Dads

Grandpa Bernie with Alexis and A. Jay

What a great day to look at pictures on Facebook!  So many of my friends have pictures of their dads posted.  I realized today that I’ve always thought of Father’s Day as a day for youngsters.  A time when they can love on their dads and do special things for them.  Today, however – and this is likely because I’ve passed the 50 mark!  (Yikes!) – I saw it as a memorial day.  So many of my friends no longer have living fathers, just wonderful memories of these very special men in their lives.  I have many fond memories of my dad, too.

This is my 14th Father’s Day in Haiti.  I don’t remember celebrating a single one with our Haitian friends.  Mother’s Day is right up there with Christmas, New Year’s and Easter, while Father’s Day is hardly ever spoken of, if at all.  I know quite a few wonderful Haitian fathers who work day and night, trying to provide for their families.  I have the greatest respect for them and it is my prayer that the young men being raised in our churches and schools will follow in their footsteps.

I hope all you dads have had a wonderful celebration today.  Happy Father’s Day to you!

Medical Clinics

We had a full week of medical clinics this week, with our visiting RNs Beth Studenroth and Janet Knechel.  They helped many students and neighbors in both Thozin and St Etienne.  We are so grateful for their hard work in difficult circumstances.  They headed home yesterday, but the people whose lives they touched will remember them.

Our friends at the Chapel (Akron, OH) are at it again.  They will be sending another bus to us this Fall.  This one is a full length school bus that they will convert into a mobile medical clinic.  The plan is to have a pharmacy, lab, dental area and private exam room in the bus.  This will enable us to just drive up to a location (such as a school or church) and easily set up a clinic for the day.  How exciting is this?!!!

Soon to be mobile medical clinic!

June in Haiti

One word comes to mind when I think of June in Haiti.  HOT!!!  It seems each year people start talking about the heat in June, usually remarking that it’s “hotter this year than it was last.”  For me, being New England born and raised, June is the very beginning of Summer heat.  It doesn’t compare to July and early August, when its seemingly always hot.  But here in Haiti, the heat arrives much earlier and I always consider it the hottest month in Haiti.  That should be encouraging to all of you heading our way in July.  🙂

Tomato at the Thozin campus

June is usually the beginning of harvest here, as well.  We’ve had a few watermelons already and lots of okra.  By the way, I never even tasted okra until I moved to Haiti and I didn’t like it – at all.  Now, I didn’t find this out until after the fact, but Mommy Lolo, who worked for us in the early years, asked the Lord to give me a taste for okra.  She knew how much Lex enjoyed it and it seemed to her that it would be much better if we both enjoyed it.  Of course, I like okra just fine now.  🙂

June is also graduation time.  Tomorrow in Thozin and Tuesday in St Etienne, we will be celebrating with our students graduating from preschool, primary and secondary schools.   It’s always a high energy event that students, staff and family go all out for.  We are so proud of all of them!

With the end of June comes the end of school and a quick transition into Conference mode.  The first week of July we will be holding our 14th annual church conference in Thozin.  We invite dozens of churches from around the country to join us for three full days of praise, worship, prayer, teaching and preaching.  Many of the people who come will stay here at the church, so it’s a great opportunity for our church members to become hospitable.  They will be cooking food almost around the clock, transforming the church with flowers and curtains, making sure fans are in place, bringing carpets and pots and other needed items from home to accommodate their guests…  It’s a lot of hard work, but the people are so blessed to be able to give of themselves wholeheartedly to serve the Lord by serving others.

Please enjoy a few photos from the week:

English service praise and worship team. GOOD sounds!

New dorm room being constructed at the missionary compound

Church service this morning in Thozin.

We housed a team from Acts of Mercy at the missionary compound this week.

Janina and Peter continue working on the restaurant in St Etienne