Merry Christmas!

Evie, by far, has the best smile!

Merry Christmas from the Fisher Family! 

This is only the second of four Christmases (Is that a word?) that we've spent in Haiti since moving down here and so it certainly doesn't quite feel like Christmas time. Looking at the weather forcast for Colorado looks like it will be pretty cold! Here...... Not so much. Our high will be a bomby 92 degrees with the low right at 70 (Brrrrrrrrrrr, we might need to crack the blanket out overnight. Seriously though, you get accustomed to the heat and 70 is actually blanket and jacket weather). I think I might change the temperature gauge to Celcius. That might help it feel more like winter.

In other news, we have jumped right back to it since being back a few weeks ago. A few days after our arrival we got all of our paperwork together and sent to the government of Haiti to obtain our Permis de Sejours (Residence Visas). The Haiti immigration system only has two types of Visas, Tourist and Residence. The tourist visa is automatically granted for 3 months when you enter the country, but if you want to stay longer you need the residence visa. It's not quite like establishing residency in the US, it's more like a work visa, but that's the only wording they have for it. We should be receiving our Permis' within a couple of weeks. We will take pictures and post them when we have them!

December is historically a slower month for us as a mission. We don't typically receive any teams (though we did have 2 the past couple weeks). What we do use December for is wrapping up work and projects for this past year before we really gear up and get busy in the first few months of the new year. Before valentines day this next year, we will have hosted 3 teams, our board of directors, and started 2 new schools! In other words, quite the busy time. Please be praying we will be able to have sustained energy in that time and that our equipment and vehicles can stand up to being used almost non-stop for those 6 weeks. 

Our final bit of news this week is that we will be headed to the Dominican Republic next week for 4 days. One of our good friends is getting married and asked Kate to help run the reception and decorate. We leave on Monday the 26th and should be back for dinner on the 29th. I will be driving one of our campus buses over (There is a group of us from St. Marc that are going). Dominican driving can be difficult. Here in Haiti, there aren't many driving laws and so you fully expect people to not obey non-existent laws. The Dominican however has the full and complete driving code just like the US, however it seems only half the people follow it. So it's pretty common to see cars or even buses just drive right through a red light without so much as slowing down. (How there aren't a million accidents I may never know.) In any event we will be headed to the YWAM campus in Azua for the wedding. 

For the time being however, we are enjoying being together as a family for Christmas and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

Isaac and Evie also want to share a Christmas greeting. They insisted on typing it out themselves after seeing me type. Here is their message:

Evie
 honfnfshektmvndhs  FBRC ZCCC CCCCAG ZJ'
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\7QVVB B

Isaac
jgjjhkjfdcvcbvbnnghgjjjvgyutyuuhfthjhkjljkjl\,jljioiiopoijoppoppopipioppijpjppiopijijhphipppipi9ppopiopi;io ppljili,hj,,,mm.,.ftwetttrytfuyfhjj/l
"}}}}}}\z\Zfdgd,emvd,v,xxvdx,mvfgbo=0ki9poilpij;m

I'm not sure what language that's in, but I can only imagine that it says "Merry Christmas and we love you!"

---