2 more sleeps.

Wow! Time is flying by way faster than I ever imagined. The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind and I don't think it's going to stop anytime soon. On Friday, Cal and I will leave Haiti on the bus and head for Santiago, DR where we will spend the week until we fly to Canada on August 10.

This past weekend we held a spiritual retreat for the clinic as well as key leaders in the community. Thank you so much for praying it as it was a great success in my mind. Some major decisions were made and there was a good time of sharing. The clinic now has a new leadership (board) and I believe that God is at work and that we will see great growth in the future.

I want to ask you to keep praying for Cal's dad. He has still not recovered from his illness. We don't have a clear diagnosis, but he is experiencing headaches (less than before) and weakness in his feet and legs which makes it really difficult for him to walk. We've been spending a lot of time with him, encouraging him to eat and exercise so that he can recover. It's difficult to leave him at a time like this, but we have confidence that God will continue to heal him.

Packing kicked into high gear yesterday and today. I have all the things Cal and I will take packed into 3 checked bags, 2 carry-ons and one backpack! I'm so impressed with us! Now we just hope that all our bags make the fairly short connections we have on the way to Saskatoon.

We been enjoying time with friends and family, going to soccer games and beginning our good-byes. Please keep us in your prayers over the next few days.

The Plan

First of all, I may be a bit crazy for making a "plan" - I do live in Haiti after all. Planning is not part of the culture here, and if it does happen, it rarely works out the way you intended. But, I have made a plan.

Next weekend, Cal and I will go over to Santiago for a few days. The main reason for the trip is to get my passport stamped (I have to leave the country every 90 days) so that I'm legal. The secondary reason is to have a "break" from Haiti. Even though the DR and Haiti share the same island, they seem to be worlds apart in many respects. Going to Santiago for a few days gives me back a bit of sanity and normalcy - smooth roads, traffic lights, fully stocked grocery stores, hair salons, restaurants, fast internet, 24 hour electricity and a hot shower.

Since I've been in Haiti, I've been making the trip over to the DR every few months and it has been wonderful. Anyways, we are planning to go next weekend. But, before we go, I have a plan. Cal and I never really "dated" while we were dating. A date for us was going to the bank in Limbe on his motorcycle and having a cold drink afterwards - exciting stuff. So, we're going to have a date! It's Cal's birthday on Saturday, our 6 month wedding anniversary on Sunday, it'll soon be the 1 year anniversary of our engagement and since we never really celebrated my birthday together (it was in July) we are going to celebrate - I think there are enough events to justify it.

Since we will be taking the bus from Cap to Santiago next Friday am, instead of waking up early to be there at 8 am, we are going to go to Cap on Thursday afternoon and get a hotel for the night! We are going to go for a nice supper at a nice restaurant and eat ice cream! I'm going to have a hot shower, Cal can watch cable tv. I may even go get my nails done. Oh the excitement!!

Yep, that's the plan. We'll see if it works!

For real this time

Alright, being as I haven't posted anything of much substance in over a month - I'll do my best to catch up.

First of all, the wedding was fantastic - it went smoother than I could ever had hoped for. My friends and family all arrived in and left Haiti safely - my biggest concern. I was able to go pick up my friend/cousin Melissa in Puerto Plata in mid-April. While in the DR, we were able to make a quick trip down to IKEA in Santo Domingo with Tammi to do some serious kitchen/housewares shopping. It was a success and I must say it was definitely strange to be eating Swedish meatballs and boiled potatoes in the DR - but when in IKEA...

Melissa and I came back to Haiti in time to pick up my other good friend Rose a week before the wedding and promptly went to get manicures and pedicures in Cap Haiten. Not something I ever treat myself to in Canada, but when its only $5 US for each, how can you pass it up?

The three of us had a good time relaxing, catching up and just hanging out in Haut Limbe. We even got an afternoon of  fried fish and suntanning at the beach one day!

Melissa and I at the beach

Rose and I at the beach.

 On the Wednesday, my family (parents, sister, brother-in-law, nieces and nephew) arrived in Cap Haitien. It was great to be able to show them where I've been living and my life here. My nieces and nephew are all little blond, blue-eyed cuties so they were quite the spectacle in town where people have probably not seen many white children.

While in Haut Limbe, we prepared favours and decorations for the wedding and then headed into Cap on Friday to spend the night at the lovely Hotel Christophe.

On our way to Cap - wedding dress safely packed in the pink bag!

We woke up to a beautiful, sunny Saturday and we able to get ready in time to have some pictures done in the hotel's courtyard before heading off to the venue for the ceremony and reception. The wedding was supposed to start at 12, and I think we actually got going at about 12:45 - not too bad by Haitian standards! Even with out having a rehearsal, the ceremony went fairly smoothly and mission accomplished - we got married!!

Mme David, Mme Marc (caterers) and me.

The cake!

The ladies prepared us a wonderful meal and an extravagant cake - I had know idea what to expect! Everyone ate their fill and by 3 pm, we were all done. It was perfect and I couldn't have asked for anything to be different.

Friends!

With Alin who brought the plants and flowers for decorations.

Tammi - photographer and friend!

 On the Monday following, after my family friends boarded their plane, Cal and I went to Puerto Plata for our honeymoon for a week and a half. It was a beautiful resort with great food.

Resort in Puerto Plata

Before dinner on the last night.

We ended the honeymoon by stopping in Santiago for one night with Tammi and to do some last minute shopping for the house.

Our little kitchen.

We are back now and are mostly settled into our apartment. I'm enjoying brushing up on my cooking skills and impressing Cal that I actually know how to cook.

This Wednesday, a group of 12 arrive from Strathmore to help at the clinic, so we'll be busy! I'm excited to see what God has in store for them.

Thanks for all your encouragement and support - Cal and I appreciate it so much!

Home again

It’s good to be home in Haiti. We arrived back here late Saturday afternoon after a lovely weekend in Santiago to end off our vacation in the D.R.. We were able to get our haircut, do some shopping, go out to dinner and enjoy all modern conveniences for just a little longer.

By last Friday, I was mentally ready to come back here. I was missing my friends and family here and I was excited to get back to work. I even had a renewed desire to study my Creole just a little harder. Being away was good and needed – it made coming back that much more sweeter. I’ve loved walking down the street greeting people who I see everyday and having them be excited that I’m back. It’s good to know that you are missed.