THE BOYZ HOME

We think Seguin was not greatly impacted

2010-01-16T10:52:00.000-08:00

I dont have confirmation on this yet but Seguin does not seem to have felt the quake very much. Seguin is the home of 5 of our 6 boys. I hope to hear soon whether their families are well.

Mackenson is in the North of Haiti, safe and sound with his family

Keep praying and giving-Mackenson is well

2010-01-15T13:28:00.000-08:00

Thanks to God we did hear from Mackenson. He is fine, and was in the north of Haiti where the Quake was not felt. Praise the Lord that he is fine. He was encouraged by our amazing JIH team to stay with his family.

The boys are in Seguin, JIH Director sent them with money for transportation as well as help for their families. We are so thankful. Seguin is relatively close to Port Au Prince as well and is high in the mountains. We pray that their families are allright. You can look on the mountains for Seguin. Nixon pinpointed it between Kenscoff and Marigot, under the capital of Port Au Prince.

Our hearts are with our boys.

Joy In Hope team is doing their best to help the people in the Jacmel area. They need finances to do so though.

Joy In HopeEarthquake Relief - Donate at http://www.joyinhope.org/donate.asp and select "Immediate Needs" (or mail checks to JIH - Earthquake, 2731 NC Hwy 55 #251, Cary, NC 27519) to help provide much needed food and supplies to those affected by today's earthquake.

We hope to hear from Mackenson soon

2010-01-14T19:36:00.000-08:00

Dearest friends and family, January 14, 2010
Greetings in the name of our Lord. Nixon and I are doing well. We are trying to keep busy, keeping informed as to what is happening back home and trying to raise awareness as well as funds for our area. We understand that Port is in terrible shape but the surrounding areas were also greatly impacted. Our concern is that the majority of the help will go to Port and the surrounding areas will be the last to get aid. Jacmel, the small city in which we work is in devastated. Our goal right now is to get funds sent over there to help in the relief efforts made to help the city of Jacmel as well as it’s surrounding areas. Here is how you can get funds to Joy In Hope.
Earthquake Relief - Donate at http://www.joyinhope.org/donate.asp and select "Immediate Needs" (or mail checks to JIH - Earthquake, 2731 NC Hwy 55 #251, Cary, NC 27519) to help provide much needed food and supplies to those affected by the earthquake.

Joy In Hope has a facebook page as well.

Our boys spent their first night at the Mangine house, sleeping under the stars.

Yesterday morning the boys went up into the mountains of Seguin, about two hours east of Jacmel, in order to check on their own families. Nixon and I expected that. We are a concerned about Mackenson, one of our boys in the Boy’s Home. He was having trouble finding the finances to come down and go back to school so he had not arrived back to Jacmel. We are hoping and praying that Mackenson was in the northern part of Haiti and was not at all affected by the Earthquake. Please keep Mackenson in your prayers.

The earthquake

2010-01-12T23:26:00.000-08:00

Nixon and I are in N.C. right now and are getting ready to head back to Haiti. Right now we don't know when we will go back to Haiti. If we can fly into the Dominican Republic we could get into Port Au Prince but we are questioning whether we can get to Jacmel since the roads are in terrible shape.
The Rue Petion building which houses the Boy's Home, guest house, and our home has been evacuated. The boys have been relocated to the Mangine house and we are eternally grateful. We have not been able to talk to our boys or any of the JIH staff since the phone lines are down. Thanks to the grace of God, the internet has been up and we have been able to receive updates.
We hope to communicate with our boys tomorrow. Our prayers are with our people in Haiti.
We feel so helpless and yet we are selfishly thankful that our boys and all JIH are ok.
I will keep posting updates as we know more.
Please visit joyinhope.org to help. Haiti will need so much help in the near future.

The last of week before the boy's went home-by the Riegel's

2009-12-28T22:08:00.000-08:00

This has been exam week for all the boys. With exam week comes a lot of changes around the home. Usually during the week the boys go to school around 6:30am and are home in time for lunch, but with exams, their schedule is different. Different grades in school go to class at different times during the day, different schools have different times and different days, so this week, it has been hit or miss with the boys during the day, but like always we all come together in the evening to pray and read scripture. The boys are very serious about this time; this is THEIR time together and together with God. Please continue to pray for the boys as the semester ends and they prepare to go visit their families until school starts again in January. The boys travel a lot during this time and though they are anxious to see their families and we encourage this time, we pray and anticipate for a safe return in January so they can continue with the second half of school. We will miss them while they are home with their families.
Whiskey- Whiskey has really stepped up over the past few weeks with exams and school coming to a break. Whiskey celebrated his 21st birthday on the Dec. 5th with his cake and his closest friends. Whiskey is like the big brother of the boy’s home and we appreciate his help so much.
Jocelyn- Jocelyn has been the silent type this week. Every morning (early) we can hear Jocelyn climbing the stares to go on the roof with his books to get that extra quite time to study and listen to God. Jocelyn always has good incite during our devotions and seems to be really diving in to what God has for him as a young man of God.
Jn. Robert- Jn. Robert has been in his books a lot lately preparing for his tests. He has been really busy keeping up with his studying and his chores, but Jn. Robert always finds a little bit of time in the evening for a quick game of Dominoes.
Mackenson- Like Jn. Robert, Mackenson has been caught in his books a little more than normal these past few days, also preparing for exams, Mackenson is stepping up to hit next semester running !
Elira- This boy is all smiles, all the time, even with the pressures of tests and school, Elira is not sweating it. Elira brings joy and laughter everywhere he is and is always willing to give out the extra hand!.
Jacky- Jacky was giving the short end of the stick this exam week (not a short-joke). He is the only boy that has to be at the school before 7am. While the other boys have that extra couple of hours in the morning, Jacky is up, dressed and out the door. Go get’em Jacky!
The boys have been really good with the Rigel's in our absence. They absolutely adore Blayn (the Rigel’s 11 month old son) and are having a blast the Rogelet (the Rigel’s 11 year old son). Rogelet fits in just fine playing games and watching cheesy Kung foo movies.
God has really begun to turn this house into a home, giving these boys a safe place to learn and grow. This home is a family, and they keep it that way. Of coarse all brother argue and step on each others toes, but you will not find a better group of young men seeking out what God has for them and taking advantage of such a great opportunity that they have been given. May God bless these boys!

It is interesting to see what other's see. Nixon and I ache to see our boy's again. We will be back in Haiti before we know it. Our prayer is always the same for our boys, that they would grow up to be super close to our Lord. He loves them so. Our love for them is only a teeny tiny piece of His love for them.

Our boys are missed

2009-12-14T16:51:00.000-08:00

More than ever Nixon and I realize what an important role the boys play in our lives.

We knew that having the boys gave us a great sense of satisfaction and fulfillement.

We knew that the most important role we feel we play with Joy In Hope is having the Boy's Home. But just like there is a point when we go from knowing God to REALLY KNOWING God, we have come to the REALLY KNOWING that we love our boys.

We miss their unique personalities and hearing them downstairs. Yeah, I even miss their spending all weekend in our house, sometimes even in our room strewn all over our bed.

I find myself wondering what they are doing and how they are really feeling. Every time we call they say they are doing fine. I know they are, I just miss them.

Praise the Lord for Georgette and Mike who are there for our boys. Praise the Lord that they could do this for them, and for us. Thank you both for that, I know you are doing a fantastic job.

Saturday was Jacky's birthday! We kept calling the digicel numbers and somehow we were not able to get through so I was disappointed. We celebrated before we left though. I am glad we did.

More than ever I pray that our boys grow into responsible, mature men. I pray that they will have a heart that beats for the Lord. This is the greatest wish that a person could ever have for another. I pray we all have that heart.

Whiskey's birthday

2009-11-27T08:58:00.000-08:00

Whiskey's birthday will pass us by when Nixon and I are gone and so we wanted to make sure and celebrate with the boys.

I made his cake and then Whiskey requested us not to eat his cake so he could celebrate on his birth day.

I said ok. I gave him his cake and he asked if i could keep it. I was hesitating. Nixon said ok.

He opened his present and said he preferred a long sleeve shirt.

Later i found out Nixon said he would exchange it.

Ok, I am glad we got to celebrate but this is getting ridiculous. It happens so quickly, so sneakily. You start good and then you love em and it becomes "give them a hand, and someone will take the foot".

Whiskey will be turning 21. Though 21 is not the same as in the States. It is 21 nonetheless.

Happy Birthday to Whiskey. We still love him and will pray till the cows come home.

Nixon and I had a long talk about this the next morning. We have to tighten the reigns again.

Starting with, "you get what you get", as a present.

God help us as we try to do what is best for our boys. It just all comes back to getting on our knees. And that is a good thing.

Thankful for Wiskey

2009-11-23T08:15:00.000-08:00

Nixon and the boys went out to the beach yesterday. I have a list a mile long and I also needed some peace and quiet yesterday afternoon so Nixon let me stay home.

Nixon said he and some others noticed someone very far away from shore. They realized it was Wiskey but he often swims way out. Nixon was concerned and as he watched Wiskey, his alarm grew.

According to Wiskey, after he realized that he was just getting taken out further and further into the ocean, he signaled for help. Danny and Nick responded as soon as they saw Wiskey waving for help and were able to come to the rescue.

Nixon can swim a little but cannot float. He never goes out so far that he cannot touch the ground. Apart from that Nixon has been in a near drowning incident of his own which he says he never will forget. He shared how helpless he felt as well as a flood of emotions of anger, fear, and desperation.

When Nixon came home, even before the boys were able to wash up, we got together and talked a little. Then we gathered around to praise and thank God for rescuing Wiskey. It was a scarry thing but it reminded us of how much we love each other, should pray for one another, and made us grateful to have such a God who never forgets us. Truly, God means things for good. I was reminded of Rom. 8:28.

Praise God for His goodness and grace!!!!!!

Eventful Sunday

2009-11-16T14:02:00.000-08:00

we got in on the fun too:)

I love this picture!

all except for Jackie+husband

They are so funny!

likes the serious look.

It started with church.

All our boys are old enough to stay downstairs at church service. I caught Elira in one of the classrooms though, I still need to get Nixon to talk to him about that.

Anyway, I looked through the window to see how that classroom was doing and saw Elira. He had a little bitty thing on top of his desk and he looked so in love. He was talking to her and he would kiss her little cheeks. It was the sweetest thing in the world!

When we came home, the boys wanted to take pictures. They love photo shoots and it is free so what the heck. I got my camera out as well, since they were doing that. We then sat out on the balcony and just had fun talking and relaxing after church. It took us a while to get out of our church clothes.

I actually fell asleep in a chair, there was such a nice breeze out there. LOL! There are not many cool days here a year so it was nice.

A couple of hours later, a group of short term missionaries came back after spending the night here. They were so nice and sweet! They were an elderly group and the boys told us later on that they were concerned about them coming up the stairs and all. The boys were very happy to carry their luggage downstairs as they were leaving. But before that the prayer group wanted to pray for us. They invited the boys over to help pray for Nixon and I and then the group prayed for the boys as well. We finished by singing "Lord, I lift Your Name on High". I thought it was a real special time.

As the evening rolled around, the boys gathered and we had our usual prayer Sunday. Everyone took their time praying and it just floods my heart with joy to hear the boys growing in their faith. Then it was Planet Earth time. I had been trying to get Nixon to hook it up to the projector and he finally did last night. It looked so great and the time was filled with its usual "ooohs and aawws" as well as the boy's questions. The boy's favorite part was definitely the lions ganging up on an elephant. They always seem to like these gruesome things.

We had a good and eventful Sunday.

Remember the video the boys made with Rick, here it is!

2009-11-14T19:26:00.000-08:00

Trouble keeping up-for me anyway

2009-11-14T18:49:00.000-08:00

Boys playing as we speak

Everytime they lose, they put a clip on

I am so glad Nixon can play Memory so much!

There is only so much of that game that I can take.

Jackie the Teacher.

I am thinking he likes teaching;0

They worked for at least two hours. Wow!

The boys looking at some of Rick's pictures

enjoying their time with Rick.

This week has been eventful, to say the least.

Wiskey keeps saying he has a headache, so we are working on that.

The boys got their scores back and Elira and Jn Robert are not doing as well as we would like.

Jn Robert spent about 6 hours studying today.

Elira is confident he can get his scores up there. I'm not sure what happened with him since he is a strong student. Jean Robert has always had to work twice as hard to keep his grades up.

I think Elira was just a little overconfident.

I am praying hard for all our boys to pass and not only this, to excel.

Jocelyn was dealing with a really bad toothache and went to Christianville to have it pulled yesterday. He had two teeth pulled and by the time he got back from Leogane, he was exhausted and just beat. I felt so bad for him. He is doing well today. He had nothing but banana malt o meal yesterday but he started to eat soft foods today. He is such a great kid.

The boys, Nixon and I, and Rick(Director of Joy In Hope)had a wonderful night together on Thursday night.

I made homemade pizza and cupcakes. The boys practiced their English on Rick and we were floored to hear Jackie speak SO MUCH ENGLISH. He is such a smart kid. Wow!

Afterwards, some of the boys had to go to their English course but some of them stuck around to watch some pictures of the animals Rick saw in Kenya.

The boys loved it since they are extremely interested in animals, especially after watching Planet Earth. The boys even made a video, Elira being a natural-future tv reporter maybe.

The boys had a wonderful time with Rick.

And we have a visitor staying with us. His name is Jean Luc and he is staying with Nixon and I for two weeks before he goes to the Mangine home. He will be child #5 in their orphanage.

He has gotten along very well with the boys and is happy as a lark.

Jacky sat with him for quite a while, giving him some lessons and even homework.

I am so proud of Jacky. I think this will help him become more mature, a little more responsible. Jacky will be working with Jean Luc while he is with us since Jackie likes playing teacher and Jean Luc is SO HAPPY TO LEARN. And Jacky is breezing through school so he can afford the time with Jean Luc. It is really cool to see, both of the boys.

Right now the boys 4 of the boys are playing dominos and Jean Luc, Jacky and Nixon are playing memory. I LOVE HAVING A HOUSE FULL OF BOYS! I don't really know why though. I just love it;). God is good.

"Boys, we need to take new sponsorship photos"

2009-11-10T11:15:00.000-08:00

No Retake necessary,

Jocelyn is just happy to

be Jocelyn. So proud

of him!
Mackenson is just used

to taking pictures.

Jackie's photo is wonderful, after so many

attempts. The boys

said his smile was crooked. Clearly we do not have the same opinions on what a wonderful photo really looks like.

Jean Robert flatly stated that he was not going to smile, no matter what. Maybe it was due to his battling a cold this week. Maybe it was just the Haitian in him. :)

Elira is growing up to be soooo handsome.

So GQ.

Wiskey finally tilted his head

in order to have a more

relaxed look. LOL

"I am not going to smile", even if he didn't, Jean Robert is still very handsome. And he really does have such a great smile.

I kept telling Jackie to not open his eyes so big cause it made him look scared. It was hilarious!

We had so much fun taking our photos.

Planet Earth night

2009-11-09T11:45:00.000-08:00

Every Sunday we come together with the boys and discuss anything that is happening with our families or in our hearts-anything we can pray for.
We did just this, went over James 4:2, and then prayed one at a time.
Normally we have a full length devotion but on Sundays it is prayer night.
We then pulled out Planet Earth. We set our little t.v. out, along with our dvd player, and turn off the lights.
Watching t.v., Haitian style, is not like it is with Americans.
They never quit talking, asking questions, laughing, and of course all the ooohs and awws(Me zami, o oh, quiza?, etc)
The boys loved the panda bears and even though they feel sorry for the animals that get caught and eaten, they love to watch the chase.
They were also amazed that some parts of the earth can be so frozen. They find it quite silly that some adventurous folk think it is a thrill to climb tall and dangerous and nevermind frozen mountains. That is nice to watch but not fun at all to do, just dangerous.
They LOVE PLANET EARTH!!! I kind of figured they would since Nixon found it the coolest thing to watch when we started to watch them.
Haiti is not often exposed to such exciting footage of nature. Most Haitians have never seen such things.
I don't know who enjoys it more----the boys, Nixon, or me just listening to all of them? Personally, I think I enjoy it the most. LOL!
It is just really really really cool to be a part of the Boy's Home.

Crazy Times

2009-10-31T19:52:00.000-07:00

Last night we had the annual birthday celebration for the Fresh Up Band, the band in our area(actually on our street). They are actually a pretty good Haitian band. The music is very unique. The band invited different local artists to perform for their fans. There was a lot of rap, the kind of rap that has a lot of colorful words. As I was listening to the rap, more than being infuriated I just asked Nixon, "but why?". Anyway, that was just one of those moments.
Well, the boys and Nixon and I sat on the balcony watching the people begin to fill the street. There were all sorts of people there. The boys made us laugh so hard. After seeing some of the rappers on stage, Jocelyn disappeaed for a while. He came back wearing very loose pants and a cap. He began to dance like the rappers on stage and we were all rolling. After the second rap artists performed, Elira and Jocelyn escaped for a while again. When they appeared, it was hilarious. Jocelyn could not even turn to look at us. They did a really good job with the dress up and I just had to take a picture.
It actually reminded me of my sisters and I. We used to play dress up as well, when inspired by a show or something of that sort. You would think we were kids when we did that but we werent, we were already in our 20s and it was hilarious.
I enjoy the boys so much and I enjoy seeing them be boys, without worrying about girls or the troubles of life. They are just boys, having fun being boys, and learning lots in the process.

A special creation-very fun to create.

2009-10-24T09:50:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Elira's birthday

2009-10-24T07:40:00.000-07:00

GOOD LOOKIN BUNCH!

I had told Nixon to take the pic as Elira

was blowin out the candes. As you can see, he missed it. LOL

The boys sang the funniest birthday song.

This is the pose Elira wanted. I really didn't get it.

I told Elira to hold the cake so carefully,

you can tell he is being so careful. so funny.

Ah yes, the one sock.

Elira's birthday was on Thursday of last week, October 22nd. We celebrated on Wednesday since I was going to spend the day with a good friend of mine. Anyway, since it was a surprise that we were celebrating on Wednesday instead of Thursday, there weren't any fancy church shoes marching up the stairs. (However, Elira was wearing one sock!?&%!)

We celebrated with cake and soda. Again, the boys loved the cake. It is so funny to see how they get a kick out of them. Elira said he just made a goal on the cake and the other boys, including Nixon, loved the ball. It was a good evening. The boys got to watch a little tv even though it was the middle of the week and they went down to bed with plenty of time before lights out.

Elira is turning into such a handsome boy and he has quite a personality. He is our joker and the boy that seems to get into trouble the most. I was cutting out some crafts for the junior church kids about a week ago, using egg cartons. Elira watched for a few minutes and then asked if I could have one of the egg carton lids and some yarn. He proceeded to make himself a cross between a mask and glasses. He sat with the boys, quite seriously, and watched a movie with them. It was hilarious. I tried to get a picture but he had decided to take his egg carton goggles off at that exact moment. Darn.

Anyway, Nixon and I pray that it would be a good year for Elira. We pray he would grow in wisdom and that his energy would be used in a positive way.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELIRA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mackenson's Dad

2009-10-14T20:37:00.001-07:00

Mackenson approached me yesterday morning. He seemed sad as he told me he had recieved a call telling him that his dad had passed away. Mackenson did not have a relationship with his father nor did he know too much about him but losing one more family member, especially the man that was his father has saddened him.

Mackenson has almost no family left and his mother is not mentally well. Mackenson has chosen to go to his funeral and left today after school. He should be back on Monday.

The boys and Nixon and I have been praying for him during our nightly devotions, for him to be comforted knowing he has a perfect and living Father in heaven to accompany him through life.

We love you Mackenson.

WORK

2009-10-12T09:25:00.000-07:00

washing tables

hanging mosquito nets

sweeping

doing laundry

cooking dinner

I have always been the kind of person that works. Though I have the capability to be lazy, I don't agree with it. Some people are naturally "workers". I don't think that is me either.

I think work is another way to praise the Lord. Sometimes it is hard to do, but it changes you as you push yourself to work. When we work, it is also a time to practice "praising Him in all things". So anyway, I believe in work.

The boys have daily chores and do some extra work on Saturdays. They also wash their own clothes (except for uniforms), cook their own dinner, iron their clothes(except for uniforms), clean, and help us out with carrying supplies or luggage when teams come. Though they are hard working, I hope that the boys learn the connection there is, spiritually.

This weekend they helped prepare for a team. They were excited to know that they knew a person on the team. I was upstairs preparing on another end as Nixon and the boys laughed as they worked. May the Lord bless them and their work and may He make a way for them in life.

And may we all do everything to the glory of God. Amen.

The boys discovered games

2009-10-06T19:31:00.000-07:00

Bible Memory

Sequence, and more Sequence

It was quite a weekend. Jackie was sick and I suspected a little depressed so I cracked out the games so I could spend some time with him to try to find out what was going on with him.

Well, we all got into the games. They boys were so funny, they really liked the Bible Memory game. Then we played sequece. Then we played sequence again,....and again,.....and again.

We really had fun together. Plus, it was effortless which was good since Mackenson got a cold and then Jn Robert did as well.

I missed the boys but I was really not ready to deal with the sicknesses. All the boys are finally

doing better, healthwise. I pray they all will stay healthy. Nixon has the sniffles though. He looks terrible. Oh well, it is that time of the year.

Mackenson's Birthday:)

2009-09-30T19:42:00.001-07:00

Our silly boys with their silly shoes.

Beaming over his cake

We have to wear our party shoes!

Our group

Mackenson loves sitting type pictures

Not sure what Jn Robert is doing here.

Jn Robert yelled, "wait", as I was gonna take the picture.
He wanted to be a part of the cake eating group too.

Mackenson had a wonderful birthday. His friends outdid Nixon and I as he came home with a new shirt, new jeans, and a silver chain(the kind Nixon really wants).
We ussually celebrate here in the home with cake and a small gift. Well, the boys came up as usual at about 8:00pm. I heard them as they came up. There was marching and singing as they came up. I was laughing already. As if it wasn't enough, Wisky pointed out that they were wearing shoes in honor of the birthday. Sure enough, all of them were wearing nice shiny church shoes in honor of Mackenson's birthday. They were loud, boisterous and wonderful. And it was hilarious!
We had our usual devotion time and then I brought out the cake. Mackenson LOVED it! I ussually don't outdo myself with cake making for my boys. They are all so old that I don't think they will make such a fuss over it. Oh my gosh! They all took pictures with the cake and Mackenson beemed as Wisky complemented it and he proudly said that Madam Nixon had made it just for him. (I have to admit that it was a pretty cute cake.) Nixon was kind of proud too since he got to write Mackenson's name on the cake. LOL!
We had cake and 7 up and Mackenson got a nice card with a nice big phone card so he could call his friends and tell them what a wonderful birthday he had had. :)
Mackenson has been doing so much better this year. He is learning how to get positive attention. He is doing wonderfully and I think he knows it. He has also been a lot more social with the boys. Last year he did not seem to want to be a part of the team, even choosing to not watch movies with them or go to the beach. I am glad to see him being a part of the group a lot more this year.
Nixon and I pray that Mackenson would grow more mature this year, confident in himself with God on his side(instead of relying on drama), and that he would grow in the knowledge and confidence that he is loved by us and the Lord. He has also always been a worrier, I pray that the Lord would give him peace as He does his best and lets God do the rest.
Happy Birthday Mackenson!

A wonderful weekend with our boys

2009-09-26T19:51:00.000-07:00

Last night the boys came up and we watched a movie together. Actually, it was in french so I stuck around a little while then went to finish up my lesson plans for Junior church. Nixon fell asleep during the movie. We want to make sure and talk about the movies we watch this year and make them a lesson to learn from. We compared the vengeance taken in last nights movie to David not wanting to take Saul's life. It was good.
This afternoon we waited for the exterminator to come and then after borrowing a car, we went to the beach. I took my Bible and a book I've been trying to finish. I ended up watching the game. It was a really good game. None of the players expected Jackie to do anything so when it seemed they were on their way, Jackie would swipe the ball. Jocelyn was a great goalie, he got so sandy trying to give his all. Mackenson would steal the ball but then would seem to lose control as he ran with the ball. He finally made 2+goals though. Jn Robert is a very good soccer player. Jn Robert did stay and work for Joy In Hope all summer though. He has been practicing his soccer skills, getting up at 5am and joining a rough bunch of soccer players on the other side of town. He is very competitive. Elira found every opportunity to jump in the water and splash around. Wisky was a little sluggish but made his share of goals. He has a lot of fun playing, laughs all the way through.

My highlights are as follows:
-The boys making goals.
-Me yelling bon travay! (i was such a dork!)
-a guy wearing boxers who joined the game. His "peppy" kept escaping the
whole time.
-A big, (tiny) bikini wearing man jogging on the beach
-My chocolate kiss making goals, he made ALOT OF THEM:)
-the boys yelling out the score to me each time someone made a goal.
- their beaming faces when I would yell out their name, followed by "good job".

After we cleaned up the car, gave it back, and we cleaned up ourselves up, we had a devotion time. I then made popcorn seasoned with cheddar cheese flavoring, we sipped on sodas and watched another movie together.
(Thank you to John for teaching me to make popcorn and thank you Christa for the cheddar cheese flavouring!)
With a few glitches in between, we have had a great day with our boys, actually a wonderful weekend with our boys. I sometimes forget that we are pouring into these boy's lives and that it is such a privilege. It is God's will that we show them more about Him. I pray that we would do it to the best of His ability. Please pray for Nixon and I to be close to the Lord in order to properly make Him shine in us and then the boys. Please pray for the boy's, for their hearts to be captivated by the Lord.

Beach Day

2009-09-21T11:05:00.000-07:00

Whenever we can we like to take the boys to the beach. Nick and Nixon got together and made plans to go to the beach on Sunday afternoon, yesterday, a while after church. I was gonna be a party pooper and stay home since I slept like 4 hours on Saturday night. But I decided not to stay home. I got some great pictures. I am sure if I had one of those fancy cameras, they would have been better but I kinda think they are ridiculously expensive. I could think of a lot more things I would rather spend money on. But that is just me. My little camera has been a blessing for over 3 years now. KNOCK ON WOOD.

Anyway, the boys had fun playing soccer with some neighbor boys and with Nixon. Nixon said he thought he would be rough since he doesn't play much in a couple of years but he did great. Just between us, he was lying in bed saying he felt soooo sore last night. LOL! The boys loved the soccer though. I was very very happy that Mackenson went along as well. He is ussually the one that doesn't want to go so I told Nixon to encourage him(it worked!). Frandy(Ser Kokot's son) and Jocelyn were the goal keepers. Mackenson, Nixon, and Whisky were constantly on the move. Jackie went here and there but he seemed out of sorts playing with all the big guys. I do think it was Jackie's first time going to the beach with the group since he didn't have any shorts to wear. Thanks to the last team that came through, he now has shorts. Thanks guys.:) We missed Jn Robert, he decided to stay home and have some extra studying time.

We had a great time! I even got to kick the ball in a few times since it would go out into the water. They were pretty sissyish kicks but I thought it was thrilling.

Jocelyn and Jackie

2009-09-16T19:40:00.000-07:00

These two are our new boys. We really didn't know they were brothers until Teresa called to tell us Jocelyn was on his way. They are doing well though. I have been checking to see if all the boys are studying during the set hours of the day. Yesterday afternoon I saw Jackie go up to the roof, notebooks in hand. Then I saw Jocelyn go up. Figuring I might find them horsing around instead of studying, I went to take a peek. The boys were sitting in different spots on the roof, studying. I thought, "Good job boys!"

Like I said before, the boys that have been with us for a year allready, have lots of fun with them. The boys are like the freshmen. Yes, they get teased. Though we might try to minimize this, it happens anyway. The boys tell them they are country side and know only the bushes. If told they are countryside boys too, they claim they are naturalized. LOL!

Poor Jocelyn is never going to live down the "dvd" story. On the second day he was here, the boys watched a movie on a portable dvd player. The boys said he was shocked, never had seen a dvd player before. ( I dont really know if the boys were exagerating, they tend to do that.)

And the boys EAT A LOT! I think their tummies are adjusting but they eat all their food in one sitting. If you've seen the amount of food on a Haitian main meal plate, you know what I am talking about. The boys ussually save some of their food for later in the day but Jackie and Jocelyn eat it all. Jocelyn pulled Nixon aside and explained to him, in a matter of fact kind a way, that he came here to regenerate so he needs to eat well. Hilarious!

Jackie also gets teased at school. Have I mentioned that he is 13 and wears size 7 pants. Oh My Gosh! I still can't believe it. Well, he gets teased at school for that and needed a little encouragement during those first days of school. He seems to be doing well. I walked home from church with him on Friday and he shared that he liked school. I was glad to hear it.

All in all, they are good boys. Everything is new for them and so they are easily enthused and eager to learn and to help with whatever needs doing. Please pray for these boys as they continue to study in the "city".

These boys also do not have a lot of funds from home. They have a mother but no father and mother has 8+ children at home. Part of the deal here at the Boys Home is that the families have to pay for anything the boys might need apart from their education fees and their room and board. Jackie's mother was having trouble sending money for school shoes for Jackie. She finally did but we know things are hard for her to do that. Please pray for provision for the family. In order for the boys and their families to value this opportunity and not take advantage of the program, they need to have room to provide (even if a little) for their boys although we know it is difficult. Please join us in praying for the boy's families, for provision for all their children.

All my ducks in a row

2009-09-11T20:10:00.000-07:00

On Sunday before school started, we had the boys come up for their introduction meeting.

The boys must follow a set of rules and regulations in order to be in the home.

I'll talk about that later. Anyway, my friend Christa thought it was hilarious that the boys had arranged their chairs into a line. They all faced the wall. It seemed liked they were looking at the wall and they were, but they weren't. They were just waiting.

Last night the boys all came up to our house for their evening devotion time. I came out of the bedroom and it was so funny. The boys had arranged their chairs with their backs against my curtains, facing my dish cabinet. They seemed like they were watching tv or something. They weren't. They were just waiting.

We love having the boys. :) This is just one of those "funny things you notice" moments.

Joy In Hope Boys Home-2009-2010

2009-09-10T12:15:00.000-07:00

What a Good Lookin Group:)
We are excited to have them.

"Hot Shots"

Ok folks, I wanted to keep up with this blog and post things from the past year but it didn't really happen that way. It is much harder to backtrack. I might post sporadic past year stories that come to mind and that sort of thing but I think mostly we'll start with a clean slate.

Jean Robert held a summer job overseeing the 3 levels of the Rue Petion house this summer. He made a little money and he did a great job. I think he missed the boys a ton though.

It was pretty hard keeping the boys away. Many don't have much to go home too and they prefer to be here. Plus they eat here and I don't know how that goes when they are away. I know all of them are skinnier than when they left. (And Elirah is HUGE, he really went through a growth spurt.)

Frandy was the only boy we lost from last year. He did not pass into the next grade level so he no longer qualifies for the program. We still see him often since Ser KokoT still works here on a daily basis. I will miss seeing him on a daily basis though. He is a sweet boy and I love him so much. He is gifted as an artist and hope than he gets an opportunity to develop this gift. Unfortunately he is at a point where he really isn't interested in school and does not like to study, though he says he does.

We have two new boys this year. Jocelyn and his brother Jackie are from Seguin as well.

They are quiet and the boys tease them about being country-side boys, knowing nothing except bushes. Nixon tells them they are all "country side" but they insist that they are "naturalized".

They are hilarious!

Both of our newest boys are really small for their age. Jocelyn is 16 but looks 14 and Jackie is 13 but wears size 7 pants. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?! Wow! Nixon and I try our best not to coddle him, he is just so CUTE! We have a good looking bunch and were finally able to get pictures of the boy's first week.

They are so glad to be back. It is nice to hear them going up and down, to hear their laughter, to see them being "boys". Well, I will tell you all more soon. Here are some pictures to look at.

Please pray for our boys as they start their school year again and as they continue to live in a home away from home. Both can be difficult. And school is a lot harder here than in the U.S.

Jean Robert

2009-07-06T14:24:00.003-07:00

Jean Robert is a sweet and gentle young man. He is quiet and thinks long and hard about life. He is a hard worker, responsible, caring, and compassionate. Jean Robert is also a magnet to kids. Often we will find the little neighbor girl come over and just sit with him. Jean Robert would have been given a lot more responsiblility if it were not for the fact that he has trouble with school. He has had to struggle to keep his grades up. Often we will find Jean Robert with his nose in the Bible, while the rest of the boys are off being boys.

After the first semester was over, Jean Robert was really really down after not passing. Nixon sat down with him and Jean Robert explained that his mother was really sick and he just hadn't been able to concentrate for a while. He shared his thoughts about how he felt he should start working instead of finishing school. He just felt it was his responsibility. Nixon felt his pain as he poured out his frustrations. My husband really felt he should just encourage Jean Robert as much as possible to look at the big picture, to look at the long range view and see that education is an opportunity to make our lives better although the road is not always easy. We told him that he would respect any decision he made although his encouragement was for him to stay. We prayed for him a lot. Jean Robert made the decision to stay although I believe it is not always easy for him to keep on looking at the big picture.

This is what Jean Robert wrote about himself. "My name is Jean Robert. I am Haitian and am from Seguin. I have two sisters and three brothers. I love white. I do not like to mop. I love to go to church and I love God very much."

Jean Robert turned 21 on the 21st of May, 2009. He has 5 years of school left.

Wiskey

2009-07-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

Wiskey is something else, as my husband would say. He has a lot of talent and has a charisma to him. I believe he also has the gift of leadership. Nixon depended on him more and more as the year progressed on making sure everything in the home ran smoothly. He is also very responsible.

I remember when Nixon lived out in Cyvadier and I was working for another missionary. During our nine months living there, people had begun to come looking for me so that I could give them medecine or bandage their wounds. I remember a big guy coming one day. His thumb was deeply cut and had been treated but the bandage had fallen off on his way down from the mountain village of Seguin. I cleaned it up and wrapped it up for him. That is my first memory of Wiskey, although my husband had to actually remind me about that boy that once came to our gate.

When the Boyz home was started, we would go out to the land with Danny's kids. It was hilarious when I found out that Danny's kids were afraid to play soccer with Wiskey because they were afraid of his size. Some of the HCH kids were talking with Nixon one day, "man, don't you know Wiskey is the size of a bull. Have you seen his big feet, his big back, his arms,...even his lips are huge!" Little did they know that our boys had been reluctant to join the HCH kids for many Saturdays because they thought Danny's kids to be "rough", and "mean" on the field. (They are just competetive:)

This is what Wisky wrote about himself: "My name is Wiskey Maison. I have 2 sisters and 9 brothers. I am from Seguin. I love the colors white and black. I don't love to wash dishes. I love God because He is always helping me all my life. Thank You."

Wiskey turned 21 on the 5th of December and has 5 years of schooling left.

He absolutely loves to take pictures.

Mackenson

2009-07-03T09:54:00.000-07:00

We have known Mackenson for a long time. I remember seeing him since I moved to Jacmel.

Strangely I kept asking Leann about that other boy that I remember seeing in their house. I asked if they lost a boy but never got to the root of it until he showed up one day and I told her that that was the boy I had asked about. It was funny, at least to me.

Last year, Teresa supported him in his living in Jacmel in order to be able to attend high school. He lived on his own.

Mackenson seems to always be studying, by himself and with his friends, but he constantly struggles with his studies. He often bypasses movies on Saturday nights, and playing soccer with the HCH kids to study.

Mackenson also worries a lot. I remember our introductory meeting at the beginning of the year. Mackenson kept taking the floor during question time asking "what if" questions, mostly about not passing. Nixon ended the question time by saying that if you think you are gonna fail, most likely you will. LOL!

Kokot, Frandy's mother, favours Mackenson. She often covered up for him during the year, when he would get himself into a jam. We later found out she would sometimes do his chores as well. :(

This is what Mackenson wrote about himself: "My name is Mackenson Luc. I am from Seguin. I have relatives in Gonaives, Haiti. I like to play soccer and my favorite color is white. I want to be a doctor one day. I want to visit Canada in the future."

Mackenson will be turning 21 on the 29th of July. He has 3 years of schooling left.

Elira

2009-07-03T09:08:00.000-07:00

Elira is always moving. He is the one we always hear laughing and joking and sometimes making others upset, especially Mackenson. Mackenson often decides he has had enough of Elira. I love that Elira has so much life. Nothing about him is sedate. He is a well-behaved boy for the most part. He does have his moments.

Recently, Nixon asked him to go and mop downstairs. I don't remember the situation or circumstance but he was told to go mop downstairs. He said that he was absolutely not going to do it, no matter what. Nixon told him he had like 10 minutes to get downstairs. After the 10 minutes was up Nixon had man to man talk with him and told him that this program was for those who realized how rare of an opportunity this is. If he did not value it as such he was welcomed to pack up his stuff and leave right now, though we were sure we would miss him. We did not know whether he went to pack or mop. We later found out he went to mop.

Nixon says it is very easy for the people to forget their troubles and instead of looking back, they look forward to how much more they want or deserve. I know that is just the sinful nature.

My name is Elira Antoine and I am Haitian. I am from Seguin and I have 4 brothers and 3 sisters. I love playing soccer in my spare time. I love to read and I don't like washing dishes. My favorite color is white. I love going to school and I love Jesus.

This is what Elira said about himself.

Elira is a great kid. He turned 14 on October 22nd. He has 5 years schooling left.

FRANDY

2009-07-02T21:36:00.000-07:00

Frandy was our youngest boy here during this school year. He is actually Mackenson and Mackendy's blood brother. I think he bears a strong resemblance to Mackendy. I love him to death. He is a sweet boy. His momma babies him too much though. From a Texas viewpoint, we like our boys to grow into men. I pray that the year has helped him to learn responsibility and that the older boys as well as my husband, have played a positive and good influence in his life during this past year. Frandy is the son of Kokot(with a "t" for those Crosspointe folk out there)

Having his mother with him has presented some problems. We later in the year learned that when he was scheduled to do chores, she would "help" him. Also, when he got a beating one night, the boys teased him all the next day.

This is what Frandy wrote about himself, in Creole.

My name is Frandy and I am from Jacmel.

I have 5 brothers and 1 sister. I love playing soccer when I am not doing anything.

I don't like washing dishes and I love the color yellow. I love going to church and I love

school.

(Maybe he really does love going to church. He goes a lot! I thought his mother was making

him do it but maybe he really does love it.)

Frandy turned 14 years old. And we love him. He has 5 years of schooling left.

Haitian Boys doing Haitian things

2009-07-02T21:28:00.000-07:00

I came home from rehearsal today and found 2 of the boys sitting in the neighbor's tap tap.

They were kind of funny, just sitting there. I had the camera in my hand cause i wanted to take some pictures of my Haitian friends, so I took a picture of the boys. Jon Robert looks kind of unhappy but he was smiling from ear to ear (till he saw the camera). I later commented to Nixon on how cute they were just sitting there. He said all Haitian boys do that. He said he remembered sitting in a tap tap just for fun. He says Haitians sometimes get upset over it but it is just something boys do. That is so funny, in a weird way. :)

Joy In Hope's Boy's Home

2009-06-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

Currently we have 5 boys living in the Boy's Home. Many of you guys have met them and some of you all support the boys living here. Whoever you are, if you are checking into this site it is because you love our boys and wish them many blessings. We have had many fun times and many challenging times here at the boy's home. It is not always easy on Nixon and I and it is not always easy on the boys but we all secretly love being a part of each others lives.

Welcome to all our visitors. Thank you for taking a peek into the Boy's Home. We hope that we can count on your continued prayers and support.

I will keep posting as to our daily happenings but I will also be posting things from the past year since I started this blog at the end of the year. Hope you enjoy.