Changing Role and a White Christmas

Since my last post, I haven't had a lot to post about! I have not been getting any more blood tests since my last one in early April, which was still close enough to normal that the doctor released me to normal diet and activity. Since then, I have had a steady, but very slow time of improving in energy and concentration.

Thanks to Carla Wilson for this photo

At the end of March, Greg and Barb Van Schoyck retired from HAFF after 17 years of service. Their role as Co-Executive Directors has been partially filled by the Executive Team in Haiti. But their place as Stateside Administrators still needed to be filled. Teresa Nesman and I have taken on some of the tasks Greg and Barb were doing.

I have really struggled to keep up with the increased work of being Stateside Co-Administrator. Writing the HAFF newsletter with Teresa, maintaining the HAFF mailing list, communicating with people wanting information about HAFF and about donations has about taxed my store of critical and analytical thinking, usually with some tasks going undone for far too long. This blog and the HAFF blog are some of those tasks.  I will continue with this role, even when I am able to go back to Haiti.

I still hope to return to Haiti when I am better able to keep up with the work. If I can't keep up in the US with relatively few interruptions and distractions, there is no way to keep up in Haiti where interruptions and distractions are the rule of the day! As my energy and concentration continue to increase, the day of my return grows closer.

 In the times I have not been able to concentrate on work for HAFF, I have still been able to knit. The ladies still come on Wednesdays and for the fall, we switched to knitting scarves. We found lots of fun novelty yarns and patterns we shared and tried. Some of the scarves were sent to Native Americans in the Southwest US. Others were gifts for family and friends. We will now be shifting back to mittens! I will be sharing some of the patterns with Haitian ladies when I return to Haiti.

 I am always dreaming of a white Christmas! And always wishing for the snowy winters of my youth. Well, this year, if you count all 12 days of Christmas, I got my white Christmas. And it looks like State College will have the snowiest winter in years.


Counter clockwise from top left -- Uncle Richard and me with our Christmas tree; Our white Third Day of Christmas; More Snow on the Fifth Day of Christmas; What is on the ground now.

 My Uncle was able to come for almost 3 weeks this year. So we were able to celebrate our family traditions and a add a few more. As the New Year approaches, please pray with me for my return to Haiti and for the Prince of Peace to come in power to the hearts of people in Haiti and the US and around the world.