As most of you know – Haiti is pretty warm all year round! Wednesday we were having our weekly staff meeting. As I was preparing I couldn’t help but notice the heat. There wasn’t a breeze to be found! The sun was beating on the tarp above and I felt like I was sitting inside a cooker! For a moment my mind flashed to May 2010.
When Jose and I moved to the Mole we came out by ourselves to set up our home. We didn’t want the children to suffer waiting for the small generator to be hooked up and the house to be unpacked. We went 4 days before we had any sort of electricity. I remember sitting on the floor of our bedroom with sweat pouring down and I couldn’t help but think – WHAT IN THE WORLD DID WE JUST DO?
St. Louis had everything we could want on campus! There was power at least 15 hours a day. We had an ice machine and an AC (when the generator was on). It was comfortable and we knew everyone there. But now we were out here in the middle of nowhere – – hot and thirsty! I remember those moments of complete panic as we unpacked the house.
One night I was sitting on the floor of our unpacked bedroom in tears. The heat had gotten the best of me. It was too hard. I remember having a melt down right there on the floor! I remember reminding God of His promise that He would never give me more than I could handle. I felt weak. The words were barely off my tongue and the next thing I knew Jose yelled that he had a surprise for me! He walked through the door and pulled out a Ryobi fan! Ryobi fans run on 18 volt batteries. We didn’t have any way to charge them in our house since the power wasn’t hooked up yet. But Jose talked to the guy who ran the morgue and was able to charge the batteries.
Now this might seem silly – that a little battery-powered fan could change my outlook on life – but in that moment it most certainly did! That cool breeze reminded me of His presence. I didn’t need to do it all on my own strength – but His. The little fan allowed me to catch my breath and cool me down – both physically and emotionally! The next morning the power was installed and a few days later we picked up the kids and brought them home!
All the NWHCM missionaries have Ryobi fans! This same fan allows Asher (who has heat-sensitive seizures) to stay in Haiti! I know that even if the power goes off and the inverter dies- I can cool him down with a battery-powered fan! On a hot night – all 7 of our kids have a Ryobi fan on them! Sleep is important and a little breeze goes a long way here! If you can rest – you can minister each day!
SO Today I am thankful for Ryobi Fans!
For making our lives a little easier here in Haiti!
We can certainly use these fans in Kisumu, Kenya. It’s almost as hot as Haiti, especially from December to March.