Days Off...

I didn't expect to be on here writing as often as I am but I'm sure that will change as the summer rolls along. So don't get used to it :)

We each have a day of during the week to do whatever we want. Stay in your room all day, take a trip to the beach, hike, anything to "get away" and have some "alone" time. Fridays are my day off (in two weeks I will have a roommate and someone to share my days off with. yay!), so on my first day off I spent the morning getting the group house ready for a small group that stopped in for the day/night, sweeping the rooms since the cleaning lady isn't here on Fridays, discussing weekly "check-ups" with Carrie, a job a will start next week, and doing dishes. Sounds like a great day off, huh? I'm sure this is something I'll get better at as I'm here longer and have someone to hang out with on days off.

Stephen and Cameron took the group to the beach but I stayed behind to talk medical with Carrie with turned into about 3.5 hours of talking which was really good. It was the first time we'd really had the chance to sit down and talk. It was also nice for her as she's been the only female American staff here pretty much since they came down in October.

We ended up taking a girls night out to Cyvadier Plage for dinner (we brought along Carrie's daughter and the lone female group member), and just came in from a couple hours on the porch with Katie, Cameron, Matt, Carrie and Stephen.

So although I ended up working on my day off it was a good relaxing day for the most part.

This post is far from exciting but it's a small glimpse into a "day in the life."

For those of you interested in the specifics of what I'm doing, I am in charge of he group house, so I'm basically a group host. It's my jobs to have the rooms ready for groups (beds made, towels out, laundry, etc.), being the go to person for any needs groups have when it comes to the house. There is a cleaning lady four days a week but it's my job to make sure things are in order overall, and get after people when they leave their junk laying around :) as well as evening dishes and making sure evening meals are cleaned up after.

On Mondays I will be spending the afternoons in the kitchen teaching the cooks new dishes, hopefully this goes well and they'll be able to expand their somewhat limited menu.

Tuesday is weekly order day so I'll be helping Matt fill and deliver the weekly orders.

Wednesdays I will be doing weekly check-ups on all the kids.

Thursdays all the kids school books have to be checked so I'll me helping Matt with that as well.

I will be helping Matt do monthly depot inventory, as well as inventorying all donations brought in by groups, and just keeping the depot organized in general.

I'm also the shoe lady. The kids are constantly saying the need shoes so we (I) have to evaluate if it's legit or if a shoe was broken on purpose in order to get new shoes, if a nanny told the child to break the shoes in order to get new ones, if they're just hiding their shoes to get new ones... yeah, it's gonna be fun :) I already have multiple kids a day coming up to me with sad puppy dog faces saying "sandal, sandal" in their cute Haitian accent. I feel like I'm doing pretty good at saying no. I've only handed out one pair of shoes so far.

So, yeah, I think that's basically all of my "official" responsibilities aside from the general playing with, caring for, loving on, hanging out with, watching, etc. of kids.

And now this is long and it's 12:30 a.m. and I'm definitely just babbling. Not to mention the fact that I'm suppose to be making a grocery list for Stephen and Carrie since they're going to Port tomorrow.

I'll try to have something more exciting to share next time ;)

Making Kids Cry...

I managed to make a few kids cry today… hanging out on Emilia’s porch this evening with “her” boys I picked up Beckington so of course Mackinley wanted to be picked up too. I might note that Mackinley really is too big to be picked up, especially when you’re already holding one. So I pick up Mackinley and then Giovanny wanted to be held too... Well that was not happening so he wasn’t too happy. I put down Mackinley and he starts to whine, I put down Beckington and he starts to whine. I pick up Emanuel and Beckington starts crying… What do you do? 67 kids and only 2 arms.

So as I have three to four little boys grabbing at my legs begging to be picked up I start to say, “don’t worry I’ll be here all month and the three after.” I caught myself before I said this as I realized these four months are going to go by waaay too quickly and I have NO idea how I’m going to leave in four months.

I’m going to savor every day and take advantage of every moment to love these kids.

And so Begins a New Chapter...

Saturday morning I was suppose to meet up with a group going to Grand Goave at Miami airport. What were the chances that out of all the hotels in Miami we’d stay at hotels right next to each other?!? They were part of the same hotel chain so as my shuttle pulls up to the hotel next door there stand two ladies wearing Hands and Feet Shirts! It was a nice blessing as we kept each other company through our various airport issues.

My arrival in Haiti was uneventful aside from the chaos that is Port au Prince airport. From there I met up with Matt in Grand Goave and was able to briefly see the site there before heading over the mountain.

I’ve, of course, loved being back with the kids here in Jacmel!

I don’t know if it’s because there’s not a group here at the moment or because they’ve had more time to adjust to all the changes, but the girls have been out and about more (friendlier) than usual. “Little” Clara especially is no being her usual “act like I’m shy” little self. Excited for the next four months and getting to know the kids better!

Continue to pray for me and the team here. Pray for me specifically as I settle in to my role and find my “groove” as part of the team already established here.

Wow

I'm continually amazed at God and His provision. It never gets old and never ceases to amaze me.

I won't lie and say I wasn't maybe a little nervous about the amount of money I had to raise for this trip in such a short time. I basically had 10 weeks from the date I found out I'd be going to Haiti to my departure date. I was never worried that God wouldn't raise the money, I've learned my lesson, somewhat... But it does blow my mind that just over four weeks from my departure I am so close to my fundraising goal!

God is awesome! What else can I say? Oh, and I also have an awesome support team!

Thank you to each and every one of you who has stepped up, stood beside me, held me up in prayer, given financially and responded as God has laid it on your heart. Thank you for your faithfulness. I appreciate each and everyone one of you and am always in a state of "wow" when I gain another supporter. You are not taken for granted.

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

My Prayer

Lord, may we choose you every moment of

every day. We want to be fully committed to

You. We want every day to become a day we

say "yes" to You. We repent for

lukewarm-ness, from mediocrity, from normalcy.

We want to sine so brightly for YOu that

others can't help but see and fell Your love.

Let us look at every encounter as an

opportunity to show Your love.

Lord, on the days were helping just one

more person seems like too much, help me to choose You.

On the days when Satan whispers "you

can't save everyone, why are you trying?" let me choose You.

On the days when ti would be too easy

to pop in a movie for my children instead of

reading scripture with them, let me choose You.

When harsh words are easier to find than

kind ones, let me choose You.

Father, like Paul, I know what I want to do,

what I should do, and yet I find myself

failing and discouraged. Thank You for your grace.

Thank You that You who sit so high

would look low upon people like me and use us

as a vessel for you. How blessed we are to even be called

servants, to be able to share in your kingdom

and share your love with others.

Thank you for the cross, where you

have given us peace and holiness. Father,

we long to say yes to You.

From "Kisses From Katie" by Katie Davis

Home...

I've been reading Kisses From Katie, by Katie Davis and as I read it's as if my heart and thoughts have been put on paper by this young woman. Here are a few excerpts that stuck out to me as I read today...

"...This week I as giving communion to one lady in the long line of people, she looked at me and said 'Welcome home.'

I don't know this woman, but for that instant she knew me. She said 'Welcome home,' it as as though a floodgate broke open from behind my eyes and the tears came in an unstoppable river. 'Welcome home.'

I wanted to ask her, 'where is home?'

I have come to the realization that I am somewhat of a nomad on this earth. I am learning to be okay with that. Human beings long for a place to call home, a nest, a sanctuary of their own. I have many and none. For so long my parents' house was my 'home,' my safe place; not it is a place where I feel strangely disconnected. My apartment is 'home' for now, but it doesn't feel personal yet. My room there is plastered with pictures of my children in my other 'home' in Uganda, the only home that truly feels like my place, the only home that I created for myself, and yet a place I cannot be.

'Welcome home,' the lady said to me at church. And in my mind, eight little bald, brown people ran toward me shrieking 'mommy, welcome hoooooome!' and squeezed me until I threatened to burst. My heart lives in so many places. With so many people. But God whispers to me that I really have only one home, and that is with Him. I will never really be content on this earth. I will always be a nomad. It was meant to be that way. My heart was created with a desire for a home, a nest, a sanctuary, and that can be found only with Him in heaven. And I will continue bouncing from one home to another, loving with everything I have in whatever location I currently reside, excitedly awaiting the day when I am called heavenward and He says to me, 'Welcome home.'"

"In Luke 14:26, Jesus says to His followers, 'If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters-yes, even his own life-he cannot be my disciple.' Obviously, this verse doesn't mean I was to literally detest my parents. But it means that I was to love God so much that my love for my parents and anyone else looked small, even like hatred. It means I was to so want to follow Him that I would leave all the things I loved, even if doing so made it appear that I hated these things. It means to me that I should have valued nothing even close to the degree to which I valued His plan for my life and His love for me. And that where I landed.

I chose to value His plan, His calling, and His love over everything else. Everything. I had to be reunited with my heart and God's purpose."

We've been listing all the things I'll miss while I'm gone (first birthdays, multiple weddings, births, summer vacations, etc, etc.). I've even thought it might seem like I don't care that I'll miss out on this time with my family which is why I think this stuck with me today. Hopefully my family knows me well enough to know that I do care. But I also know, and this might sound like that hatred, it doesn't really matter what they think if I'm following God's will.

God is faithful. I might be "missing out" on things at "home" but I'm sure I can't even imagine what God has in store for me this summer.

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