Update on Move to Haiti

We have moved to Haiti!! It is quite an amazing feeling. It doesn't seem quite real yet. I've traveled to Haiti so many times that going to Haiti was pretty normal. Even bringing some of the kids and bringing large groups is also pretty normal. Bringing the whole family was a whole different experience. Above is a picture of the kids (or many of them) the day before I left with some of them and the medical team. Ron arrived a few days later with the rest of the kids (with the incredible help of Amanda and David). After various cancelled flights, two people throwing up, a peeing incident, and the loss of 10 bags, they all arrived safely in Haiti. AND we did actually end up getting those 10 bags the next day. All in all, it went pretty well. :)


It is a humbling experience to be blessed in so many ways. The Lord blessed us with a large and unique family. With that has come many exciting, often humorous, quite frequently frustrating, and certainly many humbling moments. We certainly could not do this alone. Without the help of so many amazing people that are praying for us and supporting us, we would not be where we are today. We originally had a home situation tentatively planned in Haiti that was a 3 bedroom 2 bath home. The overhead on that location was very high due to the area it is in, the grounds, and various other things. It is a great location for teams, but not necessarily what would fit our family dynamics. We certainly could make it work in a 3 bedroom home and we have seen time and time again that financial details do not have to all line up in order for the Lord to make it work. We've never had the tens of thousands of dollars it took to adopt, but we've adopted again and again.

We were blessed once again! Willem and Beth found and worked out an amazing deal on a home that is literally 2 houses from the ministry and their guest house. It is HUGE and half what we thought we would have to pay to rent a home here. Clearly this is a God thing. For those of you that have been to our home in Oregon you'll be happy to hear that we finally have a kitchen. For years we had talked about popping out our kitchen, but we just never could justify the expense. This home has a huge kitchen. Granted, no running water yet or electricity and we have a bit of an ant problem (like millions of them), but still, we finally have a kitchen. The Lord has blessed us beyond our understanding.

We really do not need such a big house and honestly we would not live in such a big house, but the price of this house is less then smaller ones we have seen. Plus we won't have to heat or cool this house, so the size really doesn't matter all that much. We'll have plenty of room though for a school room with homeschooling and there is a concrete area inside the compound basically where the kids can play wall ball or skateboard (we packed a couple) or play soccer. Not sure if they could do basketball because of the razor wire that goes around wall of the property, but we'll see.

Details are coming together in regard to propane, having something to cook on, getting running water (the pump is broken and it is not rainy season to catch water on the roof), having internet eventually (I'm using internet at the guest house), and buying an inverter system so we have consistent power in order to have relatively consistent internet. The initial start up costs on this home is more since it is completely empty and has been vacant for many months, but once we are set up, the monthly expense will be less. We appreciate your continued prayers about these details. Hopefully we will have beds to sleep on at some point and some sort of furniture in order to sit at a table to eat and do school work. :)

We also had an amazing week at the clinic. We saw I believe 905 patients. Yeah!! The first two days we saw over 200 patients and unfortunately had to send people away, but the next three days we were able to see everyone that came. Many of the patients had significant medical issues. Praise God that we were able to see so many patients and help so many people in a range of ways. There has also been challenges on this trip that I have not seen before. Overall, it was still a good experience and a productive trip, but some things simply did not work out the way we would hope for them to work out in a team setting. Please pray for the teams in general as well as for the safety of the medical team as they travel home today.  Julia, Roseminique, and Melissa were able to help in the clinic. Julia was amazing at triage and in the labs. Roseminique helped to count medications and worked in the fluoride station. It has been a blessing to see her back in Haiti and doing so well. Melissa also assisted in the fluoride station and was able to interact with the children. Melissa loves to laugh with people!

When Ron and I went to The Journey Deepens (a retreat for individuals praying about long term ministry work), we remember the warning that there will be attacks coming in ways that you least expect it once you move into the realm of full time ministry service. We know that where God is working, Satan will try to attack and tear down. Although we know this, it still is difficult and heart wrenching when it happens. Please pray that we will not allow Satan to get a foothold and distract us from what the Lord has called us to do in Haiti. I will hopefully post more in the next few days based on internet access.

Thank you everyone for your continued prayers and support!!