Pictures from the Wedding and Reception

The pictures are in a somewhat random order. It's hard to rearrange them once they are uploaded. At least it seems that way to me. Sorry!

The Wedding and the Trials Ahead

The wedding was great! It was a little stressful leading up to it, but I think that is normal. I loved having my parents and grandparents here for a few days! We also had a wonderful honeymoon. It was a much needed break and probably the only whole week I will have off for quite some time. I will work on making a separate post with some pictures from the wedding for those of you who do not have facebook.

Coming back from the honeymoon was tough. I got spoiled having hot, pressured water, air conditioning, and a comfy bed for 5 nights. We came back to the place we are staying in Haiti in the dark with no power and no running water. Quite the abrupt contrast! Also, there really isn't a replacement for me when I'm away from the school so the work just waits for me to return. I'm sure some of you can relate to that.

For the first time in my life I'm really struggling with personal finances. It is difficult living off of support. Until March of last year I had always worked as much as I had to to make ends meet. Serving in Haiti in a volunteer capacity has made me (and now my wife) almost solely dependent on financial support from people in the United States. It gets harder each day as I see the bank accounts heading to zero and my credit card holding a balance--also a first for me. If our current monthly support level(less than 50%) continues we won't have enough money to live like we are living by as early as March (We live on about $1,200 to 1,500 a month currently). That is even adding in the monetary gifts we have received from family and friends from our marriage.

Christian Light School is also facing severe financial problems. Donations to Haiti have fallen and many organizations are having to scale back their programs. We will have to start cutting programs very soon if things don't turn around quickly. Please be in prayer for the financial needs of the school and for Fabiola and me. Also be in prayer for the political situation. It's not very stable right now.

Thank you for all of your love and support! Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May God bless you!

The Fast Approaching Wedding and Holiday Season

Less than 3 weeks until I am a married man! Wow! I've been looking forward to this moment for my entire adult life. As a young adult I thought I would be married before 28, but I'm grateful for the wait now. Fabiola is a special woman and I know she is going to make an excellent partner to share the rest of this life with. I'm excited that my parents and grandparents are coming for the wedding! It's going to be nice to give them a taste of what life is like here.

Work is still very challenging. It's been hard to be the man I want to be and successfully navigate all of my responsibilities. Being in charge of making financial decisions, especially when most decisions directly affect lives, is difficult work. I've had to say "no" a lot lately due to a lack of financial resources, and every time I do I have another person who doesn't like me. Professional and personal relationships here are so intertwined that there is virtually no distinction between the two--at least from my experiences. In the States I've mostly enjoyed being someone who is respected and I've always been able to establish good working relationships with my coworkers. So the situation I find myself in currently is uncharted territory for me. All of the need and negativity leaves me exhausted, discouraged, and discontent. I have to find a way to break free of this path, because I know I can't withstand it for much longer. I've been getting sick a lot lately too, which only adds to the hardships. As much as I wish I only had good things to share I thought I needed to be real and transparent with you all. 

Thanksgiving is next week. I won't be spending the holidays at home for the first time in my life. I'm thankful that I do have friends and a fiance/wife to spend the holidays with, but the season will definitely be missing something without all of the other great people that I have shared most of my life with. I'm sure I will feel some homesickness at times. On a positive note I don't have to experience the cold! That's one thing that can put a smile on my face ;)

Please pray for my upcoming wedding and marriage. Also, pray for Christian Light School and Children's Home. Thank you to those who have remained faithful in supporting me in Haiti! 

Learning How to Sit at the Feet of Jesus

It's been almost two months since I last updated everyone on how things are going here. I guess it took me being sick and having a "sick day" to really reflect on all that has happened and is happening. It has been tough lately. This is definitely the most challenging work I have ever done. A lot of it has to do with the physical and emotional tolls from the environment and the need here. It's difficult to be in my position and not be able to help everyone who comes for help. The need is great and the resources to combat that need are small. One of our teachers came to me recently and asked for a loan to finish building her house. She said she has been living in a tent since the earthquake with her family. Two ladies came to our gate last Friday asking for help with the costs of a funeral. It was for a young child in our feeding program who didn't make it in the hospital. In both of these situations I had to eventually tell them we couldn't help them. Circumstances like these are brought to me on an almost daily basis.

I find myself lost in "busyness" most of the time. There is a lot to do and a lot of decisions that need to be made every day. My responsibilities range from keeping the financial records to pumping water and trying to help with medical issues if necessary. I am still teaching a class as well. I've discovered I really don't like teaching, but it might be because I'm teaching a subject that I'm not that interested in. Lately I've started to realize that I need to find a way to spend more time with Jesus, because the good work that I do and my level of busyness is wearing me out and leaving me dry. I'm sure that many of you can relate.

I have been reminded of what's most important today in my devotional. The reminder comes from the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10. Martha was so busy preparing dinner (doing work) for the Lord that she missed out on the most important thing--being in His presence. Martha's sister Mary didn't care about anything else at that point in time except for being with Jesus. I don't know about you, but I think if I started spending more time sitting at the feet of Jesus the burdens of this world might get a little lighter. My bitterness for some of the circumstances I have to deal with might fade away. Maybe this life can be shed of some of it's complications and take on a simpler form. I believe this to be true.

As much as I try not to worry about things I still do. With my wedding less than 2 months away, the financial planner in me thinks about how I'm going to support a wife when I barely have enough money to support myself. I feel bad because I know I can't even fulfill everything that she envisioned for the wedding. I'm ashamed that I think about these kinds of things, because I know God already has all of this worked out. I just need to trust Him. I told Fabiola that she needs to be prepared for what could be a rough road ahead. We will have each other and our faith in the Lord and that really is all that matters. It doesn't get any simpler than that.

Cancer is about to, or already has ushered our treasurer, Lynn Bowen, into Paradise. Being involved with the finances, I communicated with Lynn on a regular basis throughout my time with Christian Light School. She has sacrificed her time and efforts to help with this ministry since its inception. I am grateful for her contributions to CLS. While I know she will be missed I am happy she is or will be free from the suffering of this world. Please pray for her loved ones during this difficult time.

Thank you for your prayers and financial support! I ask for your continued prayers for my spiritual journey, my upcoming marriage, the children at the school and children's home, the Haitian staff, my fellow missionaries, and the board of directors for CLS. We all need to be covered in prayer at this time.

Pictures of my time in Haiti so far

For this post I just wanted to share some pictures with those who do not see my pictures on facebook. I don't take pictures very often, but the following are some of the ones I do have. 

With Miselene and Jovenel in April

Kervenson and me

Jean Wilson

Recent picture of Jean Wilson and me

Magdala and me

Medjina and me

The mountains south of Port-au-Prince

Mountains cont.

Mountains cont.

Small waterfall in the valley 

I went with some of the children's home kids to Gonaives in the spring. Gonaives is where a lot of our kids in the children's home are from. This is Tcharly with some of his family in Gonaives.

Overlooking Gonaives from the top of a mountain.

Me with Tcharly and Woobens

Jacmel in June

Fabiola and I at the 2nd pool at Bassin Bleu

In the process of getting to the 3rd pool at Bassin Bleu

Me about to make a big jump into the cool blue 3rd pool at Bassin Bleu

Fabiola and me soon after we became a couple

Holding one of the neighbor's babies at Fabiola's 

Fabiola with Yvenson, Guyvenson, Kervenson, and Magdala

Another picture of my beautiful fiance

Fabiola and I went to Cap Haitien soon after I returned to Haiti in August. In this picture we were on our way to the Citadel.

Close up of cannon 

The greater Port-au-Prince area and the mountains to the south