… took the helm of Cowman School today and, I have to say, so far I really love her.I’m blowing the summer dust off this blog to widely announce a big change in the administration at Cowman International School. Our former principal, Angie Bundy, has asked my wife, Melissa, to fill the role of principal and this morning, when all the teachers gathered upstairs at Radio4VEH next door to begin the new school year, the baton was officially passed.Angie will remain as director of the school but is, I believe, more than happy to pass to Melissa the burden of…

This is the trend for our summers: blog updates get lost in all the commotion of …TRAVEL  SPEAKING CATCHING UP WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY and EATING. Lots of eating. Mostly ice cream and pizza. I have internet access available today, so I thought I had better post a few photos and a quick update.This is our fourth summer back and I am finding there are things I can expect to experience upon each return.Like being overwhelmed by the abundance of choices in food and snacks. Being puzzled by some weird aspects of American culture. Enjoying a happy reunion with Oreo, who…

Many thanks to all who prayed for visas recently for our Haitian friends. I am sad to report that our trip to Port-au-Prince did not yield the visas we had hoped for. Ruysdael, Johnny and Mikken were disappointed by the results, but they remain optimistic about the future and PATIENT in the present.  They know that sometimes God answers our prayers with a “Yes”, sometimes with a “No” and often with a “Not Yet”. We are hoping this is simply a “Not Yet” and we trust the Lord’s timing. That’s not to say we aren’t frustrated. We took the 2…

So let me explain what I mean by describing OURSELVES as a “needy” family. I am sure most of you realize that we and our family’s work here in Haiti are dependent on the friends, family, strangers and churches who give financial gifts to our support account with OMS. Some give special gifts now and then, some give annually and many even give monthly. As we tackle day to day work responsibilities and the (endless) variety of unexpected challenges along the way, Melissa and I always must keep an eye on that support account. (Each time I look it over, I…

Yesterday my family joined about two dozen assorted friends driving a bit over an hour over extremely bumpy roads to reach a little known natural wonder here in the north of Haiti: a series of 19 spring-fed waterfalls tumbling through magnificent boulders down a mountainside. 

A day, a week and a year from now, I will reach the half century mark. Typically a chronic procrastinator, I find some strange inner drive to plan ahead for these big, bittersweet birthdays. So I am getting a jump start on two things RIGHT NOW.1) My second “mid” life crisis. When I turned 40, I couldn’t afford a red convertible, so I had to settle for running a marathon. When it comes to athletic interest and ability, I have definitely proven to be a late bloomer. I had muscles toned like marshmallows when I was in my teen years and my…

Built to shelter several hundred worshipers and sporting both a balcony in the rear and a wall-to-wall choir loft above the pulpit, this church building is atypical for Haiti.  Although I drive past it quite often, this was my first time inside … and it was a sad occasion: Pastor Joza’s funeral.  An entire battalion of young ushers (in blue shirts in the photo above) were deployed throughout the building to keep order. They kept the main aisle clear but the balcony and stairs and the rear of the sanctuary held a bustling crowd of mourners, shoulder-to-sweaty-shoulder, that spilled onto the…

Cowman usually enjoys an early spring break because OMS Haiti tends to choose the week of Mardi Gras as the best time for our annual missionary staff retreat.My family was excited to be going to the Dominican Republic for a few days and especially excited to have Pastor Phil Dicks from Grundy Center, Iowa join us as our retreat leader for the teens. The week most definitely would not have been the same without him – he is the life of the party everywhere he goes. You’ll notice that most of my pictures from the week include him in one…

In recent weeks, instead of making laps around the mission grounds, I have been getting my exercise by jogging through local neighborhoods. It gets me outside the walls of the mission grounds and, now and then, a bit of practice in conversational Creole. I always have my phone along – in case of emergency, yes, but mostly for taking photos. For whatever reason, lately many of my favorite photo opportunities on these runs have involved homemade toys.Here’s a soccer goal just across the street from the mission. For perspective, you need to know that Haitian goals tend to be about…

I did a double-take and then had to snap a picture of this sight on a side street not far from our house while I was on a morning run a few days ago.Haitians often decorate their passenger vehicles with slogans in Creole or French – “The Blood of Jesus”, “Only God”, etc. My single year of college French from 30 years ago aided me in recognizing the meaning behind this once boldly painted inscription of “CONFIANCE EN DIEU”.Yup, “Confidence in God”.