JUST FOR FUN...

I've not blogged on our personal blog for a while & that has made me realize that I've not taken pictures of the boys for a while either.

If you stay up on the Mountain Top Ministries blog, you can see some of what we've been doing.

Tonight, it's just for fun, so, here we go...

• I don't understand why I can't get anyone in Canada or the Midwest to feel sorry for me recently. It really has been cold here in our part of Haiti. The clouds have hovered over the mountains for the last 3 days with drizzling rain & very little to no sun. The low so far has dipped into the high 50's. No folks, it's not 17 degrees & there's no snow, but wow! in a block house it sure is chilly!
• Wednesday night David had math that he just couldn't get..kind of one of those attitude things. In my frustration I sent him to bed, we were both done. He left fighting tears & by the time he got into bed he was mad. I talked him down from that real quick. Before I turned in for the night I made my nightly momma rounds & when I checked on David I shook him & asked if he was still mad at me. "Yes, but I'm getting over it!", was his reply through a forced straight face.
• I enjoyed having Stephen with me today as I worked at the MTM Laboule Children's Home. He didn't do much in the storage room, but he really takes an interest in & enjoys interacting with the children. I likened him to his brother Casey. Though they are both unique individuals, they are both happiest when helping & being with others.
• This month was Casey's last drill for the Illinois National Guard as his commitment has been fulfilled & he has chosen not to re-enlist. He will move on to find a full time job & take classes online to finish up his associates degree. His girl, Sarah, is teaching 5th grade & coaching basketball.

Ok, that's all for now. Willem, Stephen & David have left me home alone tonight while they are off to Saturday soccer. Good quiet time! Blessings to you all & thanks for your prayers.

!!HAPPY BIRTHDAY WILLEM!!

Yup, the day has come for him to be 41!

I'm not sure he was real impressed with the "Kitty Litter Cake", but he was willing to be a good sport & have the first taste :)

We all know how Willem loves cat!

Probably one of the best birthday gifts was for our close friend & one of our finest workers in Gramothe to deliver a healthy baby girl the evening before Willem's birthday.

Mom & baby are doing well.

Madame Stephen with her new baby. She is now mother of Frantz (16), Stephanie (13) & now this little one who is yet to be named.

Praise the Lord!

What are the Charles boys up to?...

David has been making vulcanoes to display for everyone. A little experiement that he learned at school that he couldn't resist showing everyone. Sure beats his detirmination to show everyone the flame he can make with hand sanitizer!

Oh yes, & let's not forget about the tadpoles that are happily going through the process of metamorphasis on our back porch!

Stephen has a new interest. He is detirmined to be the sound man at church since we've just gotten a new sound system with a sound board (see more at www.mtm-haiti.blogspot.com).

I may be partial, but I think he's a good lookin' sound man-sharp!

You know, God is certainly good to provide all that we need. Not just the material things, peace, grace & all that other spiritual stuff, but also examples.
We have loved our recent freinds/guests that are staying with us as they spend time with the daughter that they are adopting from Haiti. However, this week there have been 3 girls in our home, 2 are 10 yrs. old & 1 is 7 & on some days their 4 year old sister is with them in the house. These girls have kept my boys in "permenant eye roll" allowing them to see what they've "missed" by not having sisters! It is fun to watch.

Speaking of lessons, thank God David is seeing, at a very young age, why it is important to be careful who you choose to hang around with. Five 2nd grade boys got to write lines in the detention hall at school yesterday for "flooding" the boys' bathroom (Stephen said it really wasn't flooded~he's trying to take up for his little brother!). It has been confirmed by the teacher that David was a standby accomplice, but still...
parent teacher conferences are next Friday. If only David can not get any notes home until then, I will be brave enough to face his teacher!
Advantages: David is a great student & does well with his studies. His teacher also told me that when David gets into trouble, he knows what he did wrong. I guess that counts for something!
I still love my boys (all 3 of them!).

Praise the Lord!

What do some of the Charles family do on a Saturday afternoon?...

Saturday morning around the Charles home starts kind of early for the boys...

Yes, that's their dad's guitar waiting his arrival to get his Saturday morning lesson too.

"Watch" (our yellow dog) is there to do his job...watch!

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Did I say, "Relax?". Well, for young Mr. David, last Saturday found him a bit of time to relax in his newly made "bed".

We were grateful to bring David's teacher up here to the mountains to get away from the city heat. We had fun eating taco salad, hiking, riding horses & playing with the kittens. She took "Hannah" home with her & one of her co-workers chose "Ike". That leaves "Gustav" to help look over the Charles home!

Everyone is excited about the progression of our new home. I'll try to get some pictures up here soon for all to see!

A Few More Pics From Our Summer Fun...

Our summer began at Tybee Island near Savannah, GA. Stephen & David had great fun in the Atlantic there...

On Bull Head River heading out to the Atlantic looking for dolphins...Time with friends on the Mississippi River boating, playing & watching the river boat traffic...
A "long time" friend of Willems' came all the way from Tennessee to see us!...
Grandma Great has fun watching Stephen & David "nip" at each other...

Time with Grandma & Pop is always interesting...
Meeting cousin Maddy for the first time...
Our last hours before leaving to return to Haiti...

Don't forget the Colts' Camp!...
Hey Rocket, it was fun!
We thank God for you always!

1544th IL National Guard Summer Picnic

There are many things we do, places that we go & people that we see in the summer, but one of my personal highlights is spending time with our oldest son, Casey.

Since graduating high school in 2003, Casey has been a National Guardsmen, serving the United States with the 1544th Transporation unit out of Paris, IL. Soon after boot camp, Casey's unit was deployed to the war in Iraq & very quickly made a name for themselves. Just google "1544th T.C." sometime & see what all you can find!

Attending the unit's summer picnic in August just before we left for Haiti was tops. I mean, who wouldn't want to go hang out with soldiers in uniform on a Sunday afternoon, especially when one of them was yours?!

We are proud of you Casey & of all of our men & women in service!
















Okay, Casey is not married, but he does have a couple great girls in his life :) It was special to get to know his #2 girl, Sarah, a bit better this summer (I'm still #1, for now!). We didn't get to spend a whole lot of time together, but I enjoyed what time that we did have. Sarah will be teaching 5th grade in Paris, IL this year. Stephen tried to share some wisdom with her, but said she will need to learn most of it on her own :) We are praying hard for Sarah!
Casey's #3 gal is 10 month old "Mya" & she is SO MUCH FUN! We couldn't wait for her visits to have fun with her. David & Mya are the perfect size for each other & it was great watching them bounce around together. Mya happily woke Stephen up one morning with $3 in her mouth. I think it came from Casey's pocket! She's a good girl!

Gustav, Hannah & Ike...

Yes, you are seeing correctly. Hurricane Gustav not only dropped a lot of rain on us, but also "blew in" these 3, "Gustav", "Hannah" & "Ike", pictured here with their mom, Fanny. They will be 2 weeks old this Saturday.

The following is what hurricane "Hannah" brought to the Thomassin area. These were taken at Thomassin 46 & at Thomassin 48. We live "inside" Thomassin 48.

We also lost a big tree in front of our house which fell on one of our vehicles.
All is well now, though the rain continues to come down & it's obvious we will not be having public electricity any time soon. As scary as all the wind was, we are very grateful not to be suffering flood waters as those in other parts of Haiti are today.
Please keep the people of Haiti in your prayers. Thank you in advance.
Beth