A few weeks ago, I sat with one of my 8th grade girls, conferencing over a five paragraph essay. (Yes, I employ this traditional torture device on my students.) I complimented this young lady on her writing style and clarity – the best I had seen among my Haitian students. At one point I said, “Your writing is especially amazing for a student working in English as a second language.”She said, “Oh, English isn’t my second language – it’s my first.””I don’t understand – were you born in the States?””No. I’ve never been to the States,” she smiled shyly.”Then how is English…

We are coming off an incredible week with a visiting team from a very supportive church, led by wonderfully dear friends. I need to get to bed and it has literally taken me all afternoon and evening to get the photos below to upload on the internet, so now I am going to let them do most of the speaking, since it has gotten late and mornings come early.Our time with the Iowans from Grundy Center United Methodist Church began late Friday evening. My Haitian sons were almost as anxious as I was to be reunited with Pastor Phil and…

Our hostess, Stacey Ayars, always goes all out on setting the atmosphere for a special gathering. Brett Bundy butchered one of his turkeys for the occasion.  Matt and Stacey’s newest family addition got lots of attention throughout the day. The highlight of the day was the worship. Annual tradition: Stacey organizes the post-meal group photo. I was reminded of the REALITY of my life: SO MUCH to be thankful for.I am thankful for great co-workers and meaningful work. I will be praying that YOUR Thanksgiving will be a time to pause and that the Lord will clear away the day-to-day…

Happy to report tonight that this Sunday was much better for our dear friend Johnny and his mother, Therese. Last Sunday she was literally near death after contracting cholera. In the course of caring for her (and worrying at her bedside), Johnny himself ended up sick, but thankfully the diagnosis ruled out cholera.Caleb and Samuel and I made a quick trip up the hillside this afternoon to see the family and Therese is home and looking like her old self again. She knows so many of you were lifting her in prayer and she is very thankful. She plans to…

First and foremost tonight I write to plead for prayers on behalf of my dear friend, Johnny, and his mother, Therese.Yesterday we were anticipating a quiet, stay-at-home day due to the presidential elections here in Haiti and our great desire to keep out of the way. (Praise the Lord, the election process turned out to be overwhelmingly peaceful and orderly! We had nothing to worry about.)But while we were sleeping in (after a fun day of celebrating Melissa’s birthday), Johnny arrived on our porch, exhausted and in tears. The story came clear over the next several hours in bits and…

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!Praise Him all creatures here below!The days have been hot and sticky and, as a result, I tend to deflate irreversibly in the evenings as soon as I sit down at home. As a result, very little blogging gets done, even with so much to celebrate from day to day. Most evenings, my only accomplishment tends to be keeping on top of grading papers and lesson plans – and even that raises a sweat.So I sit before my bug-covered laptop screen tonight (as a rainstorm rolls in with a cool breeze), looking at some recent pictures and…

Looking sharp and bright eyed, our four were ready for the first day of 8th grade (Hannah), 7th grade (Samuel), 3rd grade (Sarah) and 9th grade (Caleb). With our long summer in the States followed by their parents working every day prepping at school for the previous two weeks (and often requiring THEIR help), our kids had definitely hit the point where they were ready to get back into the school routine.Of course, every new school year reveals lots of changes, one of which brings Mr. Ben, Melissa’s protege from last year, into the position of lead teacher for first…

Looking sharp and bright eyed, our four were ready for the first day of 8th grade (Hannah), 7th grade (Samuel), 3rd grade (Sarah) and 9th grade (Caleb). With our long summer in the States followed by their parents working every day prepping at school for the previous two weeks (and often requiring THEIR help), our kids had definitely hit the point where they were ready to get back into the school routine.Of course, every new school year reveals lots of changes, one of which brings Mr. Ben, Melissa’s protege from last year, into the position of lead teacher for first…

I apologize for keeping you in suspense over seeing the results of this summer’s construction project at Cowman School.  There were two main parts to what was built:Project #1: The patio which used to function as our cafeteria and large group gathering area for chapel was walled in and converted into a new classroom – the largest on campus. And it’s MINE. 😉Rating: Excellent. Everything is painted, inside and out …  The five windows allow plenty of cross breezes.The door to Angie’s office was moved to the outside .. … and a visiting team made sure I had outlets as of…

… then right back into full-on summer.Five days of our last week in the States was spent with Grandma Trudy on a family trip to northern Michigan. No sharing about Haiti on the schedule, just (chilly) pool time, sleeping in, and a day trip to Mackinac Island. The ferry to the island was quite cool in the morning, but by afternoon, it felt like a mild autumn day – perfect for biking and exploring (and eating fudge). A Norman Rockwell kind of day in a Thomas Kinkade kind of place!  One evening, we managed to find a hayride. We even…