Home Sweet Home

We want to give you all a big thank-you for praying us home after we sent out our prayer request during our sickness the few days before we flew!  Your prayers were effectual and powerful for us.  All of us got over our diarrhea and were feeling good the day before we flew and the day of our flight.  Eugene had strength to get around quickly in the airports inspite of his 4 days of the runs!  We got into Sioux Falls airport at 9:00 p.m. Tues. night.   Timothy picked us up and we came home to our dear little spot in Emery.  Some precious friends had filled our fridge and counters with blessings to welcome us back.  We felt loved!

The morning after we got home all of us got the runs!  God gave us the window we needed to get home without needing to deal with sickness during our day of travelling.  What a relief to be in our own home!  All of us except Daddy got over our diarrhea quickly.  He is still not over his bout with this difficult bug despite our efforts naturally and medicinally.  He is able to work hanging gutter for which we are thankful.  We appreciate your prayers that he can totally regain his health.  We have found this to be a very effective weight loss program if any of you need any suggestions for what works!  My wedding dress would fit with no trouble and Eugene needs a new hole punched in his belt!  Thankfully the children don't seem to be losing.

Oh! how my Man enjoyed his recliner when
we got home!  The next best thing to relaxing
in it alone is having his sleepy little Tabitha
to cuddle to sleep.  There is something special
and very comfortable about all being together
in our own living room again.      

  

We are just in time for planting our
garden.  My dear Love tilled our
spot  here in our back yard and
 Lydia and I got a lot of it planted
 today.  The gardens at our property
 a block away are still waiting
 to be filled but at least we have a
good start,  

Well, I'd like to say a lot more... but another full day has passed and I should retire like the rest of my dear ones!  Maybe later I'll send another post.  

Clinic Life Day to Day

Ailegue Clinic

Ailegue Clinic Commitment

Clinic life here at Ailegue is a serious commitment. It is not always easy for our dear nurses and it takes their all. It is a very fulfilling position to work in- you know you are making a difference in people's lives who truly need help. Sometimes the staff grows very weary and hopes for reprieve while other times they have extra time and energy to go visiting the sick or lonely in their homes throughout the mountains.

Mali, one of the main
nurses here much
sought after for her
skill and caring spirit.
Her last weeks before
her furlough she ran
herself ragged.  She
has a real heart to
serve.

Whitney Smith the
sweet senior nurse here
 now since Rhoda just
left to go back to the
US.  She was also my
personal nurse when I
was so sick.  The IV
fluids she gave me
felt like a real life
saver and her kindness
meant soo much!

When we first arrived the nurses were not too overloaded, but after a couple weeks life really sped up. They had been working with a man who stayed in their overnight hospital room area... he was young, maybe still in his teens or early twenties. He could talk, but most of the time refused to. His mother pressed him to speak to the ones dressing his wounds but he only stared blankly much of the time. Suddenly though he would look at them directly and ask them forcefully why they are doing whatever procedure they were working on at the moment. He came with serious bedsores that they had been working towards bringing to healing. I'm not sure what his underlying sickness was that had laid him up at such a young age. Each day, morning and evening they re-bandaged his slowly healing sore spots. Hans, the young man who helps with clinic needs changed a catheter for him as needed. Overnight patients like this add a fuller dimension to the regular clinic work. Extra monitoring, IV's to be checked, fevers to be regulated, rehydration concerns for those with vomiting or diarhea....and sometimes the most stressful aspect of all- studying and restudying medical books as you question and queery if you are treating the correct disease with the best available medicine. Without a lab these young people have a big job sometimes to know if they are properly classifying the symptoms a person comes in with. If they send the person out, they may be giving him a better chance or they may be sending him to die... One nearby hospital is too well known for being a better place to die than recover. I can well remember the stress involved in trying to do my best to diagnose serious sicknesses when I worked as a nurse there at Ailegue. In spite of the Hercules efforts the mission staff puts out with less than advanced training they have received an outstanding reputation in the community far and wide. God has given them wisdom and mercy when they needed it most.

Hans, an EMT in the States,
 on a clinic run, taking a man
out to more advanced medical
care.  He and Julian are on call for
just such emergencies aside
from their other mission
responsibilities.  He is the secretary
and takes time each week to do an
English class with some local
young men. 

EllaMae on the right, Kindra on
left(more about her below).
Ella-Mae had been house help
during the busy team season over
the Winter, but now has moved
to the Pharmacy at Clinic.  She
does a great job keeping up with
meds that need to be repackaged,
counted into individual bags, etc.

When Clinic suddenly became busy there were births frequently at night keeping the nurse/midwives up often as they worked to bring a new little Haitian life into the world. Some Mamas had complications too complex for our facility so they were transported by our young people out to more advanced care. This sometimes meant midnight runs keeping part of the staff up the greater part of then night. When they returned exhausted they usually still had a days work ahead of them after a few hours catch-up. High numbers of patients at clinic made for long days diagnosing and treating various diseases, minor colds, regular high blood pressure patients, malnutrition program cases, ladies being seen regularly for pregnancy, etc. etc. The extra work was only compounded by a couple haitian nurses that were not on duty for a week and a mission nurse that had just finished her time at Ailegue and headed back to the States for further medical training. The girls labored faithfully night and day. The guys, Julian and Hans often accompanied the two girls on duty at night with medical cases or with driving those out with urgencies. One day specifically I remember the entire staff worked very late... Haitian and American staff alike labored late into the afternoon and pushing towards evening. A normal day ends around 2-3p.m. But duty demands flexibility.

Our faithful Haitian pharmacists...
Mme Leger and Mme Jean Mark.
Both of these have been working at the
clinic ever since I worked there.

Julian, normally the mechanic, fills in
when needed for crowd control or other
such urgencies at clinic.  He keeps the
mission vehicles in great condition and
also goes to town for groceries, takes out
sick people and wears a lot of hats.

Kindra, one of the newer nurses
taking blood pressures and temperatures.  She has a heart for the people... we often find her talking to the children or a neighbor or clinic patient.
My boys loved her... feeding
the pigs with her was a daily
highlight!

During our last two weeks -excitement brewed at the mission as we prepared to welcome a dentist friend of one of the nurses. He and his daughter were coming from Germany to treat a list of patients at the clinic with teeth problems. Teeth here match their poor diet. Many adults have crooked or missing teeth throughout their mouth. Others with not enough money to treat their problems have one rotten tooth after another giving them pain. Mali, who knew Dr. Ewald, prepared a schedule of one and a half weeks worth of dental work for the willing dentist. He had practiced in Bolivia for a number of years previously.

A lot of dental equipment had to be sent down ahead since we had previously done nothing much with mouth problems here at Ailegue. A dental chair was necessary along with all the tools to pull and drill and suction, etc. Most of his materials arrived ahead of him, but one important bag had not passed through customs yet. The first few days there was a lot of rain so not all the patients came and some teeth were very difficult requiring some of the instruments he didn't yet have. Dr. Ewald told us that people of African descent often have very strong jaws making it much more difficult to remove a tooth from them than from a European. He was obliged to have some 

Ewald and Mali
working over a dental
patient.

David Newswanger the newest
Ailegue team member is taking
Julian's place as mechanic but he
already had the privilege of getting
involved in some clinic duties by
being the dentist assistant a time
or two.  

patients return the following week when he hoped all his stuff would have arrived. The schedule the last full week he worked was a whirl of activity. Hans or David helped Ewald during regular clinic hours and then Mally kicked in after her normal day of seeing patients. They worked themselves ragged. From sun up to sun down they hardly left the clinic. We barely convinced them to take a couple breaks to eat. During the day we would send down sweet tea or juice with some high protein snacks to revive the weary, faithful workers. Patients were demanding at times explaining they had come from far and must be seen yet today... Dr. Ewald's heart of compassion was stretched to capacity. Hopefully when he got home he had a chance to crash and sleep and sleep to make up for his short nights and long days. I'm sure the Lord will reward him and the others working alongside.

Ewauld played for us
as well as the neighbors.

During the first few days before clinic life got too crazy with teeth work we had some relaxed, fun evenings together. German chocolate bars and a gift for everyone broke the ice as we got to know each other. Then we had a wonderful time singing while the dentist skillfully played the accordian, Hans the guitar and Whitney the keyboard. Ewald had fond memories from Bolivia that inspired him to offer to barbeque a goat. I(Kara) was thrilled with the idea so began to ask around for the going rate to buy a live goat. $40.00 seemed to be a normal price but we hoped to pay less. That

seemed so steep for the little critters that foraged on these bare mountains. As I nquired for someone who could sell me our supper on the hoof I made it clear I didn't want one too old and it must not be a rank billy goat. The first little kid that came to be inspected was hardly 2 months old and of course very tiny. I didn't bother having Dr. Ewald look at it. Next a little bit bigger scrawny female was brought on a leash, but our chef had to laugh as he tried to find any meat on the animal that he could barbeque. We turned her away and hoped for another. Another came, but one after the next was sent back to it's tethered spot on the mountain to nibble choice Haitian herbs and grasses. Soon we began to despair of any local goat sporting enough meat to feed our hungry, protein starved crew. We found a large bag of locally made charcoal easily enough and the brick grill was neatly prepared, but we eventually settled on hamburgers and grilled chicken. That was a huge treat in itself since meat is special and two meats in one meal not sparsely hidden in a casserole was almost unheard of. But after the week and a half marathon of extra hard work everyone had definitely earned a meal to be remembered. Eugene carefully grilled the precious meat and we ladies prepared the rest. Our meal was enjoyed under the night sky as we sat on the patio together. A few normal interruptions called various ones of our group to this or that caller in between bites. It can be exasperating when you want so much to just sit all together as a group and enjoy a quiet evening to hear that clinking rock hitting against the gate(the Haitian knock) as someone demands attention for a clinic need or a question from a neighbor, or someone begging food... you have to bring every thought captive and just deny your flesh as you remind yourself that we are not our own.

Our family took a little trip up to
Don Weaver with Ewald and Debbie.
You can see the typical foggy
atmosphere that often passes through
the higher elevations where they have
their home for orphaned children.

Eugene and the friendly Christian dentist from Germany had a special connection as they shared  German/Hutterisch words back and forth from time to time. Our visitor and his daughter both knew English enough to communicate well, but there were times they didn't understand something one of us said. In times like these it came in handy if Eugene could say the word learned at his mothers' knee and see if it prompted a similar familiar spot in their memory. Often it did and the light would come on as they enunciated the German word as they would pronounce it. One funny incident brought a lot of fun as they saw a small bottle of perfume mist on the table. It clearly was labeled “Mist”. Such a pretty bottle with such a confusing title brought questions from Dr. Ewald. When it was explained that is was a perfume this made for a clatter of astonished laughter... “Mist”, you must understand, in German(and Hutterisch) is nothing less than manure! To imagine someone unashamedly labeling a perfume bottle with that title seemed frightfully strange. :-) Oh the mystery and fun of foreign language!

Janelle and my little ones.
She is the main house help and does
an excellent job keeping cleaning,
laundry and meals moving.  She had
many responsibilities and still took
time to be a friend to my boys.  They
loved helping her feed the goat and
rabbit.  Here she is bottle feeding an
orphan puppy.

Debbie and my Tabitha

Debbie, the dentist's 13 year old daughter was a big help with housework for both Janelle and I. When Lydia left after her three weeks with us there at Ailegue I prayed and searched my mind for how it would work with less help and the normal mission compound work load, plus the busyness of my little brood. We three ladies had kept a full schedule and it didn't seem likely that any part of our regular duties would overnight disappear. As I prayed about the options it seemed the Lord was trying to soothe me that it would work out. As we welcomed our friends from Germany the night they came I wondered how it would all work out with extra visitors now too. I somehow hadn't fully realized that a young lady was going to be along. Soon though I found that Debbie was well trained in the art of being a blessing and helping out with the household work load! She did such a good job assisting Janelle in the morning with her responsibilities of squeezing juice and making Haitian food for the local workers, then she often volunteered to take my little Tabitha in the afternoon when I needed to make supper for the mission crew. God knew He had it all neatly worked out and I learned another lesson in trusting. 

My dear Lydia hard at work serving...
This time she was butchering a local
chicken for a hutterite meal she blessed
us with.  Even though she had to leave
and go back home God supplied our need
for extra house help.

We said goodbye to the father and daughter pair that had become dear to us all. They departed from the mountains a few days before our family left Ailegue. We had a few quieter days to wrap up our final goodbyes to the neighbors and pack our bags and totes.   Clinic slowed down and gave the nurses a reprieve too and many happy mouths smiled for the needed dental work done.

Our going away grill out with Dr.Ewald from Germany

Hello!  Please lift us up in prayer!

We are to fly on this coming Tuesday the 21st.  We are now in Port au Prince at a Mennonite Mission Guest House.  Home came off the shelf about a week ago when we left the mountains and we have been dealing with some pretty nasty sicknesses so we are very ready to get home.  Please, please pray for healing for our weary bodies.  There are a lot of things going around right now.  Eugene has the sickness I had 2 weeks ago with Diarrhea and vomiting that ended in me needing two IV bags of rehydration fluid.  He is very tired of running to the bathroom and physically weak.  This sickness resembles cholera but is not as serious and only seems to last a few days.  I am concerned about the little ones getting it.  Originally we thought this was from drinking contaminated water but now are leaning towards it being a virus.  With how hard this is for adults and the dehydration factor it could be very serious for small children and our baby. On the risk of sounding like whining I will list our other health issues so you can pray specifically.  We've been dealing with mouth sores, earaches, a head cold(that has resolved now, praise the Lord!) and now two of our children we just found out have chicken pox or something very similar....one nurse thought it was chicken pox. Then we talked to a doctor that said it wasn't... So who knows..... we thought it was mosquito bites on Theodore and heat rash on Tabitha, but now know why some of them have a water bubble head.  Wow!  Someone just told us they were not allowed to fly with their son that had chicken pocks even though he was over the contagious part.  Lord, please have mercy and heal us!  We are out of a home and depending on others at this point so though we are at a very comfortable guest house would really like to be able to fly home as planned.  We really appreciate your prayers to this end.  We are looking forward to seeming many of you soon!

With love, Kara for the Waldners

Visiting Fre (Brother) Noress

Visiting Dear Brother Noress

We wanted to spend some time in a few homes visiting friends that lived a little farther out than right here in the Ailegue plateau.  Fre Noress is a dear olderbrother in the local church here and one who is well known for his cheery smile and kind disposition.  When I worked in the clinic as a nurse he was also there helping.  He was one I depended on if I needed someone to pray for a needy patient.  His walk with God seemed to flow from Him like a vibrant river of water!

We made arrangements to come to his house one afternoon.  He was glad to host us.  The boys managed to find chicks to entertain them.  They wanted to go down in his rather steep wooded area and then climb the rock wall... like little boys love to do...  they were hungry for excitement but we had to curb their appetite for adventure so that our Brother Noress wouldn't fear for their safety too much, so they stayed close to the house.  They enjoyed watching our friend gathering sticks for making a fire to heat cofee for us.  They also watched the tethered pigs he had under some banana trees.  We talked about this and that on the porch...some of the situations there in Ailegue, how we farm in the States, the waeathe, his grown children... one is a girl studying to be a doctor in the Dominican Republic, another is studying agriculture and I think the other son is also studying medicine.  None have married yet, so he has no grandchildren.  Finally we felt maybe we should head home.  When I announced we should be getting back so I can make supper for everyone he protested that he thought we would stay much longer and wait for his wife to come back from the garden and have coffee together.  Realizing this was important and looking forward to the thick, black, syrupy hot drink I talked to Eugene and we agreed to wait for a bit longer.  A lady who helps them with house work was there now so he and she started a fire and began to prepare coffee for us.  After a while it was done and he offered us each a steaming cup while apologizing that he didn't have any bread.  Even the boys enjoyed it once it cooled a bit for their tender tongues.  We parted ways, thanked him and left the sanctuary of his Haitian abode.   

 

Fre Noress loved our children.  When he came to the mission for something I sometimes came out with Tabitha and he went on and on how she didn't fear their people.  I still marvel how well she did, though there were times she did cry if she wasn't feeling social.  It felt like a special gift from the Lord to me that she did so well. I didn't expect it.



These boys were on the trail when we headed home.  They had a home-made "wheelbarrow" for the beans they had just picked.  The bean harvest is ready now, but a smaller one than they would like.  The rains didn't come in time to cool the heat.  Unfortunately, the beans didn't pollinate well due to this.

Wrapping up our time in Haiti

We are bringing our time here to a close. We have enjoyed so many varied aspects of our 6 weeks here in Haiti, but are also looking forward to being our little family at home again too. The boys have thoroughly enjoyed their many aunts and uncles as well as exploring the compound, but it will be good for our children to have more focused Mama and Daddy time. School has taken back burner by necessity for the last while... so maybe we can pick up where we left off when we get home... or maybe the SD summer will be more busy than I envision. I'm still learning how to teach little ones the academics. There are so many ways to do it and I'm still experimenting with what works best for us. :-)

We plan to leave Ailegue here on Monday the 13^th. From there we plan to spend about a week on our own. Donovan's will fly in Thursday the 16^th, Lord willing. We plan to spend three days as a family at Brother Levi's house in T-Guove. This will give us time to visit some friends in that area... Darv's, Miss Louda-a haitian nurse I worked with when I lived here and loved dearly, and others. We also plan to have a little retreat for a few days by the ocean just being together as a family north of Port. It's a little harder to coordinate all this here in Haiti when you don't have your own wheels and must depend on others, but plans are coming together.

As we have time and better connection in the next week we may be able to post some older news that we couldn't do during this busier season.  

A Very Fulfilling Day

Some days are normal Mama days. Training my children, making meals, cleaning house, meeting the needs of my husband and those around here... they are fulfilling and special and fit the description that my Lord has called me to. Other days are special in another way... yesterday was one of those. I decided to go take my little ones to find some neighbor children to blow bubbles with. We soon saw a group at a nearby house of a friend of mine. They were very willing to join in our play. Soon the translucent, shiny spheres were floating and children jumping and smiling. My own boys were a bit shy in the melee, but they observed and took their turn when they got a bubble wand. One mischevious orphan teenager was excited to see the little sweet local crackers I brought to share, but he decided to steal the next boys right out of his hand. It was gone so fast you truly thought he was still eating his first one. The poor boy is truly hungry, but I still gave him the consequence of no corosol fruit that I had also brought to share with the children. This spited him, and he became even more naughty- trying to run off with all my bubble container lids and coming back to trade the lids for my fruity treat. This didn't work so I told him I won't come out any more with bubbles if he keeps those lids.  He gave in and returned them.  The next day I was buying bread from the same house and talking to the lady of the house when he came along and begged for some bread also. I looked questioningly at her and she agreed that he was truly needy so I told him he needed to apologize for yesterday first and tell God he's sorry. He sheepishly agreed and I gave him the desired bread. When Matid-the lady there heard how he had stollen from me she acted shocked and told another boy listening not to tell anyone lest they kill him! I don't know if she was overreacting a bit to scare the boy for his sin or serious, but they do punish direly for stealing.

                                                  

After a man working for us here brought me papaya I had to find the right change to pay him so we went to his house towards evening. Eugene had headed up to Grandpa's for a walk and quiet time. My children and I didn't find the man home- he had gone to feed his animals, so we answered the neighbor childrens' pleading to come jump rope. As we came close the mother also came out- Mme Brucelone (next door neighbor to the mission compound). I wasn't expecting her to join in the play, but unashamedly she jumped right in the rotating frayed twine rope and laughed like a little girl. Even when I asked if I could take a picture she readily agreed and prepared to pose with her energetic bouncing! :) What a good example of a carefree Mama joining in her childrens' fun. I jumped and made them all laugh and hoot then prepared to be on our way. As we headed back up the trail she reminded me that I still had not been to her 'house'. I agreed I would be back. Eugene passed on the upper trail right then so I called to him to come join us. We decided to use this chance to visit as a family after all. They were thrilled to have us come all the way to their courtyard and Mme. Brucelone insisted we come in and sit down on chairs in her humble two room hut so we obeyed and made small talk. They had a beautiful bird the son had injured with a sling shot. It was tied with a thin string to the leg of a chair where it was failing fast. After a bit we went out to jump rope so Eugene could join in too. They loved watching him bounce up and down with the rest and he did amazingly well- thrilling them all and bringing the typical hoots and cheers with clapping. They just love when we Americans join in with them on daily life: work or play.

On the main trail home we greeted the men sitting along the path. They smiled and returned our Haitian salutations, murmuring and nodding their approval that we took time to talk... this is extremely important in their culture. They judge you on how friendly you are and whether you come down to their level. They know as well as we do when we are lofty and looking down our nose at them. The boys have learned amazingly well to look at the people and shake hands and say “Bonjou” “Komo-ya”-(how are you) “Pa-pi mal”(Not too bad). It warms my heart when they overcome their fear and are friendly in spite of nervousness that someone might grab them and try to hold them. Eugene does really well getting the people to laugh and smile at his bold attempts to communicate them. It spites him to no end that he can't communicate fully, but he's learning the language bit by bit.

Before we headed towards home we agreed to stop at our friend and neighbor to have another family visit. Not finding them home Eugene took the boys in the fence. I happened across her before I got all the way so I stopped to talk. I had been hoping for a chance to really have a heart to heart talk knowing some difficult situations she was facing in her family. When I questioned how she was really doing and whether she was discouraged she started to tear up and open her heart. This made my eyes fill up as well so I waved towards the house and suggested we go sit down and talk on her porch. My heart felt like breaking as I pondered her situation and heard her side of the story. I asked if we could pray together so she readily agreed and took me into her humble home. We both prayed in Creole and then I switched to English as we murmured the overflowing of our hearts to the One who knows and cares and has power to answer with power. It was a very sweet time of connecting deeply at a heart level. Before we parted I encouraged her to pray for her family daily. She sincerely thanked me and we each went our ways.

In the evening we had our weekly family night where we stay home and the rest eat at the nurses house.  After supper Eugene and I each took one of the boys to spend some one on one time. Theodore and I went up on the Depot roof, spread a blanket out, layed our heads on a pillow and looked at the stars and read a book. It is a special bonding time and delights our boys when we take this kind of time. Seeking to be good parents takes all our energy and focus, plus much depending on the Lord!

We ended the evening with a visit from Pastor Gerard who sometimes sleeps down in Brother Levi's house(here on our compound). He had tea with us (he really likes that, so if I don't remember to offer he reminds me with a smile) and we picked his brain on a few cultural things we had questions on. We enjoyed the visit and then he retired for the evening.

Hello everyone
a big thankyou for all praying for my wife.  Shes up and around she doesn't seem to have time to email you all- since she's feeling so good.   She's trying to catch up.  Last nite after 2 bags of IV Kara felt much better. B4 bed she felt like a major turn around God answering our prayers

Thanks alot everyone

Hello
Thanks for your prayers and for your kind emails. This morning kara seemed to be doing better and was able to sit tru devotions but after an hour or two of being up crashed again and is worse yet.  She is very weak. She's only vomited once today but nausea keeps her from getting much down. Whitney, one of the nurses here, is getting ready to put an IV in as well as do a malaria test.  We really appreciate your prayers. Kara hates needles so hopefully it won't be too traumatic. Theodore n Stephen are doing well. Tabithas pretty fussy since momma's on strike. I- daddy- have to fill position of daddy n mama.

To all of you, please pray for kara she's been sick last two days only getting  up to go to bathroom and to throw up. And she's very weak .  she has giardia. We were trying to decide how to treat her since we're not comfortable with antibiotic yet. Giardia is passed tru bad water or contaminated vegetables so we're also concerned about rest of the family. Kara has been treating our vegetables with bleach or saltwater but now found out iodine kills it- not bleach.  We researched natural treatments and found that tincture of garlic, onion, and horseradish and coconut as well are good for it. So she's taking supertonic on the hour and coconut milk. At 1st she threw everything up but last 2 doses it's staying down. She's feeling slightly better now and not so dehydrated.  Thanks for your prayers it means alot to us. thankfully there's a rainy day today and daddy's not so busy so he can take care of the children.


Eugene 😎

.....Day by Day.....

The longer we are here the more opportunities we have to rub shoulders with the national people. We face so many various types of needs...whether to loan a friend a couple dollars... if I should agree to be a God-parent to a young boy for his baptism...how to handle a local childs' constant requests for a gift...the ability to protect my boys from feeling overwhelmed by local children wanting to touch or hold them or bark at their feet like wild dogs and yet instill in them a respect and love for them at the same time...how to manage my time and care for my families' needs as well as the household demands...
Should I take the time to let one of the young neighbor boys come in the fence and sit with me on the hammock as he requests...How do I respond when I am taking a much needed nap and then called out to talk to a local lady- groggily I go out, trying to keep Tabitha asleep who had been at my side in bed- greeting in the typical way does not bring out what my friend has come for- They often don't come right out with their request, proper greetings and social etiquette is very important... (I forgot we had planned for her to come get money to buy a chicken for me at market). Was i still needed... what did she want from me?  Soon, Tabitha awakes and starts screaming in spite of trying to keep her relaxed to fall back asleep before she becomes too stimulated. Feeling overwhelmed with the whole situation and not sure if there still is a need I haven't met I just retreated back into the house with my distressed little girl trying to deal with my roused emotions... Ahh, flesh- how fleshly you are! Finally she rocked back to sleep and I sent some SOS's up to the Lord. Reluctantly going back out, I took some laundry off the line and my friend came over and let me know why she had come. Sheepishly I remembered our previous conversation about the chicken money and took care of her. 

We went on a walk as a family just to spend a little time away together and see what we could see. As we walked down the rocky road past Clinic we saw a neighbor man we know working with a wood laithe. He and his helper were in the process of fixing it when we stopped in and asked if we could watch. The lady of the house gladly brought us chairs to sit on. Apparantly their belt had broken, so they repaired that and then needed to put

 it back on the makeshift wheel. It wasn't 

quite tight enough- causing the belt to slip so they tried to tighten in by moving the laithe a bit. Eugene assisted them with the heavy piece of wooden equipment and soon the wheel was spinning more properly. Eugene marveled at what they could do with something so primitive. At the moment the man was using a sharp blade to carve a grove into the circulating leg of a table or chair. The helper manually turned a handle round and round to keep the wheel spinning the leg. The woodworker showed us a bed head he had beautifully carved, sanded and varnished. A work of art. He also pointed to a table he had fashioned. Nearby he had a few animals tied in typical Haitian fashion. Eating what they could find to forage on and waiting their daily pile of cut grass or banana leaves that must be cut and carried to them from some other location. The goat he had probably never drinks water... ,I hardly believed it when someone told me their goat won't drink even if offered. I guess it is a mercy of God that these rugged beasts don't require the pampering we give them in the States. Cows are watered daily, either by being taken to a stream or given a bucket.) After enjoying the cultural experience for a bit we bid our good-byes and headed a bit further down the road where we saw a cabbage patch, full of young cabbage plants ready to be sold to transplant into someone's field. Cabbages are one of their crops here. I love to see their gardens full of the blue-green heads neatly poka-dotted over the field with the mustard flowers from a local weed springing up here and there adding quaint beauty. Being among the people is something special when you take the time to sit where they sit and walk the trails they walk. They love it and we find a new appreciation of who they are as people with red blood that flows just like ours

Lydia butchering a chicken from market
for Hutterite gaeshtle soup.

Lydia making coffee the
Haitian way

Lydia and Tabitha at
Rhonda's one Sun eve.

Lydia made a hutterite meal last week so we bought a live chicken from market and she boiled it to make mouldoushen. It was fun having a traditional meal for the group here. She plans to make one more meal next week with the rooster I bought who will be butchered this morning yet for gaeshtel. She's looking forward to the end of this week when she flies home with very mixed feelings. We will definitely miss her. :-(

Thursday or Friday I was closing the little shack door where I had Lydia's hen waiting her doom when a large, tan, creepy arachnid slid out from between the hinges in my direction. He was one of those fast ones with a big black mark on his back and I'm sure a set of wicked fangs. His diameter was probably pushing 2 in. I sent off a scream of alarm as I shrieked my disgust for spiders but by the time anyone came to investigate he had moved on to other devilish intents. The girls were genuinely concerned, but the guy who heard me passed it off as a non-life threatening sounding cry.

Eugene has helped with some mechanic work and continuing the gazebo(sitting place) project. He drove out to T-Guoave the other day with Julian-which was a charge for him.... he has that trucking blood you know! :0) This time though, he had taken Stephen along who was not interested in anyone else holding him, so Daddy held a sleeping little man most of the bumpy trip there.  The boys love going with Daddy whether it's taking rice up to the school on the ATV or going out to town with the truck.  I have to commit them to the Lord and pray that they will be safe.... I know Daddy is careful and they try to hold on tight, but these        mountains... suffice to say I prefer to walk certain places.  

Matid a neighbor lady with Tabitha

Fre Polver's family after church
on our porch

Today at church I enjoyed catching more of the sermon and singing as I caught the words for the songs we sang from memory.  They were a lively bunch today- true Haitian style!  As I watched a couple of the energetic, dear, older, local men(any of you know Fre Noress?) that I know I was reminded of David when he danced with all his might.

Be careful now... don't let your conservative bend cast too dark a shadow over their characters.  :-)  Eugene was there for part of the service and then went back to the house with the boys to listen in to our home message in English.  Tabitha slept on my lap for most of the time so I was really able to focus.  I don't catch everything said, and sometimes I have to think of a different word I know to get across the message I'm trying to express but the more I'm exposed to the language the more I brush up.   Connecting with old friends after the service was a special joy... their smiling, welcoming faces and kisses on both cheeks as we embraced showed their genuine love. 

......A Laboring Mama......
Well, That was fun!  This evening our family stayed home with one of
the nurses while the rest went to visit Rhonda's family about 20-30
min drive from here.  The nurse, Kindra was just closing the gate
after saying goodbye to a few little visitors who came to see her... A
man stopped her to say his wife was coming in labor with a group.
Sure enough after a bit a large group of people came- some carrying a
cart with the woman on it and her brother who was supporting her.
Since Kindra is still new at births I got the privilege of assisting
her as we assessed the situation.  Supposedly the lady was 9 months
and in labor but after looking at her records and questioning them
out, as well as doing a checkup we leaned hard towards thinking she is
6 months and having pre-term labor- threatening an abortion.  So far-
baby's heart tones were good so we just needed to quiet the
contractions.
It was very sweet to talk to the lady and share about Jesus in Creole
and pray for her and her baby and family.  I had to hunt in my mind
for a word sometimes, but being able to communicate for the most part
was a priceless gift!  We had the privilege of being able to call the
group at Rhonda's (something we couldn't do without climbing a
mountain for service when I was here) and talk to Whitney- the head
nurse about the situation.  We decided to try and get her to relax and
wait for the others to get back to make final decisions.  Transporting
to T-Guove 2 hours over very bumpy trails didn't seem a viable option
when we need her to relax.
After we got the family settled in the hospital room Eugene sent Met
Gerard over to walk us home since he happened to be visiting at the
time.  (The mission has a rule that the laies shouldn't walk alone to
or from clinic at night, but Eugene was at the house with our three
children so the local pastor-Met Gerard came in his place to escort
us.)   It was quite the charade for Eugene to communicate this to him
since neither knows the others' mother tongue very well.  I tried to
talk over the walkie talkie in Creole to Gerard, but it crackled
inconveniently at the time so it didn't help matters any.  With a
phrase Eugene had learned just a day or two earlier “prale nan clinc”
(going to clinic) and some signs and wonders to show us walking back
with his fingers Gerard got the message and gladly complied.
The new clinic is definitely much improved since I was there.  It's
bigger and nicer and more accomadating all around. It was fun to be a
nurse for a little bit again while Daddy watched the children.
When the crew got back Eugene and I went over to clinic with the other
nurses while Kindra put Tabitha to sleep and kept an eye on the boys
in case they woke up.  We discussed various possibilities to see if
there was any angle we were missing that might help shed light on her
situation.  Had she maybe been in the Ra-ra last night and gotten
worked up or had a curse put on her?  Had they assumed she needed to
have the baby and given her a tea to induce labor...  was she
pre-ecclamptic?  Had she been hit or fallen???  Mally talked to the
local midwife who was along but nothing seemed to point to any clear
answers so we  made her as comfortable as possible and gave her
another dose to relax her before leaving for the night.  Contractions
were seeming to have stopped, and the only immediate problem was
vomiting so we hoped for the best and left them to rest.
The next morning she gave us good news that she had had no
contractions all night.  She didn't feel strong enough to go home so
the clinic staff let her stay there for the day.  I visited with them
and could see she was doing better.  I encouraged them again to seek
the Lord.
The following morning Whitney radioed me to let me know they were
discharging her.  I went down with Theodore while Janelle – the able
house help here- took care of Tabitha and Stephen. When we arrived the
threesome in our ladies room all greeted me with warm smiles.  Even
the lady who had been in labor smiled shyly.  She was obviously doing
great now.  She had almost seemed out of it up till now, making us
wonder if she was just trying to cope with her situation or if she was
a little slow... The mother of the lady told me she had asked for me
to come so I could pray with them before they leave.  I was thrilled
to do this.  After some exhortations to them spiritually and
nutritionally our little group touched heaven as I asked the Father to
bless them and help them to serve Him with all their might.  I don't
know how those little seeds will do in their hearts, but it was a joy
to place them there.   Even in these troubled mountains of Haiti there
is no situation too hard for our Master!  Hallelujah!

A looong post for those who like details :)                               Sat. March 14, 2015

Dear Friends and Family,

It's been a busy few days here. Last night as I sank into bed I pondered all the events of our day and marvelled that so much had transpired since the sun peeked over the horizon. On Saturday we plan a brunch for mid-morning, and knowing I would have a busy day I asked the young ladies to take care of that meal. As a family this gave us more time to spend together after the children awoke... traditionally a very special time for us. So, when our three little ones had crawled out of their blanket cocoons we dressed them and headed up to the flat depot roof (a storage building built in recent years that sits next to our house). The boys were thrilled to dance in the treetops and mama and papa had to quickly establish some rules for the daring little acrobats who would love to peek over the edge of the wall-less roof. This put me at peace a bit more and we enjoyed the view of the waking sky and surrounding mountains. The trees pranced occasionally as a bird landed on the outermost flimsy branches to enter into the green covert. Tabitha happily crawled on the concrete surface until Mama felt it wise to suspend her to the pink blanket where the boys had also been grounded. We visited and enjoyed just being the five of us, ignoring the fact that we were still in plain view of the encircling neighborhood—pretending to be hidden in seclusion. After awhile we made a couple calls to the States. We appreciated the advancement of technology... only 6 years ago we had to climb a nearby mountain to enjoy the privilege of a phone conversation.

While we enjoyed our family time, the nurses had been summoned to the clinic for an emergency call. A man was brought in with head injuries. He had been transported from Besace- a nearby Clinic that is glad to send their harder cases our way. The limp man arrived draped over a moto, tied to it for his own safety. The suffering soul seemed dead. The girls examined him and called for Hans- our young man here who had been an EMT in the States. Together they determined he was beyond their scope of care and called for an emergency helicopter. (Just days before a non-profit group had come back here to explain to our clinic how they could help us with their chopper service...transporting just such tough cases as we had now to Port for swift medical help.) With help on the way they prepared to drive the ATV to the soccer field where the helicopter would land. Meanwhile the story continued to unfold as to why we had this man in such serious condition. He had been in market the day before(Friday), drunk. A woman was sitting in a little shack nearby, holding a baby. For some reason he happened to go in and decided to take a swipe with his machete at the innocent little one. Instead he whacked the woman's hand- almost removing her fingers. This incensed the people and they beat him, intending to leave him lifeless. Rather, he went unconscious with a soft spot in his skull... Both families transported their wounded people to the nearby Besace Clinic. The following morning he was carried to our small hospital, hoping for better care.

At the large grassy field, the emergency helicopter help drew near from the air to meet the group from our mission on two ATV's with the wounded man and a couple family members. As the chopper landed an incensed crowd gathered intending to thwart the clinic staffs' efforts to save this life. The people had tried once to kill him and they didn't intend to see him rescued. They reasoned with our young people that if they would also take out the woman with the injured hand then they would allow the man to fly also. However, we had not seen the woman yet and the flight crew would only transport one injury at a time. The three helicopter personnel walked over to discuss the situation... the Haitian man among them tried to calm the mob but only a temporary calm ensued. Someone called for a machete to take matters into their own hands and finish the criminal off if anyone tried to load him. Seeing they were losing ground and endangering their own safety the helicopter group took to the safety of their mechanical bird and headed back on their 15 minute journey to Port. Our people made a hasty exodus too, with one of the man's family members running after -begging not to be left behind to the mercy of the angry mass. 

Back at the mission we heard the 'copter return back overhead, assuming that the man was on his way to higher care. Meanwhile, the nurses at Clinic soon discovered their quiet Saturday was not to be.... the lady with the mangled hand was now here to be examined and stitched and the sound of the mission vehicles brought the injured man back into view. The family of the man causing all this adieu soon made tracks for the local Kayzak(Judge), realizing if they didn't get protection the crowd would come and do as they pleased. The (former) Kayzak who is now a worker in our Clinic as a secretary came down and gravely instructed our staff to quickly get both of these injured people out to T-Guove as quickly as possible. Apparently this man has a warrant out for his arrest and was in trouble from another area where he used to frequent. Direk didn't want trouble for our clinic from holding such a criminal. He felt sure if we would agree to help both the man and the woman by taking them out to a larger hopital there would be peace. The people agreed with this arrangement and soon both the attacker and attacked were loaded with family members from each party. The man had been slowly coming to... even saying a few things and showing focus from his eyes. One of the woman who had been so riled up at the soccer field now sat near the man she wanted killed – helping the nurse adjust his pillow and resettle him more comfortably. It is dangerously evident that crowds breed trouble when emotion builds upon each others irrational reactions.

Having safely seen these two off, the rest of us unwound from the excitement.  Those who hadn't eaten the prepared brunch of creamed eggs and toast, mango shake and coffee cake came home to do so. Our little boys took a nap and I worked on supper preparation, hoping to make good progress before we headed up the mountain to visit Grandpa Harold. Lydia accompanied us as we exersized weak muscles over rocky terrain. Our little men were delighted with the outing, but had a number of minor tumbles before we arrived back home. Some parts of the trail were relaxing but others were a series of huffs and puffs as we hauled ourselves and our little charges up to the top. At Grandpa's we had a pleasant time chatting and enjoying the view of the surrounding mountains. Theodore and Stephen gave Mama a few scares with their lively monkey antics. Finishing our visit we declined Grandpa's kind offer to drive us back to the mission and started the descent. Greeting smiling Haitians along the way added enjoyment. Lydia and Theodore took the lead and a little girl latched onto Lydia's hand as she passed by. The two made a sweet pair until they parted at the gate.

Home again, I moved into high gear, rolling my prepared tortilla dough out for our evening meal of chicken fajitas. Janelle had seasoned potato wedges for oven fries and made carmel pudding to go over EllaMae's peanut butter bars. We gathered our smaller group together -wishing our two on the trail could join us. (Julian and Kindra came back later and ate what was left of our evening meal.) Those who wished to- gathered around our table to count pills into sachets(bags) for clinic. This gave a relaxed atmosphere to visit after the kitchen was cleaned up.

Well, I got the bathroom cleaned today and a few other areas polished as I had planned, but the main floor will have to wait for another day to be swept and washed like I had hoped to. Days don't always go as expected...neither in the States nor here.  The girls washed up the tea cups before heading to their house for the night and we wound down with our boys. They enjoyed some Daddy and Mama time before closing their tired eyelids for needed sleep.

After we dropped into bed we slept until some nearby community sounds awakened us off and on throughout the night. It's Ra-Ra season. This means the local satan worshipers relish opportunities to gather and worship their evil god. Dancing, swaying, chanting, tooting on conch horns or droning from bamboo pipes... their devilish festivities interrupted our peaceful night as they marched past our houses and up the mountains. Tabitha was restless so she appreciated being snuggled in by Mama most of the night. Amazingly, we slept better than some nights despite the unwelcome serenading.   

Our Sunday was a welcome day of rest... especially restful in the afternoon and evening compared to some busy Lord's Days around here.  It seemed a special benediction from the Lord who knows our need for rest.