Thursday, October 25, 2007

CWC's New Campus Buildings Dedication
















On Sunday, October 21st, people gathered from all over the Caribbean and the United States to offer thanksgiving to God, and celebrate the complition of the new campus facilities. Representatives from World Hope International, Global Partners, the Jamaican Government, the several districts that form the Caribbean Wesleyan General Conference, and from other denominations were in attendance. It was a wonderful time that marked a significant turning point in the life of the college. We can sense renewed interest in the affairs of the college, and we are all very optimistic about what God has in store for the future of Caribbean Wesleyan College.









Wednesday, October 24, 2007

On the Road Again!

We made a quick trip to Jamaica over the weekend to attend the dedication service of the new campus buildings at Caribbean Wesleyan College. We left on Thursday (Oct 18), and returned on Monday (Oct 22nd). More to follow...

To Florida and Back (Part 2)

We arrived at Abson's parents on Sunday evening (Oct 7). We stayed home most of the time, enjoyed delicious Haitian cooking, and spent quality time with our parents. Grandpa Celius and grandma Wilna enjoyed spending time with their precious granddaughters. One evening, we took advantage of the babysitting available, and went to the Bayside area. We enjoyed a quiet evening together and listened to some great music.

On Friday, we left Miami for Brooksville. There, we visited with Rev. Dr. Wayne and Virginia Wright. We took a tour of the village, and spent some time with the Wrights and some of their friends and family members. We stayed overnight, and left Saturday morning around 5:00, and reached home safely in time to witness the end of the classic/thriller between UK and LSU.


Family picture



Dr Wright is giving Lara a crash course on "how not to crash a golf cart" ahead of our tour of the Wesleyan Village.

Monday, October 15, 2007

To Florida and Back! (Part 1)

Last week (Oct. 6-13), we took a road trip to Florida. Abson's father (Celius) has not yet had the opportunity to meet Sophie, and we wanted to take Sophie to him, and visit with some friends along the way.

We left Wilmore around 4:45 AM on Saturday. We stopped in Chattanooga, TN, to visit with Patrick and Myriamme Gue. Patrick and Abson grew up together in Haiti and are the best of friends. Patrick is also, Daniella's godfather. He and Myriamme are in the process of moving to South Carolina, where they will be planting a Haitian Wesleyan Church.

Around 11:30AM, we left Chattanooga and arrived in Oviedo, Fl 10 hours later, stopping for 15 minutes every 2 1/2 hours. We spent the night in Oviedo at Dr Tapiwa and Bertha Mucherera. The Muchereras are dear friends of ours. Dr Mucherera helped us wrestle with cross-cultural issues while we were dating, opened their home to us while we were commuting between Jamaica and Wilmore for Abson's PhD studies. Their children Shamiso, Ru, and Nesu love Daniella to pieces. Bertha is also currently pursuing PhD studies and she and Abson have covenanted to keep each other accountable. We went to church on Sunday morning, had lunch with them, then left around 4:30PM.

We then stopped at Boca Raton, Fl, to visit with some of Abson's relatives--Leony, Angena, Juna, and Cherline Constant. Leony and Wilna (Abson's mom) are first cousins. Leony is also Abson's godfather; therefore, the two families enjoy a very close relationship. Abson is still 'big brother' to Juna and Cherline. After dinner and fellowship, we took the 45 min drive that led us to our final destination.

Ru, Nesu, Daniella, and Miso, after church.


At the Muchereras, just before saying "God be with ye" or 'goodbye'.

Cherline, Daniella, Angena, Sophie, and, Juna


October Birthdays Celebration



October is a great month. I even consider it to be the best month of the year. The reason is very simple, I came to the world on October 5, 197? [I do not want to reveal how young I am :-)]. In addition, Lara was also born in October--the 24th.

Last weekend, we decided to celebrate our birthdays together, and invited some friends over for a little party. We had a lot fun!

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Guess Who!

Below are pictures of Daniella and Sophie taken at 7 weeks of age, respectively. Can you identify which picture is Daniella's and which is Sophie's?

Fellowshipping in Jamaica

Last month (September), I went back to Jamaica for two weeks, to oversee (help with) the beginning of the semester at Caribbean Wesleyan College. Those were two very busy weeks as I was trying to take care of as many academic matters as possible. We also were still in the process of moving into the new office building.

During that time, I had the chance to enjoy some fun time with Dr Clifford Van Sickle and Professor Mary Maness. Both are retired professors from Oklahoma Wesleyan University, whom I invited to come to CWC to teach two week intensive courses. Dr Van Sickle thought Speech and Communication, and Mary taught Principles and Methods of Teaching. Mary Maness and I met in Haiti in 1998 during a Teacher Training Seminar that World Hope International organized. I was Mary's translator, and we became great friends. She was the person who encouraged me to choose Asbury Theological Seminary as the place to do my graduate studies. And I met Dr Van Sickle a couple of years ago, through her.

I also enjoyed some fun time with Dr Timothy Iwagami and Priscilla Iwagami. They are the newest additions to our faculty. They are originally from Japan. One night, Priscilla was kind enough to give us a taste of Japanese cuisine: we had Japanese pankaces made to order--the real thing!

Lara and the girls did not travel with me, and that was the hardest part. But the two weeks went quickly by. They went so fast that I did not even have the time to share with you what was happening :-). Below are some pictures that are worth a couple thousand words.
Mary Maness is giving an object lesson during Chapel.


Dr Van Sickle sharing the word of God at one of the chapel services.

Orientation--Because of the new facilities (new regulations and so on), both returning and new students had to attend.
I also spoke at one of the chapel services. With me are Dr Timothy Iwagami and Priscilla Iwagami. Dr Iwagami holds a PhD in NT studies from Manchester University, England; and Priscilla is currently doing a Doctor of Ministry degree at Asbury Seminary, her expertise is in the areas of Christian Education and Spiritual Formation.


Japanese Pancakes... yum, yum, yum!