happenings

Happy Birthday Nico!  Today is our nephew's 2nd birthday, and we're all wishing we could be there!  We love you, handsome!

(Nico and Lily at his 1 year b-day party)

We also welcomed a new member of the Emmaus Biblical Seminary team today, a Doberman named "Ti-Boone" whom Lily is trying to rename Jacuques-O (Jzok-O).  

Hopefully, his presence and size will give the Seminary the security we are in need of (because his playful and submissive attitude probably won't! :)

Also, my lovely sister and her talented husband are just back from their two weeks in New Zealand and Australia (where it is winter!), and I just can't get over these pix...Feels about as far from Haiti as possible (and may well actually be :)

Today, the "Loves", Dr. Rodney, his wife and their three kiddos, are coming over for the afternoon and for supper...Lily can't wait to have some kids come and play with her!

Tomorrow, student Civil's church plant has it's inaugural service, so we'll be attending that in the morning/afternoon (promises to be a long service!) and hope to enjoy the rest of the sweltering afternoon at home!  

 Then, Uncle Don plans to arrive on Tuesday!  We are in desperate need of some help with a few complicated projects (and, Lily's playhouse needs some repairs) and as always, we can't wait to have our friend back, too. With the start of school just two weeks away, things are starting to get crazy!

Happy Birthday Nico!

This little boy has quickly stolen our hearts as Lily, Matt and I have all enjoyed meeting, watching and learning Nico! Yesterday was his first birthday party, and everyone had a wonderful day. Lily spent the whole day saying "Happy Nico Baby!" and LOVED playing with all of the other kids and on the bouncy castles and in the pools.

Matt's brother, Casey, wife Laura and baby Nico, diving into his cake! As soon as it was determined that he was NEVER going to stop (this boy LOVES to eat!) Casey took his cake, giving us this photo, titled: PAIN.

Matt's grandma Mollie was able to come, too, and we were so thankful to have some extra time with family and friends, all in one place!

At the end of the day, when everyone was gone, we hung out in the backyard, exhausted but happy with the day. It was really nice, and Lily and Nico were both loving a quieter yard, less people and more attention...

...which is when Lily fell in love with Uncle Casey!

First, he was just blowing up balloons for her, which was wonderful. Then, he was blowing them up, but not tying them off, letting them swirl through the yard....which she thought was FANTASTIC. Then, he taught her how to sit on them and pop them...OH MAN!

She was SO impressed :)

Happy Birthday, little man! We love you!

Our time in Delaware is drawing to a close, with our finale "Thanksgiving Dinner" taking place today (yeah, we haven't had thanksgiving together as an Ayars family....maybe ever?) So today is the day! Tomorow, we head for the Poccono's (PA) to visit more precious family.

pray for Haiti and time in Delaware

Yesterday, 10 of our students, along with several missionaries and a medical team, had planned to leave for Port-au-Prince for a missions trip. We heard from the team leader yesterday, and due to several area kidnappings in the last few days, the trip has been cancelled. A lot of people had a LOT riding on the World Cup games, and Brazil's loss has put a lot of people in some very desperate situations, hence the escalation in kidnappings.

Our OMS Haiti team is sticking to the compound for a few days until things calm down, but please be praying for our international and Haitian brothers and sisters during these uncertain days! We were so burdened to hear that this much anticipated, desired, planned for and needed trip had to be cancelled...Please be praying for 1st year student Junior Cineas who continues to work in Port alone (they had planned to help him and for one of the students to stay with him for a month) and for the people of Diquini.

With our hearts and prayers very much so with Haiti, we have safely arrived to Matt's home-state of Delaware! We had a wonderful day Thursday/Friday with our dear friends, the Johnson family,(and fellow missionaries in Burkina Faso) and enjoyed catching up on life, spending time with the kids, and sharing similar heartaches and joys from our last three years on the foreign mission field.

Dale, Joel, Flo and Caleb (Lily was asleep in the car).

We arrived safely to Matt's family house, and Lily and her only cousin Nico finally met, and Lily was thrilled with "Baby". They are both right at 22 pounds, but Lily is 7 months ahead. For some reason, I was thinking these two would look like cousins, but they barely even look like strangers! :) Nico is fantastic, and we are so glad to have finally met him!

Tonight and tomorrow we'll be with Cornerstone Church, and can't wait to catch up with friends there and share a bit of our lives and the lives of our Haitian family with them!