Safe arrival

I am happy to say the transition into Haiti was smooth and easy! The airport seemed more organized and we were out, with all our bags, in no time! This is my fourth time entering into Haiti, and it was the best so far. Ricot and I both feel comfortable here, like we’ve never left…except for the heat, wow, it is hot!!
We met a worker at the American airport this morning. She was so excited and interested to hear about us, why we were going to Haiti, and about Ricot’s past. (How he was born in a remote village in the high mountains of Haiti. His mom died when he was two years old and his dad couldn’t provide fully for him, his fate was to die at an early age, of malnutrition. This would have been the case of it wasn’t for an American couple who chose to give up the life they knew in Florida, and move to Haiti (where they knew no one and didn’t speak the language) to raise 8 boys.
As we were about to board the plane, later, we found out that this lady, Amy, had upgraded us to a first class flight!! We were so very excited and shocked!! On the plane, we enjoyed our big seats, extra leg room, and the chance to experience one of God’s blessings once again!
Praise God for the peace and joy we feel about being back in Haiti!!

2nd Week in Calgary

Our trip to Calgary was uneventful! We were greeted at the at the airport by Mandy’s mom, sister, brother, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and the family dog ‘Anny.’ We were so excited to see everyone again. The temperature difference is not pleasant though but we our blood is getting thicken again.

I have had the chance to greet and share our updates at Oak Park Church yesterday and we are looking forward to visiting and sharing at Rosscarrock Church on the 12th of July. We will be in Canada until the beginning of September and we are hoping to get to see as many of you as possible.

50th Wedding Anniversary

We left Haiti Friday June 12th and made it to Calgary Tuesday June 16th. What a long trip hey! Well not really that long. We stopped in Florida for the weekend and celebrated with my parents as they renewed their vows and celebrated their 50th wedding Anniversary. It was an amazing weekend to both Mandy and I.

We are now in Calgary and are looking forward to visit with many of you. We are looking forward to share our experiences, passion, and goals with you.

We will be in Canada until September 1st so if you would like for us to share at an event, church service, or just over coffee, we would love to do so. Please e-mail us: ricotl@gmail.com or ricot@oakpark.ca

Looking forward to hear from you.

Soon Canada

Soon we’ll be in Canada! We are looking forward to see many of our, family, friends, supporters, and those whom we haven’t met. We are excited and have tons of stories to share with you.

It’s been a great year for us here in Haiti. We are more than happy to have had the chance to spend this year observing and learning so much about the culture. We have seen and talked to many missionaries, NGOs, and many other social AID programs. Our knowledge of how to help not only for short but also long-term has increased significantly. We can’t say we know everything because we don’t but we know for a fact that we are better equipped and are committed to live full-time in Haiti. It wont be easy but God wants us to be here.

Few things that I’ve learned this year:
1. 66% of the population are farmers but they contribute less than 25-26% to the economy
2. People in Haiti are extremely helpful, generous, and friendly
3. Haiti has some of the most beautiful views
4. Many young people want to know how they can help to stop deforestation
5. Providing cooking fuels, stoves, etc.. will not solve the tree cutting problem
6. It is more realistic to teach people how to make charcoals more responsibly
7. Most people who runs away from Haiti to a different country actually love Haiti

I would love to speak with you while I am in Canada, I would love to share my vision with you. I pray that the Lord will lead us to see each other.

Seasons

Sometime it’s hard to know what season it is when you live in Haiti, matter affect, we don’t speak in term of winter, spring, summer and autumn. Instead we say: rainy season (spring), hurricane season (summer and autumn), and sunny season (all year long). We are 3 months away from our yearly hurricane season but we are experiencing many floods in the south part of Haiti. Here are some pictures I took on Tuesday after we had rain for 4 straight days, many people lost their gardens, and animals but so far I’ve not heard any deaths.

More water