Delighting In Grace

everything beautiful in its time

2012-02-06T21:25:00.000-06:00

I realized shortly after updating the other day that my usual "don't post anything until I've proofread it several times" rule for myself is a good idea...and that failing to abide by it with Thursday's post was not such a good idea. I was tired and in a hurry to get it up before losing internet, but I realized shortly after posting it (at which point internet had disappeared and therefore I couldn't do anything about it), that it probably sounded a lot more negative/complainy* than was intended. Sorry about that... I'll be sure to re-read this one 8 times before it goes up :)

Anyway, overall things are going well here (despite the following paragraph). Internet access has been sporadic, and the times that it's been working, I've usually needed to use it for homework before doing anything else (lame), thus the lack of blogging. That and the fact that I haven't quite figured out what to say...because honestly, for whatever reason, though I have been to Haiti more times than I can count and haven't experienced anything new thus far on this trip that I hadn't seen/heard/done even as little as two months ago, I've had a harder time readjusting to being here than I would have expected. I'm thrilled to be here...thrilled to be back with the kids at Notre Maison and to get to see everyone at Heartline...but I think the Lord is increasingly opening my eyes to the many, many needs here. Again, I'm not really sure why/how it's any different than any other time I've been here---none of these things that are "hitting me hard" this time are things I was unaware of in the past---but maybe the Lord is allowing me to feel more and more of the way He grieves for the injustice and pain that is in the world. And though the past few days have been more difficult than I'd anticipated, I'm thankful---thankful for what the Lord has been showing and teaching me, and all the more thankful for the opportunity to be here and (by God's grace) to love these kids.

I started out today in Ecclesiastes, and 3:11 really stood out to me: "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end." I desperately needed that reminder this afternoon, that God DOES make everything beautiful in its time and that He is at work in ways even greater than I could ever imagine.

Some beautiful things from this past week (it is Monday, after all; the list must go on, even/especially in Haiti):

771. Sweet time with my Ti Nina.

772. Encouragement from Faith.

773. Getting to meet up with Jenny for lunch on Saturday, though it was way too short of a visit!

774. Seeing Lovely's face light up when I called for her to come upstairs to make a friendship bracelet.

775. This book; I don't usually read much while in Haiti, but I downloaded this to my Kindle app on Friday and finished it today. The Lord has really used it to encourage and challenge me over the past few days; I highly recommend it!

776. A sweet gift of grace tonight in the form of kind words from one of the ladies here.

777. Roseline and Nathalie.

778. Fantastic weather; either this is unusual or I'd forgotten how nice it is in Haiti this time of year!

779. Successfully traveling across Port au Prince by myself to get to church. For some reason taptapping intimidates me more now than it did when I was 18, but all went well :) I rode a motorcycle almost the entire way (which was not part of the original plan...); got there way faster, though! Also had the interesting realization that I've only ever ridden a motorcycle when wearing a skirt, which can't be normal...

780. Spending time at Heartline on Friday (and heading there again tomorrow).

*new word. Add it to your dictionary.

Quick update (from Haiti!)

2012-02-02T21:43:00.001-06:00

This is her pensive face.

After a partially stressful but mostly uneventful day of travel, I arrived in Haiti yesterday afternoon. The stressful part came at the very beginning, when I was told at the ticket counter when checking in for my first flight that I may have arrived too late to get on the plane (because, you know, I was flying out of the oh-so-busy mega airport which is Easterwood Airport, along with all of 23 other people). Nonetheless, I headed through security (which was enlightening, as I learned that peanut butter is, in fact, a liquid--who knew!--and is therefore not allowed in carry-on luggage). After my suitcase was ransacked and my peanut butter found

its new home in the security trash can, I walked all of ten feet to the gate and boarded the plane. Too late to get on? Nope (though I did probably break some sort of airline regulation in not arriving a full hour before the flight, so I'm thankful for the graciousness of whoever could have decided to be a stickler to the rule and keep me off the plane). I was, however, fairly flustered by this point by the events of the preceding twenty minutes, so rather than being my usual introverted, don't-want-to-talk-to-the-passenger-in-the-seat-beside-me self, I actually went into Starbucks mode and ended up visiting almost the entire flight with an older gentleman who was on his way to Florida for a conference.

From that point on, things were fairly uneventful. Once I got to Port au Prince, I made it through customs and found my suitcases in record time. And for the first time ever, I made it all the way out of the airport without help (sans cart, too, because there were none left). I suppose this is a matter of pride, but not in the way you might think if you've never been through the Port au Prince airport. ~~Typically~~ Always there are people everywhere trying to "help" you with your luggage (whether you want/need help or not, though the chaos of the airport tends to make assistance seem necessary), and the fee expected for such assistance is generally quite ridiculous (and every single person who so much as touched your luggage wants paid). Though I have very much in my favor the ability to speak Kreyol and to state that I don't need 8 men to push my 1 cart of luggage, I have never before managed to ward off all who want to help. Now that I'm thinking

decorating

about it, though, perhaps it was the very fact that I didn't have a cart that kept anyone from trying too hard to help me (I mean, who really wants to drag around 150 lbs of luggage without a cart? me, apparently.). So anyway, I made it all the way outside of the airport fairly easily (though I am sooooooore today) and looked for my ride....which was nowhere to be found. The minutes on my Haiti cell phone had expired, so I borrowed a phone from one of the airport workers to call Gertrude. She said they were coming, and so I sat down and waited.

And waited.

And watched two more flights arrive.

And waited.

Finally, an hour later, Gertrude and several of the kids arrived. Port au Prince traffic is normally a mess (to say the least), but yesterday it was absolute chaos, which is why it took them so long to get to me. And to get back to the house, which is maybe 2 miles from the airport, it took probably at least thirty minutes. So I was more than ready to get there and to see the kids!

When the gate to the orphanage opened for us to drive in, I heard my name being chanted by several of the kids. So good to be back; I've missed them! I found Christina right away and carried her around as I greeted all the other kids. She is quite the talker now (though she's got her own language; it's not English or Kreyol!). And she is, of course, still the cutest ever :)

I'm about to lose battery on my computer, so here's a quick summary of today:
- I spent the morning playing with the kids who don't go to school; Christina and I spent quite awhile with Roseline, who is a very sweet older girl who can't speak and spends her time in her wheelchair. She has the most beautiful smile, and between me and Christina, we even had her laughing a few times.
- I got out the "sponge game" for the younger kids to play with this morning, and it was a huge hit.
- In the afternoon, I brought six of the kids upstairs (the only place to be able to have any sort of control/organized activity) to decorate the shower curtain "road map" mat.
- Later I had Wilberson and Mimose come up to play the matching game that Callie made; they loved it!

That'll have to be all for now. Tomorrow I'm planning to go to Heartline in the morning. Not sure when I'll be able to post again, but thanks for all your prayers!

grateful for everything

2012-01-30T20:21:00.000-06:00

Oh what a week it's been! So much going on, between the usual things that keep me busy and the additional things I somehow found time for throughout the week...plus getting ready for Haiti... To say that life has been a bit of a whirlwind would be putting it mildly. Exhausting (having trouble keeping my eyes open at this very moment) but fun---and oh so very worth it! Grateful for so much that has happened over the past several days! A quick recap:

761. Going to see Wicked in Austin with Paul! I love, love, love this show.

762. Having the afternoon off the day after Wicked and being able to sleeeeeeep (since I only had time for 2 hours of sleep between getting home from the show and going to work). I do not generally promote staying up all night and sleeping all afternoon...but in this case, it was worth it :)

763. Being able to wear my glasses when my eyes just really don't feel like dealing with contacts.

764. Hanging out with Megan and getting to know her better...I sense a kindred spirit :)

765. Spending time with Faith and Logan...always a highlight of my week when I'm able to see these two!

766. Dinner and Donovan and Sabrina's (a.k.a. the best cooks ever).

767. Impromptu Saturday night ice skating with my brother and several coworkers. So much fun!!!

768. Visiting Sabrina at her new job.

769. A somewhat lazy yet still very productive day off.

770. Getting to see Jessica at church and again briefly at Starbucks during her 14 hours back in TX!

35 HOURS TIL I LEAVE FOR HAITI!!!!

hello, Tuesday

2012-01-24T04:18:00.000-06:00

I guess the positive side of suddenly and irreversibly waking up at 2:15am (ahead of an already absurdly early wake-up time of 3:45am) is having time to be at least semi-productive before heading to work. Normally I hop out of bed with just enough time to get [minimally] ready for the day before heading to work at 4:15. Today, though, I've already washed my crockpot (which may or may not have still been soaking in the sink since I got home from church Sunday night...), answered several Facebook messages (this is a big deal; I am terrible at responding to Facebook messages...though trying to get better!), made coffee (VIA, but I still had to filter the water and heat it up...ok, fine, it took two minutes), made tea and retrieved ibuprofen for my brother who is not feeling well (pray for him; he's got a long day of nursing school today), and checked on the whereabouts of the textbook I'm hoping will arrive in the next few days. Nothing like starting off a Tuesday with a spurt of productivity! Here's to hoping I'm still equally awake and energetic at 10am!

761. Getting to see Julie and Sarah more that they're meeting at Starbucks every morning again.
762. An emotional but clarifying discussion on something I am passionate about.
763. Getting to spend time with Faith and Logan; love them!
764. Collecting things for Haiti (thanks to those who have donated!).
765. Donovan and Sabrina coming over for dinner and a movie.
766. Getting into a class that I need at literally the last minute.
767. Starbucks tuition reimbursement. So thankful for this job and its amazing benefits!
768. Finishing Anne of Green Gables at Eyrie Park; such a sweet movie (though rather different from the book).
769. Beauty and the Beast with Sarah!
770. Unexpected encouragement.

Items for Heartline

2012-01-20T12:40:00.001-06:00

I know I've already posted once about donating for my trip to Haiti (in 12 days! yay!), but Beth McHoul just posted on Facebook a list of items that Heartline is currently in need of, so in case anyone is still looking for an opportunity to give, I wanted to re-post her list here. As with my other post, if you want to help, you have a few options:

1. Donate money for me to buy some of these items.

2. Purchase these items and get them to me by January 25th (give or take a few days; I just want to be sure I have everything together in plenty of time before I leave February 1st). However, if you do plan to purchase anything, please let me know what you're getting so that I don't go out and buy the same thing :) Thanks!

Here's Beth's list:

1. Pregnancy tests
2. Prenatal vitamins
3. Urine (UA) test strips (in bottles of 100 test strips)
4. New women's underwear: sizes 5, 6, 7, and 8
5. Extra large maxi pads (we especially need the extra-large size Depends-type pads that are approximately 6x10 inches)
6. Large maxi pads
7. New cloth diapers and new plastic diaper covers
8. Newborn size disposable diapers
9. New, basic (rubber/plastic) flip-flops (women's size 7-10), any colors
10. New toiletry supplies: small bottles of baby powder, large women's deodorant, large combs, medium size bottles of hand/bottle lotion
11. New washcloths and hand towels
12. Individual Gatorade packets and large canisters of Gatorade or Power-Ade powder
13. IV catheters: 18, 20, 22, and 24 gauge
14. 3M Durapore brand tape
15. New, durable metal or plastic water bottles (such as Nalgene)
16. New baby socks (size 0-6 months)

Note: A fellow Haiti-lover has let me know that she has already purchased new women's underwear, flipflops, large depends-type diapers, and nightgowns. Since there's less of a need for these items, then, I'm going to try to focus more on some of the other things on the list. But give as you feel led :)

And again, thank you so much for all of your generosity and support!

(For an important and thought-provoking post on donating to those in need, read this.)

Two weeks!

2012-01-18T17:01:00.000-06:00

Two weeks til I get to see these beautiful faces again!!! Am I excited? You could say that.

:)

YES!!!!!!!!

my Christina :)

Mimose

Wilberson

TWO WEEKS!!

Alain

Walton

Jonathan

Roseline

Ti Christine, Lovely,
Jonathan, and Roseline

Gus

Valencia

Jude

Christine

Jean Daniel

325.98 hours til I leave, to be exact.

But who's counting?

:)

counting on

2012-01-16T20:32:00.000-06:00

751. My first pair of new glasses in about 10 years (and also the first pair of glasses I've ever had that I really like)!
752. Finally getting to go to Esperanza again for the first time in several weeks; so good to see all the residents again.
753. A quick, last-minute mini-roadtrip to Dallas to meet with my admissions advisor at Baylor's school of nursing (call me weird, but I really enjoy driving).
754. Listening to sermons and French podcasts while driving :)
755. A really positive and encouraging meeting with my advisor.
756. Watching more home videos with Paul.
757. Unexpectedly having an afternoon off, which was very much needed and appreciated as I had a lot to get done!
758. Homemade pizza with "fancy cheese" :)
759. An impromptu (though short) visit to Eyrie Park.
760. So thankful for the community I have here in this...uh, community :) Friends, fellow church members, family, coworkers...so thankful for them all.

Back to Haiti I go! (Wanna help?)

2012-01-13T09:29:00.011-06:00

Update Jan. 18th:

Thanks so much to those of you who have already donated money and/or items! I love that so many of you--most of whom have never even been to Haiti--want to invest in the kids' lives by enabling me to put together these activities to share with them (which I'm so excited to do!). It may not seem like a big deal to donate a box of crayons or a couple of dollars, but trust me, you're making a difference. It so encourages me to have your support, and I know the kids will be excited, too, when I tell them that people "lot bo" (in the "other place," i.e. the States) have helped to make our fun times possible. So, THANK YOU!!!

I've updated the activities below to identify what I've already received and what I'm still hoping to get before I leave...two weeks from today!

I'm heading back to Haiti on February 1st, and I'm once again putting together some activities* to do with the kids at Notre Maison. Since several people have asked how they can help, I thought I'd post the activities I'm hoping to do** along with the materials needed to put them together in case anyone wants to volunteer to provide a particular activity/item.

Here's what I'm thinking so far:

"Passing Practice"

- ~~1 tarp~~

- ~~Colored Duct tape~~

- ~~Rope~~

- Footballs/~~bean bags~~/small balls

~~Matching Game~~

Magnetic Paper Dolls

- Book of pre-cut paper dolls

- ~~Adhesive magnetic sheets~~

- ~~Cookie sheet~~

Water balloon pinatas

- ~~Balloons~~

Shower Curtain Play Mat

- ~~Shower curtain (maybe even 2 or 3)~~

- ~~Crayons~~/~~permanent markers~~

- ~~Traffic sign stickers~~

- Toy cars

Sponge Tower

- ~~Sponges~~

Friendship bracelets

- ~~multicolored yarn~~

Other miscellaneous supplies (will probably add to this list as I think of more):

- ~~construction paper~~
- ~~white cardstock~~

- ~~several pairs of child-safe scissors~~

- ~~glitter~~

- glue (1-2 bottles)

- ~~coloring books~~ and/or coloring pages

- ~~stickers~~

- picture books
- ~~chalk~~

Additionally, Heartline has several items that they've requested. See that list here.

Please let me know if you'd like to help out with any of these items/activities. There are a couple of ways to do this:

1. If you live in B/CS and want to purchase any of these items for me, just let me know and we'll figure out a time for me to get them from you. Or, I guess if you live elsewhere and want to buy or put together any of these activities yourself, you can mail them to me by January 25th.

2. If you want to donate money for me to purchase any of these items (or, to help fund the trip itself), you can do that here. Please be sure to let me know if you want your money to go toward a particular item or if it's just a general donation for the trip.

Thanks so much for all of your support! I'm so grateful for all of you who encourage me and pray for me (and especially, for those who let me talk on and on and on about Haiti) :) And thanks in advance on behalf of the kids!

* All activities found on Pinterest, of course :)
** I'm trying to stick to pretty simple activities, due primarily to the limited space at the orphanage and the relative chaos of working with 40+ kids, but if anyone has any ideas for additional activities, please let me know :) Space is also a factor, since I have to transport most of the materials for the activities in my luggage. Just FYI :)

playing catch-up

2012-01-10T21:41:00.000-06:00

Sooooo, three weeks have somehow gone by since I last posted a gratitude list. Two Mondays ago, Paul and I were flying across the country to join the rest of our family for a week of vacation in the mountains of north Georgia; last Monday, I was busy catching up on things that had been put off due to my Christmas crafting frenzy (like, ahem, nursing school applications. Oops.). (And then yesterday, I was exhausted and headachy, which is why this is now being posted on Tuesday...) Overall, these last three weeks have provided much laughter, lots of fun with family and friends, and many realizations of how very blessed I am, along with a few moments of disappointment and uncertainty mixed in (for good measure? or something). At some point, maybe/hopefully I'll find time to be a little more specific about some of those things, but for now, here is a not-in-the-least comprehensive (due to my sketchy memory abilities) list of some of the gifts the Lord has given over the past several weeks:

me and Logan

731. "Festivus for the Rest of Us" -- the yummy and fun Christmas cookie exchange that Lindsay hosted for those of us who didn't qualify for the mother/daughter cookie swap.
732. Christmas cinnamon rolls, per family tradition.
733. This Christmas miracle. Remember this story I posted a month or so ago about one of my former professors? Her daughter's adoption finally became official on Christmas day after years of delays. So exciting!
734. Spending nearly a week in the mountains. Have I ever mentioned how much I love mountains? :)
735. Vacation--spending time with family, sleeping in, lots of time to read, little to no agenda....soooo nice.
736. Family catch-phrase tournaments (in which the girls unquestionably dominated over the boys. every time.) :)
737. Getting 180 hours of family home videos for Christmas and starting to watch some of them (and oh my goodness, did my siblings and I say/do funny things as children...) :)
738. New Years Eve at Eyrie Park (my 4th NYE there!)
739. Fun flight attendants and quirky hotel shuttle drivers... ("Welcome to George Bush Intergalactic Airport!")
740. Realizing more and more how much I love living with this kid. This brother o'mine is pretty darn fantastic. And hilarious.
741. Getting to hang out with Faith and Logan again. Definitely one of the highlights of my week!
742. Getting to see Donovan and Sabrina not just once but TWICE last week!

Lina and Paul in Georgia

743. Trying out this pinterest-found recipe; it was a hit! Easy and delicious!
744. Playing Clue with Paul, Donovan, and Sabrina.
745. Bananas foster, courtesy of Donovan. So amazingly yummy.
746.. A closed door, of sorts (figuratively speaking, of course). Not what I was hoping for, but still, thankful for clarity on that point.
747. Spending Sunday afternoon watching the first part of this with Everly, Birdie, Bunny, and Jubilee.
748. Getting to rearrange/organize the back room at work. It's amazing how much better I feel when things are orderly and efficient!
749. Going to the eye doctor for the first time in 6 years...getting new contacts...and a new pair of glasses to replace the ones I've had for 10 years! (Plus my eyesight has gotten better; who knew that could happen!)
750. Seeing one of my customers (who is a college pastor at one of the local churches) turn beet red anytime we're brewing Italian Roast...because then he has to order a "Tall Italian". Makes my day every time; so funny :) Guess what we were brewing this morning... :)

what I read in 2011

2012-01-06T22:17:00.000-06:00

At the beginning of 2010, I decided it might be fun to start keeping track of the books I read throughout the year, just for the heck of it. Turned out it was, in fact, interesting (to me, anyway) at the end of the year to look back and see what all I'd read (I guess since I have a terrible memory and couldn't otherwise remember...), and to remember what was going on in life when I was reading certain books (like being stranded in a random person's house in South Florida while reading Candles in the Dark). I continued this tradition in 2011, and I think the most interesting realization I've had now while looking over the list is that I read nearly 2/3 of these books in the last 4 months of the year. Apparently I became somewhat of a hermit for the fall...

Here's the 2011 list:

1. Dear Enemy – Jean Webster

This is the sequel to Daddy Long Legs, which I read at the end of 2010. I really enjoyed both of them! Thanks, Everly, for introducing me to these books!

2. Redeeming Love – Francine Rivers

This was my second time reading this book, and if I'm remembering right, both times I read the whole thing in just a few days. Beautiful, powerful story of redemption. Thanks, Michelle, for loaning me your copy!

3. Anne of Avonlea – L.M. Montgomery

A classic. Love the Anne books!

4. The Hidden Jewel – Dave & Neta Jackson

This was one of my favorite books as a child. Though I enjoyed it more as a 9-year-old, it was still fun to reread it.

5. The Lottery Rose – Irene Hunt

I have to say, I didn't really enjoy this book. I read Across Five Aprils last year and loved it, but this book just didn't hold my interest nearly as much.

6. When People are Big and God is Small – Edward T. Welch

A must-read for anyone who struggles with people-pleasing. Five stars :)

7. Calm My Anxious Heart – Linda Dillow

Such a great book on dealing with anxiety and finding contentment. Very practical and applicable. My Bible study group went through this together in the spring.

8. Anne of the Island – L.M. Montgomery

9. Anne of Windy Poplars – L.M. Montgomery

10. Anne’s House of Dreams – L.M. Montgomery

11. Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen

Good book. Not my favorite from Jane Austen, but still a fun read.

12. Anne of Ingleside – L.M. Montgomery

13. Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens

I did not enjoy this book. I tried. Didn't work. But I still made myself finish it.

14. The Help – Kathryn Stockett

Love, love, love this book! The movie is good, too...but of course the book is better :)

15. Along Came Jones – Linda Windsor

I think I got this book in high school. I read it this time while waiting to borrow the Harry Potter books. It's not my favorite, but it was something to read, so I did :)

16. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – J.K. Rowling

For a decade, I refused to be part of the HP craze (wouldn't read the books, wouldn't watch the movies)...up until I went with friends to the opening midnight showing of The Deathly Hollows Part 2 in July, at which time I became instantly hooked. I subsequently read all of the books over the next few months, and as of mid-December, I'm all caught up on the movies, too. Thanks, Meg, for loaning your books! (I promise we'll eventually remember to get the last four back to you!)

17. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – J.K. Rowling

18. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – J.K. Rowling

19. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – J.K. Rowling

20. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – J.K. Rowling

21. Beyond the Blue – Leslie Gould

This novel does an excellent job of exploring and depicting the intricacies of international adoption, specifically in Vietnam. Very good book.

22. North of Tomorrow – Cindy McCormick Martinusen

Not sure when this book showed up on my shelf, but I read it for the first time this fall and really enjoyed it. It's a mystery of sorts and also deals with a lot of World War II history, which I found really interesting.

23. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – J.K. Rowling

24. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J.K. Rowling

25. Rainbow Valley – L.M. Montgomery

26. Rilla of Ingleside – L.M. Montgomery

27. Taste of Salt – Frances Temple

A fictional account of a young man in Haiti. It has Kreyol in it; I love it :)

28. The Zombie Curse – Arthur M. Fournier

This is a memoir of a doctor's experiences throughout the rise of the AIDS epidemic, first in Miami and then in Haiti. I had a hard time getting through the first part of the book, but once Haiti came into the picture, it held my interest a little better.

29. Monique and the Mango Rains – Kris Holloway

The biography of a Peace Corps volunteer who worked alongside a Malian midwife. There wasn't as much actual midwifery in the book as I'd hoped, but I still enjoyed it.

30. Listen to Me Good – Margaret Charles Smith & Linda Janet Holmes

The biography of a black midwife in Alabama in the early/mid-twentieth century. It was a bit hard to follow, with unannounced shifts from third-person prose first-person rural dialect, but it was still fairly interesting.

31. Choosing to See – Mary Beth Chapman

A very honest autobiographical account of a lifetime of joys and struggles and God's faithfulness in the midst of it all, including the heartbreaking account of her five-year-old daughter's death. I think I cried through nearly all of the last half of the book.

32. Totally Surrounded – Christina Di Stefano Davis

Another autobiography; this book details the author's experiences as a young, single missionary living in a remote village in the Phillipines. Definitely recommend, especially for anyone considering overseas missions work.

33. The Secret Life of Bees – Sue Monk Kidd

This was at the cabin where I stayed with my family between Christmas and New Years, so I decided to read it. I enjoyed it, though it probably won't be something I read again.

34. Searching for Eternity – Elizabeth Musser

This was also at the cabin. I kind of expected it to be a cheesy Christian novel (sorry), but it was actually incredibly good and very real (non-cheesy). I read it in one day (ahh, love vacation!).

35. The Atonement Child – Francine Rivers

I think this is probably one of my favorite books. This novel deals with the issue of abortion from several perspectives and is very thought-provoking.

Books I've started and hope to eventually finish:

(I am so bad about starting multitudes of books at one time...)

1. When Helping Hurts – Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett

2. What is the Mission of the Church? – Kevin DeYoung & Greg Gilbert

3. Lesley Castle – Jane Austen

4. The Curious Career of Roderick Campbell – Jean Newton McIlwraith

2 years...I mean, 25+ months in Texas

2012-01-05T22:36:00.001-06:00

When I first started writing this post, it was already 2 weeks past my two-years-in-Texas anniversary...and now ~~several more weeks~~ almost a month has gone by, thus making this my happy-25+-months-in-Texas-to-me post. Exciting, huh. I know; you're all jumping up and down and cheering. Try to contain your excitement. :)

Not that this is a super important post or has been super complicated to put together, but shortly after returning from Haiti in November, life got extra-crazy-busy and my high hopes of keeping up with the blog plummeted. Making 90% of my Christmas gifts, fun though it was, turned out to be highly time-consuming. And technically, I've still got a few (~~New Years?~~ Valentines Day? Halloween? Hopefully sometime by Christmas 2012?) gifts to make... Considering I have 18 immediate family members (Texas family included), I'm pretty pleased that I got as much done in time as I did. But I digress...

So. I moved to Texas. 25 months ago (plus a week or two). Hurray! Happy anniversary and all that to me. Here are some [and by some, I mean half a bajillion] [very random and not always entirely in order because I am too tired and lacking in patience to make it perfect] photo highlights of these past two years:

hanging out at "Stephanie"

my first St. Lucia's Day at Eyrie Park

Kevin came for Christmas 2009

creating "Yum" at Eyrie Park

Everly and Paul decorated this
manequin with a fake eyelash
they found...see it?

Birdie's adorable Alice in Wonderland birthday party

Blue Bell!

ice skating for Paul's birthday

Caitlin made super-awesome homemade ice cream.
So I put my hair on top of my head.
(Please pretend like that makes sense.)

spending the day at the beach in Galveston

Lina came to visit

(mostly) past and (4) present coworkers

visiting the Houston zoo on a very, very,
very hot June afternoon

4th of July, ready for fireworks!

seeing some friends from Haiti for the first time in years

Starbucks game night...in which Donovan
stuffed an entire cupcake (with whipped cream)
in his mouth.

daytrip to the Guadelupe River

...you just had to be there...

some of my favorite girls in the world

nothing beats a Texas sunset

Seeing Jack Johnson in concert!!!!

the brothers... (Kevin came to visit again)

Celebrating National Ice Cream Day, of course.

Anne of Green Gables party

Everly's 1940s-themed graduation party

Starbucks party at U Paint It

Finishing nanowrimo

my second St. Lucia's Day at Eyrie Park

Aja in her corner :)

10-10-10 at 10:10

wearing Maroon for the first time
(heading to my first college football game)

super sad about Gap closing :(

JoeDel (and Paint Me Irrational) stayed
with us when they played a show
in Bryan!

Christmas 2010

my cup tower, which stayed up for weeks!

reunited with childhood friends :)

the day before Donovan proposed to Sabrina

middle-of-the-night engagement set-up

...Joey...

engaged!

the chaos that was our living room after
our sudden move to The Yet-Unnamed Duplex

Loren's birthday dinner at Chuy's

It snowed! In Texas! So fun!!!
Robert and I opened Starbucks that day and started
off our morning with a coffee press of Verona in the snow.

I built a mini-snowman. His name was
Lil Green. (May he rest in peace.)
He lived in the Starbucks freezer until
it broke and he melted :(

snooooooow!

doing crazy things for a friend's
birthday scavenger hunt

I got to help babysit for these people's fabulous kids
while they had a "minute-to-win-it" party
to celebrate Chelsea's birthday.

first Whataburger experience

We painted ourselves blue for free food at Blue Baker.

tea party

Starbucks girls' night

Lina came to visit for a month!

"Decades" party for some friends' birthdays.

crazy coworkers :)

pre-wedding pedicures

at Sabrina and Donovan's rehearsal dinner

Sabrina and Donovan

married!
September 25, 2011

St. Lucia's Day at Eyrie Park, 2011

Christmas party at Donovan and Sabrina's.

always and for everything

2011-12-19T19:22:00.000-06:00

...giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ...

Ephesians 5:20

He's going to nursing school!
(all good sisters make
their brothers take awkward
pictures with a Christmas tree)

721. I'm going back to Haiti in 44 days!!!!! Back to Haiti! In 44 days! Hurray!!!!!!
722. Spending St. Lucia's Day with my Texas family.
723. Getting to visit with Faith and baby Logan.
724. Movie night with Brian, Emily, and Aja.
725. Paul got into the nursing program!
726. HEARTLINE WON THE 50K GRANT FROM GIVING OF LIFE!!!!!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who voted!
727. A kind and generous offer.
728. A week of much laughter.
729. Watching this fabulous movie with Aja.
730. Mod-podge and hot glue guns. Seriously. How did I live 26 years without them?

In other news, you should definitely click here to watch the most adorable reenactment of the Christmas story ever.

St. Lucia's Day!

2011-12-14T22:50:00.001-06:00

Jubilee was excited that Paul and I
finally showed up --
time to start the gift exchange!

Growing up, my only exposure to St. Lucia's Day was from this book (hurray for American Girl!); it wasn't a part of my family's Christmas traditions. There was one year when I, inspired by Kirsten, dressed up in a white dress, wore a wreath on my head with battery-operated candles, and delivered cinnamon rolls to the rest of my family, but I don't think that was actually even on St. Lucia's Day; it probably was on Christmas morning. I think I was 8 at the time.

my gift from Jube -- cute socks!

It wasn't until I moved to Texas and started celebrating holidays with my Texas family* that St. Lucia's Day actually became significant to me. My "cousin" Everly does a fantastic job of describing her family's St. Lucia's Day traditions here. Yesterday was my third St. Lucia's Day at Eyrie Park, and I think it was my favorite yet. It was so nice to have a whole day dedicated to spending time with family and just enjoying each others' company, [mostly] without the time constraints of "normal" activities (though Paul, unfortunately, had to go to school and take an exam after the festivities wound down). It's also nice to have a good portion of my Christmas gifts completed and given now, since my Texas family does their sibling gift exchange on St. Lucia's Day (so with their 8 kids, one in-law, and my brother, I have successfully made and given out 10 gifts thus far)!

Thoroughly amused (or in some cases, creeped out)
by one of Willin's gifts

the adorable newlyweds, Sabrina and Donovan

Samuel, practicing his Heisman pose

love these people!

Donovan and Willin

*Long story short, I met my "Texas family" in Haiti at the end of 2004 at the orphanage from which both of our families were working on adopting kids. I lived there with them for several months in 2005, and we pretty much adopted each other as family. Additionally, their oldest adopted daughter is the biological cousin of one of my adopted sisters. So we're family, see? And they're pretty much why both Paul and I moved to Texas in 2009.

this morning, I am thankful

2011-12-12T09:16:00.000-06:00

I am guilty but pardoned

By grace I've been set free

I am ransomed through the blood

You shed for me

I was dead in my transgressions

But life You brought to me

I am reconciled through mercy

To the cross I cling

"To the Cross" - Matt Boswell and Michael Bleecker

711. Utterly unmerited grace and mercy. Forgiveness. Second (third, fourth, etc) chances. Hope. Such churchy words, but such amazing truths.
712. Christmas party at Donovan and Sabrina's!

Donovan and Sabrina

713. We had our much anticipated/dreaded QASA audit (think health department audit then multiply it by a bajillion) during one of my shifts last week...and we did really well!!!
714. Dinner with Julie and Sarah at Cafe Capri; such good food!
715. Going to see a sneak peek of We Bought A Zoo; looooooved it!
716. Pinteres t-inspired crafting!
717. At the end of a rough day, coming across this reminder of why it's worth loving life.
718. Homemade peppermint patties.
719. My calendar for 2012, featuring photos from my most recent trip to Haiti.
720. Haiti-withdrawal. Much as I hate it (as in, I'd obviously really rather just be in Haiti rather than be so seriously missing Christina, the other kids at Notre Maison, and everyone at Heartline), I'm thankful that Haiti isn't "out of sight, out of mind" as can so easily happen when life here in the States gets so hectic. Thankful for the constant reminders to pray for these people and places I love. (Though I may or may not be price-checking airfare every day...)

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget

that the highest appreciation is not to utter words,

but to live by them.

- John F. Kennedy

steadfast and faithful

2011-12-05T12:19:00.000-06:00

For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD!

Psalm 117:2

Steadfast love...ever-enduring faithfulness... Meditating on these amazing, indescribable truths today, and counting just a few of the many blessings He's given me:

691. Dinner and a movie with Julie and Sarah; so grateful for the gift of their friendship.
692. Getting to spend time with Meg while packing boxes.
693. Getting to catch up a bit with Joe, a.k.a. my favorite pseudo-brother-in-law :)
694. Several cooking experiments that turned out rather tasty (and actually, the fact that I cooked as much as I did this past week makes me happy, since it's been awhile since I've had time/motivation to do much in the kitchen).
695. Getting Christmas cards in the mail!
696. Visiting with Michelle during the fellowship meal at church.

697. Lunch with Paul at one of my favorite restaurants.
698. Having today off, making it at least slightly less ridiculous that I was up until 2am last night hurrying to finish an online Christmas present so that I could purchase it before the deal expired (made it with about 30 seconds to spare!).
699. Finding out about this ministry (which seems to be similar to Heartline's Harbor House, but in Kenya) due to random blog-reading and then taking advantage of their Cyber Monday deal to buy some awesome coasters and earrings. Love, love, love supporting great causes!
700. [Hopefully] making more homemade Christmas gifts this year. Though I am not a naturally crafty person, thanks to the wonderfulness which is Pinterest, I will be using the inspirations and tutorials I've found there to make a lot of the gifts I'll be giving this year. Here's to hoping this will be a fun process (rather than frustrating due to my lack of natural craft-talent!) :)

A bit of perspective

2011-12-01T23:15:00.001-06:00

Drama, drama, drama. Oh how I hate it. Real-life drama, that is. Literary and theatrical drama I'm all for. Just not so big a fan of dealing with it on a day-to-day basis. But I guess that's life, huh.

And really, as I sit here thinking about the drama that currently is frustrating the heck out me, it seems (and is) so minor when compared with what so many others I know are currently facing--a father being diagnosed with brain cancer, a mother fighting to complete an adoption so that she can finally bring her daughter home, a newly married couple struggling to find jobs, a young pregnant woman finding out she's HIV-positive... Suddenly, the drama going on around me seems so insignificant. I am so blessed, in so many ways, by so many people and so many things. I need to remember this. I need to choose to be thankful, regardless of circumstances.

So tonight, though it's Thursday rather than Monday, I'm going to continue my gratitude list with blessings that I specifically encountered today:

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your blessings, see what God hath done!

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

(Johnson Oatman Jr.)

681. An opportunity to talk to my pastor and to be encouraged.
682. Being able to connect with two different people today that may lead to potential learning/job opportunities in the future.
683. The gift of being able to share some of the things that the Lord has taught me over the past several years of this-is-not-how-I-planned-my-life with a friend who is making some potentially life-changing decisions.
684. Making a tentative countdown for my return to Haiti (though really, I don't know yet if I'll get to go at this time or not). Still, having a number (61 days!), as uncertain as it is, somehow makes me feel a little better than just having a vague plan to return "soon". That probably only makes sense in my mind. Humor me :)
685. Pizza Hut for dinner (because...I really need to go to the grocery store. But I was too tired to go today.)
686. Being able to take a nap this afternoon. Much needed, since for whatever reason, I could not sleep last night.
687. Living with this brother who keeps me laughing.
688. The reminder that Jesus is...and I am His.
689. My newly rearranged and cleaned room. I am strange in that I get antsy if I don't move altogether or at least rearrange furniture every 6-8 months. Even as a child I was always reorganizing my room... Psychologists probably have some fancy term for this, but you can just call me weird. Moving on...
690. Perspective. Amazing how much better I feel when I focus on what the Lord is doing/has given me rather than complaining! Now may I remember this tomorrow...and the next day...and the next!

always something to be thankful for

2011-11-28T17:14:00.000-06:00

(thank you, Pinterest)

O Lord that lends me life,

Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness!

- William Shakespeare

Honestly, last week ranks up in the "least favorite weeks of 2011" (or it would, if I were so silly as to keep such a list). Between being crazy-busy + short-staffed at work, our hot water heater breaking (right before the holiday, of course...AND right when Texas decided to get with the season and get cold), my contacts going berserk and refusing to cooperate with my eyes, and working Thanksgiving, it wasn't exactly the most festive and fun Thanksgiving week ever. Still, I can hardly complain when I think about so many around the world who are unemployed or under-compensated for the work that they do...those to whom hot water (or even running water at all) is an unheard of luxury...those who don't have access to eyecare/contacts/glasses... So I worked extra-long days...caffeinated excessive crowds of people...took freezing cold showers...wore my 10-year-old glasses all week... Not the end of the world, in the grand scheme of things. Despite the less-than-ideal week, I still have so much to be thankful for:

666. Watching A Charlie Brown Christmas :)
667. Decorating for Christmas
668. The hot water heater getting fixed today!
669. Spending Thanksgiving evening at Eyrie Park
670. Watching the A&M/UT game (and thus succeeding in watching one football game/year, a trend I started last year) :)

saying goodbye to Bobby

671. A quick visit with Sabrina
672. Time-and-a-half (the consolation prize for working Thanksgiving)
673. A rainy Saturday
674. Coming across this news piece (via a tweet from a missionary friend in Haiti), and discovering that the woman sharing her story in this video/article is one of my former (and favorite) professors. Please pray for Professor McDonald and the many other adoptive families and children around the world who are waiting for their adoptions to be complete.
675. Slowly making progress with nursing school applications
676. Tis the season for candles and hot tea!
677. My job that allows me to meet so many wonderful people. Sadly, my coworkers and I said goodbye to one of our favorites this weekend; he's moving on to Oklahoma.
678. My sweet friend Meg and her encouragement.
679. Having most of Black Friday off, due to working extra-long hours earlier in the week.
680. Spending time with the brother, watching a movie and playing a game.

an "ordinary" week

2011-11-21T21:33:00.000-06:00

If you begin looking at each breath as a blessing, then suddenly everything in an ordinary life becomes a miracle--delighting in the colors of the setting sun, feeling the rain on your face or smelling the amazing fragrance of a single perfect rose. (Kirsti A. Dyer)

651. Coffee date with Julie...in which we totally lost track of time and were therefore late to church (oops). :)
652. This fascinating documentary on birth in the United States.
653. Watching Elf twice in one week.
654. Having a goal, and beginning to explore possible opportunities to reach it; very exciting!
655. The ability to read, loving to read, access to so many books...what a gift and a privilege.
656. Finding an older edition of this textbook for $10 so I can start reading and learning (why yes, I did spend my Sunday night reading the first chapter!).
657. Two days off in a row :)
658. Leftovers.
659. Waking up to rain.
660. Cleaning, reorganizing, and creating.
661. Free music!
662. Candles...and having a gas stove so I can still light them when I'm out of matches...
663. I've officially been going to Haiti for half of my life...crazy but awesome!
664. Sweet potato fries.
665. Talking and drinking tea with Sabrina.

As promised

2011-11-16T19:18:00.000-06:00

Well, here we go; the promised post. Now that I've been talking about it for at least a week, I'm a little afraid that if anyone actually has been waiting in great anticipation, that perhaps I've inadvertently built this up a bit much. Then again, maybe the only people reading this are people that I've already talked to about this

graduates of Heartline's program talking about
how grateful they are for Heartline

anyway, so it really doesn't matter. Or maybe no one's reading? Such a weird thing to write about things that are close to your heart and post them without any idea of who may or may not read these words.

Anyway. I should probably cut the rambling short before it takes over the whole post. As most (some? none?) of you may know, I returned to Haiti three weeks ago for a 15-day trip, during which I split my time between Notre Maison and Heartline, two ministries that I absolutely love. One of my primary goals for this trip was to talk to the amazing midwives/midwives-in-training at Heartline to help me determine how I myself should go about training to become a midwife*. For several months now I've been looking into various midwifery programs and trying to figure out what the best option would be for me. However, I really felt that before I could I

a mom and baby from Heartline's program

make a final decision, I needed to go to Haiti and get advice from the Heartline ladies, since my primary motivation in pursuing midwifery is to ultimately do what they're doing, that is, ministering in Haiti to women who so rarely have access to things we take for granted here in the States--quality prenatal and postpartum care; love and encouragement and respect throughout pregnancy and during birth; education on life-saving truths; and most importantly, the Gospel. These things are all so important and make such a huge difference; I am nearly overwhelmed with gratitude and awe when I think of how the Lord is using Heartline to provide these things to Haitian women. So incredible. So beautiful.

When I was trying to decide back in August whether to buy a plane ticket to Haiti or to save that money for midwifery school, I strongly felt that God was leading me to go to Haiti, that I needed this trip in order to make future plans. Oh how true that has proven to be! The Lord is so faithful; over and over again He has shown me that His timing, His ways are perfect. He knew that the dates "I" picked to travel to Haiti

some of the lovely ladies of Heartline

would allow me to meet certain people and experience certain things that would be vital in determining what course to take. He orchestrated it all so perfectly, and I am truly in awe (and so grateful!) for the clarity and direction He has given me. It's rather different than what I had expected (doesn't that always seem to be the case!), but I am excited and so grateful to have a specific goal to begin working toward.

Going into this trip, I had narrowed down my educational options to primarily one school, a correspondence program based out of Texas; I thought that the decision I would be making in Haiti would be either to stay in Texas for the next few years and do this program, or to go ahead and move to Haiti to do the program from there, coming back to Texas every so often for the workshops at the end of each module. What I experienced while in Haiti, however, expanded my options.

with Esther during labor
(photo from Beth McHoul)

The first day I was at Heartline, I met Melissa, a nurse-midwife from Kansas who spent ten years working with Northwest Haiti Christian Mission at their maternity center; now, she is working with Heartline. After just a short conversation with her, hearing her experiences and having her ask me some hard (but needed) questions, I realized I had more to consider than I had realized. I feel dumb admitting this, but never once had I looked into training to be a nurse-midwife; it hadn't ever crossed my mind, probably because the prerequisite was a nursing degree (which I don't have) and because until three weeks ago, I didn't realize how limited the scope of a direct-entry midwife can be in a place like Haiti. In the States, the women that direct-entry midwives serve are healthy, have few, if any, complications in their pregnancy, and have ready access to hospitals/advanced medical care if any emergency should occur. As long as the pregnancy, labor, and delivery go well, no problem. However, women with health issues or whose pregnancy has any sort of complication are "risked out"; they are not able to have a home-birth because direct-entry midwives do not have the training to deal with medical complications.

Beth, Wini, and baby Judler

In Haiti, though, where so many women deal with issues such as malnutrition and high blood pressure, as well as the threat of diseases like malaria, dengue fever, and cholera -- all without the assurance of being able to receive good and timely medical care -- very few women would qualify for a home-birth in the States; they are all high risk. Yet most of them have little choice but to give birth at home, and truly, unless there is a major medical need, giving birth at a Haitian hospital is not a preferable option. When you go to a hospital in Haiti, you have to provide everything: from your food and bedding to your medicine and even i.v. bags. Everything. As to emotional support and encouragement, it's nonexistent. Can you imagine? This is why what Heartline does, what Heartline provides, is so valuable. They treat their women with utmost dignity and respect. They walk with them each step of the way. They teach and train and encourage. They care for these ladies physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Have I mentioned how completely awesome Heartline is? :)

Esther with two-day-old Judler

Back to what I was learning about the types of midwifery, though... Having spent so much time in Haiti over the past thirteen years (and having watched from a distance when I haven't been able to actually be there), it didn't take much explanation to make me realize how beneficial having a nursing background on top of midwifery training would be in Haiti. Still, since I had not before considered nurse-midwifery, this was a new direction to think about and talk through with those much more experienced than myself. I'm so grateful for the conversations I had with Melissa, Heather, and Beth, and for being able to hang out at Heartline's maternity center and listen and observe these women at work (along with Tara, Cookie, Wini, and Agathe). Perhaps most significant, though, was Esther's labor and delivery. Because I've known Beth for awhile now, and because I speak Kreyol, the Heartline ladies graciously allowed me to be a part of the the birth and act as Esther's doula. Basically, I got to encourage her (ou ka fe sa!), to hold her hand, to remind her to keep breathing (respire dousman!), to pray with her, and really to just be there with and for her. I am thankful beyond words for this opportunity, and so humbled. Being there for this birth in particular, I was able to see firsthand how important the medical side of nurse-midwifery can be. Ideally, all goes well and no medical intervention is needed. With Esther, though, her blood pressure sky-rocketed, her progression was slow, and when she did finally gave birth to her beautiful baby boy, she lost a ton of blood. Had Melissa not been there with her nursing skills and knowledge, Esther would have had to be transported to a hospital, which, as I've already mentioned, is not

baby Raphael, also born at Heartline

preferable. Worse, had she tried to deliver at home, most likely both she and baby Judler would have died. God's provision was so evident in this birth, primarily in keeping Esther and Judler safe and among those who love them, but also, the fact that He allowed me to be there at that time and to be part of that experience was huge for me. Even though my presence was not truly needed (Tara and Heather could have easily done what I did), I really believe that God had me there for a reason, as part of His guidance on my future plans.

So now, finally, those future plans... Yes, as you've probably figured out by now, I've decided to go the nurse-midwife route. Which means more school than I would prefer, and much longer before I'm able to be back in Haiti full-time. But, I am excited. I truly believe that this is the direction God is calling me to go, and I'm looking forward to the opportunities He has in front of me. I'm also trying to remind myself that in the grand scheme of things, another five years isn't that long (I'm only moderately convinced). :)

I'm currently in the process of applying to different schools for nursing programs that start next fall. If I'm able to get in right away (prayers appreciated for that; nursing schools are hard to get into!), I would have two years of that (thankfully, I already have all my nursing prereqs done), and then I would go on to do a masters program in nurse-midwifery (another two years). In the meantime, I'm considering training to become a certified doula, so that I can begin getting experience in births, and I'm also hoping to find some sort of job at

Beth and Agathe, teaching a class

a hospital, preferably in labor and delivery (again, to begin getting more experience). As much as possible during all of this, I will return to Haiti to work with Heartline (and, perhaps, Northwest Haiti Christian Mission) to learn from those who are already doing what I want to do (and, of course, to see all the people there that I love). There are a lot of specifics still to be worked out, including where I'll be living, working, and going to school...ugh, and how I'll be paying for it all!...so prayers for all of that would be so very appreciated! Thank you to all of you who have already been praying, and for all of your support and encouragement. I am so grateful for you all.

So there you have it; it only took me a week of promising to post and anentireafternoonhowdidthathappen to actually write it. :) And now, off I go to work... I'm closing tonight; how very strange! Thankful it's a short shift!

Oh, and an update for those who were praying for my friend who was in labor yesterday: She ended up having a c-section last night. Her little boy was 9lbs 3oz at birth, and mom and baby are doing well :) Thanks for praying!

*As with any story I tell, there's a fair amount of "back story" to the way the Lord has led me over the past few years to the decision to pursue midwifery (and I probably should have written about that first), but for now, suffice it to say that He has increasingly placed a desire on my heart to serve Him in this way.

twenty on tuesday

2011-11-15T21:04:00.000-06:00

Sherline, Mama E, and baby Raphael

631. An amazing, incredible, awesome two weeks in Haiti.
632. Getting to see Esther and Judler last Tuesday; so great to see them doing so well!
633. Sweet Sherline's kind words when I told her I was going back to the States.
634. So grateful for the wonderful people I was able to meet/see again while in Haiti.
635. An easy day of travel.
636. Not having to go back to work as soon as I got back; so thankful to have had an extra day to unpack and start readjusting to life here.
637. A new goal, and a tentative plan to achieve it. (By now you probably don't believe me, since I've been promising for days, but that post really is coming. Tomorrow. For real.) :)
638. Facebook photos and blog updates from friends in Haiti; though I'm ever-so far away, I'm so glad I can still kind of keep up with what's going on in Ayiti.
639. Speaking of blog posts, you really should read this one from Tara and this one from Beth--both had me in tears. So thankful for Heartline. (and ohhh how I miss Haiti.)

me and my Christina

640. One of my customers unexpectedly saying that he'd prayed for my trip, that I would have clarity on what to do next -- even though I hadn't even told him that I was hoping to have these questions answered based on this trip!
641. Getting to have dinner with Sarah and catch up a bit.
642. Talking through things with gracious friends who listen well.
643. Finding out that something that has long been hoped for may happen.
644. Getting to sleep in tomorrow, and then having a day off on Thursday. Very excited. Hoping to catch up on sleep and also be productive!
645. A rainy day.
646. Christmas music. Usually I wait until after Thanksgiving to bring out the Christmas music...but not this year. Listening to my Christmas station on Pandora at this very moment :)
647. My job and my fantastic coworkers.
648. A situation that I was nervous about/dreading turned out wonderfully. God is faithful.
649. Approved overtime this week (more money for the Haiti fund!)
650. Unexpectedly coming across pictures of "my" Notre Maison kids on Facebook just now. Oh how I miss them...

Update on my friend who was induced this morning: she's been in labor for about 12 hours now, but no baby yet. So keep praying! Thanks! :)

this is basically a post to say that I will post tomorrow

2011-11-14T21:58:00.002-06:00

I've been mentally composing a post all day (and it's been a looooooong day), but now that I'm finally home and have time to actually write, any mental powers that I may have possessed at 8am this morning have long since disappeared. So, I am resigning myself to the fact that for the second day in a row, the posts that I want to write will have to be put off. Yesterday I was going to write about how thirteen years ago this week, I traveled to Haiti for the first time--and oh the impact that has had on my life! Today I was going to faithfully do my "Multitude Monday" list and also finally give a bit of an update on future plans; both of those are going to have to wait until tomorrow.

So, to the two or three of you that might be reading, check back tomorrow; hopefully there will be something of interest up by then! In the meantime, would you please pray for a friend of mine? She is pregnant with her first child, and she is being induced tomorrow morning. Please pray for her labor and delivery, and for her and her husband as they welcome their son and adjust to their new lives as parents. Thanks! :)

gifts of grace

2011-11-11T20:51:00.000-06:00

Haiti photos are posted! Part one (October 25-November 1) and part two (November 1-9) - believe it or not, I took less pictures on this trip than usual...

Mama E and her boys

So after all of my dramatic spewing of emotions on the blog yesterday, I'm doing much better today. :) God is so gracious; today was the best/easiest first day back at work I could have asked for. I went from nearly hyperventilating Thursday at the thought of leaving my house and having to interact with people (my job is nothing if not social), to this morning feeling completely ready to go (and awake, amazingly, after only 5 hours of sleep). For one thing, I was (and am) profoundly aware that however legitimately rough this reverse culture shock may be, dealing with that is nothing compared to the difficulties that so many people face daily and regularly. I just came from Haiti, for crying out loud--I'd better be able to realize that! On my mind in particular are the many, many children around the world growing up in orphanages; no matter how good the orphanage, that is no substitute for a loving family. How very blessed I am to have always known and been loved and cared for by my family. I'm also thinking of Mama Eman; I can't imagine all that she's had to face, and yet, she is joyful. And then this morning, before I left for work, I read about these three ladies. So much pain and fear and heartache; suddenly, freaking out about talking to people seems utterly ridiculous.

(Note to any of you psychologist-minded people out there/those who know that "stuffing emotion" can be a particular talent of mine: don't worry, I am not ignoring the fact that I do truly have things to think and pray through/process/whatever; I'm just recognizing that what was overwhelming to me yesterday is comparatively minor. A bit of perspective, that's all.) :)

Anyway, again, God gave me so many little gifts of His grace this morning, and I am thankful. Sometimes being off work for even two or three days in a row can throw me off a bit; this time, though it'd been two-and-a-half weeks since I'd so much as set foot at my job, it was a smooth (though busy!) day. Things that I had worried about were not an issue, and things that even on a "normal" day would have caused some stress did not bother me at all. And, though I am still desperately missing Haiti, not once today was I on the verge of tears. Hallelujah. God is faithful.

Somehow nearly every time I write, I end up somewhere rather different than expected. Not sure if that's good or bad. Either way, I guess that's today's update; I am way too tired to overly edit this or even think through too much if this is what I actually want to post. I am clearly not one of those people that functions well on 5 hours of sleep. Which is why I'm now rambling...

Good night!

Emmanuel singing "Lord, I Lift Your Name on High", though he doesn't really know the words very well. Super cute!

"How was your trip?"

2011-11-10T21:44:00.001-06:00

with Gabrielle at Notre Maison

So much for “the perks” of being back in the States…my power went out this morning (with a boom!), and I only had cold water for part of my shower (which was my fault; I forgot that I’d started the washing machine not too long before that). Guess I never should have written the other day about my expectation that I’d have a warm shower and constant electricity today! And then, the internet at my house was also acting wacky all day after the power came back on. Go figure. I just have to laugh; God has quite the sense of humor. I said that I didn’t want to get so comfortable with my “normal routines and the ease of everyday life” that I’d forget about Haiti; well, there’s a pretty good reminder!

Today was okay. I'm remembering quite clearly now that coming back is always so much harder (for me, anyway) than going. I'm so incredibly thankful that I didn't have to go back to work today; I've needed today to kind of ease back into things and to kind of process where I'm at emotionally/mentally. Even though I've been to Haiti more times than I can count, and even though I had an amazing trip, there's still so much to think through...to pray through...to respond to...and honestly, there are only a select few people that I want to talk to right now. Not because I love these people more or others less; it's just that today, I was not ready to respond to a bunch of people asking, "How was your trip?". Not because it's a bad question, not because I don't have a ton to share. But right now, today, I only feel up to talking through things with those who have been there. Haiti is not a place that can be adequately described in words, photographs, or even videos. Until you go and experience the sights and sounds and smells (seriously, the smells!), there's no way you can get it (which is totally okay). It's just that today, I'm not up for trying to explain. By tomorrow, I should be ready (or more ready--though, ready or not, here I come). So ask the question. I'll try to figure out if you want the one-word answer ("good") or if you want the extended version (if so, you'd better clear your schedule because I could probably talk for hours and hours if I got started). Normally, I love when people want to know about Haiti, and I love talking about this place and these people that are so special to me.

So I guess, all that to say, please be patient with me over the next few days as I readjust to being back. I don't want anyone to read this and think that you shouldn't ask about my trip; I just want you to understand that I might have a hard time answering (or maybe not, I really don't know). It seems so silly; I mean, I was only gone two weeks, and it's not like I went somewhere new or had a horrible experience or anything. Still, life-changing "stuff" occurred on this trip, and whether I like it or not, I can't just jump back into life here as if nothing happened. And I don't want to. The last thing in the world I want is to get so caught up again in "my United States life" that I let Haiti get pushed to the back of my mind. I want...I need to take what I've seen and done and learned these past few weeks and allow God to use these experiences to direct my future steps. None of this "out of sight, out of mind" junk. Can't let that happen. This trip to Haiti may be over, but the journey is far from over (again, I promise there really will be a future post with more details, hopefully soon). Anyway, bear with me. And pray for me; I would so appreciate it!

P.S. I've posted the first half of my Haiti pictures here, if anyone is interested.

back in Texas

2011-11-09T22:19:00.000-06:00

reunited with the brother

Aaaaand I'm home. Good day of travel...besides the whole really really really didn't want to leave Haiti thing. I tried to convince myself that I had to leave (Haiti) in order to go back, but so far at least, that's not very comforting. Oh well...

Anyway, the only minor travel issue today was my connection in Dallas, which I very nearly didn't make. My flight from Fort Lauderdale landed right as my flight to Austin was boarding, but then it took forever to taxi to the gate. Plus, I was in the back of the plane, so I just barely made it onto the next flight before they closed the doors. Amazingly, my luggage made it, too!

I'm pretty much entirely exhausted, so off I go to shower and sleep. Good news (oh so good) is that I'm off tomorrow (very pleasant surprise); so thankful to get a day to unpack/do laundry/sleep/process before jumping right back into things. I'll try to get a post up soon about my current thoughts for future plans... But for now, bon nwit!

from FLL

2011-11-09T13:18:00.000-06:00

my Rebo Mocha at the airport

Well, I made it safely to Fort Lauderdale. On to Dallas and then Austin next. Should be home around 10pm CT. While waiting to board my flight in Port au Prince, I wrote this on my ipod:

Easiest Port au Prince airport experience ever! Seriously. Maybe 30 minutes from start to finish (honestly, I keep waiting for something to go wrong). So much for sabotage, intentional or otherwise!

Ryan dropped me off at the airport a little after 8, and immediately I was surrounded by the usual group of red caps wanting to take my bags. Because the only cash I had on me was a $20 bill, I had decided I was just going to awkwardly get all my luggage on my own. Not ideal, but doable. However, one guy absolutely insisted on carrying two of my suitcases for me for free (and I checked 3 or 4 times to make sure he knew I couldn't pay him), so we trekked on in to the first security check-point,

really leaving... :(

no problem. There wasn't even a line, which was weird in and of itself. Most of the time you have to wait forever in various lines each step of the way. Today, no lines whatsoever. Whoever you are that's praying for my journey today, thank you. Your prayers are felt!

Anyway, by the time we got up to the first security belt, I had two guys helping me. They put my bags on the belt, and that was that! No insisting that I give them something after all, just smiles, a compliment on my Kreyol, and a wish for a "Bon voyage"!!! Amazing.

Port au Prince

bel Ayiti

I went through security to get into the airport, and within 3 minutes, I was standing at the ticket counter checking in. Again, amazing. No line there, no line for immigration, minimal line for the next two security checks. I was beginning to get nervous that I'd missed my flight (not that that would be a bad thing...maybe then I could stay after all!) or that it wasn't actually until much later or something. Never ever have I had a quicker, easier time getting from the car to my gate (and if you've ever traveled to Haiti, you know this is saying something)! I don't know what was going on--if maybe everyone decided to check in super early today, thereby clearing the way for me when I got there on time--but it was great! Well, except for the whole I'm-leaving-Haiti-and-that's-why-I'm-here part. Did not like that. Still don't.

----
So, so far so good. I've spent a lot of time today continuing to think over these past two weeks and pray about where I'll be going/what I'll be doing from here on out. More on that in a future post...

In the meantime, here's the video of Christina that I took yesterday morning (was that really only yesterday?!). We were sitting on the floor and she was on my lap, playing and talking. Is she not the cutest ever??? :)

Oh how time flies

2011-11-08T22:55:00.000-06:00

You're worthy of worship

You're worthy of praise

You're worthy of honor

You're worthy of thanks

- Jesus is the Lord, Travis Cottrell -

Wildania, Killeen, and Eveline

Wilson and Jameson

So many emotions as I'm preparing to leave tomorrow. Everything from extreme sadness about leaving this

place I love to overwhelming gratitude for all that I've seen and experienced over the past two weeks. (The one emotion that is not present is excitement about going home. Nope. Can't muster that one up.) I said good-bye to the kids at Notre Maison this morning; oh how much I miss them already. Especially my Ti Nina. She was super-talkative this morning. I got the cutest video of her, but I'll probably have to wait til I get back to the States to post it.

I also just had to say good-bye to Beth. I don't know if there is any living woman that I admire more than this lady. She is humble and gracious and wise and so very hospitable, and the passion the Lord has given her for serving Haitian women is such an amazing, beautiful thing to see. I am thankful beyond words for the time I was able to spend at Heartline during this trip; what a blessing for me that Beth (along with Heather, Tara, Cookie, Melissa, Wini, and Agathe) so graciously welcomed me and allowed me to observe

Christina

and learn and participate. So thankful, too, for the wisdom and advice I received from these amazing ladies. The Lord is doing incredible things through them, and I'm just so grateful to have been able to see this firsthand. Please, please pray for them and their ministry here in Haiti; your prayers are such an important part of the work that is being done.

So hard to believe that in twenty-four hours I will be back in Texas. As I sat on the roof earlier and looked out at the lights up on the mountain, I couldn't help but think how different and how very far apart my two worlds are: my Haiti world and my United States world. Today, I've kissed precious little brown faces and spoken Kreyol and visited with sweet Esther and gotten my hair braided by a teen mom and eaten plantain chips and climbed up on the roof and listened to the hum of the generator that's giving power to the house. Two days from now, I'll wake up in my house that rarely, if ever, loses electricity and drive on perfectly-paved streets to a job where I'll make nearly 5 times more in one hour than what over 4 billion people around the world live on in a day. I'll go to the grocery store and have an

Mama Eman, Raphael, and Lena

overwhelming amount of choices of items to put in my cart and buy, and I'll take a warm shower and brush my teeth directly from the sink without any fear of getting sick. Different worlds. There are things I love about each place; blessings God has given both in Texas and in Haiti. I'm really going to need to remember this, especially over the next few days as I attempt to readjust to life in the States. But yet, I don't want to get so comfortable being there, with my normal routines and the ease of everyday life, that I forget what I've experienced in Haiti, not just these past two weeks but over the past thirteen years. May God continually place on my mind the sweet faces (and the ornery ones, too!) of the kids here that I love so dearly. May He remind me of Esther and Mama Eman and all the other

Mama Eman and Heather, wearing Djenie's "hair"

women that Heartline is serving, and of Beth and Tara and Melissa and Cookie and Heather and Wini and Agathe who are working to spread the Gospel by serving those in need. And may these remembrances lead me to Him, that I might faithfully pray as He brings each person and need to mind.

And with that, I'm going to abruptly end, because I am oh-so-tired and should probably get to bed. I suppose...the next post will be from Texas...

baby Judler and Esther

Mama Eman and her boys

Sherline, Mama Eman, and Raphael

grace upon grace

2011-11-07T18:48:00.001-06:00

From his fullness we all received grace upon grace.

John 1:16

Christine and Christina

611. The cool breeze that’s blowing across the roof right now.

612. Christina, talking while I fed her breakfast.

613. Worshipping at Port au Prince Fellowship on Sunday.

614. Getting to see the Meadows family at church.

615. Beth’s graciousness and hospitality.

616. Coconut M&M’s.

617. That Mama Emmanuel had her baby, and the miracle God worked in his birth.

618. Getting to be on “night shift” with Lena the night after Raphael’s birth.

619. Visiting Fort Jaques with the kids.

620. Remembering just now that I have brownies left over from our quick stop at the Baptist Mission (hoping they’re not stale)!

621. Getting to stay a few nights at the HeartlineGuesthouse.

622. Seeing Esther and baby Judler on Tuesday and Thursday.

623. Dinner with the teen moms and their babies at the McHouls’ house.

624. Getting to see the new Heartline property.

Pastor John climbing the precarious ladder.

625. Talking to Shelley after church on Sunday; so thankful for her encouragement and kind words.

626. Being able to spend so much time at Heartline while still having time with the kids at Notre Maison.

627. That Heartline is a finalist for the Giving of Life grant.

628. God’s perfect timing in allowing me to be in Haiti for these two weeks.

629. This song that we sang in church on Sunday. Even more meaningful to be singing it in Haiti among people from all over the world.

630. Walton (without prompting) sweetly thanking me for the toy car I’d given him earlier. Much better response than from most of the older boys who’d also gotten cars!

me and Keloke

Today was a good day. I had planned to go with several of the kids to physical therapy this morning, but instead I ended up staying at the orphanage to translate for a group that's here now from Ohio. We/they spent the first part of the morning cleaning and organizing one of the rooms, and then several of the men managed to put up a huge tarp over the driveway to shade the yard from the sun. This entailed a lot of tree-climbing by the pastor of the group (at several points he was perched so precariously, I couldn't believe his wife was managing to watch him so calmly!), and then, he even climbed up a ladder that was only leaning against another ladder (while being supported by several people). I was quite relieved when the tarp was up and everyone was safely on the ground! I'm really hoping that now that the tarp is up, the kids will be able to play outside more, and especially that the kids in wheelchairs can come outside more and get fresh air.

Christina

Once they were finished with the tarp, I took Christina inside to feed her lunch. I was sitting on the floor with her on my lap, and one of the nannies came up and asked Christina where her "manman" (pronounced as a nasally "mama") was. Christina immediately squealed and launched herself at my neck. Melted my heart, or some other equally sentimental phrase. I was very tempted in that moment to go post a Facebook/Twitter status asking if any guy out there might be ok with marrying me (say, tomorrow) so that I could adopt my Ti Nina. Be proud of me; I managed to refrain. I really don't know if Christina even understood the question or if she was just responding to the attention from the nanny, but still. Given that I've wished for a year and a half now that I could adopt her, that didn't help matters. But we'll see... Bondye konnen.

Lovely

This afternoon, the Ohio group put on a mini-VBS, which the kids enjoyed. It was interesting, though, hearing Gertrude translate on the spot the skit they did, having not had the opportunity to prepare for words/phrases that might need to be adjusted to be better understood in Kreyol. Some things just don't translate the same. For example, in English, we use "power" and "electricity" interchangeably; unless I'm mistaken, it just doesn't work the same in Kreyol--you don't generally say you have the "electricity" of Christ in you. The skit used a play on those words to get a point across, but I think it kind of got lost in translation... Regardless, though, I know the kids enjoyed it.

Christine

So tomorrow...my last day... What horribly awful words. Have I mentioned that I really am not ready to go back? But back I suppose I must go...for now. But. I do still have tomorrow. Currently planning to go back to Heartline for child development day (rumor has it that Beth, Lena, and I will be doing a skit during class). One of the teen moms wants to braid my hair afterward, and then I'll be back at the guesthouse for the night. Evan has agreed to give me a ride to the airport on Wednesday, though I've asked that he come up with a way to (safely and without causing anyone harm) sabotage my departure. Let's see if he comes through :)

of baby and worship and coconut m&m's

2011-11-06T21:54:00.000-06:00

with baby Raphael

Thanks to those who prayed last night that baby Raphael would start nursing again. Around 1am, Lena and I went back down to check on baby and mama; after a bit of prompting, Raphael finally started showing a little more interest in eating. I would've updated then, but we didn't have electricity/internet. There was, however, some rather loud (though relatively non-annoying) music playing somewhere nearby to fall asleep to... :/

We slept for about 4 hours before getting up again to check on Mama E and Raphael. At this point we got rather confused (or, I did, at least) as to whether or not Haiti was changing time with Daylight Savings Time or not...the time had changed on my ipod and on the clock in the birthing room (apparently it's an atomic clock), but not on my phone or on Mama E's. So, was it 5am or 6am? We didn't think Haiti was going with DST this time, but in Haiti, it's hard to know. When I lived here in Spring 2005, it took about 3 days to figure out that Haiti had "sprung forward" (in the meantime, it was a little interesting trying to know when to get

Raphael and his sweet mama

people to get to the airport for their flights!). We asked Mama E, and she said that some people might change the time, others might not. Who knows. Oh Haiti. We eventually decided that the time probably had not changed here, which was confirmed when Beth came to pick us up for church.

Anyway, Raphael latched right onto Mama E this morning with no problem, and Mama E was doing well, too, so after one last vitals check, we headed off to church with Beth. I really enjoy being at Port au Prince Fellowship. It's so neat to be able to worship there with people from so many places all over the world. It's always fun to see people there that I've met over the years in Haiti--and, today, to see this wonderful family from my hometown in Texas! They're here visiting and exploring the possibility of moving to Haiti full-time; so fun to get to see them here!

Lena, the baby expert :)

Ok, I'm officially exhausted, so how about bullet points for the rest of today:

Went to lunch with Ryan and Evan; our initial restaurant of choice was closed, so we went to the Epidor above the Tabarre Delimart. I had a disgusting hamburger (if, in fact, you can call that a hamburger), but then Evan gave me coconut M&M's, which made up for whatever it was I'd just eaten. I did not know before today that coconut M&M's existed, but I'm pretty sure I might dream about them tonight. Soooo good.
John and Beth hosted a dinner tonight for the teen moms and their babies. Beth cooked lots of yummy food (this lady is amazing in so many ways!), and we all had a great time.
Beth and Lena dropped me back off at Notre Maison after dinner. Tentative plan is that I'll spend tomorrow here with the kids, and then Tuesday I'll go back over to Heartline for child development day. I'm planning to spend Tuesday night at the Heartline Guesthouse, and then...unless I can come up with a way to delay/prevent getting on the plane that won't cause harm to anyone...I have to go back to the States on Wednesday :( :( :(

And with that not-so-cheery thought, off to bed I go. Coconut M&M's... :)

big brother Emmanuel

Word of advice for the day: Check before you sweeten your coffee to be sure you're using sugar, not salt. Just saying. Not like I'd know this from experience or anything... :)

God Heals

2011-11-05T21:55:00.001-05:00

Roseline

I am officially the worst blog-post-starter ever. As in, my mind goes blank when it comes to coming up with some clever or profound way to introduce a post. I just can't do it. I thought about trying to find a good quote to start things out, but I couldn't even manage that, as I immediately got thoroughly distracted and amused by the fact that my Google homepage is currently in Kreyol (so awesome). Less awesome is the fact that Google keeps trying to tell me that I've moved to Haiti, while I glare back at it and say "not yet! (though oh how I wish I could!)."

Jean Daniel

Anyway, today. I woke up this morning to the news that Mama E had gone into labor during the night. Good news, as she has been so ready to have this baby and get home to her family in Ti Guave. Admittedly, I was a little disappointed that neither Lena nor I were going to be able to be at the birth, since we were across town (and at that point, it was looking like Mama E was very close to delivering). But, it sounded like things were going well and that Mama E would soon be holding her newest baby, so we were happy about that.

Gus, showing off his popsicle stick puzzle

Lena and I spent the morning hanging out with the Notre Maison kids, and then around 1:30pm, we headed back over to the Heartline Guesthouse. Notre Maison had lost electricity (therefore, no internet) shortly after breakfast, so it wasn't until we got back to the guesthouse and checked Facebook again that we realized that Mama E still had not delivered her baby; something was wrong. I texted Beth and Heather to let them know we were back at the guesthouse in case they wanted Lena to come help; shortly afterward Heather posted this on her Facebook page:

Just watched a miracle. Cord was around baby's neck two times. This birth had to go just the way it did for this baby to be alive right now. We're all a bunch of crying weirdos. Thank you for praying for Mama E. God was here.

Lena and Maxo

Yet again, God's protection and guidance was so evident in this little one's birth. Heather wrote about it here. As with Esther and baby Judler last week, God provided exactly what was needed at exactly the right time.

A little while later, Lena and I walked over to the maternity center to meet little Raphael -- "God heals." God heals. I think we all teared up when we found out the meaning of his name. As Beth said, "May he truly be that for her (Mama Eman)." After all of the pain and loss she's suffered, may this baby be God's healing gift to her, to comfort her and to give her hope and joy again.

Tonight Lena and I are staying at the maternity center to continue checking on Mama E and the baby; so far, so good :)

11pm update: Please pray that the baby will breastfeed well within the next few hours. He fed well around 5pm today but hasn't been too interested in eating since then. We just spent about 30 minutes trying to get him to nurse but without much success. We're hopeful he'll wake up more and be ready to eat again soon. In the meantime, we'd appreciate prayers! Thanks!

Wilson and Jameson, working on their puzzles.
Perhaps Wilson works better with his derriere in the air?

Jephte, with his masking tape headband

Raphael and Mama E
(photo stolen from Tara)

With Emmanuel and his new baby brother
(photo stolen from Beth)

Thursday/Friday (I know, what a descriptive title!)

2011-11-04T22:44:00.000-05:00

Esther and Judler on Thursday

I had already decided that I'm too tired to post tonight (for whatever reason, I could not stay asleep last night), but then I got a bit of a burst of energy and decided that I could at least manage a quick update, just for the two or three of you that might actually read this :)

Anyway, Thursday (wow, was that only yesterday??), I headed back over to Heartline for prenatal day. I really enjoyed getting to practice what Beth taught me last week--measuring fundal height, checking the position of the baby, and getting the baby's heart tones. So blessed to be able to learn these things among such amazing people :) Another fun thing about yesterday was meeting Lena, a labor and delivery nurse from Miami, who is visiting Heartline this week. It's interesting how quickly you can connect with people here in Haiti; I met Lena just over 24 hours ago, and today, she bravely followed me across Port au Prince (on foot and through the mud nonetheless!) to come stay at Notre Maison with me for the night. Not something you typically do with a stranger in the States, yet here, it seems normal (to me, anyway. Guess that might not be accurate after all!). But I'm getting ahead of myself...

Beth and Agathe teaching on Thursday

I stayed the night yesterday at Heartline's guesthouse, which is without a doubt the nicest/cleanest/quietest guesthouse I've ever stayed at in Haiti. Therefore, yet another Heartline plug: if you're coming to Port au Prince, stay with Heartline! :)

Two of Agathe's adorable daughters, Grace and Anna

This morning, I got to ride out to Heartline's property where they're planning to eventually relocate all of their programs. Currently, they have their school for the Heartline missionary kids up and running there. Sweet Hope was so kind as to give me a tour of the school, and Heartline's super tall (as in, I maybe come up to his shoulder, and I'm tall!) driver, Evan, showed me the rest of the property.

As soon as I got back to the guesthouse, Beth came to pick up me and Lena, and we headed to the maternity center. On Fridays is "family planning day"--Agathe teaches a Bible study, pregnancy tests are given, blood pressures are monitored, and family planning counseling/education takes place. I spent most of my time taking blood pressures and writing down information on the women who came.

the truck in the "car catcher" drainage ditch

After all the women had gone, Lena and I headed back to the guesthouse, going the second part on foot due to the ginormous truck that had driven into the drainage ditch and was blocking the gate to the neighborhood. Never a dull moment here. Amazingly enough, within a very short amount of time, the truck had been lifted out by a big group of men. Impressive.

Christine at Notre Maison

Mid-afternoon, Lena and I again set out on foot to walk to the Deli-Mart down the street, where we were meeting the driver from Notre Maison. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, it would've been, were it not for the stream of water/mud/ick/don't want to know what else that is currently present all down that road (though apparently, it's in much better shape than a month ago!). Regardless, we both ended up with pretty muddy feet and I at least had to concentrate pretty hard not to slide right out of my slimy flip flops. But we made it :)

We got to Notre Maison with enough time to play with the kids for a little bit before dinner, and then after dinner, Lena and I hung out on the front porch with the kids for awhile while they had their nightly worship time. Some of these kids can really sing, let me tell you!

Jacob, who is temporarily living at Notre Maison,
along with two other little boys

Now we're heading to bed (hopefully I'll actually sleep tonight!). Tomorrow's (always tentative) plans are to hang out here with the kids in the morning (Lena bought some special treats for them today at Deli Mart) and then to head back to the Heartline Guesthouse in the afternoon. Should be a good day :)

Oh, and thank you so much to all of you that voted for Heartline (and especially those who also pestered others to vote as well!). Voting closed today, with Heartline in fourth place, which means they're a finalist and could win a grant of up to $50k! Recipients will be announced on December 16th. So exciting!

mekredi

2011-11-02T22:11:00.001-05:00

First things first: click here and vote for Heartline.

Did you do it? Please note that you can vote multiple times by registering your email address and facebook/twitter accounts. You won't get spam mail. I promise. Never yet have I gotten any messages from Giving of Life, and I've been registered for several months now. So vote, vote, vote! And tell your friends, relatives, and people you only send Christmas cards to! :) Just a few days left!

Fantastic. Moving on... There are a couple of other ladies staying at Notre Maison right now, and they arranged to take a group of the kids up to Fort Jaques today. It's always really special and exciting for the kids to be able to get out for a little bit, and today was no exception. They had a great time riding through Port au Prince (if you've been here, you know there's no shortage of things to see!), seeing the fort, having a picnic lunch, and running around and playing in the cool mountain air.

walking up to the fort

A group of UN soldiers from Guatemala was there, too.
They kept taking pictures with/of us, sometimes
without us entirely realizing it. So strange.

me and Christina

Some things I saw that amused me while driving through PAP:

- a kid wearing a camouflage tshirt that said "Attack the FCAT!" (Florida's standardized test)

- Shiny School

- Les Jolies Papillons school (Pretty Butterflies school...bet the boys love that!)

Of course, now I'm blanking on the other things I was so determined to remember and laugh about later. I know one had to do with a strange barber shop name...but I forget now. Oh well.

The tentative plan for tomorrow is to go with Gertrude to take several of the kids to therapy in the morning, and then go to Heartline for their prenatal day. I'm also hoping to spend the night at Heartline's guesthouse so that I'll still be on that side of town for family planning day on Friday. We'll see :)

* Technologically dumb: it's taken me a week of waiting foreeeeeeeever for photos to upload to realize that if I just compress them, they'll post in seconds. Good grief. At least now I know...

Child Development Day

2011-11-02T07:58:00.001-05:00

Whew, finally, the pictures uploaded! I've literally been trying to get this post up since last night, but the silly internet has not been cooperating.

Yesterday I spent most of the day at Heartline. It was child development day, when the women in their program who have already given birth come with their babies for a class, postpartum check-ups, and lunch. Lots of cute, healthy babies!

Beth and Agathe, talking to the ladies

I also got to see sweet Esther again, and her baby whom she has now named Judeler. They've done well over the past few days, and so after a final check-up, Beth and I gave them a ride home. Esther and Judeler will continue coming to Heartline on Tuesdays, and we also hope they'll come on Friday for Bible study/family planning day. Most exciting news of all? Yesterday morning, Agathe (a wonderful Haitian woman who works with Heartline) was talking to Esther about the Lord, and Esther decided to give her life to Jesus! That, even more than the classes and check-ups and care during labor and delivery, is what Heartline is really about.

Esther and Judeler

sweet baby Judeler, two days old

Please also pray for Mama Emmanuel. She has been staying at Heartline for the past month or so, awaiting the birth of her baby. Her due date was off (which is pretty common in Haiti, to not really know the actual date), and she is really ready to have this baby and get home to her family. Her son Emmanuel is staying with her here, so she at least has him, but it's still very hard on her to be away from home. On top of that, she's faced more difficulties and experienced more sorrow than many of us can even begin to imagine. Tara wrote about her here. Mama E is such a special lady, and we would really appreciate your prayers for her healing, her comfort, and for a safe delivery of this newest baby.

Mama Emmanuel

Now, off I go to spend the day up in the mountains! We're taking a group of the Notre Maison kids up to Fort Jaques for a picnic!

Oh, but don't forget to go vote for Heartline, if you haven't already! Click here.

mesi Bondye

2011-10-31T21:06:00.000-05:00

Seyè a, se tout fòs mwen. Se pou li m'ap chante. Se li menm ki delivre m'. Se Bondye mwen li ye, m'ap fè lwanj li. Se Bondye zansèt mwen yo, m'ap di jan li gen pouvwa.

The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

Exodus 15:2

Edson and Lovely

Christine - not to be confused with
Christina, Ti Christine, or Christelle :)

601. For the safe birth of Esther's baby boy.
602. Sweet Esther's courage and quiet strength.
603. Melissa's skills as a nurse-midwife.
604. Heartline. Oh so thankful for their faithful ministry here in Haiti.
605. Advice and suggestions from those wiser and more experienced than me.
606. Finally being back in Haiti after being away for far too long.
607. Getting to spend time with the Notre Maison kids.
608. Getting to hang out at Heartline.
609. The Hendricks' fabulous Halloween party.
610. Roof-sitting. Houses in the US really should be built with roof access. We're totally missing out.

Wini (Heartline's nurse) and Beth with Esther's son

Photo Update -- and Heartline plug :)

2011-10-31T17:26:00.001-05:00

I'm taking advantage of a rare occasion in which internet is actually working at a relatively decent speed, so let's see if I can get a few photos up from the past few days:

Christina, waiting for her turn at physical therapy

Nathalie

On Saturday, I headed over to the Hendrick's to hang out for the day and attend their awesome Halloween party. That day went rather different than anticipated, with Esther from Heartline's prenatal program going into labor, but in the meantime, the Heartline folks proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they know how to party! Heather posted photos here.

Hudson Hendrick, a.k.a. Super Dash
- he is making this face in every
picture I took of him.

After the party, Heather and I headed back over to the maternity center, where Esther had progressed enough to no longer be smiling but not enough to keep her off i.v. meds. She still had a long, hard night of labor ahead of her, but she did such an amazing job. Her baby boy was finally born at 7:26 a.m. -- 31 hours after her water broke. There were many complications during her labor, but God has provided an amazing nurse-midwife, Melissa, to work with Heartline; because Melissa was there, Esther was able to deliver safely, surrounded by people who love her. Had Melissa not been there to provide her medical skills, Esther would have had to be transported to a hospital, where she would have received minimal medical attention and no support or encouragement. Furthermore, had Esther tried to deliver at home, it's likely she would not have survived. Praise God for Heartline! This truly is a life-changing, life-saving ministry. The level of care they provide for Haitian women is incredible; they so value each woman that goes through their program and treat every one with a dignity and respect that is practically unheard of in this country. I've seen this firsthand, and I really cannot say enough about this amazing ministry. Please, if you haven't already voted for Heartline to win a $50k grant to further their work here in Haiti, do it now! It literally takes 2 seconds (assuming you have faster internet than I currently do; so much for the good internet I had earlier)! Click here to vote.

Sweet Esther and her baby boy, about two hours after he was born.

born October 30, 2011 at 7:26 am -- 6 lbs 9 oz

Beth, doing the newborn exam, and Tara

Please pray for Esther and her baby. Esther lost a lot of blood giving birth, and so she and the baby have been staying at the maternity center so that her recovery can be monitored. She and the baby were doing well last I heard (earlier this afternoon), and if all continues to go well and the baby doesn't have a fever tomorrow, they will be able to return home tomorrow afternoon.

Quick update

2011-10-27T21:59:00.001-05:00

Heading to bed in a minute but wanted to post a quick update first (primarily for Everly, who has already figured out that I made it to Heartline today) :)

This morning I went with Gertrude to take several of the kids from Notre Maison to physical therapy. Christina was one of them, so I happily held her in the car and most of the time at the hospital; Christine, Valencia, Jean Daniel, Woodmayer, and Alain also went. It was encouraging to see the therapist (an American who is on staff with Project Medishare) interact with the kids; it was obvious that she loves kids and is good at what she does. She even wants to come out to Notre Maison on her own time and see the other kids (and perhaps train the staff on how to work with them). Oh how I hope that happens; these kids have so much potential, and if the nannies could/would do these exercises with them, I really think many of them would benefit greatly.

Shortly after we got back from physical therapy, I left again to head to Heartline, where they were kind enough to let me observe as they did prenatals. Beth even gave me a mini-lesson in determining the position of the baby and how to measure fundal height, and she let me use the doppler to find the baby's heartbeat. This may not sound too exciting, but hey, I'm completely new to this (though hopefully not for long), so I thought it was pretty great :) I didn't take any pictures while I was there (oddly enough, I took a sum total of THREE pictures all day today, so weird!), but Heather and Tara both have pictures up from today on their blogs.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to be able to head back to Heartline for a few hours, as long as Gertrude's driver is able to get me there :)

I've intended to write a list of prayer requests for my time here but have still not managed to do it, but one thing especially that I'd appreciate prayer for is for wisdom and guidance in some decisions that I'll likely soon be making. There are several conversations I'm hoping to have/continue over the next few weeks that should help me as I figure out where to go/what to do next, so prayers for all of that would be great :)

And with that, off to bed I go!

Oh, but if anyone has any ideas for a very simple Halloween costume, that would be fantastic. The Hendricks are hosting a Halloween party on Saturday, and I am clueless as to what to dress up as. Didn't exactly pack for Haiti with Halloween in mind... So suggestions from you more creative people would be great!

Back in Haiti!

2011-10-26T21:46:00.001-05:00

Bonswa! M'ap chita sou tet kay Notre Maison nan...mezanmi mwen vreman kontan pou m la! Mwen pa la depi lontan; sa fe m kontan anpil pou we timoun yo isit la anko.

I'm back, I'm back, I'm back, I'm back!

I'm sitting on the roof at Notre Maison, my belly full of yummy Haitian food, listening to Haitian music blaring from a nearby disco. And best of all...some of my favorite kids in the world are a mere two floors beneath where I sit. Oh how very long it's been since I was here last. But now I'm back, for two whole weeks that I'm sure will absolutely fly by...but I am grateful for every moment I get to spend here.

I arrived yesterday--with all my luggage, despite temporarily forgetting that I had a carry-on suitcase and leaving it at security at the Austin airport... Gertrude and her driver picked me up at the airport, and we made the short drive over to Notre Maison. As we drove in the gate, the kids started yelling my name, and it was as if I'd never left--except that we're all a year-and-a-half older, and these kids have sure grown!

I spent the next few hours playing with the kids, and then about halfway through dinner, my 45 minutes of sleep from the previous night really caught up with me, so I quickly headed to bed....for 12 hours! Hopefully I'm caught up now!

Uh oh, looks like internet is cutting out, so let's see if I can post some pictures before it goes away again!

My Christina :)

Gus and Wilberson (Olguie in the background)

Mimose

Tomorrow's plans (which are, of course, tentative, given that this is Haiti!) are to run errands with Gertrude in the morning and then to hang out at Heartline in the afternoon. So excited!

let's pretend it's already Monday

2011-10-23T21:52:00.001-05:00

...but just for the sake of this post; feel free to enjoy the remaining few hours of the weekend :) I just want to go ahead and post this so that I can go ahead and cross it off my Monday "to do" list (which is more extensive than I care to think about at the moment...).

591. Dinner date with "Little Bit"; love this kid!

Little Bit

592. Getting to work from home several days last week (yes, for Starbucks! I was doing an online training course.)
593. Completing the 10 Days...and now, drinking coffee again :)
594. One last stateside visit with this wonderful family before we all meet up again in Haiti!
595. Getting to help at a mother/daughter event at church.
596. Pinterest. Took me awhile, but I'm finally seeing how it can be addictive... So many great ideas, though!

my first drink after completing the 10 Days:
vanilla pumpkin spice latte

597. A couple of days of gorgeous "fall" weather (that is, Texas fall; i.e. highs in the low 70s); gloooooorious!
598. Green. After months and months of everything outside being brown, I just can't get over how amazing it is for the grass to be green again (especially after just a few rains).
599. Bingo nights at Esperanza. So thankful to get to go hang out with the residents there a couple of times a week; I love the friendships I have there.
600. Having preschool duty at church--I've said it before, and I'll say it again: New Life has the cutest kids ever :)

I'm sure I could list so much more, but I'm exhausted and really ought to either make another attempt at packing or just go to bed, so we'll call that good for this week. Depending on my internet access in Haiti, I may or may not post a list next week :)

Change

2011-10-19T23:05:00.000-05:00

Oh change. I have to say, I am not a fan--which sounds funny coming from me, the perpetual "nomad" who has barely managed to live in one state for more than a year at a time since high school. (I must say, though, as I come up on my second anniversary of moving to Texas, there is definitely something to be said for staying in one place!) But change...change is full of uncertainties. Things unknown, not yet experienced. Questions. And change, however good and exciting it may be, is inevitably accompanied by loss--loss of what was known, what was comfortable, what was. Yet life goes on.

One of my favorite books* as a child tells the story of a little girl who gives away her prized possession--a ballerina doll--to another little girl from a poor family:

That night, Christmas Eve, the canopy doll bed was empty, and Robin cried. The stars outside her room shone like jewels on black velvet. Robin thought about the Christmas star and how God had given Jesus on the first Christmas. Suddenly her gift to Ellen seemed good, too, and peace replaced her longing.

The next morning, Christmas, Robin receives a special teddy bear, one she had seen and loved in the toy shop window. Robin's mother tells her, "When something valuable goes out of your life, something more precious enters."

I think of that story, as I reflect on the changes of the past few years...the people I've known and the seasons of life that have come and gone...and while I wouldn't say that any one of them has been replaced by those who are more precious, I am so grateful that the Lord continues to bless me by the (yes, precious) people He places in my life and through the different experiences He allows me to have. Oh so grateful. He is ever-faithful.

And so now, as I see yet more changes on the horizon and am facing decisions that could radically shift life as I currently know it, I remember that He who holds my future is the same God who has directed my past, the same God who has given oh-so-abundantly and who has shown me that even when my whole world is shaken, He is with me, and He is in control. Questions? unknowns? even loss? change? I don't face any of it on my own; what's more, He guides my steps and promises to "keep in perfect peace [the one] whose mind is stayed on [Him]" (Isaiah 26:3). What else could I possibly need? And why should I fear? May I ever remember the truths in this song:

Great is thy faithfulness, O God my father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be

Great is thy faithfulness
Great is thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed thy hands hath provided
Great is they faithfulness, Lord unto me

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest;
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To thy great faithfulness, mercy and love

Great is thy faithfulness
Great is thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed thy hands hath provided
Great is they faithfulness, Lord unto me

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside

Great is thy faithfulness
Great is thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed thy hands hath provided
Great is they faithfulness, Lord unto me

* A Bear Named Song, by Kimberly Anne Shope. This book is actually a beautiful story of adoption--I highly recommend it!

snapshot memories

2011-10-17T19:15:00.000-05:00

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.

The Wonder Years

Over the last few weeks, I've spent a fair amount of time thinking about people I miss and reflecting on times past, and I've realized -- yet again -- how very blessed I've been by those the Lord has put in my life and the experiences he's allowed me to have. So for this week's Multitude Monday, here are some pictures that show some of the people, places, and events (from 2003-2008) that have helped to shape me and bring me to where I am today. Some of them are kind of random, since I pulled all of them out of Facebook albums...yet, they're all sweet memories nonetheless.

571.

2006
Living with Kevin...always amusing :)
And musical -- how I miss having live piano music!

572.

2007
Chicago -- Oh how I love this city!

573.

2007
Thanksgiving dinner in my studio apartment
on the northside of Chicago
With my sister Nahomie, who came up
from FL for a month-long visit

574.

2006
Family

575.

circa 2004
Sweet, sweet Darlyne in Haiti

576.

2007
I met up with my mom in TN, and
we spent the weekend with my grandparents.

577.

circa 2006
James, in Cades Cove

578.

2005
Jessica and Sean, two of the most amazing
people I've ever been blessed to know.
The Lord has taught me so much
through these two.

579.

2003
Junior, 4 months after joining our family.
He went to be with Jesus 4 months later.
We read Psalm 91 in Kreyol together
every day.

580.

2008
Katie and me at Argo Tea :)
How I miss our tea dates!

581.

2008
Kevin, right before we saw Wicked.
This was my last day in Chicago.

582.

2008
little Miss Lina :)
This was taken during a surprise weekend
trip I made back to Florida.

583.

2004
Me and Phalone, the first little girl I ever
sponsored. She moved out of the school
system shortly after this photo was taken,
and we lost contact. Thankful for the
time I was able to spend with her.

584.

2006
Mom and me.

585.

2005
Nahomie and Mom
at our favorite Mexican restaurant in Warsaw.

586.

2007
Nahomie, Lina, and me
Getting ready to bake/decorate Christmas cookies.

587.

2008
Paul, just before we saw Wicked.
Such a fun night.

588.

circa 2007
Paul and Jean Marc, my little sponsored boy.

589.

circa 2007
Sheila and Paul. Love these two.

590.

2007
My mini-snowman that I built on my balcony
at my apartment in Chicago.

let it rain

2011-10-10T21:16:00.000-05:00

Let it rain, let it rain.
Open the floodgates of Heaven

The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad
Let the distance shores rejoice
Clouds and thick darkness surround Him
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne
A fire goes before Him and consumes His foes on every side
His lightning lights up the world
The earth sees and trembles
The mountains melt like wax before the Lord
Before the Lord of all the earth
The Heavens proclaim His righteousness
And all peoples will see His Glory

- Michael W. Smith, Let it Rain

not that you can really tell from this picture,
but...this is my backyard in the RAIN!!!

561. Seeing Mr. Jim back at Esperanza, after being in the hospital for nearly two weeks.

enjoying my unexpected day off

562. An unexpected day off!
563. An impromptu lunch with my favorite newly married friend :)
564. Planning activities to do with the kids at Notre Maison.
565. A rainy Sunday!!! So so thankful for the rain!

Sabrina and Donovan; aren't they cute? :)

565. Sunday lunch with Donovan, Sabrina, and Paul.
566. My new camera, which came in the mail today. I'm excited to try it out! :)
567. Good biopsy results for a friend's dad who has been hospitalized since Thursday.
568. Green grass, thanks to Sunday's rain. We even have a few purple flowers that popped up in our front yard. Amazing what a good rain can do.
569. An ice cream and movie night with the brother.
570. Clean drinking water; I take this for granted, yet so many people around the world don't have access to something so simple, so lifesaving, as clean water. And so, for the next 10 days (well, 9 now, since today's almost over), I'm joining The Well's Project at Texas A&M in drinking only water to help raise awareness and funds to provide people in several communities in Rwanda with clean drinking water.

today's ten

2011-10-03T14:26:00.000-05:00

551. Kris and Stephanie's engagement, and the sweet time celebrating them Saturday evening.
552. Jessica's quick trip back to Texas! So wonderful to see this dear friend and catch up over a yummy dinner.
553. Saturday evening's 1/2 2[tall] 1V N WC PSL* :) Still trying to limit my sugar intake, so this was a splurge...oh so worth it!

me and Jess

554. Lunch on Sunday with some of my favorite people at one of my favorite places.
555. Feeling oh-so-much better than last week, and my voice is coming back now, too! Goodbye, Beth the Mute!
556. Cooler weather! Meaning, the highs for this week range from 87 (today) to 90 (Wednesday-Friday). It was chilly enough this morning, though, that I got to wear (for the first time) the jacket I bought in FL this summer!
557. Last night's sermon. So applicable, and so convicting.
558. Being handed a wad of gourdes as I walked into church. I know it's silly, but it makes Haiti feel a little bit closer. (22 days!) :)
559. Reading in my hammock, enjoying this beautiful weather.
560. A fun Saturday morning, working with several lovely ladies--and enjoying that the Aggies were playing in Dallas rather than College Station :)

*half-caf double tall 1-pump-vanilla nonfat no whip pumpkin spice latte Oh no, I'm not high-maintenance at Starbucks, of course not! :)

Wedding festivities!

2011-10-02T22:48:00.001-05:00

Once upon a lovely Sunday evening in September, Donovan and Sabrina got married :)

As promised*, here are some pictures from their wedding weekend (apologies in advance for the poor photo quality, particularly regarding the last bunch).

The girls started out the weekend with pedicures:

Sabrina, Everly, Birdie, and Jubilee

The evening before the wedding, we made the lovely

30-minute drive to Independence, TX for the rehearsal.

Note: Sabrina's sister Bunny stood

in for her at the rehearsal.

Post-rehearsal, Sabrina and Jube looked lovely;

Paul and Birdie pretended they were in a band.

Bridesmaids

Birdie, me, and Everly

Almost married!

Sabrina and Donovan

At Cenare for the rehearsal dinner

me, Sabrina, and Everly

Wedding Day! Getting ready at Eyrie Park.

Sabrina, me and Samuel, Jubilee

Willin and Everly

Trying to figure out how to tie the sashes;

these pictures make me laugh :)

Beautiful Birdie

Time to put on her wedding dress;

she was positively giddy with excitement :)

Opening her gift from her husband-to-be--

a beautiful necklace from Anthropologie.

Time to head to the church!

Willin, Samuel, and Jubilee, Sabrina

The ceremony

(photos courtesy of Paul)

Quick photos before the reception

The cakes!

Having fun at the reception, which was held

at the Antique Rose Emporium. So beautiful.

Off they go, amidst a shower of rose petals.

Once most of the guests had departed, we took

advantage of the empty dance floor.

Some got a little crazier than others...

Around 1am, after cleaning up...soooo tired...

But happy :)

Congratulations, Donovan and Sabrina! It was such a blessing to be a part of your special day--and even more, to be part of your lives! May God richly bless your marriage; His faithfulness is already so evident in each of you and in the way He brought you two together. Love y'all!

*This shall forever go down in history as the day that I actually followed through, in a timely manner, on a promised blog post. I think I should get a gold star.

Three months later...

2011-09-29T17:52:00.000-05:00

Oh hello there, blog. Long time, no see (I know, my fault). I just looked back at my last post and realized it's been over three months since I posted. How in the world. I would say that life got busy and so that's why I abandoned the blog, but life is always busy... Guess I just got tired of trying to keep up with blogworld (I also quit reading blogs for a few months, gasp). Anyway, I'm back (for now, anyway); here's the saved draft of the post that would've been published June 27th, had I finished it:

531. Lina's here to visit!
532. An impromptu mini-roadtrip to Killeen, to look for a car for Paul. Though the car didn't end up working out, it was still lots of fun driving and hanging out with Sarah and Paul!
533. Celebrating Everly's 19th birthday!
534. Roadtrip planning with Julie and Sarah!
535. Sunday morning breakfast with friends.
******************************************************
Quick recap since then (not necessarily in chronological order):

Lina's visit ended up lasting a month, which was wonderful. She even celebrated her 16th birthday here, with a big party at Sarah's house--including a pinata, lots of cake, and a slip-n-slide.

Parker, Pearson, Paul, Lina, Peyton, and Phoebe
at Lina's birthday party

Paul bought a car! Life is definitely easier when our schedules don't have to be perfectly coordinated based on who needs a vehicle when. (Though it's a little ironic that I'm writing this today, since a friend will be borrowing my van this weekend, thus causing us to revive our car-sharing skills. But no biggie; we're pros!)
Julie, Sarah, Lina and I went on a roadtrip to FL, where we:

visited with Kevin and Danielle (and Stevie!)
spent an afternoon at Ginnie Springs
watched the last shuttle launch from the beach
got horribly stuck in traffic...for hours...before we finally made it to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch/dinner

Kevin and Danielle

spent several hours in historic Saint Augustine

I tagged along on a roadtrip with some friends to help another dear friend move to her new home in Colorado Springs.
I quit drinking coffee for a month. For no reason.
I quit eating sugar for a week. Because I eat too much of it.
I went with some friends to the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 2...and now, after nearly a decade of refusing to read/watch/be in the least bit interested in HP, I am now hooked. Just finished reading HP5 yesterday, and I'm caught up on the movies through #4 (and, of course, the last one).
Rachael, Erica, Jessica, and me
getting ready to head to CO
Paul went to Haiti for nearly a month to work with Real Hope for Haiti.
I got a kitten...for a month...until it was absolutely and abundantly clear that Dieuchka (my cat from Chicago) was not going to permit that this be a two-cat household. So Kitten got a new home.
The Aggies are back in town...which means, so long, summer traffic.
I bought a plane ticket to Haiti!!! After a year-and-a-half of waiting, I will finally be heading back to Haiti on October 25th! Soooooo excited!

So those are the events/happenings of the past several months that come to mind at the moment; to get back on track with Multitude Monday (even though, yes, today is Thursday), here's my gratitude list for the past week-and-a-half:

536. Donavon and Sabrina's wedding. So much could be said about this; suffice it to say, it was a beautiful wedding, all the more so because of the way the Lord brought them together and demonstrated His faithfulness through their relationship to each other, to their families, and with their friends. So incredible.

bridesmaids! at the rehearsal.
Birdie, me, and Everly

537. Spending the day of the wedding at Eyrie Park. I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by how calm a day it was, despite the many women there (including bride and bridesmaids) getting ready for the evening wedding.

538. Visiting with friends at the wedding, including one who came all the way from Virginia.

539. Donovon's grin (the entire evening, really, but especially as he watched Sabrina walk down the aisle).

540. The clear, star-filled sky the night of the wedding.

541. RAIN!!! the night after the wedding...the most rain we've seen here in drought-stricken Texas in quite awhile.

542. Getting sick right before my day off this week (would've preferred not to get sick at all, but since I did, at least I had lots of time to try and sleep it off).

543. My brother, who provided dinner and a movie for me the night I got sick.

this just makes me laugh
Paul and Birdie, at the rehearsal

544. Talking and laughing with Everly and Birdie the night after the wedding, even though we were all still quite tired from the previous evening's festivities.

545. Samuel, serving leftover wedding food to me, Everly, and Birdie on the couch. Oh how fun he is...and how quickly he's growing up...

546. This post from a friend, reminding me of so many truths about the Lord and of His holiness.

547. Orange blossom tea with honey

548. God's protection and provision for Alloune and Lourdes Milla in Haiti. So thankful for Heartline Ministries.

549. Getting to meet and spend an evening with a sweet family who is praying about moving to Haiti. We spent several wonderful hours getting to know each other and talking about Haiti. I'm so excited to see what the Lord has in store for them!

550. 25 days til Haiti!!!

Jubilee, with Vincent and Violet
at the rehearsal

with the bride-to-be at the rehearsal dinner
me, Sabrina, and Everly

almost married!
Sabrina and Donovon

I think, perhaps, I will put wedding pics in a later post. Stay tuned :)

in every season

2011-06-20T11:59:00.001-05:00

All of my life

In every season

You are still God

I have a reason to sing

I have a reason to worship*

I know, I skipped Multitude Monday last week... It was a combination of being really busy + not being terribly motivated to blog. Don't get me wrong--I have so much for which I am grateful (see list below!) and I really truly am blessed; however, these last few weeks especially have been kind of rough as the Lord has been kind of "making" me take a step back and look at my life--where I am right now, where I might want to go, in whom/what I'm setting my hope--and start to evaluate what's good...what's not so good...and where it may be about time for a change. For example, the fellowship and accountability I have with my church family is oh-so-good; taking my eyes off the Lord and setting my hope on earthly things (however "good" they may be)= bad. As far as the change that may be coming, well, hopefully that will be settled--one way or another--in the next few days. So, check back next week, and maybe I'll have more to say on that then!

So anyway, these past few weeks haven't been my favorite overall, but God is faithful, and I do have lots to be thankful for!

Royers Round Top Cafe

501. Spending an evening in Round Top with Julie and Sarah, eating at a gourmet diner and then exploring a world-renowned music institute (which has some very funny statues...).

502. Finally getting to go ice skating again with Sarah.

503. True Grit movie night with friends!

504. A nice drive to Houston--just me, my music, a couple of sermons, and a quad grande americano. I really enjoyed this, despite...

505. ...getting sent to the wrong side of Houston for my class...which meant...I got to come home way early...and I still got paid for it :)

movie night!

506. One year ago I visited my amazing church for the first time...and then never left :) Love this amazing body of believers; so thankful for the way God has used them this past year to teach and encourage and challenge me in so many ways. So very blessed to be part of a church that truly preserves and proclaims the Gospel!

507. And while I'm on the subject of my amazing church family... I'm just ever-so-grateful for Sarah and Julie and our somewhat unofficial fight club; so thankful to be able to live life--with all of its laughter and tears and confusion and plain 'ol craziness--with such sweet friends who really demonstrate what it means to live out the gospel.

508. Dinner with several super-special families (including lots of cute babies!) after church.

"Hi Beth, I came by to say hi and to drop
off keys to Paul and none of your dry
erase markers work very well.
Love, Joe
P.S. Paul can't read well."

509. Movie night at Sarah's.

510. Lifegivers

511. Our first sign language class at the Bacaks :)

512. Running with Julie and Fernando.

513. This. Watch it. These people are fantastic.

514. Spoons with Sarah and Meg!

515. Re-watching a few episodes of LOST with the brother.

516. Sir Green Shirt's brilliant suggestion that Paul and I use google calendar to coordinate our [ridiculously busy] lives. I cannot BELIEVE we didn't think of this sooner.

517. That Brian found the earring (one of my favorites) that I lost at work several weeks ago; definitely didn't expect to see that again!

my new apron from Anna!

518. That my hope...my joy...my security...is not based on any person or situation/circumstance in this life but is in the Lord; "God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever". (Psalm 73)

519. Anna's back from Uganda!!! And she brought me a super-awesome apron! :)

520. My "mirror message" from Joe.

521. Bible study at Esperanza on Sunday.

522. Getting to babysit two adorable little boys--and cuddling for hours with the two-month-old :)

523. Spending all of Sunday with Sarah and getting to join her family for their Father's Day lunch.

524. Dr. Pepper icees.

Bible study at Esperanza
(photo courtesy of Pearson)

525. A lovely little walk home from work (after the sun was down, so it was actually somewhat cool--or at least, not blazing hot).

526. The reminder that when I'm faced with a decision, I don't have to figure it out alone. So thankful for the incredible blessing of having God's Word to guide me, as well as godly friends and mentors to advise and pray for me.

527. Going to see Green Lantern with friends.

528. Freshly ground coffee.

529. Rachael's "movie interpretations". Sooo funny.

530. Getting my child sponsorship packet in the mail for Ti Nina!

I will bring praise

No weapon forged against me will remain

I will rejoice

I will declare

God is my victory and He is here.

* Desert Song -- Hillsong

So much for Monday...

2011-06-07T12:05:00.001-05:00

I almost managed to get this posted on Monday...but then I decided to make one itty bitty minor change to the blog...which failed...and which then necessitated a revamp of the entire layout/design...which took forever...and then it was time to go to work...and I still wasn't done writing my list...and then I got home from work and got distracted by Haiti videos on youtube (see #497)...and then the internet quit working...which I decided was a sign from God via Suddenlink that I needed to go to bed...so I did...and so Multitude Monday is once again not happening on Monday. Oh well; c'est la vie (se lavi).

early morning calisthenics with Rachael :)

481. Seeing a shooting star--without a doubt, one of the highlights of my week.

482. A mini-roadtrip (as in, an hour or so away) to go to the drive-in with dear friends. So fun, even though I slept through most of the second movie :)

483. Hilarious moments with friends...such as when we killed a ginormous cockroach...with hairspray and wasp spray...

484. Lunch and pedicures to celebrate my amazing friend Sarah's birthday.

485. Getting to work with Rachael (and her twaaaang; oh, how I love it) every day last week.

486. Free furniture from a friend, and help from wonderful friends with trucks to transport this furniture (thanks Rachael and Jeremy!)

me and Little Bit

487. Babysitting "Little Bit"; I really enjoy this kid!

488. Two dinner-and-a-movie nights last week! We watched this and this.

489. So thankful for the work Heartline is doing in Haiti.

490. Running into Donovan and Sabrina at Kroger.

491. Getting to see Aja and meet her youngest sister when they came to town for a few days.

492. Hanging out with the Bacaks at the pool.

493. Dinner with Sara and Deondre.

494. Tank the Chihuahua...even though normally I'm not really a dog person.

495. Jube's birthday (8?!?! When did this happen???)

496. Praying friends, and a note of encouragement.

497. Breaking out my Haiti music again and spending some time reading my Kreyol Bible...though this also sends me further into Haiti-withdrawal...Oh ayiti, mwen vreman sonje w.

Donovan and Sabrina

498. Starting to plan a roadtrip for next month; super excited!

499. Sweet Eugene's has Big Train Chai now (my favorite!); it's about time somewhere in town got it!

500. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:4-10)

Multitude Monday...on Thursday

2011-05-26T16:39:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time, my perfectionist/control freak self would have cringed at doing my "Monday post" on any other day of the week (I mean, helloooo...clearly to publish my gratitude list on any other day would mess up the entire order of the universe, right?); we can all breathe a deep sigh of relief that I've relaxed a bit -- Multitude Monday can happen on Thursday; my house doesn't have to be perfectly clean/organized in order to invite people over, and it really is ok to go to the store without mascara (if I'm quick. and it's early in the morning. and I'm reasonably sure I won't run into anyone I know.... K, still working on that one :) ).

It's also okay to humble myself and admit that I need prayer.

That recently I've been easily overwhelmed and stressed.

That I'm really missing my mom.

That yet another sweet baby in Haiti has died, and I hate that this is all-too-common.

And...that I'm recognizing more and more how I idolize control...because when things don't go as I'd hoped...or when I don't even know exactly what it is that I'm hoping for...or when the measliest little comment or occurrence makes me want to go into "self-defense mode" and avoid everyone...that's when I realize that I've quit trusting in the Lord and am instead trying to do things in my own strength.

But I am weak.

Good thing His power is made perfect in weakness. Real good thing.

So there's drama at work?
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear...Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:29, 32)

Potential life decisions to make?
You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:24-26)

Hopes and dreams that are out of my hands to bring about?
Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:3-4)

Disappointments? Sadness?
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in Him." (Lamentations 3:21-24)

As I type this, Hillsong is playing in the background:

You are stronger
You are stronger
Sin is broken
You have saved me
It is written
Christ is Risen
Jesus, You are Lord of all.

O Praise Him!

481. Praying friends. You have no idea how much I appreciate y'all.
482. Visiting with Sabrina, Everly, and Birdie at Eyrie Park.
483. Dinner with Jessica; so grateful for her encouragement.
484. Rain outside my window.
485. Clopening with Aja; love this girl and am really going to miss her while she's in San Antonio this summer.
465. Movie night at The Yet-Unnamed Duplex with Paul, Julie, Aja, and Anna.
466. A super fun and yummy lunch with Aja and her mom.
467. Dinner and games at Jason and Meg's.
468. Babysitting some super cute kids with Jessica (favorite moments from the night: snuggling with an adorable two-month-old and learning all about how to make crystals with a crazy-smart seven-year-old).
469. My freshly-mowed backyard (thanks, Paul!).
470. The last meeting of our Biblical Theology class; I've definitely learned a lot over the past few months.
471. Dinner with friends after BT class for Kate's birthday; so fun!
472. This is really cool (at least, I'm fascinated by it...).
473. Sleeping in on Sunday...eating breakfast...starting a load of laundry...going back to bed for two hours...moving the laundry to the dryer...getting up and going out to my hammock... It was a wonderfully [rare] lazy Sunday :)
474. Lunch with Sarah and Julie; good food, good friends, good times :)
475. Game night at Sarah's...and Rachael's memory trick so that we'll never EVER forget how to differentiate the branches of Islam :P
475. Discovering an unopened bag of Casi Cielo at my house...mmmm!
476. Wonderful Taryn, one of my amazing coworkers with whom I worked for 10 months. We all already miss her now that she's graduated and moved on.
477. Getting to talk to this amazing woman after church on Sunday; excited to spend time with her family this summer talking about Haiti and practicing Creole.
478. "Roommate night" (this week and last) at Julie's.
479. Joe's moving back this weekend; yay!!!!!!!!!!
480. A surprise from the brother, discovered at 4:30am on my way to work :)

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let Your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:5-11

Hallelujah! Thine the glory!

2011-05-16T16:30:00.000-05:00

We praise Thee, O God, for Thy Spirit of light

Who has shown us our Savior and scattered our night!
Hallelujah! Thine the glory, Hallelujah! Amen.
Hallelujah! Thine the glory; revive us again.

- Revive Us Again -

461. Dinner with a friend.
462. Another movie night with some of my favorite people :)
463. Friends who encourage me...challenge me...help me figure out my finances/budget/life.
464. A late-night talk with Rachael; sooo appreciate her listening and advice-giving skills :)
465. A phone visit with lovely Sabrina.
466. RAIN!!!!
467. Miss Fay from Esperanza and her generosity.
468. Such a good conversation Friday morning with Jessica and Julie.
469. Silliness with friends and laughing over ridiculous dance moves (and making up some of our own...)
470. A game night with the brother.
471. Possible new opportunities to pray about; so thankful to have dear friends that I can go to for biblical guidance for such things.
472. Making my very first-ever 100% homemade pie (as in, I made the pie crust, too); so fun!
473. A wonderfully relaxing yet productive day off on Sunday.
474. Rearranging my room (sort of) and fiiiiiiinally decorating/putting up pictures on the walls (this is normally something I do within days of moving in...).
475. Mornings that start out with my Bible, Sarah, and Julie.
476. Opening with Anna and listening to worship music on my iPod before we unlock the doors.
477. This post.
478. Getting to join another lifegroup for the summer (since mine isn't meeting).
479. It's summer!!! I have great visions of a less hectic schedule for the next few months, which may or may not actually happen; regardless, I love how much quieter things are in town when the students are gone :)
480. Visiting with the Prices during the fellowship meal at church.

If then, you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

Colossians 3:1-4

thankful

2011-05-09T09:02:00.000-05:00

441. Getting to start sponsoring my Ti Nina! Oh how I miss this sweet girl.

442. Celebrating Paul's 20th (!!!!) birthday at Eyrie Park.

20!!!

443. Going to dinner with friends after our Biblical Theology class at church.

444. Rediscovering this in my fridge. I know this is silly, but it's also so good!

445. A very well-timed text from a friend, reminding me to delight in the Lord and in His steadfast love.

446. Breakfast with Sarah.

447. A fun afternoon drinking tea and eating pastries with so many lovely ladies.

448. Our Starbucks girls night, getting all fancy and going out for dessert at a nice restaurant, where...

449. ...we were surprised and so blessed by getting our entire bill paid by an incredibly kind and generous man!!!

450. My dear friend Julie and the way she speaks the truth in love (even when it's hard to hear); so thankful for her biblical perspective and the way she challenges and encourages me to get my focus off of myself and to be grateful.

451. My yard. And my hammock. And time spent in my hammock in my yard :)

452. Sunday with the Bacak boys; never a dull moment!

girls night!

453. A much-needed hug and a shoulder to cry on.

454. A picnic at the park with my lifegroup.

455. Laney Rae and her sweet chattering as she helped dry dishes after church.

456. Going to see this movie with friends; loooooved it! (Everly, I definitely want to go see it again with y'all!)

457. Last night's sermon; so very timely. Probably should listen to it again...several times...

458. So encouraged to see so clearly (this week especially) how God uses the unique talents/characteristics/personalities/etc that He has given each of my friends for His glory and for the edification of both myself and others. It's so neat to see this lived out.

459. Baking danishes/kolaches for the first time; so fun!

460. An unintentional (but wonderful) Sunday afternoon nap; I'm gettin' kinda good at this napping thing! (Though I probably should get better at the going-to-bed-early thing...)

Justus, Jax, and Treston

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Psalm 103:1-5)