Rain

I sent out a newsletter telling people of the drought we have been having. There was hardly any rain and the gardens were not producing. Then, after I sent that newsletter out, that night it rained the hardest it has rained in a year. Last night it was the same thing. Now, you tell me that God doesn't hear us when we pray. Thank you Lord.

Where are they now?

38 years ago I arrived in Haiti on M.S. Starward out of Miami. I was met at he dock by Sis. Hodges who informed me that she had a young lady who would begin working with me the next day as a housekeeper and cook. That young ladies name was Lena. Later she married a young man named Archange and they had Jimmy. Lena and Jimmy continued to live with me for a while and one day he was struck by a car. God was good to him and he recovered nicely. After a while I helped Archange get to the States where later he was able to send for Lena and Jimmy. Jimmy did well in school, learned Spanish and English, he already knew Creole and French. He got a scholarship and went to West Point where he graduated with top honors. Today one of my little boys is serving as an Officer with distinction in the United States Army.

Ice

This is the first ice I have had this year. Thanks to the "Tharps" of Illinois I now have a gas refrigerator and I can now have ice in my soda. Now my food doesn't spoil and everything is kept cold in spite of the fact we have no electricity. Thanks so much for all your kindness and help in making this possible.

Solar Panel/Module

This is a Solar Panel that produces 135 watts of electricity. While in Haiti we do not have much wind, we do have plenty of sunshine. Therefore, wind turbines which are very efficient in some places, are not the answer the answer for our electrical needs. However, Solar Panels work quite well in converting sunshine to usable electricity. I already have installed a 12 volt 1200 watt inverter and a solar controller/regulator. I have the money to purchase two six volt batteries that can be wired to operate as 12 volts but I do not have a solar panel. I can purchase a 135 watt Solar Panel/Module for $600.00. I would like for you to add this to your prayer list as I have to sleep with a Cpap machine every night and since we do not have electricity sometimes the charge in batteries run out. This would give me protection against electrical failure and guarantee me electrical backup that I so desperately need.

Haitian Rice and Black Beans

Haitian Black beans and Rice

1 quart water, 1 cup dried black beans, rinsed, 1/2 tablespoon salt, 8 parsley sprigs’ 3 scallions or 3 green onions, chopped, 2 garlic cloves, 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 cup rice

Bring water to boiling. Add beans and cook covered for 1 1/2 hours. Drain beans, reserving liquid, and set aside. Add enough water to bean liquid to equal 2 1/2 cups of liquid. Set aside , in a mortar, pound together to form a paste the salt, parsley, scallions, garlic, and rosemary. Heat oil and seasoning paste in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Put rice in Dutch oven and stir until well coated with oil. Add reserved liquid and bring to a boil, stirring. Add beans and again bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook undisturbed for 20 minutes. Remove cover, stir, and cook about 5 minutes longer, or until no liquid remains. (serves 4)

School Lunch

Rice and Beans are on the menu for today as the Children get ready to have lunch. While so much is said in the U.S. about nutritious lunches for kids at school one might question rice and beans, that is unless you know that rice and beans together has the same protein value of meat. Not only is it good for the kids but they love them as well. There are no snack foods so they really look forward to lunch.

Meat Market

When was the last time that you slaughtered a cow in your backyard so that you could have some meat? We do not have a Safeway, a Publix, or a Krogers to go to when we get a craving for some hamburger meat. Here the men are shown dressing out a cow as Violine had just given them instructions as to how she wanted it cut up. Because now we have no electricity it presents a problem as we have no way to keep this quantity of meat without it spoiling.

Petit Goave

When I mention in my blog or an email that someone has gone into town, it probably means the town of Petit Goave which is about 10 miles from us. For them to go into Port-au-Prince is quite an ordeal. True it is only about 50 miles but a round trip can take up to 6 hours and a $100.00 U.S. in gasoline. Someone asked me recently if we had a Walmart in Petit Goave. The closest Walmart to us is 700 miles away in Florida.

Leno's Birthday

Leno is a young man who has no father or mother. We give him a place to sleep, feed him, and see that he has what he needs. He runs errands and is always ready to do his part and more around the place. Poppa Bob is purchasing him a flashlight for his Birthday as he told me he needed one to release the guard dogs after the generator is turned off at night. Happy Birthday Leno.

Happy Birthday

Today is Malissa's Birthday. Poppa Bob wants to wish her a "Happy Birthday." She is a precious little girl who is a great singer and helper around the house.

The View

God is so good to me. This is the view from "The Upper Room" that I have the privilege of seeing each morning as I awake from my bed and I never fail to thank him for His blessings. To have the necessities of life is enough but this is just an added blessing.

Day after Tomorrow

The Lord willing Mommy is scheduled to arrive at the Port-au-Prince airport day after tomorrow at 3:00 p.m.. She leaves behind Stephanie, her little family, and Marvick. I know that it will be a sad day in Atlanta as she leaves however everyone here is so excited to see her.

Eating the Mongoose

Well, this morning they cooked the mongoose. They brought me a piece and the nearest thing I have ever ate that tasted similar was squirrel. Tasted pretty good but it didn't taste like chicken.

Mongoose

This afternoon I heard a loud commotion and people were running up and down the mountain behind my room. I asked the kids to go see what was going on. It seems they were after a mongoose that had been eating their chickens. I heard a loud cheer and realized that they had caught him. Right now they are preparing to cook him over a charcoal fire and they are supposed to bring me some of it. They say it is real good. I will find out.

Powdered Milk

With the exception of evaporated milk, milk in the form of powder is all we are able to get. The children love it but it is so terribly expensive ($210.00 Haitian dollars or $26.25 U.S. for this tin) that it is a rarity when we have it. The next time you pass the dairy section, in your local Super Market, just remember how thankful you should be just for the availability of milk and remember the Children here.

Haitian Rice and Black Beans

Ingredients

2 cups of long grain rice

1 cup of black beans

1 finely chopped onion

1 chopped green pepper

1/4 cup salt pork or bacon cut into small cubes

1 tablespoon of butter2 chopped cloves of garlic

2 tablespoon of vegetable

oil,salt, and pepper to taste

Cook the beans in 4 cups of water for 2 hours or until tender.

When the beans are cooked add the rice and cook until done.

Mr. Bwalo

God has people all over the world that loves him and lives for him each day. Mr. Bwalo is one of those people. He is 93 years old and almost completely blind but he manages to climb our mountain every once in a while and pray with me. He begins by singing a little chorus and then he begins praying. At the end of his prayer he quotes some scriptures and then finishes by singing a little song. When he reaches out to shake hands you have to take hold of his hand as he cannot see well enough to take yours. God bless Mr. Bwalo and one day, if you live for God, you will have an opportunity to meet him.

Coconuts

Jordanny is shown here preparing a coconut so we can drink from it. One thing you can count on at all times is that the coconut water is pure and not contaminated. It is refreshing and very satisfying when you are thirsty. After the water is gone, one can eat the fresh coconut on the inside which is delicious. Years ago I used to leave the house and be gone all day visiting churches or places where I was working and I never carried water with me. When I got thirsty I could always find a coconut to quench my thirst.

Watermelon tree?

Did you ever see a watermelon tree? Have you ever heard of one? Probably not as they do not exist. This is a picture of a Calabash tree with two gourds hanging from it's branches. Under King Henry Christophe, Haiti's only king, they were so valuable that they used them for currency. Today, the Haitian money is still listed as gourds or gourdes. $5.00 is 25 gourdes, $10.00 dollars is 50 gourdes,m $20.00 is 100 gourde and so on. We have a lot of fun with first time visitors showing them our "watermelon trees."

Mommy's trip delayed

Everyone here is disappointed that Mommy won't be coming home tomorrow. Things beyond our control such as flight cancellations and overbooking has delayed her trip home until Wednesday the 13th. Though we were so looking forward to seeing her tomorrow, I have learned over the years to not question events that befall us. You can find patience and understanding if you believe in Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." So with that in mind we will be looking forwarde to seeing her next Wednesday.

My little friends

God is so good to me. Bugs hang out around a light and therefore present a problem in your home. However, there are enough cracks in my house that "my little friends" come in and control the bug and mosquito problem. Here you will see one of them, a tiny lizard, as he is keeping my room bug free. I do not have to feed and water them and they come and go as they please. A tiny four legged blessing that God has sent to make my life better and I thank Him for it.

Mommy is coming home.

Every one here will be looking up in the sky on Thursday as Mommy is expected to return. While everyone here will be excited and happy to see her, I know that there will be those in Atlanta that will be sad to see her leave. She makes our home here complete and without her it just doesn't seem right. Pray that she will have a safe trip and arrive home feeling good.

Renerlande

My little "Haitian" sweetheart Renerlande is shown here as she looked when she returned from a wedding last Thursday. She has a special place in Poppa Bob's heart. She will climb the hill several times a day to help me around my place. One time I asked her what her favorite food was and she replied, "Cornflakes." That is a special treat here as they are quite expensive once you figure in the powdered milk and sugar as well. Poppa Bob has them for the kids as often as he can as nothing makes me more happy than to fill their little tummies with good things.

Oui or no

This is my pig and the only livestock I own here in Haiti. I purchased her about 6 months ago and was planning a feast when Mommy came home from the Hospital. Well, Mommy is coming home on the 7th. and now I don't know if I will have the courage to slaughter her. How could you not get attached to a face like that. Some people said she was ugly but maybe I have been in Haiti too long as she looks pretty good to me. What do you think?

Exampt's little tent

Would you like to do something today that you would feel good about? Here is someone you could help and not only would it make you feel good, but you could help change a life forever. Exampt is a good little Christian boy who lives in a little tent out behind his Mother’s house. His Grandparents are deep into Voodoo and his Grandmother is a Voodoo priestess. His Mother, who is very ill, is not able to send him to school. He came to me this morning and told me that unless he pays for his school tuition he will not be able to take his examinations and consequently lose everything he has struggled for this past year. The past month has been difficult for me and I do not have the money to help him. He needs $50.00 to finish out this semester. If you would like to help him you must do it this week end so he can go back to school this coming week. If you would like to help please email me at: missionarybobjones@hotmail.com