Bonjou! Koman ou ye? Mwen byen… (Good morning, how are you, I’m fine)
My last few weeks have been spent being a “shed” (house) wife. I’ve even discovered that you can scrub bare wood with a broom (can you tell I have some time on my hands?) and it helps fight the ants! We are still at war! It’s not fair that they are invisible…Serving coffee in the morning, sweeping the shed, working on laundry and spending three hours a day studying Creole armed with my software, workbooks and CDs. I’m getting it! Now to overcome the intimidation of speaking it. David has started building a school in DeCurtis, outside of Petit Goave, so I’ve been able to spend time with him the last few weeks. The kids from Percin, Johno, Dotsie, Reginald and Livingston have been helping me with my Creole. I practice with them, they laugh and correct me and then I try to teach them the English words for what I’m trying to say. The ladies in the kitchen, Mary, Lorett and Vanessa have also been helping me. It only took me 10 minutes to explain that I needed a birthday cake for a team member.. I didn’t even have to use hand signals or draw anything Now they know I understand a little I have to keep reminding them to “pale lan” (speak slowly) so I can try to understand. Pray that I’m able to continue to overcome my fear of speaking…
We went to visit Percin (the fishing village) last week and were so happy to see that another group is building single room homes of wood for many of the people. It’s wonderful to see the people painting their houses and making them their own. Percin has always been very poor and most structures there are made up of scraps of tin. The people there are always full of smiles and kind words to say… A few churches in the states have become very supportive of Percin and can’t wait for them to see the changes.
The cleanup and rebuilding is continuing to explode! We see dump trucks picking up loads of rubble and garbage from the street and bulldozers taking down large buildings. For those of you who have been here, the Caribbean market (which was shown on much of CNN footage after the quake) has been reduced to a small pile of rubble. Small buildings are popping up all over, the people that used to live in tents on the median in the street are moving and a number of empty spaces can be seen on the soccer field which is Leoganes’ large tent city. Many of these tents have been up for almost nine months and are falling apart. I don’t think tents were made for daily occupancy. Hopefully that may encourage people to find other shelter. Haiti looks much different than when we arrived six months ago. They still have so much work to do and they are in need of our help and prayers. Please continue to lift the country and people in your daily prayers.
Many of you are aware that David and I have been struggling with being spiritually fed since we’ve been in Haiti. The past few weeks have been delightful! Two different teams from our home district in Michigan have visited to build a church in DeCurtis. Last week each morning we had worship services with the team and then to our surprise, the Wesleyan church in Petit Goave has moved its’ services to the campground while they renovate their church. Imagine waking in the morning to the most beautiful voices singing and praising Jesus. Church here begins at 6 AM and goes until 9:30 or 10 am. We watched as hundreds of people trickled in for service. The most beautiful children and all dressed up for church, one little girl holding her mom and dads’ hands, dressed in a bright red dress with matching red lace socks and black Mary Jane shoes. Her hair tied up with red and white bows. She was just smiling and looking between her parents. The most unusual thing, so many children but no talking, whining or crying during service. The school age children cross their arms across their chests when they pray. We attended the service and joined in worship singing their hymns in English and feeling so peaceful. Didn’t understand much of the sermon but it was wonderful…
This morning was ladies bible study, what a wonderful experience! The ladies gather, read their bibles and then proceed to begin corporate prayer which involves kneeling, laying on the ground or standing on the bench. I wonder when/why we Americans became so stoic in our worship? It was so exciting to be part of their service and although I couldn’t understand everything being said I definitely got the point! God was being exalted and praised in so many ways. It’s been three hours and the ladies are still going strong…
The church and the school are being built at the same site. The first team came down, set the posts, built the trusses and put them up. The second team has put the roof on and finished the tin work. The first team included the pastor, Chris Steinle, that led the first mission trip I ever went on. God used him mightily to speak to me during that trip and we talked about how that changed my and Davids’ life forever. He and I prayed that first trip that God would speak to Davids’ heart about missions and just look what happened…Who would have thought 10 years later we’d be sitting on a different mission field talking about how God answers prayer? The second team is a few men from our church and it’s so nice to hear what is happening at home. They brought “gifts” from home. Pop tarts, beef jerky, starbucks coffee, peanut butter, mixed nuts etc! It’s amazing what comfort a little piece of home brings… Thanks to all our church family, especially Colleen Syzskowski and her husband Mike. They went to many different stores and many places donated items to bring to us. We are so blessed to be part of a wonderful church. Please take a moment to lift Colleen up in prayer, she will be undergoing surgery next week.
Continuing with some of my comments from the last update… I reflect back on when I thought we were making such a sacrifice to follow God and go to Zambia to serve his people. Of course I knew we would have a house to live in with bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom and electricity. When I think of it now, if God had first called us to Haiti I wonder…would I have gone?? The truth about ourselves and the inward glimpses we get can be overwhelming. I worry how long will it take, after we are back in the states, or serving in another country someday before I won’t think of people in tents the minute it starts to rain? That I won’t appreciate water that so readily comes out of the tap, the shower and thousands of water fountains everywhere? Holding the heel of bread in my hand and knowing it is probably someones’ meal for the day? As I’ve “suffered” in my Coleman tent with a floor, a portable fan, a cot that keeps me off the ground and more food then I can eat… I could say life here is hard but I really don’t have a clue and sometimes I feel like a hypocrite. But… I am so thankful that God knows all those answers and he has brought me to where I am today, which is exactly where he wants me! I can sit on the ocean wall with my husband and truly enjoy the beauty of a sunset without being distracted. I feel a great burden lifted off me, not having to create a perfect nest in order to feel happy. I sit in the shed filled with this childlike wonder that I can be so happy here. Home doesn’t have a look anymore, it’s a sense of peace wherever I am. There is a contentment in me that I have been longing for all my life. What’s that old song “Looking for contentment in all the wrong places”…Our marriage is stronger than its’ ever been and we’ve learned to see all the miracles around us and stopped looking outward for things to make us happy. We are a work in progress and it’s exciting to think of what God has in store for us…We pray that we never forget what we have seen and been part of and that it continue to grow us stronger in our walk with the Lord.
Thanks to all of you for helping us to reach this point in our lives. Without your prayers and support, we wouldn’t be where we are today and it’s a great place to be!!!!!!!!!!!! There are so many times during the day that we actually sense someones’ prayers. Mesi beaucoup! I’ve posted a number of pictures on Facebook and the website, check them out…
We will be back in the states November 20th through mid January. The Haiti elections are coming up and due to the political climate it is better we are not in country. There will be a new president this year, no more terms for the current one. Please join us in praying that God make his desires known. If you and/or your church would like to have us share about our work here in Haiti, please email and we’ll put you on the schedule. We still have a few dates available and we’d love to visit! We continue to work our way out of the financial slump and in order for us to remain on the field , we do need your continued support. The end of the year is fast approaching and remember all your donations are tax-deductible. If you wish to contribute, please follow the instructions on our website, www.thewattersfamily.blogspot.com or call World Hope at 1-888-466-4673 and ask for donor services (make sure you ask them to apply your contribution to our account number 28163) If you wish to make a donation by mail:
World Hope International
Attn: Contributions Lockbox
P O Box 17151
Baltimore, MD 21297-1151
Please note our name and account number (28163)on your check
May God be your strength and comfort today and everyday!
David and Madam David,
alias Bef (Haitians can’t pronounce th..)
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