Days 19-21: {25 Days of Christmas} -Our Savior

I had a totally different post in mind today, but during my 7 hour layover in Miami, I was reading from the devotional that Claudy and I started this month. I am so thankful that God became man, lived a perfect life, so that we could have life. I really don't have much to add to the devotional..so here it is, 

In Jesus' genealogy is Raahab, a woman of questionable morals who helped the Hebrew spies as they entered the Promised Land. And a generation later, the Moabite Ruth appears. Then, within two generations, an adulterous king with a murderous bent shows up. What are a Canaanite prostitute, a Moabite outsider, and a law-breaking king doing in Jesus' genealogy? Pointing to the hope we have in Christ, that's what.

Think about it: Jesus - the incarnate God, the invisible Creator appearing in flesh - is a descendant of sinners. If Jesus could come from the seed of a prostitute, a foreigner, and an adulterer, He's just the One to represent sinners to God. While sinless Himself, the holy Son of God came in the form of fallen flesh, a descendant of sinful humanity in need of salvation. That kind of God-man could represent us well. In Him we can hope. 

We forget, with all of Jesus' holiness and perfection, the fallenness of the world He entered. He didn't take on Garden of Eden flesh; He took on the flesh that was forced out of the Garden to till the stubborn soil. He took on flesh that killed prophets and seduced God's people, the flesh of circumcised rebels, foreigners, and outcasts. He took on the flesh of all of us. 

God didn't just become man, He became man in the form of those who had fallen-miserably. Only that kind of Savior can give us hope. His discent to save us is greater than we thought, and our salvation is greater than we imagined.

From the One Year Worship The King Devotional

I am so thankful for the salvation of a sinless man in our fallen world. 

May Christ dwell in you,

Ashlee

Day 16-18 {25 Days of Christmas} - Coffee

Well, I promised myself I wouldn't do skip any posts this year. That each day would have it's own blog...I failed :) I have been trying to enjoy my last couple days here as much as possible!

 With that being said. On Friday, Claudy took me to eat at the Pizza Garden (The place I wrote about a couple of weeks ago). We got dressed up and exchanged presents. Don't mind the pictures...the waitress didn't know how to use my camera, so unfortunately they didn't turn out great!! However, we had a great night!

As I have talked about before, I love seasons. I love the smell of seasons and the taste of them. The last week I have been craving those holiday coffee's from Starbucks or Carribou. Unfortunately, we don't have a local Starbucks here so I had to improvise. Yesterday, I tried putting two York Peppermint Patties in my coffee. I must say....it turned out delicious!! So glad to discovery this lovely trick and something we can do at home!!

Today was another great Sunday, with great worship and fellowship. It ended with this beautiful Sunset on the top of our roof!! God sure knows how to paint the prettiest pictures!!

Hope you have a great evening!!

Day 14 & 15 - {25 Days of Christmas} - Laura & Rodner

I apologize for not posting yesterday. It seems as if time got away from me. I know I have wrote about her on my blog many times, but that goes to show how important of a friend Laura has been to me here in Haiti. We do Bible study together, share the good and the bad days. Laura thank you for being a great friend, for supporting me, for praying for me and for all of the fun times we have had.

I know this picture is small and dark, but today I took Rodner to the Eye Doctor. Over the last couple of months Rodner has had cataracts removed from both of his eyes. He has been so brave through all of this! He told the doctor today that he could see much better. Hopefully, he can get a prescription next month and then see in the classroom as well!! We are so excited for Rodner. Thank you Dr. Ryan Price for helping us!!! 





Hope you have a great day!!!

Day 13 - {25 Days of Christmas} - Cooking & Planting

Some days, I really miss cooking. I love to cook, without a recipe and just through a bunch of things together. Sense moving to Haiti, this has been a little bit more difficult, mainly because we have a house cook, but also because I'm not use to cooking with some the food items here. This week we have two men (Paul and Rob) visiting, who are doing a ton of work to our upstairs. I decided this was a great opportunity to cook lunch and to use some of the great things my parents have brought me. I decided to make Cheesy Chicken Potato Soup.

It's super easy to make..Here's the recipe.

4 c. Water
6 diced potatoes
1/2 package of Velveeta Cheese
4 c. Chicken (I used can, but if you have fresh it is better)
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
Salt and Pepper

Bowl the water and potatoes with salt and pepper.
When potatoes are cooked at the rest of ingredients. Soup is better if you can let it stew for a little while, but be careful not to let it burn.
I like to serve this with Tortilla Chips!!

A couple of weeks ago, when my dad was visiting. He and Marco planted a garden. However, only two things sprouted, the green beans and the zuchinni. Marco has been bothering me to replant for the last week. I finally had time to do it today. We planted more lettuce, green peppers and tomatoes. I'm hoping they grow. :) Any of you gardeners out there have any ideas??

Have a great day!!
                             

Day 12 - {25 Days of Christmas} - and Day 10 & 11

I apologize that I didn't write the last two days. I have not been feeling well and couldn't find enough energy to write. I also ask for your patience with this blog post, I have two thoughts for today and they don't really connect, but bear with me.

 Last Monday, I wrote about the great super market  that we go to get some supplies. Well more frequently I got to a "Mache" which means to walk or market in Kreyol, which is an open air market. This is where I try to by our vegetables. Some of the common things that I buy are...
Chou - Cabbage
Kawot - Carrots
Betrav - Beats
Piman Dous - Green Peppers
Zonyon - Onion
Lay - Garlic

Tomat - Tomatoes
Pomdete - Potatoes
Piman Pike - Hot peppers
Diri - Rice
Pwa - Beans
Maggie - Chicken Bouillon
Lwil - Oil









I told you that I had two different thoughts today and I wish I had an easier way to connect them, but I don't.

WHAT IF....

 Have you ever thought about the "What ifs" in your life. Have you wondered what your life would have been like if you'd made different choices or been born in a different place? What if God hadn't delivered Israel from Egypt? What if God hadn't intervened and sent Jesus to live a sinless life for our sins. What if God hadn't given you insight to His plan and had never rescued you from your sin? I think about this a lot in Haiti and the picture of the girls to the left, is a picture of how God pursued me to Haiti. What if I had been born and not wanted by my parents? If I had been raised in an orphanage and lost hope? What would my life look like?
What if the only job I could find was looking for "usable" items in a garbage dumb? These thoughts, this season, has brought me to my needs in gratitude. Thankful for what God has brought me through, thankful for what He has opened my eyes to, thankful for what he has blessed me with, thankful that Christ loves me and pursues me despite my failure, and most thankful that He sent his SON to die on the cross for my sins!!




Hope you have a blessed day!!

Day 9 - {25 Days of Christmas} - Favorites

If you have lived by me or know me well, you know that I am obsessed with Seasons. It all started when I moved to Florida. I didn't even realize how much I liked the change of seasons, until they didn't change in Florida. While in Florida, I would change my flowers and candle scents to help feel like the seasons had changed. I have attempted to do the same thing in Haiti. Since putting candles in my suitcase from the United States is not always feasible (they way to much) I found these wonderful wax cubes from Walmart. They are the best smelling

things ever.. This season I am obsessed with the Spiced Apple Wreath. The wax cubes burn in these beautiful wax burners!! Love them!!

You may also know that I LOVE Christmas Music...Here are my favorite 7!

1. O Holy Night - Selah

2. O Come All Ye Faithful - Mariah Carey

3. Mary Did You Know? - Mark Lowry 

4. The Trumpet Shall Sound - Handel's Messiah 

Sorry the quality is bad.

5. This Christmas - Chris Brown

6. Joy To the World (Unspeakable Joy) - Chris Tomlin

Have a great weekend!!!

Day 8 - {25 Days of Christmas} - Construction

 When I decided to move to Haiti, one of the things I was a little concerned about, was the living conditions. I had no idea what type of house I would have to live in. I must admit that I am beyond blessed in this area. I live in a really nice house, that was partially damaged in the earthquake. One of the rental agreements was that we would fix the house. For the most part, upon my arrival, this was already done, except for parts of the upstairs, the staff living quarters. This week, 2 wonderful men, Rob and Paul, are visiting and working on finishing some of the needs in the upstairs. They have been working on a new bathroom. Selfishly, I am thrilled about this, as I will no longer have to share with the men of the house or have to worry about people staring at me while I shower. The bathroom I currently use has a giant window in the middle of it. The pictures on the left are what I arrived home to this afternoon... We love construction.

More crafting....I had finished the hat last week, but I finally made myself a new infinity scarf, that matches my hat!! Now I am ready to arrive in Minnesota on the 21st!!!

Blessings to you! Hope you have a great day!
                            

Day 7 - {25 Days of Christmas} - Bible Study

So as I woke up this morning I was hoping all of my Kreyol practicing from yesterday would pay of for my lesson today. Every (well most) Wednesday's I have language lessons with Teresa. She is a PA and a missionary who has lived in Haiti. She has been such a blessing to me, not only because she helps me with my language, but because she is a great friend. She and her husband have two beautiful children. Here is Nora, participating in our lesson...well asking me to play house with her, but regardless, I love spending my Wednesday mornings with them!

If you have been following my blog in the last 3 months, you know that I started a bible study with my friend Laura. We meet on Wednesday's and we have been going through "A Women's Heart God's Dwelling Place", which goes through the Ancient Tabernacles and God's fulfillment of the tabernacle in our lives today! My lesson today was so impactful.It was talking about the design for the ark of the covenant, specifically how the poles were attached. One of the purposes for having the poles was for the Israelite's to be able to move the ark, because God wanted to be with them wherever they went. I am so grateful that God is moving with us, wherever we go and how much we need him no matter where we go, even when we enter the "promised land." Over the last 6 months I have needed him to be with me here...He has been my constant, unseen companion! I'm so thankful that we can count on that through our entire lives!

Blessings to you this day! I pray God will prove himself to be your faithful companion today!

Day 6–{25 Days of Christmas}–Kreyol Learning

Since the group left yesterday, I used today as a catch – up day around the house. I thought it would be a rather uneventful day…haha. What was I thinking? That almost never happens here.


Anyways, I started the day with some Kreyol learning. My lesson from 3 weeks ago was on Synonyms and words that have many meetings. I like to make myself flashcards to help me study.






I then did one of my tasks, that I forgot to do yesterday, which is making our weekly meal menu for the cooks. If you can see it, you will notice we have some kind of Chicken and rice almost everyday! I love our food here, but I must admit, I miss cooking.




Here I was relaxing and enjoying my day. when I heard a scream coming from downstairs, followed by Rosita and Meglan screaming my name. I went down the stairs and Marco had a door pulled out and cans out of the cabinet. Rosita begins to inform me there is a koulev in the cabinet. I know that doesn’t mean a lot to you…but it was a SNAKE…Marco killed one and apparently there was still one more in the cabinet. He found the other snake and killed it, only to have a huge rat come out of the cabinet…I called for Mario to come and help….Here are some pictures of the saga.
   
I ended the eventful evening with a run. It was such a beautiful night so I thought you needed to see some pictures from my run.

Here is the route…up the mountain…notice I’m just starting…About halfway up the mountain I cam across two woman on there way home for the evening. They were carrying large baskets of goods. One of the ladies decided to run with me halfway up that peak. I had to stop and clap for her…I was majorly impressed, running with a 20 lb basket on your head and it not falling. That is impressive.
Here are some pictures of the view from the top!

It looks like its time for me to eat some dinner…Have a great day

Day 5 - {25 Days of Christmas} - Market Day!!

One of my responsibilities at the house, is to make sure we have food for the cooks and guests! About every other week I like to go to Petionville to shop. We (Laura and I) tend to use this as a day away. We find a new restaurant and then shop for our groceries...This week our new restaurant was the Pizza Garden

We were a little nervous judging by the sign..It almost looked like a dive take out place...wasn't sure what it would be like....but this is what it looked like inside :)

A beautiful place...decorated for Christmas. We had a nice relaxing lunch of pizza and diet cokes!!!

We then went to the super market and I was so happy to see Christmas decorations!!!!!! Love it!!! What a great relaxing day "away" from our realities.




Here are some more fun pics from the day!!

 Laura, Ayla and Claudy lounging.

 The lovely Laura.

 hmmm...

 something was funny!! I think it was when Laura laughed so loud the whole restaurant shook!!!

Diet coke and lime!!







Happy Monday!!

Day 4 - {25 Days of Christmas} - With Everything

I love Sunday's in Haiti. I love the worship. I love that people give all of themselves and everything they have. It reminds me of Hillsong's "With Everything" 


Open our hearts,To see the things; That make Your heart cry,To be the church; The You would desire. Light to be seen.


Break down our pride, And all the walls; We've built up inside, Our earthly crowns
And all our desires, We lay at Your feet.

So let hope rise, And darkness tremble; In Your holy light, And every eye will see
Jesus, our God, Great and mighty to be praised.

God of all days, Glorious in all of Your ways. Your majesty, the wonder and grace,
In the light of Your name.

With everything, With everything, We will shout for your glory. We will shout forth your praise.

Our hearts will cry, Be glorified, Be lifted high, Above all names. For You our King,
With everything, We will shout forth your praise.

What does it mean to break down our pride, our walls, earthly crowns, and desires...to totally surrender with everything that we have. Since moving here 6 months ago, I have learned a lot about surrendering and about laying down my own wants and desires. I have not reached it all, I still like to hold on to things, but it is beautiful to see God when we have nothing in our way. It's beautiful to walk with Him, with no distractions. Thank you Jesus for showing me your glory!!

Hope you had a great day!!!

PS...cute little girl I got to sit by!!

Day 3 - {25 Days of Christmas} - Crafting

I spent the day, having a catch up day. It started out with a load or two of laundry. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate laundry, especially now that I do it by hand! Then I cleaned the house, lit some Christmas candles, turned on the cheesy Christmas movies (I love these), and got to work on the computer. It was a blessed morning.

I finished early and decided to do some crafting... I found this great pattern for a hat and it only took an hour to make. I'm excited to wear it at Christmas, when I'm in Minnesota. I also took an old wine bottle and wrapped it in twine...now to find some Christmas flowers to put in it.

I also stopped by the orphanage today...What a surprise, the were all dressed in their Christmas bests to take a picture...here's the youngest, Elijah...Laura had him dressed perfectly!!!








Have a great night and Merry Christmas from the kids at OLTCH.