Grateful and Hopeful

"Come Thou long expected Jesus,

Born to set Thy people free.

From our fears and sins release us,

Let us find our rest in Thee.

Israel’s strength and consolation,

Hope of all the earth Thou art,

Dear desire of every nation,

Joy of every longing heart."

This has been a full month of work and working to transition our roles to those around us as we prepare to head back to the States.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with our missionary friends and have once again been reminded of all the great work that is happening on this island and all over Haiti. One of the newest endeavors is a project headed up by our 10 year old friend, Morgan Janofski. She is working with a very remote village on the island to bring help, resources, and hope. I was able to visit this village with her and her parents this week and it was so fun to see the way Morgan is seeking to help while affording dignity and not claiming to have all the answers. Check out more of this story at www.mopaja.com.

We walked through this very rural village to visit several homes and families

Here is one couple telling us their story and showing us their home that was damaged in Hurricane Matthew

One of the church buildings in the village

Morgan and Renee interviewing a family

We continue to work in the garden, but are there less and less as we give more and more responsibility to Nicolas. He is doing a great job of keeping up with all of the responsibilities and has even started some gardening just outside of the greenhouse. We are still harvesting lots of okra and basil and seeing good growth in other plants, but working on ideas to get the system producing like it should. We are hoping to do some testing of salinity, oxygen, and pH soon to determine what the root of the problem is. Please pray for wisdom and creativity as we work to make the aquaponics system better. Please also pray for Nicolas as he is taking over all system management.

 Jason training up the vanilla vine that has continued to get taller and taller in the last 3 weeks!

The garden that Nicolas has started just behind the greenhouse

I, Allison, have continued to work with the massage trainees from the Children’s Village and am loving how they are growing in their skills and professionalism. Next week, their massage therapist mentor, Essie, will be here for another round of training and we hope to have them ready as an official business after that. Pray for strength for the girls as it will be a long week and for wisdom for Essie as she trains.  

 

    Some happy massage clients and Francesca at work

I have also been kept busy with training at the nursing school. I love every class with these students who are excited to learn, have a desire to know skills well so they can provide great care, and are always wanting to know more and how to handle specific situations. One such round of questions, along with a few other circumstances this month, have vividly reminded me of the darkness that seems to have such a grasp of these people and this nation. I taught the third year nursing students about care of the body after a person dies in the hospital a few weeks ago. I thought this would be a very simple lesson with a quick round of check offs, but I was wrong. Many of the students voiced fear of touching a dead body, that it would come back to life, that any curses on the person would pass to them, that they would be asked to take the soul from the body and put it in a jar for the family, that any gas from the dead body would turn them into a “crazy person,” that if they had been caring for the person before they died, the family would blame them for the death and have a curse put on them, and the list of fears went on.  I did not feel well prepared for all of this, but turned them to Christ, reminding them that his Spirit lives in us and we do not need to walk in fear. He is our strength, protection, and defense. I reminded them that they have heard these stories all their lives, but have not seen these things happen -instead they personally know the love and power of Bondye (Good God). When you hear these things that people have been taught all their lives, it is easier to see why they cling to fear and ritual instead of walking in freedom. Please pray for these students and people all over Haiti to truly understand that Jesus has come to set them free from fear and sin, to be their rest, strength, consolation, hope, and joy.

Nursing students hard at work... but not in lab. Apparently, I've been too busy to take any photos during class!

Thank you all once again for your support, love, and encouragement over the past year and few months. We could not have done this on our own and are thankful beyond words to have had this experience of life in Haiti. Please continue to pray that we will be fully invested for our last few weeks here, for a smooth transition (including finding jobs) as we return to the States, and for safety as we travel on  December 19^th. 

Our October

Jason and I are so grateful for each day we have here in Haiti. It feels like we are living on bonus time because we did not know we would still be here at this time when we arrived last year. We are doing our best to make the most of each moment and not take a single thing for granted here… but this does make our days more full!

As many of you know the first part of our October was taken up with Hurricane Matthew. We are so thankful for all of your prayers and for the incredible protection we had from the storm. There are so many, especially in the South of Haiti, who lost so much more than us. Our neighbors who live in a small house not built to withstand hurricanes and a missionary family from the other side of the island (which was hit much harder than Anse-a-Galets) stayed with us during the storm. All of our neighbors’ belongings were wet when they got home, but thankfully, there was no damage to the house. Our missionary friends were able to get some supplies to their village soon after the hurricane and have used this opportunity to encourage the nationals they work with to work together, provide for each other, and trust in the Lord. Please continue to pray for the areas of Haiti that continue to suffer due to Hurricane Matthew and that aid will be provided wisely.

 Our cloudy view for days on end

 After being cooped up inside...

Our city was full of praises after the hurricane passed

We continue to work in the aquaponics garden alongside Nicolas and are passing more responsibility to him. We do not yet have a power solution in place to decrease our generator run time further, but are working to make things as efficient as possible. This includes keeping only the healthiest plants in the system, encouraging plants to produce more, and reworking some of the plumbing. Glynn suggested we spray our passion fruit forest ;) with a vitamin concoction and have been amazed by all the blooms that are popping up. We are hoping for fruit very soon! Please pray for wise decisions to be made about the garden as we work with those investing in it to determine how to proceed with adding more power and the big cost that this would be.

     

Passion fruit blooms...Growing vanilla vines...Big okra harvests every other day

PVC work

I, Allison, have had a great time working with the nursing students in the skills lab. It is a challenge to keep everything organized, make sure all the competencies are written well (In English and French!), and cover all the areas that the Haitian government requires. However, the students are doing a great job and I love seeing them advance in their skills and critical thinking.

The third year students demonstrating tracheostomy care

Second year students learning about suction from guest teachers

I have also had a great time working with the girls from the Okipe Children’s Village who are learning massage and working to start a business providing this service. We continue to practice a lot and are so thankful to have our very own table now! Our massage therapist mentor, Essie, has been such a blessing as she has continued to stay connected with the girls, teach them new skills, and ask about their needs. The girls are learning and improving in their massage technique, but still very shy about speaking in English with their customers J Pray for them to persevere in their learning and for those of us who are leading to be encouraging and wise as we try to get this business off the ground.

 

Cartine and Nadelta giving massages

I know I just keep typing, but I just want to take a moment to introduce you to our amazing neighbors. We love this family so much and they always amaze me with their selflessness and joy. Mirland and Toutu live just up the road from us in a one room home along with their 5 children, including a baby boy who was born this month. They have no steady income but are willing to work very hard to provide for their family. While many other Haitians are asking us for things because we are foreigners, they welcome us into their lives, invite us to just sit with them, help us with our Creole, offer to teach us to cook Haitian food, and send the kids over with avocados for us every few days. We are so thankful to have friends like these in our lives and so encouraged by the way they trust the Lord to provide for all their needs. Please pray that we would love this family well and use our resources to help them wisely.

Allison with Smine and Fabiano... with Mirland and Toutu's new son during the hurricane

Toutu worked really hard to fix the road in front of our house in order to earn money for cement to make block for adding on to their home.

Finally, we wanted to let all of you know that we have decided to return to the States in December. We are so very thankful for the time that we have had here in Haiti and are very sad to be leaving, but feel this is the next right thing for us. As we prepare for another transition, please pray that we will live fully invested here in these last several weeks, that we would pass on our projects well, and for God’s guidance as we decide what we will be doing once we move.

Thank you so much for sharing in this adventure with us and supporting us every step of the way!

One Year to Date!

It is amazing to us that, as of tomorrow, we have been in Haiti for 1 year! This year has been an incredible adventure with some trials, some victories, and lots of learning. We are so thankful that the Lord has given us the opportunity to be in the place, serve him here, and live life with our Haitian friends.

 At the airport, then....

 

 and now :) 

September has been a different month for us, but a great one, none the less! Our big highlight was a visit to the States. As we had not left Haiti since arriving on October 2, 2015, we thought it was time for a break and to reconnect with some friends and family. Our 2 weeks in Illinois and Indiana were a blessing with lots of rest, visits with friends and family, a day of roller coasters, an English church service, and lots of good food! Thank you to all of you who made our time sweet: hosting us, taking us out, relaxing, encouraging, and just showing an interest in how we are. You mean so much to us! We felt truly refreshed after this time away, but unfortunately, Allison battled a cold the whole time and has now passed it on to Jason.

 A great service at our home church. 

Allison and Jason with Grandpa Bachman

Cedar Point!!!

We took lots of photos of the flat roads and fields of the Midwest for our Haitian friends. Many of them have never seen so much land before. 

Since returning, we have spent lots of time catching up and settling into our new routine.

Nicolas did a great job taking care of the Aquaponics system while we were away. We noticed lots of growth, pruning, happy fish, and few pests when we returned to the garden. There is still lots to do there, but we are now trying to pass more and more responsibility to Nicolas to prepare him to manage the system on his own. Please pray we provide a good transition for him and have wisdom in preparing Nicolas for work on his own.

From Sept 6th to the 23rd. Wow!

Allison stood in the splash zone to feed the fish... 

they were super excited to see her!

Great vanilla vine growth.

Allison has also started up work in the Nursing School skills lab again. Due to an unfortunate injury, her partner in the lab, Susie, will not be here to help until December. This, along with now having second and third year students in the lab, means this is a bigger role than before. The students are wonderful and ready to get back to learning and make this job a fun one, though! Please pray that Allison will be effective in her communication with the students (as she doesn’t have a translator at the moment!) and that the students will grasp compassionate care, patient advocacy, a servant heart, and patient education in addition to their skills.

A few of the new second year students Allison is working with in the skills lab. 

Thank you so much for your love, support, and continued prayers as we serve and seek the Lord here on La Gonave.

Also, please keep us and all our neighbors in your prayers and we prepare for Hurricane Matthew (Now category 4!) to arrive in the next few days. 

August: Full, Fun, & Hot!

August has just flown by and been a great, full month for us!

We continue to work in the garden, train Nicolas, and are working at passing more leadership off to him. We are seeing lots of plant growth and some ongoing harvests. We took our first cuttings of mint up to the kitchens a last week and were met with excitement… more tea in the works! A new electricity solution has been found and we hope to implement that next month. Please pray for wisdom as we decide what responsibilities to give to Nicolas, perceptiveness in teaching him, and that we can get the new power in place soon.

 

 The mint plant and harvest!

A few of the girls who live at the Children's Village checking out the basil plants and gambousia (little mosquito eating fish)

The nursing school has been a happening place, too. At the beginning of the month, we had a special ceremony to award caps and crosses to the sophomore nursing students as a symbol of all they have learned and accomplished and to distinguish them as being able to perform more skills in the hospital. It was a very touching ceremony that made it clear just how many dreams are becoming a reality because of the nursing school. All of the students have been in clinicals at the hospital this month. It is a great time for them to not only get experience with skills, but to learn how to relate to and really care for their patients. The goal of this nursing school is to produce Haitian nurses that are skilled, knowledgeable, and provide great patient care, including compassion, advocacy, critical thinking, and teaching. We have a long ways to go, but I (Allison) love how eager these students are to learn and provide good care. Please pray for me and the many others who are working to plan how best to teach and then carry out that plan to help these students become godly, caring, wise nurses.

Ready to enter the ceremony, new uniforms and all.

The sophomore students sung a beautiful special with Velande, the secretary, performing the solo.

  Sophomore students received coats, lamps, caps for women, and cross pins for men.

At the beginning of the month, we were busy with a youth team that came to work with the older kids at the Children’s Village. They stayed with us and were a breath of fresh air. Their love for the kids, excitement to give both generously and wisely, and joy in the day to day experiences of Haitian life were contagious.

The team also spent an afternoon

helping local students practice their English. 

After class they sang a song and were treated like celebrities :)

 And... they brought this! I am so lucky!

There are always odds and ends that seem to fill our days and make time fly- Helping with a tech issue, massage training with the girls from the Children’s Village, trips to the mainland, visits to neighbors, checks on the elderly at the House of Hope. We love this work and are so grateful in your partnership with us here. Sometimes it is easy to be the hands and feet of Christ, to show his love, selflessly serve, and have grace for those around us, but some days we are just tired and these things are not so easy. We know that it is only in the strength of the Lord and with the backing of your prayers and encouragement that we flourish here. Thank you for all the ways you continue to support us!

We were able to do a slideshow of old pictures other missionaries have taken at the Children's Village. The kids loved seeing themselves and laughing at the fun memories! 

 Our new song book for church- a mix of Creole and French. We don't understand it all, but it sure helps and worship here is sweet. 

Having fun with the neighbors

Sometimes technology is a novelty and Youssantha took

advantage with some selfies while she waited for Cartine-Flore to finish her massage :)

We are very excited to let you know that we will be in Indiana and Illinois for a visit from September 7 to 21. We would love to see you and catch up, so please, please, please let us know when we can get together!!!