Challenges and Opportunities

Lavi byen pa fasil - A good life is not easy

Many of you that read my blog on a regular basis might just think that everything is sunshine and palm trees down here.  Yes, I do try to focus on the good stuff and fun things that I get to do, but life does have its challenges.

Marriage takes a lot of work!  I am sure that my friends that are married will just shake their heads and say "Duh!"  I am finding that out.  I am happy to have some great friends down here that I can talk to and that can give me advice.

The girls -

Victoria absolutely loves her little sister.  When Abby cries, Victoria will put her pacifier back in her mouth or even hold the bottle for her.  Victoria loves to hold and tickle her too!  Abby is growing so fast.  She is a little over three months and she can roll over and she turns her head and follows me around as I walk by.  She has a great head of hair that can be combed.

Abby sitting up in the bed

Victoria and I getting ready to go for a walk

That's a good big sister!

Victoria is helping me with a project for shade on my tomatoes!

Victoria does not like to have her hair done.  Down here it is unacceptable for a girl to leave her hair in the natural state.  It has to be braided with barrettes.  I really don't understand why we can't just let her hair be, but that is a minor cultural thing that I don't understand...not one worth worrying about too much!

Projects -

My kitchen is a little further along than it was on my last blog update, but I have been busy trying to finish the first room for CoreLuv, so the kitchen has to wait.  I hope to install the cabinets this week in the medical clinic.  Then I can start on the next room!  I also just landed a contract to build some more beds.  The Salvation Army has a training center in Port au Prince and they are going to have me build 4 bunk beds and 32 regular beds!  I am going to be very busy trying to manage all of these projects at once.  I am grateful for the opportunities.

The kitchen cabinets in progress

The Salvation Army contract came from someone that had spent a few nights on my bunk beds at the House of Hope - Jim and Debbie Hambrick.  We have been trying for over a year to figure out exactly what they want and a schedule to do everything.  The contact at the Salvation Army would not settle for anyone else making their beds!  She was impressed with the quality and simple beauty of my "Standard Bunk Bed."  It pays to do quality work every time.

Making a mobile with shapes and colors for the girls.

Are these ladders OSHA approved?

Expansion -

The lot next door has come up for sale.  I would like to purchase it to build my workshop now and eventually some of the other things I have in my dreams.  I made an offer on it earlier this week, but it was too low...the owner told me that he paid more for it than I had offered.  The land could probably get the price he wants...it is a big piece of land, nothing on it yet, on a busy and paved road.  Even if I had enough money for it, I don't know if I would try to buy it or maybe look for something less expensive in another location.  I will pray about it for a while...hopefully it is still available when I figure out the solution.  Or maybe the solution is some land a bit out of town.

The lot next door

My back yard (from the apartment being built in back of the lot)

In the mean time, I will build a covered area in my back yard to store lumber and for people to come and work.  The masons are nearly finished raising the wall, when that is done, I will put up a tin roof over an area for shade and protection from the rain.

My challenges (prayer requests)

My wife and I need to communicate better, pray that we can understand each other and that we can empathize with each other.  I need to be as productive as possible, pray that I find good help and that I am able to use my time wisely as I work on multiple contracts at once.  I still come up a little short on money some times, pray that I am a good steward of my resources and that I am able to get the work and support that is necessary to grow down here.

As always, thanks for reading this and may God bless you as he has blessed us.

Scott, Ruthcher, Victoria, Abbigaelle

I have been right here the whole time!

Well, this is the first post of 2016...sorry about that...we got busy.

As soon as we were a bit settled in the new house, I got to work on a big order of beds for a previous customer in Port au Prince.  Now their entire mission house has my beds!  Organizing my shop for production took some work and it is nowhere near finished.  But my shop is functioning in the back section of our house.  Because it is in our house, I don't bring many people over to work...just a few that I have experience with.

Bed parts ready for assembly

Victoria helping me put the screws in

Varnish drying on another order!

Time to relax on the front porch!

I have been building out the kitchen.  From the previous post, you could see that I had an empty shell to work with.  I have most of the base cabinets installed, still have to build the peninsula and the upper cabinets.  Also waiting on the countertops until all of the base cabinets are done.  I am going to try a cast in place concrete countertop.  This kitchen will double as a showroom for potential customers.  There might be a few dozen people in Gonaives that would be willing to pay for a custom kitchen like mine...all I need is one!

Kitchen plans

Good start

Sink works - no more doing dishes outside!

My current project in the shop is the first room for the CoreLuv Orphanage medical clinic.  I believe that they want me to build cabinets for every room.  Jacob Sangster is the man on the ground here in Haiti for the project.  He stopped by yesterday and he really liked what he saw.  I would like to get going in a shop soon so that I can hire some help for the next rooms.

The drawer inspector

Two drawer sections done

Just half of the base cabinets for the first room

I really enjoy when a customer wants a quality job!

Abbigaelle Lisa Peters

She was born on February 13...a day before Valentines day and two days after my sister Lisa.  She was born at the hospital in Marchand Dessalines.  This is where Victoria was born and where we were going for prenatal checkups.  It is about an hour away from us to the South East.  It was a pretty normal birth...no problems...but Victoria was getting a lot of laughs as she mocked her mother.  Ruthcher was walking around the hospital Friday night, putting her hands on her knees and letting everyone know what she was feeling.  Victoria proceeded to do the exact same gestures and noises...all of the nurses had to come out and watch the show!

Daddy with baby

Our whole family!

Daddy built me a bed!

Victoria can rock me to sleep!

Such a good big sister.

I think I am getting ready to go to Port.

A day at the beach with my girls!

Loves her sister

Always wants to hold her

Sold the house, bought a car!

Like I said in my last post, I am going "All in" here.  I sold my house and I used a portion of the equity for a car and a generator.  The balance will be saved for when I find the perfect property to buy for our permanent home - and shop, and school, and business, and garden, and whatever else I think I need to try!  The search for land is ongoing, I have the word out with several friends, they know what I am looking for.  I keep getting dragged to see property that I know I would not be interested in...but then I just patiently explain again exactly what I am looking for...it will come.

2003 Rav4, going rate is twice blue book down here.

Getting close on the container

The container is nearly full, we are getting quotes on the different aspects of shipping it now.  Putting it on a truck, taking it to the rail yard, train to Palm Beach, boat from there to St. Marc, drive it to Gonaives.  Jan Thompson from Christopher's Hope has a bunch of stuff in there too.  Some great people from Kansas drove a load up to throw in there.  My church in the Omaha area - Journey Church in Gretna - is helping me ship it down here.

Thanks for your continued support

Things are not always easy, I paint a pretty rosy picture of life down here most of the time.  The truth is, there are always challenges - but I don't want to complain or share my problems with just anyone who has a computer.  Our family appreciates your prayers, all you have to do is ask God to look after us.  We don't need you to pray for anything specific, He knows what is needed.  We also appreciate the support of hearing our friend's voices.  If you happen to see that we are both online at the same time, feel free to start up a conversation...I will make time for it.

We also appreciate the financial commitment that some of you have made.  The small monthly contributions help with recurring bills like phone and internet, the larger one time gifts usually come in just when they are needed.  I thank all of you that are making this possible here and I encourage some of you to click on the Subscribe or Donate button in the upper right of this blog to send some money this way.  Tools for Success is now recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)3 not for profit corporation.

Thank you and may God bless you

Scott, Ruthcher, Victoria, Abbigaelle