Day 26 in Haiti

You know, when we planned to come to Haiti Nicole and I brought John McAurthers b of James study.  We figured there would be plenty of time to do this.  Well I finally finished chapter 1 of 5 of the study, Nicole is a chapter ahead of me. 

So many other things have happened though that we don't feel at all guilty like we would back home.  That will be likely the most important lesson that we all learned while down here.  Everything that happens and what we should be focusing on in our lives is on God's timing not ours. 

The other thing we will miss is this blogging time, because it forces us to sit and reflect on the day, what we learned, the mistakes we made, and how God has been in our day whether we noticed or not. 

Yesterday we experienced another after shock later in the day.  The Haitians that were  here were very frightened.  The clinic was on so there were many people inside the building.  They all screamed and scattered outside very quickly.  I was unsure what was going on; the panicked frenzy confused me more than the tremor. It brought to reality the horrible experience they had already endured with the deadly earthquake and how fresh it still was.  I cannot fathom living with such a fear on a daily basis compounded by the poverty and brokenness here in Haiti.

We did forget to mention that the kids were up early (6am) on Friday morning to help in the kitchen.  It was pancake day and Anica wanted to get the recipe for both the pancakes and the syrup.  They both had a great time and the ladies in the kitchen enjoyed the help.  We will share the recipe for these pancakes when we get back.  You can take two, but you can only finish one.

Only four more sleeps before we start our journey home, not that any of us are counting!

We will share James 1:25 with you.

"But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it."

Noah, Anica, Nicole and Charles

Loving the beach

Sorry no blog yesterday they only have so much band width and if they use it all up then it doesn't reset for another 24hrs.   Yesterday was a quiet day, Nicole did some school at Lisa's then right after lunch we went to the beach early.  It was a tad windy, and the air was cool when you were out of the water.  But then we thought, it is November and our friends back home aren't swimming in the Carribean!! 

Dr. Don from the medical team lead us in a ten minute Remeberance day ceremony, which was nice to have while down here.  We had a chance to explain some of our Canadian history to the Haitians. 

 Haiti has provided a wonderful time for growing with God; with that comes some "trials and testing".  Those are the most challenging hurdles to overcome.  It brings us to our knees, vulneralble, weak, broken and lost.  Only by calling on Jesus, sometimes over and over ( I am a slow learner sometimes) can we see with His eyes.  Tonight was such a challenge. Not an unsual one.  One quite common in our every day life; however, this on this occasion, I was spoken to on how to forgive.
In James, we are told  that our tongue " is neither friend or foe, yet it is a reflection of our mind and a mirror to our soul.  This means its a tool for our hearts and minds.  It is an indication of how we are dealing with life, our spiritual growth, our character and our maturity.  Tonight I learned such a profound lesson on this.  I do not think that my listening ears would have heard His calling back home.

How do you behave with love and grace when the enemy is present; attacking with great fervor?  We have had sporadic power since the  medical teams arrival, the water pump in not filling the tank on the roof, different personalities and expectations from our "north American standards", sick Haitains in need of medical care, tired staff in need of rest and a modge of people some beleivers and others not.  These are some of the examples of the atmosphere here, it is heavy and tense.

Your prayers are needed more than ever as we finish out our days here.
It is so easy to think we are being so humble and submissive to God, by being in Haiti but are we really? We eat three meals a day, take a shower when we want, have a bed and a bedroom, with a roof over our head.  We have fans for the heat and some have airconditioning.  My guess is less than 10% of Haitians have a solid roof over their head, most of them likely get on meal each day. 

As you can see today we are struggling with how we (us and the teams that come here) really are being of any help to the Haitians or if we are just part of a feel good program for ourselves.

And just as I write this Nicole had a great conversation with Jameslee (the oragami security guard) who is going to bring his wife to Haiti Arise to meet us.  He loves Anica and Noah and is going to miss them very much.  God is in everything we do and it is for us to listen, obey and discern what it is he is teaching us and leading us to.

Duetronomy 31:6
Be strong and couragous do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you, he will not leave you or forsake you.

We are very grateful for your prayers and support.

The Nowochins

Countdown home

Its been another sick day here at the property.  Charles took ill shortly before lunch.  I left for school with the kids this morning and by the time we returned he was asleep in bed. 
He is on the mend ( much speedier than I) must be from better stock than I! Not really sure what is being shared here.  Waiting to see who it disables next; like a video game. (Haitian humour).

The kids and I went to the ocean to cool off.  Such a nice and relaxing time.  Hoping to get a few more days in!  We had a quiet evening watching a movie "Knights from the Bronx" with Ted Danson.  Good movie!

Not much else except that we are counting the days home. 

Love the Nowochins