friends, a little peace, & a little Christmas

Julie, Vidan, Hannah, Ollie, Aleesha and Kate all came down this morning to hang out for a few hours, and it was GREAT.  Not that we aren't thankful for the our good friends next door and the students, but it was really refreshing for all of us to have some NEW people around for a few hours.  Lily is quite in love with Ollie, who just turned three, and follows him around EVERYWHERE, trying to do everything he is doing and if she loses him for a second, yells, "Where is Ollie!?"

Baby Aleesha is also mesmerizing for Lily...she's going to be SUCH an intensely involved big sister.  Julie, Kate, Vidan and Hannah are all such positive, joyful, loving, servant-hearted people, and it was really good to have some time with them.  Because we were unable to travel to Vaudreil this week we missed out on the OMS Haiti retreat, and it was good to hear about it from them and feel a bit more in the loop.  So thankful to be in His family with ones like these.  They also PROMISED me that they would NOT have Thanksgiving dinner without us, even if they have to change the date!  Makes me feel better :)

"Word on the street" is that the peace is only to last through Sunday night, and everyone is rapidly buying up supplies and doing what needs done before rioting and barricades are to return Monday morning.  We are hoping and praying that this won't be the case, but are trying to be prepared.  Abel made it to town yesterday and bought the last of what we needed for another 2 weeks at the Seminary, we got all our propane refilled yesterday, we have plenty of fuel, and students are all planning to return Sunday night for another week of "lock in."  Hoping, too, we can get some staff in this week.

DID talk to Paul yesterday, and they are good, but still no baby!

We spent the morning decorating for Christmas, which Lily absolutely loved.  It was good for all three of us to do something different and to share in Lily's wonder over her nativity set, stocking, ornaments and the tree.

Of course, several of the strands of white lights built into the tree were broken by the time the tree got from Florida to here several years ago, and so it is, as my sister would say, "quite ghetto."  Can't run to Wal-Mart for a few strands of white lights.  AND the cat won't stay out of it.  And Lily keeps putting all the ornaments together in one clump.

But it is our Haiti tree :)