New faces, farewells and hosting company

When we arrived back in Haiti, we were happy to meet a new family that was staying on the campus here for about a month.  Our kids really had fun playing and hanging out with Tucker (pictured with Toby and Hadley) and Layna!

Kurt turned 40 in July!  We enjoyed hosting a little party at our house to celebrate!

At the end of July we had to say good-bye to the Klops (Des and Lee are on the right).  Lee has put much time and talent into the hospital and will be greatly missed!  Desma tirelessly taught our kids school, and we appreciated her energy, enthusiasm and love for our kids!  Sheila (on the left) has been a dear friend and mentor to us, and we will really miss her when she moves to Cayes in September!  Also, I will be taking over her role managing the Doctor's Hotel that we have here on campus for the doctors on call.  Hopefully that will be a good experience for me:)

 We enjoyed having our friends Brent and Alisha (and son Silas) over for supper one evening.  They also brought a couple of our kids' friends along who then stayed the night and played with the boys the next day.

This was a fun day with friends, and the boys loved the air-soft wars:)

 Another night we invited the OB Dr. at the hospital and his wife and daughter to have supper with us.  Also, Patty is a new Dr. that has moved here to work at the hospital.  We are very thankful to have her here, and are enjoying getting to know her!

Before the Zimms head home for furlough, we wanted to have them for pizza on the grill.  We had a fun night together!

I found a recipe for copy-cat Chik-Fil-A nuggets---deep fried yumminess!  We have to get our little taste of America however we can!

Furlough-Fun-Family-Friends

We are so thankful to have had a safe, wonderful, refreshing vacation to Illinois, Florida, Canada, and Wisconsin!  Wow, we really fit a lot in!  We will let the pictures do the talking....

                  

Kurt and the boys spent a week in Canada on a fishing trip with Dad P. and the Plattner guys.

 They caught, ate, and brought home lots of fish!   

 

Since the guys went fishing, we girls thought it only fair to go on our own road trip!  We headed south the Destin, FL and spent a wonderful week of relaxing, swimming, eating, and just enjoying time together!  Many great memories were made!

 Brenna got to hold a fawn that we found on a jeep trail.       Supper on the porch at the Roth's!  (this was only one of the many meals and gatherings they hosted--thanks a million!).  So many great times!  

 We spent 3 beautiful days in Fish Creek, WI with my mom and dad!  Such sweet memories of biking, ice cream, swimming, sunsets over Lake Michigan and mini-golfing (my mother beat us all!).

Our next trip to WI was to St. Germaine with our good friends the Grimms!  We spent lots of time on the water and also found time for baseball, eating out, bag toss, and even a fire in the fireplace when it got cold!  Very special times!

Kurt and his bro!

Waiting for the 4th of July parade!

July 4 was a special day with the Plattner family!  This is Brenna and her cousins playing in the creek.

Steak n Shake is a family favorite for the Wiegands.  We enjoyed an adults-only night out!

It was so great to spend a day with Leah at her family's lake house!  Also, our friend Kirk came for the day, and we were so happy to see him.  Leah's dad flew the Haitian flag on their dock for the day in honor of us "Haitian" visitors!

Our boys spent so much time playing baseball this summer, and they loved it!

The Wiegand cousins and Dads had a campout at Evergreen Lake.  That's always a fun tradition the boys look forward to!

The line-up of cousins at my Uncle's cabin!  We spent a couple days there with my family and had more fun than I could ever write in this blog post!  We are hoping it becomes an annual event!  

Canoeing the Walnut Creek.

Dear, dear Grandma!  Brenna and I went to Hardee's with her one day and really appreciated the time we had together!  Kurt and I each have a grandma in Eureka, and they are both so special to us!

A special thanks to each of you hosted us, showered us with love, and bent over backward to make our trip so wonderful!  Praise God from whom all blessing flow!

We've been back in Haiti for 3 weeks now and definitely settling in to life here again.  

Here's a quick update on the situation in Bonne Fin.  Unfortunately, the first week we were back in Haiti, there were some roadblocks again in Bonne Fin.  Thankfully, it's been pretty quiet since then. We continue to see some benefits from the ongoing dialogue we've had with the community regarding the electricity situation.  In recent meetings, there seems to be a greater sense of reasonableness and more open, productive dialogue.   Last week, Kurt was visited by Minustah officers.  These officers are part of the United Nations (UN) presence here in Haiti.  They work along side of the Haitian National Police.  Kurt was thankful to have their support & was glad to know that they are available to help us if we have more difficulties in the future.  Thanks for the continued prayer support as we serve God here at our mission in southern Haiti.

Safe return to Illinois

After 1-1/2 days of traveling, I safely arrived back in Illinois late last night (Saturday).  To say the least, I'm very glad to be re-united with my family.  I had been in Haiti the past 3 weeks while my family was in Illinois. Thanks to those praying for my travels yesterday.  At one point, it seemed nearly impossible that I'd make it home, due to flight problems, but the way opened and I was able to fly into Peoria late last night.

I'm glad to say that the situation in Bonne Fin seemed to improve some in the past week.  On Wednesday, several of us went to Les Cayes for a meeting with MEBSH.  MEBSH is the mission org. that owns Hospital Lumiere.  We met with the MEBSH executive team to discuss the ongoing challenges that we're having at Bonne Fin.  The outcome of the meeting was very positive in that MEBSH agreed to be more proactive in helping resolve the conflict with the Bonne Fin community.  We were encouraged later in the week to find out that they had already taken action and communicated with some of those in the community.  I've come to respect these Haitian christian men.  Our relationship has grown over the past several weeks.

Also, thankful to hear of so many others that are aware of the situation in Bonne Fin and praying. God is hearing and answering those prayers.

The Journey Continues!

In this past week, there were no roadblocks or demonstrations in Bonne Fin.  We're grateful for that. Yet, the underlying issues remain unresolved & tensions are still high.  On Wednesday of this week, I invited a couple members of the community to my office to discuss the ongoing problems. We had a good meeting and understood each other well, but didn't really gain anything.  I was told by these men, that they couldn't influence the community as a whole and that it would be better to have a larger meeting with more representatives of the community present.  So, we agreed to that.

Yesterday afternoon (Friday), we had that meeting.  Around 12 or so men from the community attended along with our leadership team.  Unfortunately, many that were present had strong emotions and weren't willing to listen or consider a change in their position.  They made unreasonable demands which we declined to accept.  There were a couple men present that were able to think rationally and at least consider what we had to say, yet the majority resisted us.  So, we continue on.  Praying that God's will would be done.  The devil is at work and is attacking yet we're comforted in knowing that God sees it all.  He is still on his throne and in control of all things.

In Psalm 47:7-8 we read,
"For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.  God reigneth over the heathen:  God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness."

Thanks for your prayers.  I've felt a calmness and a peace in this past week in spite of the difficulties.  I can only attribute that to the prayers of the saints and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Update from Bonne Fin

Greetings to all from Haiti:

As many of you are aware, we've had some challenges in the Bonne Fin area in recent weeks.  Joan & I have been communicating updates on the situation with our family & friends using various other methods, but we feel like it may be simplest to just use our blog as a central location for future updates.  

I'll give just a quick update regarding the issues that we're facing here in the past couple weeks as some of you may not be aware.  In recent months, things at the hospital were going quite well.  We've been blessed with good collaboration with our workforce and have seen our patient counts steadily increase.  As I look back on the recent months, I'm grateful for the gains that we've made and thankful for a smooth stretch of sailing!  

A couple weeks ago, that smooth stretch of water ended and we hit some rough seas.  Some members of the local community started setting up road blocks and "demonstrating."  Unfortunately, this is not that uncommon here in Haiti and it's often done when Haitians have major disagreements or anger over political issues or people.  It seems that most of the time, these roadblocks occur due to disagreements between the Haitian people and the government.   In this instance, the demonstrations were directed at the hospital.   

Initially, we were unaware of the reason for roadblocks, but we soon found out the reasons for the manifestations:  electricity for the community, jobs at the hospital, and problems related to specific Haitians in leadership roles at the hospital.  

There have been several meetings recently between us, government leaders, and representatives from the community (the people blocking the roads).    The most recent meeting took place yesterday (Friday) & involved all of the key parties:  hospital admin, govt. leaders, MEBSH leadership and representatives from the community.   There were some positives that came from the meeting.  The governmental officials and MEBSH leadership were supportive of the hospital admin. and were reasonable.  All of the governmental officials spoke in support of finding solutions in a peaceful manner (ie. without manifestations.)  Yet, at the end of the day, we didn't make as much progress as we would've liked and the plan of action was less than ideal. There were several from the community that "tainted" the meeting with false statements and strong emotions.  Unfortunate!

One specific person targeted by the community is our Haitian HR manager.  He returned to work yesterday for the first time in 2 weeks.  He was met with some resistance from the community and it didn't go as smooth as we had hoped.  He's a key employee and kind of my right hand man.  Much of the focus has been on him during the past few weeks simply due to the fact that he's Haitian and not American.  He's getting blamed for issues and decisions that were not his.  So, please pray for him. His name is Jean Pheguens Pierre.  

We know that many of you have been praying specifically for us and this mission in recent days.  Those prayers have been felt and we humbly ask that you continue to support us in prayer.   It's a great encouragement for me to picture specific people on their knees praying to our creator God to walk with us through these challenges.  

Some specific prayer requests that come to mind include:

1. Continue to pray for a peaceful & reasonable resolution to the issue of electricity for the community.

2. Pray for our leadership team at the hospital that's working on these issues on a daily basis (David Z, Lee K., Sheila M., Rick A. & myself).    Pray that the Holy Spirit could guide us each day and that we could feel God's presence and strength in spite of challenging circumstances.  

3.  Pray for those that oppose us ......that their hearts could be changed according to God's plan.  It's hard for me to pray for those that make my life miserable, but Jesus taught us that principle in the sermon on the mount.  Matthew 5:44 says ...Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;"  

4.  Pray for the safety of Mr. Pheguens who is taking the brunt of the threats.

5.  Pray for the leaders of Haiti.  The outlook seems pretty bleak for this country.  I pray that leaders who fear God would rise up and make a difference in this country.  For those interested in an update on the political challenges in Haiti including the struggle to find a President, read this article:  

Haiti needs food, jobs, doctors.....and now a President!

Thanks to each of you prayer warriors that have been supporting us in prayer. Please continue to pray.  

Kurt

Joy in the Journey

The last couple months have been so full I hardly know where to begin!  First of all, we are extremely thankful for all our friends and family that have come to visit us and support us!  On behalf of our family, I would like to thank each one who has made the effort to come!  The anticipation and joy that we feel when we see a vehicle pull in with people we know is hard to describe!  We know what a big trip it is, and how many shots you have to get, and how many unknowns there are, and how winding the roads are, and how big the potholes are, and how different the culture is, etc., etc.!!!  So, to put it plainly, we feel loved!

A large group came from our church in Goodfield at the end of February to work on the Medicine Ward in the hospital.  I am happy to report that last week was the ribbon cutting ceremony, and it is already being well used and appreciated!  It looks beautiful!  And, perhaps of equal importance, was the baseball game we played at the end of that week:).  Our boys were looking forward to it all week, and they were not disappointed!  Many people were touched by the team throughout the week  ---hospital patients, Haitians in the community, and definitely our family and the rest of the missionaries here! 

Our niece Abbie and her friend Brooke came for a week in March, and it happened to be the kids' spring break from school.  They did so many fun activities with the kids and really made it a great week for all of us.  We also spent a day doing a project at the hospital moving files from one room to another.  It was a fun and accomplishing day, and we were so glad for their help!

Last week we hosted Kurt's cousin and his wife from Ohio.  They helped out at the hospital, our house, and wherever they were needed.  So grateful for the fellowship and joy they brought!

Lastly, please join us in praying and spreading the word... we are in need of a teacher for the missionary children for next school year.  Click here for more info. on this teacher position!

Joan

Our team from Goodfield.

Our kids had a blast with Jayci and Alex who came with the Goodfield team.  They spent a lot of time hunting geckos, tarantulas and snakes!

Some very adventurous folks enjoyed riding on top of the Toyotas!

Throughout the week we took small groups out into the countryside to visit some Haitians in their homes.  We took them rice and beans, sang a song, and had a prayer with them.  It was a huge blessing for all of us.  One day, the group was hiking a particularly strenuous mountain, and they weren't sure if it was worth the hike.  When they came back, however, they told us it was VERY worth it....the lady that they visited told them she had just had a dream the night before that a group of people came to visit her and encourage her!

Passing out some gifts at a Haitian home.

Kurt's sister working hard painting!

Our kids had the special privilege of going on a class trip to Cape Haitian in the north of Haiti (about a 10 hour drive from us).  They were gone for 3 days and had a wonderful time experiencing and learning the history of Haiti.  A special thanks to all the chaperones that went along and especially to Miss Desma for giving them this opportunity!

My Ladies singing group recently sang for a team that was here from the States.

Kurt took Reg and Hadley and a Haitian friend to Port to pick up some guests, and they had some time to sight-see,

This was our 10 hour file moving marathon that Brooke and Abbie got to help with.

The files all had to be kept in order, and they ended up in this narrow hallway.

One day we took the girls to a pizza place in Cayes.

I enjoy visiting the hospital during the week.  I sometimes take my mandolin and play and sing for the patients.  I have typed up several Creole songs, so I can sing for them in their own language.  They also like to sing along!

Sometimes Brenna comes with me, and she brings a coloring book and crayons to color with the patients.

The last few months we've been taking our students to Cayes for sports day once a month to play with the kids at the missionary school there.  It has been fun for them to play soccer with a bigger group of kids.

This is the boutique at the Domestic Centre in Cayes where I help out once a week.  Olga (in the picture with me) has become a good friend of mine, and I enjoy working with her.

This was at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new medicine ward.  

Last week we had a dental team here that set up a clinic at the hospital.  They either clean teeth or pull teeth, but nothing in between.  I watched a guy get four teeth pulled!  Kurt's cousin Scott and his wife Sara helped out a bit with the team while they were here.

Sara, Scott and I spent a day painting Kurt's office.

The kids had a science fair for school and spent a lot of time on research and presentations.  Toby did the science of baking ingredients....

Hadley did the science of hydraulics....

Brenna studied different trees of Haiti.  It was a fun and informative project!

We continue to thank God for the beauty that surrounds us here.  Thankfulness, I believe, is the key to finding joy in the journey.