breadfruit

okay, who can tell me about this fruit? nicole brought it to me today because i said i didn't know what it was. she says that to fix it i have to boil it with water and salt.... she offered to do it for me, but it was her day off and i told her she can do it tomorrow. so, search this fruit out, give me the info, and pray for me as i try to eat it!!

it was a productive day here at the "o."

my garden

look what God made!

backed up?

when your mom tells you to clean the bathroom have you ever had to do this? aren't you glad you can call a plumber?!!

for giving thanks

there is a time for everything under the sun....
i am so thankful for the opportunity to serve the Lord here in haiti.
i fail daily in my sinful attempts to please Him, yet He is gracious to me.
i am thankful for my amazingly supportive family and their faithfulness to Christ.
i am thankful for brendie, for emily, for so many incredible friends all over california who pray for me and take care of me in so many ways.
i am thankful for 31 children who make life joyful, playful, trying...
i am thankful for wonderful adoptive families who have counted me as their own.
i am thankful for my church families and all their prayers.
i am thankful for beautiful starry nights when i look up and miss you all.
i am thankful that i am healthy.
i am thankful for bottled water and for my own stove.
i am thankful for my beautiful computer and wireless internet!!!!

happy thanksgiving, friends!
may the Lord bless you and keep you.

surprisingly it won't start....

meat market

anyone hungry? i watched this lady just hacking up that poor pig's leg and thought, "no one at home buys pork like this!"

wide mouth frog

okay, this toothbrush has revolutionized brushing! i needed a new one so i reached for the 8 pack my mom so graciously purchased at costco. i put on some paste, dunked it in my cup of bottled water and began to brush. OH MY GOODNESS!! talk about invasive! this thing is unbelievable! it has little scrubbers everywhere! you're working hard scrubbing your teeth while the back side is just a-brushin' away at your gums! i come away from the bathroom feeling like i've stretched out my mouth; but also feeling incredibly minty clean.
i gave one to jimmy immediately (i have 8), and told him just to try it out. well, it scared him a bit and he retired it for a few days until i encouraged him that it's probably really good for him. he's picked it up again, but i completely understand. now everytime i head for the bathroom, i have to prepare myself for the brushing. it's like going into battle . . . with my gums.

get one!

jimmy's birthday party

we had dancing, we had food, we had . . . a great night. (but i don't really know that guy. he asked me to take a picture with him, so i did!)

for papa

sorry i didn't add pics, dad. here are some. i bought a cute yellow skirt too, but couldn't figure out how to get a good pic. well, not that these are "good." the thing is, it was dark. we didn't have any electricity! :)

clothes

so, i've decided i like clothes shopping in haiti. i was telling gretchen about it and she says it sounds like the vip shopping at nordstrom. kinda! it works like this:
someone has a cousin who sells clothes. they say to said cousin, "hey there's a white girl i work with who will buy some of these things. let me take some to work and show her. then you can give me a little bit of what you make!"
and the cousin thinks it's a great idea so she gives my employee some items. the employee figures she knows what you-you likes because she knows my whole wardrobe by working with me, so she picks out some choice items.
then she comes to work and spreads them out on a table and calls for me to come see. she tells me they're not too expensive and that i'll really like them. (she also knows my general size!)
not surprisingly the items are to my liking; my employees take note! then she tells me the price, "$40." now, if you do the math, that comes to less than $7 u.s. so, right to my living room, clothes that have been picked out especially for me for under $7 ~> now that's the way to shop!!

prayers

our God is truly great! i don't know how else to say that. thank you all for your continued prayers! i can honestly feel them and they carry me along. things are going so well down here. there are always kinks that need to be worked out in every new project, and i feel like things are much smoother now. things were cleared up with the english teacher and i'm looking forward to so many visitors next month (YEAH ELIAS!!) my amazing brother is coming and has already started learning some creole! i'm excited to go home for Christmas (are my bosses gracious?) and i hope to see you all when i'm there! thank you for being faithful in praying. the Lord hears you!

bon fet, jimmy

hey all, this is jimmy. he's been my closest friend since i moved down here and i wanted you all to see his face since i've talked about him a bit. thursday the 16th is his birthday so, "happy birthday, my friend!"

o gaude!

mama, i'm sorry we got disconnected, but this is what i'm dealing with. five lines can connect to that little box, and there are three lines coming from the wall. but only two of them should be plugged in. if all three are plugged in it doesn't work. it's kinda hard to figure out which ones to plug in if some or all get disconnected....

flutterby

well look who came to visit while i watered! i took this; i didn't clip it from somewhere!!

jo jo

when i was still living in california i was looking at the three angels website and getting excited about coming down here (for 6 months!). i saw this boy, jonas, and fell in love. and then one night after i had been here a few weeks, i went upstairs with all the kids to get them ready for bed. he fell asleep half on the floor and half on my lap. i cried a little that night thinking about how amazing God is. He put this dream in my heart so long ago and now here i am! i'm so thankful for this opportunity! and i'm so thankful for jo!

fun with pictures

Cool Slideshows

i was just trying this out to see if it would work! yea! it's fun!

it helps to have noah!

today was tough. but so many of you are praying for me, that it really makes things better. gail in particular was a good reminder to me today. when we are both frustrated she knows to say we need to take a deep breath and give it all over to the Lord. we need to remember it's in His hands. brendie too, was encouraging. thank you all for praying! your faithfulness is strength!

me and spiderman

i could really use some prayer. it's not so easy at the top!! you know in that horrible movie "spiderman 2" when they pound into your head that it's not easy being a superhero by scene after scene of bad things happening to peter parker and finally you just want to scream, "okay! we get it! he's having a hard time being a superhero! can we move on?" no? well, i kinda feel like peter parker.
while i was away, our english teacher was let go. he is currently taking me to court for his severance pay, which he doesn't feel was sufficient. there are, or will soon be, some other issues with former (or soon to be former) employees. it feels like they just keep coming. i would really appreciate prayers for guidance for myself, the employees, the judges.... you know, the whole lot of us! all the paperwork is in french, and i only kinda have an attorney.
the board is completely supportive of me, but that doesn't stop any of the process, you know? so, please, help me out in this and pray for me!
thank you

dane!

i have known dane and his family since i was 7 years old. (a great year, huh dad?) and TODAY dane and don (his dad) came to visit me here in haiti! they are working with local men to start an orphanage outside of port au prince! dane's older brother jordan is the reason i came to haiti in the first place. he called me one day and said he was going to haiti for a week with global missions fellowship and he thought i should go with him. it was a wonderful trip and i suppose it changed my life, eh? i mean, i live here now, right?! wow. so, praise God for the skow family and their williness to reach out! i pray that the Lord will use them to bless more children here in haiti.

when i was a little girl i used to ask dane to marry me all the time. now he says 20 years of flirting may have paid off! he tried to get the haitian pastor they were with to do the cermony today, but i said i'd at least have to talk with my parents first!!

emilson (ti mari'm)

this is emilson. he is one of my most favorite people in haiti. he never stops. always singing, dancing, laughing; i just adore him! he put my glasses on and i couldn't resist!

okay, so i already have a picture of fritzson on here, but come on! look at this kid! look at that smile!