Hi

On the Move

There's been no time to let the grass grow under our feet, we are on the move. We returned to Haiti in March with our group of ladies from Hannibal LaGrange College in Hannibal, Missouri. We had been gone from Haiti for nine months at that point. I have never been gone from Haiti that long in the sixteen years I have been in Haiti.


We took care of a few things. Lonia had four successful surgeries. Ashley completed fourth grade. Kelsey turned four and had a great birthday party. Josiah was born. Wilckly was in jail on false charges,for thirteen days, in Port-au-Prince, before finally being released. Crash "survived" in Haiti until our return. She is amazing! Wow! We finally arrived in Haiti but we had trouble with our vehicles on the way home. The hour and half drive from the airport to Carries turned into a miserably tiring voyage BUT, when we finally arrived, what a reunion for everyone! Another typical day in Haiti...anything that can go wrong probably will at the least desirable moment.


Returning to Haiti, Lonia was able to meet her new brother Ezekiel. We were able to return to the mountains where she is from so that all of her grandparents, aunts and uncles could see her. They were all amazed and thrilled to see her alive. Thrilled enough to cook a special meal for us. Give us gifts such as produce from their garden and livestock on foot such as roosters and goats for us to eat.




Wilckly hired Lonia's dad to work for us when we left Haiti for all of Lonia's surgeries. He moved Lonia's mom and dad to Carries and gave them a house to live in. Wilckly knew that it was too complicated and delicate to just come back to Haiti and hand Lonia to her parents but he wanted to make sure they were near us so that I could continue to care for her. Indeed the situation was delicate. Her colostomy had been reversed and she had a new bottom but the heat didn't do us any favors. Her parents soon understood after seeing the amount of care that was needed and constant attention to keep her bottom from getting so irritated or getting infected.




Lonia's mom and dad are thrilled that she is alive. They are so thankful to see her walking and playing. They are even happy that she speaks English and doesn't really understand their Creole.





We don't know what the future holds for Lonia but we do know that God went out of His way to make a special plan for her life. We are thrilled to know that we could play a small part in that plan. We now have a three year multiple entry visa for Lonia. She has already traveled to a couple of camps with the kids and I this summer. Please keep her in your prayers. Lonia's birthday is coming up soon. She will be two years old on July 29th, 2009. Praise the Lord for our miracle girl! Praise Him that her parents didn't listen when they were told to leave their new born daughter by the steps on the way out because she was going to die! Praise you oh Lord, for our sweet little Lonia.

We continue to travel doing camps, VBS and speaking at our supporting churches and updating them on the work going on in Haiti.





June 28 - July 3 Dee at church camp at Shelby County, Clarence, MO


Crash in VBS at High Hill, MO





July 5 - July10 Dee at church camp at Shelby County, Clarence, MO


Crash at church camp at High Hill, MO



Charlie at VBS at New Market Church of Christ

July 11 - 18 Dee in Haiti, Bioude's daughter Tika getting married

July 18 Crash day camp at Lamoine

July 19 - 24 Dee at VBS at Palmyra, MO

Crash at VBS at Montezuma, IA

July 26 - 31 Dee at VBS at Liberal, MO

August 23 Dee at Oak Hill Christian Church, Houston, MO

Dee and Crash open in August to speak before returning to Haiti Sept. 2, 2009

If you would like to contact us call:

Dee 573-324-4040

Crash 660-341-1519

We would love to meet with you. Maybe it's been awhile since you've been supporting us and you want to send a team to see what is happening in Haiti. We're waiting to hear from you so give us a call.

Dee

This Is Crash's Face...This Is Crash's Face on Mango Milk

The thing about Haiti is... well...you just never know what's going to happen next. For instance when Crash helped harvest the mangoes by being the mango catcher on the ground. The boys threw them from the tree and she caught them and put them in the box so we could put them in the depot to ripen. If we leave them on the tree, little animals make holes in them and they rot or two legged animals take them and we never get to eat them. Crash, being the helpful person that she is, was trying to help save the mangoes and feed people. She had the best of intentions. She has eaten mango many times and she has never been allergic to anything in her life, except mango milk, which unfortunately she did not know about. Mango milk is the sap that comes out of the end of the mango where it was hooked to a long string like stem, hanging from the tree. None of us thought about this until she got up in the morning and her face was bright, shiny, and red. Her eyes were swollen and she was looking out through little slits in her face. I guess she was surprised herself at how she must look when she asked if it looked like there was anything wrong with her face. She didn't even get the sentence out and she saw the look on my face. I said, "What in the world happened to you?" She had a red rash all over her chest and arms which itched like crazy. We found some Benedryl and sent Mdme Marc for some calimine lotion and more allergy medicine because we only had a couple Benedryl pills. Crash tried all of these but found no relief. Monday called for new and drastic measures because it was only getting worse. There is nothing like the heat of Haiti to cool your itching skin when you have a horrible reaction like this. We had to ride close together in the front of the big, blue, faithful, mission machine with the windows down trying to keep cool in the breeze since there is no air condition. The temperature in the shade lately has been 90, so use your imagination. Needless to say it was very uncomfortable for someone in Crash's condition. She was a trooper. It was kind of un-nerving though, this sealed look on her face that just said, "Yes, I am really annoyed and sick of it all and want to go home now!" I felt pretty helpless not to be able to accomadate. We arrived at the clinic and got in quickly. The doctor looked at our sack of meds and said we were giving her all the right things we just needed to wait. Then he must have saw me flinch as I almost lunged at him and he quickly recovered saying that there was a shot of a medication called promethizine that would help calm it all down. He asked me if I could give the shot. I said no. He said he had an American nurse who could help us. I thought he meant at the clinic, of course. All of the sudden he handed me the phone and I am talking to this lady. She doesn't know why she's talking to me and I don't know why I am talking to her but I explain our situation to her. She went off on this whole thing about having had a similar reaction recently and that there is no epinephrine available in this country but that all missionaries should have some on hand. She prayed with me right there on the phone to be able to find the promethizine. We exchanged phone numbers and headed for the clinic pharmacy which did not have promethizine. I then went across the road to the hospital and asked for it at their pharmacy. Well of course they didn't have change for my Haitian $50 bill, which is not unusual. I sent the man with me to buy a coke so I could have the change to pay for the medicine. In the mean time, I chatted with the nurse asking her about the hospital and telling her about Lonia. The man returned with my coke and change. As I was chugging it down, I heard the nurse say, "Oh no, I don't even have PROMETHIZINE!!!" I couldn't believe it but managed not to shower everyone with my mouthful of coke. Before I could respond, the nurse said, "However, I know we do have some in the operating room but I can't charge you for it." She took off after it when I gave her the "Mdme Kiki" look. She came back with it and I thanked her for it and paid her $2 Haitian for a syringe and I was on my way to give Crash relief. Unfortunately she had to wait until we got back home and Monique came to give her the shot. She was pretty stir crazy at that point. She took the shot and kept rubbing on the Calamine. By evening she felt no relief. When Pasteur Quene called I asked him to buy another shot to give her that evening. It was late and most pharmacies were closed. The only promethizine they had was in a huge bottle. The took a sryinge, filled it with the correct dose and placed the syringe back in its original paper and Pasteur Quene took careful pre-cautions to bring it to Carries on a tap-tap. It cost $25 Haitian. We then had to wait for Monique to call the nurse at the pharmacy and confirm that we really had a shot of promethizine. She finally received the shot but the next morning she didn't feel like there was much success. We sent for more promethizine which was delivered in the same manner BUT there was a new pharmacist and she doubled the price to $50 Haitian. What a country! Well, we know that many of you were praying for us and that is the only reason our story has a good ending. Crash's face has since cleared up. We no longer call her monster face and children do not run when they see her. Thank you so much for praying. The moral to this story is: Beware and don't touch the mangoes, especially the sap because you are probably allergic to them. WE HAVE DECIDED THAT THIS ADVICE WILL BE STRESSED OVER AND OVER TO ANYONE WHO COMES TO VISIT US ESPECIALLY IF YOU'VE NEVER BEEN ALLERGIC TO ANYTHING BEFORE!

Nine months for a Rooster!

Nine months for a rooster! This might be an insult to many of you but to Mdme Kiki, returning to Haiti with Lonia after nine loooong months, it was the ultimate compliment! It was like something out of an old black and white movie or stories my great grandma used to tell of her childhood and how they used to pay the doctor with produce from the garden. It was a very small but very heart felt gift of poultry to convey the very essence of thankfulness in their hearts that little Lonia was alive and would live to see many more birthdays. I must admit I was a little overwhelmed and I felt a little selfish receiving it. I mean, not sharing with Dr. Gates, Beverly, Anna Lynn, Joe and Charlotte Tebo, Charlie and Teresa Bowen and so many others who had played such a big part in everything coming together and being accomplished for Lonia, it just seemed wrong.

I want to tell you more about how special it was and why there was so much meaning behind it. It was given by her grandma, her dad's mom. I had met her on our trip to Cupois as we took Lonia to the homecoming party that had awaited her up in those distant mountains. She apologized for not having anything to give me then. She laughed and hugged and kissed Lonia and I and promised she would be sending something. Little did I know what the "something" would be. Bright and early, Saturday morning, Pierre's brothers brought the rooster along with an apology from their mother. You see, she had also been fattening a goat. The prize possession of this elderly woman in her two room dirt shack was being saved and treasured to give as a gift for me caring for Lonia and all that went with it. The day they were ready to bring the goat, they found he had eaten someone's garden. The owner of the garden had proudly taught people the lesson of keeping their goats out of his garden by cutting the head off of the goat and leaving it lay in the garden to be found by its owner. Needless to say, the woman was devastated by the random actions of the gardner. She was also embarrassed to be only able to send the rooster, which I humbly accepted and proudly ate the next day before something drastic had time to happen to my new prized possession! Nine months for a rooster? You bet, and I would do it all over again without blinking an eye. What a privilege to be in the service of our Lord and King! May this find you serving Him faithfully!
Dee

Home Sweet Home! Haiti

Kids kids and more kids! Lonia and HLG women at Cupois

Action of Grace, church at

Carries

I personally thought March 7th, 2009, would never come! Of course it did however. Praise the Lord for that. Nine months was a long time to be gone from the country I love so dearly. The country that I have lived in for the past 16 years, day in and day out, Haiti, definitely my home. This is a good thing. It is where I function. It's where I am needed. It's where I am respected. It's where God allows me to use all that He has given me to serve Him. I don't mind telling you that for the last nine months I have truly felt like a fish out of water. I have met the task head on. I did what needed to be done. Lonia is alive and well and thriving. Josiah is almost 3months old. Ashley is about to finish the 4th grade. Kelsey is 4 going on 14 and talks a mile a minute. Wilckly is out of jail and busy about the Lord's work. Crash has survived Haiti without me and even speaks Creole. I Dee am Mdme Kiki and I am happy to be home in Haiti.

We left PAP at 4:30 in two vehicles. About thirty minutes out of town, the pick up broke down. We should have arrived home around 6pm. Instead we had to pull the pick up, stopping and starting a million times before finally arriving at 10 pm. We were all totally exhausted! Don't know what I would have done without the help of all those "superwomen" from HLG in Hannibal, Missouri. You all are my heroes. WELCOME TO HAITI!

Sunday morning was a very special service called Aksyon de Gras or Action of Grace. There were more than 8 churches represented that morning. Each came with a special singing group from their church with several songs to share for the occasion. It was a special get together to welcome us back to Haiti and to thank God for all of His actions of grace in returning us there. Many people were praying for us here and in the States. This was their magnificent way of saying thanks to the Lord and the many answers He gracefully provided for all of our prayers. It was evident to me through this special homecoming and gathering of the saints that the Lord is alive and well and with us in our ministry in Haiti. I saw, through teary eyes, people who have stood in total opposition to us and our work, now standing together before the Lord, praising Him under one roof. It was very powerful! Thank you for praying.

Taking Lonia home to the mountains of Cupois was a very special day also. The church choir prepared a few songs to thank us for all that was done to make sure this little girl stayed alive. It was a special time as her mom, dad, aunts, uncles, grandparents and godparents gathered around to see our miracle girl. She was her natural, sweet, captivating self as they gathered around to try to get their hands on her. In typical Lonia style she gave them all a quick kiss and a hug after completely showing off all of her English speaking skills, including singing for them and naming all of her body parts, and then she was ready to go with mom Kiki and eat. She is staying with us at Carries and her parents are close by with her new baby brother, Ezekiel. Please keep us in your prayers and Lonia's health as she adapts back to Haiti. Thank you each and every one for all you did to take care of Lonia, the girls and I while we were in the States. We can never thank you enough and we will never stop praying the Lord's continued blessings on each of you.

Mdme Kiki

Dee

O

Lonia...our miracle girl!

LONIA - JULY 2008, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

Wow! Looking at this picture brings a flood of emotions that are indescribable. It seems like a year ago in March when we first met this little girl is so many moons ago. It has definitely been a roller coaster of a ride. The kind that has all the extras. The upside down, hanging by your fingernails type of ride. First you are up, then you are down. You're on the ride going round and round. You are laughing, crying and screaming at the same time. Somehow, it's all good. Then you step off the ride, plant your feet on solid ground, things slowly stop spinning. You take a look at the ride you've just been on and you say, "Now that's plain crazy! I can't believe I did that!" This is exactly how the year has been with Lonia. The spinning is slowly coming to an end. We are trying to plant our feet on the ground. We stand amazed as we glance back at the ride and say, "Wow, God! Are you serious? That was simply amazing! How awesome you are to have done all of that and somehow we fumbled through it and tried to let you use us instead of getting in your way. Thank you and we praise you for being such a wonderful and an awesome God.

Her parents never dreamed she would live to be one year old, especially when the they were told to leave her at the hospital to die because there was no other option. Here she is, alive and healthy. She has had 4 major surgeries in the last 7 months. She used to have a dull, sad and painful look in her eyes. It has been replaced by a brilliant sparkle, full of life and a huge smile with big, dancing, brown eyes that speak volumes. She is now a ball of fire instead of the listless almost lifeless little girl I brought on the plane from Haiti.

We are thrilled with her progress. We are with Dr. Gates and his wife now, in Sacramento. He is running an ultra sound and some tests this morning to make sure everything is on track before we return to Haiti. It has been a sweet reunion.
Dee

It hasn't been a problem for our little tropical girl to adjust to this frigid cold. She lets you know, quickly, how unhappy she is to be stuck in that crazy car seat with her coat, that already swallows her up. It doesn't stop her and it's usually short lived. She is always ready to go when someone else is getting their coat on.

She is very active as a 16 month old should be. Her body continues to heal. We will be returning to California with her for one last check up from Dr. Gates before returning to Haiti in March. We are excited about that visit. We are very anxious for everyone to see how much she is changing and growing. Please pray for us as we make plans to return to Haiti also and all that this entails.

Lonia might not remember much about Haiti and what was her home but Mdme Kiki remembers. Yes I am a "little" homesick to say the least. Please pray for us as we prepare to return to Haiti and what my family recognizes as "normal". I'm sure God is smiling or maybe He even laughed out loud to Himself with this statement from me. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Dee