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!

No Place I'd Rather Be

I've been in Haiti for a little over a week now, I probably should have blogged sooner but internet isn't a constant here and things have been busy.  All that to say......sorry if this post seems a bit scattered :)

I arrived a day later than expected due to weather delays in Miami, but since then everything has gone really well!  I'm all settled in and getting used to bucket showers and infrequent electricity :)  Everyone on staff here is awesome....true servant hearts that love the Lord!

This is a place full of extreme joy, but also full of extreme heartbreak.  I had only been here a day or two when a man came to the house trying to find out if we had any information about his son.  I didn't really get all the details (I wish I could speak Creole!), but basically his son's mother had sold him to an orphanage.  The mother came by the next day and as she spoke with us it didn't seem like she even really understood what she had done.  Someone had apparently stolen some money from her and she owed someone else money so she had taken her 1 1/2 year old child to an orphanage and sold him.  In the meantime the father had found out through some mutual friends which orphanage it was and he basically stormed the orphanage and retrieved his son (Praise the Lord!).  If an orphanage is willing to purchase a child they are also willing to do anything to profit from having that child, I hope and pray that the mother understood the gravity of that situation.  Please please please pray that places like this orphanage will be closed down.

On a happier note, one of the little boys who lives at the house has totally captured my heart!  He is one of the sweetest little boys ever!  I can't even imagine everything he has been through, but to come out of the situation that he has with such an awesome heart is incredible to see.  He hugs all of us everyday like there's no tomorrow, which of course I love because I love hugs :)  He doesn't speak any English, but he knows the song "Set a Fire" by Will Reagan and loves to sing it.  Last Sunday after church we decided to go to the beach for the afternoon since we have teams coming pretty much every week for the rest of the summer.  On the way to the beach we were listening to that song and we all started singing it.  The presence of God was definitely evident in that moment, it was all I could do to keep from crying.
No place I'd rather be
No place I'd rather be
No place I'd rather be
Than here in Your love
Here in Your love
Set a fire down in my soul that I can't contain, that I can't control
I want more of you God
I want more of you God
I pray for that fire in my soul that longs for more and more of God.  There is definitely no place I'd rather be than in His love.

I'm here!

For those that have been wondering I arrived in Haiti safely! I'm all settled in and getting to know everyone. I'll write a longer post soon, but just wanted to give and update :)