This morning, I sat under a tree with Nalda (pictured above) on my lap. I was enjoying the shade of the tree and the laughter coming from her as the leaves kept blowing onto my shirt. She would pick up the leaf, throw it on the ground, and wipe my shirt a little as if it had left my shirt dirty. Then she would giggle and do it all over again. 5 minutes into our time together, she picked up a leaf that...

Who would have thought 8 years ago, as I was giving birth to my precious Alexis Kathleen, that today we would be spending this special afternoon on a beach with 21 of her little friends in Haiti. Certainly not me!!! We left the orphanage at 2:10pm, the exact time that Lexi was born (her idea) and returned around 6. The kids all had a blast, as usual when they get to spend an afternoon in the water. We...

We had a fun time last night just hanging out upstairs with many of the children. At one point, I counted 27 of them up here … that makes for a lot of noise! But after a while, about 10 of them outlasted the others, the camera came out, and they were having all sorts of fun. Never a dull moment around here, that is for sure. The computer is being kind to me this morning, so I thought I would...

Today was the first day of two that our 4 oldest girls are taking their government exam. When talking with them last night, they were a bit nervous, but really excited about wearing their new pretty dresses that Mama Cheryl picked out for them. I went downstairs at 6:45 this morning and they were all dressed and eating breakfast. I got side-tracked for a minute (imagine that …) and when I walked...

This morning, Cheryl and I talked about walking over to one of the teacher’s houses because we had something to discuss with her and her husband. Cheryl mentioned heading over there at some point in the late morning. By early afternoon, we hadn’t gone yet (very normal for a typical day here) and she came into the kitchen and asked me if I was ready to head out. I went into the bedroom quick...

It is after midnight and I am sitting at the computer trying to upload some photos. Only a few short yards away, church is happening … yes, at midnight … an all night service is going on next door. Right now, they are singing “Because He lives,” and as I write, the tears are falling down my cheeks. “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone....

We returned to Haiti Wed. night after being away for 2 months! We were able to be present for the birth of our grandaughter and help with the other grandchildren, too. Emma Grace was born May 4, weighing in at 6lbs 4 oz. She’s now up to 8 lbs and is an absolutely perfect and beautiful baby It’s a crazy time when we return after being away for so long. The first night back we arrived to...

God put together just the right group for this trip. Here are some our special moments. The birthday party A computer lab! What carpentry work! They love the books! Thanks Dave and Katie! Isn’t she precious? What’s a trip to Haiti without a trip to the market? We’re forever changed! Lord, please watch over the precious children and workers we left behind.

Throughout the month of May, the children in pre-k through 5th grade at Cross Creek Charter Academy (in Byron Center, Michigan) collected change to raise money in order to buy the children at our school some French books. Like many schools in the US, Cross Creek has over 20,000 books available for children to read on a daily basis. After Shelly and Lexi shared in an assembly in April that the children...