Productive Day

Trees to trade

Cory headed to Cap Haitian about 8 o'clock. With a long line already at the bank in Limbee he did not stop but continued on his trip.


 He picked up the new truck plates and put them on the truck. [While he remembered the wrench he didn't remember to bring the screws along.]

At the Madelyn school he connected with the school cooks and talked to them about preparing moringa and chaya.

He left them a bunch of chaya cuttings.


Ultimately the goal is for enough of both to be grown so that they can regularly be added to the school lunches replacing expensive imported vitamin pills.

Following this visit Cory headed to the airport to connect with the guys coming in with a new type for him [Pua'a] breadfruit trees from the Breadfruit Institute.

He received 10 trees in exchange for his larger Ma'afala trees which were ready to plant.

A bit of shopping and a stop at the bank before heading home.

At home we worked on school work. My students did not need me much today so I busied myself with office work: getting needed phone numbers for shipping the Konsey II books, working on scholarship applications with Eli, getting needed information for starting to schedual our USA trip, and more.

I also added a new blog about our adoption. Link above under Grafting Treasures.

Goal progress!

Celebrating today that one [two] of our Dec. 10th goals was [were] finally completed [advanced] today.

 Goal # 1. The truck plates picked up yesterday, put on a bus heading north and Jean Pierre went to pick them up in Limbèe this afternoon.

Unfortunately when he arrived he did not find them. They were sent on to Cap Haitian.

 Cory plans to head to Cap on Monday to deliver some breadfruit trees for a photo shoot and so will plan to stop in and pick up the plates at that time.

He hopes to connect with Pastor Bernard and set up the teaching session with the school cooks at Madeline about moringa and chaya.

Eli corrected and polished up an essay for an engineering scholarship and I worked on the recommendation part.

A wonderful surprise occurred during my instant-message time with my folks this morning.

 An e-mail came in from the US immigration officer letting us know that he’d put in the request to refresh our fingerprints for our adoption visa! Goal # 2.

With great thanksgiving I checked off contacting him from next week’s to-do list. I never expected to hear on a Saturday! The prints expired yesterday.

The third goal from Dec. 10th remains: to pick up our Haitian visas that went to Port-au-Prince for renewal in Oct.

We plan to pick these up when we travel to LaGonave in early February.  Goal # 3.

I spent much of the morning reviewing our years of photos to find the ones I would like to put into a photo book for Eli when he graduates.

Nothing like looking at photos to stir up vivid memories and praises to the Lord, Who’s done so much for us over the last 17 years!

 Pictures. 'Pruning' the mango tree yesterday. One of the many air-plants on campus.]

Thursday Update. Folks home.

The school day clock ticked rapidly toward the finish line with Eli now at his library and Anna  out to play some volleyball.

Cory sent out the e-mail newsletters today between garden time. [Let me know if you would like to receive one]

To make sure the newsletter could be read he asked Eli to check his e-mails. We continue to remind Eli to check his e-mail at least once a week...so he tries to check on Mondays.

Checking today came with the unexpected blessing of finding an e-mail sent by Calvin's Engineering Department about some scholarships. To get his application in on time it will need to be in Tuesday's mail bag...so very thankful he did not read it on Monday.

Eli worked on the essay this afternoon and we've already revised it and sent it off to a couple folks for additional editing.

Just received a e-mail from the folks  letting us know they arrived home OK.

One more load of laundry will finish washing their clothes and then Cory will put their tub away until their next visit.

We reviewed and organized a tub containing two years of school curriculum that we lent another missionary family a few years ago and Cory picked up during his trip to Cap yesterday.

Very thankful for the education Eli and Anna could get at home and in rural Haiti through Sonlight.

Tomorrow Judan in Port-au-Prince hopes to pick up our new license plates for the truck and sent them by bus to us on Saturday.

Praying it happens.

Home!

Yesterday was a day when Larry helped Cory plant peach palms and Anna and I tried to get a bit ahead in school work.  Then checking what we still need to back. settling our accounts.  Kris and I also worked on a new project..Kris is making a rag rug out of old worn sheets and clothing.

Invention is a wonderful thing on the mission field.

Today we are packed and now waiting for our time to leave.  We have only about an hour left here.  Today my thoughts are full of flight schedules, waiting times, going through the airport in Cap.  But there are also other thoughts tugging in the corners of my mine.

  How does one take say good-bye well?  It is an issue that every missionary faces time and time again.  I think of Eli going to LaGonave in February, to say good-bye to an important place of his childhood.  I think of our saying good-bye to Haitian friends, who pray for us and wish for our our return.

 I think of the many good-byes in one's life.  I remember saying good bye to a dear friend who had terminal cancer.  We had had a good visit, we did plan to see each other again...but as we said good-bye, she said, "If I don't see you again here, I will see you HOME!

I didn't get to say another earthly good-bye but know there is coming a wonderful heavenly Hello.  A song, "Ten Thousand Reasons Why" has been singing in my head..talking about our souls blessing the Lord and worshiping God..from the morning to evening, always.

I feel that this morning, among the good-byes.  "If I see you again,  I will see you HOME!"

Mom's second to last day post.

Today was one of those “doing things” we will miss when we go back home and it was also a day that we continue to make plans for when Cory, Kris and the kids come back to the states next June.  It is just easier for something to discuss face to face, rather than via email or even IMing.

One of the things that Larry always misses when we are back home is the rice and beans dish that is so common here.  I have tried and can never really get the taste right…so Larry’s request was for his favorite Haitian dish.  This noon we had rice with red beans with a chicken/vegetable sauce.  All of us once again enjoyed the meal.  Tonight Eli will be making tomato soup, one of my favorites.

We plan/discuss things such as an open house/graduation party..a combination of a meet/greet for the Thedes and a graduation party for Eli.  Whens and wheres, food choices, etc…lots of details were discussed.  I also took some more photos of Eli trying for a good one for his graduation pictures.  We do have some good ones, we think, and will now have to decide which ones will be our first choices.  I also in the past days, took some new ones of Anna…she is rapidly becoming a young lady and some of the family for a potential prayer card photo.  Again, it is always something new or different that one may be called upon to do on the the mission field.

Larry helped transplant some starfruit this morning..about 100 and then help move one of the table saws to a new location for storage.  We are so thankful for the changes we see here that have been made in the last 8 years, including a tool depot with many, many useful items.  Other changes have been the guest unit, new roofs for various buildings, screen repairs, rooms painted and many benches built, as well as other furniture.  It is a blessing just to be able to reflect back and see how the Lord has provided.

When the days grow short for our stay, I always feel the pull of both our lives in the states and being here.

 I am sure what I feel is a far cry from how the Thede’s feel, especially the children.  We will miss seeing our children and grandchildren here…but will be glad to be back in our own home and lives.  Pulled in two different directions and there is always some sadness in leaving, but joy in getting home.

When we leave, we never know if the Lord will bless us with another opportunity to come back…and so, in some ways, when we say our goodbyes here we know they made be final.
But I am so glad, that I know that many of the people we know, have known in this wonderful place..we will see again!

Kris: no word on our truck plates or referral. Newsletters ready to go out in the mail tomorrow. Continue to enjoy our family time.