Haitian Weddings

Last weekend, I attended my first Haitian wedding. And boy, was it an experience! The couple getting married used to be on staff here at the YWAM base. MacKendy worked in the kitchen and Ziki was a DTS student from last year who stayed on as staff for a few months. They are both from the same hometown of Montrouis and have a LARGE group of friends and family ... so it was quite an honor to be included in this special day of celebration.

The wedding was supposed to start at 4pm, on a Saturday evening, but we received a call around 3 o'clock that things were running late, so we took our time getting ready and arrived around 5 pm. But, apparently, things were STILL running late!

It was a pretty nice day at this point ... (it was still light =). This was what we saw when we first arrived at the wedding location. The row of children in blue were school students who formed the first part of the 'aisle' where the bride and groom and their many attendents made their way up to the front of the 'church.'



The wedding was outdoors, at a beautiful property, right along the Caribbean Sea. So after walking around a little bit to see who was there, we spent some time hanging out down by the beach. It was absolutely breathtaking! And here I am, all decked out and enjoying the beautiful beach breezes ... AND the amazing view.

Some of the guys that came along with us from the YWAM base. Steeve and Mike are two of the current DTS students, Patrick has been on staff ever since doing his DTS two years ago, and Ronald (who drove us to the wedding in the base's white bus) is another DTS student. He also participated in a one-year program that Freeman (Terry's brother-in-law) oversees - a program to help disciple young men who've come from rough pasts and need some mentoring and accountability in their lives.

I like this picture, because it makes me look so short! Mike, at 18, is the youngest of our DTS students. He hails from Ontario, Canada, and is a very rambunctious, fun-loving kid. He fits right in with the other 9 Haitians and 1 Tennessean who are also in the school.

The three roommates, Lindsay, Esther, and Laura - enjoying a wonderful evening together.

The happy groom! This was taken BEFORE the wedding ...

And the radiant bride - Ziki

These three young girls were very excited to be part of the wedding celebration ...

And this is why - their young dance partners did a fabulous job of waltzing them down the aisle. I guess they would be considered the junior bridesmaids and groomsmen. But then Ziki and MacKendy also had four couples who were a bit older doing the same thing (including the beautiful dancing), and then two little boys and two little girls who were 'walked' down the aisle by helpful parents, and then ...

Two bridesmaids who looked like BRIDES! They were absolutely beautiful - but thankfully, their beauty did not surpass that of Ziki, so they didn't steal the evening from her =)

But all in all, this procession took more than half an hour! It was completely dark by the time the bride walked down the aisle, and the only way we could see what was happening, was by the fluorescent light of a large spotlight that someone was running around with for the rest of the night. Definitely not the best planning ... It was a shame that things ran so late, because it would have been a beautiful ceremony, if we could have seen what was going on!

Having some bonding time with Stacy, one of our students from the Liberty Academy (and MacKendy's niece). As you can see, it was quite dark by now.

At this point in the ceremony, something was still happening up front, but no one could see what was happening, so they all started chatting with their neighbors, in very animated Creole. Which meant that now we couldn't HEAR what was happening either. So we soon gave up on 'participating' in the ceremony and we just took pictures of each other and talked quietly to each other (in English.)

Carline and Lindsay, looking stunning in the evening light ...

We did manage to see the bride after the ceremony, which in itself was a miracle. We had to push our way through a restless and hungry mob to get there ...

And then, after making a group decision to head home and get something to eat (because we knew that the reception would be a bit chaotic), Ziki and MacKendy found us and begged us to stay ... they REALLY wanted us to be part of their reception, so that they could offer hospitality and a bit to eat before we hit the road.

So we accepted, but soon found ourselves in even more cramped quarters as we were guided into a small cement block building. It couldn't have been much larger than my classroom and there were over a hundred people in there! A hundred restless, hungry, and sweaty people. It soon was so loud in there, that everyone gave up trying to silence the crowd. The best man (Roberteau) presented a beautiful toast that even the bride and groom had to strain to hear. They videotaped the whole thing, but I'm afraid no one will hear him above the noisy chatter...

Once again, after waiting for over half an hour of pictures and stepping on people's toes and smelling each other's sweat and wanting nothing more than fresh air, we tried to leave. But Ziki was insistent. So we quickly grabbed some food, put it in travel boxes, and scooted out the door before we were mobbed (they made us go first, and the hungry crowds were already pushing at our backs as we went through the 'line' at the food table).

I was never so happy to get onto an old rickety bus ...

This is the beautiful table that they had set up in the reception building.

A picture of the couple and close family members. Sadly, the bride and groom were so tired and stressed at this point, that there were no smiles to be seen in most of their pictures.

I definitely was taking notes, for the planning of my own wedding ... mostly notes of things I do NOT want to do. But there were many things that were beautifully planned. They just didn't quite come together in the actual events of the evening.

Please keep this young couple in your prayers. They are expecting a little one soon, and apparently, MacKendy was sick for much of the past week. Not an easy way to jump into married life ...

After everything was said and done that night, Lindsay and I both decided that NOTHING should stress us out when it comes to planning and pulling off our own weddings. As long as we keep things in perspective. If we manage to have a marriage ceremony that is lit well enough for everyone to see what is going on ... If we can pull of a reception that is free of angry mobs, pushing their way to the front of the food line ... then we will be happy brides. =)

Create in Me a Clean Heart ...

This week, I really felt God challenging me to take some of the lessons that God has been teaching me and the other staff here on the base (lessons about brokenness, repentance, and surrender) INTO my classroom. So our memory verse this week was Psalm 51:10-12a ...

"Create in me a clean heart, O God. And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, O Lord, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of your salvation."

I have also been teaching my students about the kitchen this week - utensils, proper table setting etiquette, foods ... And so this Thursday, when Woodeline had P.E. with the older students, I took my three boys to my apartment for a little dinner party. They had such a blast, and they were such great workers! This little video clip shows some of our kitchen clean-up when we were finished with the meal. I thought it was pretty neat how well this song fit in with what we were doing... Enjoy!

p.s. Mario is in the back, then Valens, and Jephte is in the front =)

2009: A Year of New Beginnings

After the amazing two weeks I spent at home, I couldn't believe how ready I was to come 'home' to Haiti. The flight was smooth, we had beautiful views to enjoy out the airplane window, there was plenty of time for conversation and catching up with Lindsay ... we even had the chance to meet our new housemate, Esther Dodge, because she ended up sitting in the seat right in front of us! God is good.


I don't think I will ever get over the amazing colors of the Caribbean waters ...



Or the rugged beauty of Haiti's mountainous landscape.



When we arrived in Port-au-Prince, we found ourselves in and out of custom and baggage claim in less than thirty minutes. It was almost miraculous! We actually had to wait for Freeman and Roberteau to come back and pick us up, because they didn't think we'd be out so soon and had left the parking lot for awhile. When we got in the bus, we enjoy meeting Wes, a young man from Tennesse who is here for a few months for Season of Service (SOS) - the same program that Lindsay and I are with for our term of teaching with the Liberty Academy.

As always, I enjoyed the sights, sounds and smells of our two hour ride up to St. Marc. However, this ride had a few more surprises than those I've experienced in the past. One is shown in the picture above. We had just left the road from Port and had turned left on National Highway Route 1 when a rock came flying out of nowhere and slammed into our windshield. It hit with such force that we were sure it would come through the glass ... but it didn't! And we found ourselves thanking God for his protection, even in this little things, because the rock would have come straight for my head (or Lindsay's or Wes's) if it DID.

Just minutes later, when our hearts had slowed down again and we were closing our eyes for a big of a rest, Roberteau slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting the car in front of us, who was slamming on their brakes to avoid hitting a cow that was crossing the road! There were three or four who had already crossed over to the other side, and were up on the embankment. But this one wasn't so lucky. She ended up UNDER the car in front of us, which did everything it could to get OFF the cow (backing up, pulling forward...), and somehow, after all this, the cow clambered to her feet on the other side of the vehicle and limped up the embankment to join her friends. They say that cats have nine lives, but I would venture to add to that saying that Haitian cows have at least two!


After settling into my room, I enjoyed looking at some emails that I had downloaded onto Outlook when I was home, but never had the chance to read. I am finding that keeping up with correspondence is even more challenging here in Haiti than it is at home ... but thankfully, with this blog, I can keep a lotof my friends and family updated in one fell swoop. Yay for blogs!



It is good to be with my girls again. Esther, our new 4th and 5th grade teacher (and housemate, and prayer partner, and running partner, and bridge to the people and ways of St. Marc...) is on my left. You should already know Lindsay and Lucy from previous stories and blog posts =)

Esther has been such a blessing in our life these past few weeks, and an answer to so many of my prayers. She taught here at the Liberty Academy two years ago, and after hearing God call her to Haiti at age twelve, has always had a real love for the people of this nation - a nation with a tragic past, a devastated land, and a non-exisistent infrastructure. But despite all that the Haitian people have come through and been shaped by, God is making it clear to his people that this nation is HIS treasure. And he is calling them to take on a new identity - t0 embrace his promise of hope and a future, that he spoke so many years ago through the Prophet Jeremiah.

The last few weeks have been a very exciting time here on the base, as we are beginning to see God at work in fulfilling those promises. A lot of that is happening right now through a renewed sense of brokennes and surrender to God and His ways. We have seen him refining us in countless ways over the last several months, and now he is beginning to reveal some of his dreams and plans for this city and nation, as we seek him in prayer and fasting. I think this might need to be another entry ... so more on that later =) Keep praying!



And here is Wes, surrounded by children. The kids on this base love Wes to death - and I'm just glad he can handle it! He has also stepped into the role of PE teacher for our students at the Liberty Academy, so that has been a huge blessing to us as teachers as well. He recently decided to join the DTS (Discipleship Training School) that began the second week in January. So he is one of two young people who are NOT from Haiti (Mike, a Canadian, is the other one) that are being trained and discipled along with 9 of their Haitian brothers and sisters. It is a really neat group of young people and they have brought a lot of life and energy to our base - along with the many work teams and outreach teams that come and go here on a pretty regular basis.



PE class has even included a few swimming lessons in the pool! While the kids love it, there is not enough supervision right now for us to feel safe with so many inexperienced swimmers in the water. Lindsay has had to jump in after a flailing child on more than one occasion, and so she and Wes decided that we are going to put these lessons on hold for awhile....



I will NOT be lonely or suffer for lack of new friendships this spring! After the hurricanes of last fall, Haiti became a hot spot for mission trips and emergency relief efforts (and now more long-term efforts). As missionaries, we are all receiving the blessings of this new season. I am SO thankful that God has not left us alone. He is bringing to world to us! I pray that we, along with the people of Haiti, can be a blessing to all those who come.

This picture shows some of the girls from the Guadeloupe team who have been with us for three whole weeks now. They are leaving tomorrow, headed for Gonaives and then Jacmel. They have done much good in this town and so we will be sorry to see them go. But I know God will continue using them to bless this nation!

You might wonder what is up with the teachers in this picture ... We just came from a birthday party for Rebekah Nettles, who hosted an "Opposite Personality" theme party for her 13th birthday. Here you see Esther, the 80's work-out show host; Laura, the ghetto teen; and Lindsay, a quiet and withdrawn Muslim woman. We have certainly had our share of fun and fellowship here in the past few weeks ...



Lindsay brought a kite back with her after Christmas (you can see Eli running with it, behind me), and so we took all of our students outside last Friday to take advantage of the stiff breezes that have been blowing off and on the last several weeks and to try it out. It was so much fun to do this as a school ... and in the process, we found and a stray Haitian kite that was caught on the electric wires. It didn't take long for our neighbors, on the other side of the wall, to notice that we now had THEIR kite, and they soon hopped up on the wall and communicated with our students that they wanted it back! So we flew it back over to them =)



This week, as we were trying to teach our morning math lessons, these noisy skidloaders started to dig up the dirt piles right outside our classroom windows. But we did NOT complain about the noise. We just shut our windows, dealt with the stuffy heat, and praised God that we were getting rid of the very LAST dirt pile on this base! Now, the sun finally shines into our classrooms again, brightening up what had been some very dark rooms (due to the limited fuel and electricity around here, we have the choice of fans or lights during the school day ... we usually choose the fans ;)



Lindsay and I discuss our hopes for the future of the Liberty Academy as we walk up the long dusty path to the north property of our base, where the new school is being built. We really need rain around here ... it was so dry and dusty when we came back from break that I came down with a very bad cough. It is still hanging on! But as we and the students prayed for rain every day, we saw God answer our prayers. On Sunday night, we were sitting in the computer lab catching up on emails after church when Lindsay suddenly interrupted our thoughts and said, "Guys! What's that noise?!" We ran outside to see a gentle rain falling on the dry ground. I never knew that something as simple as rainfall could make a person so happy. Esther and I ran outside in it and started dancing around - and the students were all raising their hands on Monday morning when we asked for praises, to share THEIR excitement of God answering our prayers and sending the rain. Lindsay told me later that night that it was the first time since the flood that she heard rain and was actually happy to hear it ... Before that, a lot of negative memories and emotions were attached to that sound.

So thank you, Lord, for rain. And for your goodness in sending it when we most needed it.



And here you see some local men from St. Marc, working very hard in the hot sun, to finish the foundation and pillars for our new school. I have NEVER seen a building go up this fast in any of the third world countries I've visited or lived in before ... God is definitely giving us the man power and the motivation needed to get this thing finished so that we can move our students out of the stifling heat of the sanctuary and into this new Liberty Academy.

If things continue as planned, the PA team that is coming next Saturday will bring the needed supplies and skills for putting up the roof. Then, this same team of Haitian men will finish putting up the cement block walls and we will be one step closer to have a new school! Please pray with us that we can move our students in before the school year is over ...

Another big answer to prayer came a days ago. The base has been waiting for months now (ever since the flood) for three 'new' vehicles to come to our base. The wait was prolonged, however, because the vehicles were sent on a different shipping container than the other supplies that arrived here just before our Christmas break. In early January, the vehicles finally came in as well, but they were held up in customs, where we were informed that the 'laws' had changed and we were only allowed to have two vehicles at a time. The other one (which had our air conditioning unit for the sanctuary inside of it...) was probably going to be liquidated. This was NOT the kind of news we wanted to hear! Especially after all of our prayers and fundraising efforts to make the AC a reality for our students =( So, we kept praying and asking, in faith, for this vehicle to get into our hands and out of the hands of these corrupt government officials.



Some of the Mexico team, cleaning up the two 'new' vehicles that arrived safely from the US. They have been such a huge blessing to us already, as we usually find ourselves with only one working vehicle on a given day. Fuel is also becoming a problem for us ... last week, our Port Run was canceled because we didn't have enough many for gas. So we had to wait until TODAY for our first real Port Run since we arrived back from Christmas break. I am so excited to get mail today! And hopefully some celery from the Caribeean market, so that I can do a science experiment with my students =)

As of yesterday, I heard that the 3rd vehicle and the AC are also on their way! We will need to pay a large fee to get them both out of customs, but I believe that this is the door God opened for us, and so we are going to walk through it, trusting that God will provide the necessary funds.



This young man must've come to work with his dad at the construction site for the day. He loved watching a bunch of 'blans' walking around, taking pictures of these guys working on their new school =)


Esther and her friend, Tamar, discussing the blueprints and plans for the new school and administrative offices. Esther met Tamar when she was living here before, and she introduced me to her our second weekend here. Last Sunday, we attended her father's church, which is just on the other side of the wall from the new school. It was such a neat experience ... after attending just our family night worship services on the base during the fall, I loved meeting and worshiping with some brothers and sisters in Christ who are OUTside our base walls. It is about time I started getting outside of this bubble, and Esther has been helping me to do that in so many ways ... Thank you! And thank you, God, for bringing her here for such a time as this.

Esther and I enjoy running in the mornings before staff prayer, and I love starting my day off like this. We run down by the water's edge, amidst street vendors, goats, chickens, sleeping dogs, and roaming pigs. Our ankles are getting stronger from having to run on such uneven terrain, and we enjoy seeing the varied responses to these two white girls, running in St. Marc at 6 o'clock in the morning. My favorite are the old men who start running with us, quickly lose steam, and then wish us a good morning as we continue on =)



Guitar lessons have started up again - and it is so exciting to see how things have developed! I am just working with Eli and Samuel on Wednesday evenings now (my more advanced 'class'), but we often have other friends and staff members join us. It is more of a jam session, than a formal 'lesson' and I LOVE it! We all teach each other new things, whether it be new chord progressions or new strumming patterns ... and we enjoy worshiping God as we play and sing together. Our first Wednesday back from break, our 'lesson' ran for almost an hour and a half! It was wonderful =)


This week, I started up Saturday lessons for my intermediate class (Kai, Lindsay, and Esther) and for my two little beginners (Levi and April). It is a lot of fun seeing so many people realize their dreams to play an instrument, right here on our base. God is GOOD!



With the new year, Lizzie Snow also started up her dance lessons aginawith some of the young girls from town. I LOVE hearing them practice, as they



Me, Levi, and Caleb, full of smiles at our January birthday party. These little boys bring a smile to so many faces in the course of one week ... Thank you Lord, for children, and the many lessons they have to teach us.



The Mexico team had fun showing us their birthday tradition of smashing cake in the faces of the lucky birthday girls (or boys). Thankfully, we followed this up with our tradition of 'baptizing' the birthday people in our swimming pool. =)

Love is in the air ...

Ok. Just to give you the heads up, this is not a typical blog entry. I wanted to fill you all in a bit more on my time at home over Christmas, because that too, was a very important part of my journey this year. So ... enjoy!


The weekend before we flew north to our respective homes and families, Lindsay, Shakinah and I spent a day at the beach. I had fun writing a few random messages like this in the Haitian sand, as I anticipated my time at home with Stu, my family, and friends. As you can see by the approaching wave, the message didn't last long ... but I got the picture I wanted. =)



A happy reunion in the JFK airport! After waiting around for about 6 hours in the airport in Port-au-Prince, Jude (left), Lindsay and I got some seats on stand-by and were able to catch a direct flight home. This was such an answer to prayer, as we were able to get home by 1am, rather than the 4 or 5 am that we would have with our original flight schedule. This also helped my piano playing for our worship service the next morning! (though it still was a bit rough after 5 months of not touching a real keyboard ...)

It was such a treat having Jude visit over the short two weeks that we were home. He stayed with a host family in the Reinholds/Denver area and shared his testimony at several local churches and gatherings. It was a real treat for me when he came to my home church, New Danville Mennonite, and helped me lead worship for the morning - we sang a mixture of some Creole songs, and then some more familiar English songs - all with a bit of Haitian fire mixed in =) Jude also shared during the sermon time, and then we invited him over to our house for lunch. He was a bit shocked by the cold weather (wearing multiple sweaters at a time, one always tucked into his slacks, and constantly amused by the look of his breath in the frigid winter air...), but otherwise, really enjoyed his time in the states. I know that his visit was a blessing to many - especially for those who had the privelege of hearing him sing! He is hoping to come back and visit again this spring with the current DTS students on their outreach (and maybe again in September ... ;)


There just can't be Christmas without baking Christmas cookies =) This was something that Stu and I really wanted to do together during my time at home, and as you can see by my face, it was quite the venture! Although, I think the faces were more for effect ... Stu does just fine in the kitchen, and the cookies tasted deeeelicious. Sadly, my stomach could not really handle all the sweets. I think I could count all the cookies I ate on my two hands! After a consistent diet of rice and beans, I don't think my digestive system quite knew what to do with all the sweets and fats (and mass quantities) of food we Americans tend to eat and serve, especially over a holiday season. So most of these cookies filled stomachs other than my own ;)



This is a picture that many of you have already seen ... ;) After a lovely evening of Christmas caroling to our grandparents and some friends from church, Stu Metzler proposed to me - in front of my entire family! And I accepted, with all my heart =) It made for a whirlwind of a Christmas, as we tried to fit in many visits with friends, started talking with my family about wedding plans, and enjoyed every minute that we could just BEING together.

I know that God has been using this time of dating (and now being engaged) long-distance to really strengthen our relationship. When we want to connect with each other, we have no other option but to talk. And so we talk about everything. And now we have a wedding to plan too! But God is so faithful. In my short two weeks at home, I just kept thinking about how blessed I am ... to have 14 days to spend, IN PERSON, with Stu, and with my loved ones... it was the best Christmas gift I have ever received. And I must admit, I was worried that it would be very difficult saying goodbye and coming back here to Haiti for the next 6 months of the school year. But it was not! Don't get me wrong - I miss Stu. Last Saturday, it was almost unbearable. But God is the one who called me here. And God is the one who brought Stu and I together. And His timing in all of this, no matter how strange to may seem to a casual observer, is impeccable. God is teaching both of us SO many life lessons in these months apart - lessons that we will bring to our marriage and that God will use to help us stay strong, in Him, for each other, and for those God brings into our life in our daily comings and goings. He has our best interests in mind and we HAVE to learn to trust Him even when we don't understand the whys and wherefores.


This beautiful Nativity was sitting in our family room when I came home from Haiti, and it immediately caught my eye. I had seen many just like it in the airport when I was trying to amuse myself for 6 hours before flying home... And on Christmas morning, I got a note on my breakfast plate that led to a short scavenger hunt, which eventually led Stu and I down to the basement, to this very Haitian Nativity scene. There we found a little note saying that this was an engagement present (the very first!) for us so that we can remember this year in the many more to come when we will be together in our very own home =) Thank you, mom and dad!

He gives and takes away...

So, if you've been following my blog at all, you can tell that my life has been a bit of a whirlwind over the past 6 weeks or so, simply by my LACK of blogging ... I am going to try updating you in the coming days, with pictures and stories of my Christmas here in Haiti, my Christmas at home with family and friends (and an engagement!), and my experiences in the New Year back here in St. Marc.

As strange as it seemed, when I stepped off the airplane in Port-au-Prince on a few weeks ago, I felt like I had come home. I could not WAIT to see everyone here on the base, was almost giddy to walk into my little apartment again and see everything just as I left it (although covered with a fine layer of dust), and actually craved my first dinner of rice and legime (some sort of squash and carrot dish with a few pieces of beef, or goat, thrown in - we nicknamed it, 'mush' :)

It was also SO good to see my students again ... we've had a very good two weeks to start off the new semester (or trimester, I should say. looks like we'll only be able to fit in 3 of our 4 quarters this year, due to the delay of Hurricane Hannah). My students have been working hard, and it seems like we've accomplished more in these two weeks than we did in some of our MONTHS this fall! Such an encouragement ...

There has also been a lot going on here on the base. We have so many work teams and DTS groups (Discipleship Training Schools) who are coming to St. Marc, from churches and YWAM bases all over the world. It brings such energy and excitement to our little base! Right now, we have a team of 12 from Mexico, a team of 7 from Guadeloupe, and a handful of short-termers who are helping out with this and that. Tomorrow, we have a team from Oregon and on January 31st, a team comes from the good ol' state of PA! So things are hopping around here ... timeliness, especially for meals, is becoming more critical too. Sometimes I come to lunch to find nothing more than a half of a roll and a few wizened hot dogs left on the table! But God is also teaching me to be thankful for what I DO have ... especially when I know that many of my students come to school with almost nothing to eat.

This morning, at our staff prayer meeting, I found out that one of our close friends here on the base passed away this morning. She ran the soda and juice shope next to our local supermarket, and would often give us a free Fanta if we stopped by. She was only in her late 50's or early 60's, but apparently, after a car accident, something went wrong with her circulation (perhaps something in her brain?) and she died peacefully, and unexpectedly, this morning. It was such a shock to all of us. We all called her "Mommy" - and for years now, she has been Terry's Haitian mother. She has been a rock for him and for this base, offering encouragement and support during times when most of our other neighbors were doing much the opposite.

After school, Lindsay, Carline (one of our staff members, who is my age) and I walked downtown to pay our condolensces. It was so hard to walk into their little shop and to sit there in the darkness, surrounded by dusty cases of warm sodas and several other family friends, trying to decide what to say or not to say to Natacha (Mommy's only child) and her father. But it was good to be there, just remembering Mommy's face and her ever-present smile... She will be sorely missed.

I will write more later, because the dinner bell just rang. Don't want to miss my Monday night white rice! =)

We are ONE body ...

Before any of our Christmas celebrations began, we celebrated the 18th birthday of Kristian Snow, Terry's second son. Lindsay, Shakinah and I were recruited to help plan an afternoon-long scavenger hunt for him and we ended the evening with a delicious steak and potato dinner. Terry had a lot of fun cooking up the steaks for us - I think it brought his Texas upbringing a bit closer to home for him =) And we didn't mind the change in dinner menu one bit either!


The theme for the evening centered around bunnies. NOT because Kristian thinks their cute or cuddly, but because his gift in working with computers and video all started with a series of three "Bunny" videos that he created when he was 15, using a web cam. It took him months to create them, but they are definitely quite the work of art! I'm excited to see where God takes Kristian in the coming years ... He has already been getting involved in the local TV station (we know the director and one of our staff members works there) and he has a lot of great ideas of how he can use this media to help educate the Haitian people and to spread the truth of the Gospel.



And this work of art is the birthday cake that his Aunt Shelly made for him. All centered around things that make him who he is today. I LOVED the popcorn bowl ... it is pure icing and cake! She is another very gifted member of the Snow family (Terry's only sister). I know these pictures don't look like your typical "Life in Haiti" slide show, but I included them for two reasons. One - it is so common to hear stories about missionaries feeling isolated when they are on the field, and I am just so thankful to God for the way he has knit this base together and how we interact, playing and working together like on big family. I love being a part of the lives of each missionary child on this base too ... I remember sensing that this was part of my calling, back in March, when God made it clear to me that he was bringing me back here for a season of my life. And as much as I enjoy relating to and mentoring these children, they have just as much to share with me.

Just this past Friday, after feeling a bit under the weather (and a bit desperate for some fresh air, after sitting in a dark and stuffy computer lab for too long after school!), I was walking home to my apartment, thinking that what I needed was a good nap before dinner. But in my heart, I knew that I was just in need of some encouragement. After a long week in the classroom, my heart was feeling heavy for some of the situations my students live in, day in and day out. And to be quite honest, I feel a such a loss to know how to really reach them ... And when I am tired, I always start missing people at home much more acutely (especially Stu).

But as I made my way across the base, I spotted little six-year-old Levi, strutting around in his batman outfit. He came running up to me, said hello, and we struck up a short conversation about his day at school, etc. etc. Then he asked me where Miss Lindsay was. I knew she was busy, (and that he was looking for someone to hang out with) so I invited him to come with me to the apartment for a little bit. I had my computer on, with a picture of me and Stu (from the night of our engagement) on the desktop. He took an interest in it and so I proceeded to show him all the pictures I took during my short two weeks at home.

It was so much fun to share some of these memories with him, and he was an amazingly attentive audience! You have to meet Levi to know what a bundle of uncontained energy he is ... He has to concentrate VERY hard to make himself walk anywhere. If he is just doing his thing, he RUNS. Everywhere. And he jumps and leaps and carries around large walking sticks. Just because that is who he is =) And he has an amazingly sensitive spirit and knowledge of God for his six years. Sometimes he blows me away with his insights...

One time, when he was walking with this family, and far out ahead of them, with his walking stick to keep him company, he was lost in thought. His dad, Rodney, tried to get his attention (unsuccessfully, the first few times), only to hear Levi respond with this comment, "You know, Dad, no matter how fast you run, you just can't get ahead of God. He always there first!"

Well, on this particular Friday, it wasn't a theological insight that touched me. It was just Levi's gentlemanly heart and behavior. After sitting through all of my pictures and stories, he wiggled a bit in his chair, turned towards me and said, very politely, "Miss Laura, I'm VERY glad that you got engaged." With a huge smile on his face, he jumped up and ran out the door, black cape flying behind him.

I told him after that night how much he had encouraged me and that he had been an answer to prayer. He just tilted his head and smiled, from ear to ear, with a look that said, "Really!? I didn't know that a kid could be an answer to prayer for an ADULT..." But that is exactly what he was. I see God using every person on this base, children and adults alike, to be there when we most need it. It is such a good reminder to me that we are all part of ONE body, and that we can not walk out this journey effectively without each other.



Some more of my family here on the base, enjoying Kristian's birthday cake. (Me, Haref - a girl from Mexico who was here for 3 weeks over Christmas, Patrick, Alaindo, and Shakinah)


The beautiful Christmas tree that Carline decorated for us. This was taken during our "White Elephant" gift exchange for the staff Christmas party. Another fun evening of celebrating with our YWAM family ...

Christmas 'n the Hood

For our Christmas program this year, the Liberty Academy students put on a production of "Christmas 'n the Hood" - a powerful little drama/musical/rap that explains the story of Christ's birth from the perspective of a bunch of 'down in the dumps' street kids.

Shakinah (or Miss B), our 4th and 5th grade teacher, introduced the drama to us. It was written over 10 years ago by her father, Pastor Pete Bertolero, of the Legacy Christian Church in Fresno, California. But as we began to practice the play with our small group of Haitian students, it soon became evident that this play was written for THEM. It was so rewarding to watch them perform it for the staff and their parents on December 19th, the day before I flew home for Christmas.


Talannie, Lilly, and Stacey, some of the 3rd grade girls, dressed in 'rags' and ready to act their part in the play.



Erwann and Jephte, eager to play it cool on the street...


Eli and Samuel - lookin' tough and talkin' ghetto comes naturally to these two =)


A scene from the beginning of the play ... shortly before the kids break on into some very impressive dance moves during the opening song.



I worked with our second graders to put on a short play of the Nativity story, as found in Matthew and Luke. Illioney read the story from the Bible and Mr. Claudy (their teacher) translated it into Haitian Creole. This was a challenging bunch to work with, but thankfully everything came together in the end. I must admit, they do look quite adorable in this picture ...

But if you had been there in our practices, you would've heard Joseph complaining about everything and everyone under the sun (even going so far as to try talking me into giving him a different "Mary" - he thought that he would do a better job then ... I'm sure he would've, as the girl he suggested was his crush!). You also would have seen an 'angel of the Lord' that could put the fear of God into ANY poor shepherd, just by the glares she would give them (other girls in the class that she doesn't always get along with, to put it nicely...). So working with this class was also a lesson in patience and a chance for me to invest in their little lives as well, praying for them and helping them learn to get along and work WITH one another, rather than competing with everyone, in everything they did.

You can keep this group in your prayers. They need them ... Here are their names, in order from left to right. Nora, Nathaniel, Mikayla, Christelle, Dona, and Levi.


Two of our preschoolers, looking like Disney princesses (notice, this was taken BEFORE the program, while the chairs are still empty). By the end of the morning, they had dust smudges from sitting on the ground and scuffed shoes from playing on the swingset. But they did look good for a few minutes =)


Haref, Miss B, Miss Laura, Miss Lindsay, Malina (Haref's friend from college, originally from the D.R.), April, Christelle, and Dona. The three of us teachers were VERY happy at this point in time. The program was over, it had been a real success, our report cards were finished, we were about to enjoy some tasty Haitian catering for lunch, and all that we had left was to pack our suitcases for the long journey home!!!



This joyous dance party broke out during the closing song of our Christmas program ("Shackles," by Mary Mary). We had children, parents, staff, and teachers out of their seats, praising the Lord for his amazing Love gift that was sent to us in the form of His son. It was a great way to end the morning.


And what followed was icing on the cake. Valens' dad (one of my students) owns a very good restaurant here in St. Marc and we asked him to cater our lunch. It was wonderful to see the students spending this time with their parents - something that doesn't happen often enough.



Partying on our last day of school ... these children do not need much to bring a smile to their face. Something as simple as a balloon can provide hours of pure enjoyment!



Playing in front of one of the few remaing mud (now dirt) piles on our base.



Eli and Samuel, who started off being my guitar students back in August, are now teaching ME more than I can teach them! So we often do more jamming than structured 'lesson' time on Wednesday nights. It is a lot of fun picking up their Haitian rhythms in my strumming ;)


This crew looks ready for Christmas vacation!