December Update

Things have been busy as usual so I thought I would just update you all with some photos!  

Morning flag ceremony at school

Teacher appreciation lunch

Kindergarten Christmas party

Notes of appreciation from the Special Ed teachers

Funny goat :)

Amber, Belo, Bernard, Patrick, me, Kam

Giant rat that was living in our house for a week and is finally dead!

Be careful what you ask for!  Adam, Kam, and I had been working on learning all the creole lyrics to a song that we sing in church.  We were so proud of ourselves for learning them all and were singing the song several times a day.  Then we were out walking and saw Carlos, the music pastor at church, and told him that we wanted to sing the song on Sunday because we now knew all the lyrics.  It was a simple song request, but apparently that meant we wanted to sing the song in front of the church.......so here we are singing in creole for the whole church!

Terra came to visit!!

Giving tours of the school

Fresh coconuts!

English class Christmas party

Report card day at school

Christmas Eve treat making

A day at the beach!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!  

Broken Plate. Broken Heart. Broken World.

Last Thursday I was with the kids and some of their friends at the cafe working on homework, but then art class started and all the tables were getting full so we decided to leave.  Micha asked if their friends could come to the house to do homework with them that afternoon so I told her yes.  Each of their friends headed home to change out of their school uniforms before coming over and I walked the kids back to the house.  After they quickly changed Micha, Jessi & I headed out to pick up their friends.  We arrived at Dada's house first and when we went in she was already doing dishes.  We had left her at her house approximately 5 minutes before and she had already changed out of her uniform and had started working.  As we talked to her about coming over to do homework Micha walked around where she was doing dishes and accidentally knocked a plate off of where it was sitting.  It of course broke on the concrete floor and Micha asked her if she was going to be in trouble.  Dada said yes, that her 'mother' would beat her when she got home.  My heart broke.  Sweet, precious Dada is a restavek like so many other children here.....doing all the work, being mistreated and not being able to just be a kid.  I walked Dada home after she finished her homework.  Her 'mother' was home so I told her that I had broken her plate and that I was very sorry it was an accident.  She of course said that it was no problem and that she had plenty of plates.  I don't know what happened after that, but I just prayed that Dada would be protected.

It is so frustrating to not be able to fix things for these children.  It is so frustrating to not be able to just call child services and have them taken out of these situations.  It is even more frustrating that it is so ingrained in culture here that people  don't even think twice about it.  There is so much darkness wrapped up in the culture here that things that are definitely not ok are just overlooked because they are completely normal here.

This evening a few of us went to visit a family that is very dear to us.  They have recently taken in a 13 year old girl whose mother died.  After we found out about this we were so happy because we know what a great couple they are and what loving parents they are.  But the last time we visited them something just didn't seem right, the girl that they had taken in was working the whole time we were there.  She was just taking laundry off the line and sweeping which are reasonable chores for a 13 year old, but she never sat down to chat with us and was just constantly working.  We just couldn't believe it, there was no way this couple would ever have a restavek.  After some conversations that Kam had this week she basically found out that this girl is doing all the work at their house.  I know that they are treating her well and that she is going to school, but she is still a restavek.  Cultural norms can definitely cause hearts and eyes to be closed to reality.

Please pray for these dear, sweet girls....pray that they would know true freedom in Christ.  Pray for the adults in this country....that their hearts and minds and eyes would be open to reality and that they would see children as the precious, loved children of God that they are instead of as slaves.  

John 8:36  So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

        

Break Every Chain

God does not judge by what he sees on the outside. This verse literally blew my English students minds today. There are so many people here who are in physical bondage, but there are also many here who are bound by legalism in the church. Culturally in Haiti, you must dress a certain way to go to church. Not only will you be looked down upon if you are not dressed properly, you will likely be kicked out of church or never allowed to enter at all.  In essence, if you don't have money to buy proper church clothes (most people don't) then you aren't allowed to worship God within the church. There is something very wrong with this.  Jesus didn't die on a cross just for people who have enough money to buy a certain kind of clothing for church, he died on the cross for EVERYONE.  As we discussed this passage of Galatians today with Pastor Mark my students had so many questions and it was easy to see that they were beginning to grasp this truth. The chains are breaking.  Praise Jesus!

M'ap li ak ke kontan! (aka I'm reading with joy!)

On the second day of school Amanda and I were under the tree taking photos of some students who don't have sponsors when Rita walks up on the phone.  She seems to be talking about something very serious and then says, "Well I'll have Stephanie go talk to her, she's sitting outside the classroom crying".  Of course my initial thought is "Oh no, what has happened?!" which is quickly followed by "Whatever it is my creole isn't good enough!".  Rita hangs up the phone and with tears in her eyes explains what has happened.  Loulou has been kicked out of 3rd grade because she can't read.  She's been through 3rd grade twice already and now she is going to have to go back to 2nd grade because she can't read.  As I walked over to talk to her I just prayed that the Lord would give me the words to say to her.  I hugged her and talked to her about it and told her that we would help her.  I asked her if she wanted to be able to read and she said yes, she just needed help.  I sat with her for awhile and silently prayed for her and about how we could help her.

Reading is an issue that we as a staff have discussed so many times because we know that it is a huge problem.  Children grow up speaking Creole and then suddenly when they go to school everything is taught in French.  How are they supposed to learn when they can't even understand what is being said?  Not only that, but they are never really taught to read, they are just expected to do it.  A few weeks ago in my English class we read an article and discussed the education system in Haiti and this was one of the many issues we discussed.  All of my students were very passionate that the education system in Haiti needs change.  And then it hit me.....a Saturday reading program with my English students as the volunteers!!  I presented the idea to my class the next day and asked them if they were able to come on Saturday to volunteer an hour of their time to help some children who can't read.  

I was quite nervous the first Saturday.....what if none of my volunteers show up?!  But, to my pleasant surprise I had 6 volunteers show up!!  Only 3 kids, but 6 VOLUNTEERS!  

    
And then this Saturday.....13 kids and 6 volunteers!  

It is such an awesome thing to see the students from my class who I have grown so close to really living out the gospel.  They are an inspiration to me and definite agents for change in a country that is so broken.  Please pray for these kids as they learn a skill that will literally change their lives and for these volunteers who are so generously giving of their time to serve others.

James 3:13

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

Humbled

Romans 8:26  Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

There are times when I am just so humbled at the way the Lord moves.  Today was one of those days.  Theodore has been coming by the house regularly during the last couple of weeks because about a month ago someone was stealing bananas from his garden and when he tried to stop the thief he was cut with a machete.  They sewed up the wound at the hospital, but he has been coming here to get it cleaned and get new bandages.  He has been unable to move several of his fingers since the injury and was really getting concerned about losing his little finger.  Josh was headed to the hospital in Carrefour today to take Elizabeth (the little girl who had surgery on her foot) for a checkup, so he told Theodore to come along to see a doctor.  Theodore showed up this morning and told Josh that he had a dream last night.  He dreamed that we were all standing around him praying for him and that because we were praying in english he couldn't understand us, but Josh was telling him in creole that we were praying for healing for him and that the Lord was going to deliver him.  When he woke up from the dream he could move all of his fingers!  He was not a believer, but he told Josh that he really thought that God had healed him and that he thought he was going to accept Jesus today.  He went ahead and went to Carrefour with Josh and our school nurse, Madam Colin.  In the car on the way to the hospital, he told the story to Madam Colin and she and Josh shared the gospel with him.  Tonight he came to our house and we prayed over him.  He then prayed to accept Jesus as his Savior!!

I was so convicted by the events of today because although I had seen him and spoken with him several times he hadn't made it onto my prayer list.  In fact, I don't think that any of us had actually been praying for him.  I am going to make it a priority to pray for every person that walks through our gate.  Our God is so much more than we can comprehend and the Spirit knows what we need even when we don't know.    

Roller Coaster Ride

I'm pretty sure I've said it before, but I'll say it again.....Haiti is a place full of extreme heartache and extreme joy.  There are definitely days when my heart is so sad and within the same day so full of joy. So I'll just dive right in and update you on the past week or so.

For the past several months we have been tutoring several students who failed their class last year or who have never been to school.  We added a few students this week and for some reason word seems to spread like wildfire in Haiti and we had several other students who were friends or siblings of our new students show up uninvited (they had passed their classes).  One of the little girls kind of just snuck in and was working with one of the translators that didn't know who was and was not supposed to be there, so she was already in the middle of a worksheet when Sharon and I noticed her.  At that point we couldn't really just tell her to go home, so we just told her that she didn't need to come back the next day because she had passed her class.  The kids come to our house for tutoring and inevitably pretty much everyone always needs to go to the bathroom while they are there.....I think this is probably because we have an indoor bathroom with a real toilet, which is something that most if not all of them have never seen before.  Anyway, long story short this new little girl took her backpack into our bathroom and stole a couple of bottles of hand soap.  We figured it out before she left and in my limited creole I told her how it wasn't good and that she shouldn't take other peoples things.  Situations like this just break my heart because I know that she probably just needed soap and if she had asked we would have happily given her some.  It's so heartbreaking when you know someone is stealing out of necessity.

M is settling into the Freedom House and really thriving.  She is so happy and really fits in well with all the girls.  On Saturdays our cook, Darline, has the night off so we've been going to the market with the girls on Saturday afternoon and then making dinner with them.  It's a lot of fun to go to the market with all of them because they just love it!  They get all dressed up and excited to go.  CiCi and I took them to the market this Saturday and when we were done buying the things we needed we had a little cash left over, so we bought kenips (super delicious fruit) and ti galon (frozen sugary juice) as a little treat.  It just made me think of all the grocery store trips with my mom and how it was always so much fun to get that special little treat when you went to the store.  It always makes my heart happy to spend time with these precious girls.  

This one is going to be vague, my apologies for that but I feel that I shouldn't mention specific people in this instance.  I think this was the thing that broke my heart the most this week and I'm still not sure I've completely processed it.  Basically someone that we know pretty well is planning on getting a restavek.  It sounds weird to even put it like that, but that's what is happening.  It's someone that knows better and knows that it's wrong, but I think some things just get so distorted in the culture here and somehow are so easily justifiable in people's minds.  Please just pray for this situation and this person's heart.

One of our students, Elizabeth, had surgery this week on her foot.  She walked completely on the side of her foot and the doctors said that if it wasn't corrected it would cause her to not be able to walk in the future.  She's been staying at our house this week so that we can care for her.  She's been such a good little patient and I'm so thankful that she was able to have this surgery.

One more thing and then I'll stop with all the stories that don't really go together :)  I am so blessed by the people that I serve with here.  We have true gospel community and it is really great!  They all encourage me daily and I am just so thankful to be serving with them.  

Romans 12:12

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

       

  

Respire Haiti Summer in Review!

Use the link below to read the Respire Haiti Summer Newsletter.  So many things are happening!
Summer Newsletter


P.S.  I'm still selling jewelry to help support myself.....it's all made in Haiti from recycled and natural materials!  I have set up an online store, so if you are interested just place an order and it will be delivered to your door :)
http://haitisjewelsbysteph.storenvy.com/

Pray with us - Part 2

M came back to Gressier on Saturday and moved in with us yesterday!! Praise Jesus!! Please continue to pray for her.  Pray that this would be a place of healing for her heart and that she would come to know her true identity in Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7
³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵ For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. ⁶ If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. ⁷ Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

Other updates and pictures :)

First of all, huge thank you to everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to see me while I was stateside!  Also, thank you so much for your donations, prayers, and words of encouragement....it means so much to me.  Here are the other things that have been happening........

• Kids here are so full of joy and it continues to blow my mind.  One evening we were out and about and these kids were having the times of their lives in a wheelbarrow :)

• The neighbors garden is growing!!

• The kids in tutoring are learning to read!  And one of our staff members, Belo (in this picture) gave his life to Jesus this week!!!!

• Our water well on the mountain was re-drilled and the community is using it!

• I tried something new in the cafe to use the leftover cinnamon rolls.  Cinnamon French Toast Squares with Maple Icing :)

• There was a tarantula that came into my bedroom last night.  Scary.  Yucky.  Not fun.  Thank goodness for Patrick who came and killed it for us!  I was too scared to try to get a picture of it :)

Pray with us

I spent the first 2 weeks of August stateside with family and friends.  I didn't get much time to relax, but it was so great to see everyone!!  I've been back in Haiti for a week now and so much has happened.

I arrived back in country on Thursday and was greeted by my neighbors shouting in excitement that I was back and the girls from the Freedom House literally sprinting down the hill to hug me.  So much joy!  Then later that night we found out that our friend, S, who had breast cancer went to meet Jesus.  Sharon went the next morning to try to find her daughter, M.  We had been discussing with S recently what would happen to M and she told us that she didn't have any family that would take M in.  We couldn't find M for most of the day so we were very worried, but in the evening she showed up at our house and we hugged on her and told her how much we love her.  We also told her that she is very vulnerable right now and to be very careful because she might end up in a restavek situation.  She said that she would not tell anyone that she would live with them and she would not leave Gressier without telling us.  We went the next day to talk to her stepdad about the possibility of her moving into the Freedom House and he said that it was not his decision but she has an uncle who has her paperwork and it would be his decision.  M said she thought he would say yes and she was very excited about the possibility of moving to the Freedom House.  We went to S's funeral on Tuesday (my first Haitian funeral experience...definitely different to say the least).  The next day we went to find M only to be told that the stepdad was "obligated" to send her with someone up to the Northern part of Haiti.  He used words that you would use when talking about a transaction involving property.  Please pray with us for M and for her safety and her return to Gressier.  Megan tried to no avail to get contact information for the uncle and was only told that he would be here on Saturday so hopefully we will find out more then.  In the meantime please just pray!

Psalm 147:11 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.

We are hoping and trusting in the Lord.

Love Your Neighbors

My neighbors have been on my heart for the last couple of months. I love the children who live next door, but sometimes the adults are a little difficult to interact with. A few weeks ago I stopped by to take the children up the mountain for our feeding program and apparently some of the adults were making some very rude comments to the Haitians that were with me.  I started really praying for a way to make our relationship with them more positive and a way that we could help them. It seemed like a bit of an impossible task....how exactly do you help a group of 22 people living in tents with a hand up instead of a hand out?  Only a day or two later I stopped in at the cafe and while I was there a few people from an organization in Leogane stopped in and I started talking to them. They told me about all the programs that they have and as soon as they started talking about putting in gardens for families that need them it hit me that it was a perfect idea for my neighbors! I asked them more questions about what a family has to do to qualify and whether or not it would be possible for them to help my neighbors. They said they could do it...an answered prayer for sure!! We worked out the details and today we put in the garden! My neighbors were excited about it and helped work the soil and plant seeds after participating in a class to learn how to garden and compost.  I'm just so happy that the precious kids that I love will be able to eat more regularly than they do now and they will be eating nutritious vegetables! And if they decide to expand the garden it might even provide a way for them to make some money by selling produce in the market.  I'm going to bed tonight thanking God for answered prayers and new beginnings for my neighbors. Please pray that their garden will produce an abundance of vegetables and that the positive relationships that started today will continue. 

•  

Happy Birthday Daddy!

I seriously have the best dad in the world.  He is my rock and has always been one of my greatest supporters.  I think the Lord blessed me with such great parents in order to give me a passion for children.  I want every child to experience childhood like I did, always knowing acceptance and love.  Thank you Daddy for being the best earthly father a girl could ask for.  I love you and I hope you have a wonderful birthday!!

P.S.  Still hoping and praying that you and Mom are going to come to Haiti to visit me :)   

Wish List

Hey friends!
I've had a few people ask about sending me a care package, but I don't have an address here where I can receive packages.  I am coming back to the states soon so I made a wish list on Amazon in case anyone is interested in purchasing items that I need/want before I return to Haiti.  Amazon may not be the best place to purchase the items, but it was the easiest place to make a list so feel free to purchase them elsewhere instead :)

Wish List

Brokenness and a Rainbow

Every day here is heart breaking but some are more heart breaking than others. Today was one of those days. I hadn't seen my friend Kersland in a couple of weeks and I was starting to wonder about her.

Mwen avek zanmi'm Kersland - 6/23/13

I finally saw her today because she came up the mountain during English class. She had some really bad scrapes across her nose and when I asked her what happened she said that her mom hit her with a cinder block because she didn't go get water when she asked her to.  I had to just hug her really tight, tell her how much I love her, do my best to hold back tears, and pray that God will surround this sweet girl with His love and protect her from harm.

During a break in class I started talking to her about school and we practiced some math problems.  I found out that she couldn't really do any of them even though they were simple addition problems so I went with Bernard after class to ask her mom if she could come to our tutoring program.  Her mom wasn't home, but we talked to her grandma and she is going to start coming to our tutoring program three times a week.  I'm really glad that I will be able to see her more often.  Megan and I are also going to go talk to her mom sometime this week about appropriate discipline.  Please pray for her mom's heart and mind to be opened.

After coming back up the mountain from taking Kersland home I looked over and noticed this beautiful rainbow.

Genesis 9:16  "Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

Somehow the Lord always finds a way to remind me that He knows exactly what He is doing.  I am praying and trusting.  I am glad that His promises are trustworthy and He is bigger than I can even imagine.

My God is Awesome

Here's just a short clip of my english class.......singing praise songs with them is one of my favorite things to do!

English Class

I give it all to you God

I've been busy so this post is a little late, but I still wanted to share it :)

6/20/13

"I give it all to you God trusting that you'll make something beautiful out of me"  As we sang those words tonight during worship I looked up at the beautiful full moon and I just thought about how the moon reflects the light of the sun and how I want to be a reflection of God's love.  My prayer is that He can make something beautiful out of me.  That He will use me.  That I will glorify Him.  I hope that I am able to reflect God's love to each person that I meet here.  I can't stop thinking about walking down the street yesterday and stopping to say hello to the neighbor kids.  After I picked one of them up they all wanted to be picked up and hugged.  They are so thirsty for love and I just want to show them how much they matter and that God has not forgotten them.

Precious neighbors

Gratitude Reminder

There are so many times here when I am reminded to be grateful. Today was one of those times. I walked with sweet Fifi (she helps cook and clean at the guest house) to see the house that she was getting ready to move into. We sometimes spend so much time worrying about what color to paint our walls or that our house is too small or outdated, but this sweet lady couldn't stop praising Jesus for the place she was going to be able to live in. It is a single room with no bathroom and no kitchen, but when Megan told her that she would help her get it she smiled so big and immediately raised up her arms and said "Merci Jezi!" I was just so humbled to see her instantly begin to express her gratitude to the Lord and am challenged to be more thankful for the many blessings I have received.

Colossians 2:6-7 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

Surprise visit

We stopped in to visit Sarah yesterday! She is doing so well!! It was great to see her and know that she is getting the care she needs. This is Sarah with my roommate Sharon.

Lespwa

I am so glad that we are to fully set our hope on the grace of Jesus.  We cannot do anything on our own, it is Jesus working through us to accomplish His tasks.  Sometimes I think that there are a lot of things I need to do to be productive but what I really need to do is stop making to do lists :)  I've been going on a lot of what I like to call "community hikes" lately.  I call them community hikes because I'm with people that I live in community with, out in the community where we live, and even though we're typically walking along "roads" it's more like a hiking trail than a road (which I love!)

Last Saturday, five of us set out to go to the other side of Bellevue Mountain to walk around the community there.  I've been over there before, but we took some different paths this time.  It was incredibly beautiful!  It rained most of the time which was a welcome blessing because then it was nice and cool!

Using banana leaves as umbrellas :)

We came upon a soccer field (basically a clearing with a couple of sticks in the ground for goals) where we took some photos and waved across the valley to some kids who were super excited to see us.

Adam, Jake, Megan & Sharon

After leaving the soccer field we walked through an area that had several houses.  There were voodoo symbols everywhere and drawings on the ground where we were passing through.  Although I know that voodoo is a common practice here, this was my first actual encounter with it.  Honestly it was a little surreal.  We greeted the people who lived around there and they were all very friendly, but there was just a feeling of darkness that is hard to describe.  I just prayed for those people and prayed for the Holy Spirit to come flood this place.  Our hope is in Jesus alone.  Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti and for the Lord to push back darkness in this place.  

Tree just beyond where we saw the voodoo symbols.  There was a place at the bottom of this tree where they burn things as a part of their rituals/ceremonies

We're planning to go on another hike today, starting where we ended last time so I'm sure I'll have more photos to share next week.  

For now, I'll leave you with a few photos from a walk we took last night around the area where we live.  I love just being out in the community to greet people and give them a smile or encouraging word.  God is so amazing and I am in awe at the beauty of His creation.

Psalm 28:6-7  Blessed be the Lord!  For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.  The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.

What I've been up to

My goal is to blog once a week so this is an overdue update, but better late than never, right?!  We've been super busy with several teams and this is the first time in awhile I've actually had enough time to sit down and write something.

I've been teaching a community english class three times every week.  When I came here I really didn't think I would be teaching, but it just happened and now I love it :)  The students are so eager to learn and it has been great getting to know them!  They are super interested in not only the language, but also in Bible teaching, so I will be working on getting some Bible lessons to teach them.

 I spend a lot of time working in the cafe.  It just opened at the beginning of April, so it is still a work in progress, but it is going great!  I get to spend a lot of time with Tachi which is awesome!  Sometimes she only speaks to me in creole (even though she's fluent in english), so hopefully I'll be fluent in creole soon :)

Now that all the summer interns are here I get to spend more time at the school.  Lately, we've been working on making crafts for their sponsors.  Summer tutoring will start soon and I will be helping out with that as well.  This photo is of the flag raising ceremony that happens every day before school starts.

I've been killing a lot of ants.  They just come out of nowhere and there are so many of them!

Haiti has the best mangos so sometimes we make mango salsa....it is amazing.

I've also been spending time with the kids at the feeding program on Saturday.  They don't even want to do anything in particular, they just love to hang out.  They just tell me to sit down so that they can sit on my lap or they love to just be picked up and held.  I really love this time because it is just being the hands and feet of Jesus and loving on kids that may not be shown any positive attention at all.  

Psalm 82:3-4
Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.  Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

Update on Sarah

I didn't actually get to go along to pick up Sarah, so I'm just going to share Megan's thoughts with you all again.  We were definitely praising the Lord a lot for this beautiful new beginning for Sarah!  Please continue to pray for her.  Sometimes we have to truly let go and just be patient in order for the Lord to show us His plan.

Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

http://blessedwithaburden.wordpress.com/2013/05/20/when-the-ending-is-really-the-beginning/

I have no words....

...so I'm just going to use Megan's blog to update all of you on what has been happening the past couple of days.  Please pray with us.

http://blessedwithaburden.wordpress.com/2013/05/18/god-knows-the-ending/

Saturday Feeding Programs

Today was my first time to go to the Saturday feeding programs so I just thought I would share a few photos. Enjoy!