Ti Riviere, Haiti - Week 1

Hello from Ti Riviere!

Well we have made the trip and we are here.  All our travel went as well as we could have hoped and all our luggage also arrived safely.  The girls did well and we were so thankful for Bethany Perissien, one of our team members, who traveled the whole way with us from Sioux Falls to the property.  This allowed us to have one adult for each daughter while managing luggage, an overnight stay, and a few flights.

First impression from the girls was that this is going to be a good place.  They were excited to see the kids in the MH orphanage, they loved the palm trees, their room was nicely set up for them with bunkbeds, and the fact they get to play outside all day with an abundance of people willing to play has shaped up to be a good experience thus far.

Logan, being the oldest, is perceptive to more and so has taken a bit more to jump in with both feet but she has a very willing and kind heart.  Logan really enjoys the food and takes her time to be by herself and read.  She is willing to jump in and help when needed and has warmed up to the kids who are around throughout the day.  Logan said the other day how she has come to love showers in Haiti because they do not have a roof and we can look at the stars… plus there are moments of feeling chilled from the water!

Aubrey is our little social butterfly.  Kids are always asking where she is so they can play.  She just giggles and smiles which is the language that breaks all barriers here.  Just as in SD, Aubrey has her piles of “junk” lying around which she claims are treasures… I (Sara) am working on being okay with this as we continue to find order in our new surroundings.

Regan is the same old “full of life” Regan.  Her comment they other day was how her favorite thing so far was that ‘everyone thinks I am great here.’  Oh dear, oh dear.  The Haitian students think she is hilarious and have often commented how they like to hear her talk… well, we will see how soon that wears off.  Regan too is making fast friends but requires a watchful eye until we can establish where she should and should not be.

For Tim and I, we are just trying to get adjusted.  We knew this would take a while but it is much easier to say than to do.  We feel we need to be more helpful at this point, but the daily tasks of our day are taking a lot of thought and effort right now.  Our house is pretty well organized… for now.  It seems we keep finding better organizational systems or locations to put things to make our day more efficient.  It is also going to take us a bit to become acquainted with living on a property with people around a lot of the day.  Privacy is something I have noticed I miss at times throughout the day.   Each day little things are getting to become more normal.  We are thankful for small victories throughout our days.

We sent a team off Saturday morning, and so now will come the time for Tim to sit down with the rest of the team and figure out his role.  This all takes time and for now we are doing our best to make sure the girls are doing well.

The rest of the Mission Haiti staff has been great.  They have helped us transition and have been a source of encouragement in lots of ways.  At 6:00 each day we all get together for a time of singing, prayer and sharing of how we have seen God work in our day.  It is a time we learn a lot from and are thankful for how they maintain focus on God’s faithfulness amidst things that can be so discouraging.

We are so thankful we have made it this far and I made the comment to our team the other day that I feel like we are going to look back at this time and say “remember when…”   This first week has stretched us, grown us, challenged us and encouraged us to place all control in God’s plan, not ours.  Please continue to pray that this time of transition continues to go smoothly.  There have been bumps, but our hearts can rest in knowing our Lord is the all sovereign God who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Keep praying for us and the entire ministry of Mission Haiti.  There is so much potential here, we just need to make sure we are seeking wisdom and discernment from God in the direction He leads our efforts.  Planning and preparations are such an interesting concept in a country like Haiti.  At times it seems like we need to over prepare, only to learn that our best efforts were not intended to work out how we thought they would.

Please also keep Lucy, one of the MH orphanage girls, in your prayers.  She has decided after a decade of living here to return to Port au Prince with her mother.  This is not a good situation.  Please pray and army of God's angels to surround her right now.

Here are a few pictures that I hope can shed some light on what our first week has looked like.

Logan and Aubrey playing a game on Aubrey's bed.  They think the bug nets are awesome.

More legos

Aubrey and Dolkey playing tic-tac-toe.  He is one of the oldest in the MH orphanage.

Regan has found feathered friends in Haiti.

Aubrey and Logan helping out with distribution

The view out our bedroom window

I promise more pictures soon... but right now the speed to upload a picture is not real great.  I hope to try again soon though.

Last Week in the U.S. for a While

I just wanted to give a brief update about how the last week is going before we take off Saturday.  I promise this post will be straight to the point!

• On Sunday our church family had a very meaningful worship service put together about missions where we were able to share followed by a potluck.  Thank you again to all who put effort into this day, we were beyond blessed and felt very loved.
• The girls spent their last overnight stays at both sets of Grandparents.
• This allowed Tim and I to tackle the task of packing suitcases for Haiti and what was left in our house for storage.  So much got accomplished, and we are feeling pretty good about fitting all we need into our 10, 50 lb suitcases.
• Many visitors have stopped over to say their final goodbyes.  It is greatly appreciated and know all these people have been put in our lives by God to walk beside us.
• The next couple days will be mostly getting boxes and furniture we are keeping in storage where it all needs to go, as well as last minute cleaning.
• These days will also be filled with calling last minute providers with our change of information and/or canceling services... Tim gets this lovely job.

Here are a few items to specifically be in prayer about:

• For final details to get wrapped up smoothly.
• For physical health and strength... and quality sleep.
• For some difficult 'goodbyes' to go as well as they can.
• For excitement and joy as we step into a big time of transition.
• For any doubt & fear be surrendered to the Lord.
• For Saturday and Sunday as we travel (Our flight leaves Sioux Falls Airport at 12:30 on Saturday with a layover in Dallas, then onto Miami where we will spend the night before taking off agin at 7:40, Sunday morning.  Our hope is to be on the bus headed to the village of Ti Riviere by 10 a.m. Sunday morning with all our bags and team members we are flying with!)
• For the first minutes, hours, and days to be filled with love and peace, as everything will be new for us and those we will be living with.
• Praise for those who have called, written or stopped by to say goodbye, provided food, and pray with us.
• Praise that this week of preparation has gone as smoothly as it has.

It is our hope to update this blog within the first week of our arrival in Haiti.  Be looking for a more interesting post, and hopefully one which contains some images of lots of 'firsts.'

Until then, we will be taping up the last of the boxes and making the most of our time amongst familiar family and friends.