things are finally back to normal...

This Thursday, after our staff meeting, a bunch of the guys started kicking a soccer ball around on the newly cleared 'mud quad' in the middle of our base. It has been exactly two months since the rains of Hurricane Hanna started falling on our tin roofs. And while there are still some piles of dirt around the fringes of the base (and one still blocking the back door to the sanctuary), the central hub of this base looks almost back to normal! The grass is beginning to green things up and the sidewalks are cleared ... It does my heart so much good to see it. I sensed a renewed excitement and passion among the staff this weekend. I think it started during that soccer scrimmage - it actually reminded me a bit of the scene on "Lost" when the survivors decided to build a golf course for themselves on the island. For two months, we've been working so hard to dig out from the mud and to bring aid to the flood victims of St. Marc and surrounding communities. And it has completely worn us out. We've almost forgotten how to relax, take it easy, and have fun! But thankfully, that is changing.



Even life on the street outside of our base is getting back to normal. The 'machin yo' (vehicles) are up and running again, the vendors are busy selling their goods, and the streets are once again turning to dust.


A view of the newly landscaped base - thanks to the Ohio team that came this past Saturday to help out with the surveying process. The ground is now level with the sidewalks, and it is raised higher as you walk towards the cafeteria - hopefully this will prevent the sitting water that always bred mosquitoes in front of the dining area!



Now that the school year is getting under way as well, and lesson plans and grading papers are becoming more routine, Shakinah is finally finding the time to go out on the streets and talk with the children of St. Marc - something she's been praying about since she first set foot on the base on September 8th. This picture was taken last Saturday afternoon - Patrick (one of our staff members) accompanied her, to provide 'protection' and translation =) The two of them also invited a lot of new children and families to come to the base for Kid's Church on Sunday afternoon and for the Family Night service at 6 o'clock. And many of them did! We had a full house this past week, and one of the best worship services yet since I've been here. God's Spirit was definitely present and we left the service feeling both challenged and encouraged.

Terry spoke about the importance of maintenance, in both our physical and our spiritual lives. He shared from the parable of the 10 virgins and challenged us to look around at our lives, our homes, our streets, our places of work ... to see what state they are in. If we are living in a state of disarray and unpreparedness, that is also a reflection of the state of our hearts. We need to get our spiritual lives back on track if we want to see any kind of change in our lives or the lives of those around us.


A beautiful mother and child who live along the main street by the water's edge, just outside the gate of our base.



Even the zipline is fixed! This was one of many small, yet significant 'fix-up' jobs that Daryl and Jay did on the base while they were here. It brought much joy to the missionary kids, who LOVE playing with this thing ... Another 'little fix-up' job was putting up real basketball nets on the basketball hoops in the arena. The middle schoolers had more fun out there this week than I've ever seen them have before. The nets gave them dignity and made them feel like REALLY playing. When they put their minds to it, they're actually quite good =)