Saturday, December 31, 2011

A prayer for the New Year

O God,
Thou hast taught me...
that it is my duty, out of a sense of emptiness,
to go to Christ, possess, enjoy his fullness as mine,
as if I had it in myself, because it is for me in him;
that when I do this I am full of the Spirit,
as a fish that has got from the shore to the sea
and has all fullness of waters to move in,
for when faith fills me, then I am full...
(from The Valley of Vision)

May this be true of me in 2012.

Merry New Year, y'all :).

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

This pretty much made my day.


How can you not love these kids? I love them so stinking much. And I get to hang out with them every day. I am a blessed girl indeed.

I hope this brings you some mid-week joy.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Always an Adventure!


Patience is an important thing to have when moving to Haiti. If you lack patience before you arrive, Haiti will give it to you- in spades.

This morning’s adventure was the most recent in an already long list of patience-increasing opportunities. I rose around 7:30 to a happy piece of news: our generator was running! I’d been in need of clean clothes for several days, but our power had been out for at least 48 hours. No power means no working washing machine. I happily sorted my clothes and took them to the machine. Now, have a gander at this little darling:

 Our Hyundai washing machine. Those clever Japanese people...
Have you ever seen a washing machine that looked like this? Didn’t think so. This was our first attempt at using it since my roommate/teammate purchased it in the DR. The Reader’s Digest version of how to work the thing is as follows:

1.     Fill a bucket with water and pour it into the wash/rinse tub on the left side. Add laundry soap and clothes. Pour another bucket of water on top.
2.     Select wash cycle and number of minutes; close lid.
3.     Come back in approximately 12 minutes, when wash cycle is done.
4.     Drain water from wash tub, transfer wet clothes to spin basket on right side. Close lid, select spin cycle.
5.     Come back in approximately 5 minutes, transfer clothes back into wash/rinse tub. Add water. Select cycle.
6.     Return in another 12 minutes to drain water from wash tub and transfer clothes back to spin basket.
7.     Select spin cycle, come back in 5 minutes, hang clothes to dry.

So doing a load of laundry, when the machine is working properly, is a minor feat. But a machine that works properly? What a silly idea. I got through Step 5 with no problems (with some help from a more-technologically-savvy roommate), but when I turned the knob from ‘Wash/Rinse’ to ‘Drain’, the machine started making awful noises and the water struggled to make its way up the drain spout. Teri (yes, the more-technologically-savvy roommate) came out to trouble-shoot with me. Between the two of us and a good half hour or so of trouble-shooting, we somehow managed to drain the water and complete a semi-acceptable spin cycle.

Just prior to this episode, I had been making oatmeal on the stove. I turned off the burner, covered the saucepan, and thought to myself, ‘I’ll be back in a minute after transferring my clothes, and this will be ready to eat. Perfect.’

Never assume, ladies and gentlemen, that life will go this way.

So. After fighting with the washer for thirty minutes or so, we pulled my clothes out of the spin basket to find that they were still rather wet. By this time, spirals of smoke were curling their way up from somewhere inside the accursed contraption (yikes!). We thought we’d better not press our luck by trying to spin them anymore, so I proceeded to hang my rather wet clothes, spacing them out so that their weight wouldn’t pull the line to the ground.

 My oddly-spaced-out clothes.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, several Haitian men appeared on our porch. I ignored them and came back inside to finish fixing my now-cold-and-gloppy oatmeal. Then they were at our door. Then they needed to look at one of our outlets, and of course it was the one next to the stove, which was where I was making my oatmeal. I moved out of the way, wielding my spoon and my saucepan of lumpy oats. Still wearing my pajamas, mind you.

Finally they leave and I scrape the remnants of burned oatmeal off the bottom of the pan. I am determined to enjoy my breakfast, regardless of its temperature or consistency. Thankfully, adding some cinnamon and sugar and a spoonful of peanut butter (you should try it- it’s super-delicious!) works wonders.

 Mmm...cold oatmeal. (It actually turned out pretty good, despite being cold.)

So that was our first adventure of the day- all before 9:30 AM. Who knows what other adventures the days will hold? :)

In all seriousness, though, such situations remind to me to pray:
·      For patience, as we deal with seemingly-constant challenges.
·      For protection against discouragement- Satan would love it if we became cynical and bitter about life here.
·      For Haitians, many of whom don’t have generators or washing machines or even filtered water to drink. We have so much, in a country full of people who have so little.

Will you join me in praying for these things?

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving! We have much to be thankful for.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Speaking a new language (on so many levels!)


Well, hello from Haiti! We’ve been in-country for about a week and are so far doing really well (thank you for your prayers, please keep them up!). We arrived last Friday and have spent the week getting settled in our new apartment, studying Creole, getting to know the children, and doing odd jobs at the school site.

One of the aspects of adjusting to Haiti that is hitting me full-force is my need to learn the language, and the sooner the better! Knowing French is a very helpful stepping stone on my way to speaking Creole, but I still have lots of learning to do. Phrases like “Bonjou” (good morning), “Koman ou ye?” (how are you?), and “Mwen kontan wè ou” (it’s nice to meet you) only take me so far. Praise the Lord for my teammate Teri (who speaks much better Creole than we other three) and kind, gracious Haitians who speak English or French and are more than willing to help us out.

Interestingly enough, Creole isn’t the only new “language” I’m learning here. Driving, for example, has its own complex communication system.  In the United States, if you’re honking your horn, it usually means “Watch out!” or “Get off the road, you idiot!” Does it mean that here? Sometimes. But it could also mean “I’m going to pass you now- don’t run into me!” It could be a friendly hello to someone you know on the street or in a passing car, or even a “Hey, jump in the bed of my truck and I’ll give you a ride!” It likely means other things too; I just haven't figured them out yet.

And time- “School starts at 8:00” generally means that school starts at 8:00. But “I’ll be there in twenty minutes” could mean “I’ll be there in an hour” or it could mean “I actually don’t plan on coming at all.” You just never know.

One of the things that was heavily emphasized at my training in Colorado was that, on the whole, different isn’t bad; it’s just different. And sometimes different, if we’re open to it, can be better than “my way” of doing things. What a foreign notion for us North Americans! It’s a good lesson for this type-A, slightly OCD, white girl to learn. :)

I’ve experienced the Gospel in some really unique and special ways this week- mostly moments of grace. My new Haitian friends have shown me grace upon grace as I have haltingly attempted to learn life here, and God has given me grace to begin to accept and even learn from differences that I cannot (should not) change. Lord have mercy, that I may continue to receive grace so that I might also give grace.

PS- Props if you made it through this long post. I imagine you’re eager for pictures- expect some soon!

Saturday, November 5, 2011

A blog-worthy Jesus moment.

So I'm sitting with (teammates) Brent and Letitia in the Salt Lake City airport right now. Yes, you read right. Salt Lake City. I confess I've lamented a couple of times about the fact that we had to fly WEST in order to head EAST (and south...oh yeah, we're on our way to the DR as we speak!). Anyway. Now I know why.
We're sitting at our gate, chatting away, when Letitia nudges me and says, "Hey...that guy over there is looking at a map of Haiti!" Sure enough, he is. We strike up a conversation. Turns out, there's a team of fifteen or so who are on their way to Haiti on a medical missions trip! And they're on our flight to JFK! We'll part ways there, as they're headed directly to Haiti and we'll be in the DR for about a week first. Nevertheless, God knows what we need before we ask. He knew that I've been needing moments of encouragement and special reminders of His presence with us, and He has been delivering in a big way. Come to think of it, He's allowed me to encounter other believers on every leg of this journey so far:
Philly to Houston: Struck up a conversation with a middle-aged couple who love Jesus.
Houston to CO Springs: There were several people on my flight who were headed to the very same missions training as I was.
And now, I traveled from Denver to Salt Lake with Brent and Letitia and we just happened to strike up a conversation with a group of believers headed to Haiti.

Can we get a round of applause for Jesus up in here? Because He is awesome and faithful.

Signing off for now...I'll catch you from the island! Keep praying for us!

Saturday, October 22, 2011

O, Colorado!

Well, week one of "school" in Colorado is over (just two short weeks from today, we'll arrive in the DR!). With the first week of training under my belt, I've been reflecting on my "highs" and "lows" thus far. Highs include: thankfulness for the things I'm learning, building relationships with some great new friends, the incredible beauty of Colorado, and being reminded over and over (because I so easily forget!) how good and faithful God is.
Lows include: worries about the potential hardships of life in Haiti, dwelling (trying not to!) on the things that could go wrong while I'm there, and trying to fight against my general tendency to catastrophize.
One of the topics that has been heavily addressed here at MTI is the concept of paradox: the fact that it is very possible to hold very strong opposing emotions or thoughts regarding the same event. For me, preparing to jump into missions in Haiti, this means a duality of excitement about life and ministry and relationships in Haiti as well as fears about sickness, crazy driving conditions, loneliness/anxiety.
As you might imagine, the highs come more readily when I'm focused on Christ and the goodness of God, and the lows creep in when I dwell on circumstances. Pray that I would be serious and diligent about my time in God's Word and in prayer- I'm convinced it's the only way to combat the fear and anxiety.

But now, for some fun: Here are some pictures from Garden of the Gods, which I visited yesterday with some friends. Brent and Letitia will be part of my team in Haiti, and Brian and Emily will be working with Kids Alive in the DR. Brian and Emily are service team hosts, so they will be back and forth between the DR and Haiti once in awhile. I am super-thankful for the opportunity to connect with these people now, before we even arrive in-country! I am happy to report (and I think it's safe to say) that we all like each other :). Phew!

 L to R: me, Emily (married to Brian, working in the DR), and Letitia (married to Brent, going to Haiti!)
  
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, "The Lord reigns!" - 1 Chronicles 16:31



Brian (married to Emily, DR-bound) and Brent (married to Letitia, going to Haiti)

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Leavin' on a jet plane...

Bet you didn't expect me to use that song lyric to title one of my posts. So witty and original, and definitely not cheesy. (Go ahead, roll your eyes...)
In my defense, it's particularly relevant today because (drum roll, please...) my plane tickets are purchased! In a matter of weeks, I will be catching a plane to the island!
I'll fly with two of my Haiti teammates- what an incredible blessing. Knowing my natural tendency toward worry and stress, not to mention how paralyzing that can be when I'm alone in a new situation, I am so reassured to know that I'll take each leg of that journey with some friendly faces. God takes care of His children!

I tend to find inspiration for blog posts when I should be doing other important things...like sleeping, for instance. Thus, I will keep things brief. But I thought it might be fun to share some pertinent "count-downs" as I wrap up this chapter of my life. So here it is, Haiti prep by the numbers:

Number of days left at my job: 5
Number of days until I depart for training in CO: 19 (this number is still freaking me out a little...so much to do!)
Number of days until I leave the country: 37
Number of items still on my to-do list: 23 (Accomplish a few, add a few to the list, accomplish, add...ad nauseam)
Number of daily calories consumed because I keep thinking about foods that I love that I might not have in Haiti: Ha. Like I'd tell you.

Many of you have told me that you're praying for me. Believe me when I say that words cannot begin to express my gratitude. Thank you for praying, and please continue! Pray that:
  • I would be diligent in accomplishing the important tasks
  • I would say goodbye well as I face that challenge in the next few weeks
  • I would, on an ongoing basis, be putting my trust in Christ
Thank you all! God is good, and He's sending me to Haiti really, REALLY soon! I'm so blessed.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Well, it's about time.

Hello, friends!
Many of you have indicated (kindly, of course) that it's high time I started a blog or an email list or a newsletter or something. Yes, I suppose you're right. I want to chronicle the next 15+ months as I jump into Haitian life, and I'm honored and humbled that you want to join me on that journey.

For those of you who stumbled across this blog or don't know what's happening in my life these days, here's the CliffsNotes version:
  • I'm getting ready to move to Haiti for at least 15 months.
  • I'll be working with a Christian orphan care organization called Kids Alive International.
  • I will be teaching and tutoring and loving children for the sake of Christ.
Sweet. And pretty scary.
If I had to pick a banner for these weeks and months leading up to the big move, it would proclaim one simple word: Trust.
Trust that God will meet my need for meaningful relationships in Haiti.
Trust that He will give me the grace and strength to adapt to life in a completely new culture.
Trust that, if I get sick, God will still provide.
Trust that I will be able to learn Creole well enough to teach in that language.

Maybe it sounds like a cliché, but I feel it in every bone of my body.  I wake up each day and stare uncertainty in the face, and I make a conscious decision: to let the Holy Spirit indwell me, and put Him in charge of keeping my inner control freak stuffed away in the closet. I hope and pray that someday soon, she (control freak, that is) may starve to death and cease to exist, but for now muffling her screams is a good start.

I humbly ask that you would pray for me as I continue to put one foot in front of the other toward the goal of departing for Haiti. I'm leaving for training in about five weeks, and after that it's onward and upward (well, southward, technically speaking). There is much to do between now and then, and still much to learn about really, authentically, holistically trusting Jesus.

I'll leave you until next time with a few of the verses that have spoken comfort to me in recent weeks.

When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? (Psalm 56:3)
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing... (Psalm 68:5, emphasis mine)