Resting~

Hello from my office. I finally have some time to sit in here and report a few things from the last few days. The Crossroads team left yesterday morning bright and early. I can not believe how quickly their trip went. Wow, 10 days almost doesn't seem long enough. I really enjoyed getting to know some of the people. I was encouraged by them and how flexible they were when what they had planned to do often was changed everyday.
They were able to make some more playground equipment for the school. It looks really great and the kids are loving it. They also painted primer on the school and finished the school office by painting and moving in all the supplies from the main building.
On Thursday we had a baptism service for the church. What an absolute blessing to hear 20 people confess faith in Christ and proclaim what He's done in their lives. Two of the Crossroads team members were also baptized. It was such a great experience. Memorable and unforgettable I am sure.
We also did some finger painting with the 2 younger classes in the school. It was a lot of fun I am sure most of them had never done that before. Some of the really little kids were actually scared of us. I had one little girl come up to me and say that her sister was scared of the blan moun. (white people)
I think by after recess most of the children were warmed up to us as we couldn't get them to stop clinging onto our legs and asking to be picked up. It was a lot of fun to hang out with the children. I hope to be able to come in and teach some English is the new year
So next week there is going to be a medical team from Cranbrook BC here. I look forward to this different experience and everything it will bring. I am sure it will be busy but really fulfilling in serving all of these sick people.
Please pray for protection on all of us here as a lot of sick people will be coming in and out of the building. Also for great endurance to serve well and be a great witness to the people on the medical team. As far as I know some of them do not know Christ. We need God's strength everyday and every hour. I have a head cold at the moment and would like prayer for healing. I don't want to already be sick when we will be ministering to all these people next week.
The reason I called this blog resting is because that's what we are all doing for the next few days. Recharging our batteries to be able to serve to the best of our abilities.
Last night we had a movie night with everyone who is still here. Marc, Lisa and family, Kathleen and the Nowochin family. All of whom I mentioned in my last blog. It was fun and relaxing we ate popcorn and drank chai tea. Good times on a Friday night at Haiti Arise.
Well I think that's all for now.
Thanks for your prayers and faithfulness in reading and following our blog.

The long awaited...

Too many things have happened and are happening since I last blogged. Please forgive me we have been so busy since the teams have arrived. It's been great and we are excited to have new people here and be helping them serve. It's also great to have our wonderful leaders Marc and Lisa back. It's been awesome catching up and sharing prayers together.
Today the construction team left, there were here for ten days with the goal of getting one section of the medical center up and train a team of Haitian guys to continue the process. They succeeded but, not without trials and frustrations. I believe they learned a lot out of the experience. It's amazing how God teaches everyone patience when they come to Haiti. It's just something that we need more of. (me included)

There is a also lady here named Kathleen who is an architect. She is here until Christmas to over see the building projects on the compound. It will be great to have her bring continuity to the projects and the building teams that come in.
The Crossroads team has been fitting in well. They have a few projects on the go. Painting the elementary school and also building more playground equipment. They've really enjoyed the beach afternoons, but seriously who doesn't. :)
It is such a change for Chris and I having all these people here. I am thankful for it and we are learning lots from everyone.
I also want to mention the Nowochin family that is staying here with us in Haiti for the next 4 weeks. They are planning on helping in the elementary school and with some of the construction. They have two kids that Miesha and Asher are having lots of fun playing with.

Last week Sunday we went to the children's church in Tapion. It really was a blessing and such a joyful experience seeing all those children recite Bible verses and sing praise songs.
I shared my testimony with them ad Chris gave an encouraging word and prayer. Tomorrow we will go back with the team and minister to them again. God is doing good things amidst the suffering.
I know some of you may be concerned about the cholera break out. So far nothing has come to Grand Goave. We just need to be cautious. Continually washing our hands often, drinking only water from the compound (or bottled). If you are healthy and strong the disease won't really harm you too much. It's treatable with Gatorade and rehydration salts. The reason it's spreading fast in Haiti is the poor sanitation and lack of health care. But, please pray for us and the people here. I can't understand why the Haitians continue to experience trial after trial. But, God is good and in control and we can have hope in that.
I will end here.~

Over Due.

So I've been meaning to write this blog for about 3 days now. So here I am amidst the busyness of Haiti Arise. School started on Monday so there is plenty of noise and entertainment on the compound. The kids are super cute. Some of the youngest ones were crying Monday because it was their first time coming to school. We actually have a pre-school for 3 year olds and they are precious. They raise the flag every morning and that is neat to see, all the kids proudly standing in lines and singing their national anthem.

We now have 4 guys from Surrey BC here with us. They are here to start working on the medical clinic. They got to work right away yesterday by fixing the bobcat. Oh how thankful we are to see it being driven around the property. Today they are making a work site near the back of the property to cast forms and prep materials. It's great to have some new faces around and be able have some good conversations in English. Chris is excited to learn from these guys and he will be a great help.

I just want to thank God for the Kreyol I have learnt. I can understand so much more than I can speak, but it's such a blessing to be able to convey small things about my family to some of the wonderful staff here. We don't have too many lessons any more but we study our selves and people are willing to help out if we have questions.

Last Thursday and Friday we got the big vinyl tent back up. Another huge praise item. We had David Wine here, he goes around Haiti setting up tents for NGO orgaizations. He is an awesome motivator and a huge help. It was an adventure and the weather didn't always seem to want to cooperate. But it was a success nonetheless.

As we look ahead to next week it's going to be busy around here. Marc and Lisa get back on Monday. Then on Tuesday we have a team from Crossroads church in Red Deer coming. We are looking forward to it and the excitment all the people will bring. It will be so great to have construction and building happening for 3 solid weeks.
I wanted to mention that if you ever have questions or want to know about something that I haven't blogged about. Please feel free to leave annonymous questions in the comments box below. We'd be happy to tell you more about how life is here.
I did want to talk about what we eat here, especially for our moms. :) Our diet mostly consists of the following: coffee, bread, bananas, mangos, juice, rice, chicken, beans, macaroni salad, cheese, spagetti and other types of rice like substances and sauces. (only know names in Kreyol)
We eat well, we are very blessed. The kitchen ladies take great care of us, they have huge servant hearts. Well I think that is all I have to report for today. Thanks for reading.~
Rebecca

October is here~

Today is Monday, the start of another week of adventure. Let's just say that last week we were singing the song rain rain go away come again another day. It rained on and off all week so we didn't have church, Bible study, or kids English class. Instead we had lots of mud on our wet feet and rivers running through the property. But the fence did get put up around the elementary school so that was an accomplishment.
Elementary school starts next Monday along with putting up the big vinyl tent. As that has been delayed by the rainy days of last week. Next Tuesday a team of 4 men are coming down to do some construction projects. So next week looks like the start of some serious busyness around here.

Yesterday Chris had the privilege of preaching in church. By God's grace it went over really well. He spoke about the certainty of God's promises and how God never lies and that we can trust in Him completely, no matter what situation we are in. We looked at a bunch of promises from the Bible that we have in Christ. Encouraging for me to hear a sermon in English. We have had our sermons translated for us but it's not the same as being able to listen and hear in your own language.
We also went to the beach yesterday but it was really crowded and didn't have the best vibe. We usually go on Saturday and it's much quieter then. This weekend and today there is a celebration for the city of Grand Goave. So there are lots of people around and parties happening. I think today we are going to go and see some activities that are happening in the town.

I think I mentioned about hitting a road block in studying Kreyol in my last blog entry. Well we (I)seem to be excited again as we have all this new vocab to learn and I've been able to talk with a lot of kids. It's funny how I have these crazy expectations to be able to be speaking really well by now. Ridiculous I know, we haven't even been here a full 2 months yet and we do know quite a bit.

We are looking forward to the return of Marc and Lisa and all the teams that are coming. It's going to change everything around here so much. I am thankful for this time we've had to get to know people and get adjusted to the climate. I remember I wasn't looking forward to this time, but God knows what we need and He's been our sustainer even through the tough weeks when it felt like we weren't contributing in any way. God is good and we always need to remember this truth.

Thanks for reading today~
Rebecca