September to October Changeover

After our last blog we worked for a few days preparing Newsletters, thank-you letters, and paperwork that needs to be renewed in Port-au-Prince because Pastor C was thinking about coming up to Délice and we did not want to miss a chance to send mail.

He didn't make it that weekend, so this past week we continued with school, work on the 'reclaim red terraces, and weeding. 

Cory also continues to work with the nursery and gardens and had to do some watering due to almost no rain for a couple weeks.

Thursday afternoon we headed over to the Agape Houses so that Fritz could join the kids in painting t-shirts with glow-in-the-dark paint.

This fell on his 3rd anniversary of his coming home. 

We also made pizza at his request.

Yesterday we made the short hike to the local pond cradled in a small low area at the top of the mountain.

 Normally it is used to water livestock year-round.

 The past year of drought left it dry since March and no longer holding water from rains even now near the end of the rainy season. 

Dry pond. Nearest spring in dry season is an hour hike away

After photos and prayer we walked back to find that Pastor C, his wife, driver, and 3 visitors had arrived.

Our dirt mine should make a good
 irrigation pond/watering hole if we make it large enough

We showed them the gardens [one lady had never seen red dirt!], exchanged mail, shared vegetables. 

Haiti's covid cases remain bafflingly low to the experts. 

This area has been too rocky to garden for over 20 years

We continue to pray for the Lord's mercy. Calvin University reports 0 active cases on campus, 1 staff and 1 off campus case. Anna continues in her classes. 

This and that

The guys started a new area of terracing to reclaim some very rocky land with a few scattered bushes and wire grass. 

Cory was pleasantly surprised to find most of the rocks are easy to move and a little good soil between the rocks. 

There is a patch of red clay, which may be 20 or more feet deep, near the middle of this rocky hill that will be spread on the terraces. 

Cory has seen near our house that this clay apparently can turn into good dark topsoil.

Fritzlin passed the 1/2 way mark in 4th grade.

He cleaned the aquarium where he housed and hatched many monarch butterflies this summer.

 Both the ones he had and the wild ones started getting diseased so we decided to take a break.

Working on weeding as we're preparing to send a video as requested by one of our supporting churches, as well as having potential visitors this weekend.

With a chance for mail if Pastor Clotaire visits on Saturday, we're working on a Fall Newsletter*, thank you letters to our team, and paperwork that needs to be renewed in Port-Au-Prince in October-both for our Land Cruiser and our residential visas.

Some of the vegetables are winding down, the local corn crop is drying down; and we continue to enjoy colorful gladiolas.

Kids Club is doing well at Fauche.  Photos are during Compassion International gift box distribution. Please pray for Jean Pierre's health. He is still having some pain in his ankle and his eyes have a cataract and glaucoma. Volleyball recently resumed.

* Please let us know if you do not receive these and would like to. We can send by email or snail mail.

We love the sky views

Vegetables! Post by Cory

This monarch didn't want to fly right away after emerging from its crisalis.
Fritz keeps finding more caterpillars on the butterfly weeds he collects
to feed the ones in his aquarium. 11 pupating right now.

After 20 years of not being able to grow many temperate vegetables in lowland Haiti, it is fun to be in a mild climate at an elevation for great vegetables as we wait for fruit and nut trees to grow.

I was able to make a supply trip to Port au Prince last week that was thankfully uneventful.

First trip since late April. 3 hours to get to the paved road but in town traffic was good.

 Only one small detour due to a road blocked by a bus near the airport. Protests and roadblocks are increasing lately.

Bok Choy

A missionary friend that I shared a truckload of trees from the Fauche nursery early last year purchased trees I wanted from a Dominican Republic nursery last fall about the time we left Haiti.

 I was able to meet for the trees and gave him mulberry trees for another mission to deliver on his way home.

This week almost everyone in our area is very busy harvesting the bean crop.

 Beans all ripened at once due to the rainy season starting so late.

Bok choy, turnips and sweet mustard from Hope Seeds

Germination was poor but then the weather was good for the beans that did grow and open air market prices are $1 or more per pound due to the worldwide bean shortage this year.

They are also selling well because the lower elevations around us had crop failure from the drought.

Our workers said they wanted to keep working when I said my work on the terrace could wait until after harvest if they needed some time off.

Broccoli and grape tomato

First time I've grown onion from seed

Roma tomato. Hoping hail doesn't shred the garden this year.

Newest terrace construction. Not much soil on this hillside but
we have a dirt pile from the house construction behind the person in orange

Popcorn in upper terrace doing as well as local corn in lower terrace
Both planted with beans

Turnip

Trees from the Dominican Republic, left to right:cinnamon, macadamia, allspice,
santol, strawberry guava, cola nut, allspice, rumberry, java plum, jaboticaba,
Surnam cherry, abiu

Day 107

Day 107 of the coronavirus restrictions.

Planting sweet potato cuttings, also tomato and corn

Hot sunny days [up to 95˚ or so in the house] and cooler nights [down in the 70's] Most nights this week with at least a brief thunder shower makes for rapidly growing trees and plants.


Last week with the airport opening we started to hear and see more jets flying overhead but not as many as before.

Other restrictions remain in place as the number of cases continue to increase.

We may do a blog someday of the cool reef fossils here at 4,500' elevation

The guys weeded and fertilized trees, and made a terrace above the first part of the path that leads from the house to the other ridge.

Cory found a fossilized shark's tooth. The guys say there are lots in some areas, we will see if they bring any.

The local beans are being harvested to sell fresh-shelled without drying.

Fritz and I finished up month number two of fourth grade.

We celebrated along with our "family night" roasting hot dogs.

Black and butter beans and some of the plants they came from

I think the Fritz collects a new monarch caterpillar every time he collects food for the rest of them.


We continue to enjoy releasing the butterflies.

For the 4th we enjoyed some small ears of sweet corn and vanilla puddling pie with berries.

We'd collected and froze strawberries, mulberries, and blackberries for a week or so..to add a bit of flavor.

Count changes daily: losses, additions, crysalises.

Sunday we enjoyed listening to a sermon by my brother and talked on the phone to our older two.

We remain very thankful for our in-house internet. 

Unplugging during most thunderstorms as we pray not to lose any equipment. 

Seen a few rainbows to the east. 

Always reminding us of the Lord's faithfulness to His promises. 

So much pain the world.

So many hurting people: physically, mentally, emotionally. 

So much fear, anger, hopelessness.

So many needing to be comforted with the Lord's love, through His people.

So many voices, crying loudly: this and that; for and against; one thing now and then another, constantly changing 'facts', swirling confusion.

So many tired, hurting people

 Pslam 40: 1-5, 11-12, 17

Thunderheads over the fort and coffee plantation ruins

I waited patiently for the Lord;

He turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit, 

out of the mud and mire;

He set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in  my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the Lord.
Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust,
who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.

Many, O Lord my God,
are the wonders you have done.
The things You planned for us
no one can recount to You;
Were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare. 

Do no withhold Your mercy from me,
O Lord;
may Your love and Your truth always
 protect me
For troubles without number surround me,
my sinus have overtaken me, and I cannot see

Yet I am poor and needy;

may the Lord think of me.

You are my help and my deliverer,

O my God, do not delay. 

Day 77. 11 Weeks and counting...

Thankfully good rains continued this week.

The daily sunshine added to the moisture equates to rapid growth of trees, veggies and unfortunately weeds.

By working a few mornings a week weeding while Fritz sits nearby doing schoolwork I'm keeping up with the original and kitchen terraces.

Will see next week when the pond terraces need weeding if I can continue the pace.

The guys and Cory continued to work on the terraces, add rock walls, move dirt, and plant.

As we start week 12 of Covid restrictions [with at least 6.5 to go unless something changes], Haiti's case numbers are rapidly increasing.

Our travel plans to head to the USA for our Global Partner's area retreat in July and then on to see Eli, Anna and family no longer exist.


A therapeutic activity for me includes organizing and getting rid of things.

This week I felt the need for something different than just school and weeding and realized a neglected small room could provide an outlet.

Destined in time to be a guest bathroom, this room contained a pile of tools, tile, and stuff.

Never has it been swept, cleaned or organized. Once the interior non-shower walls were painted the room became a catch-all.

A second stroke of genius occurred when I realized that the shelving and milk crates full of tools next to the kitchen ship-lap wall could be moved.

With Cory's help by the end of Monday night the tools were either in the small bath or the storage room.

The cleared, uncluttered wall makes me smile, as does the knowledge of how much easier it will be to clean!

It reminds me how the Lord can turn chaos into order. He can provide peace in the middle of uncertainty. Calm in the midst of turmoil.

The unknowns of COVID-19 in Haiti remain.

The mixture of sorrow, anger, frustration and more...that comes from reading about the racial and political tensions in the USA- remain.

The helplessness in the face of so many hungry, suffering people in Haiti and the world-remains.

Our faith in God-remains.

Our praise, giving Him the glory, honor, gratefulness that  He deserves-remains.

Our hope- remains in Him.

Our prayers rise to Him.

Remain firm in Him. Courage!

Day 70. Terraces, planting, weeding

New terraces

After last night's thunderstorm dumped one inch of rain, the guys do not have to haul water buckets for the trees today.

We continue to pray for rain for other parts of Haiti, as many spring crops desperately need the water.

The guys remain busy moving rocks and dirt for a few more terraces.

Planting corn, beans, popcorn and more

They also planted beans and corn in a new area that they cleared last week, we are calling that patch Hilltop.

Fritz, Cory, and I have also been busy planting: vegetable seeds, flower bulbs, seedlings, and trees. 

Seeds include: sunflowers, beets, green beans, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, sweet mustard, onions, turnips, carrots, broccoli, egg plant, kale, okra, zucchini, pumpkin, cilantro and grapefruit.

The apple trees have acted afraid to come out of dormancy probably due to the dry weather.

Chayote trellised on our house

A few are blooming and they should start leafing out better now that the weather is acting more like summer - warm and humid.

In addition to the good plants growing, the rain has stimulated the weeds.

 Fritz sits in a chair doing school for 1-2 hours in the morning while I weed. 

In the afternoons after school is done we head outside again. Fritz to play, move rocks, and empty my 5 gallon-bucket when it is full of weeds. 

School is going well for Fritz. Increased concentration results in shorter school days.

Hilltop garden. This dark soil type is the most fertile,
 but there is only a few inches over rock.

Some weeds are tiny things with a mat of shallow roots that you have to scoop up; beggar's ticks just take a easy tug; vines climb over everything-one type start out with a slender hair like vine- we try to get the roots/bulb; some have thorns so put on leather gloves and try to get the roots.

Watch out for fire ants!

Anna finished up her sophomore year at Calvin strongly and will enjoy a full 4 days off before starting summer class.

No shortage of rocks to make terraces

Covid-19 cases officially diagnosed now number over 1,300 with over 30 deaths.

LaGonave Wesleyan Hospital had their first suspected case who was sent home with masks and told to quarantine but was seen the next day playing dominoes outside his house.

Hunger continues to grow with folks not able to afford food and limited food available.

We continue to pray for the Lord's mercy, not just for Haiti but world wide.

Still many plants in the nursery to plant or share

May this be a time of prayer and reflection.

May many turn to God.

28 Asparagus from seeds planted in January