Our Time in PA

As most of you know, we have arrived back in the States for a six week home assignment. Our schedule, so far, looks something like this:

July 20-25 - Waynesboro, PA
July 25-26 - Wind Gap, PA
July 27-29 - Waynesboro, PA
July 29-August 5 - Willow Street, PA
August 5-17 - Waynesboro, PA
August 17- 28 - Willow Street, PA
August 28-30 - Waynesboro, PA

We look forward to seeing many of you over the next few weeks. If you want to touch base with us during the time that we are home, you can contact us at the following numbers:

Lee: 941-445-1406
Tina: 941-483-0319
Daniel: 941-451-1608

Difficult weekend . . .

For those of you who do not follow us on Facebook, we wanted to update you on some news that we have received this week that has been rather difficult for us to accept.

First of all, we recieved news from our field director, Rob Thompson, that his wife Becky has been diagnosed with breast cancer. They left Haiti for a three month furlough on June first and routine doctor appointments have revealed the cancer. They do not know all the details of Becky’s treatment plan, yet, but they do know enough to make the decision to postpone their return to Haiti at the end of August. We appreciate your prayers for the Thompson family over the coming months as they have many decisions to make and will face many changes. Also pray for the RMI staff; this was a hard reality for all of us to accept and everyone is still reeling from the news.

Then, Saturday we received a difficult phone call. Lee’s parents called with the news that our 23 year old nephew, Kody Kutzler, passed from this life very suddenly. We would appreciate your prayers for the entire family as we grieve the loss of this very special young man. His funeral service will be held on Thursday evening.

On a much lighter note, one of Isaac’s caterpillars changed into its pupal stage on Saturday. The other three caterpillars died, but we will see what comes of this one in the weeks to come. To give you an idea of its size, Isaac reluctantly placed his thumb next to it.

One Down . . .

We were feeling accomplished yesterday, we woke up to one rat in the “humane” trap, which meant that Lee and the boys needed to take care of finishing him off. Isaac was happy to show him off for the camera. Literally, a drowned rat . . . .

On a very different note, Lee met a young man when he was out with a team several months ago who had created an incredible helicopter toy with some recyclables that he found (the propellers even spin when the motor is connected to a battery). This week, one of our translators went out to find that young man because someone from the sister church in the States wants to sponsor him since he wasn’t able to afford school. Lee told the translator before he set out to find him, to ask the young man if he would be willing to make Lee a helicopter and sell it to him. Following is a picture of Lee, his little friend, and the new helicopter that he brought home from a visit with him yesterday.

The War is on . . .

There really isn’t any week that is dull and boring here in Haiti, but this week has provided us with plenty of new experiences . . . last week we learned that for the first time since we have moved here, there is a rat in our house . . . yes, you read that correctly, there is a RAT in our house . . . in the kitchen!! We set a humane trap last Friday evening and within half an hour, the culprit was captured . . . unfortunately, it escaped before we were able to “take care of it”. We won’t go into that story . . . .

This afternoon we discovered that the RAT has returned . . . it’s not bad enough that we know he is back . . . when I got into our “care package” cupboard this afternoon, I discovered that he not only got into our Apple Newton cookies, but also our Oreos, Utz Potato Chips, Utz Cheese Balls, and chewed a hole in a Tupperware container!! Now, if you know anything about the Nunemakers, you know not to mess with their Oreos, Utz Potato Chips, or cheese balls of any kind!!! Therefore, the war is on . . . there are two traps set in the cupboards!!! You’ll just have to wait to see what happens next . . . if I have anything to do with it, this one WILL NOT get away!!! The boys did suddenly need to watch one of their favorite movies, Mouse Hunt, again, this afternoon, though.

Saturday, we had another interesting discovery. Actually, we noticed several weeks ago that someone tapped into our electrical lines, just over our wall, and were using our electric, so Lee disconnected the line and collected a decent length of the line. Over the next couple of weeks, we noticed that another wire was reconnected several times, so each time Lee disconnected it and took the length of line that he could collect by reaching over the wall. When he realized on Saturday that it was reconnected, again, he talked to one of our Haitian staff and they decided that it was time to climb over the wall and collect all the wire and follow it to the house where it was being used. So, Saturday afternoon, this was Lee’s project. He followed the scraps of wire until they connected to the barbed wire at the back wall; where he discovered that not only one home was using our electric, but multiple homes throughout the community behind us, were using our electric. So, Lee disconnected all the wire that he could get from the back wall to our electrical line and returned to our house with this mass of wires . . .

Now, although it is frustrating to know that we have been paying for electric for multiple homes in the community behind us, we are also quite amazed at the resourcefulness of the people who live there . . . the fact that these scraps of wire were strung together and worked to provide them with electric, is amazing to us.

The last little thing that we discovered were these, not so little, creatures . . .

I was at Ladies Missionary Tea this afternoon and our hostess was talking about these nasty caterpillars that they are having trouble with. It was fascinating to hear one woman walk by and talk about how beautiful they were and the next woman would talk about how disgusting they were. We all have such different perspectives, when we see God’s incredible creation. Well, as soon as I saw them, I knew that I had to bring at least one home for Isaac. If you don’t know Isaac well, you may not know how much he loves caterpillars and butterflies. He has always been known to be collecting caterpillars through the summer and fall months to put in his Butterfly Garden to feed and care for until they came out of the chrysalises. In fact, that Butterfly Garden was one of the very first things that he packed last year in preparation to move here. So, when I came back from Ladies Tea this afternoon with these four (the little one didn’t make it into the picture) in a tin can, it didn’t take long for him to pull out the Butterfly Garden and put them into their new home. With a little research, we learned that they are Plumeria caterpillars that will turn into Tetrio Sphinx Moths. These are not caterpillars that we want to handle or let go in our yard, but we will see what happens with them in our Butterfly Garden over the next couple of weeks.

So, that is the exciting news from Haiti this week. We will be sure to update you on any fun news on the rat issue or the caterpillars, if there is any news to share . . . One lesson that we have learned the hard way . . . when those special goodies come in a care package, enjoy them right away, rather than save them for a special occasion later . . . because if the rat gets into them . . . somehow they just are not as appealing anymore . . .

"See You Later" Doesn't Get Easier

Goodbyes are never easy. If there is anything that we have learned in the eleven months that we have lived in Haiti, it is that goodbyes, or “see you laters” (as we prefer to say it) don’t get any easier, no matter how often you experience them. Today we said “see ya later” to great friends that we have spent eleven months getting to know. The Seel family finished up their five years of ministry in Haiti this morning as they packed up the last of their life here, in preparation for their move back to Germany. They were such a blessing to our family as we moved in and started to adjust to life here. This picture was taken this morning as the boys played one last video game together before their departure. Our boys have been dreading this day for quite awhile, in fact, last night one of them said that today was “going to be the worst day of my life” because they knew that their friends are moving. This year has brought a lot of difficult “see you laters”, but God is teaching us through each one. We are so thankful to God for placing the Seel family in our lives, even if that time was far too short for any of us. Our prayers go with you, Daniel, Alex, Jeremy, Caitlin, and Colin; we look forward to seeing what God has planned for your lives. We know that He has big things ahead for each of you.

Busy Spring

This spring has been a busy one, but it has been so good to be able to spend time with teams, family, and friends. RMI has had a very busy team schedule since the first week of the year. So far, we have had two breaks (two weeks each) when there were no teams on the ground here in Haiti. Those weeks were also busy with preparing for the next teams and taking some much needed break time with our families. Following are some of our favorite pictures of the events of the last few months.

This is how we roll here in Haiti . . . on this particular morning, Josiah and I went to the local grocery store for a bag of sugar and while we were there, why not refill our soda stock for the next few months, right:)

Lee went out with a team from Calvary Bible Church in the Reading, PA area to visit their sister church in Vieux Borg, Haiti. The above picture is their greeting party as they approached the church. The Haitian people do an incredible job of going above and beyond in making teams feel accepted, loved, and valued as they come to serve Christ among them.

Perguens is one of the RMI staff who makes things happen . . . in this picture, he is checking the health of a goat that is about to be given to a child. RMI sister churches from the states purchase goats to be given to children in their sister churches in Haiti. A simple goat can be a guarantee of education for a child here in Haiti. Perguens is the coordinator of this program and follows up with the goats and their owners for a year after the goat has been given to them. The first baby goat that is born is given to someone else who is in need and then the following babies born are a way for the child to earn the money for his/her school tuition, uniforms, books, and school supplies.

Perguens, Manno, and Frantz, three of our partnership facilitators (translators and ministry coordinators for our teams) lead in worship with the Calvary/Vieux Borg churches. RMI has an incredibly talented Haitian staff who are really the hands and feet of all that we do here in Haiti. We are so blessed to be able to work alongside of them to minister the truth of the gospel.

A typical school classroom in Vieux Borg.

Calvary Bible from Reading, PA and some of the children they ministered to on their trip.

Daniel and Josiah keep themselves pretty busy around the missionary community. They are often busy with anything from fixing computers and printers to trimming trees. On this particular morning, while Lee was doing orientation with a team, Daniel and Josiah decided to transplant a palm tree at the Zanglais Ministry Center.

At the end of March, we were invited to join the Thompson family (our field directors) on a camping trip to celebrate their son, Drew’s eleventh birthday. We started at the RMI ministry center with two Haitian guides and their donkeys (who carried most of our supplies). From there, we took a three hour hike up into the mountains behind the ministry center. It was a challenge for the older ones of us, but was well worth the workout when we reached the campsite that gave us a beautiful view of southern Haiti.

After our arrival at the campsite, we had lunch and a brief rest before Lee and the kids headed out to get us water from a fresh water spring.

Lee, Daniel, and Josiah return with the water in tow.

Talk about the beauty of God’s creation . . . we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful spot to camp . . . with the exception of desiring a few more shade trees. Some people are never happy, right. :)

Lee and Rob enjoying the view of southern Haiti.

One of the favorite activites was the campfire that we built and enjoyed boxed mac and cheese, hotdogs, and smores over. And yes, it did get cold enough that evening that we went for our long sleeves and jackets . . . it was heavenly!!!

Before we hiked back down the mountain the next afternoon, we snapped this picture of the seven kids. Drew (the birthday boy) is in the bright blue shirt, Tessa is in the pink, and Braden Thompson is in the gray and green. You can see in the background that the clouds were low that morning. We had a great time of celebrating Drew’s birthday and enjoying the beauty of God’s creation with the Thompsons.

On April 1, my (Tina) parents came for their first visit to Haiti. They spent two weeks with us, experiencing life in Haiti. We took some time out while they were here to go to a nice restaurant in Port Salut, Haiti for a meal of chicken, lobster, bannann peze (fried plantain), pikliz (hot and spicy coleslaw-like condiment), rice and beans. We also enjoyed a great time at the beach in the afternoon.

The boys enjoyed being thrown around in the ocean water with the beautiful Haitian landscape in the background.

Isaac decided that since he couldn’t be making snow angels this year, he would make some sand angels instead.

Thanks to the help of his older brothers, Nathan was eaten by a sand shark. This time with my parents was a great opportunity for us to share our life here in Haiti and reconnect with home a little bit.

I can hardly make a blogpost without sharing this picture of Tobi enjoying his first taste of Fun Dips candy.

I also felt a need to share this picture of a typical day at the Nunemaker house, as the boys and their friends from the missionary community play WII U together. Yes, they continue to get their fair share, and then some, of video games.

Thank you to each one of you who makes it possible for us to continue our ministry here. We are so very blessed by your financial support of us, as well as your prayers, notes of encouragement, and care packages.

WOW!!! It's Been a Long Time

Sorry that we have not done a good job of keeping you up to date on what is going on with us. I was a little shocked when I looked at the blog and saw the last date that we posted. There have been several posts started, but for one reason or another, they were never finished.

The first eight weeks of 2016 have been pretty busy ones for the entire RMI team. The first five weeks of the year were full of five teams back-to-back and all the preparations that go with that schedule, as well as, the start back to our school schedule after two weeks off over the holidays. It has been exciting to meet teams from across the United States as they come to visit with and minister to their sister churches in Haiti. Lee had the opportunity to go out with one of these teams (Calvary Fellowship from the Reading, PA area) and then worked with a second team (The Orchard from Chicago, Illinois) as they led a pastors and church leadership conference at RMI’s Zanglais Ministry Center. The week between those two teams, Lee also spent four days in Florida at the RMI office for meetings, as well as, attending the missions conference at MacGregor Baptist Church. In addition to the teams that Lee was out with, we met and worked alongside teams from Oregon, Nebraska, and Michigan. It is such a blessing to have the opportunity to meet and work alongside so many different people.

Following the five week stretch of teams, we had a two week break in which to catch up on some of those things that get left by the wayside when we are busy with teams. We also had the privilege to go to the Missionary Retreat at Kaliko Resort, just north of Port-au-Prince last weekend. It was extra special for us since we were able to spend some time with Barb and Friends, a puppet ministry that Lee first came to Haiti with about 26 years ago. It was great to reconnect with Kevin Walck who Lee met on that first trip so long ago and Cathy Klappert, a friend and neighbor from Greencastle, PA. Barb and Friends coordinated the children’s activities throughout the missionary retreat while the adults and older teens had sessions taught by Jayson Georges, who taught on Honor/Shame cultures and how scripture ministers to their hearts. We were truly blessed to have the opportunity to participate in this weekend of learning and relaxation with the missionary community of which we are a part here.

Last week, we prepared for another five-week stretch of teams. The first of these teams arrived Friday afternoon from Louisianna. Daniel was asked to help Greg Harvie and the Haitian staff with this team, since they needed another driver for the week. He will also be helping with some of the devotions. Daniel was excited to have this opportunity to minister alongside a team without the rest of the family, I believe. Greg and Daniel left Cite Lumiere Friday afternoon to meet the team at the Zanglais Ministry Center. The rest of the American staff, as well as, the Haitian staff spending the week with the team, loaded up on Saturday morning for the forty-five minute ride out to the ministry center for lunch and prayer with the team before they departed in the afternoon for the drive to their sister church, Petit Trou. We look forward to seeing them again on Thursday as they will be coming to Cite Lumiere for lunch at the Thompson home and a tour of the mission center. We enjoy these Thursday lunch times with the teams so that we can hear from them about their week of ministry.

Although we have already been here for almost seven months, everyday continues to be a learning adventure for us. We are constantly finding new critters and plants, as well as, learning new things about the culture in which we now live. That doesn’t even begin to touch on the language skills that we are learning, as well. On Friday afternoon, I (Tina), Nathan, and Isaac learned a valuable lesson during our weekly grocery shopping trip . . . make sure that all of your money is safely tucked away, before you leave the grocery store. You wouldn’t believe the scene that occurs when a coin worth about ten U.S. cents is dropped while six to eight needy young boys are surrounding you, begging for money as you put the groceries into the back of the vehicle. This past week, we also started dealing with our first rat . . . fortunately, it is outside the house and not inside!!! I had heard it outside our bedroom window several times during the night this week, but had not been able to convince the rest of the family that I wasn’t just hearing things. Then Friday night, when I was laying on our bed reading, I saw it run over the dog biscuit box that was sitting outside our window. Lee and Tobi went to see if I really saw what I had thought I did and sure enough, there was the little culprit. Although, the three of us tried to hunt the rat down, he is still on the run, but no longer has access to Tobi’s doggie treats:)

We apologize that there are no pictures this time, we have been having trouble getting them loaded to the blog. Hopefully, we can get that figured out soon and get some more pictures out to you.