God Is In The Details

Last Sunday, Bud and I had the privilege of walking around the outside of the campus with Doug and Jan Hoffman (visitor from our home church) on a tour of Vaudreuil. Patrick, our good friend that works in the office with me, had been inviting us to his home for a while, but we'd never had a chance to accept the invitation. Sunday was the day! We had a wonderful time sitting on the porch with his family enjoying their gracious hospitality. During our introductions I came to find out that Patrick's family not only have their own six children, but have also taken in two young girls - both of whom have mother's who are very ill. One of the girls, Roselinda, who is about 10 years old has been living with them for four years. After meeting her, I asked Patrick if she was in school and if she was in the Starfish Kids program. He said yes, he thought she was. I told him that on Monday we needed to check to be sure she was in the program and find out if she had a sponsor or not.

Monday morning Patrick and I checked the records, only to find that Roselinda's sponsor was a couple from our home church, who go to our same Sunday School class, and are good friends!  Of all the children in the program and all the sponsors from the U.S. and Canada, I was so blessed that I could tell Patrick, "Yes, she has a wonderful and faithful sponsor!"

I was further blessed to be able to write to the sponsor and give them the details and story and let them know that Roselinda is a very good student and that she is living in a very loving and Godly home. I don't often have that much personal information about our students.

I don't know about you, but for me it was a wonderful reminder that God IS in the details of each of our lives. He weaves our lives together that we might be a blessing and encouragement to one another as we serve Him.

Praying God blesses you with a reminder of His faithfulness in your life today!

All Those Firsts...

Leaving your "own" culture and embarking on the adventure of learning to live in a totally different culture is littered with new "first" - some fun, some exciting, some difficult, some annoying, and some just plain hard.

Our first Christmas Eve service outside was fun; interacting with someone in Creole and them "getting it" is exciting; being away from your family during the holidays is difficult; getting up at 5 a.m. and having no water is annoying; and this past week we experienced our first really "just plain hard" reality. We knew when leaving Oregon that there would eventually be an event where we'd get a call and wish we were home NOW! That call came last week. My sister emailed me saying grandma had had a mini-heart attack, that she was in the hospital, that they were running tests, and that they'd know more later. Of course, as soon as I got the email I called to check-in and found that yes, grandma had experienced a mini-heart attack and they were waiting for test results. Thankfully, that same day they did surgery to put a stint in and she was doing great. I called home on Saturday (three days after her procedure), and was able to chat with her and give her a bad time about how some people would do pretty much anything to get out of a lunch date with me that we have planned for May when Bud and I will be home for a visit. She sounded wonderful and we both praised God for His provision and blessings. At one point she said, "You know Cindy, if it were my time, I'm ready..." Thank you Jesus!

On Sunday we went to church in a little, rural community called Gaudin. The school is one of our Starfish Schools and I was excited to see it for the first time. Because there was such a large number of team members going too, we rode about 40 minutes in the back of the "cattle truck" until the road was too steep and then we hiked downhill a quarter mile to the church. When we arrived, church was well underway, so we slipped in the back and sat wherever we could find a seat. Bud and I ended up on the back bench and were thankful as there was a nice breeze from the large double doors which were open the entire time.

I've rarely get up in the middle of a service, but there was a special singing group that I wanted a photo of so I slipped out and when I turned toward the doorway, that's when I saw her. An elderly woman with white hair in a very worn simple dress sitting in the doorway. She was weathered and wrinkled and carrying a crooked walking stick which was laying beside her. Her shoes, once white canvas, were worn to threads with her knarled toes peeking out the corners and ends. I looked specifically at her shoes because in Haiti, if you don't have shoes, you can't come into the church. I thought possibly she didn't have shoes and therefore that's why she sat in the doorway. Soon I realized she had a small plastic cup which she used to beg and assumed she was sitting there waiting for the service to end.

God's blessing to me...

I was instantly drawn to her and my heart went out to her thinking of all the years she'd endured an obviously hard life. Instantly I thought of my grandma and thanked the Lord that while I couldn't be with her during this mini health crisis, she had plenty of others to love her and care for her. This woman obviously had no one and yet, there she was in the doorway of the church listening to God's Word. I went over and put some money in her hand - the equivalent of $12.50 U.S., and prayed with her. Whether she understand a word or not, I felt I needed to lift her to the Lord. She thanked me over and over.

Two hours later, when the service was over, there she was, cautiously moving her way down the steep, uneven dirt and stone walkway to the road. I suddenly realized that while I couldn't be in Oregon to help my grandma this past week, others were and now I had the opportunity to help someone else's grandma. I went over, took the woman's arm and hand, and helped her walk down the rugged path to the level ground. Again, she thanked me over and over, and I thanked God over and over for the opportunity to be a blessing to this woman.

Here we go...

After a month in Indiana at OMS headquarters participating in cross-training, Bud and I spent a long weekend with my parents and sister in Florida before returning to Haiti last Tuesday, February 7. It was hard to say good-bye to my family, but as soon as we got on the plane and in the air, it felt like we were headed home and we were both ready to get back to the ministry God has called us to and...to a little sunshine (couldn't believe it rained in Florida!)

Cross-training wasn't exactly what we expected, but we did glean some good information and we made some life-long friendships with a diverse group of missionaries who are preparing to enter full-time ministry as well. We were also thrilled to spend the month with a couple from our home church - Mel and Diane Hurley, who are preparing to spend one year serving in Spain. We also had the chance to spend some time with Carl and Heidi Walton - our good friends and CTing mentors. We are blessed to call them friends. (If you know Carl, you can ask him who won at Wii bowling...)

Since arriving in Haiti we've been playing catch up. It's exciting to see how God is growing and equipping the Haiti field. New missionaries have arrived - Rick and Carol Folkeringa (Rick will do maintenance and Carol will serve as field treasurer). Brett and Angie Bundy - along with their four children - have returned and Brett has resumed his role as Field Director. Angie is the principal at Cowman International School. Bud and Jane Dennington are back (Bud does vehicle and generator maintenance and repair while Jane coordinates teams, teaches English, manages the Holiday House, and continues to work with Starfish Kids) - these couples join those who were here when we left a month ago - Kate, Erica and Matt & Stacey Ayars.

Friday we enjoyed our first Haitian wedding as Wadner Thermidor (translator and Starfish employee) married Brooke Morrison - an American doctor he met here while she was on a team from Grace Church in Pennsylvania. The wedding was lovely and I was honored to be able to do Brooke's hair and make-up for the wedding!

If all that isn't enough --- we had two teams here when we arrived and two guests in our house who we enjoyed getting to know if only briefly...along with the auditors who arrived on Friday and will be here all week.

Of course, we were thrilled to greet our Haitian friends as well...Gregory, Patrick, Julian, Jonas, Elcie...and the list goes on and on.

Thank you and bless you for your faithful support and prayers for us. We are blessed beyond measure!

Love and prayers,
Bud & Cindy

Shipshewana, Indiana

Balmy 15 degrees...

It was a rough adjustment coming from beautiful sunshine and warm weather to mid-winter in Indiana, but with the cold also came some wonderful blessings including a free Saturday to explore some of Northern Indiana and visit the Amish community of Shipshewana. The day started out very cold and frozen. At one point when it took nearly a half-hour to defrost the car I asked Bud, "If our kids were doing this would we approve?" The nearly three-hour (one way) trip went off without a hitch and God provided us with a beautiful and rest-filled day which we both needed a lot! At one point we stopped at a rest area for Bud to "de-ice" the back window (it was so cold the rear defroster wasn't able to keep up) and the temperature read a balmy 15 degrees! A good Samaritan who had also stopped noticed Bud was using a paper coffee cup to "break up" the ice and offered to lend him an ice scrapper - thank you Jesus!

Buggy Siting

That was about the time I asked Bud if we were crazy to make this trip and that any respectable Amish wouldn't be out in a buggy in this weather! Low and behold, a short time later we turned the corner and I said, "Do you think we're getting close?" Bud replied, "Yep - see for yourself," and there was a horse-drawn buggy on the road ahead of us. We spent the day just being "tourists" walking the snow-filled streets, visiting the various shops and sweet stops, and just relaxing in a quiet little community which I'm sure in the summer is jam-packed with "real" tourists!

Look at all that snow!

The entire day was filled with sunshine and blue skies although the temperature never got above 17 degrees! There was so much beauty to behold (from, as Bud reminded me several times, the inside of a warm car!) We laughed about the reality that you don't have to live "across the ocean" to be in a cross-cultural situation.

Postcard Perfect!

Being in Greenwood for several weeks of training probably wasn't our first choice of how to spend January, but we have been richly blessed in the time we've had with the other missionaries here and the friendships that have been made, and, as Bud reminds me, "We'll always have Shipshewana!" 

Thank you Lord for a reminder of the beauty and glory of your creation which surrounds us everyday.

When I consider your heavens, 

   the work of your fingers, 

the moon and the stars, 

   which you have set in place, 

 what is mankind that you are mindful of them, 

   human beings that you care for them?

 Psalm 8:3-4

In the States...Safe & Sound

Our Little Cottage - It's a 4-Plex

Bud & I arrived safely in Greenwood, Indiana Saturday, January 7 - late. Heidi & Carl Walton graciously picked us up at the airport at midnight and delivered us to our quaint, cozy, comfortable little "home away from home" at headquarters where we'll remain until February 3. During January we'll be attending Cross Training (CT), which is a 3-1/2 week training which is meant to help prepare missionaries for transition to the field. Of course, since Bud & I have been in Haiti since September, it might seem like we're doing things in reverse, but it's always a blessing to be back in the States and to get a chance to reacquaint with old friends at headquarters and to meet new friends. Our 16-person CT group is quite diverse. We are enjoying getting to know all of the different missionaries who are (or will be) serving in a variety of ministries.

View from our Front Window

Since arriving we've been to Walmart, Applebee's, The Goodwill, and tomorrow will attend an English-speaking church. Bud & I both came down with the sniffles, but Bud took it to the next level last night by running a temperature and throwing up most of the night. He slept all day Saturday, was better Sunday, then took a sudden turn on Monday again for the worse. I thought we would be going to the doctor, but thankfully (praise the Lord) he's better and will be able to go back to class today!

When we arrived it was cold and sunny, but last Thursday it turned bitterly cold and snowed, which was beautiful and definitely a change from Haiti where we spent New Year's Saturday at the beach! Last weekend I watched a small group of children sled down a small hill across the road, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing their giggles and watching them play together.

I thanked the Lord for a safe, cozy, and quiet place to reflect on all the changes and transitions we have been through this past year, and for His continual faithfulness. Although it is killer to be in the States and have to accept that we will not be seeing our children or grandchildren this trip, we continue to rest in the knowledge and assurance that we are right where God has called us and has us for this season of our lives. I am so humbled by that realization and so grateful to all those who have joined us in this ministry through prayer and financial support, and for those who continue to encourage us daily. (Since arriving we've had letters, emails, and a package of goodies sent to Greenwood!)  We were also blessed that Mel and Dianne Hurley (couple from our church) are also part of CT. It's been wonderful to spend one-on-one time with them, to hear how God is working in their lives, and it was an extra special blessing that they were able to bring our warm clothes from Oregon!

View from HQ Training Room

I should have taken more pictures of the snow to share, but these are all I have...unless the weather behaves as they are predicting and we have more snow next week. Although, it seems Oregon is under a blanket of white too, so I guess you can look outside to see it for yourselves.

"Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

Christmas in the Caribbean

If you know Bud and have ever spent much time working with him, you've probably heard him singing at some point. He loves to walk through the day singing hymns or praise choruses and being in Haiti is no different. Just this past week as he worked in the office on inverters, computer and Internet connections, and electrical "fixes" - up ladders, under tables, and in the attic crawlspace, he was singing and had several singing along. It's quite a mixture of English, Creole, and our favorite, Creolish (which we're getting pretty good at!)

He was pretty honored when Patrick (the chocolate lover!) invited him to sing at the Christmas Eve service at their church. It was more of a concert with various groups and Bud would be one of the guest singers. Bud, of course, said, "Sure." He practiced a few times with a group of about 20 young people singing harmony behind him. I didn't attend the practices, but he did say, "It's Silent Night like you've never heard it before!"

The day before the concert Patrick asked Bud for a few tools to help with their staging. That's when we learned it could be an outside event! Then, Saturday morning, Bud was asked to help with the staging - which he did. The tickets said that start time was 4 p.m. Patrick told Bud to arrive at 4:30 p.m. for prayer. We arrived at 4:30 p.m. to find three other missionaries and a hand-full of Haitians working on set up. It was a pretty laid back scene! We sat down and laughed with the others about our "North American" time-table versus the laid back style of the Haitians. After a time we started making bets as to when the service would start. Almost an hour into it, the Pastor arrived who was scheduled to "open" the service. He chatted with us for a while, then asked someone "in charge" when things would get started and was told, "About 15 minutes..."

Forty-five minutes later the Pastor stood and started...the first song was sung at 6:00 p.m. Bud sang at 7:30 p.m. and it was great! Beautiful harmonies. I was sorry I didn't have a video recorder!  We headed home right after Bud sang - trying to "sneak out" (which is hard to do here!) But hey - we can be laid back too leaving in the middle and we had promised to call our kids on Christmas Eve! We laughed all the way home about having "bought a ticket" when we could hear the entire program from our living room. In fact, while chatting with Shelly at one point I said, "Listen..." and held the phone out. Sure enough, she could hear the music too!

It was a fun night and definitely a good lesson in cultural differences! However, one of the best parts was arriving to the stage! Bud is still certain this is the same tent SEC used during the sanctuary construction - if only he'd put an identifying mark on it somewhere to confirm it!
Doesn't seem possible it was only a week ago!

Today we have Doug Ries and his daughter, Kayley, with us from Portland (Doug is the HVAC guy who worked with Bud on the churches' system). Doug's been down several times, but it's Kayley's first time. It's Saturday - so that means BEACH DAY! It was 90 degrees yesterday, so it should be a great day for the beach. Who would have ever thought us Oregonians would be spending a new year's eve day at the beach!

Wishing you God's greatest blessings for a wonderful and very Happy New Year!

Bud and Cindy

Sharing Chocolates...

I can admit it, I'm a chocolate freak! I love chocolate! I mean really, there aren't many who don't like it. But, chocolate isn't something that lasts too long in a warm and humid climate and it certainly doesn't travel well! A few weeks ago at the market I found one of my favorite white chocolate Toblerone bars which I bought immediately. When I got home and figured what it cost me it was $3.75 U.S. Ouch! Oh well, it was worth every tasty piece! Two weeks ago a team was here and one of the members bestowed upon the Starfish office a large tin with a variety of chocolates all individually wrapped in brightly colored foil each bearing it's own secret flavor. I honestly set it aside and forgot about it (after all, I'd just had my favorite candy bar a few days earlier). Then, one particularly busy day, I thought, "I really need some chocolate!" And then I remembered...the tin! I broke into it and went throughout the office sharing. Our office is small, but we have a lot of visitors in and out everyday and every time a pastor, yard worker, or Bud would stop by, one of my co-workers would quietly say, "Cinzy (that's Cindy in Creole)...should we give them a chocolate...?" And I would make a big production out of getting the tin and sharing with whoever. It's been so fun to see the smiles and thanks of so many over one simple piece of chocolate. Most will peruse the tin for a few seconds before making their selection. Some sheepishly ask if they may take two to share one with their wives. (Of course I'm sure it's well-melted before it ever gets to their wives!) Then, of course, there is Patrick, our IT tech who has a real sweet tooth and announced today that he thinks we should have three chocolates a day - one in the morning, one at noon, and one before we leave at the end of the day. I told him if he ate that much chocolate he might get fat like Bud! He quickly replied, "That's OK, I want to be fat!" It doesn't matter where Bud goes, he has a following!

I know sharing chocolates might seem like it has very little to do with ministry, but I think of it as a precious gift from God. Not only do I get to bless those with something that they don't typically have to enjoy, but I get blessed to "give" the gift and enjoy the smiles and laughter around it! It is something we can "share together" and in those moments we are not black or white, Haitian or American, English-speaker or Creole-speaker, we are just God's children enjoying a little of life's sweetness! It truly is more blessed to give than receive!

We pray you will all enjoy a wonderful and very blessed Christmas with whatever friends and family the Lord brings into your life this year. We love and miss you all!

Merry Christmas,

Bud and Cindy

Red Neck Christmas...

In all the planning and preparation coming to Haiti, we made a lot of choices as to what to take and what we needed. One left behind casualty was the majority of our Christmas decorations! I have always enjoyed decorating for Christmas, but knew it wasn't feasible to bring too many decorations to Haiti so limited myself to our pre-lit tree and one very small container (the size of a large shoe box) of ornaments. I did buy a few plastic, lime green stars in the Dominican, but for the most part our tree is simple and, in Bud's words, understated. We did bring our most prized Craig Hochstetler-original design nativity scene which we've had for many years (this will be one of the few things we will someday bring back home with us!) We also ordered a new treasured nativity handmade by 13-year old Becky Kitterman from our church. This too will return home with us one day. (If you haven't seen her work, you should check it out, they are lovely!) I had mentioned to Bud that our decorations were considerably less than at home, but still gave a nice festive ambiance.

We went to Port au Prince last week to get paperwork completed for our visas. While there, unknown to me, Bud conspired with Sarah Shaferly (John & Jill's sister-in-law) who runs the Villa, to acquire a few more decorations for me as a surprise.

Today, as we were wrapping up the weekend, he placed a large, black plastic garbage bag under the tree and told me it was an early Christmas surprise for me. I opened it to find some ornaments, some "pre-owned" Christmas garland in varying colors, and a string of seven vintage glass-painted Santa head lights. What a great hubby! While the lights are rather unique and not at all what either of us would have in Oregon, they are beautiful here! We wrapped the pre-used garland along the strand and scotch-taped them above our TV cabinet (yes, I know, we should have used duct tape to make it really red neck!) We have laughed about them all night! All I could think was, "Jeff Lewis would love these lights with his aluminum tree..." (Maybe I'll bring them home for Jeff!)

Hope you are enjoying the season and spending time focusing on the true meaning of it. As we are away from family and friends this year, we realize how blessed we've been to always have had those times together in the past.

Cherish those you love and the time you have together ---

Blessings,
Bud & Cindy

PS) Keep the cards, letters, emails, and blog comments coming...we LOVE them and look forward to them all.

Thanksgiving Haiti Style

Our First Haiti Thanksgiving

What a great day we enjoyed celebrating Thanksgiving with our missionary family. We had all the Haiti traditional foods - rice, beans, pineapple, fried plantains, roasted goat, barbecued rat, tarantula skewers...ok, ok, I'm pulling your leg - except for the part about the wonderful celebration with our missionary family! Actually, we had a wonderful turkey and ham meal with all the American traditional foods including stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn and green bean casserole, and of course pumpkin (and apple) pie. When we called home and our family asked about our meal we told them the only thing we were missing was the whipped topping for the pie. It was a lovely day filled with sunshine and blue skies. We ate our meal at a beautifully-decorated table with handmade "place setting" turkeys thanks to Stacey and Lily. We shared stories about our most memorable Thanksgiving and there were some pretty tough ones to beat! Although it was hard to be away from our family at home, I realized as I looked around the table that we were ALL away from our families at home and yet, God had provided a lovely meal and an even more lovely and diverse group of people to share it with.

Our Cute Turkey Name Place Tags

Of course, there was no football to sleep to after the meal, but most of us (ok, mostly the women) decided that was just fine with us. 

Thanks to everyone who blessed us so much with emails, cards, letters or Facebook posts wishing us a blessed Thanksgiving - we truly had a wonderful day.

Love and miss you all,

Bud and Cindy

Great Retreat in the Dominican

Departure Day!

The missionary team left the field loaded in the van Thursday, November 17, for a much anticipated four days in the Dominican for our annual missionary retreat. Being our first, Bud and I were both excited and full of anticipation as to all the new experiences ahead. For Bud, a day deep sea fishing, and for me, a day shopping in the closest thing to a SUPER WALMART Hispanola has to offer. In addition, it was just a blessing to get to spend time refreshing in God's Word with others who, while we live and work together on the field, don't always have a lot of time to just "be together". God also blessed us with a great couple, Jim and Sue Smith, who are from headquarters in Greenwood and who spent several years as missionaries serving in Equador. As only God would provide - they were excited to get to use their Spanish again!

SUPER WALMART D.R. Style

The four days were wonderful! Filled with sunshine (except for the day Bud, Dave and Maury headed out for a full day of fishing and were soaked to the skin...), gorgeous blue skies, lots of wonderful food, hair cuts, pedicures, and yes...shopping! Of course we all had our "lists" and with Thanksgiving around the corner, we had extra things we wanted to find. There were six women, two children, and one very brave husband (thanks again Matt!) who headed out and arrived without incident. We all shopped, loading our carts with all those "special things" you can't readily find in Haiti, and then headed to the check out lines. We had been told we could use U.S. money. I, for one, had left my credit card at the hotel thinking I had plenty of cash. Marilyn was the first to go through and pay, only to be told we couldn't use our U.S. currency. Really? Who doesn't take U.S. money?! Marilyn found me in time to pay for my goodies with her credit card. As others tried to pay, we also found our credit cards only worked "one time" and then had a "hold" put on them since we were "out of the country" (security you know!) Matt patiently helped us figure it all out and get everyone checked out with their treasures in hand. We loaded the van and as we tried to start the van realized the battery was dead. 
 - dead as the proverbial door knob. Matt, ever the trooper, found the first Dominican he could and asked for a "jump start". He kindly obliged and we were on our way. All this for a trip to a pseudo SUPER WALMART! None of us would have died without the items in our carts, but it would have been a bit disappointing.



Lily patiently waiting for someone to fix 
the "generator" so the van will work :)

Later that evening as Jim led us in our Bible session, we all shared how thankful we were to have each other to depend on and lean on. I know it sounds funny, but it's just such a blessing to have others around who really know and can relate to living in this, or any other, culture. What we share on the Haiti field is unique in that there is more than one or two or three of us...and although we are very unique in our age, backgrounds, ministries on the field, life experiences, etc. we are all ONE in the call of serving Christ in Haiti.

Jim encouraged us through the Scriptures to work from a place of rest. To take time to rest, as exampled by Jesus, filling ourselves with the Spirit and trusting the Lord in all the details. Not to run ahead and then wonder WHY things aren't working, but to go to the Lord first, trusting Him for wisdom, discernment, direction and, of course, renewal and rest. It was a great time of fun and fellowship, but it was an even better time to build relationships together, laugh together, build one another up, and to be reminded that the Lord is the source for everything we are - not such what we do.



Do We Look Rested?

On a side note, there was another young couple at the same resort from Finland. He was a pastor as well and she was a nurse from Estonia. They joined us for "church" this morning. As we chatted afterward, we found that she had attending the One Mission Society seminary in Estonia and that she knew people from there who others on the field here knew! What an amazingly small world it is!

We are looking forward to a wonderful Thanksgiving meal together and pray you will all enjoy one with those you love too. We miss you all and thank God for His goodness, provision, love, care and faithfulness whether we're sitting beside you at the table in Oregon, or missing you from the sunny Caribbean.

Love and Prayers,

Bud and Cindy 

Unexpected Blessing

I knew coming to Haiti would mean Bud & I would have a lot more time to just "be together". Not that we didn't spend a lot of time together before coming, but at home during the days we each had our "own" places to be. Now, we wake together, walk to the office together, have lunch together, and return from the office together to spend the evening together before going to bed together. Now, for some, that sounds like misery, but I'm mostly enjoying it :)  What I'm enjoying the most is getting to "watch from the sidelines" as he interacts with people during the week. He's made not being able to speak Creole (while some days very frustrating), an opportunity to joke and make fun of himself using humility and humor to get through the difficulty of not "speaking the same language". Within the first two weeks we were here he had a Haitian tell him that he should be a comedian!

Bud never misses the opportunity to introduce himself as Ti Bud (little Bud). This always either gets a roar of laughter or raised eyebrows, both of which end up being an opportunity that creates more interaction and explanation as to WHY he's Ti Bud (because he was the second Bud to arrive on the compound he will always be "little or second" regardless of physical size - he has a good 50-lbs. on the Gro (big) Bud).

Many times during the day I witness him in the midst of a circle of Haitians (he's rather easy to spot!) laughing and joking together and I think about what heaven will be like when we can all "speak the same language" and have nothing but time to enjoy being together. Bud will be ready for that part of heaven - I think I need a lot more practice and I think I'm going to get a lot of it living here! If this is one thing the Lord wanted me to learn while serving in Haiti, I'm glad the Lord brought me to Haiti with my best friend who I'm thankful to say is also my husband. And yes Lord, I'm watching and learning.

Lots of Krapo (FROG in Creole)

Froggie

Some of you know we have an inherited dog as an "outdoor only" pet from Bud & Jane while they're in the States, but this past week we've had a new pet arrive on the scene. A krapo - which is Creole for frog (or toad). A week ago we came home after dinner with a team to find a rather large toad on our front porch. He (or she) wasn't too bright as it kept trying to jump up the concrete wall to get off the porch. The next night we heard a "thumping" sound on the porch, only to find that Froggie had return. This has now been the nightly routine for over a week. About the same time each evening, Froggie is on the porch, thumping away trying to find the "exit". Our "watch dog" pays Froggie no mind -- she just enjoys the show! I have to say, there are much worse things that could be on the porch than a frog, so I'll just live with the krapo.

Thank you for your prayers. As we shared last Sunday, a laptop was stolen from one of the missionary's homes - the second he's had stolen in the past two months. The compound has 24-hour watchmen, many of which we've met since being here. We appreciate them greatly and so every time I get a hankering to bake something we "share" with the watchmen. Tonight we met two new ones - Jonas and Eve (yes, that's a man!) We were able to "chat" briefly and use our Creole! It was so much fun and they were so excited. All the Haitians on the compound try to help us learn Creole by practicing with us or forcing us to "use Creole" instead of English.  One of our favorite (and most helpful watchmen) is John-o. He's 72, widowed, and weighs about 72-lbs. He teases Bud all the time about being Gro Bud (which is BIG). He loves to chat and help us with our Creole and he loves bon-bons (cookies!). He is diligent in his work, carries a baton for protection, and takes great pride in doing his job. He helps me with the laundry, checks in if he sees a door open or something amiss, and is always ready to greet us with a Bon Jou or Bon Swa at anytime of the day or night. We are so thankful for the blessing these new friends are to us.

A Wonderful Reminder...

As we had shared with many before coming to Haiti, our Prayer Quilt has been a wonderful and beautiful reminder of all who are part of our team and, most importantly, who are praying for us. Everyone who has walked into our house in Haiti (and I mean everyone!) has mentioned the beautiful quilt and we are quick to point out that it is filled with the names of those who are part of our Haiti team AND who are praying for us.

And, we are SO thankful and dependent on that prayer...

On Monday, Bud had an incident which confirmed for us again the importance of prayer. He had gone with a pastor from a downtown area church to deliver some school benches. They arrived and made the delivery, but the school was in an unfamiliar area to Bud so the pastor offered to ride back to the main road with him. When they arrived, the pastor asked Bud to pray with him before he left. Bud pulled the truck over along the sidewalk, prayed, and when the pastor opened the door to get out he hit two men on a motorcycle sending them into a deep ravine along the roadway.

Immediately a crowd formed and helped the men out of the ravine, placed them in the back of the truck and the pastor, quite upset, asked Bud if he would drive them to the hospital. Of course he did - his first visit to the downtown Cap Haitien hospital. While they were waiting, Bud and the pastor prayed together and began singing, "Amazing Grace," to calm their nerves. The doctor checked the men out, took an x-ray of one of the men's legs and diagnosed that he was "fine" and sent them on their way with a prescription of Tylenol. Bud and the pastor put them in a taxi and praised God that it wasn't any more serious. The pastor thanked Bud over and over telling him that he had, "Saved his life."

Praise God for His faithfulness!

We love & miss you all,

Bud & Cindy

Lost & Found

Bon jou! (Good morning in Creole)

We apologize for not updating our blog as often as we'd planned. Our Internet in Haiti continues to be fussy, but we're trying to work around it and will hopefully be able to notify all our Haiti partners via email next week. We have "synched" and "merged" and "synched" and "merged" our mailing list three times only to find it continues to duplicate or eliminate people from our email list. While it would be annoying if we were in the States, add the frustration of a "fussy" Internet and well, you get the picture. For those who have "found our blog" we're very thankful!

Bud & I started our Creole (or Kreyole) lessons this week and are finding that while it's very challenging, it's a lot of fun and we're really enjoying our teacher - Belony. He's a great young man who is in his 4th year at the seminary in Saccenville. Two times-a-week we drive out to the seminary and meet with him and a black board with CHALK! The teacher-student ratio is pretty good - 2 to 1! He gives us a lot of individual attention!

On Thursday after class, Bud answered his phone. Afterward, we were stopped at the gate and asked if we could jump-start one of the Haitian's trucks. In the midst of the vehicle repair, Bud's phone must have fell out of the truck. Several hours later he realized it was missing. He eventually resorted to dialing his own number from my phone when a Haitian answered. Of course, the Haitian didn't speak English and Bud is only on Creole lesson #2 - since the man wasn't repeating the days of the week or counting to 10, or talking about being hungry (groun gu), Bud couldn't understand him. In retrospect it was pretty funny to listen to Bud repeating, "Hello...Hello....Hello..." louder and louder like the man was hard of hearing instead of not able to understand English!

He took the phone to Dave Graffenberger and explained the situation. Dave called Bud's phone and chatted up a storm with the gate keeper from the seminary...who had Bud's phone and said he would give it to Pastor Lucner who lives "up the street" from us! PRAISE GOD! Bud was so relieved - he had his "life line" back :) (Ask Shelly for further explanation!)

Once again God showed us that He even cares about the little details of our lives. Bud's parting comment was, "Well, I guess this is another good reason we need to learn the language!" Thankfully we were able to laugh about it...afterward!

Another rich blessing this week was receiving four DVDS of our church services! What a blessing! It was like a cool drink of water on a five-shirt day in Haiti!!! (Bud measures the heat of the day by how many times he has to change his soaking wet shirt!)

We love & miss you all...trust you will have a great weekend and a fabulous day of worship on Sunday!

Bon Nwit (good night),

Bud & Cindy

What a Difference a Week Makes...

One week ago today we were flying into Haiti with our 3,100 lbs. of cargo; today we are sitting in our peaceful living room in our new "home" enjoying another amazing rain, thunder & lightening storm. God is so good. First, we were blessed with not having to pay anything in customs to bring in our stuff. What an answer to prayer! Secondly, when we arrived, our home had been cleaned and there was an eager team from Pennsylvania who helped us unpack and get settled. We had three days with Bud & Jane before they left for Florida, but thankfully the Graffenberger's are here and have been very patient showing us the "rest of the ropes" that we didn't get from Bud & Jane before they left. Tomorrow night we'll host our first Bible study with all the missionaries on the compound. Should be a pleasant evening.

While we have been very busy and are ready for bed by 8 p.m. most nights, we have been welcomed so warmly over & over by so many who are thankful for us being here and excited that we are staying longer than just a few weeks. Although we miss all our friends and family in the States, God continues to impress upon us both that we are here by His design and in His timing.

Sunday we enjoyed a really terrific day of worship (although it was 3 hours on a hard, wooden bench) and were warmly welcomed by many who thanked us for being willing to leave our homes, family & country to live in Haiti. The reality is their worship, contentment, and love for one another blesses me far more than I could possibly bless them!

On a side note, we've had two "encounters" with a couple of rather large spiders. After the second, Bud said, "Next time you need to get a picture..." I replied, "I'd rather NOT have a third encounter - picture or not!" IF I get a picture, I'll be sure to post it. They were both as large as a wide-mouthed coffee mug, and I'm NOT talking an Espresso cup either!

We pray God continues to show you His purpose and plan for your life.

In Him,
Bud & Cindy

Safely Arrived in San Antonio

Yep; here we are relaxing in a nice, comfy hotel in San Antonio --- God is good! We've traveled a lot of hours and put a lot of miles between Oregon and here, but there's still a ways to go. Thankfully we will be in Houston tomorrow to spend a few days with good friends and then on to Florida. Hoping to arrive in Florida by Saturday, finish last minutes details, and make our flight into Haiti on Tuesday, September 13.

God has been so gracious throughout the trip. Goodbyes have not been easy but we have had a peace that can only come from our Lord. Thanks to all our friends, known and unknown, who have been lifting us up in prayer.

We packed the truck and left Salem on Thursday the 1st. Arrived in Grants pass Wed. evening. We then watched the most perfect grand kids so Samantha could attend a funeral at her church Friday morning. . I have been asking for prayer for Dad Lenker as I had anticipated a hard time. You see dad as not been able to hear at all for the last six months or so and I was not sure how it would go. To my amazement when we entered his room he had a $20 gadget from Radio Shack and could clearly hear everything weI said. What a wonderful gift from our Heavenly Father. After spending literally thousands of dollars on hearing aids that failed to work a simple solution worked. Dad was able to hear as I told him our Haiti plans and that I loved him. We had a time of Prayer with Mom, Dad and my older brother, Lewis who was there as well.

Again Thanks for the prayers.

Bud and Cindy

Departure Day Fast-Approaching

Ready, set, here we go! Yep; Haiti is becoming a reality as every day brings us one step closer to departing on September 2. Our house is rented - PRAISE THE LORD! We posted it on Craigslist and within 24 hours we had renters on our doorstep - literally. And, we had forgotten to put our phone number on the post, so they had to be diligent to find us. They will take possession on August 5; until then it's deciding whether to SHIP, SELL OR STORE every item in our house. It feels overwhelming, but we're taking it day-by-day and God is holding us up.

We spent the last four days in Juneau, Alaska with Bud's brother and two sisters. We had an awesome time. Thankfully the iphone weather forecast was totally wrong and we didn't have four days of rain and mid 60s but rather three days of blue skies and mid-70s. Thank you Lord! Fishing Friday (five salmon, whales, eagles, sunshine & and peaceful waters!); Saturday was downtown Juneau, shopping, lunch and a tram ride 18,000 feet up, up, up; Sunday a great day of worship and sharing God's faithfulness and our call to Haiti with a warm and loving group of believers and home today! Truly, there is NO PLACE like home!

Still to come...LENKER LIQUIDATION (mega garage sale) on July 29-30. Stop by and pick up some treasures!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR -- we are hosting a THANK YOU DESSERT on Thursday, August 25, 6:30 p.m. at Salem Evangelical Church - 3rd Floor of the Children's Center. We want to have a time of fun, fellowship and express our gratitude for all of your love, support, encouragement, prayers, and...well, just EVERYTHING! We know we can't possibly thank everyone but that doesn't mean we won't give it a try! If you're able to come, please send me an RSVP to either: lenker@salemelectric.com or shelenker@gmail.com or call me at 503-623-8308 and leave a message.

Our latest prayer letter is in the works and you should see it via email or snail mail shortly.

We truly thank God for each of you and your faithfulness to His service. We feel so blessed and honored to be able to serve the King of King and Lord of Lords along with so many wonderful partners.

If not before, we hope to see you all on August 25.

Serving Together,
Bud & Cindy

The Confirmations Continue Coming...

Spent a great weekend in Sun River a few weeks ago with my quilting buddies. I had coordinated the rental of the Sun River home (if you've been there, you KNOW how many homes are in Sun River to rent!) We had scoured the Internet sites and came up with what we thought was the perfect home for quilting. Arrived, unpacked, enjoyed a wonderful four days of friends, fellowship, food and of course QUILTING! When we returned I emailed the owner to say how much we'd enjoyed our time and thanked them for making their house available. I told her I was certain we'd be looking at their house again for future retreats...but, for WHATEVER REASON, I said I would not be the contact next year as my husband & I are currently fundraising to be missionaries in Haiti and that we anticipate being there as early as this Fall. I honestly questioned myself as I was writing the email to her as to why I was sharing this info. She quickly responded that she & her husband had sponsored missionaries in Haiti in the 1980s & 90s and that they had always regretted not going to visit them. I told her they were more than welcomed to come and visit us anytime. As we emailed back and forth we discovered that the couple they had funded were Dr. Vernon Hall and his wife, Lois. Dr. Hall & Lois served with One Mission Society (then called OMS) on the exact compound where Bud & I will serve. And, while Bud & I have never personally met Dr. Hall, his grandson, Greg, and Greg's family, attended our church for several years. Needless to say, both she & I were quite amazed at how God had orchestraed our meeting. With all the houses we could have selected in Sun River, why theirs? Well, I don't know the full answer now, but GOD DOES, and, I am confident that HE's orchestrated our meeting for some purpose. I'm just excited to be a part of it and to see where God takes it from here!

Again, Bud & I just shook our heads in amazement at God's hand in EVERYTHING about our move to Haiti. We praise Him and thank Him for His continued faithfulness and for the continued confirmations that He provides.

Serving Him Together,
Bud & Cindy

God's Timing is Always Perfect...

Bud & I spent last week in Haiti working, meeting with the field director, and picking out our soon to be "Home Sweet Haitian Home". It was a terrific week and we were especially blessed to get to travel with Doug & Jan Hoffman on their first trip to Haiti. We got a lot of questions answered and got to pick our soon-to-be "Home Sweet Haiti Home". Of course, we came home excited and thinking we could be relocated as soon as September. Then, maybe because of fatigue or readjusting to the time change, we both started feeling a bit overwhelmed at all there is to "do" before we could leave. Our Haiti house is lovely and in good condition, but does need to be equipped so comes with a long list of things to "take" when we move. Then there's renting our Dallas home, selling Bud's 1950 Chevy pick-up, a few house projects to be done, growing our ministry team, leaving jobs, family, church family, etc. Whew! Before you know it, we're fretting and doubting and the Lord, in His amazing way, steps in and says, "Be still...I'm here."

I've been doing Beth Moore's "Believing God" study since September and it has been exactly what I've needed at this time in my life. God absolutely KNEW I needed it. This week focused on the FAITHFULNESS of God and Hebrews 11. Just when I'm feeling overwhelmed, Beth writes, "Time is often where He tempers & tests us so that premature births of ministries don't result in lifelong handicaps. God created time & He never wastes it." WOW! What a great reminder! Even though some days Bud & I feel like our lives are on fast-forward, and some days it feels like we'll never be in Haiti, whatever the time frame it's GOD's.

We are so thankful for each of our ministry partners. Without faithful partners, this ministry can't happen. As we prepare to head to Burien, Washington tomorrow to speak at the Burien Evangelical Church on Sunday, we ask for your prayers for traveling safety and that the message we share will be from the Lord and will speak to the hearts there.

Here's a pic of our Haiti House. We are so blessed that it comes with a brand new roof just finished two weeks ago AND thanks to the departing missionary, a pillow-top queen mattress. Oh Joetta, you are our BFF!!

In His Service,

Bud & Cindy

Would appreciate all your prayers this weekend as Bud & I fly out to Florida on Sunday and into Haiti on Monday. What a memorable Valentines Day - spending it in the Caribbean! We are traveling with friends, Doug & Jan Hoffman. It's their first time to Haiti, although they've both been to Mozambique. Doug hopes to be able to establish some agricultural projects in Haiti similar to the work he's done in Kenya. Bud & I will be meeting with the Haiti field director and seeing our good friends - both missionaries and Haitians. The trip will be short - only one week, but we're anxious to see housing options, get more information about our assignment, timeline, language training, etc. More news to come on that!

The following weekend, February 26-27, we'll be in Burien, Washington speaking at the Evangelical Church there. We're hoping to sneak in a stop to Pike's Market too! Again, we would appreciate your prayers for traveling mercies.

A friend today told me a "good" blog includes a lot of pics and less to read (ha!) We're hoping to have a lot of pics to share after we get home from Haiti so be sure to check back in a week or so.

Serving Him Together,
Bud & Cindy