Friday---Final Post

Because of all the hard work the guys did this week they were able to have a little more free time to play with the boys today.  That was a much needed rest for them.  Tiffany and Lisa can hear them outside as we type this.  They are really having fun and getting the most out of this last evening.

Tiffany and Lisa finished the conference today.  Wow---kleenex were needed.  The teachers were so appreciative.  They just couldn't say enough.  At the end several of them presented us with gifts.  Those gifts were appreciated but not needed.  The smiles, hugs and good wishes were enough.

At the end of the day the teachers made a circle around us and Pastor Andre prayed for us in English.  Then he said, "Now we all pray."  The voices of 25 people all praying their own prayer out loud in French surrounded us.  It was AMAZING!  It is something neither of us will forget.  I think they just ensured that we will return!!

We will keep this short so we can spend our evening with the boys.  We will leave compound at 7:00 am and we will call when we get in Miami around 3:00.  Talk to you soon!

Thursday

Message from Bud:  We finally completed 10 desks and chairs, plus Jim added a six foot cabinet with four shelves.  Its amazing that we're able to work with this wood down here.  We have to plane everything, don't always have adequate hardware, and the tools can be primitive.   But we're making do, and finally got it done!  Bud will be working with one of the boys in particular giving him private drum lessons.  Boy is Jim and Gayle in for a treat!  They'll definitely need ear plugs.  But the good thing about it, is that there is no drum cages down here, so they can play as loud as they want.  Sorry Andy!  Jesse has been teaching the boys some wrestling moves, and they love tackling him.  Tomorrow, Jesse will be playing alot with the boys, while Bud and Bob will be cleaning the shop.  Justin, Dad misses you a bunch, and can't wait to see you.  Jody, I miss your teasing and joking, so don't wear Mom out too much since I'm not there.  Jesse misses you all, and really wants a hot shower!  Justin, please be good, and take care of Mom and Jody like I said.  I'm so proud of you all.  Love, Bud and Jesse.
P.S.  Tell everyone at Wellspring that we wish they could experience this.  What a testimony!  This place really needs our prayers and support, and I really appreciate the opportunity to come here.  I love you all.

Message from Bob & Tiffany:  We are having such a blast playing with the boys after we get finished working for the day.  Bob is so great with them all, and I'm taking lots of pictures.  Kids:  When we get home, we are teaching you how to take a Haiti shower (a 3-minute cold shower).  We're glad you guys are all having fun, as we're sure you're playing way too many video games and watching way too much TV. :)  The boys down here only get TV on Saturday.  Should we start that at home?  We miss you all and can't wait to see you on Sunday.  Hope:  Remember your Bible Drill.  Love you guys!!

Message from Lisa:  Today the teachers practiced teaching with a book.  They got into groups of 5-7.  They choose some vocabulary words from their book and used one of the strategies from the week.  Then they "taught" the others in their group the vocabulary and read the book asking comprehensiona and prediction questions.  We got lots of good video of them teaching.  They are really seeing the value of using books in the classroom!  God has really blessed this conference once again.

Since I sat in a chair and fell out of it I am pretty sure they aren't too impressed with me! :)  Actually they were so concerned.  I spent 15 minutes convincing them I was okay.  I was not embarrased, but.....they were embarrased that their chair fell.  I finally got them to laugh about it.  It was kind of worth it to get so much attention.  I might try it at church.  It has really hit us all today that tomorrow is the last day.  Several teachers have asked me to stay in Haiti....Honey???

Wednesday

Today was much like yesterday, except everyone is a little more sore and tired.  The guys worked until 7:30 last night.  They didn't want to stop because the work here is so overwhelming and they really wanted to get a lot done. 

We get up around 5:30, drink coffee from 6-7 and then breakfast at 7:00.  The guys start working in the wood shop and Lisa and Tiffany start at the school by 8:30.  We break from 12-1 and then work again from 1:00-3:30.  We play with the boys until dinner (6:30) and then bed by 8:30.  And we are READY to sleep by 8:35.  The dog didn't bother us as much last night.  I think we are all so tired that we just didn't wake up. 

The guys got the desks pretty much done.  They will do a few finishing touches tomorrow and then varnish.  They might make a couple of book shelves for Pastor Andre on Friday.

All of the teachers showed up for the conference today.  They start every morning with a song---it is really beautiful.  The teachers made ABC arc's in markers.  Several did not really know how to use scissors to cut them out.  Also, they kept every single scrap of paper to find a use for later on. 

Lisa read a story today and a vocab word was "sandwich".  They didn't know what a sandwich was.....and the French  word is "sandwich"  (right Nita?)  So, it wasn't a language difference, they just didn't know what is was. 

But when they leave the conference each afternoon they are so appreciative and excited for the next day. 

Message from Bud:  We are a little sore and very tired.  The conditions for working are very different.  The wood is not as good and the tools are a little "out-dated".  We would love to soak our sore muscles in hot water, but the showers are all cold!   The people here have such a heart for the Lord, but they have so little.  I am glad things are going well at home.  I love you all and miss you.  Keep the messages coming, it helps keep our spirits up.

Message from Lisa:  Wow...Braden!  I am so happy for you.  I clapped when I read about your game.  Did you hear it?  I miss you all.  The boys said to tell Cody hi, and that Braden and Cooper need to come next time.  Boys:  Get the house ready for Grandma and Grandpa tomorrow!!!

Message from Bob & Tiffany:  Grayson:  Stevenson (who reminds us of you) says he has ninja skills and uses the Force.  So we think you two would be a pretty good team.  Hope:  I got my hair braided today...I'm sorry for all the pulling I've done to your hair!  I've been telling the boys about your gymnastics, and they're not really believing me about how you can flip.  Remember to practice your Bible Drill.  Tanner:  We have Sunny D every morning for breakfast.  Hopefully Stacy got you some for the week.  Have fun with Jenny tomorrow!!  Love you guys!

Tuesday --

Today seemed like a long day.  We are still having a great time, but we are really tired.  There are a few reasons for us being tired. 

#1.  The work can be really difficult and tiring.
#2.  Working in this heat can really zap you.
#3.  The dog likes to start howling at 1:00 in the morning.
#4.  The roosters join the chorus at 4:00

But the rewards are worth it.  There really isn't much to say.  We are playing with the boys, eating good food and making wonderful friends.  The boys are really helping a lot in the wood shop.  Bud, Bob and Jesse have the desk frames made and are working on benches.  Tomorrow they will put on legs.  Then they have to make the hinged tops on the desk.  Finally, they will stain and varnish them at the end of the week.

All of the teachers showed up again for the conference.  Lisa and Tiffany stayed really busy with that.  We even had an extra hour today and still ran out of time.

Jesse got out his iPod and that entertained the boys for a really long time. 

Message for Joanna:  Today I did Rivit with vocab from Hippo's Toothache, then they predicted what the story would be about from the vocabulary.  When I finally read the story, the teachers were a hoot!  They thought that story was so great!  Tiffany and I were laughing at the teachers enjoy the story.  They LOVED Bang!

Another name:  Jesse is Cody.  Stevenson called Jesse by the name of Cody.  Lisa said his name is Jesse, not Cody.  Stevenson said, "I call him Cody!"  :)

We will write personal messages tomorrow.  We love and miss you all.  Thank you for your prayers. 

Monday----The Work Begins

Today we began our work.  There were 20 teachers at the conference.  I did a book walk with predictions for the story, "The Rainbow Fish".  I had a French copy of the book.  They really enjoyed that.  The first 2 hours was an "Inspector" of schools talking to the teachers.  She is in charge of all the schools in several providences.  As she talked Frontz (my new Haitian friend) translated.  She was right on track with everything she taught them. 

The teachers were especially excited about the drawings for prizes and the school supplies that they will get to take home on Friday.  They chose fun things like note pads and pencils.  Before the last drawing I told them about the Storybird books (I put 4 on the drawing table).  Guess what the next two winners picked up from the table??? 

Tiffany was a great help getting everyone signed in and helping with the presentation.  She often got called to help the guys.

Bob, Bud and Jesse began the work of making student desks.  The wood was rough so a lot of today was spent preparing (planing and sanding) getting it ready for construction tomorrow.  They have a good plan worked out.  The Tremendous 10 were a Tremendous help! 

Names are being assigned:  Bob has been christened "Big Daddy Longlegs" by Gayle.  Bud is sometimes "Mikey" because he eats anything.

A funny:  Bob and Tiffany's door to their room got stuck and they were locked in.  We were able to get the door open by sliding a knife under the door so Bob could open it from the inside.  Then......Tiffany forgot and shut the door....but no one was inside...ooops!

Does Jack really think he has a chance?  I think Bud is more worried about his popcorn.





Message from Tiffany -- Someone please tell Jeffrey Happy Birthday from us!!  Kiddos:  Soooo glad you're having fun.  Hope, I will be taking you up on the foot rub.  Tanner, Dad says if you only rode 6 miles you should be able to still do your push-ups :)

Message from Bud:  Someone from Wellspring please call Tena and tell her the blog address and make sure she knows how to comment. 

Message from Lisa:  I miss everyone.  Braden, do great at your ball game!  Hit one over the fence...no wait until I can be there to see it.  Tell Cody and Brittney that it is time to hear from them.

Sunday, March 20

Everything is fine here.  We are not sure what the TV says about the election, but it is very quiet here.  So don't worry.  We were able to go to Club Indigo a resort about 5 miles away today.  It was beautiful and we enjoyed relaxing.  No one got too much sun, but we DID eat too much! 

Tomorrow the work begins.  There are 27 teachers signed up for the conference.  Tiffany will be helping Lisa at the conference.  The guys will be building furniture for the school.  Lisa and the boys put together some supplies for tomorrow.

When Lisa showed the Storybird books to the Director of the Orphange....she cried.  When she showed the Storybird books to the Director of the School....he cried.  They were so impressed and so amazed....at the teachers, the students and Mark at Storybird.

Message from Lisa to Joanna:  Everything looks great for tomorrow.  Paster Andre really liked what we prepared.  Jim and Gayle had to give me an extra room just for all the school supplies. 

Message from Lisa:  Sam:  this isn't the same without you here.  I think you will have to come next year.  The boys need to come too.  The Tremendous 10 are fantastic and they remembered me!!  They ask about you and Cody.  I love you all.  Thanks Braden for blogging.  Didn't the computer break last year and keep you all from blogging?  That is starting to sound a little suspicious.

Message from Bob and Tiffany:  Kids, we so wish you guys could be here to play with the boys.  You guys would have so much fun with them.  Hope & Tanner:  Glad to hear you're having fun.  Hope, I'm sure you could learn a lot of crafty things from Katrina and Marisa.  Grayson:  Hope you're enjoying your vacation as well.  One of the boys here, Stevenson, reminds us so much of you.  We miss you all!

Message from Bud and Jesse:  Tena, wish you were with me here. I have so much to tell you in just a short time that we've been here.  Jody and Justin, you are truly missed, and can't wait to tease you both.  Someone please tell Glen Roberts that Bud has learned how to take and give hugs better.  Down here, that is a must.  Bud lost his hat to a bunch of orphans, they looked better in it.  Jesse is being attacked by the boys.  He needs it....and so do they.  Talk to you all soon!

Many Blessings Already

We are in Haiti.  Everything went perfectly once again!  One flight had an hour delay, but it was a 5 hour lay-over so no big deal.  When we flew from Ft. Lauderdale to Port-au Prince we were upgraded to 1st class!  Wow that was fun and a great way to end our trip and get some needed rest before we got here. 

A lot has changed since I was in Haiti in early June.  Things went much smoother at the airport since they have built a fence that keeps the public out.  The people look like they have more life in them.....however they have the dreaded election tomorrow.  Please pray for these people.  There is a chance this could cause some problems in Haiti, but we most likely will not be affected by it here in Montrouis.

After we arrived we unpacked and then had a meeting with Jim and Gayle.  Gayle looked through the dresses and shorts that the mom-to-mom group made.  She had just recently been notified of an orphanage down the road that had some needs.  We took the clothes there.  Oh wow!...these precious little ones were so adorable and so excited to get the clothes.  There were about 27 children from age 9 months to 14 years and everyone got something....PRAISE GOD!  They live in a small building and had a charcoal pit for a stove.  The main caretaker is a girl of about 20 who is just caring for these children with little to no support.   She noticed Bud's cowboy hat and liked it.  He let her put it on.  After we got in the van to go, Bud got back out and took the hat to her :)  We were all so blessed to be able to be a part of this and to help out in some small way.  We also are helping to buy diapers and soap for them.  After everything was handed out the head worker said now that the children had more than 1 outfit she needed a box to store their clothes in to keep them dry.  Jim and Gayle had brought some other goodies in a rubber made container.  Jim said to leave it (it was kind of old).  But, on the side it was marked....."Wellspring Mission Team".  It was from one of our church's trips many years ago.  Isn't God good?

What an amazing first day!  We did find out that school has been let out for the week due to the teacher conference....sniff...sniff.  But we know there are many other blessings that He is going to allow us to be a part of and we can't wait!

The sounds of whiffle ball and basketball are heard from downstairs, so I think the boys are done watching "program" and ready to play. 

More coming tomorrow!

We are leaving

On our way to Kansas City in a couple of hours.  Tiffany and Lisa will travel to KC in one car and Bob, Bud and Jesse in the other.  We will fly out of Kansas City at 11:35 today.  Then on to Dallas and then Ft. Lauderdale.  Saturday morning we will leave Ft. Lauderdale and get to Haiti at 7:05 a.m. 

We will try to post as soon as we can on Saturday.  It really encourages us to hear from you all.  Put your name in the comment box, but click that you are posting a "Anonymous".  (unless you have an account you want to log into)

Haiti--March 2011

We are off to Haiti again.  Family members can practice commenting here.  Give us your well wishes and prayers.