Bud and Jane Dennington

Hi Everyone

2012-01-06T07:15:00.003-05:00

Tuesday January 3
Jane & I are flying slowly over the Atlantic on our trip from Ft. Pierce, FL to Cap-Haitian on our return. While we fly peacefully along I am listening to soft music and reflecting on our time away. The immensity of it all brings tears to my eyes, How God would allow us to be involved in something so much bigger than ourselves, how so blessed we are to have such a wonderful and understanding family. We think of how God has called so many of you to give of yourselves in so many ways so that we may go. You continue to lift us up with your prayers and gifts of support.
Jane & I have had a wonderful time “out” seeing family, friends and traveling and sharing with supporters as to what God is doing in Haiti. It was a good time of refreshment and relaxation along with doctor visits, tests and Jane’s recent surgery.
We are anxious to get back to our jobs in Haiti, to pick up where we left off and to hold “Down the Fort” while Bud & Cindy Lenker head back to headquarters for a month of training.
Yesterday when we dropped off our luggage at Missionary Flights International they mentioned that Brett Bundy had stopped by earlier in the morning to do the same. Brett is our Field Director in Haiti and he and his family had been on home assignment since April and are returning on Thursday. With a few phone calls we were able to find where they were staying, we hadn’t seen their kids since April and wanted to surprise them as we are kind of their stand-in grandparents & they are our stand-in grandchildren while in Haiti. It was a great reunion with lots of hugs and squeals when we knocked on their door.
I often think while in Haiti that I get wrapped up in our work that I lose sight of the big picture. I think back to the saying “when you are up to your neck in alligators it’s difficult to remember that your objective was to drain the swamp”. So often I forget that God is in control and when I get sidetracked with emergencies or outcomes don’t meet my expectations I feel defeated not realizing that this is part of His plan of growing me.
It will be good getting back but know that we will be hitting the ground running, buying groceries & unpacking. I’m sure that there will be a steady line of Haitian well-wishers stopping by to greet us, happy for our return, Lunia will have the house spotless, Mono will have the yard manicured and so many more not to mention.
Well we are back and unpacked and ready for Wednesday. Thank-You for all of your love & prayers.
Bud

We will be returning to Haiti soon

2011-12-08T09:08:00.004-05:00

Bud and I are praising the Lord and for answered prayer. I had to have my gallbladder removed yesterday and because it all went as planned Bud and I are planning to return to Haiti on January 1. We will spend a couple of days in Florida purchasing some needed things for our freezer and home in Haiti. January 3 Bud and I will be back to the work we love.

Although we have loved being with our family, we miss our work in Haiti and the Haitian people as well. We had a special treat this past weekend. Prudence and her husband came to Erie for some speaking engagements at our Church. Prudence works in our clinic. While she was here we received sad news that one of our employees in our clinic (a young man)died suddenly. This is so sad but far too common in Haiti. Another employee who works with Bud also has just recovered from Cholera and some complications. PTL.

Our Heavenly Father is ever present and is always working on our behalf. We have so much to be thankful for this Christmas. We are so looking forward to being with our family. We are also busy making plans for our return to Haiti. God has laid so much on my heart for Starfish Kids. Cindy is taking over much of the office work freeing my time more to work with our schools and the children. In order for Starfish Kids to do all that we feel we are to do for the children of Haiti, I need to visit the schools more often and find way to help our School directors run our schools well. We want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas. My freind Prudence told my church. "Please do not be so busy decorating your house, that you forget to decorate your heart with Jesus" God bless you. Jane

Wow Can't Believe So Much Time Has Passed

2011-11-06T17:03:00.013-05:00

It is hard to believe it is November. For those of you who are so faithful to follow our blog I am sorry I have not written in awhile. We have a lot of things to catch up on. August was filled with visitors, report cards and making preparation for the next school year.

The month began with our final Vacation Bible School of the summer. Over the summer we saw over 100 children come to Christ.

Each of the teams prepared a flannel graph story for each day and taught the children through skits and songs. Each day ended with a meal of Beans and rice. Many of the children who come to these Bible Schools have never been inside the church.

When we began VBS in one of the villages we had so much fun watching the children. One the first day there was about 50 children but as we would sing and begin our program the children would be peeking in the windows and doors to see what was happening. Soon they would return dressed for church. By the end of the week we had over 250 children. On the last day we invited the parents to participate for the who program and they all came. The building held about 200 people so to accomadate all the children and their parents we gave the benches to the parents and put blankets on the floor for the kids. As we sang and taught we had to step over children. What a great day. Over 70 children accepted Christ on the last two days.

One of Bud's projects for the summer was to finish putting a roof on Cowman international school and oversee the construction of two schools. Plain du Nord school will open in October.
Flavil is still underconstruction and will open soon. What an exciting thing it is to see the children's faces when they come to see what the workman are doing. One day while the visiting team finished some painting at Plain du Nord I sat on the edge of the porch and read a story to the children about how much God loves them. When I asked the children who Jesus was some of the children responded "He is Life for me" other children did not know. That is where my heart is teaching Children that Jesus loves them and that they can have hope in a place that seems so hopeless.

The children do not seem to realize how hard life is for them because this is the only life they know. They do not know there is a whole world out there that lives differently. They laugh and play and make toys out of junk they find along the road. One of the village that I visit often to read to and play with the children is a place where the people go to make their sacrifices to Satan. The Pastor's wife came to me and told me the people in the neighborhood have been talking about the white woman who comes to read to the children. She asked me if we could do something with her church to set up a time for the neighbor children to come like a kid's club. i told her I would love to help her do this but it would be the members of the churches job to sustain it. It would be an outreach to children who do not attend our Christian School and who parents do not know Christ. It is my hearts desire to reach these children and their parents as well. As you can see in the picture each of our schools now have a toilet. Each building holds two toilets. This will be the biggest prevention along with teaching the children to wash thier hands to fight Cholera and other diseases that take the life of our children.

Bud and I are presently in Erie Pa our home. We are off the field until January 1 when we will return to the field. One of the greatest blessings we have right now is Bud and Cindy Lenker have joined our team. Bud Lenker will be a partner to my Bud. Cindy will be working with me in Starfish Kids.

While Bud and I are home we will be traveling around Pennsylvania raising support. Our support is not enough to carry us through the next 5 years. Although see our children is at the top of our favorite things to do when home, visiting the people who support us in prayer and financially is alway fun. We have met so many wonderful people on our trips and they alway pick us up and give us such encouragement. Thanks to all of you who are so faithful to us. God Bless

Thanks For Your Prayers

2011-08-05T08:11:00.003-04:00

Thanks everyone for your prayers. The recent tropical storm Emily was set to cause much distruction in Haiti with torential rain, something that Haiti just can not bare at this time. We only received some moderate rain yesterday afternoon for about an hour and heard some light rain during the night. We see on the internet this morning that Emily was delared dead at 5:00PM last evening. Bud
There is a team here doing daily vacation Bible school, The first day 120 children came. The Pastor was dicouraged that their invitation was not accepted, but as the singing began and the laughter of the children filled the streets, other children peered in through doorways. After a short time the child would leave and return clean, and dressed in their finest. Day two we are up to 176 children and 47 of these street children accepted Christ as their personal Savior. Today is day 3 and the parents are invited to attend. We are praying for God hand to move and to reach the parents for Jesus. This a little church and with the 176 children in there, there is no room to move. Today we will double that attendance with grown-ups and watch God move. I will catch you up on all of this later Jane

Time to Veg.

2011-07-16T17:51:00.013-04:00

Well it's time to relax a little. We had the Gross family here for two weeks checking on how their children would adapt to living in Haiti. Well they didn't want to go home, really enjoyed trantula hunting after dark, playing Wii and their Haitian playmates. We took them to catch their flight this morning and picked up Matt, Stacey, Lily & Sophie as they came back. Dave & Marylyn Graffenburger are at the bus station awaiting a new team arriving through the Dominican Republic. They will be doing daily vacation bible school this next week. Jane & I have been catching up on some down time and getting some paper work completed. Tomorrow after church we plan to keep a low profile while the Graffenburgers take the team to lunch. Steve & Melissa Gross are both school teachers and feel called to join the staff at Cowman International school here.
Steve, after helping with bible school volunteered to help me with some mechanical repairs. I cautioned him that it would be hot & greasy but he jumped right in with both feet. A week ago Friday we were able to once again repair the John Deere mower. Monday & Tuesday we spent changing a rear main oil seal on an ailing generator out at the transmitter site at Petit-Ance (Little Inlet). This was a great relief for me as this project has been on my to-do list for 11 months now but we had to wait for a special installation tool to be sent in which arrived June 2. Since then it has been one thing or another delaying the fix. Thursday evening a new generator end arrived to replace a bad one at the radio station, once again Steve jumped right in and Friday afternoon we were able to rig the generator into place and get it bolted to the engine. Monday will be getting all of the electrical connections made and preparing it for automatic operation.

Jane has been very busy with teams, Starfish, VBS, and you name it. She has been wearing many hats this summer in keeping things working smoothly. Edric is putting the final touches on the new Plaine-DeNord school we were able to tour last Thursday evening. What a beautiful facility.

Bud

How did we cram so much into June?

2011-07-01T07:52:00.003-04:00

We have been back for a month now and it feels like months. So much has been crammed into this very short time and we both feel like we are running on God's strength alone. Two teams have come and gone. Our third team is here and two more are coming in over the weekend. Last week we had 28 visitors on the compound.

The main focus for the summer is VBS. Each team coming in will be working with local churches to assist them with VBS. Each church is planning for at least 200 kids. It is very much like the VBS in the states including all the same songs only in a different language. The last team did two VBS back to back. What a great team. Not only did they help with classes but took the time to clear a better soccer field for the children of Vaudriuel Church.

There has been a lot to do and we only have 5 missionaries on the field. At our prayer meeting this week we prayed for strength and endurance to get through the rest of the summer. We have no down time till the end of Sept. I am reading a book called" Too busy NOT to pray' and it has been a real blessing for me. It has reminded me that if we are to have the strength and guidence to do what need to do we need to take time for rest and Prayer. We also need to ask God what things are important for us to be doing and what things are just things we think God wants us to do.

One thing I have been tring to put into my day is time to sit and talk with the Haitian who come to my door asking for help. It is a steady stream of people. This month was my last classes for English as a second language. I held to graduation parties for my two classes. Some of my student need some extra help this summer and others want time to just come and spend time practicing language. It adds to my work but it also gives me a chance to sit and really get to know them and help them to know Jesus better.

We continue to build schools. Right now we are working on a new school for Plain du Nord, which is not far from our compound. The children in the neighborhood are so excited. Other areas are getting new toilets and water, both are needed to help fight deases like Cholera.

Our schedule for the fall when we will be out raising support is filling up and we are praising God for the opportunity to share God's blessing on Haiti with them. We continue to Praise God for the people He worked through to keep us in the black financially.

We are so excited the Lenkers will be joining us soon. They are new missionies from Oregon and are packing as we speak. We have seen how God has worked to open doors for them and we are so excited. We will have two maintenance men named Bud at that time. What a blessing for my Bud.

We are seeing a rise in theft in the area and we feel it is because of the rise of food prices. People feel desperate. That is a common feeling among people who feel they have no where to turn for help or any hope. We are so greatful that we have a Savior who is always preparing a way for us. Thank you for your prayer on our behalf. We feel them and appreciate them more than you know. Jane

Busy Time

2011-06-18T22:21:00.005-04:00

It has been a very busy time here in Haiti. We have been back just over two weeks but seems like months.

A Resounding Hope team from Columbus, Indiana were here with Kate Michelle doing evangelism and distributing solar powered radios for the radio station. They were a lot of fun and a great asset as are all of the teams.

The team helped dig up and replace a weeping waterline that has been keeping a driveway wet. This had been a big concern of mine for over a year.
Dave & Marylyn Shaferly were covering for us while we were home, completing many of my mechanical items on my To-Do list. It was good to spend a little time with them as they are a great inspiration, sharing some 40+ years of Haiti experience.

Wednesday we took the team to the airport early and then spent the day ordering parts and getting caught up on little projects.

Late in the day Maxi from the Seminary called and said that our John Deere mower had a broken hose and was making a strange noise. Thursday I grabbed my tool box and headed out to work on the mower. Upon first look, a breather hose had become brittle from time & heat. We were able to make one from a piece of rubber hose until one can be flown in. Upon starting the engine there was still the noise, with a closer check, a head gasket had blown. While we were home Edric had replaced that cylinder head with a new one because of a problem that we had a year ago and had been running on a temporary fix all of that time. Knowing that there was an extra head gasket back at the Vaudruiel shop (5 miles away) I prepared to go get it.

Abel said wait a minute, “T-Louie” was here the other day and said that we have an electrical problem, pointing to the main power transformer atop the utility pole behind the shop. I could see long lengths of insulation hanging from the now bare wires and dangerously close to shorting out against the transformer. Maxi told me that he and John had to wrap the tops of the wood utility poles with metal because of the wood peckers, and now they were destroying the insulation on the wires!

One more thing, Abel said leading me to the “motor house” the float in the “day tank” that regulates the diesel fuel to the generators was slowly leaking and causing it to overflow and creating a puddle on the floor. That one was a quick fix with a close of the valve and instructions to keep it closed when the generators are not running. I made a quick trip back to Vaudruiel for a gasket and the “hot stick”. Upon returning we pulled the fuse on the transformer and covered the damaged wires with lengths of garden hose. I was able to get the engine disassembled and the parts cleaned up for the new gasket but when starting to torque the head bolts I found that one had stripped the threads in the block, after measuring I found that possibly a longer bolt would catch some good threads further down in the block, we called it a day.

Thursday night I was able to find and download a service manual for the engine with torque specifications and sequence to make sure that all would be Ok. On Friday morning I was able to find a longer bolt and returned to finish the job. Again starting to tighten the head, a second bolt stripped out so another round trip to the shop for more long bolts. Finally I was able to get the engine finished and Maxi was able to start mowing at 4PM, it’s a good thing as the grass was getting very long. During one of the trips I left instructions in Creole to go buy 100 goats which got a good laugh.

During the engine assembly, “T-Louie” had called that the generator at the radio station had overheated again and Edric would try to take care of it. After Maxi was mowing away I headed back to Vaudruiel, stopping at the radio station, Edric was standing by with another radiator to change. The generator overheated again and so we started a quick change out, releasing the boiling water onto the floor, me in sneakers and he in flip-flops we danced around and in about 10 minutes we were ready to start-up. Quickly we found that a hose clamp was leaking and now the thermostat wouldn’t open causing it to overheat. Again the boiling water and a very hot removal of the thermostat. Soon the generator was running again at a cool 170 deg. We will install a new thermostat when we get the second radio station generator up & running, parts expected in a week.

It’s now 5:30 PM and we are both grease to our elbows, it’s time for a shower and call it a day. A new team arrives Sunday afternoon, only God knows what next week holds.

Bud

We Are back to Work

2011-06-11T09:00:00.002-04:00

We have been back for a week and we started off running. Bud has been trying to catch up on all that was done while we were gone. Yesterday we had a big rain storm and it took out our security lights so he was working his way around the compound trying to find the problem. The construction of Plain du Nord school began while I was out and so I have been very busy working out communication problems on it. We have wonderful Haitian workers here and their work is great but sometimes communication can add to problems. This is very common when you have two different cultures working together.
Monday and Tuesday I gave the final exams for my English classes. We also have a Resounding hope team here as well. They are here to learn about missions and do radio distribution. I have been under the weather for the last two days. I spent yesterday in bed all day and today I am much better. The body aches have stopped since my fever has broken but I still have no strength so Bud is taking the vistors to the beach by himself. I am grateful for Dr Rodney being here. Yesterday he made a house call for me. Next week we have teams coming in to do vacation Bible school for two of our churches. We have teams coming in to do VBS for the next two months. Please pray for my health to be restored so I can do the work I was called to do. Jane

A Visit Home

2011-05-09T19:09:00.003-04:00

Bud and I are so fortunate to be able to have a break at home with our family. We will be returning to Haiti on June 2. This pictures were taken Mother's day I am teaching my grandchildren how to make pizza's for their mothers for Mother's day. It was a wonderful day and I feel so blessed to be with my daughters and grandchildren on such a special day.

Looking ahead and Making Plans

2011-04-07T22:46:00.002-04:00

For the first time in a long time we can actually make plans farther ahead then the next day. Throughout this election everytime we plan to do something in the back of our minds was if there is peace. Now the election is over and I haven't spoken with one person that has told me that they are unhappy with the outcome. Wow what an expression of excitment we heard coming from the street when the annoucement came as to the winner. It went on for hours and it was a joy to hear how happy the people were. My English classes are coming to an end. My students will enjoy a nice long break while we go home to Erie for a rest. We have been saving for this time and for the first time in a long time we are actually going home to rest. All of our trips home have been to raise support but this time we are leaving our financial challenges in God's very capable hands. Bud and I are both tired and have recently had some health problems which I believe fatigue has brought on. Bud's first request when we reach the states is to have a hot fudge sunday. We have a lot of work to finish before we leave. I have been spending a lot of time preparing letters to go out for Starfish Kids, leading teams and doing some special programs for the children. Almost every afternoon I continue to work on Language. It is truly my hearts desire to begin to teach children with out an interpretor. To be able to sit with a group of children and share Bible stories with them. Bud has had am extremely heavy schedule. He has had construction teams here as well as his normal routine. yet today in my devotions I read these words. "Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you". Exodus 20:24b Isn't it wonderful that God permits us to be blessed by what He is doing around us. We do not make it happen. God does and He permits us to be a part of it so we can recieve a blessing. Wow. Today I also recieved some help from God on another thing that I find very difficult to deal with here and that is the constant flow of people knocking on my door asking for money. God spoke to me about changing my attitude about it and impressed upon my heart to practice praying and writing prayers in Creole so that I can take these opportunities to pray for them and share Jesus with them. I was looking at all them as a problem and an interuption in my work, but God showed me this is a perfect opportunity to do His work. Please pray for my ability to speak in Creole.

Madam Jane This little girl can't talk

2011-03-25T15:06:00.002-04:00

A little over a week ago one of our pastors came to me to ask for help for a little girl in his church. He said suddenly she could not talk. It was if she had no control over her mouth. She could not make a sound. I sent Amos to pick up this little girl and bring her to the clinic. Dr could not find anything physically wrong with her but was concerned enough to question her separately. What she wrote in a discription is very much like a ritual that is done in voodoo but she said it was while she was a sleep. This child was surrounded by prayer. A couple of days later in her sleep he ability returned to speak but the pastor noticed when she would try to sing praises the problem would return. During a play time during church the child began to cry and kept saying see the man in front of me is trying to make me eat what is in his hand. But the Pastor's wife said there was no one there. Emmanuel and I went to the home of the child but the grown ups in the household chose not to be there. Pastor told us that the father was not a Chrisitan and was afraid that they wanted to take the child to a witch doctor. We prayed over this child in her home. But she was not alone. Several children followed us into a small room not much bigger than a small bathroom which was there house. We prayed over all of the children. One young man was about 14 and asked to recieve Jesus in his heart. What an afternoon. I plan to return to this house again. I hope to take a book with me to read Bible Stories to these children. I want them to learn that Jesus loves them and can protect them from the evil that surrounds them. It has increased my desire to reach children outside of our schools as well as those inside. Everytime I visit a school I see eyes peering through the wall wishing they could come in and sit down. I want to begin preparing to reach these kids. I know the Lord wants us here and that our present financial problem is going to be solved. I know that there are others out there who have a love for these children as well and are waiting for the opportunity to partner with us to keep us here where God has called us to be. We serve an amazing God. I am reading a book called Limiting God and It has opened my eyes to how we limit God everyday through things like unbelief, fear, disobedience, and pride. I have sat in each camp many times in my life and I am striving to not visit it anymore and God is here to help me.

"Lord we need a pair of pants"

2011-03-11T07:47:00.000-05:00

Did you ever pray what we call a popcorn prayer in the process of doing something? Well that is just what I was doing as I walked down our hallway hoping for a small miracle. A friend of ours had forgotten to bring dress pants on a recent visit here to Haiti. I had forgotten he had mentioned it earlier in the week. Here we are Friday and suddenly his wife remembers. All kinds of thoughts are going through my head. How was I going to have time in the middle of the day to buy pants? Shopping here in Haiti is an experience in itself. A thought came to me and I heard myself say to my friend “Maybe we will get lucky and someone may have left a pair of pants behind in one of our guest bedrooms.” This does happen sometimes but the clothing left is usually well used work clothes, so my hope of finding something was very low. Suddenly as I reached one of the bedrooms I noticed one pair of pants hanging in the closet. Not only were they brand new but exactly the size our friend needed and his favorite brand and color.
That is exactly how God has taken care of us over the last 18 months. He is always faithful and right there when we need him. I am writing this as a reminder to myself as well because Bud and I are facing an empty closet right now looking for that pair of pants we need. At the beginning of our work here in Haiti we were given an amount of money we were to raise to keep us on the field. We praise the Lord for all of you who have sent us support monthly and for those of you who have given as the Lord has led. Through your commitment to the Lord and to us, we have been able to remain on the field to this point. Now we face the possibility of having to leave the field for an extended period of time to raise support in order to continue work here in Haiti.
God has allowed us to be a part of so many great things happening here in Haiti.
• Bud has been working with several teams that have come in to work here at the compound. Not only has God provided the workers, but also the funding that was needed to complete these tasks. In the past several months, Cownman International School and one of our homes has received a new roof. Also an addition is being added to the medical clinic.
• Bud has been training under a man who God sent in to help us with air conditioning problems in both the medical clinic and 4VEH.
• Starfish Kids continues to grow and we are preparing for another teachers training in the spring. School pictures have been taken and will be going out this summer with report cards. We have received several reports of children coming to the Lord as a result of Bible classes.
• Last Friday we took a team out to one of our schools to present two flannel graph stories and the gospel to the children. 16 children came to Christ. We are planning more and more of these kinds of programs.
• Today we will be going out to share the gospel with a small community near Cap Haitian. I think it is a wonderful way to celebrate Mardi Gras.
• I continue to work with over 100 adult students teaching English and sharing the Lord with them 4 days a week.
• Every Friday morning I teach English to seventh graders in one of our Starfish Schools to help meet the government requirements of having Junior high classes now.
• Bud continues to come along side of our Haitian workers by participating in a men’s Bible study 3 times a week.
• We praise God that we are completing the construction of a new school in the Fort St Michel area.
In this letter you will find a small card that outlines ways in which you can keep us on the field to continue doing the things God called us to do. Please prayerfully consider the options and return the card to OMS in the envelope provided. God bless you! We’re so happy to have you on our team.

Looking for that pair of pants

Jane Dennington

For those viewing this on the internet you can go to onemissionsociety.org and find our account Dennington #802374 or you can send a check to One Mission Society P.O. Box 1648 Monument CO 80132-1648 You can send a letter and mark it one time gift or that you wish to give monthly and the amount you wish to give each month. Include you name address and contact number. Please mark all gift with Dennington#802374

Can you help the Dennington's

2011-03-10T17:24:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends,

Greetings in the powerful Name of our Lord Jesus! Today I am writing this letter on behalf of Bud and Jane Dennington. Bud and Jane play a critical role on our field here in Haiti. Bud keeps the place running physically through maintenance work and oversees new construction. Jane works as a key member of our Starfish Kids team as well as serves as hostess for our numerous Men For Missions teams.

Bud and Jane find themselves in a crisis at the moment—their support has dropped significantly. At the same time, the field is at a critical juncture as well. Several key people have scheduled furloughs and others have finished their careers in Haiti. These vacancies make it very difficult for them to leave before reinforcements arrive.

But here is the good news: more people are coming! Praise the Lord He is continuing to send workers into the harvest field. We have several new missionaries scheduled to arrive in September that can cover for Bud and Jane while they are away. So, after a time of transition, Bud and Jane should be able to leave for a few months by October to share in churches and increase their support.

Can you help us get to October? Their current funding level will fall $10,000 short of being able to stay until October. Can you help us overcome that shortfall? Your special gift will help sustain the work of Starfish Kids, Bethesda Medical Center, Radio 4VEH and others through the hands of Bud and Jane Dennington.

Thank you for your help!
God bless,

Brett Bundy, field leader in Haiti

You really don't mind being used, When it's God

2011-02-13T22:56:00.003-05:00

It seems like eternity since I have had the chance to sit down and blog. Every moment I get to relax a little I have a Creole Bible in my lap and a dictionary, trying desperatly to learn this language. I really love Evangelising, (always have) but it is difficult when there is a language barrier, yet God continues to open doors.

A couple of weeks ago, Brett needed to go to Port au Prince to help a missionary couple, who are here to build homes, settle in. I had asked to go along and try to meet with a man who makes some very special bowls for our gift shop.

We have a small shop here on the compound for teams to buy things to take back home. The gift shop helps to benefit our work here. Little did I know that God had another plan in place. I have been trying to email this man for months with no success. I now know why God had it planned for me to meet him face to face.

During our time together something was said that opened the door for the conversation to turn twords me having the opportunity to share my faith with him and introduce him to Christ. Satan did everything to try to stop it. That morning no decision was made but we agreed to meet again later to finalize the order. I prayed throughout the day that God would not allow anything to stop our meeting and to permit me the chance to speak with him again. He told me everything inside him told him he needed to speak with me again but everything was happening to prevent it. It was like something was holding him back from showing up for our meeting. He did arrive 4 hours late and he accepted Christ. I have never heard someone pray with such honesty. What a privelage to share that prayer with him. Wadner was with me both times and I could see him over the man's shoulder praying for him. The man asked me why when so many have come to buy his products had no one ever talked to him about Jesus. I told him you must not have been ready to receive. God's timing is everything. The man asked if we would send someone to share with all of his employees. We did and they are now setting up Bible studies there twice a week. Isn't God amazing.

Later that week I asked my English students to write me a short story about something that happen to them in their life. One of my students came to me and asked me to read his right away. It was a plea for me to introduce him to Christ. Even tho I face a language barrier that is slowly lowering, God knows how much I love to share about Him and He opens the doors.

The last few weeks have been exhausting and there are days I get home and I am too tired to eat, but I do. And there are nights, I take tylenol Pm to get to sleep and sooth my tired legs. But one thing that keeps us going are the looks of appreciation that fill the eyes of those who find Christ because we are here following God's lead.

Another team comes in tomorrow and another week begins. Starfish kids is growing everyday. Last week we I assigned 112 kids to sponsors. Our foster parents have been doing a fantastic job. We are finishing up school photo's to be sent out with report cards. We lost another child this week to Cholera and it has made us all the more determined to try to build toilets and proper sanitation for our schools.

We are in the process of building a school in partnership with "The Joy and Hope of Haiti" Another school will be started in April. We have 4 more that need to be built immediately but lack of funds makes that impossible right now. A 10 room school cost approximatly 60,000. Three schools that need to be built need to be a church and school combination and that adds another $25000, but how efficent is that to have a building that is a church on Sunday, with great Sunday school classrooms and is a school the rest of the week.

Please pray about helping us build churches, that can be used as schools here in Haiti. Well it is 11:00 at night and I need to try to shut off my mind and get some rest. I'm sure tomorrow holds a few surprizes. Most days do. Jane

Catch A Breath

2011-02-13T07:11:00.017-05:00

It has been a very busy month! On Feb. 3 a team of 3 people from Pennsylvania along with 2 from Indiana, also on the plane was our 3500 lb X-Ray machine from Erie, Pa.

We were able to unload the plane and move the machine to our storage depot for a March installation. The team's goal was to repair & re-roof house #9, no small job. We spent Friday getting organized & started with a plan on the re-roof. Saturday three of the team did some sightseeing while two of us worked on a linen shelving unit for Jane.

At 6:15 AM on Monday the phone rang that the generator at Petite-Ance would not start and that the radio station was off the air. Along with filters & tools three of us made our way through Cap-Haitien to get things running. When we found that the spare fuel filters that we had were not the right ones we were able to get the back-up generator running, by 9:30 we were back up on the roof. We spent five days roofing in 90 degree weather, much different that the weather that we were hearing from back in the US.

By Thursday evening we had just a little bit to complete on the roof but was closed in from weather and the Pa. team of three would be flying out the following morning.

On Friday morning, I received another phone call at 7:30 that there had been a fire at our duplex 1/2 mile away and that there was water deluging down from the ceiling. Racing down I found that our tenant Doug had been changing a propane tank and some how there was a massive propane leak and it was ignited by the nearby hot water tank. A neighboring missionary was able to put the fire out with Doug and his wife Susan suffering 1st degree burns to their faces and arms.

The concrete wall was charred black and the heat could still be felt radiating from it for quite some time.

When we turned the water back on, we could see that some plastic waterlines in the attic had melted and kept the fire from extending in through the open eaves. God had caused this to work the same as a sprinkler system to save the roof & building. Needless to say two of us spent the whole day making repairs to the melted plumbing and relocating the hot water tank.

Tomorrow will be finish the duplex, the roof project, change a pully & fanbelt on one of the vehicles, and meet the new team arriving in the morning.

The Dave Shafferly team is going to be starting an addition to the clinic. Bud & Cindy Lenker will be here, they are currently funding to come back full time to help with maintenance & office work. Doug Ries is coming in to install a new air conditioning system at the x-ray room and change some compressors at the radio station. I'm hoping to shadow Doug and get an education on air conditioning to be able to maintain them.

After a packed out church service, it was a couple hours of rest then off to a farewell party at the Christoph for two missionaries leaving the field.

Tomorrow morning Jane is off to the airport and I will be trying to finish up some things before the team arrives at 10:00.

Bud

Time has Been Flying By

2011-01-22T17:05:00.012-05:00

It doesn't seem like a month since my last post.

Jane hosted Christmas Dinner here, it was a great time to get together.

On 12/30 we left on a four day get-a-way with the Bundys to the Dominican Republic to relax and also meet our 90 day visitors requirement while we wait for our "permes" [Visas] to be completed.

New Years day on the beach. [the white is sand, not snow!]

Upon our return on Monday it was time to gear up for the Cowman Int. School roof replacement project. Wed.-Sat.

Since then we have only been able to work on Jan.12 and Saturdays so as not to disturb the students. We hope to finish in a couple more Saturdays weather permitting.

Hanna and her mother Julie left last Monday. Hanna just finished serving here at the clinic for a year, and what a year it was! We will miss her.

Jane left for Port-A-Prince yesterday with five others to get some paperwork done on her drivers license and purchase some of the famous Einstein Bowls for the gift shop.

They will return tomorrow afternoon.

Tomorrow is also my brother's birthday..... miss you Bruce!

Bud

God Contiues To Amaze Me

2010-12-23T06:15:00.006-05:00

Tuesday there was a light rain all night long. I awoke at 4:15 to the sound of the little security light generator running down in the motor house. I was able to automate it two weeks ago so that it would start automatically when EDH (Electric Da Haiti) would go off. This morning though EDH was also on, maybe my generator controls went "haywire". I took a walk down to investigate. Along the way I see that the weight of the rain had brought down a weak tree limb across our power lines, burning one in half and the other two were arcing a little with the limb still suspended about 15 feet in the air. When one of the main fuses blew the little generator did exactly what it was supposed to do. I shut down the power and started to gather tools and get ready for dawn & some help. With the tractor, ladder & chainsaw ready, Brett showed up on his morning jog and together we removed the limb. We then set up at one end of the wire span to take down the broken wire and were brain storming about how we would splice the wire back together as we knew we were lacking in clamps, length of wire and were afraid that a splice would fail again if another limb fell. At 6:00 Olin showed up and shortly behind him Edric brought a roll of exactly the same wire on his shoulder. After rolling it out, about 200 feet, we find that we had about 20 feet extra, just right! (Thank-you God) After connecting the one end, it was off to the other, come-a-longing the slack out and connecting it, all of this 30 feet in the air. At 8:30 we were finally able to turn the power on. The Haitians down at the furniture shop were patiently waiting for power, the clinic was just finishing with devotions and ready to start seeing patients. Time for a shower & breakfast. I marvel at how God meets our needs and gives us the strength and wisdom for what ever is in store for each day.

Julie Briggs headed home yesterday to be with her family as her Grandfather is quite sick. She had come in as a Physical Therapist for one year. She was very instermental in the mobile clinics and cholera clinic, we will miss her as she returns to Northern Ireland.

We are patiently waiting for Christmas but missing that special time with our kids and family back home. Jane is hosting Christmas dinner here for the remaining missionaries.

Have a Blessed Christmas,
Bud

Hi Everyone

2010-12-08T20:22:00.004-05:00

Due to the election announcement yesterday, there have been reports of unrest in the streets again and we have been asked not to leave the campus. We have a team here with us and we have been able to get much accomplished this week. We are thankful that part of the team was able to give eye tests & distribute over 1000 pairs of glasses between yesterday & today. Many of the team have been working down at the cholera clinic along side of the staff there. This evening everyone is sobered with the loss of three cholera patients today (first ones here), it makes it hard to focus on the 103 that have been treated & released. Please be in prayer for the team, staff and families of these precious people here.

Bud

Catching UP

2010-12-04T07:38:00.005-05:00

I am not sure I am familiar with this phrase any more. Some days I feel like I am getting close to the end of the tunnel and then something happens and it sets me back a day or two. I think the most difficult thing is not feeling like anything in your life is under your own control. Even simple things like having control over when you get up, privacy, what you eat, or how your money is spent, are things that most of the time are out of your hands. Even when you plan some time off, you are not really off. For Americans it would be like working for a place that never closes and the door to your apartment is just inside the front entrance. Sometimes we watch old TV show we brought from the US to escape and shut out the activities of the street. Bud and I live close to the road so we are constantly aware of the activity around us. There are times we hear wailing, fighting, gun shots but also the laughter of children. Never a day goes by there is not a person at our door begging for help. I find myself wanting to find a different way to get into my house other then the front door to by pass someone there waiting for me. It is not because we do not want to help them. It is because we can't. It breaks my heart to have to tell them that I have no money to give you. Most of the time they are looking for money for food or medicine. Some are people who are telling the truth, others are truly in need but they try to make their story more desperate to get you to take pity on them. Bud and I have always been people who love to give to others and many times at the expense of our own needs. This is not always a wise thing to do. That is what has happened to us here. We came in with a plan and a budget but much of that is gone now. We always feel we have a better chance of recovery than the people around us. Our problems are nothing in comparison to theirs. This month we have had to pay out a lot of money from our support account for Visa, driver licenses, and now higher medical insurance premium. It all adds up to a couple thousand dollars we had not planned on. This also adds to stress because we know all that money will have to be made up. In my heart I know God will meet this need but the human part of me wants to see how it is all going to work out now. God has brought us through very difficult times in our life and you would think I would be able to just not think about it. But that is not who I am, I am a planner and organizer. I like to be prepared for what lies ahead, I have peace when I feel I can walk away from a job that has all it's ducks in a row, then I feel I have been successful. God is still working on that part of me. The last few days I have really been feeling tired. Not physically but the emotional stress has taken it's toll. My body has always had signals that tell me I am emotionally drained and the stress of living with the constant problems of others has taken it toll, yet I am drawn to this kind of work. I thrive on it, but there comes time I have to give my body a break. We were home for a few weeks but they were not a time of rest but a time of work and heavy schedules of raising support. Come January Bud and I are going to try to take a time of rest in the Dominican if it is at all possible. I was reading this morning a blog of four of our missionaries who are on holiday in the DR and I realize how much Bud and I need to get away as well. Last July we went for a three day holiday and it really was good for both of us, We spent time scuba diving, which really takes you out of this world and puts you in another. It is truly an escape. We are not unique. Many missionaries live like this all over the world. But let me say this it is by the Grace of God we are able to do this. He keeps pulling us through each day. As I think back I can reflect on little perks that God has given us that came out of the blue to pick us up. Little things like a free helicopter ride from Port. A surprise package in the mail. A support check or a gift of money that we did not expect. A friend sending us something we need or bring a us a special food we have been missing. An encouraging word from someone. Or a Haitian telling you how much you have blessed them not by money but because you gave them a little of your time. Or a little time away from work. An English Student getting a job because you helped them learn English. Best of all a recorded book in the mail from your 8 year old grandson and the love of our family. It is all good. But nothing is better than serving God wherever He has chosen for us. The most encouraging thing is when I read His word and He talks to me through it. It is a feeling that He set that time aside especially for me. We all need to feel special.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T20:12:00.007-05:00

It is Thanksgiving evening and I am sitting here beside Bud as he reads me the unbelievable statistics on this Cholera epidemic. They are saying on CNN which he is reading online, we will be in it for years. 60,000 have been sickened. 25,000 hospitalized and over 1400 dead. We have had so much going on here. Violence has been occurring in the streets these days. Also we have elections going on and that has set off disruption in the past. The people are deeply in need of prayer. They are tired, discouraged, hungry and now sick or know someone that is sick. Fear is a terrible thing and it can make any of us do things we do not want to do. As we slipped away to enjoy dinner together it is sobering to think that just a few yards away one of our houses is filled with children hooked to IV fighting Cholera. We have 13 pt right now and expect more tomorrow. Julie, Hannah and Dr Rodney have done an amazing job setting this up. Bud and I helped to facilitate and set up the clinic. We are using whatever we can find to take care of as many as we can. Tomorrow we will look for more beds and set up more rooms. The cases increase more and more each day. You have to wonder how much more can this country take. We ended our day singing to the children and praying with them along with their parents. Talk about a helpless feeling. In times like this it is easy to feel inadequate. Praise God His is. We need all of your prayers once again. It is amazing in the mist of all of this just mention the name of Jesus to those who believe and see their faces change. This is another opportunity to help others to find him.

We are thankful

2010-11-25T20:12:00.006-05:00

Praise God for a healthy family, Good friends, and a faithful God. We also are thankful for all of you who have stood by us to help us be a part of the work here. Thank you is such a small word for how we feel. God bless you

Retreat Begins

2010-11-17T08:05:00.002-05:00

Today is the first day of our spiritual and team building retreat. Right now we should be on a bus heading for the Dominican Republic, but like all things here in Haiti nothing is for sure. Violence has begun here in the country. The word on the street is the people are blaming the UN for bringing Cholera in since one of the troops here is from a country infested with Cholera. Elections are also just around the corner so that could be part of the problems.
Cholera is definitely here with us. We hear stories of death everywhere. We are staying close to home because the violence has stretched all the way from Cap to areas past us. Please be in prayer about all of this.
On a happier note we just had a wonderful week with a team that truly came here to serve. Their hearts were set on being a blessing here in Haiti and they truly were. Not only did they work with several different ministries while they were here they also found ways to help the missionaries in their homes. We were blessed with freshly painted walls.
One afternoon I took the team out for a walk in our area to visit, and pray with the people. What a blessed time we had. We managed to speak to several families before the rain returned. I carried my creole Bible with me and I am happy to say it now is in the hands of a beautiful young woman who I had the privilege of sharing Christ with. She is now my sister in Christ. One of our schools also shared with us that they had a Starfish kid accept Christ during devotions on day last week. I do not have the name yet but I will be thrilled to share that news with their sponsor.
I just finished two weeks of answering letters and assigning new children to sponsors. It is a great job to have to do but it is overwhelming at times because it take a lot of time. Marcie is here from Canada and she and I spent time together working on ways to spread some of this work out between her and I. I also have a partner in the US now. Beka who is helping me as well.
This leaves me more time to work on programs for children and taking teams out to work with our schools. What a blessing they both are. Our new books will be here soon which a Bible stories and scripture in Creole. Each teacher will be given a book and a plan for teaching Bible lessons on a child's level. I will be happy to share with you soon some new and upcoming projects for Starfish kids. May I share some prayer request with you. Please to continue to pray for all of our ministries: Seminary, Medical Clinic, English as a second language, Radio station, Schools, Starfish kids and our missionaries. None a funded where they need to be especially the Radio station and our missionaries. God is faithful and we know He has a plan. We are praying that individuals are willing to hear it. Bud has been really busy as you see from his blogs. I praise God that he has kept him safe through all of this. I also praise God because we are about to begin construction on two new school. Ft St Michel #2 and Plain du Nord. I can't wait to see the children move in. Between the two schools we have 912 students. We have 4 more schools yet to be built. Praise God for those who helped provide this money. We are praying for all of our supporters and blog readers. We may not be able to name everyone but God knows you and He know what is in our hearts for you. Jane

Well We Almost Dodged The Bullet

2010-11-08T15:25:00.011-05:00

Friday was pretty uneventful with a slight breeze and some light rains. Saturday morning the team was waiting for word if their flight was still on. By 10:30 we received word that they would not leave until Monday. Gary asked if it was my day off and if I wanted to tackle stringing a new service wire to the aids clinic.
Being that we had the extra help we went for it and by 3:30PM it was up and running just as the wind started to pick-up and the rains started to come down.

Jane had already made plans to have the team over to our house for a pizza party (homemade of course) and for a time for them to get better acquainted with Erica Thompson. We had a great evening but the wind was howling, leaves & limbs and who knows what else was blowing by. At 8:00 PM Edric shut down the power (due to the winds) and we continued the evening on inverter power & security lights.

By morning things were quiet. The team was getting ready to leave for early church at Pastor Gary's and needed to leave at 6:00AM. At 5:30AM before sun up, I was doing an inspection of our power lines for limbs or damage prior to starting the generator.

Up by the Holiday House a tree had fallen across a guy wire that supports the corner utility pole, severely breaking it about half way up, essentially the wires were keeping it from falling over. After pulling a few pole fuses we were able to isolate that particular pole and turn the power on.

To keep a close eye on things here, Jane & I decided to listen to a pod-cast that I had in my computer from back home while the team was away. After Brett and the team returned at 10:30 we started the task of installing a new utility pole, straightening the old one and securing the two together. By 4:00 we were finishing up, It was a long day, a long weekend! It was so good to have all of the help, while the guys worked outside the ladies cooked us up a great lunch American style, hamburgers & french fries along with birthday cake.

Trever & Chad

Preparing the hole (disregard the "Haitian style metering" to outside customers)

Manning the Lines

Passing the high voltage line over the top

Today the team headed one last time to the airport leaving Trever & Peggy to stay on until Saturday. I remember Dr. Chad say that this week he got to work on generators, wiring, rigging & many other things that he normally doesn't get a chance to do and he loved it. Chad was also able to bless Stacey with medication for her continual "Morning Sickness". Today Trever & Amigo were up sawing up the fallen tree while I stayed home, my day off.

Bud

Was a peaceful day

2010-11-05T18:27:00.003-04:00

I guess we dodged the bullet. We have received only light rains off & on throughout the night & day with only a slight breeze. OMS campus here has been very quiet as the Haitian staff was off today in anticipation of Tomas. Part of the day Trever & I worked in Pastor Lukner's house with some inside work readying it for his upcoming wedding. Gary spent the day wiring in the office. I spent this afternoon tracking down and sealing a few pinhole leaks in our roof along with changing a fan in Eric's refrigerator. The ministries here were closed today and everyone was getting caught up on their to-do lists. Jane & Carl Henry painted our kitchen, while the rest of the team was readying medical supplies in the holiday house. It continues to rain slowly this evening.

Thank-You for all of your prayers, Cap-Haitian was spared the storm.

Bud

Waiting & Watching

2010-11-04T06:52:00.005-04:00

It looks as if Tomas is headed this way. We have been preparing and studying the Hurricane web sites. The portion of the current team that were going to evacuate yesterday on a commercial airline were not able due to a snafu in flight plans or paperwork. Last night MFI notified us by e-mail that they are planning to send in one plane today for our typical Thursday freight & missions passengers.

Yesterday Edric hired a local man to climb two palm trees next to our house and remove about 1/2 of their leaves and all of the larger coconuts. I've climbed a lot of steel in my career but was amazed by this guy. With bare feet and a machete he was able to climb up and onto the top and then hack away. The locals soon were cutting open some of the coconuts for it's water within and a couple of girls gathered a huge sack of the rest probably to sell on the street. I'm glad that these will no longer be a threat to my roof!

Today will probably be a typical work day with an anticipated arrival of Tomas tonight. Edric & I have readied generators & saws, Olin & Amigo replacing some bad security lights. The team has been painting and installing some security systems along with working at the clinic.
Jane has been busy with Starfish Kids along with two huge English classes of about 60. Pastor Miguloson became a dad again on Sunday to a little girl!

Well I must get ready for the day.

Bud

Busy Week

2010-11-02T18:48:00.005-04:00

Everyone has been busy. The Gary Glabe team arrived on Saturday from Texas and they have been very busy since. Yesterday they blessed Jane with painting our living room, dining room and hallway before lunch. Gary was reviewing a long awaited security system to be installed in the office. Chad & I went to Sakinville to install the last remaining parts that Malcolm, Stacey's dad brought in and we were able to get the second generator up and running. Today the team did tours of some of the different ministries here at OMS while Gary and I reviewed some work that needs to be done down at the Aid's Clinic.

Here in house #3 we live with an infamous toilet that has a long history of plugging up so at times we kept it on a liquids only diet. Well for 7 months it has been on good behaviour but now with a team in and 4 additional house guests you guessed it, it stopped up. I got to spend some time today removing it and "snaking" out the pipes to get the roots & grease moving again.

We have been watching tropical storm Tomas very closely. Yesterday we decided that we had better fuel up the vehicles & generators and prepare to batten down the hatches later this week. Two years ago Gonaives was hit very hard with a large loss of life and washing out the main North-South route, cutting off our supply of fuel from Port-au-Prince.

We have already been informed that flights will probably be cancelled later this week interrupting the team's scheduled departure on Saturday. Some have decided to evacuate tomorrow and some to stay until flights resume whenever that may be.
It is hard because they are just getting to know these fascinating people but have to leave early due to schedules & families back home.

Jane & I have never experienced a hurricane before, Cap-Haitian is usually pretty safe from them but this time looks to be different. I have been doing some roof patching on our house in preparation of the expected rain. We also are readying chain saws for the possibly that we loose some of our power lines from falling trees & limbs. Inside of our OMS compound we are the power company so making repairs after a storm is up to us. For safety sake we are anticipating shutting off our main power system, operating only our security lights during the storm, although powder outages here are a way of life.

We are already brainstorming and making plans for the what-ifs. Only God knows what will happen as he is in control. Our biggest concern is for the Haitian people because they are the ones least prepared or able to deal with such a storm.

Continue to pray for Haiti as this approaches.

Bud

Frog In The Shower

2010-10-24T12:06:00.018-04:00

This morning I found a visitor with me in the shower. With bits of shaving cream still on my face I grabbed the camera, shorts, dustpan & plastic bowel to safely return this little but fast guy back to the wilds of our front yard.
Last evening the Bundy clan shared their bar-b-que with us, seems that Alana had asked her grandma to send hot dogs & marshmallows but grandma could only send the marshmallows in the mail for obvious reasons. We happened to bring in some of Erie's famous Smith's hot dogs so we got together and had a great time with the kids.

We have been getting settled back into the swing of things again. When we arrived on Tuesday we were continually greeted by everyone happy to see us back. Jane is busy again with Starfish and English classes and I have spent three days at the seminary.
This is the way that Missionary Flights International flew in our two new diesel engines.

On Wednesday, team members Gailin & John along with Edric, Ti-Blanc & myself were able to unload both engines and change out the first one.
On Thursday Gailin & I continued to finish up connections and review pre-start details while the rest of the group changed out the second engine. By 2:00 pm the first one was running and starting to make power.

We found it easier to remove the generators from the motor house to make the change. This is the first unit ready to move back inside.

First unit finished and running.

The second unit is ready short of a new radiator hose and circuit breaker that are coming soon.

Continue to Pray for Haiti as we now are facing a growing Cholera outbreak. Each day we get new information from the Internet news and word of mouth from local agencies.

Bud

Jane's Reflections on our time at home

2010-10-19T21:59:00.003-04:00

Bud and I sit here side by side on the plane heading for our home in Haiti. It has become that for us. The only thing missing for us there are our friends and family which we sadly leave behind. The highlight of our trip home was spending time with our family and some very close friends. The family gatherings as well as the little time we had to spend with each of our children filled our hearts. I am so grateful for each of them. Our children had a calendar made for us with all of their pictures in it. The front is what meant the most to me. It had a picture of as many of our grandchildren as they could get together. Some of them were born to us others God placed in our lives in very unique ways but the caption says something like this. “It doesn’t matter who’s name you have…It’s who you call family.” That is exactly how it is with us. We are so blessed with so many to love. Other than the visits with our children the greatest pick up for me, was the time I spent with close friends. We did not get to see all of our friends, the time went by so quickly. I am thankful for the ones who allowed me to share what was in my heart and came back with good and spiritual advise. I appreciate these times of reflection and growth.

The words of my 8 year old grandson come to mind. “ Gramma how long are you and papa going to keep on doing this going back to Haiti.” Good question! We do not know only God knows the real answer. All I can say is until God sends us home. When we left Haiti I have to admit I was exhausted and a little discouraged because so much of the problems we were having with computers in the Starfish kids office. One of my goals while we were out was to try to find solutions. For the first couple of weeks I had a lot of trouble sleeping and at times feeling very anxious. I had a lot of trouble getting my mind of Haiti. Getting on the road and traveling to churches was not something I was looking forward to, but all of that quickly went away.

Our first trip was to Queens in New York City. We spoke at a Korean Church. The Pastor was a graduate of the OMS seminary in Korea. He shared in length with us and the member of his church his love for the OMS organization. How the missionaries in Korea lead him to Christ and where he is today. It was our first experience in an oriental church. The Korean food was wonderful and the members treated us with such grace.

I had the opportunity to travel to OMS headquarters and spend some time there with friends and the staff. My goal was to find ways to have better communications with sponsors and take some of the work off of me in Haiti, so I can be more efficient. I also wanted to find ways to make things run smoother for teams coming into the country with MFM. I feel I was able to accomplish all of this during my stay.

I arrived home on Friday. Bud and I jumped into the car on Saturday and traveled to Mentor Ohio, to speak at a church of a young man who came on a team to Haiti. What a wonderful church with a great heart for the things of God. Thank you, Aaron for inviting us. Immediately following the morning service we left for Hamilton Ontario and shared with St James Church. This invitation came from another team. They held a Haiti night, where they shared their experiences in Haiti and they gave us opportunity to share as well.

I had the same goal with OMS Canada as I did for my time at Headquarters. We took 2 ½ days and spent time meeting with the Canadian staff and also visiting with sponsors. Several Sponsors had meetings in their homes and gave us opportunity to share what has been happening with Starfish kids as well as our work. We always have a very warm welcome in Canada and it is quickly becoming one of our favorite places to visit. The Olsen’s graciously opened their home to us. They have made several trips to Haiti themselves so it was nice to share stories with them.

After spending a couple of days with our family we were off to W. Virginia to visit some new supporting churches for us. The mountains there reminded me of Haiti and our friends. We spoke at Riverview Church in Parsons and Mt Harmony in Northern W. Virginia. What a passion these two churches have for missions. We never felt we were among strangers. That is how it is when you are amongst God’s people. This trip was followed by 5 days at home and some rest. We did speak on Wed night Community Christian Church just down the road from our daughters. This Church has faithfully stood by us through our first year financially and spiritually. I can think back and remember little notes that come from them from time to time. They truly love their missionaries and God’s work.

Following a week of rest we traveled back to a church we shared in before. In south central Pa. We had stayed with the Weaver’s before so it was great to stay with them again. These churches generously sent soap, tooth brushes and tooth paste to the Haitians to help out. What a blessing it was to have these things to help through a very difficult year in Haiti.

We also visited the very first church that took us on as missionaries. Dorchester Drive Baptist Church. Bud and I attended there for 14 years. We have so many friends there and it was one of our favorite places on this trip home.

Our last full week in Erie we spent with two churches in Corry Pa for a week long missions conference. Bud and I were tired. It had been a long 5 weeks. There we met Vera. She is 95 years old and has been faithfully housing missionaries in her home for 49 years. This year after falling she was not able to do so. She could not come to the conference so some of the missionaries went to see her and sing for her. We went to bless her and she ended up being more of a blessing for us. Her enthusiasm for our ministries was contagious. She picked both Bud and I up and we were ready to begin again. The week was a time of sharing in formal sessions and small group meetings. We now have more friends to add to our list.

Our last week in the States, we spent in Florida. Pastor Barber had invited us to speak at his church near Ocala. He had brought a team to Haiti to do a crusade. Two other churches had sent members on his team. All three churches welcomed us to share what God is doing in Haiti. We had a great time. Some of the members also treated us to a couple of days of visiting local attractions and an airboat ride. What a treat.

As I said at the beginning of this reflection, we left Haiti tired and a little beaten down but after spending 6 weeks not only being loved on by our families, but we were cared for loved and encouraged by God’s people. Our trip was a good reminder to us as well as other what God is truly doing in Haiti. As we shared it brought our hearts back to the love we have for the work God has sent us to do in His name. We return refreshed, eager but also a little overwhelmed with the work that is waiting for us there. It will take a little while to catch up but we are going in God’s strength. We have had time to reflect and talk about some changes we need to make in ourselves and our schedules to be able to continue to grow and not burn out and we eagerly approach to people we have grown to love. Jane

Prayer request: When we left Haiti we needed to raise $1600 per month, After six weeks of speaking we have raised $900 per month we still have a ways to go. That seems like a lot but when you break it down if we had 36 people pledge $25 per month or 18 people at $50 per month, that need would be met. Please be in prayer that all of these faith promise come to light and that more hearts are being touched for the work we are doing in Haiti. We have changed our status. We committed in the beginning for two years with OMS. We are now full career. The direction this takes us in is in God’s hands.

Flying back to Haiti: Bud's thoughts

2010-10-19T20:22:00.010-04:00

Well here we are on our flight back to Haiti. We are returning from six weeks in the US raising our funding and visiting family & friends. The time went by so quickly!

As I look back on our speaking schedule, between Jane and I we were able to share God's work in Haiti formally twenty one times. We met so many wonderful people along the way, opening their churchs, hearts & homes to us, we are extremely grateful. I know that there were many people that we did not get to see while home but we were simply running out of time with traveling each weekend. Our van put on thousands of miles to such places as Queens NYC, Mentor Ohio, Hamilton Ontario, West Virginia, South Central & Corry & Erie Pennsylvania, Spring Hill & Crystal River Florida.
We were grateful for the time out but know that the work is waiting for us back in Haiti.

Last June we had one generator at the seminary break down and were making arrangements to repair it when I returned. Five days after we left the remaining generator failed. After many days of long distance e-mail brain-storming and a temporary unit moved into place, another mechanic was able to fly in and get one of the engines back up and running for the time being. Since then the manufacturer has worked with us explaining that they had some defective internal springs in those particular production years and once they fail can cause extensive internal damage. They have sent us two complete new engines as they do not have any factory technicians in Haiti to make this very complicated repair. The engines are flying in today so I have a good idea what my to-do list looks like.
To me this is just another great example of how God continues to meet our needs on a daily basis when it is beyond “us.”

While home we were able to.... take in a local fair, watch Danny & Nick run cross country, have school lunch with Will, birthday parties with Charlie & Josh, Picnic with my brother & sisters, mom & aunt. Help Bruce with his roof, Chris & Lorah with a plugged drain, Kip & Gretchen with a bathroom fan, Tom & Marcia with odds & ends, and an early Christmas party with the grandkids.
I even was able to join in with the Corry First UM men’s group to help with some of the block work for a much needed addition for one of their brothers.

We appreciated our time home but also look forward to our return to where God has called us for this season in our lives, a place where lasting differences are being made in people’s lives as they place their trust in God.

Thank-you for your continued prayers and financial support that we may continue to go.

Bud

Our One Year Anniversary in Haiti

2010-09-01T19:20:00.002-04:00

The month of September has always been a special month of the year for us because it is our wedding anniversary, but now it also marks our time here in Haiti.

As I look back on the year, I see how both of us have grown. Our confidence in God has grown as well as our faith. As I reflect on all the times, He has come through for us. I wish I could say I never wavered or worried about how it would all turn out. God has never let us down.

We have had the opportunity to serve him in so many ways. We began with just simply sharing with others how God opened doors for us to follow Him here. We have been through some financial struggles that brought us to our knees. We have began ministries we knew very little about and are finally feeling confident in the jobs we are doing.

We have lived through disappointments in ourselves and others. We took on the challenge of learning a new language. We tried to love the Haitian people through an earthquake. Bud has learned what the word "degaje" means. He has struggled to find parts, answers, solutions and patience in so many areas.

Bud has unloaded airplane, repaired churches, helped finish a seminary, came along side his co-workers to start a Bible study, worked on engines, generators, cars and young men's hearts.

I have helped with a mobile medical clinic, helped work on the seminary, taught English, shared the Gospel, helped organize a crusade, lead the starfish kids program, helped several teams find their place here in Haiti, and now am leading an English speaking service every Saturday night.

We have both grown in our love for the Lord, our family and our fellow missionaries. I can certainly say we have not done everything right. We have both made a lot of mistakes, but what we both agree on is that God has placed us here for such a time as this.

We want to thank all of you for coming along side us through this journey, especially our family. We certainly could not have done any of it with out our team. We are now leaving on Saturday with the Lord's help, to finish our fund raising. We are coming up short because we came to the field short funded. But just like all the other things I have mentioned God will provide this need as well.

We are looking forward to our next year serving the Lord here in Haiti. Jane

A Busy Team

2010-08-22T12:51:00.005-04:00

Last Monday afternoon we had a team arrive from Waterdown, Ontario for two weeks. They have been prepping and painting Cowman International School for the upcoming school term. So far they have applied eleven gallons of paint and expect to finish after about five more. Thursday they spent the afternoon in the neighborhood of one of the Haitian churches just practicing English with some of the English speaking residents there. To break up the work ( and heat), we took in a beach day on Friday and then painted till noon on Saturday, English speaking church on Saturday night. Julie and Hanna took them to Haitian church today and then to lunch in Cap-Haitian. This next week they want to get more involved in the community after the painting is finished.

It was good to see Kate, Erica, & the Bundys get back safely this past week. Jane and I have been finishing up travel arrangements for our time home starting Sept. 6. Tim Bell our OMS North Eastern Representative has been very busy filling our calender with multiple speaking engagements every Sunday that we are home. We will be spending time with family and friends during the week and then packing the miles on our van each week-end. We really couldn't do it without Tim, we praise God for him!

Dave & Marlyn Graffenburger have extended their stay here until next Saturday to allow for more time for "changing of the guard" from Dave to Brett. Please pray for our leadership that God would grant them wisdom as times become more difficult here in Vaudreuil.

Jane continues to be busy with Starfish report cards, school supplies, construction budgets, new students, new sponsors, and preparing for her time away. She is also very committed in finding time to work on her language, that's more than I can say for myself. I am now able to speak a good amount of broken creole, but still have difficulties hearing and understanding sentences. Edric & Amego are patient with me and continue to tell me the "correct way" to say what I'm trying to get across, if only I could remember. I could really appreciate being a pre-schooler again, with their ability to soak-up vocabulary.

This week finishing Cowman School then hopefully a week with Dave Shaferly working on diesels & generators before heading out.

Blessings,

Bud

Time Flys By

2010-08-14T08:50:00.006-04:00

Just as back home, the summer time flys by but here it is year round. Days run into weeks and weeks months, it's hard to believe that we are fast approaching our one year mark already. It has been reaching the mid 90's each day with about 90% humidity which feels like 105+, we look forward to a good thunderstorm about 5:00PM to cool things off and water the parched land.

Edric [Ed-reese] and I spent Monday & Tues. installing a new generator at the Petite-Aunse transmitter site. I look back on how God was preparing me through my career as an Ironworker with rigging experience for just this time. On Wed. we returned for 1/2 day to familiarize ourselves with the computer controls before leaving it to the 4VEH technicians to operate daily. This new addition comes none too soon as the other generator has been without a backup for at least two years now and is in desperate need of a new rear main oil seal. Upon returning to OMS at noon I received a call that the only running generator at the seminary had stopped and would not restart, so off in the other direction. After an hour of changing filters and purging diesel fuel lines we were able to find an air leak at a defective fitting and get it back in working order. Before we left, Abel made sure to bring to our attention a leaking hydraulic hose on the Bobcat that needs changed and is almost inaccessible. Dave Shaferly is on his way in September as we believe the other seminary generator is in need of an overhaul.

Thursday was a run to the airport with the tractor to lift two 1000 lb diesel engines that had arrived for another mission, move a disabled mower for the airport and receive our cargo shipment. Friday we were able to finally get the brakes back together on our Mitsubishi Montero that has been sitting since I believe May. We were never able to find the correct brake shoes so had to do a little revising on the adjusters to make the new ones fit. We installed a new universal joint and now only need to weld up a cracked portion of the frame.

Monday we have a team coming in from Canada to help with work on the Cowman school with roof repairs, painting, and preparing for the upcoming school term.

We have had Raymond & Islande as our house guests this week, they are here with Madam Sampson for a week of special prayer meetings.

Jane has been spending long days to get 1800 report card letters out to Starfish sponsors. A small group of people have been writing, stuffing & mailing them all by hand.

This next week we look for Kate, Erica, Brett & Angie to return with Dave & Marylin going out. Matt & Stacy returning the week after and Jane & I leaving for 6 weeks on Sept. 6.

We will be returning home to see family & friends and speaking in Churches about our work here. Jane & I continue to be amazed by God's provision. Much like the story in the Bible where the container of oil never went dry, each day there was just enough for that day. It seems like our support account is the same, continuing to meet each month's need.

Continue to pray for Haiti, each day we have been seeing spiritual warfare raging right here in our neighborhood.

Just as I was finishing up writing, Julie called," when I went to feed Erica's cat there is water coming up through a grout joint in her laundry room floor and it wasn't there yesterday!" After shutting off the water, breaking up three 8" x 8" granite floor tiles and removing a five gallon bucket of deteriorated concrete and sand I found a broken plastic water line. Three hours later all was fixed except for replacing the concrete and floor tiles, that will wait for someone else on a different day.
Just another typical day here in Haiti.

Bud

PRAISE GOD FOR ANSWERED PRAYER

2010-08-01T19:11:00.003-04:00

Our internet is up and running. I cannot imagine what it was like for the missionaries who came before internet. We have become so dependent on it for ministry as well as communication that when it is not working it really effects us all.

This past week has been a tiring week but also a great blessing. We have two teams overlapping right now and they have been such a joy to have here. Their focus has been VBS and evangelism. Many radio's have been passed out in the last week and many people have heard the Gospel for the first time. One of our visitors is a business man. His focus for his seventh trip to Haiti is to help Starfishkids. We have been traveling around looking at some of our schools that need some serious repairs. Others need to be rebuild. The ones that need repair will be finished before school begins. At this time we have 6 schools that need to be replaced. His goal was to help me in making plans for these schools. I am thankful for Craig and Les who have given of thier time to help me with this work. We have some remarkable Haitians here that will be taking on this task. An organization called JOY of HOPE is raising the money for this project. Their home base is Canada. We also looked at some problems like the one Belinay has. Everytime the heavy rains come the river rises and floods the village including the church and the school. We are going to be asking some engineers to look at this problem and see if we can come up with a solution for this. We would love to see the river held back from the area surrounding the church and school. Not only will it keep our church and school dry but provide a rescue area for the neighbors to go to when the waters rise.

I would also like to share with you a little story of how God helped Craig and I to be in the right place, at the right time. The two of us had gone out to look at the land for the new school. As we passed by a home of one of our starfish kids my car was recognised. The Pastor was with us in the car. As he left my car and started to walk down the road the mother came out to tell us that her daughter was very ill and that she was a starfish kid would we help her. The child was burning up with fever. We took her to our clinic where she was found to have malaria. Two days later I returned to her home to take her back to the clinic for a recheck and found two more sick children. We were able to get all of them medical help and God provided the funds to pay the bill.

Also on this trip I tried to share the Gospel with the man who will be living next to the new school in Plain de Nord. He just kept telling me that this is not a good time for him to accept Christ. He even stopped me from sharing with his family saying this is not a good time for them either. I hope to return to speak with him again someday. I am praying we will find a good time to reach him for Christ.

It is a sad time in Haiti. The month of July is when the voodoo fets are going on. Many people are wearing the colors of the demons and making their sacrifices. We have been told that the people we are seeing are a much lower numbers than in past years so this is encouraging. Others have told us that they believe that the presentage of Christians in the country has gone from 20% to 40%. Praise God we are seeing His hand move here in big ways.

Our starfish kids office has been busy preparing report cards and getting things ready to send out with the summer newsletter. Those of you who are sponsors will be recieving it soon. Thank you for all of your prayers we are seeing the results of them.

Hi Everyone

2010-07-14T08:26:00.002-04:00

Tues.

Hi Everyone,
I’m trying something new, writing in Word at home to transfer to Blogspot when I get online.
Our Internet connection to the satellite stopped working last week and we are traveling the ½ mile to Radio 4VEH each morning to retrieve our mail. Yesterday I sent an e-mail to the local Internet representative here to ask for his help.
We have been very busy to say the least. A new “Generator End” came in on Missionary Flights Int. two weeks ago and we now have it installed on our engine bringing our generators back up to two here at our main campus. It’s a good thing as stating this last week-end our local power provider which was up to about 22 hours each day has cut back to a few hours each night. Jane has been scrambling to order school supplies whenever she can get onto the Internet.

Over the July 4th weekend Jane and I took a trip to Sosua, Dominican Republic for a get-a-way and also meet Haiti’s 90 day visitor’s requirement. There we were able to do some Scuba Diving which we have not been able to do since coming here last September. It was a long but comfortable bus ride. Once there, we found this quaint little town a beautiful place. The ocean was full of colorful fish and a healthy reef system and a dive shop that was very accommodating to our every need. The first day I found that something was in the toe of my dive boot so investigating with my hand I had a scared tarantula ran up my arm.

Wed.
Yesterday the Internet at 4VEH was slow and was not able to post this, will try again today.

I spent the day working on adapting a new portable x-ray machine’s “head” to the ”mast” of our old dead x-ray machine. I located some aluminum and able to build an adaptor plate on the lathe. Today I will run some wiring for the darkroom, a waterline for the new processor and mount the vertical “Bucky” to the wall for chest x-rays. The team that provided this equipment is arriving tomorrow to train our current technicians on its use.

We are anxious to make plans for Air Conditioning up-grades in the adjacent room to pave the way for the larger more sophisticated X-Ray machine coming from Erie, PA. Between the two machines the people of northern Haiti will have access to more advanced health care.

Each day here is a challenge, making do with limited resources. God continues to amaze us with his answers to Haiti’s needs.

Continue to pray for Haiti, now that the distraction of World Cup soccer is over, the realization of difficult times settles back in for many.

Bud

Yes I do exist

2010-06-26T19:13:00.005-04:00

Your probably wondering if I am here because all of the blogs have been from Bud lately but it seems by the end of my day the last thing I want to do is pick up a computer. It has been a very busy time for us here in Haiti. Of course we had the Crusade and the team that came to be a part of it. Then we had two more teams come in to do evangelising and all kinds of wonderful things to help spread the Gospel here in Haiti. It is so wonderful to have all of them here but it also comes with a lot of work for Bud and I. This week we do not have a team here and I really miss them. It has been a great week to get a lot of letters written and spend extra time working on Starfish Kids. Praise the Lord we have 4 new foster parents who are trying to find sponsors for 60 of our children in the states. I am praying for 100 new sponsorships before school starts next year. We are entering a time of school repairs and building new ones. Thanks to a wonderful organization in Canada some money has been set aside to begin repairing and building schools. We pray that others will contribute to these funds as well. We have 5 schools that need to be built because they failed inspection after the earthquake. Their was not damage from the earthquake. These school were needed before the quake but now the government is shutting them down because they are unsafe. The last thing we want is our children in unsafe schools. Many of these schools are buildings that were the best the people could find to hold church and school in. Now we are able to help them. While the teams were here we visited a couple of our schools and took along balloons, beads and paint to give them a great day of fun. The team tied the balloons into animals and the beads were made into bracelets that tell the Gospel story. The paint of course was for painting pictures on the kids.
My English classes have ended and 35 out of 50 of my students passed. Our year ended with a pizza party at my house. I am getting pretty good at making pizza from scratch. The students showered me with gifts which was so humbling because many of them have so little but they wanted to show their love for me. The greatest gift as I told them was their friendship. Many still come to have conversation with me in English. Many times those conversations are about the Lord and His Word. Today is Saturday and it is the first day in a long time that Bud and I had nothing we had to do. So I studied language and baked cookies and Bud prepared our dive gear to do some scuba diving over the fourth of July. It will be the first chance we have had to do it since we came to Haiti. It will be a nice break. Jane

Qua-Sod

2010-05-31T13:08:00.004-04:00

That's how you pronounce Crusade in Creole. Last night was the first night of crusade in downtown Cap-Haitian. This is to help celebrate Radio 4VEH's 60 years of Christian broadcasting here in Haiti. Pastor Wayne Barber & Evangelist Harold Coomer along with 8 team members arrived on Thursday to prepare for this Crusade that has been Wayne's vision for three years. The site is in the centrally located park. All of the arrangements have been being made over the last month with Jane helping coordinating much of it. Saturday night the team spent time praying at the location for God to do a great work here through the Haitian people. Yesterday we really didn't know how things were going to start, the massive stage was complete with final details being put in place. People were starting to gather, the weather was a typical warm summer evening.
As the worship time proceeded and special choirs sang the park filled up with maybe 5,000+ people. It was fantastic as we were told that it would probably be our lowest turnout during the 8 evenings planned.
Harold with "T" Lewis interpreting were both quite animated and right to the point about our need for salvation and not being guaranteed tomorrow.
It was a wonderful evening and we look forward to each coming evening.
We know that God is moving in a miraculous way here and we thank-you for your prayers!

Radio 4VEH is broadcasting live on the Internet each evening from 6-9PM EDT with Harold speaking about 8:00 http://radio4veh.org/

Blessings,
Bud

Tough Week

2010-05-23T20:43:00.006-04:00

As my last writing, the exhaust tower went together without a problem. With the new exhaust pipe in place we changed the generator's oil and pressure washed the radiator as normal maintenance. On Thursday morning we loaded the dump truck to travel across Cap-Haitian to the radio station's transmitter site to repair their generators broken exhaust pipe. After a slow ride there through heavy traffic we arrived and went right to work cutting and fitting the new pipe. When we were ready to weld, we went to grab our little Lincoln Mig machine and it was gone. After checking we believe that it was taken from the truck as we were in traffic, although all of our other tools were still there neatly placed up front, away from the edges. What a bummer, back to the shop to struggle with the stick welder. Later on Thursday the generator that we worked on the day before overheated & shut down. We patched a small exhaust leak that may have been allowing soot into the radiator fins and got it going again. On Friday we were dealing with power inverter problems in the office and Don ended up reviving a computer that was experiencing major problems. It seems that a virus may have been going around our network affecting many computers. About noon the generator overheated again! After washing the radiator and restarting, everything seemed fine again. About 3:00PM Angie called, the van was down at the school and wouldn't start. After getting it back to the shop we find that the starter is shot. Edric had just returned from Cap-Haitian with a repaired alternator for the Isuzu Trooper and would try to locate a new starter for the van and the generator was overheating again. 5:30 AM on Saturday I went and degreased & pressure washed the radiator and started the generator for the day, all seemed good at 10:30 and so we left for town. Arriving back about 6:00 PM, the city power had been on but soon went off in a thunder storm. I went and started the generator but it overheated soon after. I even tried putting the garden hose in the radiator on low but it would still over heat, so off with the generator at 8:00PM and soon the city power came back on until 4:00 AM. Don, Edrice & I started at 6:00 AM today, removed & flushed the radiator, removed and inspected the water pump, all hoses and the thermostat. All seemed fine except we replaced the old fan belt, and left the tired looking thermostat out. After a five minute warm-up & check we put it under full load at 7:40 just in time for the 8AM church service.
The engine temperature remained good all day, hopefully we resolved the problem, we will know tomorrow when the electrical demand is higher.
With only Monday left, Brett was joking with Don as this may be the first year that he will be leaving with fewer vehicles running than when he came!

Bud

Challenges

2010-05-18T07:08:00.010-04:00

I've found that serving here in Haiti is all about challenges and how we deal with them in a God honoring way. From leaky faucets & deteriorated window screens to smoking wires and major power outages that we must solve. Vehicle problems such as alternators that won't alternate, starters that won't start, brakes that won't brake.
Every day is a new challenge with a list that continues to grow longer.
Don & Debbie Sweatman have come in for a few weeks to lend support. They have been coming to Haiti for short terms for 11+ years and were the team leaders of our first trip. Don have been giving me a hand down in the mechanic shop, it's been great to have a second set of eyes and ideas. Times can be discouraging when you struggle with things like a slow Internet when you need to order parts then waiting for them to come in. But then Sunday when we worship in a church jam packed with jubilant people the efforts of the week take on a different aspect. We remember the good things that did go right, a completed solar project to provide lights for a school, our generator powering the church out front so that they can have special evening services and the many faces that the clinic has served that week
For two days now Don and I have been fabricating a new exhaust system for one of our generators. Tomorrow we will try to straighten up and brace a leaning exhaust "tower" threaded up 25' through many electrical wires. Once straight then we will install a new muffler and piping.
When that job is complete there is another exhaust pipe to repair at the radio station's transmitter site, two vehicles and two lawn mowers waiting for parts and a new electrical panel coming for the clinic's x-ray room.
Each day we get to see how God is going to meet the needs next.
Bud

7 Months

2010-04-24T11:47:00.007-04:00

Seven months into our first year we are convinced that this is where God wants us to be. God has been so gracious and faithful in everything. So many have been praying for us and sending words of encouragement which helps us get through our days. Sometimes it feels like we are running on God's strength alone and that is all sufficient. So many of you have also made financial gifts that have helped us stay financially ahead of our expenses and you do not know how much that means to us. The teams that have come also encourage us and give us a lift with their presents and help. We are seeing the hand of God moving. I can't help but think we are in the last days and God is doing everything he can to reach out to man all over the world to reveal himself and give everyone one last chance to accept him. We see this in Haiti. Thousands are seeking Jesus and finding him. Now we have a new challenge to disciple all these new believers and help them to grow. The spiritual warfare is very evident and we need to stand strong for Christ. For those who pray for Haiti, your prayers are being answered and I believe a new Haiti is emerging. Thank-you everyone, who have given to OMS Haiti Relief. You have helped us help so many but the job is not finished. We have a lot of children from Port au Prince now attending our starfish Kids schools and are not able to pay tuition. Any money given to OMS Haiti Relief and marked as for Starfish Kids will be used to help the schools who have taken in these children. Many are orphans, others are children being raised by relatives because their families are no longer able to care for them since of the earthquake. I have been deeply touched by how our churches and schools have stepped up to help their own people. They have truly been the hands and feet of Christ, and scarified for those who have been hurt by what has happened here. They are a good example of the scriptures that state that our fruits will show what is really in our hearts.There are many other needs here as well. OMS Haiti Relief funds are our best resources to get what we need to help the people the most. May I ask as well please share with others the need for keeping our missionaries in the field. We can't afford to loose anyone because their funding has run out. We are so thankful for those who have answered God's call to support missions. Together we will reach the world and do the work God has laid before us.

4VEH Fundraising Race

2010-04-24T11:26:00.002-04:00

This year was the second annual race held in Cap Haitian by Radio 4VEH. What a wonderful day, watching all the happy faces of the Haitian. They were having so much fun and you could tell that they were proud to be a part of the race. It brought tears to my eyes, to see how much the people enjoyed this event. These people have few things in this country to make them laugh. Radio 4VEH broadcasted the event and called out their names as they crossed the finish line. Each runner recieved a metal for finishing the race and they were so proud. The race began with prayer and giving praise to the Lord. The Gospel was heard and this was truely a God honoring event. Several of our OMS employees ran in the race. One of our friends who is 49 years old ran and tho he was one of the last to finish everyone cheered for him. I know I could not have run a 10K. After the race I helped drive some of the injured from the hospital to their homes. Satan tried to put a damper on the event by giving us a lot of problems especially with one of our trucks but God always comes through in amazing ways. We are so grateful to the Canadian team who came to help and all the prework they did to get this all arranged. Also we are thankful for the Radio staff who coordinated this event under Bretts leadership.

Thank-You Grace

2010-04-12T14:37:00.000-04:00

Thank-You Grace for sharing Pastor Al & Marie, Susan & Kayla. What a blessing to have them come in at a time with Dr. Meg here also.

It was a great week showing everyone the ministries, local sites, and just what we do each day. Susan was very busy working at Milot Hospital & Bethesda Clinic while Kayla helped Kate at Cowman school and the clinic.

Al then led a four day retreat for all of the missionaries. It was a great time reflecting on our spiritual walk and deepening our relationship with God and each other as a team.

Each night the local power company would continue to be on and we found ourselves up late just enjoying catching up. It seemed that all of our young (male) Haitian friends wanted to teach Kayla creole that week! Before we knew it it was time to say good-by.

Kate at the Citadel

Evangelizing In Saccenville

2010-04-10T15:27:00.005-04:00

I praise God for the privilege of leading someone to the Lord for the first time in Creole. It is my prayer to continue to improve in my skills so I can share more about what a wonderful God we serve.

Pictures of one of my schools Gaudin

2010-04-04T10:56:00.007-04:00

One of the things I love about my work here is going to visit and interact with the children in my schools. This school has 168 children in it with only about 1/4 of them sponsored through the Starfish Kids program. Presently there are 24 children waiting for sponsors. This little church began under the Mango tree that you see here and that is where they met until there present church was completed. They have been in spiritual warfare since day one. They claimed an area for Christ that Satan and his demons have ruled for a long time. They are winning the battle because the God we serve is more powerful than anything Satan can send. Praise God the children here are doing well. They are truly the future of Haiti.

HI Everyone

2010-03-12T06:37:00.031-05:00

Jane & I continue to keep busy here with our daily projects and language study. Last week Dave Graffenburger and I spent three days traveling to Port-Au-Prince to reinforce a church building in Gressier.

After packing the truck with all of our materials, tools, portable welder & ladders we set out on Wed. morning headed for OMS Villa near Carrefour ( pronounced Car-foo ). Thursday we spent the day adding X-Bracing and repairing some parts of the structure that had been damaged in the quake. It is a metal building probably 30' x 50' which had cement block walls between the columns providing rigidity. The quake crumbled the walls and now the building was not very stable. It was a long and productive day including a great Haitian lunch provided by the ladies. The whole group had lost their houses and were living in a tent camp next to the building. At the end of the day it was very gratifying to see how God had brought two of us along with 10 Haitian men to provide this safe meeting place which is allowing their school to start again last Monday.

This week I was in for a new experience. Thursday Missionary Flights Int. would be bringing in a DC-6 loaded with cargo and would need our tractor with high-lift and forks to unload.

It was off to the airport at 8:30 winding my way through Cap-Haitian's crazy traffic, tight spots and rutted roads with tractor and trailer in tow. The plane was scheduled to first go to "Port and then arrive at "Cap" at 10 which ended up being 12:00. As it landed it dwarfed MFI's DC-3 that was already on the ground dropping off passengers. It was a thrill to be there watching this behemoth turn around there on the apron, it's four huge radial engines loping along in an off -cadence beat much like hundreds of Harley Davidsons at idle. It was music to any "motor head's" ears! Now it was off to work, unloading 20 or so pallets loaded with supplies that many missions groups had been waiting for. Wednesday night in the back of my mind, I kept thinking, "what if" something happens and I harpoon the plane with the forks, well everything went off without a hitch, two hours unloading the plane, loading the baggage train then unloading it at the terminal and so on. Meanwhile Jane was inside the termial sorting out the 800 lbs. of OMS freight. By 3:00 everyone's freight had cleared customs, was being loaded onto trucks and this big bird was taking off for a slow lengthy trip back to Florida. MFI is our life-line here, their mission keeps us supplied with everything that we cannot obtain locally, twice a week flying our mail, cargo and many passengers. They put in long days so that the missions here can continue to be effective. I was proud to be able to be part of that team yesterday.

DC3 & DC6

God continues to amaze me how each day he is building His kingdom with regular, ordinary people.

Bud

A Busy Friday

2010-02-27T06:44:00.002-05:00

On Thursday afternoon Missionary Flights International brought my needed oil seal to reassemble our John Deere lawn mower. Also my Haitian mechanic partner picked up the re-wound field coil from the re-builder for a medium sized generator that we are repairing.
On Friday morning my partner had to fly to Port-Au-Prince to take care of some business so after our morning men's bible study I asked a young man that helps around with odd jobs to be my assistant for the day as it would entail some heavy lifting.
We started with the assembly of the mower engine, it having been dis-assembled by a visiting team mechanic, we had to back up a few times in the order of re-assembly. By noon we had the engine back in the mower, new drive belt, greased and ready to mow, none too soon as the grass had been growing for a few weeks with it being out of commission.
After lunch we started the tedious job of generator re-assembly. Three of us (Dave Shafferly included) had dis-assembled it 10 days ago. We carefully installed the exciter coils, bolted up the end plates, and guided in the armature. Now we had to connect up the twenty some odd wires from a diagram scribbled on a piece of cardboard, so far so good. What makes this more exciting is the literal dozens of hungry mosquitoes that hang out in the confines of the shop and shaded areas.
Once assembled we carted the 200 lb generator outside to start the attachment to the diesel engine. By 4:00 we had all together, new battery in place and was ready to start testing.
After a few starts we had determined the output leads of the generator and connected up the wiring to the control panel. Now the computer would allow the engine to keep running, seeing that there is power being produced.
It had been a very productive day for both of us, my young partner now wants to learn to be a mechanic, and he helped me all day with teaching me the missing creole words in my sentences. I only wish that I could speak creole as well as he speaks English!
After putting the tools away and a good shower, I noticed that the water pressure was low.
Could it be the transformer fuse that I had replaced two days ago that powers the old seminary and one our water pumps? After a walk across campus I find that there was power at the pole but not to the pump. I saw a wisp of smoke and could hear crackling sounds coming from the conduit that leads from the pole to the well. It is 6:00 PM and dusk so a quick pull of the transformer fuse will save this problem for another day.

Bud

When discouragement comes God sents encouragement

2010-02-24T22:39:00.001-05:00

The last couple of days have really been rough for Bud and I. We have been discouraged and at times disappointed and angry at things we cannot control. Last night I was really feeling down and kind of weepy. I was missing my kids and my own weaknesses were getting the best of me. Believe it or not Bud and I are not perfect and we have flaws and weakness that we let get the best of us. But what I am really trying to say is God knows just what we need to keep us going and not give up. Last night as I sat on the couch thinking of all the things I could be doing that would be a lot more enjoyable with my life and fighting with our lousy Internet an email got through. It was from my friend Cindy. She was sending me an email to encourage us and she shared with me a passage of scripture that had jumped off the page at her during her devotions. As I read it, it brought tears to my eyes. It was the very verses that God had used to call me to follow him in service here in Haiti. Just like back then the words spoke to my heart and I knew just what those words meant to for me in these times. Thanks Cindy I needed that. Oh today I am still tired but stronger. God has used several people to keep us going since we came to Haiti. Our children who send us encouraging notes and little gift of love, our friends who drop us a card, our churches who send us a note to let us know they are thinking of us, and our partners who for the third month is a row have given to us up and above what they had promised to give. For the third month in a row our support has exceeded our expenses. On paper that should not be happening. Today because of a video that we sent out that will not open for viewing, we heard from two Pastors who encouraged us. Pastor Huntly and Pastor Bell. Lord I thank you for not letting them work, we needed to hear from them. Yep we are going to be fine, we will get past the low days and be back up on that mountain again. Thanks friends for allowing God to use you to pick us up and keep us going. We love you Lord and friends we love you too. In April, Bud and I are going to make a quick trip home to get some much needed hugs from our family. We praise God for making that possible as well. May I ask you to pray for a fellow missionary friend of ours? Her support is very low and we can't have her leaving the field to raise support right now. Please pray for our friend Joetta Lehman. Jane

50 Thousand or So Marched Yesterday

2010-02-17T18:06:00.003-05:00

The counters say 50 Thousand or so Christians marched in Cap Haitian as they Prayed and Praised the Lord. It was a prayer walk for Haiti. It stretched for miles. We are told 3 of Satan's possessed people showed up to chant for Satan but could not be heard above the prayers to Jesus. It was wonderful to here the singing instead of the chants of Mardi Gra. More and More stories are coming to us from Haitian who can't wait to tell us all the great things that are happening. The name of Jesus is being raised everywhere. We are here in amazing times. We are very excited that our Pastor Al Detter will be coming here in a few weeks to lead us all in a time of prayer and refreshing. Kate, and ourselves are all from the same church so this means a lot to us to be able show him the work we are doing at God's leading.

Another Step in Following God's Plan

2010-02-17T17:52:00.002-05:00

One thing we are all learning more about is waiting on the Lord for wisdom and strength. Monday a school collapsed here in Cap Haitian because of a landslide. It has been raining hard. We have heard of at least 4 children being killed and someone told me they heard of a teacher dying. Several other children were hurt. It could have been worse if it had happened earlier in the day. Several of the children were in the process of leaving school when it happened. The government has also called for inspections of all school building since the earthquake. 2 schools have already been closed because they have been deemed unsafe. These are not Starfish Kid schools but non the less these children are out of school. I feel that some of our schools may be closed as well. Some of our building are old and in serious need of repair. Inspections are a good thing for the safety of the children but we pray that the inspectors will be fair and accurate. We also pray for God's wisdom and guidance in what we should do if this occurs. We are expecting things to be tough and unpredictable for a while and we know that at times we are going to feel helpless and discouraged. One thing for sure we will never feel alone. Each step we take will be one of faith especially when we don't know exactly where that step is taking us. We also know that if we keep our eyes focused on him we will never wonder of in the wrong direction. It is all in God's strength that we keep going. Your prayers continue to lift us up. Thank-you Jane

The News gets better and better

2010-02-14T22:31:00.004-05:00

Everyday is filled with more and more good news. We have reports of Witchdoctors bringing all their evil things to Christian meetings and asking that they be destroyed for Christ. We have been told by people in Port that at prayer meetings ( which replaced Mardi Gra) that thousands are coming to Christ. We know the churches here in Cap are packed. We have also heard that the people are calling for a new president, who is a follower of Christ and who will lead this nation in a different direction. ( I would love to see this one come to Christ and I am praying for him, Jesus loves him too.) I have seen so many changes and we may not get to confirm all these claims but the Haitian people are eager to share how their country is changing. Over 500 people have now come to Christ on a mountain overlooking our villa. This is the area where our clinic was held and our seminary students counseled over 3000 people. They want a church to be planted there for them. One of our young seminary students have come forward and feels that this is what God wants him to do. What a place to meet Christ on a mountain side. It sounds like something right out of the Bible. We are hearing from the people how in these times of trouble the Christians reached out, when others did not. We are in the midst of a revival and the rest of the world is watching. What is really amazing is so many have come to help the Haitian people, and going home changed because of what wonderful things they have seen here. The Church is strong and Haiti is no longer a dark place. Haiti is for Christ and Christ is for Haiti. We need to pray for Haiti and all these new believers. Satan is not going to go down without a fight but we know that the ONE in us is stronger than he. God is blessing Haiti and I know God is bless by what He is seeing here. Haiti is not hopeless, It has Christ.

Finally Pictures of our Clinic in Port au Prince

2010-02-07T08:45:00.014-05:00

Praise the Lord 2243 lives were touched in the name of Jesus and 373 decisions for Christ in 9 days. This little one I am holdings mother threw her out the window to save her life during the earthquake. She was 3 days old. Mom made it out after that. Mom was having problems nursing and was very traumatised by all of this. We helped feed the baby formula as mom counseled and became stronger. Mom is now nursing, baby has improved by leaps and bounds and both are smiling and happy. Still no home but we helped them for a little while. The little boy came to us with an injury to his leg. We saw several cases of pneumonia and dehydration.

More pictures from our clinic

2010-02-07T08:19:00.001-05:00

Washing sheets after surgeries and procedures. This little boy fell into a cooking fire. He had been treated by someone else but needed more to fix his burns. The tents are our medical exam rooms. I worked in the pharmacy, coordinate food for everyone as well as helped with some dressings. Dr. Gavin and Julie headed up our team.

Hello from Port

2010-01-30T13:45:00.004-05:00

I am presently in Port with a small clinic we have set up here to help in a small community of about 1,000 families. Most of the people are living in tents made of bedsheets. Many of their homes are standing but are badly damaged and not safe to stay in. 1,220 patients were seen this past week and 198 came to the Lord. Many others rededicated their lives. We did not hear a lot of questions like "Why did God let this happen?" but more of "Praise God He saved me". At night we do not hear riots and fighting, we hear worship services and people praising God. I have not heard any voodoo drums. Many of the things we see in the clinic are simple but I recognize that parents need to hear that their children are okay. Our clinic is on top of a mountain and we have the most beautiful view of the city and the ocean. As I sit there unwinding from an exhausting day, I like to spend that time sharing my feelings with God. They are so mixed, from feeling of joy to feeling of helplessness. At the beginning of the year a question was presented to me as to what humanly impossible thing would I ask God to do this year. I know now what it is. God is ever faithful and we are counting on it more and more each day. I am feeling totally dependent on him for my future here. Today we walked down the streets of Port. Everywhere we looked we saw destruction. Some buildings looked fine until be got up close and could see they were cracked like eggs. We saw one body still pinned in the rubble. The people are so hungry. There is food everywhere but they have no money to buy it. Those who had jobs no longer have them. Those hit the hardest are the children and the elderly. One blessing God gave me this week is I got to feed a newborn close to death, everyday and watch the child improve. He was suffering from dehydration. I also got to share the Gospel with a UN soldier from Texas. It the mist of all of this their is still much beauty here and it is found in the Haitian people. They are so appreciative of all we do. All they could pay us with was their hugs and many were given. The smiles were bonuses. Serving under His Grace. Jane

Saturday

2010-01-30T09:57:00.006-05:00

It has been non-stop busy since December, getting the Seminary finished and then the earthquake.

Finally today I've been slowing to catch up some things around the house. Jane is taking some R&R at the Villa along with Dr. Gavin, his wife Julie, Wadner along with I believe a few seminary students after a grueling but fruitful week up at the temporary mountain top clinic. They saw 1200+ patients last week along with 197 people accepting Christ as their personal savior and about that same number re-committing their lives to Him. Thursday evening while talking with Jane on the cell phone I could here the locals singing their hearts out in the background behind her at their worship service.

Last Saturday we had a medical team of 11 doctors & nurses fly in and were trucked to the mobile clinic at 5:30 Sunday morning. Yesterday they arrived back at 2:30 PM. Dr. Eric & Dr. Chris are flying back to Kentucky today. It was a pleasure to have them stay overnight here and to get to know them.

A team of I believe fourteen medical personnel fly in today. I am not sure where they will be serving yet whether it is here in Cap or down to Port. The clean sheets are hanging on my line and a load of towels are in the washer. The sun is shining brightly as we await the new arrivals.

Also this week I've had Les Babcock and Jim Gehrels from Lifewater.ca as my house guests. Les has been coming to Haiti since 1974 and served with OMS for some time. It has been interesting to learn about Haiti's history, culture and the water wells being drilled and maintained here.

Currently OMS has been working through the local churches here in the North furnishing food to feed the many refuges that are staying with friends & family. Yesterday we unloaded our third truckload of (100) 110lb bags of rice along with 100lb bags of beans and cases of cooking oil.
These are the staple foods of Haiti, each day pastors come with pick-up trucks to supply the growing needs.

Dave Shafferly came in to help set up the mobile clinic and has spent the rest of the week helping here in Cap. He is a former field director and the original "MacGyver". He can fix anything.
I have been able to pick his brain and learn a lot about everything here from him, not to mention Gordon Wallace was here three weeks ago for the seminary dedication. He had spent three years building the seminary and educated me on it's workings.

Maury has been helping in the office here for close to a month, he was having trouble arranging a flight out. Friday he would have to take a bus to the DR, overnight and then fly out on Saturday. Thursday evening he was offered a free flight out of Cap on Saturday, the return flight of a private Leer Jet. Can anyone see the miracle?????

God is so good, I am continually amazed as to how he supplies our needs when really we have nothing to offer [Him]. He is only asking that we offer ourselves and He will take care of the rest.

Bud

Clinic Up And Running

2010-01-26T19:40:00.005-05:00

Jane and a team of doctors and nurses along with translators left for Port-Au-Prince 5:30 AM on Sunday. We got word that they arrived safely at 1:00 PM making the trip in good time. They have established a mobile clinic on top of the mountain above Carrefour overlooking Port-Au-Prince bay. They are using a vacant missionary guest facility.
Jane called last night at 4:30 and said that after getting set up they saw 257 patients and 20 made decisions for Christ. This morning Jane called at 7:30 and was asking for an evangelistic team and bibles.
We already were planning to send the dump truck to them with needed medical supplies along with a driver, cook, & 5 seminary students, bibles, rice, beans, flower, bicycle, charcoal, water and pots & pans. We had to use some old doors as "side boards" in order to get everything shoehorned into this truck. Every time we thought that it was full, someone would bring a few more boxes to put on. It finally left about 11:15 AM. I've lost track of the truckloads but we are averaging one every other day.
There have been many people moving North to Cap-Haitian. OMS has been partnering with the local churches supplying them with food to help feed these displaced people.
Each day is spent getting shipments ready for both "Port" and "Cap" and making sure that the trucks are ready to return.
Through this devastation churches are packed, many testimonies of God doing miracles and lives being changed. We thank-you for your many prayers and e-mails of encouragement.
We believe that God has placed us here for this exact time.

Blessings,
Bud

Another Day

2010-01-21T06:44:00.002-05:00

Well it's Thursday.
The team from Salem, Or. is going out today, Dr. Gavin, Dave Safferly [former field director] and a medical team will be arriving.
Yesterday we spent time servicing vehicles for travel, making Internet repairs, and accomplishing a few more items on the teams maintance "To Do List". After dark last night the first of our two trucks arrived after leaving for the Dominican on Monday with needed supplies for Port. We immediately unloaded and then reloaded it for the 5:00AM send-off this morning. It was loaded with medical supplies, metal panels for roofs, 27/110lb bags of rice, hundreds of bags of water, cloths, bread, Haitians, lumber, and even a goat. They will pick-up live chickens along the way to be sure that this truck looks like all of the others on their way to market. About 8:30 PM the second truck arrived with medical supplies and a weary crew after three days on the road.
Today is service the second truck, reload it with medical supplies to mobilize a medical team south tomorrow.
We continue to pray for Missionary Flights Int. as they are flying all three of their planes along with two more from Hendricks Motor Sports [NASCAR]every day with supplies to Port.
Thank You for your prayers for strength.
Bud

Use whatever gifts God has given to serve.

2010-01-18T06:37:00.003-05:00

As you can see we have claimed a verse in 1Peter 4:10-11 as our verse. Little did we know how many of our gifts God would ask us to use. We knew that maintenance and helping others would be part of it but we did not know about all the others. For the past few months we have been praying for strength in unity among our team that the Lord would draw us together in one accord. We had no idea how much we would need that. Last night I stayed up studying language, I am working on medical terms. My background as a paramedic, I believe it, will be one of the talents God is going to ask me to use. Already God has asked me to use my ability to plan events for large groups of people. Several Missions are sending teams and family members home. Because of the situation they need to fly out of Cap Haitian. We have become a rescue mission for those traveling through. Yesterday Bud, The team, and I set up beds for 25 people plus we have guest rooms in the missionaries homes. Our Haitian staff has been a wonderful asset to us and so good about responding on a moments notice. Today we have a lot of sheets and towels to wash. We have 45 guest on the compound right now. Sometimes God urges us to do things and we think it is our own idea. Saturday I decided I would make a lot of Spaghetti Sauce and freeze it so I could have some meals ahead. I also baked several loaves of bread. That evening we received a call asking us to take in 38 people. Our Haitian staff is off on Sunday and they had not prepared food for this many people. So guess what they had for supper. All the missionaries here are working many long hours. With the Internet down most of the time it has made it difficult for us to communicate with our loved ones and that is so hard. Our neighbor has been sharing their phone with all of us. I am not including pictures because it takes to much band with on our Internet and we are sharing with the radio station. Yesterday in church, we stood with the Haitians and sang "It is well with my Soul". Tears streamed down my face as I looked around the room. Not one person in the room was not affected by this terrible tragedy. Yet they stood hand in hand singing from their hearts. This country is so small and it will effect so much. The worship in Port and here in Cap has not stopped. Missionaries from OMS have been working here for over 50 years, trying to build a strong and healthy church among this nation. I wish all those who answered the call of our Lord to serve here could see this. All their prayers and labor were not in vain. The church here in healthy and through this trial and tribulation their faith is strong and others are coming to Christ because of it. Miracles are happening everyday. God is faithful and He is here working in Haiti. The Christians here have been praying for a new beginning. It may be here. Our prayer request are for the gift of language, endurance, patience, grace for each other and to always be available for our brothers and sisters. The Haitians need to talk, there are so many questions. They need good strong Christian council and the Lords strength to go on. Pray for wisdom for us from our Lord and His strength for all of us. Pray that we will have good discernment as to what to do next and pray for Brett, Joetta, and Mary Lou our leaders in this crisis. They are doing an amazing job. God bless you, we sure are.

We Are Fine

2010-01-18T05:31:00.003-05:00

As you know Haiti was hit by an earthquake last Tuesday in the south near Port-Au-Prince.
We felt the quake while having a Prayer meeting. Many people had just flown out that morning and a team from Salem Or. flew in. Due to bad weather here they almost aborted their landing and would have had to go to "Port" putting them in the disaster.
We did not realize the magnitude of the quake until later in the evening when reports started to come in of the devastation. It has become a very quiet and somber place as many stores have closed, all schools, banks and many gas stations. Four people left for Port on Wed. to check on our facility near the epicenter which only had part of it's perimeter wall fall. This first four returned on Friday and immediately started to load a truck of materials, food, water, medication which left for Port 5:30 AM on Saturday. Last night we received a bus load of 38 missionaries that will fly out today.
The Internet has been very limited, we have started to conserve propane & diesel fuel.
Today we are sending two trucks to the Dominican Rep. to try to purchase supplies.
We expect to send trucks back to Port with more needed supplies to help.
It is a very busy place here keeping all of us running. We expect many injured refugees to be finding their way North.
Everyone that you talk with here has family and friends that were in Port or effected.
Well I must go for now,
Bud

Christmas; a Time of Worship and Fun

2009-12-25T22:43:00.006-05:00

The Children Christmas Play at Cowman School

2009-12-25T22:35:00.000-05:00

One of my highlights of this Christmas was being a part of the Children's Christmas Play. I enjoyed spending the time with the children helping them to learn their lines and leading them in Song. They did an amazing job. Some of the children actually memorized over 50 verses for this program. The play had a very special message. It took the audience from the birth of Christ to the cross. I know that there were people in that audience that needed to hear this message. It was also good for the rest of us to reflect on what God did out of love for us.

2009-12-25T22:22:00.003-05:00

Bud Running the Brushhog Around the Radio Towers

2009-12-25T22:00:00.005-05:00

PICTURES FROM HAITI

2009-12-25T22:00:00.004-05:00

We have seen so many interesting things while we have been here I thought you might like to see pictures from our most recent road trip. One of the pictures is of a group of people worshiping in the desert under some palm trees. Some of the worshipers had climbed to the top of the hill to worship. We can only hope they are worshiping the one true God. Other pictures are of the little towns on our way and others are of Port.

Praise The Lord For He Is Faithful

2009-12-18T06:20:00.021-05:00

This past month has been a roller coaster to say the least. On Thanksgiving day we traveled to Port-au-Prince with the Bundys for a four day get-a-way. It was a great experience to see the country side and mountains during the nine hour drive, sometimes at a walking pace navigating around huge pot-holes that would easily swallow up one of our wheels along with mountain switch-backs with no guardrails.

On Dec. 4th Jane received word that traveling missionaries would be stopping by to stay the night. They arrived just after dark and Jane, being the hostess, and I were to spend our evening meal with them. We were a little bummed as there was a "game night" going on at the Bundy's for all of the OMS missionaries. It turned out that these guests were Brook Irvine and her parents Dan & Joy along with several other missionary interns.

We had met Brook back at Seneca Hills Camp near Franklin, PA where she had spent last summer working in the craft department. When she found out that we were on our way to Haiti she was thrilled as she lives here on Ile de la Gonave. When it was time to leave camp her brother picked her up and we never did get to meet her parents. What a wonderful surprise to see her again and meet her family, spending a great evening learning about the Irvines and Haitian history.

We were on top of the world until Tuesday night Dec 8th. After returning from our weekly bible study with the other missionaries we found that someone had broken into our house and robbed us for the third time; this time my new laptop & charger were gone. God, how could you let this happen?? Satan is trying to discourage us so that we will throw in the towel. Our Haitian friends & co-workers were devastated at the news.

Many additional security measures were put into place and we learned how important it is to keep things locked up. It was hard to keep focused each day knowing that someone very close was betraying us. Word was put out on the street looking for information, but after a week of silence, hope was dwindling that I would ever see it again.

On Thursday, Dec 18th my Haitian brother took our van starter to "O-Cap" (Cap-Haitian) to have it rebuilt and while he was there he stopped by a local electronics shop seeking information as to whether any one had tried to sell a Dell laptop recently. They told him that yes, ------ has one for sale, that was the tip that he needed. Two hours later and with much effort, my Haitian brothers had recovered my computer without a scratch or cost! Praise the Lord for He is faithful! Through this ordeal I have found out how faithful my God is and how much my brothers mean to me, they really went to bat for me and how much our friendship means. I know there were many people around the world praying for this miracle. Yes, the culprit has been identified.

Christmas is a time of peace and reflection on how much God really loves and cares for us to send his Son to be our sacrifice. It is times like this that we see Him and grow in our faith to let Him guide our lives each day.

Merry Christmas,

Bud

Thanksgiving Dinner

2009-11-21T07:53:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving in Haiti

2009-11-21T07:20:00.004-05:00

It is hard to believe that it is Thanksgiving, It was not long ago that we were rushing around getting ready to come. We have so much to be thankful for. First of all for our Lord and Savior and how He is faithful and just even when we are not. I think back to how many times I was not faithful and just in my actions and it makes me sad.

We are so thankful for our family. God has blessed us beyond our expectation. Our daughters have made us so proud and now God has added to our original family in ways that bring us more blessings. Our children are wonderful to us and bring us great joy.

We are thankful for the way God is providing for us. When we came here we knew that things would be tight because we had not raised all of our needed support yet God through his people has blessed us. We are learning more and more how to trust Him, even for the little things.

We are learning language and how to live in another culture. Our language is coming along. We are now spending three hours a day in language class. Recently, I had the wonderful experience of sharing the Gospel in Creole as I walked through the streets of Haiti with some of our seminary students.

For the next few weeks I am helping the teachers of Cowman school with the children's Christmas play. I feel like I am back home at Grace Church.

Bud is still doing his job; fixing things and trying to make things last a few more years. It is a never ending battle. Parts are so hard to get but he keeps plugging away.

The seminary is going well. We have two volunteers here who are working so hard to get things done so we can open in January. We also have two Haitian men who have been amazing in what they have accomplished. God is blessing.

We have our discouraging days as well. Since we have been here we have had things taken twice. Once before we arrived, (they were things were taken that we had placed in our home earlier) and this past week we had some money taken. It has happened to everyone I guess but we are not used to living with constantly having to hide things.

We had a team here before we left from Florida and Illinois and not only were they a blessing to us while they were here, they have continued to bless us from the states. Boxes arrived yesterday with lots of supplies we needed. Others helped us with expenses to go home to the mission conference we had to attend last month.

We know that God has placed all of you in our lives, as prayer partners, supporters, ministry contacts, as well as friends and family, and you have enriched our lives greatly. Thank you all for being there for us.
Praise God for bringing you into our lives. Happy Thanksgiving

MONDAY WE RETURN TO HAITI

2009-11-06T11:25:00.000-05:00

It is very difficult to leave our family, I wish we could pack them up and take them with us. We are anxious to get back to our duties in Haiti. We know that this was not the best time for us to be leaving the field, but the status of our funding made it necessary. We praise God for his faithfulness. We have new prayer and support partners and once again we have met many new friends. It is always a pleasure to share what God is doing in our lives and the lives of the Haitian people. Next week we will be catching up with everyone about how things are going in Haiti. We are all asking if there is anyone who is available, with handyman skills or likes to clean to get a hold of us. Our seminary is scheduled to open in January and we still have so much to do. We had teams scheduled to help, but some unforeseen circumstances has change things. If you are able to come to Haiti or would like further information please contact us. For now I would like to share some pictures of our family.

Keep in mind there are 8 grandchildren missing

2009-11-06T11:00:00.001-05:00

MEET ABBY

2009-10-30T10:32:00.001-04:00

WE ARE BACK IN THE STATES

2009-10-30T10:15:00.007-04:00

We are back in the states for two missions conferences. The first was a week ago and we were deeply blessed by a small church that has a big heart for missons. We were surprized to see old friends there. Another surprize was they had advertised in the paper that we would be speaking so other people from our past and present came as well. Our second conference will be the first weekend in Nov. This weekend we will be visiting some Haitian Friends in Buffalo. But I have to admit the highlight of our three weeks in the states is the birth of our granddaughter Abigail Jane. Mom and Dad are doing well but Abby is having some problems transitioning into this new world and has had to be put into the NICU. We pray that she will be leaving there soon and joining her parents. Her two year old brother is staying with Bud and I right now and we have forgotten what it feels like to have a two year old sleep between you. This is a picture of our daughter Lorah and her husband Chris.

Learning a New Language

2009-10-10T19:28:00.006-04:00

One of the things that we never did in high School was take a foreign language. Now I wish I had taken French. It is funny I always had a desire to, but it just didn't seem as important as a few other things I wanted to take. So here we are in our 50's and trying to learn Creole.

Many of the words are very close to English so that does help. I do not know which is funnier listening to Bud tell what it is like for him trying to learn or watching me try to explain to my English students in creole what our words mean. Either way we are both surviving.

My Haitian friends who help us in our home are actually beginning to understand what I am speaking about when I talk to them in their native language. My English students come up to me in class and often I hear, " I wish I could speak English like you" and I tell them "No I want to speak creole like you" and then they laugh.

This week I learned how to share the Gospel of Christ and the good news of Jesus with the Haitians. Next week I am going out evangelising with my teacher. I'm asking the Holy Spirit to give me what I need to be able to speak and hear with ease. It is important to me to be able to tell them about Christ.

This past week was a real treat. My best Friend Kim and her daughter came to Haiti. I was so nice to be able to share our new life with them and see Haiti through fresh eyes. Sometimes the loneliness for family and friends sets in but the Lord is quickly filling our lives with new friends to add the ones we already love and adore.

Soon we will be leaving to go home for just 3 weeks. We will be sharing in churches in the Erie area and raising support once again. While we are home our daughter will be having her baby. We are very excited about that, but it will be hard to leave knowing it will be a year before we hold our new granddaughter again.

There is so much to do here but we never seem to get tired of doing it. The days pass by quickly, We are very happy to say the crashed computer is fixed and on it's way back to Haiti. Then we will have several months of data to reenter. This is a true answer to prayer. New sponsorship for the children are coming in slowly but our Lord is faithful and we know he has a plan for all the children on our waiting list.

There are very happy days here in Haiti and very sad. This week I held in my arms a beautiful baby girl who is not going to live very long. She is having multiple seizures all the time. Please pray for her and her family, they have a rough time ahead. The mothers sister is a dear friend of mine and works with me. Life is very hard here for so many, but God is working and everyday we see him touching lives.

The Aberlees feel the Lord is calling them home and Bud will not only have the responsibility of this compound but completing the new seminary as well. We are praying that some of our friends will be able to come in and stay with us and help Bud during Nov. and Dec. The heat is hard on him but he is building friendships with the men who work under him and I believe he is impacting their lives.

The greatest thing is we are growing in the Lord and changing in ways that make us more useable by Him. Thank-you for your prayers. Jane

When 80 Degrees Feels Cool

2009-09-21T20:52:00.003-04:00

It is 8:00 in the evening and it actually feels cool to us. The humidity is not as high tonight as it has been. Lately Cold showers have been the next best thing to heaven.

We have been here a little over three weeks and I think we are beginning to adjust to the heat. I am so thankful that there are places through out the day that have air conditioning and when we get to enjoy it it is a real treat.

It is such a privilege to work along side our Haitian brothers and sisters in Christ. So many of them are such dynamic individuals. I am so pleased with the way the staff in the Starfish Kids office and the maintenance staff have accepted Bud and I.

One of the things we enjoy is the time we get to pray along side them for the work going on here. Each Monday at noon I sit with my co workers and we have a time of worship together. It is all in creole and that give me time to work on my creole as well.

Today was my first class teaching English as a second language. I have 46 students and they are so anxious to learn. As I teach them about English they are teaching me about their language.

Most of my day is trying to find sponsorships for the children. We have lost several this year because of economic problems in the rest of the world. This past week was their first week of school and Madamn has been traveling from school to school passing out books and supplies to the Starfish kids.

Some times are hard when students have to be told that they no longer have a sponsor, but we have laid that in our Fathers hands as well. One thing I do know is that our Lord loves these children more than we do and he knows and will do what is best in every circumstance.

Bud and I have laid our financial needs as well at his feet and know that He knows from where it will come from. Every time I look at the beautiful mountains that surround us I can feel the Glory and strength of our Father. I feel sometimes like He sitting right there above us and He is sending down His love and mercy. He knows what we need and He has it all worked out. He just wants us to trust him and go about what He has asked us to do and leave the rest up to him. My desire is to draw closer and closer to him everyday so I do not disappoint him.

We have a team in here from Scotland and we have enjoyed our time with them. I am looking forward to more visits from teams. Espeacially one coming in in a couple of weeks. They are friends from home. Our family has been wonderful, at keeping in touch and taking care of things back home we are so blessed. Jane

We're Here

2009-09-16T07:38:00.008-04:00

We've been here two weeks now and have been trying to catch our breaths.
Jane has been very busy with Star Fish Kids going over sponsorship lists.
And I, well have have been very busy myself.

We arrived on Tuesday Sept 1st to find our house being cleaned by one of the Haitian ladies, what a relief. I proceeded to hook up the propane cylinder so that we could have hot water and cook but found two leaks in the line which caused a trip to the "wood shop" next door for parts.

The next three days were spent in the annual field meetings, the weekend was relaxing, then Monday. It started off with Brett coming to our door at 6:15 AM stating that there was low water pressure and no better time to see where the wells are to check on the pumps. Well on our way to the second pump we found the problem, a water main break. It seems that this is a reoccurring problem due to some non-pressure fittings used some time ago. My Haitian partner and I spent the day fixing the problem but another fitting let go on Tuesday so we finally got all fittings changed and completed.
Through out the week it was filled with fixing the lawnmower, power inverters, checking batteries, copying keys and even a washing machine needed tending to.
We sent Friday afternoon, Saturday, and part of Sunday in team building meetings with Jim & Sue Smith from Oms Greenwood.

Monday morning we find that our only running generator is overheating. When I asked one of the Haitian staff what the problem was with the other generator he said that he believed that it's fuel pump was bad. As he continued to investigate we found that the injector pump shaft had broken and spent the next eight hours changing it. The hardest part was trying to "time" a used pump to the engine with out the proper factory tool. Through prayer and Haitian ingenuity we were able to get it running just as the other generator overheated again. Praise The Lord!! Today we will try to determine what the overheating problem is.
I can see how the Cummins Diesel books that Paul Juers sent along from Pennsylvania are being put to good use here, Thanks Paul !!!!

Well it's off for another busy day serving My Lord here in Haiti
Bud

Seneca Hills Bible Camp

2009-08-25T14:29:00.004-04:00

If you ever get a chance to serve the Lord by helping out at a kids camp jump at it. Bud and I had the privilege of serving as camp missionaries this past August with kids from ages 9-18. Our job was to teach children about missions each morning for about 45 min. Then the rest of the day just join in for the fun. In addition, it did not take Bud long to find the maintenance shop and work with a group of very talented young men. The executive staff was so welcoming and we could not get over the quality of young people the camp hires. We have already decided that we are sending some of our grandchildren there in the next few years. Not only do the kids have a lot to do but the word of God, and missions are a very big part of their day. God stretched us as well and renewed my passion for working with kids. I came away with lots of fun activities for the children we live with in Haiti. Tomorrow is our last day home. We will be leaving on Thursday to drive to Florida. We will make a couple of stops along the way to see family and visit one of our Starfish Kids Churches in Venice Florida. Sept 1 we will be setting up our home in Haiti. Thank all of you for the roles you have played to help us get to the work, God has called us to do. Please check out our prayer requests under the heading of prayer requests. Jane

Our Friends At Cross Cultural Training

2009-07-28T18:12:00.004-04:00

PRAISE THE LORD WE ARE PACKING

2009-07-28T17:38:00.003-04:00

It seems we have been packing and unpacking for months as we travel from place to place. But this time we are packing to move to Haiti. We are not fully funded but we are trusting our Lord to meet our needs as we go.
We are leaving for Florida on the 27 of August. There we will meet the plane that will take us to our new home. Although we are excited and full of anticipation, the feelings of grief fill our hearts as think of the day we will say good-bye to our children.
Our first few months in Haiti we will be spending half of our day in language classes. I am sure there is already a long list of mechanical and maintenance work piling up for Bud. I will be jumping right into my work with the Starfish Kids and teaching first year students in our English as a second language classes.
This past month Bud and I have been in Cross Cultural Training Classes at headquarters. We met so many wonderful missionaries from the UK, Australia and Canada who took the class with us. We feel better prepared for our new lives in Haiti. We also had the privilege of being commissioned at the Mid West Conference in Indianapolis. OMS has prepared a very beautiful and spiritual ceremony that we will never forget.
Thanks to all of you who have been partnering with us in prayer and support. Together we will serve along side our Lord. I can't wait to share the good news of what God is doing in Haiti. The next blog we will write will be from our new home.

Being Used by God in the US

2009-06-23T19:59:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I get so caught up in all the things we need to do, to get to Haiti that I forget that everyday we called to work for the Lord. I have been trying to find time to record in my journal all the miracles that God has done for us this past year and how He has used us to do His work here as well. One of our advisers from OMS explained to us when we first applied to be missionaries that our work does not begin when we get to Haiti. We are to be working during this time of raising our funds as well.

This past week I volunteered to teach at a vacation Bible School for one of our supporting churches. It added to our load of things to do but I felt God would have me to use my talents to help this church. These children also took on the task of raising money for radio 4VEH and brought in enough money to buy 17 radios. But the best part of the week was when I got the chance to share the Gospel message with my class and two of my students accepted the Lord as their personal Savior.

This weekend we will be heading to the Mid West Conference, where we will be commissioned for service. We will then be home for a week and we will return to Indiana for three weeks of Cross Cultural Training, followed by a trip to Michigan to meet with some of our Starfish Kids Sponsors. Our summer continues with a trip to Oregon and then 2 speaking engagements in Oil City. We will also be resident Camp Missionaries at Seneca Hill Camp. All this brings us up to the end of Aug. Our funding is coming in more quickly, We are at 70% and are excited because we have several who have shared with us that they will be sending theirs in soon.

It is hard to believe that nine months ago we began this journey and we have never experience the presence of God in our lives as much as we have during these months. We have also grown in our ability to trust the Lord for all things and to take care of our needs. I will try to share some of our stories again later. We love giving God the glory for the great things He has done.

Meet Some of Our Starfish Kids

2009-06-05T14:42:00.005-04:00

Have you ever seen such wonderful little faces. These children were so excited to come and meet me.

Actually this day was my birthday and
I received one of the best presents I have ever been given. 32 of these children from this school accepted Jesus as their personal Savior this morning.

After their lesson and prayers we also had a Jesus party and gave out bags full of things like soap, pencils, paper and a toy. What excitement filled the room when they finally got to open their bags. I was able to visit 3 of our 34 schools that day. This is one of our poorest. The building behind me is actually their school.

Now that we are home, We had the opportunity to visit 3 Haitian Churches in the Spring Valley, New York area. We spoke 3 times in 2 hours at 3 different church and received a very warm welcome. Later that evening we attended Radio 4 VEH's 59Th birthday celebration in Queens. The music and fellowship was wonderful.

One day after our arrival home from New York we left for Hamilton ON to visit our Canadian office and meet some of our sponsors. Bud and I always love meeting with people who have as much love for Haiti as we do.

Now we are home for a few days. In a week I will be helping with a Bible School in one of our supporting churches. God has been so good and we do not expect anything but that from our Lord. His Love is perfect. Thank-you for your prayers. We will soon be off to Greenwood for Cross Cultural training and will not be home long before we will be visiting Michigan, Oregon and leading a missions spot at camp in Pa. We are still praying to be in the field by the middle of Sept. Our funding is coming in Praise the Lord. We are above 60%. Please continue to pray with us. Jane

We Just Got Home

2009-05-15T09:45:00.026-04:00

We just spent this last week returning to Haiti so that Jane could work with Madam Johnathan and Pastor Migueloson as a team overseeing Starfish for the coming school term. My focus was to get up to speed with mechanical needs, available tools, and determine what we will need to bring.
It was good to get back after a one day delay in Fort Lauderdale due to plane breakdowns, spending the week as house guests of Kate Zlotnicki.
With a ring full of keys I headed down to the maint. shop but to my surprise the generator building next to it was silent. They tell me that E.D.H the local power company has been increasing on more of the time over the past two months which reduces the cost of electricity by approx. 50%. Its a good thing as I see that one of the generators is in parts with the field coils out being rewound.

Brett asked us to start settling the house where we will be living. After a walk through I see that a coconut has fallen through the roof over the living room. That afternoon we got a ride down to the new seminary to see the house hold furnishings Gordan and Doreen had left us that would need to be moved. As we were leaving to return to the OMS compound with the work team, it started to rain and rained for the complete 30 minute ride in the back of an open truck!

Friday morning while Jane worked in the office with Starfish, I proceeded to replace the damaged roof panel and in the late afternoon we moved a pick-up truck load of boxes back to our house ( with thunder and the threat of rain.) Saturday morning we moved all of the furniture and the rest of the boxes with the larger truck. As soon as we unloaded we went to town with Kate to a little place for American hamburgers and fries then off to grocery shopping.

The store was very neat, well stocked and modern [along with an armed guard] and about the size of a convenience store here.

As we compared prices gourdes to US$ we were a little set back by the cost. Many people at home believe that we should have no problem living very lavishly in Haiti on our US Dollar, well check this out. Deodorant stick 200 gourdes/ $5US, 6 eggs 75 gourdes/ $1.92 US, 1LB. spaghetti approx $2 US, 1 litre carton imported milk $2 US, 1 Kg powdered milk from Brazil 400 gourdes/ $10.26 US

After returning home from shopping Jane worked at settling the house while I helped with an electrical problem.

Sunday we worshipped with Kate at the Vaudreuil Church with one of our Haitian friends interpreting the sermon for me.

Sunday evening we worshipped at the radio station at the English service.

Monday morning we met with leadership and are very encouraged.

Tuesday evening Jane hosted a bar-b-que for the missionaries with all of the fixings that we had brought with us.

Weds. I was able to move the box crammed full of tools that Gorden had left for me up to the house.

It was a great time to be with the staff there in Haiti, they are all being stretched and are looking forward to our return. We only wish that it could be sooner than later.

Thursday it was good-bye and off to the airport for a day of airflights with a late arrivale here in Erie.

We are settled and anxiously waiting for our remaining support to come in to allow us to move in.

Bud

Traveling Again

2009-04-28T15:13:00.002-04:00

Here we are at the end of April and the month went so fast. We are home for this week but will be speaking locally at the Weslyville Baptist Church on Wed April 29 at 7:00. Then on Saturday we will be leaving for New York City to speak at the First Wesleyan Church of Brooklyn on Sunday morning. We will quickly do a turn around and be home Sunday night. Tuesday morning we are heading for Haiti. I wish it was for a longer stay but it is only for 10 days. We are going over to see how I can effectively help with the Starfish Kids program from here in the states until we are fully funded. I am so fortunate to be able to work with two wonderful Haitian people Pastor Migueloson and Madam Jonathan. They are doing a wonderful job with the Starfish Kids program already. I am going to be joining them in ministry and am looking forward to it. Together we will share the joy of leading children to the Lord along with helping to provide some of the things they need to get a good education. Bud is going to be checking out what he will need to bring with him when we make the official move. We still have a long ways to go. We are over half way in our funding and are anxious to see how the Lord brings the rest of the pieces together. I hope to have lots of pictures to share with you when I return. Jane

2009-04-09T12:42:00.005-04:00

One of the things that we are learning as we follow the Lord’s lead is to remain flexible. I have been asked to be the Sponsorship and Donations cordinator for the Starfish Kids program as part of my duties in Haiti. Starfish Kids is a child evangelism program that uses sponsorship and education to share the Gospel with over 7000+ children everyday. Over 1850 children receive shoes, school books and tuition. All 7000+ children receive breakfast everyday. I am excited to be asked to work along side two wonderful and dedicated Haitian staff. Together it is our desire to see more children come to know the Lord through this program. These children are the future of Haiti.

There is much to be done this time of year to close out the school year and make sure that everything is in order for the Fall. As you know we are still here in the states and are presently 50% funded. I am willing to do what I can from here to help in this transition but it would be so much easier and better for the program if I were there on a full time bases fulfilling my duties.

Bud was to be one of two full time missionaries filling the position of maintenance/mechanic. Because of reassignments in the field he is now the only career missionary in this position full time.

We are confident that the Lords timing is perfect and that He has a plan for our departure. That plan does require we be fully funded. As we continue on this journey we are learning what it means to totally depend on the Lord for our financial needs, to open doors and to share His work. We are trying to spend more time in the Word of God, which teaches us about patience, total surrender and what it means to trust him completely. There are days I fail, but I am so grateful that Our Lord is a God who allows us thru repentance and forgiveness to start over.

Prayer Requests

For knowledge and wisdom in the area of how to help the starfish kids program while still here in the states, raising funds.

Pray for our team that remains in Haiti. Our team is small but are very dedicated to the Lord and the Haitian people.

We are praying for Christians who will step out in faith and make faith promises in our name, for the next two years. We are in need of partners at all levels from $25 per month to $250 per month. We pray that they will realize it is all the Lord's. we are just returning a portion back to him for HIS use, winning souls in Haiti. We want them to realize what a blessing the Lord has for those who enter into His work with their lives and finances.
__________________________________________________

Bud and I will be traveling to Haiti in May. This is in preparation for our new jobs. We hope that we will be moving there permanently by the end of Aug. Lord willing.

What Can a twelve year old do for Jesus?

2009-03-24T16:21:00.004-04:00

For Kelli and Rachel it was simple. Ask your fellow students to help. Kelli and Rachel are members of Summit United Methodist Church and attend Robison School. We spoke in their church in February. Two days after our visit their teacher assigned the class each a country in Latin America. Kelli was randomly assigned Haiti and Rachel was given Jamaica and guess what, the next Sunday the speakers in church were missionaries to Jamaica. The girls did a wonderful job finding out everything they could about these countries. Kelli and Rachel both received 50 out of 50 points for their reports. But they wanted to do more. They approached their teacher and principal and asked if their classes could raise money to help fund the missionaries. Together the children raised over $113 for each missionary. God uses people of all ages to do His work around the world. We are never to young or too old to serve others. We are so thankful to all the children of Robison School who participated in this project and especially to Kelli and Rachel for their willingness to hear God's call to action. Every time we help a Haitian child, we are going to share with them, how the children in this school, cared so much about them that they help send us.

Graduation Day for My Mom

2009-03-16T17:00:00.003-04:00

I would like you to meet my brothers and sisters. This is the first time we have all been together in over 21 years. We came together to celebrate the life of our mother and the love she had for us all. My mother and dad adopted 16 children and fostered 91 children. She was 91 years old and joined my father in heaven on March 13. We would like to thank everyone for the prayer cards and all the blessings you sent our way as we set this time aside to honor her. This was the answer to prayer for us all. Mom has been suffering with a lot of pain and physical limitation for a long time. In her last words she wanted us to all know that although she was not anxious to leave us she knew that it was time to go home and be with Jesus. She was so looking forward to it. My mother was called to be the mother of the world and God gifted her with all that she would need to do so. Her legacy also includes 45 grandchildren, 27 great grandchildren and 6 great great grandchildren who with out a doubt knew grandma loved them. Thank-you Jesus for loving us all so much that you came to die and pave a way for us to be able to enter heaven. My mother's favorite passage is in John and her funeral was held on 3:16. Thanks mom even in your death you wanted us to know about Jesus. Jane

Snyders Chapel West Virginia

2009-03-16T16:39:00.004-04:00

This past weekend Bud and I were to be a part of the conference at Snyders Bible Chapel, but because of my mothers funeral I was unable to attend. Bud shared with me how much he enjoyed the members of this conference. They were so kind and understanding of the fact that he was doing alone what usually the two of us are doing together. He also shared that they deeply love missions and are on fire for the work that the Lord is doing around the world. Tim Bell, Kent and Rhonda Harmless were also speaking at this conference. Tim is with OMS and the other couple are missionaries to Honduras with WGW. We really enjoy sharing these conferences with others and learning about their ministries. I hope to have the chance to visit this little chapel with Bud again some day. God gives us strength when we are called upon to do things that are really out of our confort zones and I know Bud really felt His presents.

2009-03-09T16:01:00.001-04:00

This is Philip and Rita they shared the conference with us at the Federated Church they are missionaries to Brazil.

Missions Conference at the Federated Church

2009-03-09T15:57:00.004-04:00

This night at the Conference was hosted and attended by both the Youth and adults. Look at the number of young people who belong to this church. This is our future and these young people show us that it is in good hands.

Paula Watson is there much love youth director. We are especially fond of her ourselves.

Meet Jeff and Laura Edwards, Thiago and Katy

2009-03-09T15:52:00.004-04:00

Jeff and Laura have been serving in Brazil and their daughter and son in law will be serving in Spain. Jeff and Laura will our new international Regional Director of Haiti. We are looking forward to working together.

God's People are so Faithful

2009-03-09T15:25:00.002-04:00

We can't begin to say how much God's people have blessed us. This past month began with speaking at Summit United Methodist church where we were treated like family. This church has blessed us in so many ways with their prayers and financial support. It was so much fun spending time with so many people that we have known over the years. We also had the privilege of speaking at our first full missions conference at the Federated Church. We were nervous but our nervousness quickly disappeared. We saw old friends and made a lot of new ones. We were especially impressed by the number of their members that came out for all the meetings. Especially the youth. This past weekend we were at the MFM Council banquet near Allentown. We were one of several missionaries that attended, we shared how MFM has played a big part in our calling to the mission field. Then on Sunday morning we shared at Bethany EC Church. Once again we were met with a warm welcome and made more friends. No matter where we go, God has opened doors and we have enjoyed spending time with Christian brothers and sisters, who God has placed in our lives. Bud is getting more comfortable with speaking. Every place we have stayed the families have made sure we have warm and comfortable beds and made us feel right at home. We leave for W. Virginia on Friday morning and then we get a couple of weeks at home. We need more appointments to share in April and May. Please pray that other doors will open and that believers will be open to God's invitation to be a part of our team. Jeff Edwards taught us this phrase. I can't do it all so We do it together. God bless all of you. Jane

Little Haiti in Brooklyn

2009-02-13T08:16:00.006-05:00

Our heads are swimming, our hearts are jumping for joy and our lips are constantly PRAISING THE LORD. We are presently in Brooklyn New York staying with a very dear Haitian Family, the Pierre's. We met them through our Haitian dentist and friend. When we came to Brooklyn last Saturday we knew that we would be speaking at Pastor Pierre church and Pastor Lorient church. We also knew we would be speaking at the Haitian Council of Pastors meeting, but we were not aware of all that God had for us. We have been so "Loved on" by the Haitian people. There are over 500 Haitian churches here in Brooklyn alone and when they worship we feel that we have been transported back to the churches Haiti. The music and the enthusiasm as they worship is amazing. We spoke on Sunday morning, and we had asked Eutrope a representative of Radio 4VEH to join us. The Pastor was very gracious and not only allowed us to speak but Eutrope as well. This church opened their hearts to us and have joined us in ministry. We had a wonderful afternoon with the Pierre family and Eutrope and his wife. Later that evening we visited another church, when someone in the congregation saw us and found out why we were in Brooklyn we were asked to speak. The next morning we visited another church, a fasting prayer service, and we were asked to speak. From having only 3 places to speak we are now going to have spoken at 5 churches and we have been invited to speak at the second annual Haitian Coalition of Churches here in Brooklyn. We have had many contacts with individuals and so has Eutrope as well to share with the Haitian people of Brooklyn about OMS, Its work in Haiti, and Radio 4VEH as well. We have been so blessed by individuals who are willing to step out in faith and support us financially. One woman I met on the subway. I struck up a conversation with her and when she asked why we are in New York I shared how God had arranged for us to come. She asked for information on how to support us. It is only Friday and we will be here till next Tuesday. We will be returning in March to speak again at other churches. Our prayer is that the churches here will continue their relationship with OMS and as partners in ministry reach the people of Haiti for Jesus. Sometimes I think I know God but he still surprises me everyday. Tuesday night God had a real treat for us. We had a free night to go and worship at he Brooklyn tabernacle. Pastor Jim was away but the woman speaker had a wonderful message on Attitude. She took us to Philippians 2 and what a blessing this scripture has been for me this week. Sometimes I get discouraged and disappointed as we try to raise our funding, but it helped me to focus on how this is God's work and I need to trust him and take a back seat on what I think should be happening. His agenda is far more important than mine. We are so grateful for what God has shown us on this trip and taught us. He has a wonderful plan for the churches of Brooklyn and OMS. We are so fortunate to be a part of it. Thank-you for your prayers. We have faith promises for 40% of our funding. God is good! all the time! Jane

Meet The Aberle's and Noel's

2009-01-26T08:56:00.010-05:00

We would like you to meet the Aberle's, We had the privelege of spending time with them in Greenwood. They have been working in Haiti since October and came home for training. We are looking forward to working with them. This weekend we had a great time at the home of the Noel's. Many came to this country as teens. We really enjoyed sharing stories with each other about Haiti. Their faith and willingness to allow the Lord to use them is very evident in the way they live and care for others. They have played a key part in helping us to prepare for our time and work in their native home. God's blessings keep raining on us through those who love him. We have a couple of weeks home now and will be speaking at Summit United Methodist Church on February 1. Then on the 7th we will be leaving to spend some time with friends of the Noel's in New York City, and speaking in local churches, meeting many of the Haitians living there. Radio 4VEH has played a role in many of their lives and what they have learned about Jesus as they grew up in Haiti. We continue to pray for our supporters and the funds we still need to raise for a spring departure. God has opened so many doors and we Praise Him for His faithfulness. Jane

Praise The Lord For His Faithfulness

2009-01-17T10:07:00.002-05:00

What an awesome and faithful God we serve. His love for us is evident in so many ways and He has shown us over and over that we are truly working within His calling.
I am writing this to you from Greenwood, Indiana and what a joy it has been to be here staying with the Owens family. Two days ago we had the privilege of meeting several families in Goshen, Indiana and staying with the Tuckers. We also met the Maurers who served in Haiti for 4 years. Their children sang in Creole for us. Each of these families have added to our experience in a very heart warming way. We are presently here speaking at MFM council meetings. Our meetings are a week apart so we are taking advantage of this time to do some volunteer work here at headquarters and ask a lot of questions about what lies ahead.
While we have been here several letters have been sent out asking friends, family and church members to prayerfully consider a faith promise of monthly support. We ask that you pray that these letters will touch heart in such a way that it will bring our support up to 80% very soon. We are presently at 35%. This will keep us on track for a spring departure. The last 20%, we pray will come during this time of preparation to leave.
God has opened so many doors for us. When we return to Erie we will be preparing to speak at Summit United Methodist Church on Feb 1. Feb 7 we will leave for New York City where we will be speaking at several Haitian Churches and meetings. Our heavenly Father opened these doors for us through our Haitian dentist. One of the meetings will be with several pastors who get together on a monthly bases. Euthorp, A Haitian missionary, serving with OMS, will be joining us for these meetings. He is with Radio 4 VEH and can answer questions about the work at the station far better than we. Pray, Pray, Pray, this could open so many doors for the work going on in Haiti.
When we return from New York we will be involved with a week long missionary conference at the Federated Church in East Springfield.
March also comes with its own wonderful experiences. We will be speaking at several churches in Eastern Pa, Central Pa and West Virginia. We are looking forward to attending a Men For Mission's banquet at the beginning of the month.
Three weeks ago we wondered if we would have anywhere to speak in January and February. Then God’s hand moved and we now only have two Sundays left between now and April that is not filled. Praise the Lord. Thank-you for interceding on our behalf. We feel your prayers everyday and God has blessed us in ways we could not have imagined. Jane

Meet our Wonderful Son-in-Laws

2008-12-30T11:01:00.009-05:00

Christmas is a time of fun, One of the favorites is wrestling with uncle Kip or just spending time with Daddy Chris and Daddy Tom.

Some of the Blessings God Has Placed in Our lives

2008-12-30T10:41:00.009-05:00

Pictured here Daughters Gretchen, Lorah, Marcia and Amy. Also pictured grandchildren Danny, Nicholas, Will, Joshua, and our princess Charlie along with Bud's mom Ethel.

Meet our family, God has blessed us with a family that truely loves each other and love to be together. Some of our family was not able to be with us but, they are always with us in our hearts. May God give you and your family many opportunities to share and love with each other in 2009.

ITS A WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS

2008-12-19T17:25:00.003-05:00

It is hard to believe Christmas is less than a week away and I think we are ready. This will be a very special Christmas for all of us. Next Christmas we will be spending it with our Missionary family in Haiti. We have been very busy preparing gifts and planning a special meal but not to busy to take the time to reflect on what this very special holiday means to us all. Christ came as a baby, a gift for all. We are so thankful that he did not remain a baby but grew up to become our Savior, all we had to do was accept the gift. Today I read the prayer Jesus prayed in John 17 on behave of his disciples and all who follow him. I felt like I was listening in on a very personal prayer between Jesus and His father. What a special relationship the two of them have and yet, He asked His father to accept us in the same way because of our love and acceptance of him. He talks about how we were first God's and we were given to Christ. Christ then placed His love for us on the line in the form of dieing on the cross for our sins. Then he gave us back to the father covered by His blood and our sins forgiven. What a gift. No gift money could ever buy will ever measure up. This Christmas Bud and I are setting time aside to pray for each and every one of our prayer and financial partners. We are praying that God will bless each and every one of you with all the things you need. But even more, our prayer is, that you will draw closer to the Lord. We ask that you will be able to find the time to seek Him, in His word, and listen with your heart. That is our gift to our selves as well. Jesus promises that if we spend time in His truth,and apply them to our lives, we will have abundant Joy. We hope soon to be sharing our ministry from Haiti, Our funding is coming in and we are 30% funded. Praise the Lord and we thank Him daily and I mean daily for all the supports He has given to us. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family. Jane

A Great Visit With New Friends Dan, Jill and Helen Shoemaker

2008-11-20T19:20:00.004-05:00

We had a wonderful break from all the changes going on in our lives as we headed North to Canada to visit some new friends. Dan and Gill Shoemaker have been serving in Haiti for 8 years and we will soon be part of their missionary family. We spent hours getting to know each other and talking about all the things God has been doing in our lives. Dan and Bud will be working very close together as Bud learns his new job and He is in charge of the MFM teams that I will be working with. We are so looking forward to working with these wonderful people. God has really gifted them and they are so anxious to use their gifts to serve him. They took the time to give us a tour of their beautiful home town Elora, ON.

Dan and Gill took us to a meeting with them to meet some wonderful young people who will be leaving for Haiti to experience short term missions in January. I know that they will not be the same when they come home. I would love to be part of the people who get to share this experience with them. When we arrived home we spent the evening sharing our calling and our passion for what God has in store for us. We feel so blessed by all the experiences God has allowed us to have during this time in our lives. Thank-you Dan and Gill and Helen for adding to our lives in such a special way.

A New Home

2008-11-10T18:41:00.000-05:00

We have comfortably moved into our temporary home with our daughter and son in law. They have so graciously opened their home to us. Our new tenants have moved into our home and it was nice to see them enjoying the home we have loved for so many years. With all these good things going on we do have our moments of discouragement when we look at our support account and do not see any new partners. We have given out so many letters and prayer cards and God has blessed us with wonderful people who have given to the work. Yet as we stand at 20% funded it is easy to wonder how long it is going to take to get to our work in Haiti. We have loved the times we have spent with the churches and others sharing our ministry and praising God for what He has done in our lives. And this time has been such a growing time for both of us, especially me. I am learning to wait on the Lord. God has also spoken to our hearts about spending more time in prayer. He has used several different people to relay that message to us from gifting books to us, to our pastor preaching on it. The Lord has used so many at our church to help us to grow in this time as we prepare for Haiti. We also grew as we spend time with some of the senior missionaries at headquarters. They have so much wisdom and it is wonderful to sit and listen to what they have to offer us as advise. We are never to big to learn or to old to teach. Jane

ANOTHER STEP IN OUR FAITH PROMISE

2008-11-05T06:42:00.000-05:00

When the Lord called us to serve in Haiti, He was asking us to make a faith promise to go to Haiti no matter what we needed to do to keep that promise. We know that the Lord will not ask us to do anything without His help.

A faith promise is when we say Lord I trust you to provide for us during this time that you have ask us to step out in faith. We do not know how it will all work out but we do know that the Lord will make it happen and that we are safe in His hands.

Today we are moving out of our house. Our renters will move in on Saturday. We do not know how long we will be living with our daughter as we raise support for the Lord's work in Haiti. We do know that each step is a step of faith. We trust the Lord, He has a plan and we are part of it. We understand that every step our faith grows because we become more and more dependent on him.

Friday we will be sharing with the students at Bethel Christian School. Then on the 19 we will be sharing our work with our brothers and sister at Grace Church. The Lord has spoken to our hearts about teaching the family on how to win souls for Christ through a faith promise. We will present that work to our families for the first time that night. I wish to teach my grandchildren the same lesson.

God asks faith promises from all of us. Some it is a faith promise of time others of money, and others of both. We are learning ourselves just how God honors that. A true faith promise is a promise we make not of what we have extra of, but what we may have to make scarifies in order to be able to give it.

WE ARE OFF TO ORIENTATION

2008-10-27T07:10:00.001-04:00

The last couple of weeks have been very busy. The 18th and 19th we had a display table at our own church (Grace) and shared our story with several of our friends. We are also planning a reception there to be held either the 12th or 19th of November, both are Wednedsay evenings. This event will be shared with the Sweatmans.

We are going to share our calling and vision for the work we are going to be doing in Haiti. Everyone is welcome and I promise you will be blessed by what God is doing, not only in our lives but the Sweatman's and Kate's as well. We will be showing a slide presentation of how Haiti is doing today and refreshments will be served.

Sunday, October 19th, we were blessed by sharing our work with the people of Waterford Baptist Church during their evening service. Bud and I grew up in that church and both came to know the Lord during those years.

This past Sunday we visited and spoke at the Waterford Methodist Church. What a privilege to share with the people of our home town. I saw Sandy there; an old friend who actually walked down the isle with me as a teenager both accepting the Lord as our personal Savior at the same time. God is so good.

This morning we are packing, and in a few minutes will be leaving for orientation in Greenwood, Indiana. There we will learn more about OMS and spend time learning about raising support. We will study what the Bible says about how God's people are called to support those whom God has chosen to send out. We will also learn how God wants us to share our ministry and the things he calls us personally to do. We will spend 4 days working on letters, talks and learning more about what it is like to live by faith as we serve the Lord the next few months until we leave for Haiti. Please pray for us as we travel and that our hearts will be open to what the Lord has for us this week. Jane

OMS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN ALLENTOWN, PA

2008-10-16T06:47:00.000-04:00

We have just finished our first speaking engagement in Allentown, Pa. What a wonderful experience that was. We met so many wonderful people. The other missionaries are from Mozambique and Columbia. One thing is for sure there is never lack of work for the body of Christ in this world. There are people hungry for the good news of Jesus everywhere and lives are being changed everyday. We had our talk all prepared before we arrived, but God had other things He wanted us to say. Bud and I both woke up and knew God wanted us to change what we were going to say. We spent part of the morning changing it.

Then it came time to speak and the Holy Spirit took over. We were drawn to share things we had not expected to. Valeene is such and encouragement to us. She served in Haiti for many years.

The Haitian delegation also spoke and it is always good to hear what they have to share. One thing they taught us is a Haitian phase that goes like this. Piti Piti zwazo fe nich. Pronounced (peetee peetee zwazoo fe neesh. This means little by little the bird builds the nest. God is building our nest in Haiti little by little using His people to help us along the way and supply our needs spiritually and finacncially.

We met a wonderful couple, that are also seeking God's will for them in the field of missions. We are praying for God to give them clear direction as He has ourselves.

Orientation begins in a little over a week. We received lots of homework to do before we arrive, so the next few days will be full. We also will be setting up a display at our home church Grace Church in Mckean and speaking at the Waterford Baptist Church on Sunday night.

Prayer Requests:

Please pray that we will have more speaking opportunities to share the work that the Lord is doing in Haiti.
Pray for our spiritual growth and strength as we seek God's will.
Pray for Haiti and the workers who are still digging out homes and rescuing survivors of the hurricane. Many are still living on their roof tops. Their homes are filled with mud.
Please pray for hearts to be open to God's will as to how he would have them participate in our ministry. We are very much in need of partners who are willing to sign faith promises for monthly pledges. Jane

God Turns Bad News into BLESSINGS

2008-10-03T08:45:00.000-04:00

In today's economy many companies are having to cut back and that is what has happened to the company that Bud works for. Today is Bud's last day on the job. He found out two days ago that he was being laid off. I had been praying that Bud would be able to leave his job in January and we would try to survive on the rent of our home and our savings. God had another plan. While we do deputation we will be receiving unemployment. It is not going to be a lot of money but by moving in with our daughter and collecting rent on the house we will do fine. We will be able to put more time into The Lords work and prepare to leave. This to us is just another step in the process of following our Lord to Haiti. We will have more time to share the work with more people. Our support is coming in but slowly. Yet we are not loosing hope to make the January training. Times are tough in Haiti. Our radio station has had to be off the air due to the fuel shortages from the Hurricanes. Over 1200 people have died because of the 4 hurricanes that have hit the island and over 1,000,000 people have been displaced. In some areas the mud from the flooding is so deep people are still living on their roof tops. A year ago 23 missionaries shared the work at the OMS compound in Haiti. Soon it will be down to 9. We are so looking forward to getting the opportunity to jump in with both feet and help our brothers and sisters in Haiti. Praise God for those of you have been praying for us. We see the results of your prayers. Praise God for those of you who have chosen to partner with the Lord in this work and in our name. We can't express the love we have for all of you. The blessings you have given to us is overwelming. Jane

WE ARE BEING STRETCHED

2008-09-30T23:17:00.000-04:00

As the days and minutes seem to rush by it is constantly on our minds that we are getting closer to the deadline set by OMS requiring 35% of our funding at the beginning of November in order to attend Cross Cultural Training in January.

The next class will not be available until July. I catch myself panicking from time to time wondering if we will make it to the class in January. We want so badly to be in Haiti in February because we know from the other missionaries, that we are needed as soon as possible.

God has really been working on me and teaching me that He has it all under control. He knows the deadlines and He knows when He is going to get us there. What I need to recognize is that finding our support is not my job. My job is to trust in the Lord and lean not unto my own understanding of how things should go. My job is to share the wonderful blessings and how God has worked in our lives so far to prepare the way for His ministry in us. My job is to share the Gospel and make sure others hear what a wonderful and faithful Father we serve.

My Father keeps telling me. "Daughter I'll take care of it." Then He sends us a wonderful reminder of how He works by letting us in on a heart He has touched. The other day when I was in one of my panic modes, I prayed and asked God to give me peace about all of it. That evening a dear friend called and said that he was going to send in a faith promise of support. We really had not expected him to be one of our supporters and a long term one as well.

Today we called to see if we could speak and share our ministry at one of the local churches. They welcomed us and explained that after receiving our letter, they had already put us in their budget. God knows I need those little moments of incite from Him to remind me that He is bigger than any problem or obstacle that is put in our path. He also knows what is best and will work it all out in His time. Please pray for us as we grow in our faith. Please pray for our friends Dan and Gill Shoemaker, serving in Haiti, as they are traveling here in the US on deputation as well. Jane