ivy and orchid

      We have returned from our trip to Haiti, but before I begin telling stories, I would like to thank you all for your support! I know many of you are praying for us and sending well-wishes as we go along this journey together. We arrived in Cap-Hatien safely, stayed healthy and returned home with no problems. Thank you to all of you who donated school supplies for Cowman School. Thank you for supporting us financially so that we could make the trip. We were even able to buy extra school supplies, classroom prizes and hard-to-find-in-Haiti food for the Missionaries there. With one large suitcase filled with clothes for our family, all of the other suitcases were filled things to bring to Cowman. Each of you are contributing to this great commission and our family couldn't do our work there without your support, so we thank you!           The Cap-Hatien region of Haiti is surrounded by mountains and this was the m...

Since sharing our news of serving in Haiti, we have been amazed by the generosity of all of you. You have shown us compassion in ways that we never could have imagined! You have shared stories of your own journeys, you have provided for us not only financially but also in ways that will allow us to grow our support. You have shared our excitement for a new adventure, our sadness for the end of our current chapter, our apprehension for the uncertainties that lay ahead of us and your faith in knowing that God will be with us every step of the way. Every person who has given to us tells us that you believe in what we are doing and we are incredibly grateful for that support, that faith, that encouragement and your fulfillment of Matthew 28:19 ("Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations. . ."). So what is next? We are heading to Haiti for our vision trip this weekend. We will see Haiti for the first time. We will see our future home, the school our kids will attend, w...

What is a vision trip, you might be asking? A vision trip is essentially "scoping out" a place before moving there to do ministry. Our vision trip is May 6th-12th and we will be staying on the One Mission Society (OMS) compound near Cap-Haitien, Haiti. We will see where we will live, where we will work and meet the wonderful people we will have a chance to do life with. We will be staying in the Nord (North) part of Haiti, just west of the Dominican Republic. We will mainly visit the Cowman School ( https://www.onemissionsociety.org/give/cowman-international-school)  to better understand our roles at the school. Over time, the school has expanded to more than 160 students each year in preschool, elementary, and high school (now including children of local ministry leaders, Haitian business professionals and government officials). Because of its growth, the school has been working on expanding the physical school building as well as developing its curriculum accre...

When are you going to Haiti? We will be arriving near Cap-Haitien around May 7,  2018 as part of our Vision Trip. This trip is to give us a clearer understanding of what our duties will be at the Cowman School and understand the culture better. So you won't be paid? No, as missionaries, we will be volunteering our time to serve others and we will be depending on the financial support of generous people like you! What about your jobs? Shawn will work for one more academic year (2018-2019) at UE and Jaime will teach piano lessons as long as possible. Because Shawn will be employed full-time, Jaime will be handling much of the fundraising, so she will have to limit her collaborative playing to make this possible. What about music/saxophone/piano? Music is and always will be an important part of our lives. Shawn will bring a saxophone along and Jaime will have access to pianos and keyboards. There are already opportunities for music-making as well as flexibility to create ...

By now, I hope you understand how important experiencing different cultures is to our family.  From the beginning of our marriage, Shawn and I have desired to make a bigger difference in the world. We considered joining the Peace Corps, going on mission trips to Africa, building Habitat for Humanity homes, starting an International Women's Group, adopting Roma children, hosting Syrian refugees in our home--- so many things, but the time hasn't been right---- until now. About three years ago, I began sensing that God was going to do something big in my life, but I didn't know what. Also, at this time, my dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and passed away only two months later. It was a very difficult time for me, but all the while, I still had this feeling that God was going to lead me down a new path.  At this time, Shawn and I signed up for a discipleship class at church and I attended the Global Leadership Summit ( http://www.willowcreek.com/events/leadership/2...

It has been a while, hasn't it? My last post was from when we first moved to the Evansville area and time really does fly by. Before I get to the news, let me give you a bit of a backstory starting with meeting Shawn for the first time. One of the major reasons I became interested in him was because of his love of travel. When I met him, I had just gotten back from two weeks in Germany and Italy. Filled with Wanderlust, I shared my stories of adventure with Shawn and he, in return, told me about his summer tour of most of Europe. So from the beginning of our relationship, travel has been important in our lives. In our first five years of marriage, we traveled to Eastern and Western Europe and Korea together. We met the most hospitable people along our journeys and learned to be more gracious hosts. We've run through train stations and airports, we've gotten lost walking for hours searching for a park filled with old Communist Statues ( http://www.mementopark.hu/ ), we'v...

This weekend was an exciting one as we continued to explore our neighborhood. Our first stop was the Evansville Germania Maennerchor Volkfest. The Maennerchor has been singing in Evansville for 100 years and I hear they have a Damenchor. . . At the fest, we enjoyed brats, beans, beer and the best of all, sauerkraut balls! Yum! Germania Maennerchor Volkfest After naps, we drove to Henderson, Kentucky for the Bluegrass Festival at the Audubon Mill Park along the Ohio River. Happy even with his bike accident injuries. She looks older each day, but this captures remnants of her soft baby cheeks.  The music was really great and I particularly loved The Barefoot Movement. Check 'em out! Henderson has by far the best view of the Ohio River that I've seen. The soft pink sky over the water as barges pushed coal and trains clacked over the bridge was simply beautiful! The kiddos on the banks of the Ohio. One bonus, especially for Abigail and Keenen, w...