Transitioning

The worst thing about transition is that is never gets any easier, even if you have been through it a million of times (or what feels like a million times!).  Maybe I wasn't quite prepared how difficult another change would be this year, because in coming back to Haiti we knew what we were coming to and we knew what to expect but it hasn't been easy.

Poor Sam was back in Haiti for two days before starting back to school.  We are thankful he loves going to school but he is struggling with being away from home for so long. We leave home at 7.30am and hes not home until 3.15ish by which time he is exhausted.  Sam is one of those kids who just cannot cope with being tired.  Anyway he is gradually adjusting to being at school every day so please keep praying for him.

Joel is missing Sam a lot when he is away.  Its been a big change as the boys have been used to being together all day every day for the past 6 months.  Then to add insult to injury I started back to work last Thursday which Joel was not happy about.  Yverose always laughs and says that Joel knows what time it is, at 3pm he asks for me and just watches the driveway until I come home!  Saying that Joel is still our very easy going one and he is coping pretty well.  I've been surprised at how much he remembers about life in Haiti, he is loving having rice every day for lunch again!

Jacob has done pretty well, he wasn't well when we first came and not sleeping well and like Sam he just cannot cope with being tired.  Now is is sleeping much better he is a lot happier during the day.

So back to work...Altidor has been doing a brilliant job for the past 6 months.  All her patients are telling me how great she is and one patient in particular was singing her praises, he had a stroke in February and now is completely mobile again.

I enjoy being at work when I am there and I am really enjoying having some time to teach Altidor but I really don't like leaving the boys.  Yverose and Michilene are great, I just don't like to leave them with anyone really.  It's going to take me a while to get back into the swing of working... I have been away for 6 months after all. 

Every time we travel back to Haiti the sense of how difficult things really are hits you a little bit harder.  I think I see it more at the clinic, just this past week I met a granny taking care of her three grandchildren but now she has had a stroke so the kids are the carers, a little boy with cerebral palsy who is really underweight and after some conversation with mum it transpires she just doesn't have the means to feed him everyday and little Yvelinda, who has done so well with therapy, hasn't been for 4 months because now its 100 gourdes a visit.  That's £1.15 or $1.50 US.  The weight of meeting, treating and building relationships with these people is hard, I can't even imagine what its like to live it.

So if you remember please pray for us as we get used to life in Haiti again,  its different, draining,  exhausting and rewarding all at the same time. And pray for those we are working with, for the students and staff at EBS and our patients coming to Bethesda each day.

Emmaus update

First I promised a few people and a couple of churches (where the video wouldn't work) that I would post it on here but haven't got round to doing it yet, apologies for the delay!  This is a great video which shows exactly why Emmaus is here and in the words of Bill,

 'If a photo is worth a thousands words then a video is worth a million.'

EBS kicked of this new academic year with 4 weeks of intensive classes and this week saw the beginning of residential classes.  Bill is teaching three courses this semester, introduction to the New Testament to the new class of 20 first years, general epistles and old testament wisdom literature to the 3rd years.

Every year Stacey meets our new students and collects their testimonies. Its always a great insight to hear where our students are coming from and how God brought them to Emmaus. Here is the testimony from one of our new first years.

Years before Jopnel was old enough to even be thinking about seminary, God had already brought him to Saccanville, the small mud-hut village Emmaus calls home.

He recalls his first trip while explaining the most dangerous evangelism experience he’s ever had.  His youth group was spending the summer sharing the Gospel in villages stretching from Cap-Haitian to Limbe. As Jopnel unpacked God’s plan of salvation in a small Saccanville yard, a man lunged at him with a machete, holding the chiseled blade to Jopnel’s neck for several minutes before plunging it into the ground by his feet.

Despite this experience, and others like it, Jopnel beams as he calls evangelism his great God-given passion.  “Since I was about 12, I knew I wanted to follow the Lord always, and when I was 14 I was baptized in the same church where I still serve today. I have always loved sharing the Gospel story with others, and I realized long ago that if I didn’t take the Word out from the church, there would be many, many people who would never hear it.“

“I got into the practice of sharing the Good News in tap-taps (small public transportation trucks) years ago. When I climb in, I immediately start asking about where everyone’s been, where they are going, how they are doing, and looking for a path. I pray God will show me a way in, and when He does, I take that road, using one of those conversations to lead into a simple Gospel message. I talk about how we all come up short, about God’s great love for us and desire to be in relationship with us, and about how that motivated Him to send His Son for the gap that our sin leaves. Every day I share the Gospel like that, in every tap-tap I’m in. It’s a great place to do it because I have a captive audience!”

After continually noticing the way another young man in his prayer group “just stood out as a man of character I wanted to be like in my walk with Jesus,” Jopnel learned that Rujerry was a student at Emmaus Biblical Seminary (now graduated, May 2018, and on staff).  “Both he and the associate pastor at my church encouraged me to study at Emmaus after high school, and I’m now at the beginning of my final year!”

“I give glory to God because He’s truly shown Himself to me through so many people at Emmaus.” Jopnel says.  “I’ve been thoroughly trained–spiritually and academically–and whatever continued ministry I end up in after graduation, it will be with my whole heart and with the relationships and tools I need to do it well, for His glory!”

Here at Emmaus we aim to keep tuition affordable for students, in order to do that EBS has a scholarship fund where you can help students like Jopnel to continue their studies at EBS.  For more information click here to find out how you can be part of what God is doing at Emmaus.

made it

We made it....thanks to all of you who prayed for us over the past few days.  Travelling went well, mostly...the boys did great on Saturday but after a 2am wake up (miami time)  on Sunday morning they were tired flying to Haiti.  Wee Jacob hasn't been well with a heavy cold and cough but he was great on all the flights and did a lot of sleeping, he just hasn't been so great at night.  Please pray for him to get better soon....Bill and I are in need of a very good nights sleep and we want him to feel better.

It feels good to be back in our house, unpacking and sorting is still ungoing, I am sitting here in the boys bedroom, they have just fallen asleep and as I look down there is barely any floor space as their clothes are all over the floor.  The problem with three boys is you never get rid of anything, (you also don't have to buy a lot of new stuff) so there is a lot of sorting to be done.

I took Sam to school today to meet his teacher and see his classroom, he was a little nervous going but now he is really excited to start school tomorrow.  I, on the other hand am not excited to be packing lunches everyday...any suggestions please send them my way!!But I am so thankful he has the opportunity to go to school here.

The boys are really glad to be back, especially to play with Lily, Sofie and Nora next door.  Bill will be back working tomorrow and I am still working out when that is going to happen for me.  Yverose and Michilene who look after the boys will be coming a couple of days a week for the boys to get to know them so I can get back to work in the clinic.

Our trip to Northern Ireland feels like a long time ago now even though it we only left three days ago.  Haiti really does feel like million miles away from everywhere else.