Individual Discouragement and Personal Growth

Moses saw the oppression of his people and felt certain that he was the one to deliver them, and in the righteous indignation of his own spirit he started to right their wrongs. After he launched his first strike for God and for what was right, God allowed Moses to be driven into empty discouragement, sending him into the desert to feed sheep for forty years. At the end of that time, God appeared to Moses and said to him "'...bring My people...out of Egypt.' But Moses said to God, 'Who am I that I should go...?'" (Exodus 3:10-11) In the beginning Moses had realized that he was the one to deliver the people, but he had to be trained and disciplined by God first. He was right in his individual perspective, but he was not the person for the work until he had learned true fellowship and oneness with God.
We may have the vision of God and a very clear understanding of what God wants, and yet when we start to do it, there comes to us something equivalent to Moses' forty years in the wilderness. It's as if God had ignored the entire thing, and when we are thoroughly discouraged, God comes back and revives His call to us. and then we begin to tremble and say, "Whom am I that I should go...?" We must learn that God's great stride is summed up in these words--"I AM WHO I AM...has sent me to you" (Exodus 3:14) We must also learn that our individual effort for God shows nothing but disrespect for Him--our individuality is to be rendered radiant through a personal relationship with God, so that He may be "well pleased" (Matthew 3:17) We are focused on the right individual perspective of things; we have the vision and can say, "I know this is what God wants me to do." But we have not yet learned to get into God's stride. If you are going through a time of discouragement, there is a time of great personal growth ahead.

taken from My Utmost for His Highest Oct. 15

Going Through Spiritual Confusion

"Jesus answered and said, 'you do not know what you ask.'" -Matthew 20:22

There are times in your spiritual life when there is confusion, and the way out of it is not simply to say that you should not be confused. It is not a matter of right and wrong, but a matter of God taking you through a way that you temporarily do not understand. And it is only by going through the spiritual confusion that you will come to the understanding of what God wants for you.
The Shrouding of His Friendship (see Luke 11:5-8). Jesus gave the illustration here of a man who appears not to care for his friend. He was saying, in effect, that is how the heavenly Father will appear to you at times. You will think that He is an unkind friend, but remember--He is not. The time will come when everything will be explained. There seems to be a cloud on the friendship of the heart, and often even love itself has to wait in pain and tears for the blessing of fuller fellowship and oneness. When God appears to be completely shrouded, will you hang on with confidence in Him?
The Shadow on His Fatherhood (see Luke 11:11-13). Jesus said that there are times when your Father will appear as if He were an unnatural father--as if He were callous and indifferent--but remember, He is not. "Everyone who asks receives..." (Luke 11:10). If all you see is a shadow on the face of the Father right now, hang on to the fact that He will ultimately give you clear understanding and will fully justify Himself in everything that He has allowed into your life.
The Strangeness of His Faithfulness (see Luke 18:1-8). "When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8). Will He find the kind of faith that counts on Him in spite of the confusion? Stand firm in faith, believing that what Jesus said is true, although in the meantime you do not understand what God is doing. He often has bigger issues at stake than the particular things you are asking of Him right now.

taken from My Utmost for His Highest, Sept. 12

Ten little monkeys...

I ran across this poem early this evening. Monica and I (with some help from Greg) made it up a few years ago. It's silly, but I hope it gives you a laugh!

There's ten little monkeys
That's quite the gentlemen
But one helped the wrong person
And there went monkey ten

They went into a restaurant
'Cause it was time to dine
One ate too much sushi
And there went monkey nine

Mama bought a tiger
And forgot to buy it's mate
The tiger then got angry
And there went monkey eight

Mama baked some bread
Forgot to add the leaven
The little monkeys ate it
And there went monkey seven

Monkeys got a magic book
And tried to do some tricks
One caused himself to vanish
And there went monkey six

The monkeys all grew up
Mama taught them how to drive
But they crashed into a semi
And there went monkey five

The monkeys tried some back flips
They got a little sore
One was too ambitious
And there went monkey four

The monkeys all went to the beach
But they had to pay a fee
They forgot the checkbook
So there went monkey three

A single pair of monkeys
Visited the zoo
One was confiscated
And there went monkey two

A solitary monkey
Tried to lift a ton
He only got it started
Alas poor monkey one...

Amurath Sunrise aka "Sunny" or "Ari"

Hey Everybody! Guess what?! I got a horse! Yup, he's a little (well, big) Arabian yearling! Bright chestnut, four white socks, and a star stripe snip on his face! He's really sweet, big and pretty, and very athletic! At just over a year old he is 14.1 hh! (For non-horse people that is 14 hands, 1 inch. Each hand is 4 inches, so he is roughly 4'8" at the shoulder, big for an Arab that young!) I'm so very excited to have him, and be able to train him up myself! Here are pictures!!

Friday, July 30th, 2010

I got up at 4:00 a.m. FL time, which, for anyone who wonders is 3:00 a.m. back home! Very short night's sleep! As it turns out Logan, Hilary and Hannah got up even earlier because they wanted to go to IHOP for "breakfast". Marty took them, and they did end up buying a homeless guy some breakfast. From there we drove to Hertz to drop off our cars. The Hertz bus took us to the airport. The check-in was pretty long. Everyone had to be signed in and then confirm their information, then the gal behind the counter would print off each person's tags for their luggage. On our way to our terminal those of us who didn't eat at IHOP got stuff from Starbucks. I got to try a smoothie, but there was too much banana in it. (McDonald's has way better smoothies) and I got a cheese danish. We had to wait for a pretty long time before boarding...I almost fell asleep, but couldn't quite because it was really chilly. Logan got excited as we were boarding the plane because they had the little TVs in the back of the headrests, but the flight attendant had to inform him that there was a malfunction so they didn't work right now. We each got a pair of cheap earbuds though. I was tired enough that I slept most of this flight. When not asleep I journaled or watched out the window. Our layover was in Houston, TX this time. That was cool for me since Houston is my home town. We flew into Houston Intercontinental Airport. We then had to take a small train over to our terminal! Upon having reached it, and discovering that it was quite crowded Dorene and Bethany waited there and we went back a ways to the food court area. I just snacked on some of my beef jerky, but since it was about 8:30 (our time) the others decided they were hungry enough to eat again, so they got donuts and milk. We got back over to the terminal just about time to start loading. This plane was really small...well not as small as the DC-3s, but not too much bigger. There was a row of single seats on one side, and just double seats on the other. We were in the very back of the plane, but once again right near the wings. We kinda had this thing the whole trip of getting seats on or right behind the wings. We had a long wait at the runway before take-off. I enjoyed it because from where I was sitting I could see the line of jets in front of us and watch each of them take off. There was another runway to the left of us that I watched too. I never knew that there were that many planes at a time waiting to take off, and they were all different sizes. All of the commercial planes we flew in had a magazine in the seat back called Sky Mall. The young gang got a big kick out of looking through those magazines, exclaiming over the ridiculous items, and deciding which ones we would use to decorate our homes, etc. when we were rich and grown up. I do believe those magazines are designed as 'the things you can get people who already have everything'!!! (if you're interested you can visit skymall.com and see all the stuff :P) We played an A-Z movie titles game, and then one with popular actors. I'm pretty sure I knew less of the names than the others did. Anyway I did get excited on this trip since we were getting so near to home. When we arrived in Kansas City and fetched our luggage we waited until we got a call from Pastor Bowen that he was ready to pick us up. The first thing I noticed when we went outside was how humid it was. Ugh. It had been hot in Haiti, but the humidity coming home was much worse. On the way back we had a discussion about what food everybody wanted to eat first thing coming home. Most of them said ice cream or a hamburger...I wanted a good fresh salad. Yum. We stopped at a Wendy's in a far suburb of KC to eat lunch. I got a salad, and a root beer float. While we were waiting for our food a guy in line behind us commented on Logan's fish necklace. He encouraged him for wearing it and said he was doing a great job. The guy had a reflective vest on and looked like he'd been doing some sort of outdoor work. We thought, oh that's nice, and thought that was the end of it. Anyway after lunch we headed on home. We got to the church at about 2:30 in the afternoon. Greg was at the church working on the movie. (a project of his and Monica's) So I got to wish him a late happy birthday and then hung out talking with him waiting for Mom to come pick us up. Brothers are the coolest! I guess it was a good thing I slept on the way back because we celebrated Greg's birthday when I got home. So that was our trip! An amazing time and a great blessing and eye opener for me.

But, an end note. On Sunday morning Pastor Bowen came to us to share a story. Apparently after our return on Friday the church received a call from a guy in KC. It was the man at Wendy's. The man was a Christian but had been struggling lately, and that morning had gotten into a quarrel with one of the guys at his work. He left for lunch angry, but when he went to lunch he saw a group of three adults w/ several young people. One of the young men was wearing a fish necklace that said 'Jesus' and the guy assumed that it was a church youth group. He proceeded to observe that group while he was eating lunch and was very encouraged but the way the group interacted and enjoyed each other. In fact his was so blessed by the witness of the group that when he returned to work that day he apologized to his co-worker and tried to make amends. He had gotten the information off the side of the church bus and called to let us know the impact we'd had on him and he thanked us. Little did we know, that eating at a fast food restaurant on the way back from Haiti would influence another person that much! We often never know who is watching us...

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Greg's birthday. I wish I could be there to wish Togo happy birthday in person. We had cereal for breakfast, and coffee of course. We've had coffee every day! The coffee is so good! I guess it's a good thing that we don't drink coffee at home, or I'd probably drink too much when I get back. Oh, we went on a walk at 6:15 again. It was the same group except we traded Logan for Bethany. On the way back a guy named Donald joined us and walked with us most of the way through town. He talked with Marty quite a bit, and he told us that he knew the Campbell's and the other missionaries in town. I guess he did, because he was in the send off group at the airport that afternoon! The morning we spent in a bit of packing and then mostly with the kids. Jesse and Logan went to town to get machetes and vanilla for everyone. (people place 'orders' before they leave!) Jimmy became especially attached to me. He wouldn't hardly leave my side all morning. Otenel, on the other hand, kept running away and being ornery. A lot of the girls got really moody. Benji just sat around, but Galaan and Rosie wanted me to hold them. Mariilyn stayed with Hannah much of the time. Most of the middle aged boys were kinda teasing or held back. Wesley sat off to the side of the porch, Ronald sat with the much on the porch but wouldn't say much, and Davenel just sat off under a tree. He drew me a picture though. It was a big beetle and flowers (the beetle he draw from a rubber one the kids had played with all week). He's a pretty good artist. Hilary had the kids sign a shirt for her and Davenel drew flowers on the front. For lunch we had macaroni and cheese, fresh mango, and citron/orange juice. It was my last taste of the fresh Haitian juice. (that I keep raving about!) After lunch we loaded the truck and said good-bye. I gave all the nurses hugs and they seemed sad to see me go, I'd had such a good time singing with them. I gave hugs to the older girls too. Lulu, Rosie, Dauline, Francois, Galeen, Galaan and the other little girls let me hug them, but the middle aged girls held back. We went over to the boys' dorm to say good-bye too. Jimmy, Jackinson and Otenel were climbing trees and didn't want to say good-bye. Wesley and Friko came over to see us but you could tell they were sad. Davenel said good-bye and then left, Ronald was really reluctant to say anything. Jennifer, Bill, Jesse and Benji went with us to the airport. The kids waved good-bye but they were subdued as we left. The saddest thing to see though was that Davenel was sitting by the boys' dorm wiping his eyes... Both the working MFI planes came into Pignon that day. The first, the one on which we had arrived, dropped off another team associated with the seven who came with us, and then left. The second one came about twenty minutes later and took us and the team that came with us on board. I got to hold Benji for awhile while at the airport and I didn't want to let her go. Good-byes were hard for me. I didn't actually cry, but I did tear up two or three times. Our team had to hurry boarding so that we could take off in time to reach Ft. Pierce before customs closed. We landed in Cape Haitian to clear customs leaving Haiti. Leaving there we were supposed to have 18 people. Somehow, whether the guy didn't show up or the pilots just forgot him, we left a guy behind! It was a Haitian guy in a group going to FL. I slept quite a lot going home. I was feeling sad and suddenly more tired than I had been (probably because everything was over and there was no extra adrenaline) We did play cards part of the way too, just sat in a circle on the floor of the plane! There was some glorious sand marbling in and around the Exuma Cays and Nassau. I took some pictures with Hannah's camera and I'm hoping they came out nicely. We made it to Ft. Pierce about 10-15 minutes before customs closed. Walking into the airport was kind of a shocker....because there was A/C! It was cold in there. It was pretty to see the reactions to all the bags with machetes and vanilla in them...there was no surprise! Apparently those are the two most popular items brought back. It was really cool watching the scanners when all our bags went rhough. There were different colors for different types of materials. Our Hertz cars were Nissan Altimas. They were quite comfortable. It was a funny mix of new and old though. There was a key, but just the fob, no metal part. If you had it near the car then you pushed a button on the dashboard and that started the car. There was no key hole! But at the same time the seats were all manual adjustment, no buttons. The first thing that struck me as really being home and not in Haiti anymore, besides the A/C, was driving by a field with two horses in it. I said, "horses," and in my mind I thought, "wow, I just saw real horses." Then it struck me what an odd thought that was. The horses in Haiti were real, just not like the ones I was used to seeing. The drive to West Palm Beach was fun. I was Marty's navigator and Hannah was also with us. We listen to the radio and I heard some songs that were new to me. (Quite amusing to Hannah and Marty who knew them well) Ain't No Woman Like the One I Got, Don't Stop Believing, Calling All Angels, and maybe another one. We stayed at a Best Western. After arriving at the motel we took off to get gas and find a place to eat dinner. At the gas station the guy inside suggested the Mexican restaurant across the way. We got there just at closing, but they told us to come in anyway. It was authentic! The sings were all in Spanish, the menu was in Spanish (w/ English on the side :P) and to Logan, Hannah and Hilary's great amusement there was a soap opera on TV...in Spanish! I got a BBQ goat torta. (I'm telling you, I love goat) It was a really big sandwich though. We all had plenty to eat (but Logan and Hannah had to go next door and try the homemade ice cream) After that Marty, Dorene and I scouted out our route to Hertz for the next morning. Turns out it was just three or four miles down the same road we were on...so that was cool. Back at the hotel most of the girls decided to take long showers. Having taken one that morning I went straight to bed! =)

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

I got up at 6:30 and hung out at the table talking to Jennifer, Chris, Bailey and Dorene. (I don't remember if I mentioned Chris and Bailey already. They came with their dads and were going to stay for about a month. The cool thing was that they came from James River Baptist Church. It's a church in Mo about two hours from us! How ironic is that? We travel part way across the world to another country and meet there some people who live just a couple hours from us!) Marty made us pancakes for breakfast. (Jodi mixed them from scratch) Then we set up for clinic and our craft. We put our craft table by the boys dorm on the cement pad. Chris and his dad had put up a basketball hoop the night before, but Jesse accidentally pulled it down! Oops. After clinic Jennifer said we would feed the people: mothers, kids, siblings, some men, all told would be between 150-200 people. The people came about 8:00 and sat on benches by the clinic building. We washed everyone's feet. That was so cool! We used basins and actually washed with soap and then dried them. The guys were done by Logan and Marty. The callouses on some of the women's feet were unbelievably thick! A lot of them were so thick and dry that they were cracked at the heels. It was such a humbling and honoring experience. I can't explain why it was, but I was so blessed in such an amazing way by doing it. We loved doing the kids feet too. They babies' feet were soooo little and so soft. We had to dump the water after each set of feet 'cause they were so dirty. We used between 60-70 gallons of water. Pastor Clebert also did a devotion with our Haitian tracts and explained the foot washing. After the women had been through the clinic then they came to the craft table where we gave them a bag with two strips of cloth and them them weave the cloth through holes in the bag. I ended up with Friko's ballcap at one point so I just wore it at a cocked angle over my bandana. The kids found that amusing. After clinic we fed everybody. It was rice and beans with sauce and kool-aid to drink. Our team, the interns and Christ and Bailey handed out the food. Wesley joined us too. We probably almost wore a path from the kitchen to the benches by clinic, we walked it so many times! Jennifer was very pleased because we got all done with clinic and everything by noon. Apparently that is a record for them! After lunch, which was Haitian spaghetti w/ fried hot dogs, avocados, and juice, we spent the the early afternoon trying to hang out with as many kids as we could. I might have forgotten to mention earlier that Davenel made me a bracelet w/ my name on it. Only he accidentally left out the second 'h'. (because they usually said my name 'heder') It's big for a bracelet on me though, so I just wear it as an anklet. Wesley made me a black and green lanyard out of some thin plastic string stuff (I've seen kids weave it into different stuff back in the states too). Come afternoon Wesley, Davenel, Ronald, Chris, Jesse and some of the others went to watch a soccer game in Pignon. Logan got to play in the soccer game! The girls weren't allowed to go, but it was pretty easy to pick him out in the pictures! He really enjoyed it he said, but he did get a small black eye and got accidentally punched in the head or something. While the guys were gone Jennifer had scheduled for some of the workers to come with market goods so we could buy stuff. I got a necklace (w/ a dolphin on it), a grass woven pad and a stained wooden box. On each of the items I got I worked the guy down to half of what he first asked (which was, of course, still more expensive than they would spend, but that's ok) It was $5 for the necklace, $4 box, $4 mat. I didn't mind supporting the folks though. The boys got back some time after five and they said Pignon won the game. The one we had watched previously they lost 0-6. We hung out more and then ate sandwiches early for dinner. Then we got ready to go to a special evening service at Pastor Francois' church. Some of our team and the kids rode in the truck but I walked with the rest of the kids. We did have a large entourage tramping down the road. Once again we sat at the front of church, but it was the front pews so we didn't see everyone staring at us! His church was a big building, at least for Pignon. There was a bass guitar and the guy who played the keyboard at Pastor Clebert's on Sunday also played it there. There were four choirs there, three female and one male. I'd say my favorite was the male choir and then one of the female choirs where on one song they had a bunch of motions and then they danced back to their seats still singing! Pastor Francois preached, and I could pick out a word here or there but I have no idea what the sermon was about! Jimmy and Christiana fell asleep on Jodi's lap and Francois fell asleep on mine. Several of the other little kids fell asleep on the pews! They usually go to bed about 6:30. After the service was over I held Jimmy until he was awake enough to walk. It was dark heading back (the service went from 7:00-9:30, and it gets dark way earlier in Haiti than back home. It was dusk when we first set out from the orphanage.) It was fun walking back because everybody was kinda subdued, the weather was beautiful, the starts were out, and the moon was just coming over the mountain. It truly was glorious!!! I know a lot of people to whom it is just boring, but even something as simple as that night just thrills me! I love God's creation. I stood outside for awhile just staring into the sky and watching the moon come over the mountain. After coming back, instead of our regular devotion we did one with all the blanc (white =D) gang and the older kids. Hannah and Jesse both played the guitar, but it was hard to find songs that both we and the Haitians knew w/ music. Then Logan did the devotion. Afterward the girls played Lago Lago (hide-n-seek) but their version is very different from the boys'. Instead of staying out and hiding, waiting to be found, they come racing back to the patio as soon as the 'it' person moves away. While they played some of us girls put together the leftover craft bags so that Jennifer could use them in the clinic when she needs. Some of the gang ate leftover Haitian spaghetti when we got back from church...but I just ate fresh mango pieces!!!

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

I got up at 5:30 so I went outside to sit under a tree and write. It was so cool that I had to get my hoodie, I had goosebumps! I honestly didn't make much progress on writing though before the little boys came to join me. Jimmy flip-flop was broken again so while I fixed it the boys colored in the back of my notebook. Breakfast was baked oatmeal (yum!) and passion fruit/citron juice. After breakfast we set up for our Olympics. The first events was the obstacle course (with the dizzy bat being my favorite part) We split the kids into four different age groups, sub-divided into boys and girls. That was a lot of fun. After we got all through with that we did three-legged races. The boys had a blast, but all the older girls were moping and poking around. We did manage to get the younger girls excited though, and they are so cute! Especially Benji and Rosie. Those two events took us up till the kids' shower and lunch time. Lunch was pumpkin soup! Totally delicious! (pumpkin, noodles, carrots, potatoes, goat) w/ crackers. After lunch we did a Frisbee toss and then the girls did jump rope while the boys bounced a soccer ball on their feet. Then we played Steal the Bacon. When we finished the Olympics we just played with the kids for the afternoon. Dinner was leftovers. After the devotions we watched Nacho Libre. I was pretty disappointed actually. I talked with Hannah a bit about why I didn't like the movie, but I won't go into that here. (that's not what the trip was about!) Oh, I forgot! Jennifer got a call from Jesse during lunch that he was getting ready to leave Port-au-Prince and would be in Pignon in about 20 minutes (instead of arriving tomorrow). After lunch we had to wait for Jennifer and when they did return of course Jesse was quite a distraction for awhile. And he and Benji are first time best friends! It makes me think of Robert with my younger siblings. It was so sweet to watch them together. Jesse is 18 and Benji is 7, and they'd never met before, but you would never have known!

Monday, July 26th, 2010

Hilary's b-day today. Eggs and passion fruit juice for breakfast. The girls and Dorene spent awhile planning crafts for today. After Wesley and Davenel got back from soccer practice they took Marty, Logan and some of the other boys to climb Mt. Pignon. I really wanted to go, but none of the other girls wanted to. And we were here to spend time with the orphans, so I stayed with work with the girls. We took blocks of foam and I wrote Jezu renmen (Creole for Jesus loves) in fancy fonts on them. Then we brought groups of five girls at a time into the house and Hannah and Bethany and I helped them add their names and then color or decorate the foam with beads and stickers. Each piece had a string attached to it so the girls could hang them on their beds. Hilary and Dorene played with the girls outside and then played with foam letters. When I was done helping I went to the girls' house to play with some of the little girls there. Galeen, Galaan, Rosie, Dauline, David, Lisi, and others were out there. I started out singing to them, then with them...and then the Haitian workers joined in. It was so cool! It was beautiful. A lot of the kids and workers act shy, and won't usually sing if you just ask, but if you sing for them then they will. The ladies brought out a Haitian hymnal and I pulled out the words for our devotion time songs. We sang back and forth. And then they would hum or sing in Creole and if I recognized it I would sing along in English. One of the younger workers brought me paper and pen and asked me to write down some of the songs! We sang Amazing Grace, Come Thou Fount, Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord, My Jesus My Comfort, Lord I Lift Your Name On High, Here I Am to Worship, This Is the Air I Breathe, Open Our Eyes Lord, Worthy, etc. I really, really enjoyed that time. There were three separate times through the day that I specifically got to go sing with them for awhile. The third time I sang Mercy Is Falling, Father Abraham (w/ motions, they laughed at that one!!), and I'm In the Lord's Army. The kids thought those were pretty funny. Even the boys hung around the edges listening...except Otenel who came to beside me. Bethany, Hannah and I tried to play the Dead Fish game with some of the girls, but it didn't work too well. Jodi and Mia worked on teaching the kids Double Dutch. I helped too when I learned how to swing the ropes! I must say that was the only jump rope I've seen them try that they couldn't do. But some of them were getting the hang of it after fifteen or twenty minutes. Then Otenel decided he wanted to run on the path around to the rock pile, as fast as we could! Jimmy joined us. So I'd hold their hands and take off running as fast as I could. They had to run pretty fast too to keep up with me, but it didn't seem to phase them a bit...I was worn out! After lunch we brought all the older kids into the house w/ Pastor Clebert and showed them the movie, Pilgrim's Progress. We'd watch for awhile and then stop to answer any questions or explain confusing parts. Unfortunately the film wasn't in Creole so that made some of it tricky. I think that was a really good way to share the gospel with them though, and I think they really understood it pretty well. For dinner that night we had leftover soup, pasta, sandwiches, etc. It made for a lot of dishes, but I didn't mind because I'm used to lots of dishes!

Sunday, July 25th, 2010

I fell asleep and slept late, so Hannah set my alarm clock to wake me up! For breakfast we had cereal, toast and passion fruit juice. Dorene and I did the dishes and then everyone got ready for church. The family, three interns, Lesefee (it was her 15th birthday), and our group went to Pastor Clebert's church. They usually go to Pastor Francois' church but Pastor Clebert was doing special services this weekend. We had church outside under a makeshift tent. The sides were lined with the most beautiful embroidered curtains! I was amazed at how well the people dressed. Despite the poverty level over there they were actually dressed in a nicer way than I dress for church. Most of the men in slacks, dress shirts and ties, some in full suits. The women were well dressed with nice shoes as well. There was a keyboard and two electric guitars. The singing was so cool! There were three different choirs there because of the special service. They each sang at least a couple different times. One of them was even divided into four part harmony. it was beautiful. There was LOTS and LOTS of singing. Jennifer sat beside me and I sorta mouthed (attempted) along with the Creole words in the hymnal. Then Pastor Clebert and his wife dedicated their baby. They were sitting up front and then the baby (well, toddler technically) started crying. Pastor Clebert's wife just started nursing her. It was a bit surprising at first but they have a different culture over there. After more singing Marty preached with Pastor Clebert translating. After more singing (I'm telling you they do a lot and it's such a joy to hear it!!) they had an altar call and five people came forward. It was a very moving service for me, despite the fact that I couldn't understand most of it. Afterward we ate lunch there. There was salad, rice and beans, pasta w/ ham and peppers, huddleoni-like pasta with spicy ketchupy stuff (huddleoni is meat, pasta, spaghetti sauce and cheese), fried potatoes, fried plantain, onion soup, and corn bread-like cake. After getting home from church we just had fun and played. I held Benji for a long time. I just loved getting to hold all the little kids. The group from the hospital (that flew down with us) came over for awhile. Ronald, Wesley, Davenel, and Logan went to watch a soccer game in town. Hilary, Hannah and I got permission to go join them. We walked into town but upon arriving at the soccer field the guys at the gate said we had to pay to get in. We didn't have any money on us of course, so we were going to go home, but then they said we could come in anyway! There is a wall built around the field for the purpose of making people pay to see the games. But apparently it didn't work so well. There were people watching through holes, sitting on the wall, and some people standing on the above ground graves in the cemetery across the street! Being there was quite an interesting peek into another aspect of Haitian culture. Back at the orphanage Otenel apparently decided that I was his temporary jungle gym. Then I played jump rope with Sabine, Galaan, Francois, Otenel and Hilary. The part of the time I jumped while holding Galaan on my back. That was quite difficult, but she laughed hysterically every time I did it! We had to be careful though because Danielle, Hannah and Logan were playing soccer with the older kids and sometimes the game came right over to us. After the kids went to bed we had dinner. It was potato soup w/ ham, corn and carrots and there was corn bread with it. It was delicious. We discussed climbing the mountain in the morning, but we would need a guide. The older boys had soccer practice and Jesse wasn't home, so that didn't work. We had Bible study and singing, and Benji joined us for that. It was so cute listening to her sing. I must say it has gotten a little uncomfortable to sleep at night because of one of the support bars in the mattress frame right across the middle of my back. But I honestly shouldn't complain, I at least had a bed. But since I'm journaling I decided to include that tidbit. I haven't been visited by any cockroaches, tarantulas or mosquitoes while in bed...so that's very good!

Saturday, July 24th, 2010

At 6:15 Marty, Logan, Hilary, Hannah and I went walking. We walked through Pignon and to the bridge over the river. It was definitely an adventure walking through the ruts, around puddles, over trash and dodging dozens of honking motorcycles and a few trucks. But honestly I have never felt so conspicuous in my life. EVERYONE stared at us, many you could tell were talking about us. It was early morning, we were walking just because, and we were white. Five white people in the midst of hundreds of black ones. I've been different or stuck out before, but this was different than anything else I've ever experienced. At the bridge we saw two UN vehicles in the middle of the river getting washed. There were people bathing, swimming, washing clothes or bikes or wheelbarrows. The water is all muddy brown. There was corn planted up the side of almost cliff like banks along the river. The dirt banks are pretty amazing to look at. They look like cliff walls, but they are made entirely of orangish dirt! Coming back the gate was locked so we climbed over it! For breakfast we had cereal and toast. We spent the morning playing and hanging out. I took Jimmy to the swing and he sat on my lap while we swung really high. It's really fun swinging with them! Then Hilary played checkers with Wesley and lost. I played with him and I won, very surprising. He wasn't sure what to think of that, but Davenel thought it was funny. Otenel came and sat in my lap for awhile when we were outside. He just loves being held or being near you. He's one of those little guys who thrives on love. Lunch was rice w/ veggies and tuna patties w/ ketchup. After lunch Bill and I spent a long time talking about the home, Haiti, missions, government, the U.S., living your faith, etc. It was very enjoyable. After that I took a nap! That afternoon Bill took Logan, Hilary, Bethany, Dorene, Hannah and I to the market. Ronald and the cook rode in with us. The market was crowded, loud, and muddy. People cooking food, booths of canned goods, bullion, salts and seasonings. People sat on the ground with big bowls of rice and corn and other grains. There were rows and rows of sandals and flip-flops, some dress shoes too. There were shoes in many different places, some just laid out on a cloth in the mud. There was a booth full of raw meat chunks, I saw at least one whole goat head too. On the other side of the row from that were tubs of smelly, strange looking stuff. I could tell some were intestines but the other piles or slabs of stuff I didn't even want to guess at. There were tables and booths with clothing and all sorts of stuff. After we walked through, Bill took Logan back to get some chairs and such, so the girls stayed in the truck. While there some little boys stopped to watch us. The were really funny. They rapped a song in Creole (no idea what it was, of course) and then they were making all sorts of funny poses so Hannah would take pictures of them. Some teenage boys came over too, so Hannah asked them to go away. Back at the orphanage we sat around talking again. Davenel was holding a French/English dictionary and it gave me an idea. I asked the boys if the had a Creole/English dictionary. They did and brought it to me. So then I spent much of the afternoon trying to put together simple sentences and phrases in Creole. It was a lot of fun, plus it drove Hilary crazy not knowing what I was saying!!! Whenever I had trouble I just asked the kids and they told me what a word was or how to say it. I said stuff like: I like goat, I don't like oatmeal, sing for me, I like you (to 5 yr. Otenel), I said nothing, what should I say?, etc. The kids got a really big kick out of the fact that I was trying to do it. For dinner that night we had pizza casserole, garlic bread, and avocados!! We had our Bible study time, showers, and bed!

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

I woke up about 6:00 but decided to fall asleep again. When I got up I went out to find the others and the first thing I heard that morning was a very sobering fact. Bill was sitting out front with Hilary and Dorene and as I walked up to the door he was telling them that the Haitian government only graduates the top 5% of students. That is the only amount they consider they have graduate worthy jobs for, or some such thing. The other 95% literally cannot graduate. That was tough to hear. Anyway, for breakfast we had eggs with seasonings and more juice. The intern girls told us that there was a donkey that went off every morning that sounded like it was dying. Logan and Marty said it did! After breakfast we went to the dorms to kinda break ice with the kids. How many names can I remember? Anyway I picked up Francee, 1 1/2 years old, and carried him around while meeting some girls. I took him with me to the Port girls' room where I met Betsy, Malcolm (yes, a girl), and Sabine. Sabine sang Jesus Loves Me, then This Little Light of Mine in English and Creole. I started teaching her Create In Me A Clean Heart with the motions. Then we went over to the porch where a bunch of the others were gathered. We played jump rope and talked and teased. Francee fell asleep in my lap, and the girls kept trying to wake him up but he was out... While we were sitting there Otenel, Willie and Jimmy were playing with Hilary's hair and headband, and Betsy reverse French braided mine. Davenel, Wesley (said 'Wisley'), Ronald ('wanel') and Jackinson stood by the garage watching us. But they kept acting shy. After I took Francee to his bed I played cards with one of the girls. Apparently there is almost no system to their card games! You make up the rules as you go. We went back to the porch and hung out until gradually all the children disappeared except Ronald (Wesley and Davenel had gone to soccer practice). We came to learn that all the kids had headed for a fruit tree growing between the girls' dorm and the kitchen. It was called a kenep tree (officially Mamoncillo). Some of the boys were climbing it and dropping fruit down. One of the girls held a tub up and they just dropped fruit into it. The fruit is between the size of a shooter marble and a ping pong ball. It has a thin, leathery green skin that you crack with your teeth. The flesh is an orange color with a big seed in the middle. The flesh is sweet and a bit sour, but more just different. The texture is crazy! It's kinda like jelly, but then a bit more like gelatin and grapes too. It has fibers like you find in apples though. It tastes good. You can't chew them though, you have to suck the fruit off the seed. For lunch we had Haitian spaghetti with fried hot dogs, rice w/ beans, avocados and pineapple. The fruit here is amazing! There are citron, coconut, pineapple, mango, papaya, kenep and other trees that grow there naturally. The avocados here are beyond belief! They are soft and soooo juicy, and they're almost sweet. So fresh... After lunch I took a nap. When I got up the girls were using washable paints and doing face painting. Davenel draw birds for a couple of them, he's a pretty good artist. The kids also love teasing us by taking in Creole and not telling us what they said. Jennifer gave the kids some candy and then they were trying to put the trash in our pockets so they didn't have to throw it away. Some of the kids were having foot races just because and Hannah joined them. She's really fast!! I think one of my favorite things to do was just when we all sit around with the kids on our laps, tickling them, talking, laughing. That afternoon Jennifer went to the store and Benji, Dorene, Hilary, Danielle and I went along. Danielle and I sat in the truck bed, but you have to hold on pretty good 'cause it's a rough ride! The streets around are rough and muddy, ruts, rocks and puddles everywhere. The store was really small, and it was the best store in Pignon. One wall was about 10 ft. and the other maybe 14ft. They had a variety of things though...chips, syrup, spaghetti sauce, crackers, soaps, shampoo, salt, ketchup, canned goods. There were hardly any kitchen staples. We looked for coffee creamer but we couldn't find it at any of the three stores we went to. We headed for a fourth but got stopped by construction in the road. A big pit with rebar gridding went all the way across so we couldn't get over! There are between 30,000 and 40,000 people in and around Pignon. But the buildings are small and rugged, my mind can't comprehend how there are that many people in those conditions and space. For dinner we had leftovers. I learned that the big green citrus fruit are not limes as I thought, but oranges! Hannah, Hilary and I did the dishes, we had a our devotion time, took showers and then some of us headed to bed. We were laying in bed when Hannah came racing into the room and jumped onto her bed! She was worried about the cockroaches and tarantulas. It was really funny. Then Hilary thought she was feeling a cockroach in her sheets. After that we got into the randomest, silliest conversation. It began with Hilary's boyfriend's job (he works construction and Bridges Over Missouri). Hannah thought Bridges Over Missouri was restoring old red covered bridges around the state, and I thought it meant to road bridge repairs. We laughed so hard when Hilary corrected us to say that it was actually working with brain injury patients! Boy, were we confused. From there it went on to a guy who fell off scaffolding, cracked his head, and his brain landed in a bucket of paint...but the dude is still alive! After that craziness we came to the conclusion that cracking your skull is nothing like splitting a kenep! (inside joke) and then after trail mix at 10:30 we went to sleep!

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

At 4:15 a.m. Florida time, 3:15 in Mo, we woke up to the phone ringing. (We'd asked the night before that we receive a wake up call) After groggily getting ready and eating breakfast we headed for the MFI airport. Arriving at 6:00 we weighed our luggage and waited with two other groups of people for departure. The MFI has three planes. We flew in a DC-3, which was a WWII cargo plane. Our pilots were named Joe and Ray. The plane was, of course, smaller, louder and hotter than the commercial jets on which we'd flown...but the seats were more comfortable and reclined farther back. There were 14 passengers on the plane. The fun thing was that the other group was seven people, five girls and two guys, and they were going to Pignon too. But not only that, they would visit the orphanage on Sunday were we were staying! We taxied out the the runway and sat for awhile with the pilots running the engines at different speeds. Then, to our surprise, we taxied back to the hanger! We were unloaded from the plane and waited. One of the motors was running roughly due to moisture or something and they had to fix that. Turns out both planes taking off that morning had to come back for that. We did watch the sunrise in Florida though. It was beautiful. Back in the plane I loved the take-off! It was just so thrilling! I was sitting by a window and being a smaller plane I could see the propeller on my side AND the ground below. The first part of the flight was amazing! I know I've seen pictures but you always wonderf if they've been edited. But with my own eyes I watched us going over the brightest, clearest blue and green water I have EVER seen! Most of the rest of the gang slept much of the time, I couldn't though I tried. It was so cool though because I got to go up in the cockpit and sit directly behind the pilots. You got a headset and microphone so you could talk with the pilots or listen to the people in control towers in the islands we flew over! Ray told me about a lot of the different gauges, etc. and their instruments that show their direction in degrees. Up front you could see far out to the side and ahead of you in a big panorama. Most of the way it was clouds around and above. But I was up front when we flew over Paradise Island, where I saw a cruise ship in port, and Nassau...where I saw the airport and listened to the control tower guys! Then we flew over the Exuma Cays. We landed in Exuma for a short refueling and we unloaded and went into a shop. I can actually say I've been to the Bahamas...for about 20-30 minutes. The water around the Bahamas and Haiti was the most magnificent I've ever seen. It was colors of blue, green, teal and turquoise that I could never describe. The sand was pure white and the water was crystal clear. But the bad part about Exuma was the landing. I had no trouble on the commercial flights, but from when we began our descent to when we landed I got the worst motion sickness I've ever had. My stomach felt twisted and ready to heave, and it was terrible. It was cool to get off in Exuma but I didn't feel well...light-headed and queasy. It was a total of probably five hours between Florida and Haiti. From Exuma...which Hannah nicknamed Excelsior Springs because she forgot the name, we went to Port-au-Prince. We were supposed to go to Cape Haitian but due to circumstances had to refuel in Port instead. This was a God-send though because we wouldn't have been able to unload our boxes of sports stuff in Cape. It was rough landing at Port too, but I ate as we descended and wrote furiously, some of which random scribblings I may include here, and that helped, but oh it was still bad. At Port we had to go into the hot, stuffy airport and get our passports checked and then waited around under the wing for awhile while the refueled the plane. The breeze was nice there. While we were embarking an Italian plane came in. There was a fleet of UN vehicles that came around it and two or three soldiers at least with weapons. I'm not sure what it was, but the person(s) mush have been important! Port was on the other side of the airport but from what I could see there were houses on top of each other (literally) and all smashed up against each other. The didn't look like our kind of houses either. Oh, I forgot to tell you. The flight between Exuma and Haiti was really fun. We spent the first part of it playing hangman, random phrases like auxiliary exit, smoking is prohibited, Haiti or bust, keep feet off walls, etc. The rest of it we spent much of sitting or standing on the floor and looking out the windows. The islands were beautiful as we flew over them. The mountains were covered in trees and the landscape was amazing. Some of the water around Haiti was a rich deep blue. Back to flying... when we got into the plane in Port it was pretty hot. We started sweating right away. I was weary and tired so I decided to make another attempt at sleeping, though all my past attempts on the trip had failed. Well, I was successful and was blissfully unaware of the fact that we were coming down into Pignon until the wheels hit the runway. It was bumpy but not anything like the other landings as earlier. I wasn't sick at all! I was quite surprised that I got to sleep (that part of the flight was only 15 minutes) but quite glad I did! We unloaded and there was a group of Haitians and several white people waiting. The other group headed for the hospital and then Bill and Jennifer Campbell and Pastor Francois took us to the orphanage in their trucks. The windows were open and the seat I sat on had been in the sun and was so hot that I burned myself! I had to sit on the very edge until it cooled down. Behind the airport, which was one small building, there were several donkeys and horses wandering by trailing long straps behind them. A girl was leading two and one of them had its rope caught in the other's legs. The road through Pignon was a mess. It was huge mud puddles in some places and hard and rutted in others. There were huge rocks sticking up all over. There was a barrel in the road one place and a truck broken down on the side. In the U.S. driver yield to pedestrians. But in Haiti animals, people and motorcycles yield to trucks! There were scrawny dogs everywhere and people rode by on heavily loaded donkeys and horses, goats everywhere, and a couple oxen. There were people everywhere. Some were working, others were playing or just sitting around doing nothing. They had a great variety of clothes, a lot of them dirty. There was at least one baby that I saw sitting on a chair and it didn't have clothes on. The buildings were unlike any houses I know in the states. They were small and a variety of colors. Browns, tans, reds, blues, yellows. They were squarish buildings all close together. Some had solid doors, others were just sorta open. There were some with screens or patterns of iron over the windows. There are hardly any wooden fences, they just grow cactus hedges. They plant the cactus in rows and then trim them to make a fenceline. I sure wouldn't try to get through one of THOSE! It was strange though, riding in the truck we pasted just feet from these people and they were watching us. But even though I know I was there it didn't seem real. I knew it was happening but seeing something like that was so different and yet it was more real and personal that other things I've seen. The orphanage compound has a cactus hedge and trees around it, with a locked gate. Mt. Pignon stands behind it. The orphanage has several buildings, and a work crew is working on a new kitchen for the kids. The workers make the cinder blocks themselves. There is actually quite a bit of grass in the orphanage...and fruit! There are fruit trees all around. The kids were standing around watching us as we arrived but they kinda hung back. The girls in our team stayed in the Campbells' house and the guys stayed above the old library, which is currently doubling as temporary housing for some Port orphan girls. We washed up and had lunch. It was rice, beans, cashew and onion sauce, fresh avocados, mango and pineapple! There was citron (lemon-lime) juice to drink. After lunch Hilary and I went out to see the kids. Wesley came over to say hello and so did Maudeline. The others played and watched us. We had a tour of part of the compound and then went back to the house. We had a praise time after awhile (Hannah had her guitar) and then talked about the first chapter of The Cross Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney. I was so tired that I was falling asleep. The others had of course slept a ton while in the air, but I'd only gotten those fifteen minutes. After that we talked with the three interns (Jodi, Danielle and Mia) and played with Lina, Chrissy and Benji. They are the Campbells' girls. All three of them are 7 years old, but Benji looks about 5. (Due to her conditions before coming to the orphanage) The Campbells are in the process of adopting Chrissy and Lina. Lina they've had since she was a baby...the funny thing being that she was the first orphan and what they had planned as an "all boys-no babies" orphanage! That changed! Benji they've only had about 6 months. I spent a long time catching up on journaling and then we had PB'Js for dinner. We went to bed about nine.

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

Mom woke me up at two ‘til 4:00 a.m. She said Dad’s alarm clock had gone off and she was afraid I’d missed the meeting time for the team at the church. When more awake I came to understand that Dad usually sets his alarm for 5:30 but he set it for 4:00 so he and Mom could tell me good-bye before I left! My family was so good to me. Monica had stayed for dinner the night before, and Robert had called to wish me well and let me know he was praying. I gave Mom and Dad hugs and headed for the church. I arrived at o’dark-thirty (4:40) to find Hilary and her family, and Dorene already there. Stan Inman, Ross Hall and David DeMasters were also there because they had come to see us off. Pam Holdeman came with Marty as well. Hannah and Bethany arrived with their dad and Josiah who would be our chauffeurs to the airport. After a prayer we left at 5:00. On the drive to the airport a few people slept, but I couldn’t. Someone asked me if I was excited. I think I was, but I wasn’t feeling it like I normally do. Mostly I felt ready and like I was beginning a journey and was just waiting for what would come. In a way I was, and not just physically. When we arrived at KCI we had a long wait so we got Starbucks for breakfast. And as a side note I got a Café Latte, but wasn’t big on it. When we checked our carry-on luggage Marty got stopped. His suntan lotion got taken away- not sure what he was trying to bring in =) The first flight was a thrill for me because I haven’t flown in about ten years. It was so cool to watch the take-off and watch the land go by underneath us. We flew over Springfield, just cool for me since Robert lives there. Hilary, Logan and Hannah all slept at points, and the ‘grown up’ folks read most of the flight. It was kinda fun ‘cause the airplane had Owl CityAtlanta we ate lunch at the airport and went to wait at the terminal for our next flight. We’d been sitting there for awhile when Marty left and then came over to tell us that our flight had changed terminals. The girls got over to the new terminal just in time to discover that our names were being called and they were about to cancel our seats on the plane! Marty went to fetch Logan, who’d gone to the restroom, and we couldn’t see them anywhere. It was quite stressful for a bit, but they did make it in time. And then we sat in the plane at the terminal for fifteen minutes…what a case of ‘hurry-up-and-wait’. Upon arriving in Florida and getting our baggage we took the shuttle to get our rental cars. There was a corvette in the lot…wish it had been for us =( Since we had flown into West Palm Beach we had to drive to Fort Pierce where our hotel was for the night. We went to Golden Corral for dinner. I tell you it cost so much that most of us ate too much food just so we could feel like we got our money’s worth. Now on the way to Ft. Pierce we decided to name Marty’s Garmin. Hannah said it should be Darla, which later switched to Delilah. But Logan decided Kamdoneesha would be good (the child character in a friend’s short story!)…Marty proceeded to refer to it as Veneesha. So Kamdoneesha took us to the airport in Ft. Pierce (MFI) after dinner, because we wanted to make the drive before doing it in the dark the next morning. For there we decided to wander around and see if we could get to the beach, which was really close. We went through some lovely land, found a public beach access…and no parking. =( We did drive over to a little island playing during boarding and departing. During our layover in before heading back to the hotel though. I think the thing I found the most strange about Florida was the palm trees mixed in with others. They grew like any old, ordinary tree, which they are down there, but not in Missouri! So that was my first hot and humid taste of Florida. At the hotel there were the five girls in one room and the two guys in the other. We managed fine, but we might do better if our next team is more evenly balanced =P We went to bed after watching some America’s Got Talent while people rotated through the shower. It was about 10:30.

Haiti!!!

...here I come! So this is an update on my not-very-up-to-date blog. (actually I don't know if anyone even reads it anymore!) But anyway, I imagine you guessed by the title of this post that I am headed to Haiti!

We leave tomorrow morning at 5:00 a.m. to drive to the airport. A team of seven people from our church-a deacon, an older woman, and five young adults- are going to Haiti to work in an orphanage over there that our church supports. While we are there we will help around the orphanage, go to the local hospital, do a sports event for the kids, help in the milk clinic for mothers, and most importantly spend time working and playing with the children! I've never been on a mission trip before (and never been out of the country) so this is very exciting and new for me! There are about 45 children at the orphanage we will be visiting.
Our trip will be 10 days, which I imagine will feel altogether too short!! Please pray for our team's safety while we are traveling and while we are in Haiti. Pray for the orphans and chances to share the gospel with them. Pray that the whole trip would go well and that we might glorify God through everything we do! I don't think I'll have internet during the trip but I'll tell you about it when we get back!

Wait...

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried:
Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied.
I plead and I wept for a clue to my fate,
And the Master so gently said,
“Child, you must wait.”

“Wait? You say, wait!” my indignant reply.
“Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is Your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith, I have asked, and am claiming Your Word.

My future and all to which I can relate
Hangs in the balance, and YOU tell me to WAIT?
I’m needing a “Yes”, a go-ahead sign,
Or even a “NO” to which I can resign.

And Lord, You promised that if we believe
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
And Lord, I’ve been asking, and this is my cry:
“I’m weary of asking! I need a reply!”

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate
As my Master replied once again, “You must wait.”
So, I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut
And grumbled to God, “So, I’m waiting…for what?”

He seemed, then, to kneel
And His eyes wept with mine,
And He tenderly said, “I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead, and cause mountains to run.

All you seek, I could give, and pleased you would be.
You would have what you want
But, you wouldn’t know Me.
You’d not know the power I give to the faint;

You’d not learn to see through the clouds of despair;
You’d not learn to trust just by knowing I’m there;
You’d not know the joy of resting in Me;
When darkness and silence were all you could see.

You’d never experience that fullness of love
As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove;
You’d know that I give and I save, for a start,
But, you’d not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

The glow of My comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight,
The depth that’s beyond getting just what you have asked
Or an infinite God, who makes what you have last.

You’d never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that, “My grace is sufficient for thee.”
Yes, your dreams for your loved one
Overnight would come true,

But, Oh, the Loss! If I lost what I’m doing in you!

So, be silent, My child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me.
And though oft’ may My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still wait.

Haiti Mission Trip!

Dear Family and Friends,

I wasn’t sure how to start this letter, but here goes! For several years I’ve wanted to get involved in at least one or two short-term mission trips. I’m excited to say that this summer I have been blessed with the opportunity to do so! My home church, Bethany Baptist, has worked closely with Red Bridge Baptist Church (in KC area) for several years to support an orphanage in Haiti. In July a team of seven church members are scheduled to fly to Haiti and work with the orphanage there.

For those of you who don’t know (though with the news lately I imagine most do), Haiti shares an island in the Caribbean with the Dominican Republic, and has for a long time been the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. The name of the orphanage we will visit there is Haiti Home of Hope (www.haitihomeofhope.org), located in Pignon [pin-yone]. What a fitting name, because this orphanage does offer home to the children it houses!! The Home of Hope was not close enough to the earthquake center to receive physical damage earlier this year; however the staff there still has their hands full with the almost 50 children for whom the orphanage provides housing, food, clothing and education.

The team from our church will fly out of Kansas City on Wednesday, July 21^st and return on the 30^th. Our team consists of two adults, and five young adults/youth. While in Haiti we will be involved in work projects (painting, maintenance, etc.), providing a short sports camp for the orphans, serving a day in the milk clinic (for mothers w/ babies who need nutrition), visiting the hospital, etc. Most importantly we will just spend quality time with the children showing them that we care about them, ministering to them, and giving them attention that they don’t always get due simply to the large number of them. We can witness to the children and show them the love of Christ in a great way while we are there, and having time to bond with them helps them open their hearts to the gospel.

I greatly value and request that use this information and pray for me and our team. Matthew 18:20 says “Where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” Prayer is an invaluable tool in the Christian life and God works miracles sometimes because of it. It is also a great stronghold in fighting a spiritual battle. Haiti is a very dark country spiritually, and there is a tremendous voo-doo influence there that could potentially be difficult to encounter. Please pray for:

-Protection from demonic influences

-Safe travel for our team and while in Haiti

-That all team members stay healthy and have no injuries

-That our team would bond together in the months leading to the trip

-That we would know what the Lord wants us do and prepare that well

-For all necessary funds to be provided for the team

-For the team to serve and work however the Lord will use us

I believe that God can use our team to help change the lives of these orphans and probably us as well. Thank you for lifting us up in prayer!

The second reason I write this letter is to ask that you would consider financially supporting this trip. The cost for each individual going (primarily the round trip airfare from Kansas City to Florida, Florida to Haiti) is about $1,100. Each individual going is responsible to contribute whatever necessary to cover the cost of his/her going. (Fundraisers and love offerings have contributed funds) Any financial support you give will be used to help cover this cost. Please seek the Lord as to whether He would have you give. (even small donations do add up) If you cannot give financial support or don’t feel called to do so I understand. But I would ask that you still pray for our team and our trip.

Thank you for your support!

In Christ,

~Heather Tull

heather@tulltribe.org

Give you my house...

I was in my neighborhood restaurant this morning and was seated behind a group of jubilant individuals celebrating the successful passing of the recent health care bill. I could not finish my breakfast. This is what ensued:

They were a diverse group of several races and both sexes. I heard the young man exclaim, “Isn’t Obama like Jesus Christ? I mean, after all, he is healing the sick.” The young woman enthusiastically proclaimed, “Yeah, and he does it for free. I cannot believe anyone would think that a free market would work for health care. They are all crooks and thieves and don’t deserve all of that money.” Another said, ‘The stupid Republicans want us all to starve to death so they can inherit all of the power. Obama should be made a Saint for what he did for those of us less fortunate.” At this, I had had enough.

I arose from my seat, mustering all the restraint I could find, and approached their table. “Please excuse me; may I impose upon you for one moment?” They smiled and welcomed me to the conversation. I stood at the end of their table, smiled as best I could and began an experiment.

“I would like to give one of you my house. It will cost you no money and I will pay all of the expenses and taxes for as long as you live there. Anyone interested?” They looked at each other in astonishment. “Why would you do something like that?” asked a young man, “There isn’t anything for free in this world.” They began to laugh at me, as they did not realize this man had just made my point. “I am serious, I will give you my house for free, no money what so ever. Anyone interested?” In unison, a resounding “Hell Yeah” fills the room.

“Since there are too many of you, I will have to make a choice as to who receives this money free bargain.” I noticed an elderly couple was paying attention to the spectacle unfolding before their eyes, the old man shaking his head in apparent disgust. “I tell you what; I will give it to the one of you most willing to obey my rules.” Again, they looked at one another, an expression of bewilderment on their faces. The perky young woman asked, “What are the rules?” I smiled and said, “I don’t know. I have not yet defined them. However, it is a free home that I offer you.” They giggled amongst themselves, the youngest of which said, “What an old coot. He must be crazy to give away his home. Go take your meds, old man.” I smiled and leaned into the table a bit further. “I am serious, this is a legitimate offer.” They gaped at me for a moment.

“Hell, I’ll take it you old fool. Where are the keys?” boasted the youngest among them. “Then I presume you accept ALL of my terms then?” I asked. The elderly couple seemed amused and entertained as they watched from the privacy of their table. “Oh hell yeah! Where do I sign up?” I took a napkin and wrote, “I give this man my home, without the burden of financial obligation, so long as he accepts and abides by the terms that I shall set forth upon consummation of this transaction.” I signed it and handed it to the young man who eagerly scratched out his signature. “Where are the keys to my new house?” he asked in a mocking tone of voice. All eyes were upon us as I stepped back from the table, pulling the keys from pocket and dangling them before the excited new homeowner.

“Now that we have entered into this binding contract, witnessed by all of your friends, I have decided upon the conditions you are obligated to adhere from this point forward. You may only live in the house for one hour a day. You will not use anything inside of the home. You will obey me without question or resistance. I expect complete loyalty and admiration for this gift I bestow upon you. You will accept my commands and wishes with enthusiasm, no matter the nature. Your morals and principles shall be as mine. You will vote as I do, think as I do and do it with blind faith. These are my terms. Here are your keys.” I reached the keys forward and the young man looked at me dumbfounded.

“Are you out of your freaking mind? Who would ever agree to those ridiculous terms?” the young man appeared irritated. “You did when you signed this contract before reading it, understanding it and with the full knowledge that I would provide my conditions only after you committed to the agreement.” Was all I said. The elderly man chuckled as his wife tried to restrain him. I was looking at a now silenced and bewildered group of people. “You can shove that stupid deal up you’re a** old man, I want no part of it” exclaimed the now infuriated young man. “You have committed to the contract, as witnessed by all of your friends; you cannot get out of the deal unless I agree to it. I do not intend to let you free now that I have you ensnared. I am the power you agreed to. I am the one you blindly and without thought chose to enslave yourself to. In short, I am your Master.” At this, the table of celebrating individuals became a unified group against the unfairness of the deal.

After a few moments of unrepeatable comments and slurs, I revealed my true intent. “What I did to you is what this administration and congress did to you with the health care legislation. I easily suckered you in and then revealed the real cost of the bargain. Your folly was in the belief that you can have something you did not earn; that you are entitled to that which you did not earn; that you willingly allowed someone else to think for you. Your failure to research, study and inform yourself permitted reason to escape you. You have entered into a trap from which you cannot flee. Your only chance of freedom is if your new Master gives it to you. A freedom that is given can also be taken away; therefore, it is not freedom.” With that, I tore up the napkin and placed it before the astonished young man. “This is the nature of your new health care legislation.”

I turned away to leave these few in thought and contemplation and was surprised by applause. The elderly gentleman, who was clearly entertained, shook my hand enthusiastically and said, “Thank you Sir, these kids don’t understand Liberty these days.” He refused to allow me to pay my bill as he said, “You earned this one, it is an honor to pickup the tab.” I shook his hand in thanks, leaving the restaurant somewhat humbled, and sensing a glimmer of hope for my beloved country.

Use reason, Clifford A Wright

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