Merry Christmas 2017 from The Sheppard Family
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding" ~Proverbs 3:5
Roseminique (15 years old)- Even though she's often a little shy at first, her brilliance is unmistakable. Her analyses of situations are typically completely out-of-the-box and very thought-provoking.
Melissa (13 years old)- The oldest of the "three musketeers", Melissa is probably the most mischievous of the bunch. She has a great sense of humor...just look at the way she's smiling in this picture! You can tell she's up to no good (just kidding, she's an awesome person and very funny)
Naomi (7 years old)- The baby is seven....and she'll be eight in April. It reminds me of a quote from the movie, "Grumpy Old Men" (a comedy with Walter Mathaeu and Jack Lemmon). She's now going to a French school. Somehow, she's only getting a B in her English class (and her English is better than her teacher's!) and an A in French comprehension.
And the rest....The grown kids seem to be navigating life on their own and in the States very well. We miss them, but we are thankful that they are doing so well. David and Phuong were able to join the family in Haiti for Christmas and Julia hopes to come in early January for a visit.
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Merry Christmas 2016 from the Sheppard Family!
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding" ~Proverbs 3:5
This has certainly been a year of trust for us. We have been stretched and pulled over the last four years living in Haiti, but this past year really brought us into the place of NEEDING to Trust in Him. It has not been easy, but there has certainly been incredible moments of Hope in the midst of the storm. I could go on and on about all the amazing things that the Lord has done through the expansion of mental health services in Haiti, to the beginning of restoration of the church (which came down in hurricane Matthew), to the numerous instances where the Lord has allowed us to simply help others in times of need....
But...for this newsletter, I believe I will just share some of the personal growth for our particular "missionary" family. We are humbled to be here and serve, but I am continually reminded that our "mission field" is also simply our family unit as well. We are raising up many children from a range of circumstances who prayerfully will go on to serve the Lord in various ways. We "try" to remain with the focus: God, Family, and then Ministry.
Our family is growing and shrinking all at once. The kids are getting older and bigger. We have seven teenagers in the home currently and pretty much all of them are taller than mom (shocking, I know). Let me do the breakdown:
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| Christelle |
Christelle (18 years old)- This is difficult to believe. She is an amazing young lady that will continue to need some assistance navigating the world. We are praying about the future for Christelle, but we are blessed that she is a part of our family and has such a kind heart. She is always one with a smile on her face. She loves to draw and read.
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| Talitha |
Talitha (17 years old) - An avid reader lacking access to a library. It's a hard-knock life, ya know? In all seriousness, she's growing up fast. She'll be 18 next June (aah! run for your lives!)
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| Billy |
Billy (15 years old)- He's the man of many nicknames, haha. Steevenson and Jordan call him Bosh, Bob, Bilbo, and--my personal favorite--"that kid who's great at everything, like, backflips and stuff".
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| Roseminique |
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| Naomi and Melissa |
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| Jordan |
Jordan
(13 years old)- "Squeaker" (his nickname) isn't as "squeaky" anymore
(his voice has gotten deeper). Oh, the humanity! Why does so much have
to change so fast? I was playing Life with him the other day and asked
him about his dream vacation. He said "Hawaii" (I guess he hasn't gotten
enough of the tropical island life living in Haiti). He joined our
family after our trip to Hawaii, so he's never been there :(
Steevenson (13 years old)- He's always laughing about something. Try to get him to explain a joke, and you're straight out-of-luck. Ask him to explain something else though, he's got you covered. He likes reading the encyclopedia (I'm not even joking).
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| Steevenson |
Steevenson (13 years old)- He's always laughing about something. Try to get him to explain a joke, and you're straight out-of-luck. Ask him to explain something else though, he's got you covered. He likes reading the encyclopedia (I'm not even joking).
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| Naomi and Mom |
And the rest....The grown kids seem to be navigating life on their own and in the States very well. We miss them, but we are thankful that they are doing so well. David and Phuong were able to join the family in Haiti for Christmas and Julia hopes to come in early January for a visit.
Merry Christmas 2016 from the Sheppard Family!
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
That is why, for Christ’s sake, I
delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in
difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 |
| The Sheppard Family (minus five of our grown kids) |
The Lord continues to humble us. We are finding new strength in our weakness. Ron's mother passed away in July after a long battle with breast cancer. He was able to travel back to the States to spend some time with family. Ron's dad has also been able to join us this Christmas in Haiti along with David, Phuong, and Julia.
The family continues to shrink. We only have 8 kids at home with us full time now. Six of our adult children are living in the States either attending college and/or working. The other eight continue to assist in a range of ways on the field through translating at medical clinics, helping organize teams, hiking into the village, assisting with trainings, distributing food, doing blood pressure checks, and laughing and joking with others.
Ron is busy with building and agriculture projects in both villages. He continues to have some side work occasionally, which is always a blessing! Linda is still promoting medical and mental health services in the Caribbean and Latin America through organizing and leading teams, conducting trauma trainings, doing individual counseling, and continuing with her dissertation research.
We pray that you have enjoyed many blessing this past year in your family, life, and ministry. We pray this coming year brings new joys and new challenges your way. Life is difficult no matter whether you are on the mission field in Haiti or living life in the USA or in Canada or Guatemala or Australia. Our location does not change the struggle that is in the world. We are blessed that we have a God that is BIGGER than ALL of the details that we continue to face.
We appreciate your continued love, support, and prayers! We pray for hope, peace, joy, and love to each and every one of you! We pray that we will all turn to the Lord for strength in times of struggle and turn to the Lord with thankfulness in times of joy.
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Christmas 2015 Letter Below :)  |
| The Sheppard Family in Haiti |
Another year has gone
by. Time flies! I look at the pictures and I cannot believe how quickly life
changes. We now have 5 grown children and only 9 at home. It is so hard
to believe. And we have a house full of teenagers. Phuong and David are visiting
us here in Haiti for Christmas, so I'll write a little about them along with
our other kids that are still at home.
Naomi (5 years) Naomi
is growing up so quickly! She loves to spend time in the village of Belot
making friends with children her age.
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| Steevenson, Melissa, Jordan Naomi |
Steevenson (11 years)
He’s been a big help during clinics and just in general with his translating
and positive attitude.
Jordan (11 years)
Jordan does good at school and has been teaching himself to play the piano.
Melissa (11 years)
Melissa still enjoys to sing. During VBS this summer, she sang, "10,000
reasons" with the kids at the village in Belot.
Roseminique (13
years) Roseminique enjoys playing with the kids up at Belot every week during
school recess. Just like Julia, Roseminique loves holding the babies at the
clinic when teams are here.
Talitha (15 years)
Talitha had her fifteenth birthday in June. She’s a big help around the house
and shows great patience.
Christelle (16 years) Christelle is always happy and kind to others. She loves to help cook and care for the animals.
Julia (17 years)
Julia is fluent in Creole and helps out at the clinic as a doctor’s assistant.
She’s currently at Portland Community College, but is transferring to a nursing
program next year possibly in Texas, Tennessee, or Arizona. We'll see where the Lord brings her.
Gus- Gus (1.5 years)
Gus found a favorite seat in our new house looking out the window. He's become lazy~ especially
compared to our new dog Duke.
Duke (6 months) He's
a big dog that we just got this year. He is very active and incredibly cute. We're hoping to be able
to teach him a few tricks.
David (21 years)
David now lives in Oregon with the eldest of the Sheppard children (Joseph) and
with Phuong. He is finishing some college class, working on his master's and doctorate in theology, and making preparations
to move to China.
Phuong (21 years)
Phuong is living in the USA now. She often visits the rest of us here in Haiti
and enjoys word-find puzzle books.
Mom (23 years forever) Mom
remains the busiest of all the Sheppards. She organizes and leads various
medical and educational mission trips to Guatemala and here to Haiti. She does trauma trainings, mental health services, and continues her private practice and speaking engagements on adoption and attachment.
Dad (??) Dad's
spends a lot of time with Pastor Reginald in Belot with the
ministry we help at (school, church, and medical care) and he's also been building benches, chalkboards, and
other items for the school.
~Written by David and Billy Sheppard
~Written by David and Billy Sheppard
Previous Year Below :)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Sheppard Family Christmas Update ‘14
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| The Sheppard Family |
It's hard to believe it has already been another year.
We are still getting used to saying 2014 and now it is nearly 2015, YIKES !
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| Naomi, Julia, Taitha, and Jordan |
Naomi (4yrs.) – Naomi is a lively bundle of energy whose made many friends this past year. She’s been saying, “Merry Christmas” every morning since the first of December.
Steevenson (10yrs.) Steevenson is also a bundle of excitement waiting to explode at any moment. He is a good student who enjoys reading and math.
Jordan (10yrs.) Jordan is a very funny little guy. He loves to make people laugh. He is also very smart. Both Jordan and Billy enjoy drawing.
Melissa (10yrs.) - Melissa is growing up fast. She enjoys singing and talks about Christmas almost as much as Naomi with just as much excitement in her eyes.
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| Melissa |
Roseminique (12yrs.) - Roseminique is a very humorous soul who spends her days entertaining her siblings with fascinating tales and comedic language. If she’s not telling a story, Roseminique loves listening to the stories other people have to tell.
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| Talitha, Christelle, and Roseminique peeling potatoes for Thanksgiving |
Billy (12yrs.) Billy is a very creative young man. He is teaching himself to play the violin, he has become a phenomenal sketch artist, and he is a fantastic cook.
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| Billy on way to village of Belot |
Talitha (14yrs.) - Talitha enjoys the gymnastics Mom leads at the homeschool function and she has become very good. She also spends a lot of time reading to her younger siblings.
Christelle (15yrs.) - Christelle is a kind-hearted Sheppard, always helping out around the house. She loves to play ping-pong and is becoming an expert.
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| Steevenson and David getting Turkey ready |
Julia (16yrs.) - Julia has just started her first year of college at PCC. She is studying to be a nurse practitioner and now speaks Creole almost as well as a native speaker.
Maliya (19yrs.) – Maliya now works at Intel. She has plans to visit the family in January and the entire family is very excited!
Phoung (20yrs.) – Phoung is living in Oregon with our older brother Joseph and helps take care of our Grandma. She volunteers at a daycare once a week and enjoys listening to Country music. She visits the rest of the family in Haiti every few months and is spending another Christmas in Haiti with her family.
David (20yrs.) – David is working (volunteering) as an English and Computers teacher in Gramothe, Haiti. He enjoys baking and has recently started teaching himself the Saxophone. He also has a job teaching English to children and adults in China over the internet.
Kenneth (21yrs.) – Kenneth is still living and working at Canon Beach Christian Conference Center and is saving money to attend Ecola Bible College. He hopes to be a pastor someday.
Joseph (23yrs.) – Joseph is holding down the fort at "Home Base" (our old home in Oregon). He works as a graphics designer and designs and maintains multiple websites for various organizations.
Mom (forever 28yrs.) – Mom's been the busiest of us all. From attending conferences, speaking at seminars, and continuing to provide counseling services via Skype, Mom still found the time to sneak in presents for the kids (and maybe even for Dad as well).
Dad (at least 105yrs.) – Dad has worked hard to help with many building projects. Currently, he is focusing his attention on helping a local pastor build a school which will serve as a church on Sunday. His early Christmas present for the kids is Ping-Pong table
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| Ron helping in Belot |
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| The new ping-pong table |
Gus – The newest addition to the Sheppard family, Gus is a lively little ball of fur. A friend of ours here in Haiti had a litter of puppies born to one of their dogs and we fell in love with the littlest puppy they had.
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| Talitha with Gus-Gus |
Romeo – Julia's Christmas present last year was a bunny who she named Romeo (Romeo and Julia). Julia made it her goal to make him the fattest rabbit alive and he is well on his way to becoming just that. As it turns out, you can gain a ton of weight even when just eating vegetables.
Joan- We are so thankful that Joan has become a part of the family. She has stepped out in faith and moved to Haiti to homeschool the “Sheppard Kids”. It’s not a small task and we are inspired by her enthusiasm for teaching!
We have seen so many blessings from the Lord as we move forward into our 2nd year in Haiti. God has been faithful through the multiple changes, challenges, and interesting ups and downs of becoming full time missionaries. Thank you for all of your prayers and support. We couldn’t be where we are today without all of you. Have a joyous Christmas and a fantastic New Year!
Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!
~David on behalf of the entire Sheppard family: Ron, Linda, Joseph, Kenneth, David, Phuong, Maliya, Julia,
Christelle, Talitha, Billy, Roseminique, Melissa, Jordan, Steevenson, & Naomi
good to know about the phone number. maybe i will call sometime to chat.
ReplyDeleteLoved the update!