Thursday
Hamburgers on the grill
mac and cheese
salad
Friday
Chicken caesar salad
This pup makes me smile everyday!
This picture just makes me smile for so many reasons. This is little Davidson from Haiti. He was a year old when I was there and malnourished, with red ends to his hair. He snuggled up to me and fell asleep, I fell in love. I prayed as I held each of the kiddos, but he took my heart. Now today he is 2 and has made it through the malnutrition program. He is as ornery as ever here, walking his uncles dog! It makes my heart happy!
I have been listening to the lyrics of this song, over and over and trying to figure out why it is impacting me so strong and emotionally. I'm not home yet, and until that I live in a very broken world.
Injustice is real and evident and it stinks. It won't make sense until I am truly home.
I really never understood what people meant when they said things like that, "I'm not home yet". God has been working on my heart lately, showing me what it means to be "home" or want to be "home".
It all started in Haiti this past October. Walking to the village each day, we would hold babies and kiddos who were starving for attention and love. They were also starving for food, but we weren't allowed to help with that at that time.
Each child I held, I prayed silently for. I prayed God would have His hand of protection over them, that they would each have clean water and good food, and that they would have someone to love them and teach them about Jesus. That's it, simple.
This is a sweet boy named Davidson
Here is a story about him from the nurses in Haiti now:
"There’s nothing like a ray of sunshine to brighten ones day. At 10:00am yesterday morning I was greeted by one of my little buddies “Kesna” at our back door. Like most of our school children, I figured she was just sick. Instead she told me that “Davidson” is outside. Davidson is a little boy from our village that I have known since the first day I stepped into Chambrun back in July. He was the little baby you would find on the ground half naked, with dirt all in his mouth, without mom in site. When he found himself in one of our laps (Brooke, Aubs, Leslee or I) he would nuzzle in and fall asleep in minutes. We acknowledged him, held him,fed him, played with him, bathed him and most importantly loved on him. We earned his trust. Many days as we left the village to head back to campus, he’d cry.
About 2 months ago we noticed a decline in his health, so much that we became extremely concerned. His family had brought him into the clinic and we provided him with some medication and nutrition. A week or so later we noticed that Davidson wasn’t ever there during our visits. Family and friends told us that he and his mother had moved to another village. I was extremely saddened, for we no longer could monitor his health during our visits to the village. As we continued our visits in Chambrun, we’d come back always with an update on him. It wasn’t ever real encouraging news, which made it even more difficult. It got to the point where our friends from Chambrun also became concerned about his health. This past Sunday Aubree was able to talk with Pastor Pierre and share our concerns. After sharing her heart, Pastor also agreed that something needed to be done. For me it gave me a spark of hope, I thought to myself now we’re making progress. That afternoon we found ourselves in the village talking with his grandma and sharing our concern and how we can help. Now all that we could do is pray, wait and hope that the message would be shared with his mother and someone would bring him to the clinic before it was too late.
So here Brooke and I were 2 days after Aubree talked with Pastor; holding Davidson in our arms with such joy and hope in knowing that his life-story has many more chapters still to come. The process of intervening has begun. Davidson…our little ray of sunshine has found us again!
------ This is from Etienne and Brooke, serving in Haiti everyday. They are my heroes.
You know it's so easy to be moved by pictures, videos, and stories from people who have been to places of need. But this time it hurt.
I finally get it. Get what they talk about at church, about how trips change you. I had noticed changes upon coming back, but now it's different.
You see, when you touch, talk to, love on someone in need you have an emotional attachment to them. When you intercede in prayer for these sweet ones it takes it to a new level. I'm not home yet, that is why I have this ache in heart. My heart was made for heaven.
So when I read the story of Davidson, my heart hurt for him like never before.
photo courtesy of Ecosalon Joe and I will be leaving for a week long trip to Haiti in just a short 22 days! I am both scared and excited.
Worried about how the kids will do with Grandparents and our hectic schedule!
Worried about doing, seeing, feeling the unknown. I have never done medical care in a 4th world country, how will I know what to do? Will I be able to do it? Will I be able to tell women "NO" when they offer me their babies, since they can't take care of them? I want to take them all home in my suitcases.
Worried about the oppressive heat. I like me some A/C. Hopefully there will be some working somewhere while we are there.
Worried about forgetting something, getting sick or injured, getting lost. These are the things that run through my mind at 4am. Why 4 am? I have no idea, but that is when God wakes me and reminds to pray and give it all to Him- the one who can handle it all. 1 Peter 5:7 "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."
Ahhh... that feels so much better :)
*If you would be so gracious to join us in prayer for our trip, we would be forever grateful.*
**If you would like to donate to our mission fund, please let us know.** photo courtesy of nzpost
It seems as if my mind keeps thinking about all the
13
11
10
and 7 year old children in Haiti right now that are sleeping in the street, as mine sleep in the OWN bed.
that are wondering about their next meal, as mine complained about having to eat tacos for dinner tonight.
that no longer have parents.
These kids did not choose homelessness. They did not choose hunger. They did not choose to be orphans.
We live in a fallen world. It is groaning like the pains of childbirth. It will someday cease and become new. God is present in the midst of strife.
I am a jumbled mess. I praise God my family is safe. I cry out for those only seen on TV. And I wonder why Haiti and not Indiana? Maybe it will be Indiana one day. Maybe Westfield Indiana. Maybe not.
God is mysterious. I fear Him.
Yet life can only be reconciled through Him.
the older I get, the more I dont know what I dont know.
photo courtesy of Ecosalon
photo courtesy of nzpost