House Projects

     So we were so blessed two weeks ago, 4 guys from Stepping Out Ministry in Ohio, donated a week of their time to help us put up hardie board siding on our whole house!!!!!! Lots of the wood was rotting and we replaced it and put up siding. We also installed new sliding door and changed window in bathroom to glass block window. It looks gorgeous!

     We have since then also installed a new a/c unit (without a/c for 4 months, ouch), and moved every piece of furniture in both living rooms. We still have to redo whole bath room tile (fell off during siding project), paint whole outside of house, fix up two sheetrock patch jobs inside, and then repaint living room, repaint patch in bedroom, and replace all light fixtures around outside of house, and I am sure that I am forgetting something. Makes me tired just writing it.
   
     Cant wait to get everything done but it will be a long time before it is all completed. So thankful for the guys that helped us. I will see God's love for us every time I look at our house and see what those men sacrificed to help us. They took time away from their families to help us do something we would not have been able to do ourselves. I pray that God blesses them in return for blessing us.

Accountable Kids

I want to tell you about something that changed my life! Now I know that sounds very dramatic, but I am very excited about Accountable Kids which I started implementing in my home. We have been doing it for several weeks and the change in my children and home have been completely amazing.

When I bought Accountable Kids I thought that it sounded like a great system but after using it I am blow away by how something so simple could change my family. My kids are doing almost the same chores that they did before, but it has completely changed their attitude while doing it. It has eliminated me telling my kids over and over. I have been telling every mom I see about Accountable Kids, and how it changed my home. My kids absolutely love it and even use the system when we are not at home. They are quick to tell me that they owe me a ticket for watching tv. They can't wait to do their chores, I know that statement doesn't even seem right. They run to their board to see what they get to do next. I am so glad that I found this. I saw it a year ago and said I would make it myself. Yeah, like I have the time! Haha. So almost two months ago, I saw it at a conference again and bought it. Now I think how much better that year would have been if I had just bought it the first time. Please look at their website. If you think it would even help you a little with your family then I would encourage you to buy it and I don't say that about anything else. I just know that it has changed every day and made my life more enjoyable with my children. If I rated this it would definitely get a 5. :)

Check out their website! www. accountablekids.com

Here is how it works:

You pick out the chores that your children do on a normal day like getting dressed, making bed, brushing teeth. The kids each have a board with their name on it. You hang their chores on the first peg of their board. When they are done with the chore on top they flip it over on the second peg. They have a set of chores for morning, afternoon, and evening. After doing that set of chores they get a ticket, which hangs on another peg, so they get three tickets a day. They turn in tickets for things like tv time, computer, game night, playdates, etc., really whatever you choose to make as a list of things. It really teaches the kids that they are not entitled to things but they become a privilege that they earned. Love this part. You can also take tickets away for discipline. This really affects my children more than any other discipline method that I have used so far. They get really upset when they lose a ticket. Then there are other great things like good behavior cards and privilege pass to reward positive behavior and change negative ones. There are also ways for them to earn extra money which they turn in at the end of the week for money. My five year old has been doing at least two to three extra chores every week because she wants to. Even my three year old has become more responsible, and can do the system by herself. After doing 10 days of good behavior, and no cards taken away they get to do a date with mommy or daddy. My kids really look forward to that time together and it has helped our relationship with our children. This has changed my life.

I love, love, love this system!!!!!!

Missionary Picnic in DR

Okay so it has been too long since I posted another blog. Since then, we have had another baby so life has been busy for me with three kids 5 and under. I will try to update some of the blog soon. I just wanted to write a short update about this weekend.

We spent the weekend with our incredible missionaries in Dominican Republic that are sharing Jesus every day with those around them. It was like seeing old friends that we have known the 7 years we have been with Agape Flights. God is doing some awesome things in Dominican Republic. Thank you for those who support Jeff and I so that we can help our missionaries accomplish all of their awesome work!

Yannucciello Update

I am going to be open and honest today. I feel like writing my thoughts. Sorry it is a little long.

It has been seven weeks since the earthquake in Haiti. It has been a wild ride, probably the hardest two months I can remember. Things are still crazy and busy for Jeff and the Agape staff. In the last seven weeks, Agape has sent more than double what we sent the whole last year. So two years worth of work or more in seven weeks. Just hearing that you can imagine how busy that they have been. Jeff is still working twelve hour days and parts of the weekend. His phone is always ringing even at home.

It is so amazing how God works things out. Months before the earthquake everything was up in the air for us at Agape. If there wasn't some changes with Agape then we were praying about what God had for us next. God quickly worked out those changes and we felt God's peace about staying with Agape. Now looking back with this crisis now Jeff has been such an integral part of the relief effort. Out of all of the full time staff at Agape we have been there the longest. We have been with Agape for six years. Agape could not have done it all without Jeff. I am very proud of Jeff. I am thankful that God kept us here even for this season. What we went through last year was all worth it to help Haiti in their biggest time of need. I am so proud of what Agape has done and are continuing to do. The staff has all worked so very hard.

• Please continue to pray for the staff at Agape Flights.
• Pray for strength and encouragement as they work the long hours.
• Pray for all of their families. I know that it has been really hard for us not having Jeff home.
• Continue to pray for our missionaries as they are on the front lines.
• Pray that Agape can find a new plane quickly (our plane had a landing accident which totaled it)

Our other biggest concern right now is that our support has gotten low. In a way, that is a praise report because we have been with Agape for six years and haven't had to raise more support until now. We need to raise our support but with the earthquake there is no way that Jeff could break away yet. If you are not supporting us right now please consider doing that. It would really help if we had people commit right now so that we can still concentrate on the relief efforts. Or if you are supporting us and would like to increase that support please let us know. When the relief effort slows down we are wanting to still go out to raise our support.

The other problem that we have right now with going out to raise support is that we do not have a vehicle that is safe to travel with. We really need a van this year. If you would like to help us with a newer van please contact us. If you know of someone that would even sell their van for less than the value of the van please let us know. We have been praying for a newer van for two years. We really need it this year with the traveling that we need to make. Please contact us if you would like to maybe even help us financially with our van. Thank you!

It has been amazing being with Agape for six years. We look forward to seeing all that God has in store for us and Agape.

• Pray that we can get our support to where it needs to be
• Pray for us to receive our van in the next three months

Thank you for praying for us during this time. We have only been able to walk through this with God's help. Thank you for those that have supported us for six years, you have no idea how much we appreciate it. Thank you!

Orphan update

From another Agape staff member's blog, Lynn Anderson:

Since the earthquake, Agape Flights has been one busy place to work. The statistics are staggering. We have send over 130 flights to Haiti, delivered over 350,000 pounds of supplies, reunited 37 orphans to their "forever" families, and transported over 25 medical personnel. The details of how all these things were made possible is easy to tell.... God did it!!!

We also experience a very scary situation this month in our work at Agape. Twenty-four hours after we send 2 orphan escorts to Haiti to pick up 6 children and head home, we found them in serious danger. The adults were falsely accused of trying to steal the children and were detained by the Haitian police for 9 hours. The children were taken away from them later that night and sent to a tent camp for older orphans. They had no bottles, no wipes, diapers of only one size and no adult to watch over them. The adults were able to visit them during the day but could not stay with them through the night. Three days later, after several meetings between Haitian and US officials, the adults were able to regain custody of the children. The biggest fear hit when they returned to the tent where the children were last seen and they were gone. The officials of the tent orphanage moved the children to a new orphanage 2 hours away. Some reports state that the Haitian officials planned to move the children, separate them and lose them in the Social services system but the Lord intervened and destroyed that plan. Praise the Lord that the next day a plane became available to pick up the group and bring them to the US. All 6 children are now safe at home with their new families. It was very difficult to feel helpless when the situation was in the works, but what an absolute honor to watch the Lord take this desperate situation and turn it around?! Once again, He thwarted Satan's attempt to destroy families and cause chaos. God is good all the time.....all the time, God is good.

Updates from Agape

King Air 90 - January 23

• Agape Flights’ King Air 90 right landing gear collapsed upon landing in Jacmel , Haiti .

• The two pilots are safe and have arrived to the U.S.

• Information is limited at this time; the damage to the plane is being assessed, but it is clear Agape Flights’ King Air 90 will not be in service for a significant time.

YES, Agape Flights is still flying often and able to land in Port au Prince. Agape Flights' planes are being met by the missionaries we serve. The supplies are reaching the medical clinics, orphanages, schools, and churches through the 130 missionary families we regularly serve in PAP. Mike Labady, Agape's Emergency Field Director is on the ground in Port au Prince working to coordinate activities.

Thank you for praying with us for our missionaries and all of the people of Haiti.

Serving with you in Christ, The Agape Staff, The Board of Directors, and all of our volunteers.

Since the Haiti earthquake disaster Tuesday, January 12

Agape Flights has:

• Made 54 flights

• Delivered 120,000 pounds of emergency supplies

• Transported 24 medical personnel to Haiti

• Evacuated 8 orphans

Tuesday Update, January 26

Embraer 110 (Bandit)

• AirNow, a freight transport company located in Bennington, VT has donated the use of one of their aircraft and pilot John Somero, to Agape Flights for a month! The plane arrived this afternoon loaded with supplies donated by people from Bennington. The plane will make its first Agape flight Wednesday morning. http://www.airnow.com/haitirelief.html

Monday Update, January 25

B-55 Baron

• Plane left with critical supplies to Haiti this morning.
• The return flight is expected to deliver orphans from the "Children of Promise" orphanage to their adoptive parents some time this evening in Sarasota.

King Air 200

• Landed in PAP today with critical supplies for our missionaries.

Here is an update from someone that I met trying to get down to Haiti to help in the relief efforts.

Note from the Field in PAP - Agape gets the job done!!

Hello everyone at Agape,

You guys at the best!

I don't know where to start to thank you for all you do, and to tell you what a huge impact your work is having on the people in Haiti. Jill and I ended up working at St. Damian's Hospital in Port Au Prince with the help of David Heady and the other wonderful people at the mission. Not only did you get us to Haiti you gave us this wonderful connection with wonderful people who transported us to the hospital in the morning, picked us up at night, brought us back to their compound, fed us, gave us a place to shower and sleep, and kept us safe. There were quite a few other people staying there from around the country including Orthopedic docs, Nurses and UN workers.

David and his group of people are getting things done with your help. They have people going out to more remote areas to help those who are not able to get to hospitals. They also set up a small clinic near their property, and word is getting out to people near by that it is available. It is small organizations like yours that seem to be very affective. The UN and US military and other countries military are present and I know they are helping, but their large vehicles like tanks and troop transport trucks are clogging up the few passable roads. Little pick ups like Davids can get through, plus they know the area and are much more efficient.

Plus David doesn't have to go through ten or twenty other people to make a decision thus slowing the process of getting people and supplies where they need to be.

I will write more and keep in contact.

In the mean time know you are helping so many. I saw supplies you sent. A - boxes were stacked in a hallway and again I felt like it was Christmas and started opening boxes looking for things were desperately needed.

Take care
We have huge respect and admiration for all of you.
I will send more photos of Jill and others. These is just had in a group to send to a company trying to get donations of disposable linens.
Kim Luce