Our Family Circus

This year, the zoo at the mission will turn 50 years old.   Next month, our Dolly, the zoo keeper, will celebrate a birthday as well.    For those of you who know our Dolly, you know her love for all things furry.   The zoo has a variety of birds and a couple of small crocodiles that she checks in on as well as the rabbits and goats that she enjoys so much.  This is Jade.  Jade of Joy was born Feb. 10th making Dolly the mama of 2 goats.  The zoo is about the size of a nice petting zoo in the states, but it is the only zoo I know of in Haiti.  Dolly was gifted 2 animals for the zoo last year for her birthday but with changes in staff and issues with space, she has yet to receive them although the sender waits patiently.  We have not given up hope and are dreaming on the best way to make accommodations in the zoo for these new animals.  My camera lovin' friend Jen captured this mama and her...

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says,  " Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." This Thanksgiving, we gathered together as a mission to enjoy our Thanksgiving feast.  We were told that after we ate, we would share what we are thankful for.  No big deal, right!  I could come up with a list of what I am thankful for each day of the year and never repeat myself.  But this Thanksgiving was different.   I ate pretty much in silence with My Dear staying close by.   I prepared my assigned dishes and arrived just in time for the festivities.  As we finished up, I recalled there would be a time of sharing.   But, my head knew it should be thankful and my heart was hurting so much louder that my head and heart were certainly not in agreement.   My Dear got a call from the shop where he works and let me know he needed to go.  I took the opportunity to slip out.   Just t...

Whenever we get in our car and travel any further than PV, the city near us where we frequent the store, we stop traffic.   LITERALLY! You see, we are foreigners, blan, white people and they can easily see us coming.   Simply because of our skin color, our vehicle is going to be stopped and we are going to have to hand over the paperwork to the police at the stop. Sometimes these stops are inconvenient, sometimes they are expensive and sometimes they are actually quick.  Our ministry met at the camp location at the beach.   It takes about 2 hours to travel the 50 miles and THAT is if we leave early in the morning before the country awakens.  On our way there, we were pulled over-SURPRISE!   After seeing our paperwork and that we were in compliance with the law, the officer asked if we had any money to give him.   We said no.   The police are obviously not paid well so he asked for money so he could get...

The director of the mission asked us to take some time off and heal a bit.   I will share more of what the Lord has done in our lives since the loss of our son at 16 weeks.   I wanted to share this short video our sweet friend Colton put together for us to help us grieve and as a way to honor the life of our son.  

I know, I have been quiet....but welcome 2nd trimester...that is enough explanation.   I am once again able to prepare a meal for my family and able to lift my head off of the arm of the couch to teach school....it is good!   I am growing and the girls like to check out how "HUGE" I am every night.   Billy is getting a few fat jokes in on me.   So, we are good....now on to the rest of our lives! If you follow me on FB, you know about this little lady.   Dolly has her own goat, Johannahlee Purdue (named after some of Dolly's friends and the college the gentleman who bought the goat is attempting to persuade Dolly to go to) was a gift to Dolly from a team from our sending church.   Those children's ministry volunteers  are still loving on our kiddos from our sending church.      The kids are as excited about this team coming as they are ab...

Sorting through donated clothing from the summer, I came upon a tshirt that said "UNEXPECTED." I began to reflect on the word. Christ was The UNEXPECTED Messiah. Jonah was rescued UNEXPECTANTLY by a large fish. The big boat that Noah was building was UNEXPECTANTLY needed. When King Darius went to the Lions' Den the sound of Daniel's voice was UNEXPECTED. Lazarus was UNEXPECTANTLY raised from the dead. The Lord UNEXPECTANTLY pulled me from my pit that I did not even know I was in. The Lord has brought us through much UNEXPECTED in our lives....some good and some bad. Again, we find ourselves in a place of the UNEXPECTED. I jotted these words down as I lay in bed feeling less than great:       I have grey hair.      He was just diagnosed with a kidney disease.      I have bi-focals.      He has high blood pressure.      I no longer dress for style but f...

 I was a little girl in Girls in Action, a mission organization in the Southern Baptist Convention.  Each Sunday night that we gathered, we would read over the prayer calendar.   The prayer calendar included the names and countries of missionaries serving and we prayed for them on their birthdays.   The calendar would also share how they were serving on the field.....you know, summed up in one or 2 words. Just throwing this out there, but they are no longer able to post where most missionaries are serving nor are they able to share their names because of the safety of where they serve....times have changed! Oh, how they have changed!   I recall as a little girl thinking about the title "home evangelism" after a lady's name.   Years later, working at a missions camp, I asked the missionary there.   She told me it is basically meant that the lady was at home caring for the family, on the field. ...