Yesterday we spent time at the pillow stuffing again. I swear this is not as easy as it sounds. However in the past two days we have stuffed almost a 1,000 bags of pillow stuffing. This is a very hot and sweaty job, you have to take the stuffing and we were trying to pull it out of this big bale and then you have to seperate it and stuff it into bags. We were trying to use a baby scale that was electronic and it kept doing wierd things all the time, like zeroing out. We were supposed to weigh exactly 1.5 pounds, but it was holding us up so much that we decided to just fill the bags. (Sorry, John) We were all tired and exhausted and by the end of the day my pink shirt looked more grey than pink. Oh well such are the things that happen on mission trips.
However we got some special treats during the day. We got to hear some of the girls from the sewing class singing as they were practicing for their graduation. They started singing around the time that lunch was late coming and we were all getting a little grumpy from being tired and hungry. Then this beautiful singing came and it just created a sense of peace and calm. The girls had beautiful voices. The song they were singing was about how no matter the trials and tribulations of life they would always stick together. It was just beautiful.
Also today we got to work with some wonderful Haitians. One of them was named Phillip. He was a God send. Not only did he help us with shredding the fabric, but he also cut the wires away from the bundle and it just fell apart. We said that he was our secret weapon. LOL We also met Marjorie and the lady who ran the shop. I bought a purse for my mom (who is not reading my blog so it will be a suprise). The lady was so thankful for the little bit of money according to my standards that I spent with her. She just kept saying, "THank you so much for shopping with us." All of this just goes to prove the saying that Haiti wants a hand up and not a hand out. While just like in the US there are people who do want a hand out, a good majority of them want a hand up. They are hard working people, who work harder than most of us have ever imagined, and they take pride in a job well done. I am thoroughly impressed with the people of Haiti and my respect for them grows every day I am here.
After a long day of work John (or J as he is now known, because he says everyones name is too hard to say so he shortens it, so we decided John is too hard to say), came to rescue us. It was great to see him and Dave show up. We had just sat down for a water break and in these two wonderful men came. John asked if we wanted to go to a store that was air conditioned and get something cold to drink. I was like "YES! Of course we want to go" So we all piled in his truck and went to the store. Now riding in the back of the truck in Haiti is always quiet an experience. One gentleman said something to us in Creole, and Nicole (the young lady from Haiti) turned to me and was like "What did he say?" It was just funny because I speak no Creole. He then spoke to us in English, asking if we didn't speak Creole. We were like no and then took off again on the adventure of riding through the streets of Haiti.
When we got to the store we were instructed to take nothing in with us. We walked in and John, bless the man, told us to get whatever we wanted. We got some cold drinks. I had coconut water, it was really good and had little pieces of coconut in it. However the score of the day was some fried plantains, a chocolate bar, and some mentos. It was just awesome that he would be so thoughtful to take us there, and then he would not let us pay for anything. He was just so gracious and telling us to get whatever we wanted.
After this it was another trip back to the Harbor House and picked up some folks and went back to the guest house. Here we ended up eating dinner and then just spent time talking and getting to know folks better. There was a bad storm here last night and a few leaks, but nothing major. I wonder about the roads though. We also were told that we were going to go to a traditional Haitian market today, so that should be lots of fun and I will take lots of pictures. After that long and exciting day it was time for sleep.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Some reflections on God
This morning I woke up and I literally had a song on my lips. I was singing "Shout to the Lord all the earth let us sing, Power and majesty praise to the King, mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of His name, I sing for joy at the works of His hands, forever I'll love You forever I'll Stand nothing compares to the promise I have in You. This was kinda strange beause I can never remember the words to contemporary Christian songs without the music being played. Even as I type this some of the words seem to escape me. However I knew this song this morning and was just singing. I don't sing well but I was compelled to sing, and so I did. I thought about laying back down and trying to get another hour of sleep, but I just couldn't. I just was thirsty for the Word and anxious to see what God was going to show me.
So I got up and was looking in my back pack for my Bible. As I was doing so I was praying that God would just show me what I needed to do today and that He would open me up to recieving His word. I had planned on starting through a devotional series in the front of my new Bible. Now I do not believe in praying to God and just letting the Bible and reading whereever it opens after pointing to a verse. I think God can work in any way He wants but that our studying and learning of His Word needs to be a little more intentional. Anyway as I settled in to read not really sure where this devotional would take me, I opened up my Bible and it automatically fell to the page where my notes from church on Sunday was. And the words and verses that had not been read but that were on the page seemed to jump up at me. I read "God is our refuge and our strength a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountaine tremble at its swelling." (Psalm 46:1-3) I was like wow I was just singing about the mountains bowing down and praising God and then I read that. Then I continued to read through several more of the Psalms just hungry for God's word this morning. The last verses I read were "By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might; who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy." (Psalm 65: 5-8)
Oh our God is so good. Last night we had a down pour here. However this morning sitting outside the land looked just brillant. I was just praying to God that the past of Haiti could be washed away and that people could see the beauty of the place. God is so good to me, that He allowed me to have these precious moments with Him this morning, just praising and fellowshipping with Him. I am just so thankful and priveleged and honored to be able to serve Him, both here in Haiti and when I return home. It reminds me of the saying "God is good all the time, All the time, God is good." Thank you God for this reminder of Your glory and greatness today.
So I got up and was looking in my back pack for my Bible. As I was doing so I was praying that God would just show me what I needed to do today and that He would open me up to recieving His word. I had planned on starting through a devotional series in the front of my new Bible. Now I do not believe in praying to God and just letting the Bible and reading whereever it opens after pointing to a verse. I think God can work in any way He wants but that our studying and learning of His Word needs to be a little more intentional. Anyway as I settled in to read not really sure where this devotional would take me, I opened up my Bible and it automatically fell to the page where my notes from church on Sunday was. And the words and verses that had not been read but that were on the page seemed to jump up at me. I read "God is our refuge and our strength a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountaine tremble at its swelling." (Psalm 46:1-3) I was like wow I was just singing about the mountains bowing down and praising God and then I read that. Then I continued to read through several more of the Psalms just hungry for God's word this morning. The last verses I read were "By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might; who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy." (Psalm 65: 5-8)
Oh our God is so good. Last night we had a down pour here. However this morning sitting outside the land looked just brillant. I was just praying to God that the past of Haiti could be washed away and that people could see the beauty of the place. God is so good to me, that He allowed me to have these precious moments with Him this morning, just praising and fellowshipping with Him. I am just so thankful and priveleged and honored to be able to serve Him, both here in Haiti and when I return home. It reminds me of the saying "God is good all the time, All the time, God is good." Thank you God for this reminder of Your glory and greatness today.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Haiti Day Two, continued
Well after my last post I decided I wanted to share some more. On our trip around the city we did see a lot of the tent cities. A lot of the rubble has been cleared away. There are some photos I will share when I get back, but for the most part Haiti is still functioning and is just still Haiti. The streets are forever busy and people are walking to and fro. There were some loud shouts on the streets in just the spirited way Haitians have discussions with each other. In other words despite difficulties I am not sure I could overcome the Haitians are doing more than mere surviving they are living. The children look happy and joyful as they waved to us from the sides of the streets. I see the Hatian people as proud and hard working. I was totally impressed by what I saw and I cannot communicate clearly enough the strength of the Haitian people. They are truly looking for a hand up and not a hand out.
Also last night we had a worship service with out team and some of the missionaries. It was just awesome to get a chance to worship with people who have a heart for Haiti. I am so enjoying our trip here. Haiti is such a wonderful place and it needs some awesome people working along side the Haitians. The worship was spirit filled and so annointed. It just can not be put into words.
Also last night we had a worship service with out team and some of the missionaries. It was just awesome to get a chance to worship with people who have a heart for Haiti. I am so enjoying our trip here. Haiti is such a wonderful place and it needs some awesome people working along side the Haitians. The worship was spirit filled and so annointed. It just can not be put into words.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Haiti- Day Two
Today we started out by getting up and getting ready to go to church. I was sound asleep and slept longer than everyone else. I ended up getting ready and rushing around like a crazy woman 10 minutes before we were suppose to leave. Going to church was awesome. It is an English-speaking church that is a mixture of ex-pats and Haitians. It was great to go and worship the Lord. However if I closed my eyes it felt very much like a church service back home. It was awesome to praise the Lord in Haiti. It is always very special to go to church in another country. It is just wonderful to see people of all nations praising God. I can not even explain it but there is just something special for me in that.
On the way to church and during church we spent time holding some of the babies from the teenage mother's home. They were just so cute and precious. It was wonderful to be able to love up on them. I so enjoyed the time holding them and they were just so cute.
After church we came back to the guest house and had lunch. We are having this amazing bread that I have never had before. It is just so yummy. I wish I could get the recipe and make it back in the states. I had a tuna fish "sandwich" and a peanut butter and jelly "sandwich" with the bread. I think I could eat a whole plate of it by myself. However I was not a hog and refrained. LOL
After lunch we got ready to go out on a trip around the city. Several of us decided to get on the roof of our truck and ride around. One of the guys with us on the roof and it was a pleasure to get to know him. His name is Aaron and he spent several years of his childhood in Haiti. He wants to start doing more frequent trips from his church and is down here trying to learn more about what to make that happen. I love learning about people's stories and his seems to be an awesome one. He has a lot of memories from living down here and it is great to get to know him.
When we got back to the guest house we got a little free time, and that is why I am posting this now. We will have dinner tonight and I am not sure after that. I am sure that we will just be resting, and spending time in preparing to go out again tomorrow. We have several more days of hard work ahead of us, but I am looking forward to seeing what God is going to do and how he is going to show up.
On the way to church and during church we spent time holding some of the babies from the teenage mother's home. They were just so cute and precious. It was wonderful to be able to love up on them. I so enjoyed the time holding them and they were just so cute.
After church we came back to the guest house and had lunch. We are having this amazing bread that I have never had before. It is just so yummy. I wish I could get the recipe and make it back in the states. I had a tuna fish "sandwich" and a peanut butter and jelly "sandwich" with the bread. I think I could eat a whole plate of it by myself. However I was not a hog and refrained. LOL
After lunch we got ready to go out on a trip around the city. Several of us decided to get on the roof of our truck and ride around. One of the guys with us on the roof and it was a pleasure to get to know him. His name is Aaron and he spent several years of his childhood in Haiti. He wants to start doing more frequent trips from his church and is down here trying to learn more about what to make that happen. I love learning about people's stories and his seems to be an awesome one. He has a lot of memories from living down here and it is great to get to know him.
When we got back to the guest house we got a little free time, and that is why I am posting this now. We will have dinner tonight and I am not sure after that. I am sure that we will just be resting, and spending time in preparing to go out again tomorrow. We have several more days of hard work ahead of us, but I am looking forward to seeing what God is going to do and how he is going to show up.
Haiti- Day One
Well yesterday after an emotional landing, I just started a conversation with a random stranger while trying to unload from the plane. We ended up finding out that we were on the same mission trip and coming to help out Heartline Ministries here in Haiti. His name was Ron and he is very sweet and funny to be around. He was telling me I needed to get my pillow initialed after telling him it had traveled around the world. Him and I went through customs and met up with a few other people from our trip. We met our trip leader, Dave, who is just awesome. I am really glad that God ordained him to lead our trip. Some of the other people are Sue, Kay, Clair, Michael, and Nicole. Nicole and I have a special bond because she is an amazing young woman who is adopted from Haiti and just had a desire to come back. Michael and Nicole are just absolutely wonderful. Both of them are teenagers who decided to come Haiti and give back. We also met our "house parents" Rebecca and Barry. They are from Australia and have been so wonderfully gracious in allowing us to come in and making us feel like family. I also got to meet John and Beth, the founders of Heartline Ministries. This was a special treat because I have been following what they are doing here in Haiti for years.
So yesterday was quiet interesting. We got to the guest house and I was like wow I am back in Haiti. There is just something about being here that makes me feel alive and like I am at home. I can not imagine there being a time when I do not want to come back to Haiti and work. So after our arrival from the airport we went upstairs and picked out our beds. Then about 20 minutes or so later, we met up with John and he brought in a list of things that needed to be done. This was a list in pretty small font that just seemed overwhelming at the time. John was like well you can go and work or you can stay here if you want to. Almost all of us went to work. Our first place we visited was the teenage mother house. That is just such an awesome ministry. The mother's get to live there for up to two years and are given an education to help them break the cycle of poverty. It was so refreshing to see these young mothers, in Haiti, with their babies, happy and healthy. After this I went to go and help get pillows ready to stuff for the women in the sewing class. This is another of Heartlines Ministries. The women come in and sew and raise money for their families. They make a large percentage of profit off of this, half of which is given to them and half of which is kept in a bank account for them. Well the sewing classes are a bit different, but the women will sew up pillows and be able to sell them and make a little money. Now while I thought this was going to be an easy job, well I was wrong. Haiti is hot and sticky, and add to that shredded cloth flying in the air and well it was a mess. However the company was excellent and we had a blast. Sharon and Karen are two ladies who came in and just loved on Nicole and I. They are grandmotherly types who are just fun to be around. They wanted to make sure that we drank plenty of water and wore our masks while we were working on pulling the cloth giant square apart. I will take some pictures and add them when I get back to the States as the Internet in Haiti will not allow for it.
When we got back to the guest house, which is absolutely beautiful, and the most wonderful place I have ever stayed at in Haiti. We got cleaned up, and then had a nice group dinner. At this time we just got to enjoy each other and relax a bit. I am truly looking forward to the rest of the trip with these people that I am getting to know. After dinner it was time for bed and I will post what happened today in another post.
So yesterday was quiet interesting. We got to the guest house and I was like wow I am back in Haiti. There is just something about being here that makes me feel alive and like I am at home. I can not imagine there being a time when I do not want to come back to Haiti and work. So after our arrival from the airport we went upstairs and picked out our beds. Then about 20 minutes or so later, we met up with John and he brought in a list of things that needed to be done. This was a list in pretty small font that just seemed overwhelming at the time. John was like well you can go and work or you can stay here if you want to. Almost all of us went to work. Our first place we visited was the teenage mother house. That is just such an awesome ministry. The mother's get to live there for up to two years and are given an education to help them break the cycle of poverty. It was so refreshing to see these young mothers, in Haiti, with their babies, happy and healthy. After this I went to go and help get pillows ready to stuff for the women in the sewing class. This is another of Heartlines Ministries. The women come in and sew and raise money for their families. They make a large percentage of profit off of this, half of which is given to them and half of which is kept in a bank account for them. Well the sewing classes are a bit different, but the women will sew up pillows and be able to sell them and make a little money. Now while I thought this was going to be an easy job, well I was wrong. Haiti is hot and sticky, and add to that shredded cloth flying in the air and well it was a mess. However the company was excellent and we had a blast. Sharon and Karen are two ladies who came in and just loved on Nicole and I. They are grandmotherly types who are just fun to be around. They wanted to make sure that we drank plenty of water and wore our masks while we were working on pulling the cloth giant square apart. I will take some pictures and add them when I get back to the States as the Internet in Haiti will not allow for it.
When we got back to the guest house, which is absolutely beautiful, and the most wonderful place I have ever stayed at in Haiti. We got cleaned up, and then had a nice group dinner. At this time we just got to enjoy each other and relax a bit. I am truly looking forward to the rest of the trip with these people that I am getting to know. After dinner it was time for bed and I will post what happened today in another post.
News from Haiti-An Emotional Landing
Yesterday morning I landed in Haiti. It was the first time I had been back since my boys got home. My heart literally broke for the people as I was flying in and landing. I could see some of the tent cities from m airplane window. It was raining as we landed, and all I could think of was that God was crying with me as I wept for Haiti. This land holds such a mixture of memories for me, both happy and sad. I will always ache to come here and to help in whatever little ways I can. This is the land that my boys came from, but this is also the land where horrible acts were perpetrated on them. I can feel both a strong dislike and a strong sense of compassion all at once for these people. They hurt my children and that is just totally unacceptable and the mama bear part of me would just like for them to hurt as bad. However, I stop and think for just a moment about wait this is Haiti. These people probably had the same things done to them or worse, and how sad it is that any child has to live to grow up like that. It is just all so unjust at times. I mean in the same way that moving my boys zip code I increased their life span by thirty or so years. And why do we who live in such abudnance just 100 or so miles away, why can't we do something to stop this cycle. Being here in this country I love is so hard. My heart aches to do something more, to do anything more. However I feel so small compared to the big problems they face here. It can become overwhelming. But until I figure out the big thing I can do, I will do these small steps that are just drops in the bucket of the problem. It is better than doing nothing, or showing indifference. So Haiti here I am and waiting on God to show up in ways that only He can.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
My Life Raft
I am so excited about what I signed up for this week. My awesome, awesome, Internet only for now support, named Corey puts on an Orlando weekend for moms with kids similar to mine. Now I was supposed to go last year but Rob started dialysis about two weeks or so before the trip and I had to cancel going. However this year I am going. The boys can rage for weeks before or after, they can threaten to burn the house down, or whatever but my happy butt will be in Orlando this year. This is not just because I want it but because I NEED it. I need to be with other moms who get it. Who do not look at me with pity or disgust or fear when they hear about the problems my kids have. Who can laugh with me about some of the crazy stuff our kids due, simply because we know if we did not find a way to laugh we would be crying all the time. I am going to be so blessed I know to meet women who get my story and can offer unconditional acceptance about some of the things we have tried to heal our children. Just being with women who get it is awesome. I am so excited I can not wait until March. So to all of my new friends I am going to meet in Orlando hello and I can not wait to meet you. This is my life raft for the next few months. And I know some days I will be clinging to that life raft by my teeth, but knowing you will have those days too is such a comfort. I can not wait to meet you my Orlando buddies.
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