So, the other night I woke up to scratching and knocking noises. I shined the flashlight around the room, as Tim & Bijou both continued blissfully sleeping. Nothing. I went back to sleep, only to waken again to the same sounds. I shined the flashlight around again. This time Tim roused a little. Then I heard "water noises" in the hallway/bathroom area. I said, "oh great, I think water is overflowing somewhere!" I made Tim get up this time to go investigate. I heard him say something - I'm not sure what it was. He came back in the room and said there was a rat swimming in the mop bucket I had left in the hallway. Apparently, the rat ran out of our room when I shined the flashlight. Obviously he wasn't watching carefully where he was going. Tim made him stay in the bucket all night long, figuring he would drown and we could throw him out. Well the little sucker was treading water when I got up the next morning. Tim sat the bucket out on the balcony for him to die. A few hours later he was still treading water. He'd just float there with only his nose above water. It was not nice. I told Tim to put an end to it - just throw him out the gate! But Tim said, "Do you want him to come back?" Well, of course I didn't want that so I said, "just get rid of it."

So, my mild-mannered, loving husband got the cholorx and poured some in the bucket. Then he took a stick and held the litttle rat by the throat and held his little rodent head under water until he died. I felt sick. But at the same time happy that this rat would not be back. We'll probably be haunted by it now.

Things are beginning to progress on the house. Here are our carpenters - Boss Riko and Boss Adan.

April 25 Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Job 42:2 “I know that You can do all things; no plan of Yours can be thwarted.” From our limited vantage point, our lives are marked by an endless series of contingencies. We frequently find ourselves, instead of acting as we planned, reacting to an unexpected turn of events. We make plans, but are often forced to change these plans. But there are no contingencies with God our unexpected, forced change of plans is a part of His plan. God is never surprised; never caught off guard; never frustrated by unexpected developments. God does what He pleases and that which He pleases Him is always for His glory and our good. Our lives are also cluttered with a lot of “if onlys”. “If only I’d done this”, or “If only that had not happened”. But again, God has no “If onlys”. God never makes a mistake; God has no regrets. “As for God, His way is perfect” (Ps. 18:30). We can trust God. He is trustworthy. From “Trusting God Even When Life Hurts”, by Jerry Bridges

April 28 Bijou and I finally moved out to the house today. Things are still not finished, but we’ve had it with hotel life – especially Bijou. She actually bit me when I tried to put her in the crate yesterday when I needed to go out for a while. She’s been a little trooper, but it’s time for some freedom. The water was not functioning so I had a truckload of water brought out to put in the cistern so that we can bathe and clean. Bobby is still working on the pump to try and make it work properly. There is electricity, so that is nice. I found that since so many people are still in and out, there is little sense in doing a lot of cleaning. I can’t really put a lot of stuff away because I don’t have cabinets. Also no shelves or clothing rods in the closets. April 29 So we passed our first night very well. It was really nice to be in my own bed again. The sunrise here is spectacular. I even had real coffee this morning! It was great! April 30 Things continue in the same general vein as they’ve been going. Some improvements, some set backs. Today – no power. There is still some sort of problem between the generator/invertor/ house wiring. The only water in the shower is the hot water. We have a solar powered water heater on the roof. That water gets boiling hot! So I can’t take a shower – not cold water to temper the hot water. But the cistern is full!

Bijou 's Big Day Today Bijou discovered the drain pipes in the base of the perimeter wall. She escaped to the big outdoors. She wiggled through the drain pipe and immediately took off barking after a colt just outside the wall. As I called to her to come back I noticed the mother horse coming over the small rise. She was in the protective mode. At first Bijou just kept after the colt, then as the mother horse kept coming at her she realized she’d better turn around. She would not come back so I just went back in the yard. I put rocks and cinder blocks in front of the pipes so there would be no more escaping in the future. When Bijou heard me at one of the pipes she came back in the yard to see what I was doing and so was recaptured. Later she had sun-fried frog legs (and the rest of the frog too) that she found in the yard. It is so disgusting what this little puppy eats! Up on the roof in the afternoon I found that Bijou had “marked her territory”.

I hope that one day very soon I will actually be doing what I was sent here to do! In the meantime I’m just trying to take it one day at a time.

May 4, 2009

It's been several days since I've been able to post anything because once I left the hotel I did not have internet. On Saturday, the owner of Haiti Satellite and his wife drove the techinician out themselves so that he could make sure that the internet would function properly this time. Apparently someone had touched the satellite and messed up the tuned in signal so it was not transmitting. It is now working well. It was a nice visit with the Trimbles and very good of them to come to visit.

Things are still kind of the same at the house. Not much getting done - but some baby steps! Today the mason finished fixing some repair type things to the plastering, etc in places like where the iron bars were installed on the patios. The painter is here painting the iron bars on the patios. The carpenters just now showed up (it's 11:15 AM). They are ther ones I really need to have finish up in order for me to be able to start unpacking boxes.

Anyway, one of these days I'll start talking about things on this blog about what we came here to do! But for now it is easier to post how things are going here on the blog rather than trying to respond to individual emails since I am so backed up after having not been on the internet for several days. I hope everyone will understand. once I catch up a bit I of course will respond to individual emails!

Jean Baptiste was just here and is trying to get things sped along. he says he thinks they can finish everything this week. Let's pray on that!

Tim comes home tomorrow afternoon after having spent 2 weeks in Charlotte, mainly helping Myrlene with some things. I'm posting some recent photos. If you read this blog - thanks for your interest and prayers. We'll get down to real stuff soon I hope!

Scenery along the road to Thomazeau The Road to Thomazeau Generator House An Afternoon Storm Brewing Master Bedroom Kitchen Cabinets in the Making

One of the Guest Rooms Same Kitchen Shot - I Can't Get Rid of It

Other View Of the Kitchen The Razor Wire is Up

Sorry about the photos acptions - I just can't figure out how to do this stuff right! I have them all centered and looking good, but then when I post the blog it's all screwed up! I'll keep trying.

Until next time - God bless~