Day around the house, going home!!!!!!!

Well, the news connected to the last part of the title comes first- there is now a date fixed for my return, and my plane ticket is bought.  I'll be flying into Ft. Lauderdale on Sunday the 20th.  I'm excited to be going back to my family.  I didn't realize how much I missed them until we started talking about my returning soon.  The Lord really confirmed to us that eight weeks was as long as I should stay away Fifrom my family.  It's going to be that length of time to the day since I last saw them when I fly back in.  The Lord is good.  I am very glad that I came here, and witnessed, and to some degree, experienced, life in the poorest country in the Western hemisphere.  It has put things into perspective for me, and I've gotten to know the Schmidts, had the blessing and responsibility of caring for handicapped children, and been forced to think and act for myself a bit more than I have done in the past.  Perhaps someday I will come back.  I hope so, but don't know what the Lord has in store for me yet.

     On a different note... Mr. Schmidt was in Gonaives again today because of the container.  Today they did the "verification".  This is pulling everything out of it to make sure it's loaded with what the packing list (or whatever it's called) says that it is.  Please keep praying that they will be able to get this thing out of customs without having to pay too much money, or have too much stuff stolen out of it- especially the generator and tools.
While he was gone, Mrs. Schmidt and I fried plantains.  Here's the step-by-step process:

Fried Plantains

1.  Get your plantains.  

These are tough, green cooking bananas, with a texture and taste like a potato.  

In Haiti, this could be as simple as cutting

them off the trees right out your back door, or you could buy them 

off the side of the road.  Pastor Antoine's wife gave us ours.

2.  Peel the plantains.

Easier said than done.  They have tough skins, so you have to score them with a knife,

 and then pull them off.  After the first few you get into a sort of pattern though. 

3.  Slice.
 Slice each peeled plantain into a bowl of saltwater.  Slice at a sharp angle, apparently, the sharper the better.
I didn't really do these angled enough.

4.  Fry.
Fill a pot with several inches of peanut oil, and when it is hot enough (sizzles and kicks up a fuss  over a drop of water)
carefully, using a slotted spoon, fish the plantain slices out of the saltwater and into the oil.

5. Mash

Let them cook for about five minutes, then pull them out and mash them.

Mrs. Schmidt has a special plantain masher- two pieces wood joined by

a leathern hinge in the middle.

6.  Cook again.

Put the mashed plantains back in the pot and fry for another five minutes or so,

then pull out, place on a plate covered in paper towels,

and salt.  Enjoy!

I hope that you all enjoy reading about the little things in our lives as well as the big ones.  There should be some news soon on here about a major answer to prayer.  In a word, it appears that the Schmidts may have their Haitian director, pastor, school, helpers, and location.  More coming later...