AND THREE MONTHS AGO !!!!

How do I start back to three months ago. Well, we buried Julyne then about three weeks later we were headed back to the States with Cheryl for her husband Pat's funeral. Pat and Cheryl lived  up in the mountains of Soliette. Cheryl is my cousin and like a sister to me. They just served the community up in Soliette by helping and teaching. Pat had a beautiful garden growing things that the locals didn't think could grow there and Cheryl healed the hurting with her nursing skills.  Pat and Cheryl had received an gator from Cheryl's uncle to provide some transportation for them. The road up to Soliette is very rough and steep.  With some Haitian help, Pat was working on the road, hauling rocks with the gator and trying to improve the road. For some reason on that day someone else was driving with Pat riding and they went off a cliff and fell about 75ft. We know it was God's timing but we wonder why, Pat was adamant about no one else driving.  The driver was hurt bad and his memory isn't good, but he lived.We helped Cheryl get home. Had a Memorial Service about a week after Pat died then the body after arrived about 4 days after that. Lots of legality, which took lots of time. Philip stayed for a week and I stayed an extra week longer. Spent some time with my parents, as they need more help.
  Philip polished the upstairs floors while I was still in the states. Then we moved upstairs, with Stanley and Gario. We put them in the little pantry and we went in the bedroom. Philip then polished the downstairs floors. Was hoping to have bunkbeds when the teams arrived in January but that didn't happen.  We have 2 small rooms we want to tile yet. Come on down Mr. Tyler Hollinger , we'd love to have you . :)

Dr. Jolius with his two brothers, Charissier and Joe

  I got back on Saturday December the 21st. Sunday we took Dr. Jolius and his family to his graduation ceremony.  Had an enjoyable day celebrating his hard work.   

peeling the potatoes for the dinner

Brenda readjusting the decorations :)

    We found us at Clint Bower's for Christmas. Our grandchildren away from home is what Ava and Mia are to us. Thank you Grandparents for sharing these special little girls. We really celebrated with the turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie etc. Darv, Jo Seibel and their family came over too. Had a wonderful time of fellowship and food. Was so glad we had plans on Christmas, as it was a sad year for us.
The next several  weeks found us  getting ready for teams to arrive to build a church at Gran Dou. The church went down in the earthquake completely, but had other damage from hurricanes and winds at least four other times. They were having church under a tarp pole structure. We were suppose to build this last year but due to limited funds and help we had to cancel for a year.  Time to prepare for the teams, which means buying lots of groceries. One day found three of us girls and two little boys grocery shopping. Only four carts full, plus the local produce we had to buy yet. Some of the men went out early with the building supplies to Gran Dou. They arrived at 9:00 p.m. and turned around to head back out at 11:00p.m. It had rained a little which meant slippery and the big box truck was empty. With much slipping and sliding and the little Land Cruiser pulling the big truck backwards as the box truck tried to descend, they arrived back 11 hours later. Scary!!!  The trip usually took us 7 to 8 hours, the last part of the journey was very rough and very steep. Our first team arrived on January14th. We headed out early on the 15th with the team and both trucks packed to the gills. On our way we stopped at Legoane at Don Weavers to eat our hot burritos and coffee cake we had packed. We stopped partway back and put on tire chains on the box truck for traction. We arrived at 3:00pm. at the building site. It was looking very rainy, so we were glad to get in before dark. The Haitians had fixed us a delicious meal. What a Blessing that was, because we had to set up camp yet before dark. Well, as they started to unload the truck it started raining , so they brought EVERYTHING to the main house - and it filled up fast. The little church family- Lemone moved out of their house for us and moved into their small cook shack. They lived in it for about 5 weeks, with sickness- colds and coughs. Merci! Doug Flory's were going to sleep in a tent that night and it looked like probably not. After we got the tent up it poured harder and everything bedding and mattresses started to get wet. Some of the men and boys dug a trench around the tents and the rain stopped for a little. Katelyn sure wanted to sleep in the tent, so with more dry sheets they headed out. Yes, it rained pretty hard that night but Doug's made it out ok. We didn't have much rain after that with the first team. Martita a very good cook was there to supposedly be hired our cook, so Steven had to explain that we would be doing our own cooking. Bless, Martita she stayed through the whole project, cooked several meals for us and kept washing our dishes too. She had a joyful spirit. She'd like to go to the states and take cooking school.
  Some of the highlights of the first teams: They dug holes for the metal posts, formed up boards for the foundation and poured some of the foundation. This team consisted of : Steven,Susannah, Riley Shankster- John and Jared Sink- Doug,Lori, Grant, Justin and Katelyn Flora- Gario - Philip and I.
The Sunday we were at church, Susannah noticed a very sick baby 15 months old. We encouraged her to go to a clinic, so it was decided when we left on Monday we'd take her to the children's hospital in Port. Still not sure how she is ,but we do know she was getting good care, and was getting better . She had to stay a long time in Port for care. The mother had a brother in Port, so they stayed there and then she would take the baby into the hospital for checkups. Pray she is better!

Preparing the foundation

The rock crushers!!!

The Flora's 

Loading up rocks for weight

  One our way out, we stopped by the river to load up rocks, for extra weight for traction climbing the loose steep incline. On our way out on the blacktop road- we met several BIG TRUCKS on our side of the curvy mountain road- Whee!!!. We slide past without scraping sides. The team went to Simeon's for supper. Philip and I stayed home to catch our breath a little. Steven and Susannah took the team to the tin market, the market and the beach the next day.
  Team two arrived on the 21st, some got delayed in the states because of snow,  some arrived earlier to be with Clints and Simeons and some just arrived early :) . Welcome Team 2 and goodby team 1 !
  Steven loaded up team1 and took them to airport. We caught up with them at airport - traded trucks and picked Doug Cook's, who were late coming in due to weather in the states. Philip put Doug Cook in the box truck - a truck driver in the states. Doug was lacking in sleep and was starting to drive in crazy Haiti. Brave man! Steven caught up with Philip (who was just driving ahead of Doug), suggested that Gario could ride with Doug to help him. We got held up at Carfour in the market area, it looked like a big truck full of rice was part of the problem. It was turning off a side street and ended up on its side. PROBLEM! We stopped again once we was in the mountains and put on tire chains on the box truck. We had to stop a few times to fix them.  It looked like rain all the way in and it was starting to get dark too! The church people called us said they'd come to meet us and it was very muddy. Then it really poured down the rain, we were slipping and sliding. The church people meet us and said we couldn't go all the way in and we would have to park at the top of the hill tonight. We stopped and everyone was trying to decide what they just needed for the night. Then some donkeys arrived to help carry our luggage, some of it fell in the mud, it was dark and we were  were standing in some pretty deep mud. More church people arrived to help carry. Philip said he'd stay at the truck, while we walked down to the project. I started out through the mud anxious to see the church people again. We were about an eighth of a mile away. arrived at camp with several added inches to my height due to mud. :) The ladies were waiting with another delicious meal prepared. As everyone arrived, and it was starting to sprinkle again, I thought we'd better eat, as the food was setting out. I asked Ed to think of a song and have prayer. He didn't think he could - he was so touched by the church people's concern for us.  Yes, they were very  hospitable. We all got ready for bed, after the fact that all our luggage got hauled into the main house again  and we had to sort out the big pile- :)


   I am getting ready for company today so , I will continue another day- Blessings on your day - Bethany