good" I had forgotten to share! My Dear posted on FB the need for greenhouse film that had been ripped off...

When God called Moses to lead the Israelites, Moses had excuses.   Well, we call them excuses but Moses knew himself.   He knew his struggles, his past, his character, all that was NOT RIGHT with him.  He knew his sinful, struggling self.   Sometimes we use those as excuses and sometimes we think perhaps, the Lord needs to be reminded of our faults.   Aren't we kind to be so helpful to THE KING OF UNIVERSE!  This is my Friday.    It happens pretty much every week that I am reminded of how unqualified I am to stand before a group of people and teach.   My Kentucky accent, that my southern friends say is northern and my northern friends say is southern, is not the best for teaching English.   I struggle with English and spelling!    Is there less judgment from others if I just admit it?  It will take me at least an hour to w...

Two years of living in Haiti has taught us......we have a lot to learn!   We were ignorant to how difficult language learning would be and even more ignorant to how difficult it would be to understand another culture. This past week, a team come from the states to help do inventory, cleaning, painting, planting and repairing at Mountain Maid, the self-help program.  We are thankful for their "attack" on the never ending to-do list. The team worked indoors most of the time so a few cultural experiences were planned for them. My Dear took the team so our 12-year-old daughter, I refer to as Dolly, went along to a historical fort nearby.  You should know that  Dolly enjoys people, adventures, Jesus, and is passionate about animals.....especially dogs.  Her love for animals is unique to this country where animals are seen as a way of living and not as companions.  When Dolly received a goat, the empl...

1st Birthday-- cake is GOOD! 8th Birthday--sleeping bags, new pjs, and music with friends...sleepovers are fun! 10th Birthday--My friend Mary can make herself burp but sometimes it comes out of the wrong end. 14th Birthday--My girlfriend never let my birthday pass without celebration.   Life is worth celebrating.  Friends are worth celebrating.  16th Birthday--Friends will keep a secret for a surprise party even when you are with them all day for 2 weeks of band camp.  Friends love you enough to not give up on you when they see you making one destructive decision after another.  21st Birthday--I want to be a rebel.   Do something rebellious on my 21st birthday.   Talked a cute guy into going with me to give blood.   Being a rebel is being different!  I am pretty sure I read something about that in the Bible my girlfriend gave me years ago for my birthday. By the way, I married that cute g...

  Dolly's garden is growing.  We are enjoying the sunflower her friend gave her.   My Dear is working hard with plants as well.   He has many seeds started so to produce flowers and plants to sell at the shop creating more income to go toward reforestation of the country.   Do you know that Haiti was 60% forest in the 1960s?   Now, there is less than 2% forest here.   The area where we live is beautiful with trees and gardens but that is a small, small part of the country.   When the Ts arrived in Haiti, there was nothing here.   Seventy years later, it is a botanical garden.   A sweet reminder that the Lord is faithful if we are diligent and intentional with what He has called us to do. The Lord has blessed our family with friends.   Friends move in and out of the country, but the Lord is faithful to give us who we need in the season we are in. ...