Just a quick update.  On Friday, I bought a 2 day museum pass and mapped out my strategy to get the most use out of it.  I started at the Louvre and followed the guide to find most of the "famous" works, like the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory , Captive (Michelangelo) and Psyche and Cupid.  I also saw a lot of other works that I thought were a least as good as the "famous" ones.  The Louvre was overwhelming in it's size and it would have been better to have had someone with me to point me in the right directions.

 I walked from the Louvre to the Musèe d'Orsay, which contains art from the 1850's to 1915.  They had a special exhibit on the Aesthetics Movement of the late 1800's which included works by Whistler (even Whistler's Mother!).  I enjoyed what I had time for and then moved on to the Arc de Triumphe.  Unaware of what I was getting myself into, I entered the "museum" and started up the spiral staircase, that kept going and going.  194 steps later, winded, I reached the upper levels.  There wasn't enough to call it a museum but the view of Paris at night was a worthy compensation for the work-out.  Upon reaching the bottom level again. I was in time to witness the nightly wreath-laying ceremony at the tomb of the unknown soldier.  I finished up the evening with the final part of my 2 day bus tour, enjoying all the sights lit up along with the extra displays for Christmas.

 On Saturday, Sylvie and I went to the Museum of Natural History.  While nothing like the Field Museum, it was a nice way to spend the morning together.  She left me to continue on my own to the Musée d'Armée.  It was late in the afternoon but I arrived in time to see some displays of modern military equipment and horse-drawn cannons.  There were lots of medeval armor which was interesting.  I was too late to see Napolian's tomb or the WW I or WW II displays but I was ready to go home and my batteries were finished as well.

Felix arrived safely on Sunday and we went straight from the CDG airport to the palace of Versailles (and not KY)!  This was the relocated palace of kings Louis XIV - Louis XVI (last king before the new republic - French Revolution, late 1700's).  Today, Sylvie, Felix and I went back to the Louvre for the China exhibit (1200 - 1800) and then Felix and I went on to the Eiffel Tower (the most visited paid monument in the world).  We waited 45 min in the blustery, cold wind to pay for the 1.6 min ride to the 896 ft high top floor.  It was worth it!  With the clear, blue skies, I was able to get some nice shots of Paris and me AND my honey!  We had fun just being tourists.  Wish I could post the photos but it takes too long to upload them and I have post cards to write and packing to do. 

 Tonight's the last night here in Paris. Our ride comes at 7:30 and it's already after 11 pm  (or 23:00 as they like to say here). 

Later from Haiti (warmth!!)

Dear Family,

I see that I haven't posted since last Wednesday so will try to bring you up to date without boring you to death.

Thursday Felix caught his flight to Lagos, Nigeria from Paris, through Amsterdam.  We were able to make contact with the Chief Secretary in Lagos so someone was able to meet Felix at the airport and he had a place to stay at the THQ compound.  He was able to get a place on the bus on Saturday morning to his home town and to his waiting family.  We will try to call him tonight to see how things are going.

For me, Thanksgiving day was spent traveling to the countryside just east of Zurich to Heidi and Kurt's village home.  Heidi had visited us in Fond-des-Negres in 2008 so it was good to see her again and to see her beautiful home.  The original site goes back to 1550, being the ferry crossing to the castle governing the area.  The oldest remaining part of the house dates back to the 1700's.  Kurt has done much of the renovations himself.

Friday Emmi let me sleep in for the first time!  It felt very good.  In the afternoon our Haiti friend from Holland, Major Nell, arrived with Major Rose Marie (also long time Swiss missionary to Haiti).  We had a fondu dinner and I was able to show photos from Haiti and the work going on there after the earthquake and the cholera outbreak. 

Saturday, we got up early, took a train to Visp, met up with Regula (former clinic admin) and went up to see the Matterhorn, one of the tallest mountains in Switzerland, 14,692 ft first scaled in 1865.  Since there isn't much snow yet, this location has attracted many skiers and the train was filled.  After a nice lunch near the summit and long chat with Regula, she took Emmi and me past the hospital where she works and back on the train. We stopped in Thun, were picked up by Emmi's sister-in-law and wisked away to an accordian orchestra concert. It was amazing...25 highly skilled accordianists. Even the children's group was very good. I 'll see if I can get the video clip of the group playing "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas" to load. Still no snow except on the mountain tops at 10,000 ft. 

Sunday I went with Emmi to the Bern Central corps with the message being on fasting.  With all that Emmi and Suzanne have been feeding me, it was very convicting.  :)

Today, Suzanne got me up early and we went to downtown Bern for the one-day annual onion market.  It was a street festival with booths of handicrafts, specialty foods and lots of onions braided together and decorated with flowers.  Even at the early hour the streets were full of people, the children authorized to hit people on the heads with plastic squeaky hammers and people throwing confetti everywhere.  It was quite interesting.  Now we are back home, doing laundry and getting ready to host the monthly missions prayer group for soup and sandwiches.

Blessings!  Violet

Praise Notes:

• Matthew passed his course work and will be going into the 4th grade
• The new truck for the clinic, financed by TSA-Central, is finally at the Toyota dealer and will soon be ready to be released
• Major Sandy spent 19 days with us and we were able to make great progress in computerizing the clinic books

Prayer Requests:

• For God's power and justice to be manifested in a current legal situation at the clinic
• the cholera situation in Haiti where there is a rise in the number of cases.  We are to begin managing a Cholera Treatment Center in FDN (40 beds) by the end of October with no identified funding
• the school situation in Haiti.  The opening of school has been delayed to Oct 4th.
• our homeland furlough plans for Nov/Dec (Felix to Nigeria and me to Switzerland)

I don't know who is still reading these blogs, but would like to ask for your prayer support.  Blessings!

Happy 10th Anniversary!

 I have now been back in Haiti a week following my wonderful Christmas/New Year's vacation to the US.  It was the first time since 2003 that I've been "home" for Christmas.  It was a dream come true, with beautiful snow falling on Christmas day as we opened gifts and gone by New Year's eve so Matthew could use his bicycle.  We had a good time with Mom and Dad, Deb, Diane and Joe.

 Mom & Dad, Matthew and I drove down to Clearwater, FL on Jan 6th so that we could participate in their World Service Sunday on the 9th and Home League on the 11th.  We were joined by one of the clinic staff,  Wesley  who help me with the presentations.  It was a wonderful time together and to feel the warmth and support of the members of that congregation, which includes our cousin, Col. John.  There were many retired officers who have had a part in my life over the years and Mom & Dad even ran into a session mate and friends from Mom's teen-aged years.  An added blessing was to meet up with Randy & Sue's son Aaron in Tampa.  He was there coaching the Rutgers crewing team.

 Wesley, Matthew and I drove from Clearwater to Miami Tuesday afternoon and enjoyed a "last meal" of all-you-can-eat pizza at CiCi's in Miami.  We caught our early morning flight without any major problems (except finding the rental car return location brought me down to the wire to get checked in).  Felix was waiting for us by the time we cleared immigration and customs and we drove directly to The Salvation Army compound in order to participate in the commemoration activities for the one year anniversary of the Jan 12th Haiti earthquake.  It was exciting to hear of all the reconstruction plans for Salvation Army facilities to enable the Army to continue to serve the community.   One of the best parts was being able to see Bob and Rae for a bit.

 We are still handling many cholera cases in the clinic, and now with only our existing staff.  Medicines du Monde is constructing a Cholera Treatment Center (CTC) on The SA property behind the school which is supposed to open on Monday.  Now the question is whether they will hire all of our staff out from under us!  We have now had 240 cases and 11 deaths, including the father of one of our corps members (also fellow Rotarian).

 Now, for the anniversary news...it was 10 years ago today that I entered Haiti!  I was met at the airport by the DC and the tall, hansome man who had become my fiance while we were apart.  After our shy kiss at the airport we used the few days he had in PAP to get reaquainted before he returned up the mountainside to his post in Couyot.  Four months later we "tied the knot" in beautiful Antigua and "the rest is history"!  It has been an eventful 10 years, something I could never have dreamed up on my own.  Our Father's plans are worth the wait.

 Well, got to get my bath and get to bed.  Tomorrow begins my second decade.

 Blessings!

 Violet (& Felix & Matthew)