December Update

I can't believe it's already half way December! There is so many things I want to write about, however keeping up with three active boys, and the reality of living in the third world means time to sit down and write is very limited! Even now I have a list of other things I should be doing, but since these two awesome people hope to arrive tomorrow, I wanted to quickly get an update in before I get too far behind. 

Jason, my handsome man, is working hard, like usual!

As part of the Christmas rush he helped out with transporting Christmas boxes from Samaritans Purse.

It's not all hard work though! Apparently, sometimes he just hangs around and eats cake!

Perks of being a pilot I guess! (He was gifted a piece of birthday cake from one of the missionary kids in the village he flew to!) 

All three boys are doing well! Jayden is a very kind hearted boy. This is a note he wrote me recently.

This past week he lost his first tooth, a very exciting event for him! At age 7, he was the last one in his class to lose a tooth which has made him quite frustrated on more than one occasion. When he came home from school on Friday with a very wiggly bottom tooth he was, of course, over the moon! "Mom!" Do you have an apple for me?" He begged.

But even with all the biting and chewing and wiggling, that stubborn tooth just held on tight! I tried to remind him about the value of patience, but when it still had not come out the following day, he begged me to pull it out for him. With the help of a tweezer it came out without a hitch and I had one happy boy, who according to him, 'tried very hard not to be proud'!



With Christmas approaching, we decorated the house to make it more cozy,

  
The boys loved it of course! I even found a snow 'recipe'. With two cups of baking soda and a quarter cup conditioner you can make some really great snow!

We even made a snowman without our hands getting cold!

Jayden also designed his own wrapping paper, which was a lot of fun!

Justin still struggles with the terrible twos at times. Here he decided he preferred to eat the long, unflavoured, uncut noodles out of the pan.

He can be really sweet too though. Especially with his baby brother 'Zander'.

Today he payed me the highest compliment he could think of by calling me a 'good boy'! Aww.. 

Alexander is the smiliest, friendliest baby I know.

He reminds me of the quote I once read when I was a kid: "Some people look at you and birds begin to sing!" Yup, that is Alexander, or Alex, or Lex, or Lexi or Zander, for you. He has a lot of nicknames, the latest one being 'rooster' as he has this funny tuft of hair that sticks up no matter how often I try to wet it down! 

For Christmas I got two very great gifts so far! Our toilet after many, many months is finally fixed and (can you believe it) the road in front of our house is PAVED! It wasn't a long process either, as roadwork often is here in Haiti. Within a matter of two weeks we had asphalt! Here is the event in pictures:

and now.. Voila!

Jayden said it now looks like we live in California! I'm not sure exactly why but something about the black colour of the asphalt apparently! 

The new road has significantly decreased the amount of dust wafting into our house daily for which I am very, very thankful! 

Finally, I promised to share some "life lessons" I've learned during our time here so here goes: 

One thing that really struck me in the 6 years we've lived here was how people from very different countries, cultures, backgrounds and denominations could work so well together. How could people do it so well here, when back home people, cultural groups, churches and denominations often had the tendency to be so exclusive? What was the secret? I think I found the answer in this quote from Augustine.

"In the essentials, unity; 

In non-essentials, liberty; 

In all things, charity. "

A Thankful Thanksgiving

As Dutch Canadians we could have celebrated Thanksgiving on November 20 like they do in Holland, or on October 12 like they do in Canada, but instead we celebrated it with our American friends on November 27. Call us culturally confused I guess! 

Cultural confusion, or should I say diversity, makes me think of our breakfast foods. On the menu at our house you will find: Brinta, or chocolate sprinkles on bread (Dutch) eggs on toast, or cereal (North American) or spaghetti (Haitian). We also dabble in Indonesian dinners as the Dutch had some colonies there once upon time. But I digress. 

I guess the reason we chose to celebrate the American Thanksgiving holiday instead of the others is because all the other MAF staff is American and thats when Jason has a few days off. Also, Jayden attends an American school and that's the holiday they take as well. 

As we've done in previous years we took one of our MAF airplanes, and together with two other MAF families, escaped the crowded capital and enjoyed a few days in the Domincan Republic. We soaked in the fresh ocean breezes and ran along deserted sandy beaches. We swam, snorkelled and surfed.  We built sandcastles, rode scooters and read books. We jumped in the waves, watched sunsets and ate ice cream. It was wonderful! 

Justin loved it so much that ever since we got back he can't stop asking. Fly airplane? Go beach? Play ocean? 

I tried my best to document our trip while juggling a baby and toddler and bags! It was a little tricky but I did get some good pictures!

Getting a ride to the airport in the mini taxi bus from our faithful friend Dieujust.

The MAF caravan, prepped and waiting for us on the tarmac.

The boys climbing in.

Let's play pilots.

Port au Prince from above.

View from my window.

Bare mountain slopes.

Ever changing scenery.

Crossed the border.

Almost there.

The little boutique hotel we've come to love.

Wave jumping.

Justin surfing for the first time. I think he may be a bit of a thrill seeker!

A little ice cream break!

Alexander chilling in his carseat.

Pool time with Daddy!

Scooter date to a neighbouring beach!

Snorkelling fun!

Fun wheels!

And of course I spent some time every day taking photos of the changing sky as the sun set!

On the flight back I once again took some aerial photos.

Then we were back on the ground again.

One special trip memory happened one afternoon when the ocean was stormy and the waves were high.

Jayden tried to play in the waves, but they weren't very kid friendly.

After getting knocked over a few too many times he dejectedly made his way over to where I was sitting on the sand, enjoying the view. 

" This has got to be the worst beach ever!" He grumbled, his blue eyes glowering and his numerous freckles stark against his fair skin. 

"You know what?" I said. "Sometimes I feel that way too. Not about the beach today, but the times when the mosquitoes attack my ankles while I'm feeding your baby brother, or when it feels like I always smell sweaty no matter how often I wash, or when all three of you boys yell "Mom!" at the same time and I don't have enough hands to help you all at once, or when the cockroaches run over my pillow when I'm laying in bed at night. Then I feel like complaining too. But as soon as I get that feeling, I remember the Israelites as they journeyed from Egypt to the promised land. They complained too and God was not happy with their complaining one bit! The consequences of their complaining were quite serious too. Do you remember the quails and the serpents?" He nodded.

"What has helped me is to think about the things I'm thankful for instead. Paul says in one of his letters, In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.  

Why don't we play a game? I think of five things I'm thankful for and you think of five things you are thankful for." 

We took turns and my list included the sand between my toes, the ocean breeze and the brilliant colours in the sky. Jayden's list was different. It included his parents, grandparents, brothers and friends. The one thing on his list that really struck me though was when he said: "That Jesus died on the cross for my sins." 

"You know what Jayden?" I responded. "Because of that one thing we can always be thankful. Everything in life can be taken away from us. Our family, our friends, our toys. But that Jesus died for us; that can never be taken away! 

Do you remember when we talked about the child martyrs in the middle east and what our answer would be if someone pointed a gun or knife at our head and said "Say you don't believe in Jesus or I'll kill you?" He nodded. (His response after much thought was. "Just do it quickly.") Well even in that situation we can be thankful because Jesus died for us. 

The "worst beach ever" now forgotten he stared with bright eyes into the crashing surf. He had a lot to think about. 

A few days later as I was replaying our conversation in my mind the words of a well known hymn came to mind. 

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, 
When sorrows like sea billows roll. 
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say. 
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

For that we can be forever thankful.

Love One Another

** this is an excerpt of an article I wrote for our mission magazine ** 

In these last months God has been teaching me the importance of loving the people He places around us. It started one day as I watched my two young sons play together in harmony. It was an unusual event, as they always seemed to be quarreling and fighting about something! 

As I watched them I was reminded of the words in Psalm 133: 

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! 

It is like the precious ointment upon the head, 

that ran down upon the beard, 

even Aaron's beard: 

that went down to the skirts of his garments; 

As the dew of Hermon, 

and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: 

for there the Lord commanded the blessing, 

even life for evermore. 

It was indeed good and pleasant to watch my two oldest sons, whom I loved very much, play so harmoniously together! 

Suddenly another thought stuck me. How much more does God enjoy watching His children get along? As I wondered about this, another verse came to mind. John 13:35 says By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. 

In Haiti there is no way to escape being noticed. With our white skin and blue eyes we are constantly being watched. Although this used to bother me, I suddenly saw it for the opportunity it really was. Could people see the love of Christ shining through me in the way I treated others? Or was love something I just liked to talk about and think about; a wonderful idea, but not something I put into practice all the time? 

1 John 3:18 says, My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 

So how should we act? Philippians 2:14-15 tells us. Do all things without murmurings and disputings. That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;  Matthew 5:14-16 says Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 

What if someone is challenging to live with or is unkind or selfish or simply rubs us the wrong way? Romans 12:18 says: If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. And Ephesians 4:32 reminds us: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. 

So Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 1 John 4:7

Come

As I lay in bed last night all these verses were pieced together in my heart. This morning they were still there, so in the greyness of early dawn I slipped out of my bed and wrote them down. 

Are you a child? Or do you feel burdened? Or do you thirst for righteousness? Do you have nothing to bring? Are your sins like scarlet? Or do you simply want to come? The Bible says you may. Jesus says 'Come'. This is the glorious gospel. The good news; Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. 

Matthew 11:28-29 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 

Isaiah 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 

Revelations 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. 

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 

John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

Six Years Ago

November 4, 1998 

I stare out the airplane window. It’s been over thirty hours since I last slept and I feel dazed. Thankfully, Jayden, my one-year-old son, who is curled up on my lap, is getting some sleep. Forcing myself to stay focused I keep my eyes pealed to the steadily changing terrain beneath us.

Any moment now I will catch my first glimpses of Haiti. There it is! Turquoise ocean laps against sandy beaches. Coming closer, the barrenness of the mountains strikes me. Circling over Port au Prince I catch glimpses of tin shacks, trash and bare earth.

  

Jayden wakes up just as we are about to land and we both feel the thud of the wheels as the aircraft makes contact with the runway.It takes a bit of time to gather our things, but with the help of a friendly stewardess we finally make our way to the front of the aircraft.

Since the international airport has no jet ways, a metal stairs is rolled to the entrance of the aircraft. As we exit, we are engulfed by a sticky wave of hot, humid air. Jayden begins to cry and I do my best to soothe him.

After waiting for 20 minutes on the hot tarmac, the stroller, which I had gate checked, finally appears and we are ready to head to the international terminal building. 

The MAF program manager, Mark Williams, becoming worried at our delay, meets us where we enter the building. Inside we walk past Haitian men playing Caribbean music, before passing through Customs and Immigration. 

At the baggage claim it becomes evident that two of our suitcases are missing. Thankfully, we eventually find them. Mark Williams then guides us through the crowd and we make our way outside to where Jason is anxiously waiting for us. (He had arrived in Port au Prince several days earlier since he travelled on a cargo plane with all our belongings.)  We were glad to be reunited once again!

The drive through the streets of Port-au-Prince to our home was sure an experience! The roads were full of people, animals, busses, parked cars, tap taps, and garbage.

The roads themselves, if you could call them that, had huge dips and holes and many of them more closely resembled dry river beds.  As we drove it seemed like we had many 'narrow misses' with other vehicles and pedestrians. 

Our first stop was the house MAF had found for us to live. We were surprised and excited to see that it was very nice! We met Anoud and Denise and their two boys who were living on the property.

(Denise told me later that when she met us for the first time she though Jayden was our younger brother and wondered where our parents where!) I guess we did look young and at age twenty two and twenty three we were young!

Looking back now, I can’t help but think about all the life lessons we’ve learned since then.  I’ve started writing them down and hope to share some of them on the blog in the future, God willing.