Well we are back in the saddle. With Christmas and New Year's happening in there we might have been just as busy as everyone in the states! A little increase of activity and plans for us here and some definite decrease for everyone up there, we ended up being about equal:) Danny is back at work and I am back to answering the gate and pretending I know what people are saying. However inflation went way down while we were out on furlough and the amount of people coming with needs/wants/things to sell has also decreased. The needs are definitely still there but they are not as overwhelming as they were in the spring and summer. And of course we had people coming to ask if we had a Christmas gift for them because, I mean, why not??? The answer was always no.
We bade farewell to our friend, sister, and cohort, Ruth, soon after we returned to Bonne Fin. She spent I think four years here in Haiti and has now returned to Iowa. We were on the field with her for 16 months but between furloughs and COVID we were actually only together in Haiti for less than four of those months. We wish so badly we could have had a whole lot more months but we're glad we had the ones we did:)
The kids got the biggest kick out of her!!
On December 19 one of our yard guys got married.
Turns out Danny was the equivalent of the best man! We did not know this was going to happen. We were sitting in our chairs waiting for the wedding to start when the other yard guy came up and said the groom needed Danny. So he left and I sat and waited for him to return. A few minutes later the music started and in walks Danny and the groom together! So I was by myself for the duration of the wedding.
But at least I had a cute date still.
Also we had a lot of people in the back of our vehicle. It was probably the most that was ever in there because usually it just transports Americans but Haitian style is just a little more cozy. I was not complaining to be sitting up front.
After the wedding the vehicle was parked in our driveway for awhile and the kids kept getting the mops and brooms out of our storage depot and cleaning it:)
One day I went to get a bowl of cereal and noticed a small lizard had met it's fate the last time I had put the container back up on the fridge. Can you see it hanging off of the bottom? Oops, sorry little lizard!
Carrie had us over to decorate cookies and I think Tucker had the same cookie the whole time. He just kept adding more frosting and licking it off.
Christmas!! Because of Christmas church services and family plans we've never had a typical "Christmas morning" with our kids. It was kind of fun to do that! We did wait until after breakfast though. I made a french toast casserole that I thought would be kind of special and they would love it. They didn't. Such is the life of a mother feeding her children.
Being in Haiti didn't prevent "the aftermath" like I thought it maybe would. We gave grandparents to thank for that:)
Later that day we got together with the missionary family. It was an afternoon filled with good food, good company, Settlers of Catan for some, and watching Elf for the others.
I wasn't sure what Christmas would be like for us as it was our first time away for it. The hot weather was definitely a foreign feeling. No cozy blankets or fires or hot drinks were really needed. Aside from one grocery store with lights and garlands strung up (and really annoying Christmas tunes that sounded like they came from a child's toy), there were no festive decorations. Well, except for my nostalgic big colored lights I (still have) strung up on our back porch area! I told Danny it was kind of a heart check for me. I am such a Christmas junkie. I don't necessarily love all the commercialism of America, but I do love the gatherings, food, lights, music, hustle and bustle, gift exchanges, and even the weather that comes along with a midwest Christmas. So taking that all away was a little bit sad, but made me celebrate the holiday for all the right reasons. I'm sure many of you had similar feelings with everything being so different this year. So thankful for the reason for the season!
We hosted New Year's Eve at our house so we could put our kids to bed and enjoy being around for the whole party rather than having to leave at like 8:00. We have an extra family down here right now that came to visit a few days after Christmas and is planning to stay until January 23. The husband/dad is on the hospital board. With six extra people we just had ourselves a nice little party! I only got one picture of the whole night but I think it's a real cute one! Tanner and his Auntie Carrie:)
And with that, Happy New Year, everybody! Remember to keep your hope in Jesus and not in 2021:)
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