We are home

Our last words on our trip: we arrived home in Yarmouth around 3:30 PM Wednesday. We had a wonderful trip to Port Au Prince. We left the compound at 6:00 AM with Karen, Luckner, Gail and Trueman in the HATS truck with a policeman and a mechanic in the back. Timote (driver)and Dickie were in the cab of the Tap Tap "Jesus of Nazareth" and Pastor Jim and I in the back with a policeman and the money collector who usually works the Tap Tap. Pastor Jim and I were told we could only drive so far in the back of the Tap Tap and then they would take us inside when they thought it was too dangerous to stay outside. Well, they either decided it was safe enough or they forgot about us (haha) but we stayed there the whole trip and even through Port Au Prince! I had never been in the city before and was thrilled that we were going there. We drove through quite a busy section...maybe there isn't a less busy section...and enjoyed all I saw. Then we went to the Immigration Office and waited there (in an air conditioned room) for about an hour while Karen got some papers signed. There we were 5 blancs sitting in a row of chairs enjoying the cool air while others came and went. Patrick the Policeman stayed with us! Then it was off to the airport and say our goodbyes and thank everyone who got us there safely. As usual there was bedlam there ( not as bad as when you arrive) and we managed to get through the line up almost unscathed. We had a 2 1/2 hour wait there and then headed for home. Montreal was cold and snowy and I never enjoyed the cold so much. I stood in the cold air and breathed deeply and the next morning when we left the hotel for the airport it was snowing and I again stood in the snow and held my face into it and enjoyed it so much. I was only wearing summer clothes and it felt wonderful!
We had an uneventful trip to Halifax and Donnie was there to meet us with our truck and winter clothes and we headed to pick up Tagish ( at Shondi's)and then for home. Thank you to all who supported us and prayed for us, we appreciate you all.

Last Word

To all you who know me you know I have to have the last word! This is no exception! It is 11:30 PM and we had a big family time tonight and the five of us were seated in a row and each of the family members: 14 kids, Mommy Cecile, Karen and Luckner all wrote us cards and expressed their appreciation for all we had done and told us how much they loved us. It was an emotional time for everyone and a few tears shed.
P. Jim and Cabano, Ricardo, Fritz and Luckner are at Luckners house and they are going to sleep on the roof...if they ever stop calling us for things they lost or misplaced. I lost my clipons and Dickie just had to go to the school (Karen would not let him go without security) and there they were on the cement ledge where I put them this morning.
Mommy Cecile and the bigger kids are out cleaning the truck for travel tomorrow. There will not be much sleep tonight. We have to have our time on the roof yet and the clock is set for 4:15AM.
We will feel the cold tomorrow and I can hardly wait!
Sandra

Our Last Day

Hi Folks….
This will be our last blog from Haiti… Tomorrow morning at 5a.m. we will be on the road to Port –au- Prince. It has been a hard evening, because we know we will not be seeing these dear people again before we leave and for security reasons we have not been able to say goodbye. We have tried to act a normal as possible all day, which has been difficult. We started off this morning with a wonderful worship time together and when we sang “Bind us together Lord” It was hard to keep the tears from flowing. After a good breakfast of Haitian style porridge, we went over to the School. The report cards were being handed out. What a daunting thing that was. Luckner gave them a long pep talk on the importance of not only their marks but their attitudes as well. All the parents came with the children, and each teacher got up in turn from the youngest grade to the highest. The cards were given out one by one with comments from the teacher or the principal (Luckner) The last place student’s name was called first and so on up to the two highest in the class. The top two of each class received a gift for their work There were some very upset parents and some very sad children. Another HOT HOT day with the thermometer unable to tell us exactly how hot it was because it could not register above 50 Celsius. Pastor Jim is camping out on the roof under the stars tonight with three of the teenagers over at Luckner’s home. We are all sad at the thought of leaving our new friends and brothers and sisters in Christ. We thank you all for praying for us and hope that you will pray especially hard for us in the morning as we travel.. May God continue to bless you all.Gail for all.

The Lord's Day in Haiti.

Wow! Only one more full day, and we will begin our journey out of the beautiful country of Haiti! It has been a full trip. Full of vision, blessing, God’s Wonder, renewed memories, children laughing, strengthening relationships, God’s Voice, leader’s compassion, shared experiences, and so so much more! God is good! The day began with breakfast around the table (of course!) and we all rushed off to church next door at the school. The school children, some of the school staff and a handful of the community gather each Sunday to worship the risen Savior. What a beautiful service it was. Plenty of music, specials in song, testimonies and one of the best sermons I’ve heard in a long time. (and yes, I preached!:P) Best of all, was the fact that God’s Presence was felt in a big way. Those attending arrived early, on time and late. Yes, all three. (Some things are the same as they are in Canada!) After church, the H.A.T.S. family came back to the house for lunch before a family outing. All twenty two loaded into a small pick-up truck (eleven inside, eleven outside)! The Mounties would have had a “hay day” with us! Not to worry though, we were still safety minded! With all the arms and legs interlocked, no one could have fallen out if they tried! What a country! After we arrived at the river, the children weren’t long getting into the river for a swim! I was tempted, but swimming in my underclothes would not be fitting for a Senior Pastor from Canada. Besides, in public, all eyes are on the blanc! (…white boy from Canada) Fun was had by all, and yes, this is definitely a family! I was able to take a walk with Karen’s assistant director, Luckner, during our family outing. Wow! A great man of God with vision, compassion, and a huge heart for what is happening here in the ministry of H.A.T.S.! A lawyer, business man, and person who could be making money in other places, yet, feels his best investment is in the lives of these kids. With fifteen in the ophanage and close to two hundred students in the school, he is making an eternal difference. We discussed the need for more consistent support and better ways of casting the vision of H.A.T.S. to the people of North America. With Karen’s permission, we have invited him to join Karen on one of her trips back to Canada, so he can help her raise more support for this growing ministry. God is MORE than able! Okay, I’m bordering on being too lengthy. Suffice to say, it has been a full day. We returned safely back to the compound and the rest of the day has been filled with rest and interaction with the children. (And yes, they are beautiful!) If it weren’t that I am missing my beautiful family and our church family, I would just stay here. Blessings and Peace to all of you!
P. Jim

Our last Saturday

This will be short…it is to hot to write! It is 7:30 and I had hoped it would be cooler. We had a fairly quiet day, it was to hot to go outside or do anything. We had a bunch of kids arrive this morning for clothes and shoes and after that we went to the Verettes Market. Kids and teenagers are the same the world over….they see something they like and will try anything to make it fit no matter what. One little girl would have chopped off all her toes to make her shoes fit. Vladimy tried everything to get on a pair of runners he liked. This is the third writing of this blog. Sandra lost hers and I am on my second attempt. This has been the hottest day so far and the most humid. At noon the temperature was beyond what we could record. We started work on our last jobs once we got the generator on this afternoon. Trueman and Pastor Jim finished the clothesline and I put up the rest of the shelves in the children’s home. We then put the sewer lines back together. Sandra and Gail were busy at their jobs and looking after Alex. They hired a man yesterday to dig a hole and fill it with the sludge from the septic tank, not a pleasant job. Everyone except Trueman went to the market today in Verettes. Sandra went on the Moto with Luckner and got her nose sunburned. I wanted to see the parking lot full of horses, mules, donkeys and more than one ass. Everyone should experience a Haitian market, it is not something you could describe that anyone would believe. There was a huge pig laying where we parked the truck. The owner wanted me to pay for taking a picture of the pig. I have my picture and my money. It is sad that this wonderful trip is nearly over but we will be back. No one comes to Haiti only once.
Dickie

Another day

Good evening everyone. We have all had a very busy day, building shelves, painting, doing computer work, building and redesigning the divider in the school room, cleaning out a storage room and many other sundry jobs. We made sandwiches and took them over to the teachers who are busy doing up the report cards which the children will pick up on Monday. We also took them some yummy brownies which Sandra made last night and some pop. It is another very hot day here started out in the low 40's and worked it's way up in the 50's. Our thermometer only goes to 50 so we have no idea how hot it really was. For all of you who are wondering how Pastor Jim is doing.... He worked all day doing a variety of carpentry projects, so Diane if he ever tells you he can't do it, don't let him get away with it... He can. Yesterday Sandra and I had some excitement. We are both a little leery of spiders especially when they are 3 inches across. Well Dickie had one run over his hand and up the wall. We saw him up near the ceiling and were getting pretty brave walking closer to it. Then Dickie took something to move the spider who travelled at a terrific speed to the centre of the ceiling then dropped to the floor. You should have heard the screaming as Sandra and I ran out the shop. Sandra always cleans out the shop in the evening because we use the same room for group devotions in the morning. I must admit here that she was braver than I and swept out the room. We still don't know where he went. While peering in the door watching Sandra Dickie snuck up behind me and touched my neck, I nearly collided with the ceiling. It is hard to believe we have only 3 more full days here. The time has gone so fast. We have all been truly blessed by these wonderful people. Keep writing to us, we love to read you comments
Gail for us all

A Note of Truth From the Pastor (Beloved type)

Well, another day has almost finished. I left early this morning (at the invitation of our very own missionary, Karen Huxter) with Dickie and Luckner. We were most of the day in Saint Marc as our truck broke down once we got there. We had to go in and get supplies so I could finish my project. While they were trying to get a handle on the truck situation, it gave Dickie, Karen and I a great chance to visit. (it helped that we were in an air conditioned cafe!!) Then almost mysteriously, Dickie left us and I very much enjoyed hearing Karen's story of how she was called here many years ago and how God has led her every step of the way. It was inspiring! We did catch up with Dickie only to find out he had been a few blocks away keeping watch over our truck in temperatures that rose over one hundred and twenty degrees. By the time we found him, the truck was running and he was wet from head to toe waiting patiently for the rest of the crew to arrive! (A bit of a mix up!) In any event we were able to get the rest of the supplies (minus a few that I needed for my project) and head back to the missions compound. On our way, we were able to stop and see Luckner's home (Karen's assistant director), where four of the children live. What a place to behold. God is good to provide such wonderful environments for our children. We got back late afternoon just in time to get to work on our various projects. I finished mine (with some very capable help from Fritz) and we now have a screened in porch to enjoy the cool air of the evening for the remainder of the time we are here. (yes, the team owes it all to me!:P) I think Dickie still has a ways to go to finish his project. I think the heat is slowing him down:(. In all seriousness, we are enjoying our time here and trying to join in the ministry where God allows. As with any trip like this, we are growing, being stretched, and God is widening our eyes to peoples who love Jesus just like us and share in His Kingdom as our brothers and sisters. Won't heaven be grand!! Please pray for our continued safety and good health until we return home. Thank you for your prayers and interest in those we support financially along with our love and prayers. It is making a difference! God bless you all!!
Temperatures today were 50 +...pray for us!