Minnesota!*Memories!*Malaria?

Hello All! It has been a bit and so here are some fun updates...

February 10th I headed to Minnesota for a surprise trip to the 3rd Annual Healing Haiti Sweetheart ball.  :) Man, such a fun trip I was able to meet up with some friends, hold baby Louie :), taught Grandma (82) how to facetime on her new ipad and was able to talk with so many at the sweetheart ball--my poor family so patient!

Minnesota

Me and Hannie Cheesing it before my camera died

This boy is ready for any kind of flash floods

Typical

Dave..great to see you man!

Annelisa.Mich.Me.Hannah mah date

Even dede made it out with his beautiful wife Christine

Baby Louie..heart breaker

Salsa Practice with the dental team before the ball

Memories

Before I left for Minnesota we had a going away party for Wilson at the end of January. The translators/drivers and I went out for pizza at pizza amoire. While we waited for the food we each went around telling some of our favorite memories of Wilson and our hopes and prayers for his future. Wilson has been a blessing to many and we pray that God would lead him as He becomes the spiritual leader to his new bride and son and that God would be the cornerstone in every situation. It was a great time to be reminded of the blessings of friendship and of how grateful I am for these men of God that serve the teams each week. Lots of laughter, singing and also some tears as this was one of our last nights together.

Me and the Man of the night

Newlyweds~Meliciane and Brunet~

Lookie Lookie

The Crew

These next photos of Brunet just crack me up

Crying

Sweat rag comes out

When I got back to Haiti on February 17th I wasn't feeling great. Talking through symptoms and this past week just feeling yucky I took a blood test for Malaria, so thankful that it was NEGATIVE! No worries :) So most likely just a yucky virus and getting use to the temperture difference between MN and Haiti. Man though the scare has now made me put my mosquito net up (purchased in December of 2012) and start taking the chloroquine meds again. 

Haiti is snow free this time of year! Come visit the guesthouse I'd love to see you.

1 year already?!

January 2014! Woo Hoo :)

Last year at this time I was just starting at the guesthouse. The second house was coming along and we were all anxious about it being ready for two teams the following week. What a blessing to have friends and fellow missionaries together as we opened guesthouse 2.

Erika, Wilson and I prayed before it opened that God would use guesthouse 2 to bring more people to a closer relationship with Him--that God would dwell in the house and that transformation would take place within the walls. God has more than delivered :) The transformation that occurs between Mondays to me is still my favorite part of living in Haiti.

2014...many things to look forward to. One is trying to see what to do next; graduate school? online? Haiti? States?

All I know is that I am called to be faithful and right now Haiti is where I am suppose to be and so Haiti is where I want to be :) I am still pursusing the possibility of going to grad school for Marriage and Family therapy.

As Healing Haiti continues to grow and expand I am so grateful for the many volunteers that sacrifice their time, talents and treasures to bless the least of these. I will never be able to meet each volunteer but if you come on a trip I hope to thank you in person. ;) Truly the difference that God is doing through Healing Haiti, through relationships that are strengthen--I am in awe of His mighty plan. Lives are changing everyday and here we are witnessing that change.

Missionary Kathy scrubbing the floors

preparing for our Jan. 2013 opening

Skye's Final trip home :(

We stayed at the beach for a night 

during Long-term missionary week

Went to Holidazzle and Macy's Santaland

with friends 

Poor Baby Jesus...MN was too cold

MN is getting pretty nasty at Winter time

I think it must be time to head back to Haiti

All better :)

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year!

Blessings to all in 2014 and hope to see you at the Healing Haiti guesthouse soon!

Elisa Laura

Fou Family and Fou Friends

It has been almost two months since my last blog post and as I read the last entry about Kelly I know she would have been excited to see everything that's going on. Just another reminder to me of what an excellent example and spirit that she had :)

I've been in Haiti for quite awhile and my creole is definitely lacking. However this blog post has a little bit just for kicks. "Fou," means crazy and that's how it has felt with friends and family--what a blessing to have all of these people visit. I am so grateful that each of them were able to witness places that God has broken my heart, to pick up kids that melted their hearts and to see how beautiful Haiti really is.

At the beginning of November my friend Gates came to visit and was able to help coordinate between the two teams at the guesthouse and was able to attend some meetings with me. One was a security meeting that meets on Wednesday.

 

Right before Thanksgiving Ben was able to help out as our locksmith in Haiti.

 

Here's a glimpse at the Grace Village clinic keys prior to Ben's arrival.

Ben has such a heart of a servant. It was such an honor to see him work and talk with him more. On his last night in Haiti everyone jumped in the pick up and we went to Hotel Montana for a beautiful view of downtown PAP. Such a gorgeous place it was nice to spend time relaxing before water truck and his flight back to MN.

Thanksgiving 2013...what a great time we had as a family! Both the Nelson family and the Bachmanns spent the Holiday in Haiti! I remember talking about the idea with the Nelson girls but to actually have it happen was pretty amazing.

Its still debate able but our families have been friend since cira 1996/1997. Our parents have been in Bible Study together for several years and honestly I couldn't think of better people to be with. Truly the Nelson family is the epitome of serving and has such a big heart for the people of Haiti. The last two Christmases they spent at Grace Village serving the kids in Titanyen. So blessed to serve alongside them and to be able to do life together as families. They knew our family before politics, before people "knew" who we were. What a blessing to have friends that can walk with you in life during the peak mountain top experiences and the low valleys. God has equipped both our families with a network of believers that have been there for each other in so many ways. I wouldn't want to do life without this kind of genuine fellowship.

We split the week with my family arriving a few days before Thanksgiving and the Nelsons staying a few days after. At the beginning of the week we were able to visit Grace Village and one of Samaritan's Purse orphanages in Haiti. Thanksgiving day was busy preparing food and setting the table for around 36 people. What a blessing to have so many people at the table! Turkey Bingo made debuted in Haiti and was lots of fun. Great food and great night that ended with Its a Wonderful Life..tradition.

Decorating

Friday was lots of fun especially as a surprise to many. I don't think anyone knew that we would actually be able to visit the waterfall or that we would be able to see the ocean but we did! We rented two large 4wd vehicles and headed to Jacmel Haiti.

On the way we stopped for the view and met some kiddos :)

 

Getting close to the waterfall

 

Here it is ;)

We had so much fun! After the waterfall we headed into the city of Jacmel and finally to the beach. Such a great time with everyone. The seafood on the beach was amazing. I've never had better fish than in Jacmel!

 

There you go! Its been such a great time laughing, serving and just loving life together. God has been so good and we are all so blessed to be able to have the opportunities that we have. To be able to share this experience and this country with my family was such a gift.

Until next time!

Elisa Laura

 

 

Kelly

I've known Kelly since my Junior High days. I met her through Teens for Christ and Bible Quizzing. Her love for youth and a desire for genuine faith ignited something inside me.

Kelly had the tendency to be a friend to anyone whether they belonged or not. Her ability to relate to young adults made it easy to open up to her about life and personal struggles.
I remember leadership trips with Teens for Christ where we would stay up late just to talk with Kelly and hear stories and laugh about what we did during the day. There were always inside jokes that continued for years even at Kelly's expense. No matter where we were or what we were doing Kelly always had a listening ear to each of us. My own friends from youth group days are some of my closest friends and so I know spending this time together remembering Kelly and who she was is something each of us hold dear.

Kelly was always involved in volunteering, whether it was setting up for VBS, Bible Quiz events, Spa night at youth group, summer girls Bible study--if Kelly was involved she was going to do it right. One summer we did a study on the book "Captivating," by Stasi Eldredge and Kelly had a new adventure for us each time we came over. One of Kelly's most endearing qualities was her ability to bond with others. To meet people where they were at, knowing God sees them and loves them. I know that her decision to step back from Teens for Christ and Bible Quizzing because of her health was not an easy one.
   As I made decisions of my own, where to go for college, going on a missions trip or becoming a missionary I knew I needed Kelly's advice. Many discussions at her kitchen counter ended late and always left me in good spirits. Her love for others was so evident in the way she spoke, served and was.
1 Timothy 4:12 says; "Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all Believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith and your purity."
Often I am challenged by this verse. Kelly's love for youth was rooted in knowing that God was putting together some amazing testimonies.

For her family...
Jim I saw your patience with all of us girls coming over and staying late. Thank you for your caring spirit as she was sick. What an example you have been of a Christian husband and father.
Cori, Jake, Trevor, Caleb and baby Ellie--thank you for sharing such an amazing woman with so many. Kelly really changed so many lives in ways we'll never know. I know her time away from home was a sacrifice but I am eternally grateful for the time she was given and the time I was able to spend with her.

My last trip to Minnesota we talked about what God has been teaching us and how it was playing out in our lives. We both said God was showing us how much he loves us, how when we least deserve it God forgives us and cares for us. She talked about how God's desire was and is to heal and that is what happened to Kelly-she stands before an Almighty God healed from all earthly sickness. While on earth Kelly really lived out her faith in a way that was real and used opportunities in daily life to witness to others.
1 John 3:18-19 says; "Dear children let's not merely say that we love each other, let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God." My prayer is that we would choose to love our neighbors, to live life worthy of a purpose greater than ourselves, that we would surrender our life to the Creator of the universe to bring Him glory.

Kel Kel you have been my mentor and friend. I'm going to miss talking with you, laughing with you and praying with you. Thank you for serving, for loving and listening to me when I needed to talk and for your wisdom that will be instilled in my spirit. You talked about how God was going to use your sickness for his glory and I believe He is. Your legacy of servanthood is evident to so many. I am thankful for you and honored to have been apart of seeing God work through you. Love you Kel

Convertible Ride 

Target Practice 

Picking out some Hallmark cards

Sleepover at the cabin for spa night

Love you..

What do you do?

Great question! Its funny to me how I can literally answer this question different everyday but I'll try my best to give you a general idea of what a typical week in Haiti looks like:

Monday--busy day!!
The beginning of the week for me, as one team leaves to go back to the states that same afternoon we welcome a new team to serve the most vulnerable in Haiti.
With a few hours between teams we try to do the majority of odd projects; delivering FMSC food, delivering materials to Grace Village, grocery shopping and just about anything else that needs a taptap for transportation.

Deciding on Tile for building projects

Tuesday: Water truck day for our teams. As I work with security I'm typically anxious for them to return from Cite Soleil, I know God keeps us safe but it still keeps me alert while they are away! What an awesome experience for our Cite Soleil Boys to play in the Blaine Soccer tournament. I loved watching all the facebook posts!

KSTP and other stations did stories on the U-14 team.

So proud of our Haiti boys! Next year there will be a girls team as well :) 

Wednesday: After the teams leave the guesthouse to serve for the day I attend a security meeting near Petionville. Its such a great opportunity to talk with other NGOs about what they are doing in Haiti for security and what we as Healing Haiti should be doing and what we are doing well.
I've really enjoyed this time with other people from foreign countries that have a heart to serve and truly believe that there is a difference to be made in Haiti.

The last Wednesday in July we attended Max's wedding: here with his daughter and nephew.

Wedding Party

God-mother; didn't know until just before :)

Max: "Elisa, can I have phaunis tacos for the wedding?"

Elisa: "OUI!"

For the rest of the week it seems to vary pretty heavily. Majority of the time I am answering emails, scheduling teams, coordinating transportation and general guesthouse needs. I also am able to assist Jean when needed as he continues to stay busy all the time. I feel so blessed to be able to work and live with such awesome people. Here's a glimpse into guesthouse happenings.

Fabrice seriously wanted me to eat this bird.

Brunet and Nick not as interested

Brunet just wanted to eat the bird himself

Katusha was bit by one of the dogs :/

She was ok-such a brave little girl!

Spotted: Martelly's(Haiti's President) son at Wahoo Bay

--with the bleached hair--

Spotted: Sleeping team members :)

We know how to wear you out!

Arm wrestling

Even Fanfan tried to beat the champion...

unsuccessful but entertaining :)

Oak!!

What a cutie!! We just love this kid!

Sunday: I try to make a day of rest. Trying to connect with family back home. Church in the morning at PAP fellowship and some down time while the teams are on their mountain tour after church. 

Sunday worship at PAP fellowship.

The power goes out for about 20 mins, doesn't fade us we 

just continue to worship! Love :)

Hope this post answers some of the questions about my job here in Haiti. When I am asked that question I typically say that everyday is different but its consistently different ;) So happy for the change in pace and the constant happenings! Hope everyone is having a great end of summer. Looking forward to a beautiful fall!

Always

Elisa Laura