The Michels | Haiti blog: New Year Catch-Up: Part 1 - Snow, Wedding & 'Happy Birthday Jesus!'

...'and Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again...!' Lines to the Christmas song (It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas) that's been swirling around my head the last few days. The girls are finally back in school today after the Christmas break was extended because of the arctic freeze we've had. A heavy winter storm hit here (and many other places in the US), giving us a few inches of snow and way-below-freezing temperatures. The coldest it's been in Indiana for 20 years. Felt like -35 F (-37C). It caused plenty of chaos; for us, it froze our water pipes, but thankfully there was no mess, no burst pipes, just several hours without running water (and we've had some practice at that, so it was no big deal, though it was the first time for using (melted) snow to flush the toilet).

Snow used to flush the toilet after water pipes froze in frigid temps.....brrrr!

It's reminded me a lot of the year (the icy winter) that I spent in Montréal studying at UQAM (Université du Québec à Montréal). And it's reminded me that being cold does not make me happy.

LORD, let me ask again, why did you move us from Haiti to live in Indiana? Ah, that's a big question.

So, yes, we're very glad school has started again. Storly and I have been struggling to get back into our work schedules, with projects, deadlines and other demands starting to pile up. Working from home has plenty of benefits (like not needing to go out to work when it's deadly cold), but when the girls are home too, it also means having our meetings interrupted by a ballet dance and fashion show (yep, really...).

Thank you for thinking of us over Christmas

Anyway, thank you for thinking of us - and praying - over Christmas while Storly was in Haiti. We survived, though when we asked each other 'the best and worst's of 2013, Storly being away featured among the top worsts. I'm very thankful in particular to a friend who invited us over to join their family for brunch on Christmas morning. She invited us before Storly left for Haiti, and I really appreciated knowing in advance that we had somewhere to be, and people to be with, on Christmas Day. (Is there someone you've been meaning to invite to something? Don't wait till the last minute. The invitation, the anticipation of something good, something to look forward to, is part of the blessing.)

Here are a few highlights from Christmas 2013:

Christmas at the Zoo

A last-minute idea turned into a lovely evening at the Indianapolis Zoo for the girls and me. First time we'd been to this zoo, and it was beautifully lit, with a bit of light snow falling, and lots of people with kids generally excited and happy to be out on a cold night oooh-ing and arrh-ing at the animals.

Spot the polar bear!

We loved the Dolphin Show - several dolphins jumping and flipping to a Christmas
soundtrack. And a great opportunity for me to enjoy my fantastic camera that can
take pictures of moving, flipping dolphins from a distance (we sat at the top of the bleachers)
in low light.

Hannah now wants to move to Florida and become a Dolphin Trainer

Happy Birthday Jesus!

The candlelight service on Christmas Eve is a gorgeous tradition at Community Church of Columbus. And for a couple of years, Hannah and then Esther too, have been part of the children's choir that sings "Happy Birthday Jesus....I'm so glad it's Christmas". A great reminder that it's not all about the stuff, it's about Him. And only Him. That's why we celebrate.

Towers

Meanwhile, Storly was in Haiti. He was hosting and working with Jim from Towers for Jesus who, at almost the last minute, was able to travel to Haiti for a few days while Storly was there to do a complete survey for replacing the two AM radio towers at Petite Anse (the big project we've mentioned before).

The towers are pretty tall. 270 feet and 200 feet.

Took this photo in June. Here's Rob Simpson, from our church (CCC), driving the
bobcat and creating a path to be used as he and others helped build 900 ft of wall
around the 9-hectare site.

This is the building at the Petite Anse site, housing the transmitter.

Jim from Towers for Jesus checking out the state these radio towers are in.
And yes, they definitely need to be replaced. As soon as possible. (They were
erected in about 1971, and were used towers then. A poor history of maintenance
coupled with the harsh salt air hasn't helped.)

Jim with 4VEH Technical Coordinator Jonathan walk through the grass that will
need to be cut before work on the towers begins.

And look who tagged along - our good friends from Columbus, Steve & Melissa Gross
(serving as missionaries at OMS' Cowman International School)

Cece's wedding

Switching gears a bit, Storly was then in full wedding mode. Driving to pick up groom Newton, then bride Céline (Cece). Serving as Best Man. And giving Céline away (though not walking her up the aisle as you may be thinking, but representing her family).

Céline lived with us in Haiti, helping with cooking and cleaning,
and then once the girls came along, helping look after them too. Here she's holding
Hannah on Hannah's first birthday in 2007.

Cece and Hannah jump-roping (is that even a verb? sorry, but 'skipping' sounds much better)

And here's Cece (wearing her uniform for the church youth choir) with little Esther in 2008 :)

And Céline, looking gorgeous and happy on her wedding day!

The groom, Newton, looking dapper!

Final preparations - yes, in Storly's office at the station. The wedding took place in
4VEH's auditorium upstairs.

Here comes the bride!

We wish God's best for Céline and Newton!

4VEH's auditorium decorated for the wedding. [One of the things I got done
last year was the 4VEH banner on the front wall that is now showing up in lots
of photos of events that happen in the auditorium, like weddings, conferences,
concerts etc].

There's a few more things to mention, but they are for another post. For now, I'll leave you with some more snow photos, in the hopes that these will be the final snow photos taken for this winter, and that spring will be here soon. I'm already dreaming of seeing daffodils popping their little heads up. Think I'll have to be patient, though. Enjoy!