We are home!

Just wanted to let you know that we are back safe and sound. We are glad to be home, but are having some trouble adjusting back to such a "slow" pace of life - that's not to say there is not plenty to do here...with school, and work, and kids' schedules...it's just that it doesn't "feel" as urgent or purposeful as saving peoples' lives and ministering to a greatly broken country and such. I'm sure we will be back to the usual routines, and happily so, within a few days. :)

We are beyond blessed to have been able to go to Haiti, and long to go back as soon and as often as the Lord will allow. We don't foresee being there long term within the next couple years, as Michael still has school and it just doesn't seem like that's where the Lord is leading us, for now. We do think that Haiti is in our lives for a long time to come, however, and are very grateful and excited for what the Lord will do in us and in the people there. We also very much want to take our kids there some time in the somewhat near future, if the opportunity should arise. When I asked Adria today what she wants to do for her birthday this week, she said (twice) "Go to Haiti." :)

We cannot possibly say thank-you enough to those of you who have supported us, be it through prayer, finances, watching the kids (and/or dog!), encouraging words, bringing meals before and after, and anything else that contributed to our being able to go. Our church body (Grace Baptist Church) has been incredible support and we are truly grateful. THANK-YOU!!

I still want to post some videos, and am working on making my own video from some of the pictures we have. I can't do it right now, but will get them up soon.

Love,
Michael and Fawn

New Life is in the NY TIMES!

Our little orphanage (New Life Children's Home) is in the New York Times! We had a reporter and photographer come out a few days ago, and they wrote up a very nice story - the 12 year old boy, Mystil is one of the boys Michael and I sat with everyday and talked to (or at least attempted to talk to...:) Check it out...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/world/americas/13doctors.html

I've had a couple people ask me how they can donate to the orphanage. They have a website, where you can either donate or get contact info for the home office in FL (the parent organization is World Harvest for Christ Missions). It is: www.whmnewlife.org

God Bless!

Michael and Fawn

Church

We had church under the mango tree today. Since the church building is being used as a hospital, the kids all meet under the tree for church on Sundays. We sang hymns Haitian style, heard a good message from the Word (Isaiah 42 and Psalm 115), sang happy birthday to 3 of our girls, and watched as 4 or 5 young people gave their lives to the Lord. It was AMAZING! God is good!

We leave in two days. Everyone keeps asking us, "when are you coming back?". That's the question of the hour. Lord, what would you have us do?

Love,
Michael and Fawn

Fun Day

We got to go to the beach today!

This is a jellyfish that came floating along while we were swimming. He is friendly. :) Michael said he and his siblings used to throw them at each other when they were kids. That is not friendly.

A little time to relax

Does he look relaxed or what? He so needed this day of rest.

Prayer Request: This beautiful little girl needs a heart surgery badly. She was supposed to have it done Jan 14th, and then the earthquake happened the 12th. Her family is trusting the Lord with her, and even if there were a surgeon in Haiti who could do the sugery, her family has no money to pay for it. Please pray for her, and if you know anyone who might be able/willing to help, please let us know. Her name is Deve.

Love,

Michael and Fawn

We Have A Blog!

Wow, there's nothing like an impromptu mission trip to a devastated foreign country to get your fire lit to communicate with everyone you love! We have been sending update emails with pictures attached but it will be much easier for us (and for you) to use this we think. Even though we are in the midst of the worst poverty we've ever seen, we can most of the time find internet and post pictures.

Michael has now been in Haiti for almost three weeks, and I have been here for 5 days. To risk sounding cliche, words cannot even begin to describe what it is like here. (That's why we have 750 pictures taken so far...) I won't write on and on trying to describe what's happening, but I will say this: GOD IS GOOD! We saw His hand today many times. He provided two truck loads of goods for the orphanage and the hospital - cases of baby formula, diapers, sheets, towels, food, milk, a nebulizer (!), a centrifuge (!!), and much more. We had no idea it was coming - we went to Quiaqueya school, where Humedica is headquartered, to get some IV needles and met a lawyer from Dominican Republic who wants to help orphanages with legal issues like adoptions and such. She had just come in with a box truck full of stuff that was supposed to have been dropped elsewhere, but the driver decided he didn't want to take it. So, she gave it to us. She also came back with us to meet the kids and talk to us more about what we need to navigate the collapsed (literally) legal system here.

We also went and saw the Navy Construction Batallion that is here, and they are coming here to our orphanage to fix our generator and rebuild our wall! They will also see what other building projects around the comound they can help with, maybe some roof repair on our church/hospital...? They are also very excited to play with the kids. :)

We then drove downtown and saw the palace that was the President's home. It is completely caved in. Today marks one month and the president declared today, tomorrow, and Sunday as days of fasting and prayer (to whom we're not sure...). So, they were holding demonstrations and prayers all day all over the city, especially at the palace. I also saw a vodou (voodoo) priest performing rituals in the street.

Michael is now teaching English to some of the hospital kids. It's their favorite time of the day. It might be because when I left there to do this post he was teaching them "Hello, my name is _____ and my dog is dumb. And my cat stinks."

We had to medevac out a patient today. He was Japanese, the pilots were German, and they were taking him from Haiti to the Dominican Republic. We are so multicultural!

Michael performing minor surgery on a man who had two lypoma cysts in his head. My first time watching surgery, and it's in a cement room in a church/hospital in Haiti! I am so impressed by my husband.

We were blessed with a nebulizer today! That is like medical gold, especially in this situation. This sweet little girl has had breathing issues her entire life (she's 2) and got her first treatment today. She was already clearing up about 30 min later.

While at Quisqueya School yesterday, we got to see (and meet, for me) Mr. and Mrs. Bittner. Dave Bittner was Michael's science teacher, basketball coach, and youth pastor while he attended school here as a teenager. It was a great reunion.

Downtown Port au Prince - this is cleaned up believe it or not.

The Presidential Palace. There are thousands and thousands of people living in makeshift tents right behind where I am taking this picture.

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All for now, I have a couple of videos to post - we'll see if the internet can handle it. That'll be later though; we are going to go for a drive through the countryside so Michael can show me the "other part" of Haiti. :o

Love,

Michael and Fawn