Merry Christmas to you all,
David and I are preparing for our first Christmas away from the states since we've been on the field. Seems each previous year we were always home on leave and visiting churches during December. I packed a few "fold up" six inch Christmas trees, a Haitian nativity set and some beautiful wooden ornaments from Zambia that I have strung across our bookshelf..but missing our family and grandchildren very much...
We have been so fortunate to find a great group of expats here. We get together once a month for a potluck, fellowship and bible study and we had a great Thanksgiving dinner together. They have been able to steer us in the direction of things we need. Part of the group are two young mothers with four and nine month old boys. Last Sunday Sada, the mom to Isaiah and wife to Gabe (a dentist) broke down and talked about her struggles. She and her husband were here for a few years before Isaiah but now it's a lot harder. She misses her mom and I told her I'd try to fill in when she needs me. I'd love to babysit, I miss our grandchildren so much. It's such a pleasant surprise to have found a solid support system. Of course, we know that nothing is really a surprise, God had it all planned.
Anyway, we are going to spend Christmas eve at a nice beach and Christmas day will be church and then a get together with our friends. Things screech to a halt during the holidays here so we will have a rest. God "plopped" a great Wesleyan church not too far from us. It's in Juie, a small town about 20 minutes from us. It's wonderful and it's even in English! The pastor is amazing, he marches up and down the aisles making his points. One thing... they have, what I think would compare to the nuns of my youth in Catholic school. Two ladies.. dressed identically.. one on each side of the church in the rear. Their job (I gather) is to keep everyone in line. If a child misbehaves, the church lady "appears" (with a switch in hand) and gently (honestly gently) prods them. If an adult falls asleep, they are "encouraged" to wake up... not so gently. Needless to say, the children (and most adults) are very well behaved:) They take three or four offerings each service, one for the church, one for people in need and two for what they call the birthday club. We were confused but then someone explained it to us. All the parishioners that are born January through July donate in one basket and August through December in another basket. They count it during the final songs and then announce that weeks winners. The money is put into a fund to help people in the congregation that are in need. We were fortunate enough to be there when they presented monies from that fund to families in the church for their Christmas gift. It was priceless!
Our home is becoming "our" home. Walter has been in the "doghouse" for chasing the neighbors chickens and Diesel is always in search of water or mud to roll in. I woke this morning to find Rocky (the cat) chasing a toad through the living room. Not sure where that came from?? Last week I did a load of wash, opened the door to take the clothes out and had one of those see through (like Zambian toilet frogs) frogs jump out at me. The guard got a big laugh out of seeing me jump. Only thing I can figure out is he got in the through the water tank or the hose. While driving the mountain road last week (think of a rough four wheeler trail with huge holes) we noticed beautiful plants and trees offered for sale. We stopped and purchased gorgeous potted plants, trees and flowers for only $1.20 each. They would have cost a fortune in the states. Prices are so bizarre here, I found OxyClean here, the price was $35. Insane...
We have a few families that live in a building behind our house. The four kids are quickly becoming attached to David (surprise, surprise). John, Thomas, Isaac and Sarah are so sweet but are, as many here, suffering from malnutrition. Distended bellies and a tinge of red/orange to their hair. Most here don't often eat any type of meat or dairy products thus they are lacking in numerous vitamins. We're trying to help by offering what they call candy but are really calcium chews we brought with us. They daily diet consists of rice and greens. The other day David had backed the truck up in the "backyard" and soon we noticed the kids sitting behind the truck playing and laughing. We walked back and realized they were looking at their reflections in the rear bumper. I doubt they have ever seen themselves in a mirror. The little things...
David has been working like a wild man and loves it. His crew of 25 men have almost finished clearing 40 acres of land. He just received a chain saw and if you could have seen him leave the house with it, like a kid showing off his new toy. They were able to cut down a number of small trees and now the villagers will make charcoal from it. The site looks wonderful and gives potential tenants a much better idea of what the zone has to offer. Next step, carving out individual plots. He has another big project, planting three acres of pineapple. There is a huge potential tenant in the process of making their final decision about building on the site. Please pray that they decide favorably, it would be a huge boost for the zone. In the process of acquiring solar panels that will run a pump for the site water system which will save tons of money spent for diesel fuel. That project will begin after the first of the year. David found out last week while we were paying the workers that they have a "sunshine" fund. Each payday, each man contributes 5000 leones (about $1.20) to the fund. One of the men keeps the fund and It's used for any of the workers that have an emergency in their family or a specific need. Pretty neat, huh? I'm baking Christmas cookies today and tomorrow we will feed the workers lunch and treats before they begin their holiday leave.
The headman, who is in charge of this particular area, is also a school teacher. He's a nice man and is working to teach us Krio. He teaches at a secondary school and after the holidays I will be helping out as a teacher assistant a few days a week. I'm anxious to get to know people and have people get to know me. Knitting/sewing class won't start until after the new year. I have a number of different projects I am anxious to start, all working with the people. Currently I'm putting my accounting and computer skills to good use. Tracking expenditures on site and processing payroll for all the workers. In the final stages of obtaining quotes for installation of wireless internet on the site. That will be a great draw for potential investors. I've really been enjoying my walks and now that I feel more comfortable I've been stopping and chatting. The children seem to think it's quite daring to touch a "obotu". They shake my hand or touch my arm and run back to their friends doing gestures similar to high fives... So cute! I encounter chickens, goats, cows and many dogs who seem to be nervous around "obotu". One poor dog, with a horrible limp, was trying to chase me today...barking all the while. They usually just bark from a distance. While digging and planting my flowers and trees around our house, I discovered these HUGE beetles that live deep in the soil, YUCK! Me and my bugs...
This is truly a beautiful country, gorgeous beaches and rolling green hills. We have seen so many palm trees here but noticed a number of men climbing them to hang up plastic jugs. They are tapping the trees (much like maple trees) for palm oil. It's a lucrative business here. Unfortunately along with the many beautiful palm trees there are many that have no fronds anymore and look like large logs stuck in the ground. When I asked why, we were told if they tap the trees too often, it kills them. A healthy palm tree can be tapped regularly and live to be 30-40 years old but I'm sure it's hard to remember that when you are hungry. French fries made in palm oil are absolutely amazing! There is hardly any litter, it's wonderful. We've seen many handwritten signs on mountain roads warning people not to litter. Considering the mountains of litter we saw in Haiti...it's so clean here.
Great devotional I would like to share with you taken from the books of Isaiah, Psalm and James. "Make me the focal point of your search for security. In your private thoughts, you are still trying to order your world so that it is predictable and feels safe. Not only is this an impossible goal, but it is also counter-productive to spiritual growth. When your private world feels unsteady and you grip My hand for support, you are living in conscience dependence on Me". This really struck me when I read it, I realized that since we have a home here I've been subconsciously using it to make myself feel more secure. Isn't it amazing how quickly material things can inch their way into our lives? My first thought was to admonish myself but I stopped instead and thanked God for bringing this to my attention (again). During this season, when everything we see and hear is telling us to buy, buy, buy...what an amazing realization to know the only gift we ever need is his perfect love and it's FREE! May we remember the real reason for this season, our Saviors' birth. We pray that God continues to bestow his peace, joy and love to each of you.
In Him,
Mr. David and Mrs. David
Just a reminder, the end of the year is quickly approaching, any contribution made before December 31 will be a charitable deduction on your 2011 income tax return. You may send them to World Hope International, Attn: Contributions Lockbox, P O Box 17151, Baltimore, MD 21297-1151. Please remember to enter our constituent number 28163 on the memo line of your check. You may also donate by credit/debit card and if you have questions please call 1-888-466-4673 and ask for donor services. The quickest way to donate directly to our account is on-line at https://giving.wesupport.org/gift2/designation.php?GUID=0A797C5B-2B8A-4686-AB22-A52383315A6B&id=7327 . Thank you!
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