I am not sure where to begin because things have been very unusual for us the last few months (even for being in Haiti). Since the last update we have been back to Florida three separate times, two of which were not planned. 

In August Sandy Miller came with Jim Enslin.  Sandy and I finalized clean out of her belongings and had a massive sale.  Sandy runs a “yard sale” of sorts here and offers clothing, donated suitcases and household items at affordable prices to the staff.  Everyone seems to really enjoy the sales, and this is something I plan to continue. Of course, I will need the help of Sandy because she is a shrewd haggler and she needs a reason to visit.  While Sandy and I were busy with cleanout and the sale John and Jimmy worked on the Clinic waiting area.  Originally it had a shallow overhang so they extended it, so that it shaded more of the actual seating area.  After that project was complete, they then worked on the kitchen food storage area which was getting rat infested.  Together with Eric Helgamo they devised a rat proof room, which they have now dubbed “The Rat Vault”.  At the end of their visit John and I went home for a planned furlough of two weeks.

 We returned two days before hosting the annual board meeting.  That week we started seeing pockets of manifestations (rioting & protest).  Tensions were high because there was a fuel shortage.  This added to the fact that there was also “opposition party" groups against the current president who were paying people to riot and protest.  The fuel shortage was just another tool for the opposition party.  After the board we hosted a medical team from Canada.  When it was time for them to leave it seemed as if exiting the country might become a problem.  Safety wasn’t as big of a concern as the blockades on the roads.  So many blockades caused for even more shortages and travel was reduced to a minimum.  The team got out safely and shortly there after we decided that for the sake of the mission it was best for us to take another leave.  At this point we were just wanting to conserve fuel, water, food etc. for the Orphanage.  The school was closed (after only a few weeks of being open for the year) until further notice and no adoptive parents or teams could come so it was best just to go to the states. Well, that “short” trip back on Oct 3^rd turned into over a month.  We returned to Haiti November 10^th only to stay a little over a week and then be strongly advised to leave again.  At the advice from a source at the US embassy we decided things might get to the point it would actually not be safe to be here if things went from bad to worse. 

We are now back again in Haiti.  We returned December 1^st.  Things seem back to the “normal” they were months ago.  There are lots of rumors as to why things are better but I’ll leave that to one on one conversions. All I know is I am very thankful to be back and happy to start working with the locals again through the Bijou program.  One of my biggest worries was for the Bijou people during these hard times.  The extra money they make creating jewelry and other items is sometimes all the money that they had during these troubling times. 

Time has given John and I time to reflect and get some other minor details worked out in Florida. As well as some home maintenance that needed done. We are so thankful for everyone’s continued prayers and support. We expect a group here the day after Christmas so we plan to stay here for the Holidays and are excited to see a Haitian Christmas. Going forward we are going to try and get an update done at least once a month even if it’s short. 

One final silver lining to returning we received our crate with household supplies and our bed Monday Dec 2^nd.  The day after we got back. Gods timing is perfect!