We are praising the Lord for his faithfulness. We were eating a dish for lunch yesterday that had chicken in it. Cory buys chicken legs in bulk and then they are frozen in gallon bags. When the cook wants chicken, she uses a knife to force the chicken apart - using only a portion of the bag at a time. The cook told Cory that she was sorry that she had broken a knife while separating the chicken. What she failed to say is that she didn’t find the broken tip. So, when we were in the middle of lunch Anna takes the tip of the knife out of her food. We are all so thankful that she was checking for bones. She actually licked it off and didn’t get cut. Thank you for your prayers for our safety.
Bill has gone planting bamboo with Cory and two Haitian men 3 times now. The last time - each carrying 2 - 5 gallon buckets of trees, they followed a dry creek bed almost to the top of the mountain. The men would climb out of the creek bed and plant the trees on the bank above, so that when the rains and high water come, the bank doesn’t erode further. The local Haitian families have gardens up there and they are threatened at that time. Bill was exhausted when he came back, but said the view was spectacular. They did find something interesting. Very large fresh water crabs live in the banks of the creek, with holes much like a beaver would make. The Haitians catch and eat them. You would think it would be a real treat for them. You don’t think about crabs living out of the water, but when they dug some holes in the creek bottom they found water very close to the surface. Last night we got several inches of rain. I’m sure the creek is running and the crabs are happy! Cory is happy too - his gardens and his tree plantings needed the moisture.
I visited with 3 Haitian high school students the other day down by the shop. They wanted to practice their English. They asked me all kinds of questions;, such as what is my name, do we have a computer at our house, is it billed to us, how much did it cost, do we live by the palace (meaning the White House), what is my occupation, and finally how old are you? When I told them 63 they just laughed and laughed. They had “thought” that I was an older person. But then one sweet boy said that I looked very young for my age!!! When Bill came back and they realized he was my husband, they were concerned that he might be angry that they were talking to me. When I told them that he wouldn’t mind at all, they decided that he was nice just like me. They were very polite and so happy and excited about life. It makes me wonder what will happen when they get out of school and there are no opportunities available for them. They are all Compassion Kids, so that might help them with their future too. I hope so. There is so much unemployment and hopelessness here.
We celebrated St. Patrick’s Day by going up to the Thede’s for supper. We had beef stew, soda bread, green macaroni and cheese, green Kool-Aid, cream puffs with green frosting, and Irish bread pudding. We had a fun evening of story telling and laughter. Dr. Kris said that they have to make a point of celebrating holidays so that they remember what month it is. I think that the internet and e-mail has changed the life of missionaries around the world. Without it, they would be totally isolated. The short time we have been here, I’ve been very thankful for friends and family that keep in touch with us.
Thank you again for your prayers for our protection. Please pray that the weather will be good on Thursday of next week. We are coming home!
“If the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise!”