Sharon in Haiti

Hey y'all!

Some of our Haitian staff and students are also artisans who work for Haiti's Jewels, a fair trade social enterprise here in Gressier.
As a way to raise support I will be selling Haiti's Jewels on my online storenvy marketplace. My store title is Sharon in Haiti (original, I know) or you can click the link above. 
Check it out. Purchase something as a gift, or for yourself :) Spread the word!
A little piece of Haiti can be shipped right to your door!

Three Funerals and A Wedding

As usual many blog ideas have been running through my head for the past week and a half.

In the past week I’ve been to a funeral and a wedding, had one of our staff members tell me he gave Christ his life and has chosen to follow Him, and been told that Sheila’s daughter Staci* was sent away with “family” because they were obligated to do so (classic words to be used in restavek situations); Needless to say we walked away from that conversation feeling sick to our stomachs.

It was a week of many different emotions.

Tonight I sit her happy because Staci is here with us and moving in to Kay Libete A (The Freedom House). God worked it all out and she came back from her obligatory week with “family.” Praise God!

I also sit her with a heavy heart for this little girl who has not had a father in her life and who now has no mother. So many changes in such a small amount of time; knowing your family either doesn’t want you or feels like they can’t take care of you. Being 13 and totally, completely on your own, honestly having no one. I can’t even imagine.

Stepping into a place where you will be loved, cared and provided for, but also into a place where bonds have already been formed and routines established.

Pray  for Staci* as she makes this transition and for the other girls in the house as they too have transitions to make. Pray they will reach out to Staci, make her feel welcome and bring her into the family.

God brought me into Sheila’s life for a reason and I believe this was one of them. I believe at this moment there is no better place for Staci to be, I believe this is where Sheila would want her to be.

I’m thankful God is sovereign and He knows what He’s doing even when, especially when, we don’t. 

*Names changed to protect our students

(I must explain this blog title :) For those of you familiar with Adventures in Odyssey, there is an episode titled "Three Funerals and A Wedding" - the story of Ruth. This week I attended my third Haitian funeral and my first Haitian wedding and this is the first thing that popped in my head and I just had to use the title :) 

Sheila Update

For those of you who have followed my blog over the past eight months, Sheila passed away yesterday. 

Please be in prayer for her two children and wisdom for us as we pray about how to help. The 12 year old is in a situation very vulnerable to becoming a restavek. 

Come To Me

Come to Me. Come to Me. Come to Me….Open yourself to My loving Presence, so that I may fill you with My fullness.

Come to Me when you are weak and weary. Rest snugly in My everlasting arms. I do not despise your weakness, My child. Actually, it draws Me closer to you, because weakness stirs up My compassion – My yearning to help. Accept yourself in your weariness, knowing that I understand how difficult your journey has been.

(from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young)

Haiti is hard. Haiti is dark. Haiti is draining.

Living here I see, hear and experience things that had only been stories to me before. Things I knew about but had never experienced personally. Satan wears you down here, especially when you are in battle against him.

The past few weeks I have felt Spiritually drained, like I was running into a wall, trying to give out of a cup that had run dry.

This past week we had an amazing team who led us in prayer and worship nearly every evening; it was so refreshing, renewing and needed. As we sang the lyrics “when I am dry YOU fill my cup” tears streamed down my checks as God reminded me it was that simple. Come to ME and I will fill your cup. Focus on ME and I will renew you. Keep running at that wall and I will break it down for you. Continue seeking ME and I will fill your cup.

A bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. Isaiah 42:3

That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith – that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:16-19

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Romans 8:26

As God continues to challenge, stretch and grow me He shows me more and more how important prayer is; my own personal prayer life, to pray as a team, to pray for each other and to have prayer support. Please, please, please keep me and the team here in prayer. Be praying specifically for Spiritual protection, renewal and strengthening. Pray for protection against Satan and his demons that are so so in this place.  

Photo Update

Because I have slacked so horribly in the blogging department the past couple months I thought I'd give you a picture update!

 Went on a little walk that turned into a pretty incredible hike through the mountains

And we might have gotten rained (poured) on :)

 Being silly with kids at the La Coline feeding program

 Some of my favorite neighbor kids

 Love seeing this little girl get to smile, laugh and be a little girl

 Some of our tutoring kids

 Our sweet tutoring kids praying before they eat

 A  young boy at our Belle Vue feeding. Broke my heart.

 Sarah! She's doing so good.

 Summer interns!

All seven of the kids in our first summer tutoring program!

 A Team of teacheres from Missouri spent the week doing science experiments

 Our interns hard at work ;)

 Love this young woman who lives in Neply.

The beauty of Haiti! 

 Our school had a playground donated and installed.

The kids love it!

 Our second grade teacher gave birth to her first child in our (temporary) medical clinic.

 We rented a house on the beach and spent a long weekend celebrating the 4th!

 Sweet, sweet girls

Learning fun things like how to make almond and coconut milk, and then how to use the fibers to make various other things. 

As I look at being here the next six months or so, and beyond, I've updated the needs/wants on my Amazon.com wish list if any of you would like to help in that way. Items do not have to be purchased on Amazon, that's just the easiest way for me to compile a list. Thank you so much for y'alls love, support and prayers. 

http://amzn.com/w/K3D7OAG8Y75Z

Broken and Blessed

Praise the Lord!

Praise, O servants of the Lord,

    praise the name of the Lord!

Blessed be the name of the Lord

    from this time forth and forevermore!

 

From the rising of the sun to its setting,

    the name of the Lord is to be praised!

The Lord is high above all nations,

    and his glory above the heavens!

 

Who is like the Lord our God,

    who is seated on high,

 

who looks far down

    on the heavens and the earth?

 

He raises the poor from the dust

    and lifts the needy from the ash heap,

 

to make them sit with princes,

    with the princes of his people.

 

He gives the barren woman a home,

    making her the joyous mother of children.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 113

This is a needed reminder when everyday you see people living and suffering in ways and conditions no human being should ever experience. I've sat on the side of the road with an elderly woman as flies swarmed the sores covering her legs and all I could think was how inhumane it was, of how wrong it was. I've seen kids so skinny and malnourished that when they have food they give it away because eating makes them sick. 

Today as I visited a neighbor (Sheila) who has cancer I was back in that place, thinking of all the injustice this world is filled with. My heart breaks a little more each time I see her, each time I think of her children.

As I looked at Sheila's breast it was easy to feel hopeless and helpless. As I hear her say she's dying and I should forget about her it was easy to be upset by the lack of health care here, the lack of knowledge, education and options. It was easy to become upset at the fact that no one is helping this dying woman they call "the cripple."

Then I am reminded that in and through all of this I have reason  to be filled with praises of God's faithfulness, and of His glory and majesty. I am reminded that I am blessed to be able to encourage and love Sheila even in the smallest ways. I am reminded that Sheila is a beloved daughter of the King. I am reminded that in the end God will have His justice.

I am praying for a miracle knowing that whatever happens God's plan is sovereign.

A Beautiful Beginning

Shortly after our staff meeting finished this morning Megan entered the Café kitchen breathless and trembling, having to take a deep breath before being able to speak.

After a few calls to a contact she’d received from a friend she was put in contact with an agent from IBESR. A lady Megan might consider an enemy, someone she’d battled against to shut down an orphanage over a year ago.

After calming down a bit she said, “I found her. I know where Sarah is.”

IBESR had placed Sarah in a psychiatric hospital because they couldn’t find any other place for her.

Megan informed her we knew of an organization who wanted to take her.

We were told by the agent that if we could get there by noon (it was 10:30) she would take us to where Sarah was.

Josh, Megan, Mark and I all quickly grabbed our things and headed to the house and then were off to Port, praying God would go before us clearing the way and get us there in record time, for all to go smoothly and that we really would be able to get Sarah. I think we were all a bit anxious, it seemed too good to be true. IBESR was actually willing to help us?

We arrived at IBESR just before noon and that’s when the nerves and anxiousness really hit me.

After waiting for a bit the agent finally came out began speaking to Megan, and then we waited some more. We waited at least an hour (or so it seemed) until, finally, the agent emerged with another man and was ready to head to the hospital.

As we pulled up to the hospital the agent got out and told us to wait. She went into the hospital and then came out, no Sarah, entering another small building. As the minutes ticked by (I’m sure it seemed a lot longer than it really was) I just prayed that they would release Sarah, that they would allow us to take her. The agent then exited the building, no Sarah, and re-entered the hospital.

The next thing we knew Sarah was walking out the building and down the stairs! Megan and I literally jumped out of the truck and ran to her!  She recognized us and immediately was headed toward the vehicle ready to go! She hugged Mark and jumped into Josh’s arms. I just wanted to touch her and hold her face in my hands.

The first thing I noticed were her wrists; the marks were clear evidence that she’d been restrained with ropes. It broke my heart as one of the fears I’d had walking away from her in the police station was confirmed. They’d had to restrain her some way.

Once we pulled out of the hospital the relief finally hit me. It had actually happened. God had led us to Sarah and He’d put her back in our arms. As we drove out of Port it really hit me. Redemption. God was redeeming Sarah’s story right before our eyes.

We drove, along with the two IBESR agents, to myLIFEspeaks an organization just west of Gressier where paperwork was done and Sarah joined the mLs family!

My heart is so happy. So thankful. So completely overwhelmed.

We’ve grieved over this little girl the past few days, crying together, praying together, sleeping restlessly as she never left our minds.

As it turns out our role in Sarah’s story wasn’t over.  Sarah’s story now has a beautiful ending, or rather, a beautiful beginning. 

Thank you for all of your prayers and support throughout the past few days. Keep praying for Sarah as she has a lot of healing ahead of her.