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27 May 2016

summer "break"

A good friend asked me the other day what our days and weeks are looking like now that school is out.  As usual, we thought they would look a bit more relaxed, but instead they're just looking different!

The girls are still in school, through mid-June, so they continue to go MWF to their community schools, and we're still homeschooling Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.  This morning, heading into Lily's school...

I know the day I graduated college I said NEVER AGAIN, but, now that I'm not teaching for the summer, I've been continuing my education by working towards my ESL (English as a Second Language) certification, and I admit it...it is SO GOOD.  I should have done this years ago...so helpful to add this new knowledge to all the classroom experience, and I can't help but be excited to apply a lot of new techniques and ideas to teaching English at Emmaus!  Thirty more hours to go...

Matt is ALMOST ALMOST finished with his doctorate.  He will submit his final thesis (100,000 words) on July 1st, and then defend in October.  He's doing lots of tweaking and editing and footnoting these days!

Tomorrow, our first team of the summer comes (three teams in June, with about 45 visitors total) and teams bring lots of good partnership, ministry, relationship building, ministering and sharing Haiti!  

Our CFO and dear friend, Carol, and her husband come on the 8th to help me close out the books and prepare for a new fiscal year!

Rachel, a 16-year old daughter of a visiting professor, is interning with us for about a month starting this Sunday and living with our family!

A NEW family (!!!) is moving to Emmaus on the 8th (read their blog here!) and we are all working to get ready for them!  Julie (Northern Ireland) will be caring for their two boys and working some as a physical therapist, and Bill (Canada), one of our visiting professors, will be joining us as a NON-visiting professor, teaching full-time at Emmaus.  We lived with Julie for several years several years ago, have loved having Bill here,  and are just so excited to meet their boys and to have them living across the driveway!  I'm not sure the girls will know what to do with two little boys!!

We're also both continuing to work in the office each morning, wrapping up a few issues from a big school year and preparing for the next.  Emmaus will be offering a Master's degree option this year, and there is a lot of work that comes with it.  Add in payroll and team expenses and maintenance and solar projects...there's still a lot going on.

Praise the Lord, this is also a REALLY busy ministry time for our students.  They are out in their communities and churches 7 days a week all of the sudden, and all that hard work and digging deep of the last 9 months is being put to the test!  PLEASE be praying for them.  

As they are needing prayer, as they are needing help, as they are needing partnership, they are coming, and I was blessed and burdened just this morning to spend an hour with Ezechiel, getting to know better where he's at right now and how we can be praying and helping and equipping.  For such a time as THIS Emmaus exists, and I'm thankful this summer to BE here (and not to be what feels like 52 weeks pregnant) for and with them.  

We are also preparing for a very rapidly approaching getting-ridiculously-full six weeks Stateside:

We will be sharing, preaching, speaking and visiting the following places and would love to see you:

June 19     NorthRidge Church      Sabetha, Kansas

June 26    Grace Ministries       Columbus, Ohio

July 10   Seeds of Greatness Bible Church     New Castle, Delaware

July 17-18     Cornerstone Church     Bear, Delaware   

July 24   New Bedford Church     New Bedford, Pennsylvania  

July 30-August 3    Crosspoint Church     Niceville, Florida

On top of speaking over a dozen times in 6 weeks, the big task of the summer is a daunting one.  My dad is selling our family home, which is not only the home I grew up in, but also my family's "home base" in the States.  Everything the five of us have that is not here in Haiti is in that house...all our winter/fall clothing, furniture, bookcases, girl's toys, books, carseats, cribs, scrapbooks, appliances, meaningful things from our childhood, etc.  In addition, everything we have that was my mom's is there.  

SO, with doctor and dentist appointments, trying to see friends and family and speaking at churches from Kansas to Ohio to Delaware to Florida...we will be going through and figuring out what to do with an intimidating number of things and somehow saying goodbye (not my forte, as you know :)  Paying to store up our treasures on earth just doesn't make any sense, so we'll be selling and giving away and finding new homes for almost everything...the girls have already been given the strict "one rubbermaid tote" each speech!

He is faithful. He is our home and stay. And He is more than enough.  
(keep reminding me)

THANK YOU for all of your prayers and love and support.

We need you and are THANKFUL!

3 comments:

  1. One rubbermaid tote...that is so daunting.
    Will be praying for you and the students and the kiddos and Lisa and her family.

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    1. I figure Jesus told them in Luke 9 to bring no bag, no staff, no money belt, no change of clothes...so one tote was pretty generous :) Lily's trying to figure out how to get her bike in there :)

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  2. I'm hoping your girls will have a calming effect on Sam!!see you very soon!

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