When the cat is away.....

Karen, Luckner, Daniel and Pastor Dave and Jessica left about 6:00 AM this morning to take them to the airport and for Karen to get some shopping done in Port Au Prince. We have accomplished some things but both Dickie and Jim had a rest this afternoon. Dickie has been working since 6 o'clock on stuff! I did some computer work for Karen and Jim was helping Dickie and working on Karen's computer.

Beautiful flowers everywhere

Germaine has been looking after both Dickie and Jim as they have been under the weather...making special juices for them etc. Today she made ginger tea for Jim, then later she gave him a drink of squeezed limes and salt! I would have liked the ginger tea BUT Jim could keep the lime and salt.

He has a sore throat and raspy voice and she is determined to get him back to normal...well, as normal as Jim can be.

We got to take a snack for our children to recess at the school today. Jim was swarmed by the little kids and at one point I heard "Sandra help" and I didn't even have a camera!

Ti Luckner during recess

This young fellow was intrigued by Jim for some reason.

Just heard from Karen 4:15 pm and they were on the way home and were retying the mattress to the truck! Hopefully they will arrive before dark.

Luckner & Daniel tying mattress unto truck again

Ti Luc has a keyboard that he uses with his feet and today he wanted to show me how he could use it so after lunch we spent a little over an hour on it. He is good.

Yesterday we had a little mishap here ...... first a tap got kicked and broke so the water needed to be turned off and in doing so the shut off valve, that was shut off with great vigor, broke and we had water spurting everywhere from the second floor over the stairs and on the back wall. Jim put on his swimming trunks and was first in the line of fire with Pastor Dave assisting. It didn't take long and we were back in business again. The pictures are all on Dickies camera and we have no cord or reader that will connect to his camera so just use your imagination. (Just picture Pastor Dave standing behind a beached beluga whale on a ledge with wrenches in hand and a 1.25 inch pipe spewing water) We will add some pictures of our little swingers instead.

Swinger number one

Swinger number two

As last night was the last for Pastor Dave and Jessica we took glow sticks down to the children's home and after devotions we all went outside in the dark and had some fun.

fun with glow sticks

As I write this both Dave and Jessica should be in the air...Dave going to Newark and Jessica to Montreal and both will be home tomorrow!

We forgot to mention Dickie scraped his forehead in several places one day and we (Karen and I) had to put iodine on it...we did it for you Don.

The expression tells the story

Karen here.
It has been a long hot day but thankfully a profitable one. I saw Pastor Dave and Jess into the airport 8:30 a.m. They had to wait more than an hour for Air Canada to open, then another 5 plus hours before takeoff.

Pastor Dave and Jess ready to leave Haiti

Now a six hour wait at airport

Luckner and I (with our trusty security, Daniel) ran all over PAP running errands and doing some shopping for the house of our soon to arrive support missionary family - the Reimers.

It was difficult to see Pastor Dave and Jess leave this morning. Luckner and I, however, believe they will both return. They were quite useful but also fun to have around.

Pastor Dave, thank you for finally getting here.  It meant a great deal that you took the time from your personal family and from your church family to come. Yarmouth Wesleyan Church has been a wonderful support for HATS for years, and we had waited and hoped that you would come. You have now seen for yourself what HATS is about here in Haiti. It has been great seeing you with the children, having you join in the day to day running around, fixing things, setting up and putting furniture together in the house for the Reimers, and more importantly joining in morning and evening devotions, giving the message in church, and blessing many in this area by singing and sharing on Radio Creole.

Jess, thank you, too, for coming. I am really glad you did. We loved having your dad here two years ago and now have appreciated and enjoyed having you as well.Your parents did something right when bringing you up. Thanks for your help in so many areas. Thanks for being willing to jump in wherever and whenever needed.

Pastor Dave and Jess - thank you from all of us at HATS. You came, you accepted, you did, you gave, you supported, you encouraged, you laughed, you cried, you prayed, you blessed.

Hopefully I will see you both in July.

Jess and Dave say Farewell

This week has been amazing-- one of the best weeks of my life thus far, hands down.  I can't really think of any other experience in my life that can even come close to comparing to this.  Though my visit here was short (too short), it has been incredibly eye-opening, and life changing.

I will never forget the people I have met here, or the things I've gotten to experience!  Driving around Haiti in the pan of the truck with all of the kids, singing on Luckner's radio station, running around barefoot catching chickens, beginning and ending the day with devotions with the children and staff, handing out food to people and gifts to sponsor children, our morning walks along the canal with the kids, trying (but failing) to beat JJ in a foot race, buying machetes at the market, attempting to get a family photo of Karen and all of her kids (where they are all looking at the camera at the same time-- not so easy), cracking up laughing at all of the noises with Sandra every night, stargazing on the roof with the older kids... I could go on and on!  These are just a few of the memories that I know I will cherish forever.

Most of all, I would like to say how remarkable it is to see first-hand the amazing work God is doing here, and the way He is using Karen and the staff here at HATS to minister to the community.  I am behind this ministry 100%, and will continue to support it, and encourage others to support it, as much as I can.

I am so, so blessed to have been given the opportunity to come here, and I am REALLY not looking forward to saying goodbye to the children tonight.  My heart sinks just thinking about it.  There's no doubt that they've had a bigger impact on my life than I've had on theirs.  I can say with certainty that I will be coming back here the next chance I get.  I will be leaving a big piece of my heart with these people and this country.

God bless!

Bondye beni nou anpil.

Jess

 ..............

This is Pastor Dave and I just wanted to write a few words on my final day here. This has been a unbelievable experience, much more than I expected. This place gets into your heart, especially the kids. Karen says all the time “it is all about the kids” and it is. This is a place of safety, stability, instruction, training, love and giving them Jesus.

Each day I am impressed by the quality of care and upbringing HATS provides both in the orphanage and the school. Karen, Luckner and the staff really put it all out for the kids. I must admit, there were times when I just wanted to rest and sit, but when the kids came it had to be about them. It is about the kids!

During the last day here I was able to help Dickie with some fixer up projects, plumbing, hanging curtains, repairing door knobs, steps to be painted.

This evening will be our last time with the kids during their devotional time. This will be hard as Jess and I will be gone when they get up. I have so enjoyed the devotional times with the kids. They sing with such sincerity and passion. You sometimes sit and worship at other times you are standing and clapping or marching around the room. Most times I can pick up the tune and sing in English and so get to worship with them. There are many of times when the kids just want you to sit by them and they rest their head on your shoulder or hold your hand, boy that is hard to not melt when that happens.

This has been a wonderful time, lots of work got done, I was able to preach in Church and along with Jim and Jess was able sing on the Radio. The food has been unbelievable, I was hoping to lose weight, does not seem like that is happening. It will take some time to process all this, but I have been challenged in my faith, faith to trust God for the miraculous. I have heard stories of how Karen and Luckner have trusted God and saw Him work in miraculous ways, by providing with them with resources, healing of bodies, and healing of souls. God is working in Haiti.

I am so thankful God provided this opportunity for me to come, and look forward to coming back, but am very excited to see what God is going to continue to do here and what new territory He will take here in Haiti. I also go back with renewed faith that God wants to do some much more in my life and in the life of my Church and my town.

Thanks Karen, Luckner and HATS for allowing us to come.

Sunday greetings from all of us here at HATS.

Sandra writing for us tonight. (Note from Jim...Sandra wants everyone to know that she is not responsible for the photo's chosen or their captions. I will accept the credit/blame as I select them from the photos submitted and if they come in without captions, I add them.) Tomorrow you will hear from Jess and Dave as it will be their last night. We had a wonderful day worshipping the Lord here, I sure hope you all had one as good as ours. We were all out to church here at the school where Pastor Dave spoke and Karen translated. 2 groups of children from here on the compound sang for us and then a group of school students plus 4 children from here sang for us. What awesome singers they are. We were all blessed!

Pastor Dave preaches

Karen translates

I found a beautiful baby that the mom let me hold.

Always a baby in these arms

After church we all piled into the truck and went down to Luckners for a cold pop and a short visit! How many Haitians and blan yo can you get into a truck? ...21 and there was room for more.

heading out to see papa Luckner

at Luckners

We worked a little in the house for Brad and Lois and family, gave some gifts to the children, took lots of photos, had a demonstration about snow and showed photos of snow! The kids were quite interested. Then we handed out some sponsor gifts, which is always a fun time.

Beautiful Anne with her godfather and a gift

Pretty in pink

Dieunel wearing part of his sponsor gift, with his sponsor

Moise getting his sponsor gift

After supper we went for night devotions at the kids home and then took 4 of the older ones and went to the roof for 30-40 minutes. It is absolutely gorgeous up there.

Good Times

JJ intrigued by Daves IPad

We will soon be off to bed for another good nights sleep with the frogs, roosters, pigs, cows, donkeys, dogs and hopefully some singing from a late church service and of course Jim's snoring!

Sandra here again tonight...

.... because Pastor Dave, Jim and Jess sang at Radio Creole with Karen introducing and translating too!  Dickie and I sat out on the deck and listened and they did a great job!  I say I have to do it because they are now famous and don't do blogs!

Solo from Jess

Crew of Radio Creole

We have given out gifts to sponsored children and it is a joy to see them excited and thankful.

Sponsor gift

We have been giving food...rice, beans, cornmeal and oil to many families and today we added chickens too.  Again, it is a joy to see their appreciation and beautiful smiles.

Fritz asking about Pastor Jim from the Wesleyan church

Chickens to bless people

Kids like the chickens

One of these is an old chick & one is a chicken

A new type of augmentation?

Karen, Pastor Dave, Jim and Jess went to the market in Verettes this morning.  I think they all enjoyed this experience.

Richard just lost his job as our security.

Market 2

Market

After they all returned from market we all went to the school to finish the chalk boards.  Dickie fixed them and Pastor Dave and Jim painted them.  Karen, Jess and I cleaned the windows in the offices.

Window cleaning Haitian style

Let us out - please!!

Blackboard work

The kids were roller blading again today and they helped us move benches and set up the class for church tomorrow.

Benches for church

Sandra here

Another great day for most of us but not so great for Dickie!  He has been sick all day but no one else has fallen ill so far!  Dickie told me that Germaine gave him a purple drink this morning and you need to ask him about it some time.

Jess in HATS hair dressing salon

Karen was up and over at school most of the morning in meetings etc. Jess and I did payroll for the staff this morning, Jim fought with Karen's computer and Pastor Dave put together a dresser with the help of JJ!

Leica with Sandra

This afternoon we filled 2 buckets and a cooler with water balloons and waited for the kids to get their school work done and then tricked them and the house mommies into coming up to the house for a photo.  Karen asked them to come quickly for a photo and Jess got them all lined up by the front door to take a photo and backed up and we let them have it from the roof.  What fun!  We used the 2 buckets on them and then came down and gave them the cooler full to get us.  Pastor Dave and Jim were the wettest! 
 

Ready to start the water fight

The fight begins

Preparing to return fire.

The battle nears completion and the visitors were clearly winning

Then came the surprise counter-attack from the big guns

JJ soaked Jim and Dave.    Now they are getting him wet.

We have washed, sand papered and washed again the chalk boards at the school and tomorrow we will paint them all.

Getting blackboards ready for painting

Some people work

Some people make it look like they are working

I will not be the last person in bed tonight...there is hanky panky going on upstairs when someone is absent!