If I had known then....

Would I have come??

Sometimes the tasks can be overwhelming: people calling, stopping by your house, they all have needs.... legitimate needs. Is this really why I came....

my vision was small....

I would come and serve a few teachers, who would serve a few students, praying that God would multiply the efforts.

I never would have imagined that after four months on the field I would be making decisions that impacted many lives...organizing teams: those teams make a difference here and themselves are impacted to make a change back home...they impact those in their circles

The weight of it all seems heavy...I feel unqualified....

Yet...I have peace, knowing I don't carry it all, I'm qualified through God's grace. The Lord will reap and sow the harvest, He just wants to allow me to be part of it...He is allowing me to see people as he seems them. He is calling me to love the poor, the hurting, the despised...He has opened my eyes.

So I ask, would I have come had I known that four months down the road I would be so desperate for his strength, so desperate for Him to show up....

ABSOLUTELY....

Like the women at the well, I feel the urgency. The urgency to go and to tell. I feel the urgency that people's lives are at stake.

My prayer is simply that there is grace in the mistakes, grace in the process, and that I remember my dependency and my desperate need for HIM. I that I did NOTHING....I was just the vessel!

{Friday Favorites} - August 26

 

1. A Haitian Wedding....my good friends Roger and Kerline were married last Saturday!! They have been dating for the last 10 years and now are married. It was a great experience to watch a wedding of a different culture!! I particularly loved the dancing down the isle. My dad, is pictured here, he was the godfather of the wedding. 

2. Mom and Dad....my parents have been here for the last 10 days! It has been a joy having them here!! We have traveled, laugh, worked and just enjoyed each other! This picture is of my mom and I with Roseline at OLTCH. (PS...don't mind my messy hair, this was after they braided it). 

3. Maxo and Madame Maxo...love these two!!! They are such great friends!! Love doing ministry with them and can't wait for the 3rd child to be born!! 

(This picture is from Wes's going away party! Wes will be missed greatly! I don't know what I will do without him here with me. I am learning to adjust, please pray for me!)

4. Cap Haitian....Yesterday my parents and I flew to Cap Haitian to spend the day with a couple they know! It was great seeing a different part of Haiti and getting away from the house for a bit! The couple works on wells in a very large area around Cap! What a great day!!

Hope you all have a great Friday!! Will write more this week!!

{Friday Favorites} - August 19

1. Enjoyed having Kelsey McMichael...we had a great week...and even taught some English... Thanks Kels for coming to Haiti and helping out!

2. Had an opportunity to go up into the mountains and meet these two families....they were so precious. So excited that they will be able to attend school this year.

3. Janey....one of our summer interns, I have so enjoyed having her here....Enjoyed having another girl in the house. Thanks Jane for the great summer!!

4. Sunsets....so if you climb the mountain at sunset, this is the view...So beautiful, so thankful that God reveals himself in so many ways!! He is majestic!!

5. Maxo's community school is finished....so excited to work with them this year! So thankful for Maxo's dream and desire to help the poor!

6. Soccer...Yesterday, we played soccer in Leogone, this is the type of ministry we are looking at doing more of!! Had a great day...

Apparently, my hair is like a dolls hair, everywhere I go they like to play with it.

7. This is what happens when you spend a lot of time at the orphanage. The girls like to braid my hair and this day they did a particularly interesting job!!

8. Last Saturday I had a day away at Club Indigo. I went with my friend Claudy.....what a beautiful place and how awesome to enjoy some time away!!











WOW...this was really overdue, hope you have a great Friday!!

To my friends....

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about missing my family!! This week, I have been missing my friends. I know this is all part of the process, and I would not want to give up on this process for anything, since I know that it is right where God wants me....So my tribute to my friends (in no particular order)

        


1. Betha.... we have been through a lot together. I am so thankful for you, for your godly counsel, wisdom, encouragement  support. You have been there for me, through the ups and downs, during the times I didn't know if I would make it through, you were there encouraging me! Thank you for challenging me to grow in my faith and challenging me to pursue God with everything I have. I miss you and miss our Saturday morning routine. Saturdays in Haiti are just not the same without having a cup of coffee with you!!

 

2. Alicia....I am so incredibly proud of you! Your growth is so encouraging. It has been a joy to watch! I am so honored to call you friend and so thankful that you sharpen me. I love that we can be brutally honest with one another and that we use that honesty to help each other grow! I miss our girls nights and coffee dates!!!

  




3. Quinton Gray....You are my younger big brother. You have been there for me so much....been there to fix things in my house when they break, or when my car won't start, when I have an unrulely student in my classroom, you have defended me and protected me. I miss playing basketball with you and you making fun of how I shoot...ok, I admit it, I also miss you poking and pestering me. Thank you for encouraging me, for being my friend and always being there for me!

  

4. Angela...we have been friends for a long time now. We have had a lot of fun times together....our pizza and wine nights (some how the boys got invited), coffee dates, sushi lunches, etc. You have been there to encourage me, to support me, and to give me advice. I miss you so much and am hoping we get to have one of those sushi dates when I am there at the end of September!!

5. Brit Channing....I don't know where to start with you!! I think we get along so well and are such good friends, because we are so much a like. I love that we can hang out with each other and not need to talk, or that when we are at a get together with 20 + people, we sometimes find ourselves in a separate room watching sports, because we need to get away! I miss watching games with you (football, basketball, golf, etc.), I miss beating you at golf.  I miss you picking on me and making fun of me. I miss serving along side you. I miss our conversations on theology. You have challenged me to dig into the scriptures and discover what I believe!! I miss you friend!!!

 

6. Renee...its funny how our friendship started and that on one of the first times hanging out by ourselves, we decided we could live together!! We were right! It worked out great! I miss our nights that we cooked together (let's not forget about all the bread we ate), nights dancing, nights on the island and our mornings at first watch!!! I am so thankful that we can be so honest with each other and that we aren't afraid to share anything!!! Thank you for being there for me, for supporting me and for all of the fun memories!!


I know I didn't have time to do everyone...but I miss you and love you all!! Thank you for touching my life and for supporting me!! Thanks for all of the fun memories. Miss you lots...please come visit...

The School is Up!!

It all started, because my friend was bothered by the injustice, but the things not right in this world. He believes that all children deserve to be educated and to hear the gospel!

 

Because of this dream, these children who would never be able to afford the average $200 a year school tuition, and most cannot afford the $25 they are asking, will have the opportunity to go to school this year. 

It building started with a wall....

 

Then the walls went up....

 

They finished the Trusses 

And then the tin went on....

 

It's not very big...but it will change lives...Thank you for all who help contribute, build and pray!! Please continue to pray for the children that will attend school, that they and their families will be impacted!

 PS this is one of the schools I will be doing teacher training with, as well as adult education and English classes. 

Tropical Storm

The storm is heading our way. While it is not projected to be a hurricane and could potentially be a lot worse, my heart is heavy tonight, knowing that many of my friends and neighbors will have to ride out the storms in shelters/tents. Please pray that the storm will weaken and that the flood gates are closed!!