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.