Spring at Emmaus!

We've had a wonderfully busy past couple of weeks here at Emmaus!

To start out, we had the Emmaus Board here to stay with us during meetings for a week!

We thoroughly enjoyed having them, they were so nice to be around and to have conversations with.

Rosa, Mom and I all work together to clean rooms and get them set up for teams and visitors, and we thought this room could use some flare. So thanks to Cindy Dutton for teaching me how to use a sewing machine (and bringing one to Haiti for me!), I was able to make these curtains for the room!

We had some problems with the generator recently, but due to the hard work of Dad and his amazing crew of helpers (and LOTS of prayers!), we got everything sorted out and haven't had problems since!

We also had another visitor here with us for a few days. He is so easy to be around and always kept us laughing! Dave (or Garth) helped Dad while he was here, and was just a blast. We also played lots of games, went to church in the pouring rain, took a ride into town and walked along the water, and just enjoyed his company!

As you may have heard, we have been working on a basketball court for the students at the seminary!

I am proud to announce that we are almost DONE!!! (I know you can't really see him here, but Don Hulmes came down for two weeks to help Dad, which was a HUGE blessing!)

So starting February 12th, a family friend named Andrew (we call him Turtle) has been working as an intern here at the seminary! He's been very helpful to Dad, helping out with whatever Dad needs him to do! He also eats dinners with our family each night and we have lots of fun playing games, watching movies and reminiscing about Delanco Camp! (The camp we attend each year- and absolutely LOVE!) He's staying until May 21st, and we're excited to have him around!

So another recent project the guys have been working on is the treehouse and swing set for Lily and Sofie! It's coming along well and should be done in the next couple of weeks! One of our Haitian friends is even working on an authentic woven palm leaf roof for the top!

On Monday, one of our beloved staff members, Mona, had her last day at the seminary. Since she's getting older, her daughter (who lives in the United States) told her she'd pay for her ticket if Mona came to live with her. We had a goodbye service for her where students and staff all said how much they cherished her presence, but they understood why she was leaving. We all put our hands on her and sang hymns and prayed over her. We all felt mixed emotions, sad to have her leave us, but happy that she will be with her daughter.

I thought it was so amazing how much our students care about our little old kitchen lady, Mona. 

How much we ALL care about her.

Next week is our annual Spring Break and we will be going to the Dominican for a few days to unwind and relax. (If dad doesn't go away he won't stop working!!) We also have a great friend Briana coming to visit for the week, which we are all VERY excited about!  

Thanks for reading... Be looking for another one soon!  

Happy Spring and Happy Easter from the Heckmans!