Two Months of Catching Up...

I have learned that although I have the gift of multi-tasking and can juggle a million different things at one time, there are always things that get put on the back burner when life gets busy.

Blogging is one of those things for me...

Now that things have slowed down... a bit... I am actively trying to get back to the things that I have missed!

The last two months I have been taking classes for my masters, teaching here at the seminary, and homeschooling the kids.  Phil has been busy with project after project after project. We have had visiting professors in our homes, family and friends come to visit, our missionary retreat in the DR, teams here to serve alongside of us, a conference to prepare for, events to plan, and even a special, exciting new addition to the Heckman family as we have welcomed Rosa (my best friend Kristine's daughter!) to join us in ministry here! (... and amidst all of that, we even took a hike to Coup A David!)

Its amazing how much can happen in just two months!!

... despite the whirlwind of activity and the HOURS in front of a computer screen typing papers and preparing for class, it has been such a blessed time. If you know me at all, you know that I LOVE, and THRIVE on, community.  And we have had more community the last two months than ever before!

We are thankful. We are energized and excited about what God is doing here at EBS. We are blessed beyond words to live and work alongside of the Ayars family and are SO grateful for their friendship.

Life is good and God is working.

Thanks for being on this journey with us.  Here is just a taste of our last 8 weeks here...

Here is Phil and his mom Carolyn and Romual, the student she sponsors here at EBS...

And my mom and her student sponsor, Aldy!

We took mom to Kids Alive to visit the children there and had a blast with the kids there (as always!)

Our good friends Erika and Sasha came for a visit.  Erika is doing some promotional video work for us. It was awesome having them come and do life with us!

Missionary retreat in the DR is always a great time of relaxing and fun... 

And the kids have SUCH a good time together. So thankful for Nathan and Hannah who worked with the kids this year!

Whenever I see pictures of our family I can hardly believe how big our kids are getting! I am beginning to feel short :)

I am loving being in the classroom with our 3rd year students...

teaching Pauline Epistles has been a great experience and I am enjoying more interaction with the students and hearing their hearts for ministry and love for learning!

The West Park team of five close friends, along with three more good friends from Sharptown, came down a few weeks ago to serve with us...

We held a conversational English night that is always such a hit with the students...

They love to practice their English and our teams always love to hear their stories...

It is always a good time of fellowship and conversation...

Thankful for opportunities to bring our teams and students together!

The big project, along with painting the chapel (which looks FANTASTIC), was the mens dorm bathroom...

Converting the group shower into individual stalls was quite the big project...

It was almost completed when the team left... SO much was accomplished that week, it seems unbelievable when we look back!

Each morning we enjoyed a time of devotions together that was the highlight of the team time for me. It is always so sweet to come together and read God's Word and pray to begin each day.

SO thankful for Kevin, John, Kristina, Scott, Rosa, Cindy, Stu and Don!

And here is the completed bathroom project!!!

It is awesome! (And a huge blessing to our students and incoming teams this summer!)

We are excited to have the Sleasman family with us for two weeks too!  Their daughter Zoe was baptized last Saturday and we enjoyed a wonderful, beautiful day at the beach together too!

Our hike to Coup A David on Sunday was an adventure, as always. We could not have had more perfect weather for the hike...

There were a few slippery spots, and a few feet ended up in the river (pretty much all of our feet!), but it makes for a fun and memorable day for sure!

Church is always so good. I love to worship with Enick and the people of Coup A David. They sing with such power and pray with such conviction and heart. I always feel "full" when I leave that place...

And Rosa made a few cute little friends on our trip too!

Enick always spoils his guests with a special treat for our hike back down the mountain! Even with so little, the people of Coup A David LOVE to bless others. It is humbling and an awesome example of Christ-like serving and sacrifice.

Rosa has officially moved in and is living with Haylie in her room!  We are SO excited to have her join us for a YEAR of ministry!  

Rosa is spending this year engaging in Haitian culture, building relationships with our staff and students, sharing her gifts and talents, helping with daily tasks here (for which I am SO incredibly grateful!), and seeking what God has for her next. In a few weeks she is planning to begin Spanish tutoring for students who desperately want to learn.  She is also assisting Haylie with English tutoring each Monday afternoon, which has been a great way to build relationships and to learn some Creole too (which she is also learning with Simeon two days a week!). 

She will be sharing her testimony in chapel the end of this month too, and I already know that God will use her story to touch the lives of our students here.  

We can clearly see how God is using Rosa here already and I just know that He has great plans for her time in Haiti! Please be praying for Rosa... that God would use this year to grow her and stretch her in ways she could never imagine! Pray that this time would bless her and strengthen her!

As you can see, it has been a FULL but amazing two months!

Each day I thank God for sending us

2Haiti4Him!  

The Blessing of Serving TOGETHER!

Last week was, in one word, AMAZING!

We are SO incredibly thankful for this team that came to bless us last week.  I love how when we serve together, we are able to empower and to encourage one another and that when we live in community and work in community- we are ALL blessed!

God's work was accomplished through physical work on the campus, loving on kids in the community, serving alongside one another in our homes, hiking up a mountain to see His beauty expressed so tangibly, spending quiet time alone with Him, being in fellowship with one another, hearing testimonies from our Haitian brothers and sisters and from God's servants working in areas of ministry here, sharing what God was doing in each of our lives through it all... 

What a blessing it is to serve TOGETHER! 

I was excited to post pictures and share all that was done last week.. but my daughter Haylie DESPERATELY wanted to blog about it (and she does a GREAT job!!!)

So instead... I thought I would link you to her blog so you could enjoy the week from her perspective!

Check out Haylie's blog HERE to see the awesome week we had with Andrew, Caitlyn, Leeann, Maddy, Matt, Zach and Zack!  

Thank you to this incredible team for coming to Haiti and joining us in His work here!  

We love and miss you guys and are BEYOND thankful for your presence with us!

Happy New Year and LOTS of Excitement around here!!

First off, Happy New Year!!!  Thankful that God continues to give us NEW things :)

We are so excited about 2015 and all that God has planned for us here in Haiti at EBS! As I look at recent pictures of our family, I can't believe how much our kids have grown.  We continue to see them not only grow in size, but in their relationships with the Lord- and we are certain that God is using Haiti to help open their eyes to see Him in new and different ways. What a blessing the past 18 months have been!

The weather has been absolutely beautiful here these last few weeks, the Christmas season was the BEST one ever for our family, and this weekend we have our first team of the year coming down- and we are SOOO excited!!!

This coming week is packed full of awesome stuff and I am looking forward to sharing stories and pictures of all they will be doing!  

Please be praying for the team as they travel tomorrow and as they serve throughout this week.  

Leeann, Andrew, Matt, Caitlyn, Zack, Zach and Maddy (pictured below from left to right)...

We can't wait for you to arrive and are praying for your time here to be sweet and blessed! 

Advent Day #25- Merry Christmas!!!

Today is day 25 of our advent countdown to Christmas.... 

so thankful that you have taken this journey with us!

What an exciting day!  I couldn't wait to get the kids up this morning (yes- our kids are THAT old!)...

We began the day with our final reading in our advent devotional.  Today we placed the star on our tree and read, in Luke 2, how angels appeared to the shepherds in the fields and told them of the birth of the Savior, the Messiah, Jesus... 

No matter how many times we have read the story of Jesus' birth, it always brings such joy and emotion!

The most difficult thing about Christmas for me is that there is such a great build up for the special day, and then- like a flash- its over. I always want it to last longer...

But the amazing thing is, and it seems to be hitting me harder this year than ever before, is that Christmas day may pass, but Jesus stays with us. 

ALWAYS!  

Christmas goes on forever!  

The birth of Christ... the reality of His Presence coming to earth... the Gift of salvation and the Great LOVE it represents... 

THAT is what its all about! 

The Gift of Jesus is with us now. And it will be with us tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, and the....

He IS truly the Gift that keeps on giving!

Our final question in our devotions today was a great one:

"How can you unwrap more of Him in the coming year?"

We talked about what unwrapping the Gift of Jesus each day looks like in our own lives... from intentionally spending more time in His Word, to living out conversational prayer with God throughout the day, to actively being Jesus to others...

We have the privilege as followers of Jesus Christ- the Greatest Gift- to share that gift with others, to BE a gift to others!

We can continue to keep Christmas alive by doing what Jesus did- going into the world and bringing light and hope to people living in darkness!

How might He be calling you to unwrap more of Him this coming year?

Our prayer for you this evening of Christmas is that you take time to REST in Him, to REJOICE in Him, to RESPOND to His call, and to RADIATE His love!!!

Merry Christmas from the Heckmans in Haiti!

Advent Day #24- Kneel at the Manger

Christmas Eve is such a special day.  There are so many things to do leading up to Christmas... and then tonight, we get to take it all in.  We get to reflect on the real "Why" of Christmas... on the real "Who" of Christmas.

Tonight is all about Him.  Tonight is about coming to the manger and kneeling before God in worship.

As you go through this Christmas Eve, and celebrate Christmas tomorrow, and in the days to come after Christmas is over... don't forget to stop and reflect... to enter into His Presence and to kneel at the manger.  There is SO much more that He can offer you than the world can ever give.  He IS Life!

We are so very thankful this Christmas season for His many blessings- which includes YOU!  Your love, prayers and support are felt each and every day! 

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Ethan and Haylie in their Christmas "sweaters" 

(Thanks Stacey for getting all of us these shirts! We love them!!)

Christmas Eve dinner with the Ayars family! (So thankful for them!)

Merry Christmas from the EBS Family!

Advent Day #23- The Lord Saves!

Two days...  TWO DAYS!  Christmas is less than two days away as I type.  I am loving these daily advent devotionals!

This year, Christmas has seemed so much more near...

So much more meaningful...

I truly believe it is because we have been so intentional about surrounding ourselves with His Word, and that Word has brought life to this special season!

Today, we look at the story of Joseph... Mary heard from the angel Gabriel that she would conceive... and Joseph received his message from an angel too.  In a dream...

The very first words spoken to Joseph carry a lot of weight.  The angel called him "Joseph, son of David" (Matthew 1)...

These opening words are not merely a reference to Joseph's lineage, his connection to the family line of David... they were a connection to the very prophecy that the Messiah would come from that family line.  And what the angel told Joseph was that his son would be THAT Messiah.

The angel also told Joseph what he should name that son.  "You are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."

Jesus means "the Lord saves"... and Joseph would have the job of raising the Son of God.  The Lord. The Messiah.  God with us!

Today we read that Christmas is "about God's doing whatever it takes to be with us."  Even to the point of becoming a fragile human being... a humble baby born in a stable in Bethlehem...  God in the flesh.

As we spend one last day getting ready for Christmas let's not forget that it is all about God coming down to be with us!  Jesus is the Lord who has come to save us!  And THAT is why we celebrate!!!

Advent Day #22- I am the Lord's Servant

Christmas is three days away, and my heart is so ready.  (Did I mention how much I love Christmas?)

Today, we looked at the story of the angel Gabriel coming to Mary.  He came to tell her that she would be the mother of the Messiah.  She would give birth to the Son of the Most High. The Holy Spirit would come upon her and she would become pregnant... with God in the flesh. (Luke 1:28-35)

That would be A LOT to take in!  I cannot even imagine what she must have been thinking and feeling.  But her response is so beautiful... and such a great example for all of us.

She says, "I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true." (Luke 1:38)

All I can say is "Wow".

In our devotional today, Ann said these words: "It's the strangest, most wondrous thing: when you open up your hands and say yes to whatever God wants to give you..."

I still remember when my kids were toddlers and I would ask them to do something for me.  If they really didn't want to do it they would clench their fists in frustration and stomp their feet.  Holding those hands closed, putting on that scowl, and holding their ground was their way of saying NO!
(Of course I had my ways of getting them to change that tune! hehe!)

The point of what I'm saying is that we often close our hands to God when He is calling us, when He is asking us to do something.  We keep our hands closed, we put on that scowl, and we stand our ground with a whole list of excuses...

But what if, instead, we held our hands open to God... just like Mary?  What if we let go of whatever we are holding on to, and instead we prayed with our hands free, held up to Him, and offered ourselves as His servants?

What a blessing would come if we only be willing to let go and let God.