forward with praise

Sorry to have disappeared....we've had a weekend of bad health for Matt and Sofie and they've kept me on my toes!

Matt is doing much better today but Sofie is still working on a 102 fever and lots of stomach cramping and diarrhea :(  We'd love your prayers!

Meanwhile, we are plowing forward with praise!

Uncle Don is a rock-star.  It is SUCH A JOY to have him.  You know those people who just make life better?  Meals with them are better?  Rest with them is better?  Work with them is better?  That just is Don.  Matt keeps saying the same thing, Phil and Emily keep saying the same thing, Maxi and Junel keep saying the same thing...When we have people who love the Lord and who exude the Lord through the way they work, rest, eat, worship and relate to others, they are a JOY to have in our lives and restorative.  I want to BE one of those people.

One of Don and Phil's huge projects...chopping a hole in this wall and replacing it with a homemade gate.

and their other huge project...pouring this big pad at the men's dorm.  Plus, 1 million other things :)

We're so thankful for Don, and for Aunt Brenda, who continues to send him and do without...not just without him, but without many of the things she could have done with the income he could have made if he hadn't come for three weeks!

Our health truly has been GOOD.   Having Matt and Sofie out for the count this weekend made us realize just how GOOD our health has been so far this year.  I am usually the catch-all for bugs, but with a few extra boosts and the Lord's help, I haven't been sick since our return to Haiti on August 2nd.  The girls have been in school, eating at school, playing with hundreds of kids, and have both had good health.  It has been so hot, and Matt has been working so hard, but already he is back on his feet.  I'm just so thankful for this period of good health--makes work and life so much more focused and functional.

New kittens have been so fun.  They really are adorable...such a fun experience for our girls!  We are NOT keeping all four kittens, and already have many friends asking for them.  As long as everyone agrees to our "not for eating, only for rat-oriented household use" policy, they'll be good to go in a few months.  Until then, the girls are loving having Cowboy, Rosie, Tiger, Stripey, Bo-bo, Pumpkin, Christmas Evie and Puff...in no particular order and assigned to no particular cat.

Bubba is coming!  While we are sorely disappointed that it's not Bubba AND Dodo coming this time, we are still really excited to have Bubba this next week or so and to catch up, enjoy his company, and help equip him to check out many of the schools and organizations he and many others are partnering with!

Things at Emmaus are going really well.  From classes to chapel services to community outreach, we have a really special student body and a lot to learn and grow from each other.  Story of Fev, the community down the street, coming soon! 

The girls are L-O-V-I-N-G their schools.  Yes, we wish they were at the SAME school, but one thing doesn't always work for both kids, and we are thrilled to have found truly fantastic situations for each of them, both of them at Christian schools with local kiddos and learning in Creole and French.  They're making friends, enjoying their friends, loving their teachers, learning lots and growing socially, cross-culturally and verbally daily.  Lily came home today and asked me to make a video of her newest playground song for Aunt Lisa...so cute!

Grateful.