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/