Settling in . . .

I guess it is about time for us to update those of you who are not following us on Facebook. Tomorrow we will have been in Haiti for a total of three weeks. It is feeling like home and we are growing accustomed to the hot, sticky weather and everything that comes with life here. We moved into our house on July 24 with some help from several of our RMI teammates and our cook, Madam Lala. We are so thankful for the sacrifices of each of them in helping us to settle in and begin to understand the language and the culture.

This past week, two other wonderful ladies started working alongside of us. Emilye works as our housekeeper during the week and Madam TiJean comes on Friday afternoon to pick up our market shopping list so that she can do the shopping on Saturday and bring the fresh produce back to the house for us. Some of you may remember Madam TiJean as the cook who made all of our wonderful meals when we were down for short term missions trips. She still works for RMI in that capacity, but has also offered to do our market shopping for us. We are so thankful for these ladies and all of their hard work, which enables us to focus on learning our Creole and adjusting to the life and work that we have here now. Did I mention what wonderful teachers they are for us, as they help us in our language study and better understanding their life and country? They are such an incredible blessing to us!!!

We have been encouraged to do some sightseeing as we grow accustomed to life here, so we have been taking some time on the weekends to do just that with our RMI teammates and other missionaries at the center. Our first weekend, we went to the beach in Port Salut for the day and took some time during that day to meet a dog in need of a home, since his missionary family is moving back to the states. That meeting went well and Tobi has moved to our home and become a part of our family. Last Saturday, we went for a hike along the Glas (Ice) River. No, there was no ice in the river . . . but we enjoyed some of God’s beautiful handiwork!!! Then on Sunday afternoon, we took a cycle/four-wheeler ride to some nearby points to experience the beauty and wonder of Haiti. We rode to a two different spots to enjoy the views from some great lookout points and then hiked down to a little fishing village to experience a glimpse into life there.

This weekend, we have opted to stick around the mission center since Haiti has elections today (Sunday) for a number of government officials. We were told by some of RMI’s Haitian staff, as well as, missionaries, that it may be good to not make any big plans this weekend since life is a little stressful here with the political climate. We enjoyed visiting with Tobi’s “foster mom” as she came to see how he is doing at his new home and last evening we enjoyed watching a movie on the big outdoor screen at our field director’s home with several other missionaries and their families.

Overall, everyone is doing very well. The boys have all made some connections with friends that are near their ages and have enjoyed getting to know friends from the mission center, as well as, a few Haitian friends. Thank you all for your many prayers and words of encouragement as we adjust to this new life that God has for us.