Saturday, July 5, 2008
The Ups and Downs of Being a Missionary
The ups and downs, of being a missionary
Tom Osbeck
July 4, 2008
UP: Yesterday our cookouts were awesome. Grilled over 650 hot dogs along with passing out chips, cookies, cold drinks and lots of love. Thank you Washington team, my family and our staff for working together in such a great way. Well over 200 people were given food for the body, and food for the soul.
Down: A fired security guard is taking us to “small claims” court to try to get more money then he is entitled. Marco will take care of this and will be no big deal but still a distraction.
UP: Momy Tia is doing much better, so much better she has spent the last 2 days visiting an aunt in town.
Down: This morning, leaving the driveway the something or another broke under the wheel. A bar that connects the tire to the axle I guess. I am sure it is from the overloaded truck we have been taking to church. We can’t even get it to the dealer so are trying to find the parts to fix ourselves.
UP: MY Arab friend Fadi let me borrow his truck today and we still got to go to town for cookout stuff and a Funky Monkey.
Down: A funky monkey is a cold coffee with peanut butter and chocolate at a Christian coffee shop above the building we get our mail in. We found out today that 2 hours after we left, they were closing down, for good.
UP: Our budget needs for June were met, barely……but met.
Down: We have had no city power for a month costing me about $100 per week. Our landlord did not pay his taxes and so they shut off our power, and we are in a quagmire with this.
UP; Today, a Christian pastor, who is a certified plumber with his own company, finished work with his team on our 3 houses. 4 brand new toilets were installed, 4 showers fixed, kitchen sinks working again, two new bathroom sinks installed, floats put in our on the roof tanks and much, much more. Praise God for this and for running water again.
Down: The cost was over $1500 US dollars for parts and labor.
UP: Today we installed a full time staff person, Pierre Abbdias at the Good Samaritan Orphanage. More details on that later.
Down: The prices of food in Haiti are going through the roof. Might have to stop eating.
UP; The two little girls I have had here have been such a blessing to me and our house. They are so excited to be here, and enjoying every minute. I originally told them they could spend two weeks this summer, so that is what they will be doing. I don’t know what the future holds but we are just not ready for them to move here. Lots of factors and something I have prayed much about.
UP: Jony visited the Double Harvest Mission’s clinic and I so appreciate my friend Arthur Spaulding for taking care of all this for me. Jony had several blood tests and will have to have hernia surgery very soon
Down; Yesterday, while at the Good Samaratan Orphanage, we saw a young 8 year old boy. Leonce who said he had a headache. He was given water by our visitor Barb and she loved on him for about an hour. He didn't seem very sick but the director of the orphanage said she was going to take him to the medical clinic. I gave her $2000H for this and other things she needed to do. This morning early, she called me and said Leonce was very sick. Our truck was broke down and I could not get to her but we called Pierre and sent him as he lives just a couple miles away. An hour later he called to let us know that Leonce had died. As I write this, I have tears streaming down my face. Marco and I have spent much time today re-creating everything, trying to figure out how this could possibly happen, on our shift. It just breaks my heart when this happens. Yes I am sure he is with God, in Heaven in a much better place but that doesn't make it any easier. I feel in ways we failed him but at this point don’t know what we would have done different. I know this, with a staff person there full time, I pray this never happens again. Every sick child will be dealt with that day, either with medicine or taken to a clinic. We also plan on having a doctor visit weekly to check all the kids. Pray for this..Closing: Sometimes my mind gets overwhelmed by all the “stuff”. Today we spent close to $500 getting a funeral planned for tomorrow. A funeral of a child, who came into this world not only with 2 strikes against him, but not even having a bat to swing at a pitch. I am so sorry for losing Leonce, but all the more determined to continue what we are doing, for the several hundred other children in our ministry. Continuing to love these children, and to care for them because they are our children, given to us by God, to safe guard, to love, and to give hope to. If there is any silver lining in this, it is that this little boy was loved for over an hour, by someone who was sent here, maybe for this reason. Leonce is in Heaven, knowing that he was loved and that he was special. Dad, this little guy is yours now, we did our best, give him all our love.
tominhaiticlub
365 update: 40 days taken, 325 to go
Tom Osbeck
July 4, 2008
UP: Yesterday our cookouts were awesome. Grilled over 650 hot dogs along with passing out chips, cookies, cold drinks and lots of love. Thank you Washington team, my family and our staff for working together in such a great way. Well over 200 people were given food for the body, and food for the soul.
Down: A fired security guard is taking us to “small claims” court to try to get more money then he is entitled. Marco will take care of this and will be no big deal but still a distraction.
UP: Momy Tia is doing much better, so much better she has spent the last 2 days visiting an aunt in town.
Down: This morning, leaving the driveway the something or another broke under the wheel. A bar that connects the tire to the axle I guess. I am sure it is from the overloaded truck we have been taking to church. We can’t even get it to the dealer so are trying to find the parts to fix ourselves.
UP: MY Arab friend Fadi let me borrow his truck today and we still got to go to town for cookout stuff and a Funky Monkey.
Down: A funky monkey is a cold coffee with peanut butter and chocolate at a Christian coffee shop above the building we get our mail in. We found out today that 2 hours after we left, they were closing down, for good.
UP: Our budget needs for June were met, barely……but met.
Down: We have had no city power for a month costing me about $100 per week. Our landlord did not pay his taxes and so they shut off our power, and we are in a quagmire with this.
UP; Today, a Christian pastor, who is a certified plumber with his own company, finished work with his team on our 3 houses. 4 brand new toilets were installed, 4 showers fixed, kitchen sinks working again, two new bathroom sinks installed, floats put in our on the roof tanks and much, much more. Praise God for this and for running water again.
Down: The cost was over $1500 US dollars for parts and labor.
UP: Today we installed a full time staff person, Pierre Abbdias at the Good Samaritan Orphanage. More details on that later.
Down: The prices of food in Haiti are going through the roof. Might have to stop eating.
UP; The two little girls I have had here have been such a blessing to me and our house. They are so excited to be here, and enjoying every minute. I originally told them they could spend two weeks this summer, so that is what they will be doing. I don’t know what the future holds but we are just not ready for them to move here. Lots of factors and something I have prayed much about.
UP: Jony visited the Double Harvest Mission’s clinic and I so appreciate my friend Arthur Spaulding for taking care of all this for me. Jony had several blood tests and will have to have hernia surgery very soon
Down; Yesterday, while at the Good Samaratan Orphanage, we saw a young 8 year old boy. Leonce who said he had a headache. He was given water by our visitor Barb and she loved on him for about an hour. He didn't seem very sick but the director of the orphanage said she was going to take him to the medical clinic. I gave her $2000H for this and other things she needed to do. This morning early, she called me and said Leonce was very sick. Our truck was broke down and I could not get to her but we called Pierre and sent him as he lives just a couple miles away. An hour later he called to let us know that Leonce had died. As I write this, I have tears streaming down my face. Marco and I have spent much time today re-creating everything, trying to figure out how this could possibly happen, on our shift. It just breaks my heart when this happens. Yes I am sure he is with God, in Heaven in a much better place but that doesn't make it any easier. I feel in ways we failed him but at this point don’t know what we would have done different. I know this, with a staff person there full time, I pray this never happens again. Every sick child will be dealt with that day, either with medicine or taken to a clinic. We also plan on having a doctor visit weekly to check all the kids. Pray for this..Closing: Sometimes my mind gets overwhelmed by all the “stuff”. Today we spent close to $500 getting a funeral planned for tomorrow. A funeral of a child, who came into this world not only with 2 strikes against him, but not even having a bat to swing at a pitch. I am so sorry for losing Leonce, but all the more determined to continue what we are doing, for the several hundred other children in our ministry. Continuing to love these children, and to care for them because they are our children, given to us by God, to safe guard, to love, and to give hope to. If there is any silver lining in this, it is that this little boy was loved for over an hour, by someone who was sent here, maybe for this reason. Leonce is in Heaven, knowing that he was loved and that he was special. Dad, this little guy is yours now, we did our best, give him all our love.
tominhaiticlub
365 update: 40 days taken, 325 to go
# posted by Tom Osbeck @ 7:19 AM 
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