family

We had an awesome Thanksgiving yesterday, complete with my mom's parents, mom's sister, dad's parents, my sister, brother, dad, good friend from college, and husband! We had a wonderful day with great food, and Matt and I just felt so blessed to be together with everyone! With everyone living so far apart, these "together times" only happen once or twice a year with either of our families. My grandmother brought up the point at dinner that one thing that is "strange about our family" is that we all actually like to spend time together :)

They also all brought some beautiful gifts for Lily...from newborn diapers to some warm clothes to a bassinet my aunt, uncle and mom all slept in when they were babies! It was truly a special day! Today is the baby shower...I'll have pictures up on our baby blog....ayarsbaby.blogspot.com.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Matt spent Thanksgiving with his parents and brother, the morning in Haiti and the evening in Florida. Stacey's family Thanksgiving is Saturday, so she and her dad and sister spent Thanksgiving together preparing for the weekend and had dinner at Cracker Barrel! It was a great day, and this evening Matt made it to Ohio! He is loving the cold weather, the Christmas lights, and begin back with Stacey and the baby :)

Family from Pennsylvania are coming in in the morning for Thanksgiving, and then Sunday Lisa, Stacey's sister, is throwing a big baby shower for Lily!

We are so thankful to be back together, for this upcoming baby, and for the friends and family God has blessed us with both here in the States and in Haiti!

Chicago, Columbus, Haiti

Lisa decided to take Wednesday off school, so we drove home from Chicago Tuesday night and got in around 2:30 am Wednesday morning. It is her first time home in 5 months, and we spent today shopping for Thanksgiving ingredients and getting ready for Sunday's Ohio baby shower! Thanksgiving for the White's will be Saturday, so we still have a few days to get ready!

Also, in a rather rapid shift of events including airline issues and a free flight, Matt is coming home a week earlier! Today was the last day of his Isaiah class, and it ended so well. Several of his students asked if they could continue to work through the book together with him (in only 2 weeks, they weren't able to study EVERY chapter) in the afternoons. That's never happened before!

SO, now Matt is coming home this Friday instead of next Saturday! It will be wonderful to have him home, and he's been going crazy today trying to get everything in order before he leaves. He has had an awesome time this week with his mom, dad and brother, and today they joined him for his weekly Bible reading in the community. Edlin's family was thrilled to meet Matt's, and likewise. They had a great time...

So, with Matt coming home Friday, we've given Lily permission to feel free to come anytime now :) An early arrival would make getting all of her paperwork done so much easier! And after several hours of shopping in Wal-Mart (the choices are still overwhelming!), I am feeling quite ready to have this baby and have my body back :)

Please be praying for Matt while her travels and praise the Lord for his early trip home! We'll have some pictures of his week in Haiti up tomorrow!

a happy birthday!

I arrived safely in the "Windy City" of Chicago Friday night, and Lisa, her boyfriend and her room-mate took me out to a nice dinner (I was awake three hours later last night than I have been in probably 6 months...party animal :) Today is my birthday, and I woke up this morning happy to be with my sister, but quite sad to not be with Matt in Haiti and my dad in Chattanooga. Just a few minutes later, my dad walked in the room, having flown in early this morning to surprise me! What a fun day!

So Lisa, Dad, Adam and I went out to lunch (at a place called "Potbellys"...I think that was a hint about my current state), went shopping at Target and at Joann Fabrics, two of my favorite places, had ice cream, and later will go out for dinner. I feel so very blessed to have such a wonderful family, and the only way today could have been any better would have been if Matt were here.



Matt, meanwhile, is working hard to stay ahead on his master's and to teach his last two days of "Isaiah" this week. His parents and brother are coming on Monday, so he is preparing for that as well! It has FINALLY started to cool down, and Matt's slept under a blanket with no fans for two nights in a row. Needless to say, he is THRILLED. The students, however, have been QUITE unhappy, all huddling through class with coats and suit jackets. Friday in chapel, one of the professors prayed that the Lord would help them endure the terrible weather, and that they would remember to continue to praise Him, despite the freezing temperatures. Matt thought he was kidding, only to hear "amens" from the whole crowd :) How varied must the prayers of the world be :)

We've got just 2 more weeks apart and a little more than 4 weeks before the baby comes, Lord willing! Please keep praying, especially for Matt as he continues to teach and minister in Haiti!

the first of many

CHANGES, that is! I am home safely, looking out on quite the different back yard. I got home around midnight Monday night, spent yesterday and will spend today doing errands, researching how to quickly obtain birth certificates, social security numbers, passports, infant international travel, immunizations, etc.

Matt, on the other hand, is "busting his butt" to stay on top of his Master's, his course on Hebrew, his course on Isaiah, and his normal weekly ministries! He will not finish this semester at Wesley Biblical Seminary until December 18th, so is working hard to get ahead so he can rest a little once he comes back to the States. Yesterday was "Dessaline Day" in Haiti, a large celebration of one of Haiti's previous leaders, so the Seminary was closed. That offered Matt a nice change of pace, but now three hours of class that must be made up by teaching a fifth hour of class each day the next few days. Due to his "Evangelizing Haiti" class every Wednesday after noon, along with most of his students, they'll have to start making these hours up tomorrow!

Life continues to be exciting for the Ayars! We're so grateful to have a God that is SO in control that we can continue to hand all of our plans, worries and unknowns too...Thank you for all of your prayers!

through the river and through the woods

We had a GREAT last Sunday in Haiti together! We left for church at 9 am and didn't get home from church until 2, but we had an excellent trip! We took two students and a fellow staff member to visit the church of another two students. The church/school was robbed almost 2 weeks ago, and we wanted to be an encouragement to these pastors! However, the church was REALLY far away! We drove and drove way out into the countryside, the road becoming more and more narrow and less and less flat as we went.

(rice fields and the Citadel)

We really enjoyed this time in the car with our students, and arrived to find the church actually a school, and the service being held in one of the classrooms. We sat on wood children's benches with about 50 or 60 Haitian brothers and sisters. It was a wonderful service, and the associate pastor, one of our third year students, preached. Petit, the senior pastor and a second year student, then showed us around the area, and sent us all off with 5 cold drinks and 5 packs of cookies (we have NO idea where he found cold drinks, but it was PERFECT after the 2 hour service!)

I was especially blessed to meet Petit's wife and son...he was one of my students every day last year, and to finally meet his family was a huge blessing.

We left the church, with the cab still full and now the back full with Petit's grandmother and several other older ladies and young children, dropping them off along the way. We then dropped off one of our first year students after seeing where he lives, and a moment later stopped at Giselaine's house (the administrative secretary) at the Seminary, so that we could meet her mother and bring her back to campus for another week.

The conversation and worship and preaching and time together was all truly wonderful, as was being truly "out" in Haiti.



Matt and I had also committed to having Thanksgiving together, so once we got home and had rested for a few minutes, we set out roasting a chicken, making mashed potatoes and stuffing and a pumpkin pie! Everything was SO GOOD, and most of all it was nice to do something special and different together before I head out in the morning.

God has truly blessed us with some wonderful friends and wonderful experiences here...we are constantly touched by our brother and sisters, and sincerely ENJOY opportunities to spend good time with them and chances to be an encouragement to them...all the while being encouraged! God has truly given us a ministry here that is not just something we believe to be vital, but also something we really enjoy!

While everyone agrees that at 35 weeks pregnant, it is time to go, I must admit to feeling a bit sad to be leaving for the next 8 weeks or so!(an abandoned market)

This morning was the monthly mission-wide "Hour of Prayer." This is always a really good time to pray for the praises and requests of each ministry with the mission, but this morning's had especially good worship time...so we're attemping to post a short video from it. I wish we could start every morning worshipping the Lord through song with our brothers and sisters here...always feels a bit like what we think heaven will be!

Meanwhile, Matt is three days into teaching his "Isaiah" course with the fourth year. It has been going REALLY well, his best teaching experience yet. He's having a blast, and the guys are really getting into the material. Matt feels like he's been able to be learning and studying Scripture alongside of them and guiding them in it's interpretation and meaning, instead of "lecturing" on the material.

I also had a really good class on Thursday...first year is really beginning to dive into English, and we're continuing to have really good mostly English conversations about the Lord in each of their lives and in Haiti. I am going to miss them!!! I've promised them that in January I'll be "half" the professor I am now :)

I have finally finished preparing 2 months worth of "sub" work for this class, and have all of my marketing materials packed and planned for. Living and ministering here has definitely been a two person partnership for Matt and I, even in the day-to-day, and we're not looking forward to going it apart these next three weeks.

I've tried to cover meals, meetings, and to-do lists as well as possible, but we're both realizing these next weeks are going to take a large amount of prayer and reliance on the Lord. Please be praying for Matt, especially, as he continues to teach Hebrew, Isaiah, weekly prayer meetings, do all of his weekly ministry and take care of the house/food/laundry, etc...by himself! His dad and brother are coming next week, which will help immensely!

Sunday we are going to be visiting a student's church that was recently robbed with some of the students, way out in the middle of nowhere. We've never been there before, and are both looking forward to it. Then Monday morning after I teach, Matt will give his guys a quiz and run me to the airport! Ah, how time flies! Thank you for your prayers!

just one criticism...

We had a sad staff meeting yesterday, in which we had to say good-bye to our good friend and fellow professor, Guenson. (The cupcakes say "Good-bye, Guenson") He is off to be married in Jamaica...the wedding falling just 4 days before Lily's due date. Guenson has been a good friend and a wise co-worker, he's been teaching and translating at the seminary for several years now, and will head to Mississippi after they are married to finish off his master's at Wesley Biblical Seminary and start into his doctorate. Eventually, we are all praying and hoping that the Lord will lead he and his wife back here!

This is also the first staff picture we've gotten for the year!


Meanwhile, our friend just finished teaching a two-week session on the book of Mark. At the end of each session, the students all receive a "feedback form", in which they write about what they liked, didn't like, and what they would like to see changed.

This session, she received back a form from a first-year student who had several compliments about the "Mark" course and the professor, but just one criticism. He did NOT at all like the way the people treated Jesus.

I'm not at all sure how she should improve on this for next year :), but we continue to love the hearts of these men and women God has brought into our classrooms!

Please be praying for the students of EBS as you pray for us...there are several students, in particular, who are currently going through some heart-wrenching and difficult times...from one student's orphanage being robbed of almost everything, to martial struggles, deaths in the family and desperately sick children. We continue to rely on your prayers!

life lessons, continued

As warned, early yesterday morning our cat was stolen out of our front yard. The man's voice woke me from sleep, and I was groggily irritated that there was someone at the door already, at 6 am, on a Sunday morning. I listened for the familiar "Knock, Knock!", a phrase that everyone calls at the door whenever they want something, and whenever it didn't come, I rolled over and went back to sleep. It didn't take us long after we got going for the day to realize what had happened.

In a country where there are no "pets", where a cat is the same as a bag of rice or a bunch of bananas, and where everyone recognizes that Matt and Stacey ALREADY have plenty of food, and don't NEED a cat...we should have been quite prepared for this.

And yet, I find myself devastated and deeply discouraged. In part, devastated because we are "pet people", and Bundy was a joy-giving and constant part of our lives (and let's face it, someone ATE him...not a pretty picture for your fuzzy companion). Like any pet owner whose animal just died, I'm sad and miss my friend, ornery as he was. But I also find myself battling with discouragement. It is always unsettling to have someone steal from you. It is unsettling to have someone steal from your front porch while you are home, someone that you probably know and work and live with.

But more, our "cat theft" yesterday has me battling with bigger issues: How much can we give that will ever be enough? How much money, how much food, how much time and sacrifice, prayer and patience would we have to give to satisfy? How many hand-outs would we have to make in order to NOT have things taken? How "at home" can we ever be this side of heaven?



It is not a coincidence that two friends from college sent us an article from WGM (World Gospel Mission) yesterday morning that speaks about this intimately.

It was entitled "The Porous of the Poor" by a missionary, Michael Johnson, in Kenya, who manages to voice so much of what life just IS here that we have been unable to put into description.

"I have found it almost impossible to befriend the common man here in Kenya without being the mark." he writes. "I am marked because no matter HOW I look at it, I live the life of a multimillionaire compared with 90 percent of the Kenyan population. I don't have to worry about water, food, clothes, electricity, transport, health care or even entertainment. I have two dogs that ingest greater than twice the caloric intake of the average child and never have to work for it. I hire guards to keep watch at night over my accumulation of "stuff." They lose sleep and could potentially lose their lives just so I can have the luxury of the Internet and a variety of pizza toppings.

So, why do I complain when I am confronted in the market? Why don't I just give as everyone asks of me? Why don't I just give ungrudgingly, without expecting anything in return? Why don't I just give generously and gregariously?

The reason is that I don't really know how to give. After 18 years of service in missions, I still struggle with giving. How do I help the "Porous of the Poor?" I coined this phrase to mean that no matter HOW MUCH I give, it seems to never fill the gap. My own cup of material wealth is literally overflowing. I have more than enough and yet, the more I give, it seems the more they want, need, and have now come to expect. The vessel into which I pour my overflow seems to be full of holes, truly porous. It never fills up!

I know I will always be a mark. I can never know who is a friend, a foe or a fan. In fact, the true distinction is made only when I am welcomed into a home and generosity is extended toward me and nothing is asked in return. Because this is SO infrequent, I have become paranoid about making even casual comments regarding what I do or my education.

I make my best attempt to hide amongst the poor so that I can learn of their true desires without the guise of being the 'learned and enriched' one. It is a feeble attempt, to say the least, because no matter HOW I try to identify, I can ALWAYS leave...

Just HOW do we satisfy the longings and meet the needs of the porous of the poor?

Jesus had this very same problem. I think He may have invented it. He recognized that the 'porous' you will have with you always. He knew for certain that people in the marketplace would chase Him down and seek Him out, no matter how He tried to blend with the crowd. He was well known to have everything they needed or could desire...Yet He decided to come in the guise of the common man.

That is where I must start to meet the needs of the porous of the poor. Giving starts with giving ourselves. We must allow ourselves to be marked. We must allow ourselves to be vulnerable. Knowing how to say no and do so because I don't want to feed inot the cycle of dependency and patriarchal, feudalist, neo-colonialism is a very fine balance; yet to show true compassion is also a delicate balancing act. I don't know the answer.

I do know that we must allow ourselves to be amongst the porous of the poor. We do so because ultimately we are amongst the porous of the poor. God recognizes our poverty of spirit, and He calls us to sit face-to-face with those who know poverty in a way we will never know it. When we submit to this call, we may begin to understand how to fill the longings and true needs of the porous of the poor."


It is becoming clear that perhaps this whole "cat-catastrophe" is just another way that the Lord is clearly taking care of us...Taking care of us by continuing to work with us, continuing to mold us, continuing to teach us, continuing to take our complicated questions and disappointment and frequent heartbreaks and use them to bring us closer to Himself.

We can be hurt and wary and angry as such hardships take place, or we can continue to GIVE ourselves. Continue to allow ourselves to be marked. Continue to allow ourselves to be vulnerable.

Of course, my devotional time the last two days has followed suite as I continue to work through Acts, following Paul on his various missions trips. Yesterday, he was stoned, beaten, and run out of various towns. "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God" he shared to encourage the believers to continue in the faith. Then today, as he departs from his dear friends for a missionary journey that has been promised to end in his own death, he finishes his farewell with "Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'it is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

Soon after, when his upcoming suffering is again predicted, he proclaims, "I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."

Yes, we have come to Haiti, and we miss our families, and it is HOT, the work is difficult, the poor around us will always be, there is no ice cream, and yesterday, we even lost our cat.

But if the Lord can continue to teach us to GIVE and to be vulnerable, and if we can continue to allow HIM to direct our lives, our actions, our choices and even our emotions, could He not do amazing things for the Kingdom through us? Could He not use these tribulations, so minor compared to those of Paul, or even to those of many missionaries around the world, to "open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to the dominion of God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me" ? (Acts 26:18)

Please continue to be in prayer with us...Not that life would become easier, that nothing would ever be taken, that we would have all the answers or that these disappointments would be our last. Pray with us, instead, that we might cling to and desire only Christ...that we would happily give all that we have, all that we are, all that we desire, and all that we hope for for THAT which is greater: making Him known.

Ah, we still have so much to learn! Continue to rely on the grace of God...

perseverance!

Another busy week is drawing to a close, though we're both realizing we have quite a lot of work to do for this weekend, too. Matt will beginning teaching the fourth year a 10-day concentrated course in Isaiah on Wednesday, and this particular period in his masters has been a LOT of work! I'm prepared for my last week of teaching this week (next Monday is my last day), but am still not finished with all of my work for a substitute for January. Because I'm not sure exactly when well be back, based on exactly when Lily comes and gets her paperwork done, I'm trying to leave enough work for all of January.



Meanwhile, we've had two guests here from headquarters this week, meeting with our team and also preaching in chapel...it's been great to have them here and always encouraging to hear and know that we are being prayed for and supported! Tonight we will probably crash (optimal bedtime has definitely been getting earlier and ealier...we are SO not as cool as we used to be!), tomorrow catch up on all this work, and Sunday, the seminary director is preaching at a church down town, and we will be taking him and Matt'll be translating!

pictures to come...these are photos of the seminary

elections and the liking of wisdom

Today seemed to be as hot as ever, four days into November! However, everything really is gorgeous, with rain last week and sun again this week!

We've had a great couple of days at the Seminary, though the students seem to be even MORE interested in today's US election than we are...It was hard to get everyone to focus on "The Story of the Good Samaritan" when my class was far more interested in how elections work, information on the candidates, and how many people usually are killed each election. As intense as we think our elections may be, without a death count, I suppose they do not rank among the world's most extreme.

English is just such a difficult language, and I always feel for my students as we learn new things. Three weeks ago we learned the word "Like". In Creole, there is just "Love", so this was a difficult lesson to grasp. Then, last week, our Bible verse included the word "wise", so we learned "wise" and "wisdom." This week, we're studying the Good Samaritan, which ends in Luke with Jesus telling the law expert to "Go and do likewise."

Why "Like-Wise" does NOT mean "to moderately love experience, knowledge and good judgment" made no sense to anyone, including their teacher, and as they all scribble furiously in their notebooks each new definition, I can't help but wonder if they think I'm making half of this stuff up :)

We also felt extra blessed during our weekly field prayer meeting today by how unified our missionary field is right now. It's been such a blessing to be working alongside 10 other people in a safe, open, helpful and loving environment. We're so thankful for this unity, and for these prayer-followed-by-potluck Tuesday's that are enabling even more support and the sense of having family around you. The 11 months of the year we cannot be with our families, these are the people filling some of those roles, and God's clearly got us all working together for a reason...it's a joy to be a part of that.

Casey and Laura, Happy Happy 2nd Anniversary! We love you both!

surviving and thriving

In an effort to avoid hungry Haitians, Bundy has been working on his new plan of action: playing dead. He's getting quite good, though I'm not sure it will spare him :)

We've had some rain this week, cooling things down a little bit! Thursday I was able to go with Matt to his weekly reading of Mark, which was such a great time. Edlin's entire family lives IN his house...his brother and his two children in one quarter, his sister and her kids in one quarter, his blind mother and her sister in one quarter, and he in the last quarter. So, I got to meet everyone, along with the duck, cat, and chicken, and got the royal tour.

Everyone was SO excited that we were there, even though, again, we didn't have any THING to give them. Instead, they pulled out the two best chairs for us, and Matt read from Mark 4 in the drizzling rain. Whenever he started to read, it was just Edlin, his mom and her sister, but as he continued, more and more people gathered around...I don't even know who half of them were. Ratty Bibles were pulled out of unknown corners, and despite the rain and mud, there was soon quite the gathering of anxious listeners, following along with occasional "amen's", and "Thank you, Jesus!" After each portion, Matt would spend a minute or two explaining context, or sharing what he loved about that certain portion, and several other people pitched in and did the same.

The children all stood back listening and staring, and we ended with a great prayer time. I couldn't help but picture Jesus standing there with all of us, enjoying the time as much as we all were. It was great, truly the highlight of my week, and such a small, simple thing. I'm SO thankful for opportunities like this: simple, God-given opportunities to share His Word, to "teach" out of the classroom, and to spend time with people...some that love the Lord with their whole hearts, and many who are hearing His truths for the first time.

I'd love to share pictures from this, but taking pictures in this setting just hasn't felt right...maybe someday :)

This weekend is a catch-up weekend for us both! I continue to prepare work for my substitute teacher, and Matt is working on Greek and other work for his masters. One thing that is consistent about this life He has called us all to...it is never dull!