Happy New Year from Haiti

What an exciting year for us! We started 2009 with Wilckly Josiah in hand. Now he has turned one and needless to say, he is the new Commander in Chief! Shhhh! Don't tell Wilckly. A toddler in Haiti. Now there's a thought. He's a speed crawler and a climber! What a task to keep up with him! He keeps big sisters, Ashley and Kelsey on the move, not to mention Crash, Shaina, grandma Bioude and grandma Reta, mom and dad, all on the move as well.

Looking back to some of the highlights of the year. February brought a reuinon at the home of Dr. Gates in California for many who had been involved getting Lonia to the States, surgeries, and recovery. It was an amazing time for those who had made it happen to finally meet each other. Tammy Wood who had contacted Joe Tebo, the Earth Angel Aviator pilot who was instrumental in getting tickets, airport escorts and expediting Lonia's visa which saved her life, were in attendance. Many from the church family in California were there, not to mention administrators, child life personnel, nurses and doctors from Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento. Everyone enjoyed sharing the story of how they met Lonia or the chance they had to care for her. She turned two in July and is very healthy. She has a sparkle in her eye that we are sure Jesus put there himself. Praise God for this precious little one and the impact she has had and continues to have on many lives.

March found us in Hannibal, Missouri helping the ladies from Hannibal LaGrange College pack their 24 suitcases to the maximum for our return trip to Haiti. We returned with Grandma Reta, Ashley, Kelsey, Josiah, Lonia and myself plus our HLG ladies. It was one amazing reunion as we met Crash in the airport in Port-au-Prince. There are no words to describe it and that's before we got out to the parking lot, loaded up and got a few miles out of town before we had trouble with our vehicle. We spent about the next three hours making a one and a half hour trip to Carries. Being home after all those months was a little short of heaven on earth. There were days I thought that day would never come, but the Lord is faithful.

April and May were spent seeing all the things that Wilckly had been doing in our absence, mainly building walls, walls and more walls around the properties at Carries and the guesthouse. The rest of the time was spent going through things and looking at all the things that Crash had organized. She had really come up with many ideas and forms that have been very beneficial to our ministry. Praise God for her and the blessing she has been to Wilckly and I and our ministry.

June, July and August were back to the grindstone. There's no rest for the weary. I took off with the faithful white van and four kids in tow to tackle camps, VBS, church and Sunday school; anywhere they would give me a listening ear. We shared about the work in Haiti and the vision we have to continue the work He has for us there. We were thrilled to share with supporters, old and new. We thank you for your hospitality. We thank you for your generosity. We thank you for your sincerity and faithfulness to the Lord and to our ministry, without you our mission would be truly impossible.

September found us traveling back to Haiti as a family. Usually Wilckly is in Haiti keeping things afloat. We were thankful when he was able to join us for a month Stateside. Crash was true to her word as she returned to Haiti for a second phase. Shaina Ascone joined us from Macomb, Illinois. She is teaching Ashley and Kelsey, a 10 year old and a four year old. Now that's no task for the weak. She is doing an amazing job and the girls love her, not to mention Josiah.

October was the opening of all five of our schools. We have a new director for our school at Carries and one we are pretty proud of, his name is Petit Homme. It means little man but he packs a big punch. He comes from the church we started at LaSaline in Port-au-Prince, which is still functioning. He and Marc are the main leaders and teachers there. Marc continues to travel by tap tap to Port-au-Prince every other Sunday to help with the preaching and teaching there.

November was a special visit from Denne Duncan from Hannibal LaGrange College. During her visit we made the famous mule ride to Terrible Mountain. Long story short it was a 4 1/2 hour ride in on mules over some of the most treacherous terrain I have ever seen. You are right, it was another 4 1/2 hour ride back out on mules. Do the math! Yes that means NINE hours on the back of a mule! There's good news! There were people back there who have been forgotten by so many others who promised to come. They were so thankful we came that the praise service that was impromptu would have literally gone on for hours if we didn't have to get on those mules and ride back out. No one knew we were staying and there was no cell phone communication back there so we had to head back home. Ten of the women will make the trip to Carries for our first women's seminar that will be held January 15th,16th and 17th, with visiting women from Madison Park Christian Church in Quincy,Illinois that will be presenting our program. Please keep this in your prayers.

December found us frantically typing, editing and printing and typing, editing and printing some more to prepare all of the exams for the school at Carries. Task finally accomplished, we released Crash and Shaina for a couple of weeks to go enjoy the frigid below zero temperatures of the Midwest. It was a joy to celebrate Jesus' birth with our own personal family and the Haitian people knowing that we are serving the Lord right where He wants us to be.

We thank Him for an amazing 2009. We look for another great year in 2010. We pray that many lives will continue to be touched and that souls will be added to the kingdom because of the work that you support here in Haiti. We pray that where ever you are that many souls will be added to the kingdom because you have somehow made an effort to make a difference for Jesus where ever you are.

Love you all and thank you for your faithful prayers and support. Look forward to seeing you here in Haiti soon!

Happy New Year 2010 from Wilckly, Dee, Ashley, Kelsey, and Josiah Dorce' in Haiti!!!