catch-all

So glad so many of you were touched by that powerful song (and so sorry to have made so many of you cry :)  Here's a random collection from the last few days!

We got some lovely apples in the DR and from Elida, and due to them being far too rare and special just to eat, turned them into yummy dumplings tonight!  (Side note: I ADORE this new casserole dish the Heckman's got me!!  The one I've had since our wedding went to a million pieces a few weeks ago.  Feels very anti-feminist to love a casserole dish, but if there is something that can make me look forward to cooking for people, this is it!)

The girls were awfully excited, too :)

So excited she couldn't keep her pants on or stay seated, apparently :)

Sofie's apple dumplings :)

While our family was here we had baby Kerline for a morning, and she's growing up so fast!

The girls love trying to make her smile...

And grandpa didn't mind making her sleep :)  Nobody minds a sleeping miracle on their belly, do they.

You might recall from previous years that January 1st is the biggest day of celebrating in Haiti...not only as New Year's, but as Haiti's Independence Day.  Already music is blaring long into the night, town has become incredibly crowded, and all the staff came by today to pick up paychecks to make the annual tradition of all night cooking and eating of pumpkin soup possible!

January 2nd Lily turns 5, and Matt heads to Port-au-Prince to pick up Junior and then on to Indiana.

Junior starts as a student of Indiana Wesleyan on January 4th (online from Haiti, but with 2 week intensives in Indiana), and Matt is helping him navigate America for the first time and get checked in at IW.  Very proud of our friend and thankful that Matt can help get him started on this new adventure!

Seminary board meetings are also in Indiana the week of January 6th, so Matt will attend those as well before returning home January 10th...the same day that our visiting professors for this semester begin to arrive!

I was thankful, today, to have some time with Belony, then with Fanfan, then with two of our students...thankful to have staff and students preparing to come back.  As we walked the silent starry campus tonight as we frequently do after dinner, it was breathtakingly beautiful...and also a loud reminder that we miss our staff and students!

We received Christmas cards from about 20 of you today, and it was such a blessing to SEE you and your families and to hear about you and to pray for and with you.  So thankful that the story of Christmas is OUR story, that the meaning of this season is for EVERY season, that the coming of God's only child for ME and for YOU and for Haiti and for the world is for TODAY, too.  

Thankful, today, not to be a "patched up" work of God, but a transformed and new creation.

Drawing on the reservoir of the resurrection life of Jesus!

New Year's Resolutions....coming!