Summer mission trip

We have have our summer mission trips planned and I'm so excited. The kids will be going back to Haiti for the first time, they can't wait.

Jonathan and in have been very busy going to churches and home groups speaking about Helping Hands 4 Haiti, our mission trips and the projects we have going on at Voice of the Children Orphanage.  We have had a great response from so many people, God is truly blessing our ministry.

On our upcoming trip we will finish some building projects at the orphanage, get the children all listed in the computer with their information and get more information on the new project in La Colline. This is where the orphanage was originally. We hope to restore it where they can move back. It's so much bigger and will be so much nicer than what they currently have.

We hope and pray that by this time next year we will have several weeks booked with mission volunteers to go with us.  Please continue to pray for HH4H, exciting things are happening.

Nehemiah Project Phase I

Jonathan and I had our first group with Helping Hands 4 Haiti. We built shelter over the area where the children eat, do homework and such  at Voice of the Children Orphanage in Port au Prince Haiti.

Ryan Holder and Wayne Page from Advance, Mo., Pat and Vernon Dockery from Scottsville, Jonathan and I all had such a great time working and playing with the children. We had some funds left over and was able to purchase food for the orphanage too. Thank you to everyone who donated to the Nehemiah Project, I can't wait for Phase II.

We were blessed by several of the men in the area who helped. The day we showed up at the Orphanage to work there were several Haitian men there ready to lend a hand in anyway they could.

We were able to take 4 totes of clothing and sheets. Each one of the 50 children got atleast one new outfit, shorts, shirts, skirts...even new undies. The little girls came out just prancing and twirling around in their new skirts.

We purchased the Orphanage a new drum. It was so cute, all the little boys passed the drum around and then one little boy, looked like he was about 6, seemed to have the best rhythm and was designated by all the other boys as the new drummer!   We then sang beautiful hymns in Haitian Creole and in English.

This is my little buddy, she stayed pretty close to me and my mom (Pat) while the men were working on the construction.

This is about half of the children of Voice of the Children Orphanage. They were so excited to have their new shelter, food and a new drum. Thank you to those who donated, without you we could not do what we do.  Thank you for letting Helping Hands 4 Haiti be your hands and fee in Haiti. If you would like to experience this for yourself, please let me know.

Time to go home.  Thank you for making our first "group" trip a great success!!!!

Great Things Happening

Well its been a while since my last post. I will have to really work hard to keep this up more in the future.

So many great things have been going on in our lives.

Christmas Day, Gotcha DAY. They have been home 1 year!!!!

Our daughter is expecting our first grandbabies (2)  Brady and Conner Griffin. Twin BOYS....

Caleb our son, graduated from Airborne School at Ft. Benning GA.

We have had a very busy few months.  Jonathan and I have finally made our schedule for the Haiti Mission Trips.. WOO HOO.. Make sure and check out our website  www.helpinghands4haiti.com.

I will try and fill everyone in on all the rest soon.  GOD BLESS!!!

Best text message EVER

So I'm in Bowling Green today at the eye Dr. office getting my glasses fixed. Then I receive the text message you see on the right.   This is from my daughter, who has been known to play jokes before. I could not believe my eyes and did NOT believe it!!!  I sent a message saying I'll call you ASAP...

When I called she said it was NO joke she got a positive on a pregnancy test (the good one, not cheep one). I could not believe it.  Just last month after she had been trying to get pregnant for a while she decided maybe it was not time for her and that she would just go back to school and finish her nursing degree. I was very happy about this decision, although I would love to be a Granme` (that's creole for Grandma). But I was excited she was going to finish school.  I told her she had better go to the Dr. and get on birth control because since she was not going to try that's when it happens...Well guess who had not went to the Dr. yet? We just talked about this a few weeks ago.. She said well I have been trying and nothing happened, so I don't expect it to happen now.

I told her, just when you give up, or just when you don't think about it or think its NOT going to happen it does. Well let me tell you I"m VERY VERY excited. I think I have been ready to be Granme` since they got married, but I wanted them to have their time too. I really think this is perfect timing for them, Sasha will be 25 by the time the baby is here and I think thats a perfect age and I think she will be a perfect MOM!!!!!

Well after we left the Dr. office I told Jonathan we have to go get something.. So I went to Toys R Us and got a little baby rattle, the kind you put on their hands or feet. We drove by so we could give her the little rattle and I asked if she had taken the 2 test yet. She said NO, I kept begging her to take it while I was there and Sure enough there they were... 2 pink lines... WOO HOO.  We're having a BABY!!!!!

My Baby is having a BABY!!!

One Exciting Summer

Jonathan should really be writing this blog, because he had the most wonderful summer. 

Just before school was out Jonathan (my husband) was told that the company that had just bought out the insurance agency he had been working for almost 14 years would no longer be keeping him. We were both very shocked and surprised, because he had been meeting with them for a couple weeks, they had already talked about our health Insurance, how they do business and everything. Then it happened I think it was a Tuesday, he was having a meeting with the powers that be, not thinking about it, everyone in the office was having a one-on-one. Well his one-on-one went SOUTH... He called me and said "Well it's over". I said "What the meeting?", he said, "NO IT'S OVER...", I still did not fully understand..HE said, "My JOB  its OVER!!!"  Well, needless to say, I was very shocked and I cried a LOT.  I was at work and think I scared everyone in my office. They didn't know what was going on, only that I got a phone call and was devastated.. We just brought these two children from Haiti home at Christmas and now my husband looses his JOB really....??  The first thought that came to my mind was that we would have no health insurance. What will we do?????

Thats when the fun comes in.... Jonathan was blessed that he was able to spend the whole summer at home with the kids. We didn't need a baby sitter or arrange for family to help. He became "Mr. Mom".  They would get up in the morning, straighten the house and get ready for their day of fun.  He worked with them on school work to help prepared them for the upcoming year, they went to the library a couple times a week and enrolled in a summer reading program, where they did all kinds of fun stuff and received tickets for the Hot Rod's baseball game.  They went learned to swim at the YMCA and once a week they went to the Kids Movie Fest in Bowling Green, where they got a summer pass for only $5 and got to see a movie once a week. So every Tuesday they left out early for the movies. This was a summer experience neither the kids or Jonathan would ever forget.

Even though Jonathan lost his job, God knew what He was doing.  We both know it would be hard for him to leave his job and enter ministry full time again. We have be there-done that, got a T-shirt and not sure we wanted another one.  God had bigger plans.... more info in my next blog...

Thanks for reading about my crazy life...

Basic Training Graduation

Caleb's Graduation

Once again I'm very behind on my blog, I so want to do better. So I'm going to try and play catch up, so read fast. 

Our first little family vacation with Kerby and Kerlandy was a trip to Ft. Jackson, S.C., for Caleb's Basic Training Graduation from the US Army in June 2012. We all loaded up the SUV and headed to South Carolina. Sasha (our oldest daughter) was able to get off work to go with us, we were all so excited!!! My parents and two sisters were all coming too. 

After we found out hotel, with a nice pool the kids all enjoyed we went to find the base because early the next morning was family day and we were going to get to see Caleb, who we have not seen in like 10 weeks. We were all excited.

We all got up early that morning and headed to the base for family day. We had a great time visiting with Caleb, we went bowling, got to eat together and got some Army shirts. My parents and sisters came in the afternoon and we all went to play miniature golf (IT WAS HOT). It was hard leaving that day, but we knew we would see him the next morning at Graduation all dressed up in his nice clothes. That evening at the hotel the kids got to swim with my nieces and had a great time.

Early the next morning the hotel was buzzing, I think everyone there was attending the graduation, everyone was so excited.  We arrived early to get a good seat where we could see everything. They started the service with the Army band, we loved it.  Then they started marching in we all was looking so hard for Caleb, then we finally spotted him. He was in the back row of his company because he is so tall, but we could see our hansom son, in his dress blues.  After the graduation ceremony we all went to take pictures and I wanted one with one of his Drill Sergeants, we seen them both and as Caleb stood between them one said for Caleb to "DROP". He made him do a push up while I took pictures.. It was GREAT.. LOL . After all the photo ops we went to see his barracks and we loaded his belongings. He got to come home with us that day so we could take him to Ft. Leonardwood, Mo., for his AIT. He got to stay home for 1 night and the next day we had a big cookout for all of our family and then headed to AIT.

Only Jonathan and I took him because we knew we it would be go there and back the same day trip. a LONG LONG 14 hour round trip.  We left our baby for the US ARMY to mold him and educate him to help defend our country.  

Last day of School

Well today is the last day of School for Kerby and Kerlandy. I can not believe how well they have both done in school after only being enrolled for 4 months.

We enrolled them the end of February, after only being in the US under 2 months. We worked very hard with them on "school" work here at home just a few days after their arrival. They are both very interested in learning. It really blew my mind how quickly they have picked up the English Language.  When Kerlandy talks on the phone to her older brother Blondy in Haiti she can only speak English to him. She cannot remember enough Creole to talk to him. Kerby told us he has a hard time talking to him like he use to, he has to think about what he is saying a little more.  

We received a card from Kerby a week ago saying we were invited this morning to attend their little awards ceremony at school, that Kerby would be receiving an award.  When I told him how great that was it was funny, he said "Mom, I don't know what Award is". I explained to him what an award was and the should be very proud. Kerlandy asked me if he was going to get  a present.. LOL  Jonathan and I attended the awards ceremony this morning and I was so very excited when they called his name. Not only did he receive an award but he received 2 awards... In our Middle School they divide the 7th grade into two groups. They call them "teams".  Each team has teachers in each field, that way they all kinda work together. Its really a great way to do things.  Well Kerby received a Math Award for having the Highest percent in his whole team (1/2 of the 7th grade). We were not really expecting that, we knew he did very well in math and thought maybe the top 5, thats how many they usually pass out. When they started calling the names and number 5, 4, 3 we thought oh yaa he got the 2nd highest average.. Then still not his name.. HE GOT FIRST!!!!!  The whole school clapped so hard for him, I think EVERYONE loves Kerby!!!!  We were so very proud of him and what he accomplished in such a short time.. I had to leave after he received his award to head back to work and got a message not long later that he received another award in Art.. I had no idea about this one or I would have stuck around.  We are so very proud of Kerby and how well he has adapted to school and all the students and teachers say he is a JOY to be around.  Kerby will be going on to 8th grade next year. I think it will challenge him a lot, but I think he can do it.


Kerlandy will be finishing up her 4 months of 2nd grade with a wonderful teacher, who she just loves. She has done so good in school this year. The first week of school she came home with a list of 10 spelling words and 2 bonus words that I never dreamed she would be able to learn to spell in time for a test a few days later. Well her determination came through, she made a 104% on the very first test. and on EVERY test to come after that. (102% on one, but that was my fault. I taught her the wrong word. LOL)  Her reading skills have come a long way... When Kerlandy first came home in December she spoke pretty much NO English. So for a child to learn a second language as quick as she has and do so good in school it has just blown my mind.  We are so proud of her accomplishments this year.  I think she would get the Spelling award if they handed them out in her school.  Jonathan and I met with her teacher, guidance counceler, principal and a 3rd grade teacher the other day and we all decided it would be better for Kerlandy to stay in 2nd grade for next year. (We wanted to enroll her in 1st gr. this year anyway). They say that in 3rd grade they really do a LOT LOT of reading and writing. She still has a little bit of a hard time expressing on paper what she is trying to say, only because of the language. Some of this will take a little time. I could not imagine me going to a different country and learning their language this quickly to be able to express what I have just read on paper. WOW.  They showed us her test scores and she is testing very good. I know it will give her a better advantage if she gets to complete 2nd grade. I explained to her that all the other children had 10 months of 2nd grade and she only had 4 months. It would not really be fair for her to be in 3rd grade when she only had 4 months of second and she was just fine with that.

We are going to continue to work with the kids this summer on their reading skills and have them both to keep a journal to help with their writing. They have both reached a higher academic level than I could have ever dreamed of in such a short amount of time.

When most children are very excited that today is the last day of school, both Kerby and Kerlandy are sad, they WANT to go to school so bad, they love it!!!

Sorry my post are so random and kinda hard to follow, I get to typing and just don't stop.  LOL
Thank you for reading my blog. I hope to do better with my post in the future.