tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639068034208144552024-02-18T21:38:06.730-08:00This Colorful Life"Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples."
1 Chronicles 16:24Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063906803420814455.post-59694123645800580102012-08-26T06:20:00.001-07:002012-08-26T06:20:18.089-07:00Hey friends! Check out what I'm up to now that I'm working full-time with Praying Pelican Missions.<br />
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Go here for more info: <a href="http://ericandbeth.us/">ericandbeth.us</a><br />
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Thank you all for your continued encouragement and support!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063906803420814455.post-57527807918159146152012-05-22T15:46:00.000-07:002012-05-22T15:46:11.574-07:00Life as of Late.I know, I know.. I've put this post off for far too long now. But in all honesty, the thought of even writing a post has seemed overwhelming as of late. <br />
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So what's new? Well, I'm home for starters! At the end of April, Marlo and I traveled to Minneapolis, MN for our annual training weekend with Praying Pelican Missions. It was so wonderful to have those few days to transition back into American life. It was all so overwhelming... the food, technology, lack of people, cars... goats... But quite a few of our Haitian friends were at the meeting so it was priceless to have them there to help us cross the culture bridge back into American-reality. <br />
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I got to see many of my Pelican friends and enjoy some incredible emotional de-briefing time talking with them and some much needed physical rest. I love our Pelican family. It's an incredible feeling to work with and serve alongside people who share your heart and passion for missions. To be in a room with people who "get" you. There's no need for long explanations as to why missions is important to you or how it has changed your life.. because everyone is in the same boat. We are serving and doing what we love, being the bridge between cultures and pointing all peoples to the feet of the cross of Jesus through a little hard work, an abundance of love and physical acts of service. <br />
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After the meetings Eric and I hopped in the car and drove the 13 hours back home to good ole Cave City.<br />
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I had only been in the house long enough to see the freshly-baked, welcome home brownies sitting on the counter (thanks mom!) when I heard a chorus of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" outside. There is only one thing those <span class="st">Wimoweh's <i>ever</i> mean, my friends!! Sure enough, they were outside my door, serenading me with their beautiful voices. I shot out of the house into a mass frenzy of tears and hugs. Oh, how I missed them! </span><br />
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<span class="st">After that night.. life has pretty much settled into our normal crazy schedule. </span><br />
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<span class="st">I feel as if I've not stopped talking about Haiti. I live and breathe all things Haiti. I spend my days advocating for Haiti and orphans all across the globe and working to bridge the culture gap between my two homes. </span><br />
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<span class="st">It is incredible how much my short time there has effected my entire life.</span><br />
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<span class="st">I am learning new things about myself everyday. Beliefs I have, things I want in life, etc. </span><br />
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<span class="st">All of this to say, its good to be home. </span><br />
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<span class="st">But when do we leave again? </span><br />
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<span class="st"> </span><span class="st"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063906803420814455.post-11838780567306051702012-04-26T06:57:00.000-07:002012-04-26T06:57:17.473-07:00De-briefing = Rambling.. right?My life has changed radically in the past 4 months.<br />
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This whole adventure started in a long car drive with Eric. We were heading back to Ladyville, Belize from San Ignacio, Belize (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Ignacio_%28town%29">Further Reading Here</a>) after dropping some staff off in that area last summer. I received an email from PPM's president about a possible need for workers in an orphanage. Immediately, I felt the tug of the Lord on my heart, unlike anything I've ever felt before. Eric and I talked about it for almost the whole ride.. and decided to begin bathing the decision to pursue it further, in prayer.<br />
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I remember being so scared at that moment. So uncertain of my future and where the Lord would lead. I remember being so focused and intent on figuring out what parts of my desire to come to Haiti were fleshly and what was really a calling from Christ.<br />
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Many people don't believe women can be called by Christ to a purpose. I was met with quite a bit of opposition when I decided to come. Many people do not share my values, passion and core beliefs and I understand that. But I guess, I've stayed silent for a long time and I feel like I need to speak my part.<br />
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I believe that no part of my own doing brought me to this country. Well, my two feet walked on and off of the plane, sure. But no amount of potential love, can in reality, out-weigh the separation from my husband, friends and family when you look at things in a physical, non-spiritual sense. I don't believe that Christ would have allowed me to do this if it was not His will. Mainly because I could not have made it through without His guidance and His hand in everything. I know for a fact that this time was indeed a call on my life. The Lord had a perfect plan for me here.. I still am unaware of all of the reasons why, but I know He knows.. and that is all that matters.<br />
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The past four months have been a roller-coaster of events. I have experienced pain more far reaching and intense than anything I have ever felt. I have seen things and been put in situations I never expected. I've missed my husband more than I ever have in my life and have cried more tears than I ever thought possible. But what can I take away? What are the lessons learned? After everything settles down, who will I be? How will I have changed?<br />
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I believe I will be me, only.. different. I've learned to stand up tall for what I believe in, for who I am. I've learned that its okay to disagree and argue with people... if it is in support of good and I feel at peace with God. I've learned to act when I hear His voice. I've learned that people and situations that used to worry me, contain no weight in the Everlasting. I've learned that I am a spiritual force to be reckoned with. I am a strong, powerful and beautiful servant of the most high God. I am comfortable with who God made me to be, all my many flaws included. I've learned to declare these facts to Christ daily as I take up my place in this world.<br />
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In Arkansas, I feel as if the "southern" lifestyle, although an integral part of who I am, often draws the line between strong and proud as very blurry. But these two are completely separate. Thankfully I've had many incredible examples in my life who showed me (and still do) how humility and strength go hand in hand. The primary example of this being my father. The humility of mind and strength of soul I've watched him portray in my life is what I yearn to mimic. Funny I married Eric, right? He's the exact same kind of man. I've always told Eric that he portrays the image of Christ better than anyone I know. Although he would be quick to disagree, I know "its just his way" as my boys here would say. Christ was humble but never wavered in His beliefs. His strength during His short time here on earth, screams volumes about His character. This is the character I've come to desire. <br />
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I've learned to be <i>strong </i>in who I am, in who God plans for me to become. <br />
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I've learned that my family is incredible. We have our flaws, our mistakes, our fights and our problems just like anyone else... but I know if the world turns against me, they will be there.<br />
I've learned my friends love me, far more than I thought. I am so thankful for them.<br />
I've learned that my husband is a rock and our marriage is just as solid as I thought it to be. This all due to Christ and His faithfulness, of course.<br />
I've learned I have a lot of love in me. And a lot of love left to give.<br />
I've learned that I love these 40 boys with my whole heart. It's a real love, it's not simple to leave. <br />
I've learned I have a lot to learn still yet.<br />
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But above all, I've learned (more) that when I listen to Christ's calling on my life, no matter how scary or radical.. He will always deliver me <i>"even unto glory.."</i> He will make a way. He will uphold me. He will be my shelter, peace, sustenance and protector. Not just in the small things, but in the big things too! My faith is more physical now. I feel Him in the wind, I am more aware of His constant involvement in my life.<br />
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Thank You, Lord for allowing me this time in Haiti. Thank You for all the lessons You have taught and will continue to teach me. Help me make the changes to myself as You see fit. Let me be like You! I am in love with You. You are my Prophet, Priest and King. My Confidant, Peace and Father. <br />
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I am Yours.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063906803420814455.post-34748747838014537282012-04-25T14:28:00.001-07:002012-04-25T14:28:14.592-07:00Lasting ImpressionsSo today was our leaving day..<br />
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We decided to give the boys a few things to remember us by and keep them occupied for the rest of the day. So...<br />
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We made them the longest treasure hunt EVER. We left them a video, Bible passages from 1 Thessalonians and a Bible Promise book for prayer time.<br />
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Then we made them up some goody-bags complete with their own picture of us, candy, school stuff and personalized Bible verses. I also wrote a small note to each boy.<br />
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Then we covered their rooms in toilet paper! It was so much fun. They are going to freak!<br />
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Then we left them a small note on our door for them to look at while we are gone.<br />
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Hopefully it will make a lasting impression. I love them so much.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063906803420814455.post-47270924563214087412012-04-25T14:28:00.000-07:002012-04-25T14:28:05.173-07:00Party at the HCO!<br />
So last night was our "See You Later" party for us and the boys. We had such a wonderful time!<br />
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We had a crazy day of hospital runs, cleaning, packing and cooking.. all the while goofing off with our boys and setting up for the party.<br />
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The party started no-where near on time and we ended up eating at about 8:00, but a good time was had by all!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachou and Milton, our chefs for the night</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my man Lover</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dancing and Decorating</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yummy Food!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even Tookie our dog was excited</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TEVJ3cl3qnyugDoVT1Ls06Ih1LVq4lRWR3HssD3xr_jF1VvPxcDNixCprWjT1ZxZAKqG2EKAi34n5OrpSl9MdZ4MJc1X-sKFyBSrG5V1KqL-uC8obIvSNI_roD7AtXDhyphenhyphendo3PzKxfeED/s1600/IMG_4337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TEVJ3cl3qnyugDoVT1Ls06Ih1LVq4lRWR3HssD3xr_jF1VvPxcDNixCprWjT1ZxZAKqG2EKAi34n5OrpSl9MdZ4MJc1X-sKFyBSrG5V1KqL-uC8obIvSNI_roD7AtXDhyphenhyphendo3PzKxfeED/s320/IMG_4337.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying some Yoga poses</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_FCec7CnQL_Ox2JhET57ZsEgFImc1_w6HwXtdbPYWMs77N97115Z0mVqGLT6M0tEzklPIlUGiLKec04HqZBC_9xj-8lpkO8C07tR0MHPAWHR89YEs_dxq8cABneR2ji7YfvJloMA8Mhx/s1600/IMG_4325.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_FCec7CnQL_Ox2JhET57ZsEgFImc1_w6HwXtdbPYWMs77N97115Z0mVqGLT6M0tEzklPIlUGiLKec04HqZBC_9xj-8lpkO8C07tR0MHPAWHR89YEs_dxq8cABneR2ji7YfvJloMA8Mhx/s320/IMG_4325.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Decorations</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHijGf8NFy0Zk95N9I8GxIIAknNm0xhi-A88C_ZBt4QpWeyL7Fth39BV3-bRIobYWPP-oNETjCMpQZmEkhkk7mDMNG5VER4HQkllH1VjAuh5Yp2lYS-_sjb24pgI7JMEmThBSk1P8APZMM/s1600/IMG_4420.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHijGf8NFy0Zk95N9I8GxIIAknNm0xhi-A88C_ZBt4QpWeyL7Fth39BV3-bRIobYWPP-oNETjCMpQZmEkhkk7mDMNG5VER4HQkllH1VjAuh5Yp2lYS-_sjb24pgI7JMEmThBSk1P8APZMM/s320/IMG_4420.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful face</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVdFc8rsJ05INMVNwzCa6st71HezObZ2AZ0a6nAvzENZjhH2JzAAkcuc0Dhc41NHpWRP5c8IQVj2RubhslOkTgIKuQ08Iyk9UC3VqG4bwXdkumCg6947UB6e_D09x53siFU-rBqhyphenhyphentaNWP/s1600/IMG_4345.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVdFc8rsJ05INMVNwzCa6st71HezObZ2AZ0a6nAvzENZjhH2JzAAkcuc0Dhc41NHpWRP5c8IQVj2RubhslOkTgIKuQ08Iyk9UC3VqG4bwXdkumCg6947UB6e_D09x53siFU-rBqhyphenhyphentaNWP/s320/IMG_4345.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gerald playing beautiful music for our talent show</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ULndBCYVW0OEcNWXT_f-UmgNGtJQR3f7z3SKJWgHtsy_MUoUw3rKtPIzSMXOOshvh0k2r9S9wDCupNcGdJC9E3MS_0OZsN35n4t6XfMMqVKN2WzdHOu048sCCdln2cNNPW9xW9dSwqr6/s1600/IMG_4355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ULndBCYVW0OEcNWXT_f-UmgNGtJQR3f7z3SKJWgHtsy_MUoUw3rKtPIzSMXOOshvh0k2r9S9wDCupNcGdJC9E3MS_0OZsN35n4t6XfMMqVKN2WzdHOu048sCCdln2cNNPW9xW9dSwqr6/s320/IMG_4355.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DJ Gadva bringing the party to life</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTcZego3NtBbjmUbhUJEcWlV32cTpL4LCJhDEE1ZSBzKs9x206YJn9okGAO1EftPaPgWiP2sckL7ST_SMHgQnUN8Cv9WGhc1GDPU03ihTr2iJnp2nv19ThyphenhyphenHJ9XmAfL5QPflU0a7JoWjMb/s1600/IMG_4412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTcZego3NtBbjmUbhUJEcWlV32cTpL4LCJhDEE1ZSBzKs9x206YJn9okGAO1EftPaPgWiP2sckL7ST_SMHgQnUN8Cv9WGhc1GDPU03ihTr2iJnp2nv19ThyphenhyphenHJ9XmAfL5QPflU0a7JoWjMb/s320/IMG_4412.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a little of the talent show</td></tr>
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All in all, the party was a success! Many hugs, smiles, laughs and tears were given and received. We close out the night with mixed emotion.<br />
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Now to just get these kiddos to bed!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063906803420814455.post-77737224466038630852012-04-25T14:27:00.002-07:002012-04-25T14:27:54.929-07:00Intense LoveOur boys surprised us on Monday with showing us their moves for the future when they are in the Haitian Military. Let's just say, their military requires a bit more rhythm than ours. We had so much fun and it quickly turned into a dance/rap/sing-off (as everything always does) between the two "squads" (the older boys and the younger boys).<br />
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Here's a quick video of just a small portion. Samuel (mentioned in previous post) gets his groove on and impresses the older boys with his moves.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxs16njJ1PQbWNp9SAMJMhb6U8l2SYEX7byu1RgMbSfYvKya-IKSJEg7vuyYIvQguoRzmGhWozc92pFTn_Bcw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Yep, you heard right. They're chanting "HCO" and "PPM"! This is such a huge step. Having them be proud of who they are and where they live. It's beautiful.<br />
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Can you feel it? The love? The brother-hood? Can you take a moment and get a small glimpse of why I'm here?<br />
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This is my Haitian family, these are my boys. These are my brothers, this is us. We sing, we dance, we act like fools. But mostly, <b><i><u>we love intensely</u></i></b>.<br />
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These are the moments I live for.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063906803420814455.post-32312824951870338282012-04-24T06:04:00.000-07:002012-04-24T06:15:28.165-07:00RoutinesLiving here at HCO for 3 months has been incredible. It's the simple things that I love...the routines:<br />
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Wake up, cook breakfast while the boys get ready for school outside the window. Say good morning.<br />
Send the boys off to school. <br />
Office work until 2.<br />
After the whistle, eat lunch with the boys downstairs. (Share a bowl with a boy.) Talk about school.<br />
After lunch, talk with the little boys about school. Time to nap.<br />
After nap, head to the ball court to watch the big boys play sports.<br />
Head up to the house around 7:30/dark for showers, dinner snack and prayer time.<br />
Prayer, singing, hugs and kisses.<br />
Good night to all!<br />
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My favorite time of the day: Prayer.<br />
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Hearing our boys lift their voices in song is incredible. I've been trying to capture it on my phone for what seems like an eternity. I simply cannot do it. It always seems as though something comes up to thwart my plans. But mostly, you just cannot capture how beautifully they sing. It is breath-taking. <br />
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But tonight I captured a few small clips of them. It's not much, but it can give you an idea of how awesome they are. They sang in English and in Creole for us tonight. It was wonderfully beautiful.<br />
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More Love, More Power </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzCHFZzQ8CaMyQf4bTEqjW65VbZLRjxbzLFSZbA-fSwMhHSk9KmMBNfMbHCCq_5fkkau9hLjxfCELqCxF3lWQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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More Love continued... and Let it Rain</div>
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<br />The audio distorts some and the harmonies sound off, but in real life they are not. It is perfect. You'll just have to come hear it for yourself! ;)<br />
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This is the sound of the new generation. Full of Christ, pushing out Satan and his forces!<br />
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What an incredible daily life I live, thank You Lord. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063906803420814455.post-5747289624564025062012-04-21T18:10:00.000-07:002012-04-21T18:10:51.240-07:00HCO Artists!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXiPHjWIGt0ueMLLYKCnvzlsBGfKrUnVXipcWzCA-98rjXkocBWN_SBFIHVDC2W9P8EWyEq8Rord5D29MY7Qu9Vlom1LnO-3yKhKW_t2L9Lykdm_jmL1QlbB9fpk62QKWQQDG1bYXbo-Um/s1600/IMG_4248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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This is Samuel. He is one of our special needs boys from the house. He is a wonderful kid in need of love and understanding and has the incredible ability to steal your heart is 5 minutes flat.</div>
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One thing that Samuel does to fill his time and keep his anger in check is make things. He is always creating things from the most random of items! He is a true, Haitian, much younger and better looking, MacGyver. </div>
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One of his frequent creations: Kites. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ScCebC1mkPYkrdJX9IZqeiNQJ7P7NnlA4bFjMABhd-WP3Xjsc8Jsmw568DobsZJY-S99m2aGonYSpAZwtGV-Zr8xEuuGy_UYppbvSxhCuIZ0TexZjw1gS-tMrHBMrXGlVAxEoq5hCEv4/s1600/IMG_2057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ScCebC1mkPYkrdJX9IZqeiNQJ7P7NnlA4bFjMABhd-WP3Xjsc8Jsmw568DobsZJY-S99m2aGonYSpAZwtGV-Zr8xEuuGy_UYppbvSxhCuIZ0TexZjw1gS-tMrHBMrXGlVAxEoq5hCEv4/s320/IMG_2057.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5mdFnHioxi-P18F94BDVoS2wNVuJ1Txk98d8ZQ2_iBxtugoBidrP4fNZLoGBLkY0EmCyJN8UjifCPBtvbBw6kXnO2G5xNJ_HAMI8kBTL1yM5mzc6ReXb-7i5TVyv9do6YaXI7K8bvG5Rc/s1600/IMG_2058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5mdFnHioxi-P18F94BDVoS2wNVuJ1Txk98d8ZQ2_iBxtugoBidrP4fNZLoGBLkY0EmCyJN8UjifCPBtvbBw6kXnO2G5xNJ_HAMI8kBTL1yM5mzc6ReXb-7i5TVyv9do6YaXI7K8bvG5Rc/s320/IMG_2058.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Items used: </div>
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String, diligently unraveled from a coconut sack we threw out.</div>
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Wood, sticks off the ground</div>
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Plastic, pieces of plastic bags we threw out</div>
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Decorations, strips of fabric and such that are not useable thrown out by the grounds Tailor. </div>
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He also makes musical instruments, like this Kazoo out of a plant.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw-8yWZ47wvQU4S9L6oJcKtVzSg_l5GlqYg0u1xAUusmic5SYkQPh8HU916IXNhb7Z8Ba8YUo_aP_7J85cJ0Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Items used: </div>
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Root/Stem of plant</div>
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Piece of old plastic</div>
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String from old Kite</div>
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(Teeth I suppose for cutting the hole) ;)</div>
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And of course, his trusty water-bag-animals. My favorite is the "pig." </div>
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Items used:</div>
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Water Bag</div>
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And then just him being a typical boy, making scary masks to run around in, screaming at people in the dark. Typically resulting in a punch to the arm or gut and him needing a visit to the band-aid station. </div>
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Items used:</div>
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Paper Plate</div>
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Old string</div>
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I love that he uses nothing other than his mind and his hands and gets the job done, beautifully. I love his imagination and creativity, so much of it has been lost in the world today!</div>
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He uses 100% recycled or natural items.. Mostly from our trash or leftover items we don't want. I think he should be given an award or something! I feel like he would freak out if he ever got his hands on Pinterest. Ha!</div>
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I'm a little proud, can't you tell? ;)</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063906803420814455.post-16198492100650961922012-04-21T05:21:00.000-07:002012-04-21T05:21:00.826-07:00Now I'm supposed to leave?<br />
Friends, I'm struggling.<br />
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It's been a hard week for us here at HCO. We always have our difficulties and trials, but this week Satan was at it full force.<br />
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We've dealt with two scary medical situations and have spent the majority of the last 3 days at two different hospitals. Thankfully our last team brought down a blood-pressure cuff and monitor so I caught one of the boys' condition fairly early and we got him to the ER. Thank you Ms. Sheryl!<br />
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But amongst all of this, our boys are struggling with the upcoming transition. Marlo is struggling. I am struggling. We are all struggling. Sometimes together, sometimes not.<br />
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Attachment and Detachment struggles and disorders are common among orphans and adoptees. I've read myself silly over RAD, symptoms, advice, success stories, common themes etc. You name it, I've probably read it, trying to stay mentally ahead of the game. I knew these days would come.. all of the boys questioning our bonds, re-establishing our relationship, defending their hearts and figuring out who I am to them. They are acting out on their anger and confusion in 40 different ways and to be blunt, it is emotionally (and physically) draining.<br />
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As a Christian, woman and "temporary mama" (A term I like more than house mother) I cannot allow myself to disconnect. I cannot allow myself to give 80%, to only love so much.. because I fully believe Christ wouldn't. He would give all of Himself, <u>completely</u>. He would allow the heartbreak, anger and frustration. He wouldn't pull away just because its hard. He <i><b>didn't</b></i> pull away just because it was hard. He <b><i>never</i></b> pulls away when it gets hard. <br />
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My love for them runs so deep. My heart is for these boys. They know I love them and they know Christ loves them. But with all the confusion and drama here at the house, I'm feeling down.<br />
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How do you answer "Berftani, you're the only person who's been a mom to all of us, littles and bigs. Why don't you stay?" from a 20 year old.<br />
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Or "Aren't we your friends? Aren't we your family? Won't you miss us?" from a 11 year old.<br />
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Or "Befani, you're the only voice I have in this world. You are the only one who will stand up for me and these boys." from one of our big boys. <br />
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My response is typically just give them a big helping of love. I came here because of love. I stayed here because of love, I leave because of love and I will return because of love. And that even with how deeply they feel our love and our relationship.. it is nothing in comparison to Christ and His love! His love runs far deeper than ours ever could!<br />
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But it is never enough. The only answer that is enough is, "Yes, I'll stay." And they know I can't.<br />
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So with that, I feel guilty as I get excited to go home. I feel guilty leaving them to be without a woman to discipline them, give them hugs, bandage their cuts, kiss their fevers away, play soccer with them, make sure they are eating and drinking water, make sure they're showering etc.<br />
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I will go home to a wonderful man, beautiful family and friends. <br />
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I'm so thankful Marlo is coming back in June. So if I don't..I know they will have someone here to take care of them with a gentle touch, a woman's touch. A woman who loves them as much as I do, knows them like I do and will care for them.<br />
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God what is your will?<br />
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How does this work? I don't understand.<br />
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I could use your prayers. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063906803420814455.post-39734104125602603692012-04-19T06:54:00.002-07:002012-04-19T06:54:55.876-07:00Jeanty, the History Buff.Hello friends!<br />
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Today we took the day off and visited the Sugar Cane History Museum. It was so beautiful! The tour guide was out-to-lunch so Jeanty (Wally) filled in for him. We had <i>so much fun</i> and learned a lot!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small model of old cannon - 1804</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW5kuf-haWRPy1tZjsNn9RUKCFTaJTCxnQt6oEF_HlP0iWlp_bcUyvvr5wjgxZ5s4BCo6yPIo3YhhJoFgZnza-LxR4-ratAExs8mESbFdNiZu1yPhPWoAxbBoReb6NYKLTnBw9Wlr4Tfhw/s1600/IMG_4182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW5kuf-haWRPy1tZjsNn9RUKCFTaJTCxnQt6oEF_HlP0iWlp_bcUyvvr5wjgxZ5s4BCo6yPIo3YhhJoFgZnza-LxR4-ratAExs8mESbFdNiZu1yPhPWoAxbBoReb6NYKLTnBw9Wlr4Tfhw/s320/IMG_4182.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neg Maron, symbol of freedom - <a href="http://students.depaul.edu/%7Ejallonce/History.html">http://students.depaul.edu/~jallonce/History.html</a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">French influence Haitian style.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Influence of Buddha</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivecNikc5X3IQsRhBIRPZXe2g32FsG4ZvHB-NYRty81ndC2VaozmTjxHlUvE8v6i4RqyHpqxHOMDVzTzcHKobMMAbj3XMVILw_p_4lkJPhevFip93V2c2kbjYUa00hTBj8Xb7JrubB1pTi/s1600/IMG_4215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivecNikc5X3IQsRhBIRPZXe2g32FsG4ZvHB-NYRty81ndC2VaozmTjxHlUvE8v6i4RqyHpqxHOMDVzTzcHKobMMAbj3XMVILw_p_4lkJPhevFip93V2c2kbjYUa00hTBj8Xb7JrubB1pTi/s320/IMG_4215.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeanty teaching us how to use a sugar cane press.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjllaPyVyYEJiZMFvPl4RVYpj8SdhUfjUUJdWusQfCnwkI8jIQoUJZRJfVy8Y00rx_GLYgjeAFUBV9Dd7YrTmcCI_7nQWq7js2No7fF1Xngoj5jgotMuRLNtAr7ltmPMaiunDTuwjxHqere/s1600/IMG_4216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjllaPyVyYEJiZMFvPl4RVYpj8SdhUfjUUJdWusQfCnwkI8jIQoUJZRJfVy8Y00rx_GLYgjeAFUBV9Dd7YrTmcCI_7nQWq7js2No7fF1Xngoj5jgotMuRLNtAr7ltmPMaiunDTuwjxHqere/s320/IMG_4216.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old Water Mill from Montorious - Looks like home!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNgH3QCyWRmDIxSb5eawP0UENLVDOvBl31WTlIPp1PRf8fp6zMZAa_T1pxaHpndUrkm6lP1OuSKyTjAQYmPRXPraxy7GEhqEQ2LpwpXuPVS09UBY0YKPLunK5c-i4FTcQlBqvA8punCeVF/s1600/IMG_4222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNgH3QCyWRmDIxSb5eawP0UENLVDOvBl31WTlIPp1PRf8fp6zMZAa_T1pxaHpndUrkm6lP1OuSKyTjAQYmPRXPraxy7GEhqEQ2LpwpXuPVS09UBY0YKPLunK5c-i4FTcQlBqvA8punCeVF/s320/IMG_4222.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The P.C.S. train car from "The Railroad" - we drive this road 24/7.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNju84kMxp6-Bde9EZicyEU4ROO2QbeMDbB35p05ffJGW4oryChkQKmzi-UeZrw-Bd1K_jy47eceIr6IHgtbsQYU73E7pE_FFE1i1Wvgx95E35R1OXo0Wk5zCvkfxSPLWLhShwHc4x4mN5/s1600/IMG_4207.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNju84kMxp6-Bde9EZicyEU4ROO2QbeMDbB35p05ffJGW4oryChkQKmzi-UeZrw-Bd1K_jy47eceIr6IHgtbsQYU73E7pE_FFE1i1Wvgx95E35R1OXo0Wk5zCvkfxSPLWLhShwHc4x4mN5/s320/IMG_4207.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sweet Marlo and I.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeanty chasing the train.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeanty and I.</td></tr>
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The museum was an overall history of Haiti as well as the process ad importance of utilizing sugar cane. We toured the Distillery and learned all about the way that the sugar cane was processed <u>by hand. </u><br />
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I'm continually amazed at the ingenuity of these people. They can take an random old object and make it a masterpiece. It's incredible. Walking around made me think of my hometown of Cave City, AR and Mountain View AR, where Eric and his family are from. I've always taken such a pride in the "old" way of life where we live. From soap-making to homesteading.. I've always been drawn to replicate that lifestyle and keep it alive. Now, don't give me all that war history.. but tell me a story about my great-grandmother and her prized sorghum recipe and I'm all ears. Like at home, hearing about the rich history and way of life here in this country is amazing. Even thousands of miles away, the same ideas are on display and evidence proves that at some level, we are all the same. (Seriously, whiskey barrels, coal-heated metal iron's, manual plows, wooden carved pipes and old typewriters... Haiti's has them too!)<br />
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Thank you Jeanty for your entertaining guide through the museum. I think you deserve a tip!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063906803420814455.post-7404783309534042192012-04-13T18:43:00.000-07:002012-04-13T18:43:29.994-07:00Berftani, I LOVE your fat!Yep, I have decided that the time for this post has arrived. I've debated posting it at all because frankly, in America, we are all <i>way</i> to self-conscious and overtly obsessed with weight and make it a very personal issue. And well, this post could make some people rather uncomfortable I guess. But after further thought, I decided that it just needed to be done.<br />
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Before I came to Haiti.. I was more of the American mind-set than the Haitian one.. fat = ugly / fat = beautiful. However, after hearing "Whoa, you're SO fat!" for approximately 3 1/2 months now.. I've gone Haitian. Like, really.<br />
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I started loosing weight about 6 months ago mostly due to becoming a vegetarian over a year ago. I'm actually down 40 pounds and feeling great! But that's another post all-together. One thing I know is I've come to love myself for who I am and I am finally, for once in my life, comfortable in my own skin. I am confident that the Lord can use even me and my "not ideal" body for His glory! Thank you Haiti for showing me how to love my "true" beauty!<br />
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I've had many hilarious instances with the boys and just random people on the street talking about me and how "beautiful" I am... But my two all-time favorites thus far are:<br />
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Marlo and I were sitting outside playing with the boys and G came over to be and punched me in the arm.<br />
G: "Whoa, Beftani (he actually leaves out the "r") you aren't as fat today! But.. you're still SO fat!"<br />
Me: "Well, thanks G. You're always so sweet."<br />
G: "Really though, you're FAT!" (poking me dramatically in the arm at this point)<br />
B: (one of our middle age boys) angrily tells G to stop and looks up at me with the biggest puppy-dog eyes in the world and says, "Berftani, I LOVE your fat! I love my mom and my mom is fat!"<br />
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He'll pass all of his Logic classes in college, that's for sure! Oddly enough, I almost cried it was so sweet.<br />
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And second was at another orphanage we work with called Life Is Hope. One of my "constants" from that orphanage is a little boy of 5. No words were exchanged in this occurrence. But pictures say a million words right?<br />
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My drawing of us </div>
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Soson's drawing of me </div>
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I mean, give a girl a complex will you?</div>
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So with all of that said, I hope you found some joy and laughter amongst the funny things that kids say and do. It's these kids that are my joy. They are so hilarious and awesome to be around. And I guess the fat-love is just an added bonus! </div>
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Thank You Lord for loving me no matter what I look like! For using me despite the world's view of me, in any way. </div>
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To my readers, remember to <u>love</u> yourself for who you are! There is no one out there in the world who is perfect and the Lord loves us the way we are! Embrace yourself and get comfortable in who God called you to be. He loves using our imperfections to display His perfection! Our weakness are avenues to SCREAM His strength! Allow Him to use you!</div>
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Be blessed!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063906803420814455.post-32623891905274686082012-04-08T16:47:00.000-07:002012-04-08T16:47:11.422-07:00Easter, Celebrating Life!Every Easter is special. I mean, our Father came to the earth to die for our sins and on this day, we celebrate His resurrection! So, rightly so.. it is special.<br />
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But this Easter was just a little bit more special it seems. Maybe it is just that I am on the mission field and dealing with so much spiritual warfare, that proclaiming this victory over sin and the grave <i>world-wide </i>and with millions of others in the world<i>,</i> was just what I needed.. but I don't know.<br />
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It is hard being at the new church here on the grounds and not understanding the message, words or songs. Even though we are getting fairly good at the language, there is still so much we cannot understand and we are often worn-out after church. So we spent time this morning in worship, prayer and digging in the story of Christ together, just Marlo and I. I read through the book of John and the story of Easter and spent time dwelling in the beauty and magnitude of the cross. I want it to be renewed in my mind with the morning, every morning. Lord this is my prayer! <br />
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Knowing that on a typical Easter, I would have family gatherings, breakfast with my church, time with my friends, food and such.. I couldn't imagine spending this Easter any other way -- in celebration of the life of our LORD and in the life He has given us! In celebration of our VICTORY through Christ, our Savior!<br />
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So after prayer, worship and such.. (and after an almost-broken-arm
accident) Marlo and I spent time with the boys.. precious, Christ's-love infused time.<br />
We began with listening to music and drawing with the younger boys. After drawing, we hung up all the pictures in the kitchen area. Isn't it adorable? They did such a good job!! We had so much fun having a relaxed morning, quietly listening to worship music and teaching the words to the boys, explaining Christ and His life!<br />
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With the older boys though, we took a change of pace. They were excited to get to spend some time "alone" without all the younger boys to take the spotlight. (Cause let's be honest, those little hands just get hung on to more often.) They brought in speakers for my computer and we worked while jamming out to Family Force 5, Hillsong, Committed and other Christian artists. We sang, taught lyrics, laughed and well.. you'll see later. ;)<br />
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We decided teaching 20 year old boys to bake is one of the most hilarious things, well.. ever! The oldest boys took care of the ingredients, following instructions and baking. While the "middle" boys rolled out all 100 cookies! They worked so hard and were so proud of the finished product.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kenly looks like a mad scientist with all those ingredients!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgneC5wT18WVn9A05x_kSSAsM3YmQxZChWd1gxXJtrc5D4MzJ3-6uqcTfwkxAGYkDeXkYslSqbdxd7b1zh1gDvi7yRN2ewEm4VYwSrvLhjYB6r13utMh8T5yHbfVoiQTTBbIL6YW9CPX06-/s1600/IMG_3809.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgneC5wT18WVn9A05x_kSSAsM3YmQxZChWd1gxXJtrc5D4MzJ3-6uqcTfwkxAGYkDeXkYslSqbdxd7b1zh1gDvi7yRN2ewEm4VYwSrvLhjYB6r13utMh8T5yHbfVoiQTTBbIL6YW9CPX06-/s320/IMG_3809.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gerald and Moise getting serious about mixing. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, Lover, Kenly, Marlo (with a cookie face) and Moise showing off the final product!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yummy!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And we <i>might</i> have had a flour/egg war.. :)<br />
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All in all, today was an awesome day. My prayer is that our time spent with the boys today, will be memories that will last for years to come and that they will take away the ultimate reason why we can celebrate life today: love.<br />
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Christ came to this world for us. For us. Not for fame, possessions, money, happiness or anything other than to save us from a lost and dying world. His love is what took Him to the cross and kept Him there. His love for us.<br />
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Take a minute and let that sink it. Has anyone in your life ever given you a greater gift? The sacrifice of their life? Willingly?<br />
I know for me, it has only happened once. The man's name was Jesus and His sacrifice <i>radically</i> changed the outcome of my life. I will never forget this sacrifice! Lord, I will never forget Your love for me!<br />
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I pray that these boys will see the love of Christ through Marlo and I. That our love goes beyond seas, distance, culture, racial differences, beliefs, rights, wrongs, sins or anger.. that our love is here and is here to stay. Why? Because that is the example set before us by Christ. His love for those who did Him wrong, sinned, persecuted Him and ultimately killed Him, kept Him on the cross. So we could have a hope and a future! What an incredible God. What an incredible Father.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063906803420814455.post-63936487139166915332012-04-06T17:41:00.001-07:002012-04-06T17:41:20.412-07:00Update on Admise!Good news on this Good friday my friends!<br />
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Progress is being made in Granbouchi! Marlo, Cassie, Almando and I took some time to head out to Les Cayes today and check in on Jean Delcy and the village. After chatting and re-uniting we headed out to Admise's home. The walls are all plastered and sanded, the porch is done and the column is finished! (sanded and supporting weight)<br />
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Up-close of the plaster and finished windows. </div>
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This is the front view standing at the right. </div>
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Right side of the house. </div>
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Another view of the right side and column.</div>
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Admise and I </div>
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Papi wishes everyone well!</div>
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<br />We spent some extra time praying over Admise and her life, looking at the new garden she's started and all the plants she's planted around! Thank you team for all your work and donations, you're radically changing this woman's life!<br />
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The work is still being done and will continue to be done even after I'm gone! Thank You Lord for Your faithfulness!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzAD7_MDKvXBSUULj3L2xmuIAeie6Euyywqv9wPhyphenhyphentGdmZphW0_wSSdmRGsXhzA2Ms-sHYG33Q4lUtpKBJvSmbhrmzoZ2FLTNsuGaPwrC2XBNLuxZFD3VOKC8JB5p0Hklyxl7d08o6rTtG/s1600/IMG_3726%5B1%5D.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063906803420814455.post-19352142210710581992012-04-04T16:18:00.000-07:002012-04-04T16:18:16.066-07:00You mean, you WANT a manicure?After spending 3 months with boys, a girl has got to take a little time to well.. just be a girl! So I decided after looking at my marble-playing, banana-peeling, all-around grungy nails that it was time for a manicure!<br />
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I walked outside and what did I see? Three of our older boys, giving themselves <u>pedicures.</u> I think my jaw hit the concrete. I saw this as an opportunity for those 80 little dirty hands to be cleaned as well. So I asked! And...<br />
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Yep, 40 boys.. and they all want manicures. Marlo insists that this is real life. I don't believe so, I mean.. to have <i>boys</i> that <i>want</i> me to do their nails? Double score.<br />
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After explaining to them that in America most boys don't get manicures, they concluded that American boys are dirty.. Hahahaha! So awesome!<br />
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So thankfully I got to get in a little bit of "girl" time and spend some precious moments with each boy (and a few girls). <br />
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"Mom, why would you clean our nails without pay?" (They insisted on paying me!)<br />
"That's a silly question... because I love you."<br />
"Well, I love you more... so tomorrow I'll do your feet!"<br />
- Gee, 11 years old<br />
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Yep, best kids ever.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063906803420814455.post-47623235277690197292012-04-01T17:48:00.002-07:002012-04-01T17:48:54.686-07:00Tears or Sweat?So, humor me for a minute.<br />
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Imagine you've come to an orphanage in another country to live and work for four months. It's now been three months and you've fallen in love with the home, the country and the people there. Each boy having their own special place in your heart and life. Literally loving each one as if they were your own; knowing their quirks, likes and dislikes.. their talents, fears and aspirations. You wake up every morning to the sound of their laughter and go to sleep at night listening to them pray.<br />
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On the flip side, those three months have been a long time to be away from home. You miss your family and friends, being able to talk with them and see them with the touch of a button. You miss the little things about your other world, like waking up to your husbands' obnoxiously loud alarm-clock, the easy fluidity of routine, walks at the park and going to sleep after long talks about God, love and life. Realizing with every day gone just how much you love your friends and how much they mean to you. <br />
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This is my dilemma. <br />
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Everyday, all day. I feel like I'm on a roller-coaster. I'm always up and down, constantly thrown in a million different emotional directions. Typically, I wouldn't divulge this information in such a public way.. (I would normally just rant in my journal or cry to Marlo) but do not fear.. there is a point to this rambling.<br />
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So I've been dealing with all of this today and well, for the past week.<br />
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But then tonight the boys, Marlo and I had a God-given moment together. <br />
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We were at prayer time.. sweating profusely from the humidity, smelly and packed in like sardines in the living room. The boys were singing incredibly beautiful and loud (as always). After about 30 minutes of intimate worship, they had us get in the middle of them so they could pray for us. All 40+ (we had visitors) of the boys from our youngest of 10 to our older "men" of 23 began softly whispering their prayers to the Lord. They quickly began growing in urgency and intensity as they came to the Lord on our behalf. The voices were so loud it was deafening! Some were shouting at the top of their lungs. A few phrases I could make out were: "Give them courage! Protect them!" It was like the pain that was gripping my heart in such a powerful way slowly began to lighten. "Peace is with them!" I couldn't control my heart any longer, the Lord knew I needed this moment to let go again. "Lord touch them!" <br />
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Finally as many began to finish up, I felt it... Peace. "Thank You Lord for Bethany!"<br />
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This Peace. The Lord. Digging in to the innermost parts of my being and dispelling all my sorrow. Lifting up my soul and allowing me to be weak, being the Strength I need. Why is it that I always seem to trust the Lord in the BIG things.. but its with something simple that it takes 40 people pleading with Him on my behalf for me to let go?<br />
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Thank You Lord for never giving up on me. For letting me have this incredible moment tonight, reminding me of Your awesome power. For allowing me to rest in You. For giving me this life, these boys and this experience. I wouldn't trade it for anything.<br />
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I know that the way I've been feeling is okay and normal and even expected to an extent. I wrote a post a while back about my Homesickness Times Two. However, can be overwhelming and I could use your prayers during the homestretch. Thanks to all my supporters and encouragers! Thanks be to God!<br />
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I'll leave you with some lyrics (orignially a Poem by Rumi) Eric and I often say to each other... It is the perfect explanation of tonight. <br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">"<i>What was said to the rose to make it unfold, </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>was said to me here in my chest.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>So be quiet now and rest.</i>"</span></div>
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<br />-Crowder, Here is Our King</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063906803420814455.post-75191608076963961992012-03-27T05:36:00.001-07:002012-03-27T05:36:08.685-07:00Jump, Jump!Just a few jumping photos of us and our boys.<br />
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Love this one!<br />
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Sebastien! <br />
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And a few of our little ones... they didn't quite get the hang of it. But aren't they just darling?<br />
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Happy Tuesday!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063906803420814455.post-26084670836940079412012-03-27T05:36:00.000-07:002012-03-27T05:44:40.931-07:00Beauti-fy HCO!So one of our small(er) projects for the boys is a week that we like to call, "Beauti-fy HCO."<br />
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This is a week full of making changes that help to clean up the property and just make everything more beautiful overall.<br />
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One of our "post-it goals" that stay up on our refrigerator just reads PICTURES! There aren't many decorations that have stayed up for very long...this due to the 40 wanna-be professional futbol players/gymnasts/rock-stars/wrestlers/models and well... the 40 rambunctious boys who play their hearts out everyday and couldn't care less about decorations. But, we are girls... <br />
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So we made it our goal to get some color and decorations up on some of the walls for them. After much deliberation and scaling down the outlandish ideas we had (pottery-day, poster size photos and chalkboard walls..) we decided on this:<br />
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A clothes-line picture wall!<br />
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You can imagine the boys' surprise as Marlo began hanging the line in the hall.. "You have <i>that</i> many clothes?" "You need a new clothes-line?" etc. But after the project was finished they loved it! And we do too.<br />
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Now we have lots of beautiful faces to look at down that long hallway!<br />
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I hope this post finds you happy and well! Love from Haiti!<br />
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P.S. Can you imagine 40 young boys and a pottery-day? We are definitely not mother-material! Haha!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063906803420814455.post-11020390844403098432012-03-27T05:35:00.002-07:002012-03-27T05:35:51.823-07:00Love, Love, Love.It had been TOO long...since I had been with my boys!<br />
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Marlo and I started back our "normal" routine at HCO on Sunday and wow, was it awesome! Driving up in the car, Marlo, our friend Rachou and I were nearly jumping out of our seats with excitement. For me, it had been nearly 2 weeks since I had seen them! And as soon as we began driving up, the boys began running to the car, waving, smiling and yelling our names. Wow. Is this how a mother feels? When seeing a child run to YOU because YOU are what they are excited about, brings you to tears? Well gosh, <u>everything</u> brings you to tears? Maybe that's why <i>my</i> mom always cried so much.... ;)<br />
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(And I'm not even their real mother!)<br />
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It of course, reminds me of the love of our Father. How desperately He craves and delights in our love! When we spend long periods of time apart from His presence, all He wants is us to return to Him! He is the God of all, He doesn't <i>need</i> our love. And yet, He wants it! He wants us to desire and crave Him and RUN to him with all we have! Drop what we are doing and delight in His presence. What an incredible God.<br />
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Have you been apart from the Lord for too long? Go to Him now! Run to Him! Allow the one who created you to delight in your love!<br />
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Plus, if He's anything like me... He'll probably cry.. a lot. ;)<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063906803420814455.post-44769197032544038802012-03-25T16:53:00.000-07:002012-03-25T16:53:53.498-07:00Looks Who Was Here!Well if you've been keeping up, you know that my husband Eric was in country for 2 weeks! I wanted to take some time and update on our time together. I'll try to keep the mushiness to a minimum. :)<br />
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He arrived late on Friday, pasty and overwhelmed and cute as can be! I was so excited to see him I ran halfway down the breezeway (which is against the rules) but thankfully, the security was understanding and just smiled at my emotional self. <br />
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Right after arrival!</div>
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After meeting and loading up we went straight for the good stuff... Passionfruit Juice. Yum!<br />
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We spent the next week leading a team in Grambouchi, Les Cayes, Haiti. It was an incredible week! (I have other posts about this week if you would like to read further.) <br />
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This is us before church.. a little more tan. ;) <br />
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After that trip I took the week off and we spent time doing our favorite thing, talking. The Lord is opening up so many doors for us and we are so excited to see where He takes us! Our future is wide open! <br />
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Talk about making my heart happy! My two favorite people in one picture! Marlo and Eric were destined to be friends.. the sheer amount of corny sayings that are spoken when in a vehicle with the two of them is absolutely unbelievable! I love them! This is at The Lookout... in the background is all of Port-Au-Prince with the sea on the left and the mountains on the right. Beautiful!<br />
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Eric at the Lookout. <br />
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Us at the lookout being totally photobombed by Marlo... see, I told you they are the same person! <br />
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Us at Life is Hope Orphanage.. excuse the precious Haitian baby arm. <br />
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And our final picture on the way to the airport. We had an excellent two weeks serving and connecting! I am so thankful that the Lord gave me a man like Eric. I'm forever thankful that he understands my heart and my calling to be here in Haiti. And I'm amazed by his support and continual encouragement. He's my rock and my best friend. He's just awesome.<br />
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063906803420814455.post-69687738678150827072012-03-17T09:22:00.000-07:002012-03-17T09:22:18.797-07:00USA invades GrambouchiHello friends! I have so much to update you all on! This will be long, so read at your own risk! ;)<br />
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Like I mentioned in my previous post, Eric and I served in Grambouchi this last week. Our team was incredible and we made amazing progress!<br />
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Every day we had school ministry, construction ministry, community outreach, kids ministry on the beach and then movie nights with the community. It was a busy week!<br />
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I just wanted to give a re-cap of our progress on Admise's home. I posted a while ago about this project and how near it was to my heart. In case you missed it, here is the before picture of her home.The team sent funds down in advance to have the land cleared and the foundation prepared and laid.</div>
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This was the first day of ministry with our whole team.<br />
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After 3 days of working hard, our team completed their work for the week.<br />
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This is the whole team on our last day. You can see one corner of the house to the front porch area. The wooden framing is for the front porch area. We estimate that a total of 6 of Admise's old homes could fit into her new one. How exciting!<br />
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Throughout the week I connected with about a million kids (surprise, I know) but these two stole my heart. The girl on the left is one of Admise's little girls named Kateline. She was shy and scared but slowly came out of her shell as the week progressed. And she also has the most beautiful eyelashes I've ever seen.<br />
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The boy on the right is just a special kid all around. There wasn't a day during the week that our team wasn't talking about him. His name is Papi. He is mentally disabled and one of the greatest blessings to be around. He is twenty two. He helped us all week at the work site, moving blocks, sifting and sand and pretty much anything you can think of. I can't wait to see my friends again when I return!<br />
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Highlight of the week?<br />
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On Thursday morning our team was supposed to head out super early for our recreation. Our teams became so wrapped up in our school ministry and an impromptu medical clinic that we were incredibly late getting started on our day. But it was this hour and 30 minute clinic that made my week.<br />
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Our team from GA was full of paramedics, nurses and medical professionals specializing in many different areas. They used up almost all of their resources on those children. Although they did not come to Haiti on a medical trip, they were always bandaging scrapes, tending to fevers and much more. So much so, that we cut quite a bit of our recreation out for the day and turned to ministry instead.<br />
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As many of you know, I'm very time oriented. I like to plan and stick with it... to an extent. So as I realized we were almost 2 hours or more behind schedule I began to worry the rest of the team would be getting upset. I walked out of the house and there they all were, sweaty and smiling. They had continued school and kids ministry the entire time! I doubt any of them were even aware of the schedule!<br />
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The Lord blessed us with not only and incredible trip and ministry progress.. but He also blessed me with a team that came with an attitude of serving. They were incredible and I was so blessed to be able to serve alongside them this week. If any of you are reading this, know I love you! Thank you!<br />
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The week wrapped up with: 13 salvations, great progress on Admise's home, Admise's home became fully-funded, many children treated and evaluated medically and the love of Christ was spread to a community in need of the gospel!<br />
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Praise the Lord, He is good!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063906803420814455.post-37838745844452828442012-03-12T14:38:00.002-07:002012-03-12T14:40:17.671-07:00What am I up to?Well, since you asked...<br />
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This week Eric and I are leading two teams on a mission trip in the village of Grambouchi. Feel free to keep up with us and our ministry!<br />
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http://www.prayingpelicanmissions.org/journals.cfm?tripid=1506<br />
http://www.prayingpelicanmissions.org/journals.cfm?tripid=1662<br />
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<br />Thank you all for your prayers! We can feel them!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063906803420814455.post-81689362508097599112012-03-07T18:16:00.000-08:002012-03-07T18:16:28.187-08:00Can't.. Stop.. Blogging...<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
So tonight as I was standing over a huge pot of boiling
spaghetti, pondering life and other things.. it happened yet again... I felt the intense desire to blog! About what you ask? Well...</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Every so often (like, atleast once a week) it seems as
though God orchestrates these beautiful and incredible moments... Moments where every
barrier is broken down, plans fall into place, visions are brought to reality
and our hearts are made full! After brainstorming, planning and connecting with
teams and leadership… it is sometimes like a surge of pure energy that can take over a room. Like making the winning shot at the buzzer, hitting every note in a solo or even finding out you got the job! Marlo and I normally run around in circles, sing really loud or something to
that affect to get it out of our system. ;)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This happened today while I was cooking and some of my
friends were setting up a trip in the next room. I knew
exactly what was happening and that "the moment" was coming... every few minutes their
voices would get louder, energy was slowly filling the apartment and it was
like the Spirit was in the room! Then it happened. The phone call ended and it
was an eruption of joy! Passionate praises to the Lord! Excitement, passion, love! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This "moment" is something that I’ve been trying to
describe in my journal for about a month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><span> </span>It was so neat to be a “fly on
the wall” and experience it in third person. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I believe fully that the Lord has a hand in every
conversation and blessing that comes to us here in Haiti. It is incredible to
watch how these moments are totally planned by Christ. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Blessings are truly being poured out here in Haiti! Our
minds are being blown by the compassion and financial support for this country
and the needs of its people! Praise the Lord and thank you all!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Be in prayer for Eric and I (yes, Eric is going to be here
in 2 days! 2 days!) as we spend this next week leading a mission team in Grambouchi,
Les Cayes. This is the team that will be helping Admise and her family that I
mentioned in a previous post. Be in prayer for the community of Grambouchi and
the work we will be doing there. This is our first team to ever be serving in
this area, so we are excited to watch how the Lord will work through us! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Be blessed!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063906803420814455.post-29368221870208915402012-03-05T18:44:00.002-08:002012-03-05T18:44:35.960-08:00A 40 Life40 is the number.<br />
<br />
40 hugs <br />
40 kisses<br />
40 smiles <br />
40 "Mwen renmen ou" (I love you)s <br />
40 "Bon nwit" (good night)s <br />
40 giggles<br />
40 beds made<br />
40 bowls to wash<br />
40 voices singing<br />
40 cold showers<br />
40 backpacks<br />
<br />
40 blessings of God.<br />
40 sweaty boys who are making my world go-round.<br />
40 reasons that I will be returning to Haiti. <br />
<br />
40 incredible verifications that I'm right where I'm supposed to be. <br />
<br />
Thank you Lord for these 40 boys. Thank you for this life You've blessed me with. I am in love with this place, these boys. I am in love with You..Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063906803420814455.post-5236352066105295412012-03-02T04:07:00.000-08:002012-03-02T04:07:06.897-08:00Party of 50? Well friends, as you probably have heard by now, Marlo's birthday was on Monday!! She turned 24! So in honor of her 24th year of life, we decided to throw her a party. Yep, all 50 of us! <br />
<br />
We started the evening off by coming into our normal "hang out" room and seeing that the boys had cleaned, decorated and made a dance floor in the middle! It was so adorable to see how excited they were to be a part of the preparations.<br />
<br />
One of the older boys brought his piano and Almando brought his guitar and they serenaded us all night. It was so funny to watch the boys cut loose and dance like fools. No rhythm required, the worse you were at dancing, the more everyone loved you! It was hilarious!<br />
<br />
We then circled up and had a time of prayer over Marlo and her life. That the Lord would bless her here at HCO, give her health and happiness, and ultimately allow her to serve Him to the best of her ability in the next year. It was an incredibly precious moment with all of the boys surrounding her, interceding upon her behalf.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjJ-30Bu9y40jLYkiVkyeAWqiLWVUrNAaOv8KD9l1Cm7T9_9s1P8EOFST987aQ2hTHD4XgE6sKRxvrvOEF05nGKmPIALUtgOAxxYlBAD9tf4VIPK1fTwZnPQ0cdR64FIDeuUtO3PGyZKO/s1600/DSCN4349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjJ-30Bu9y40jLYkiVkyeAWqiLWVUrNAaOv8KD9l1Cm7T9_9s1P8EOFST987aQ2hTHD4XgE6sKRxvrvOEF05nGKmPIALUtgOAxxYlBAD9tf4VIPK1fTwZnPQ0cdR64FIDeuUtO3PGyZKO/s320/DSCN4349.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
After prayer, we ATE! Hotdogs, mandarins and bananas! And of course, Tampico to drink. I'm pretty sure Cassie and I filled cups with Tampico all night long! These boys can put the food away!<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAi47eQdJCWfqIArkkkDet5vNE9Jj3YATfYhvQBzhsQGTjEWUWeJMOA32Cc7TGxW2qhzPAEMSAj2KzmETcOnCjx8skYucjqXERwNGzfaoe7S920Dlz-7eGlvwBTd8rQvN_L8CC7kEkd8hH/s1600/DSCN4362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAi47eQdJCWfqIArkkkDet5vNE9Jj3YATfYhvQBzhsQGTjEWUWeJMOA32Cc7TGxW2qhzPAEMSAj2KzmETcOnCjx8skYucjqXERwNGzfaoe7S920Dlz-7eGlvwBTd8rQvN_L8CC7kEkd8hH/s320/DSCN4362.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Cassie with yet another empty Tampico gallon.. :)<br />
<br />
Then after a little time of eating and fellowship, we got together again for a talk about God's creation. Jeanty spoke to the boys about how there is creation all around us, but <i>we</i> are God's <i>beautiful</i> creation. We are his <u>masterpiece</u>. It was awesome to listen to him tie the lesson into Marlo's birthday and how we should celebrate the fact that God has allowed a beautiful creation (Marlo) to be a part of our lives and live another year. The boys even said a quick prayer of thanksgiving to God for having her in their life and upon this earth. So beautiful!<br />
<br />
Then lastly, we brought her the "cake."<br />
I had been telling her for-EVER that she would have a cake on her birthday. Sadly, this of course did not happen (mainly because of lack of planning on my part) since we ran out of time. Thankfully Cassie and Almando came to the rescue and presented a beautiful cake-of-sorts.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUGdTeLxUOklfcv7GFTp2JpkHnW0xlxNsi3EE1_gO4bd7TbrO1Sm78JCLgu_lODkJ1D5KeAilj0vcIgivxOuYDDyXnfcyFchB_1cobvQmufYbplYw4yS9LMKlE9kU_eHAMS2WY5Nzj1_K0/s1600/DSCN4390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUGdTeLxUOklfcv7GFTp2JpkHnW0xlxNsi3EE1_gO4bd7TbrO1Sm78JCLgu_lODkJ1D5KeAilj0vcIgivxOuYDDyXnfcyFchB_1cobvQmufYbplYw4yS9LMKlE9kU_eHAMS2WY5Nzj1_K0/s320/DSCN4390.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
You probably can't tell all that well, but it is a mandarin with a sparkler in it, on a frying pan with peanuts spelling out "24." Her face was priceless! </div>
<br />
We closed the night with more singing, smiles and laughter and I think its safe to say that Marlo had a great birthday.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQiAa8oJJm-qiZMjw4RLktOsNR4yKizNVaqWndOkcOFYJMLhr2WKpor9AEzBqCrhGk3L6ciNB1pR1dYzya5a2Ux7Hw7HV6XbU7VDxBum49zgJEwkq3J9k6pUbJNCn7fgVgaQk1GsRf4jsu/s1600/DSCN4367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQiAa8oJJm-qiZMjw4RLktOsNR4yKizNVaqWndOkcOFYJMLhr2WKpor9AEzBqCrhGk3L6ciNB1pR1dYzya5a2Ux7Hw7HV6XbU7VDxBum49zgJEwkq3J9k6pUbJNCn7fgVgaQk1GsRf4jsu/s320/DSCN4367.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Marlo, Jeanty (Wally) and I<br />
<br />
I love you Marlo! I am so thankful that you are a part of my life and I am sharing this experience here in Haiti with you. You have become my confidant, my truth-giver, my laughter machine and my best friend. I love you so much! Thank you for being exactly who you are!<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063906803420814455.post-10957563521664732562012-02-24T14:10:00.003-08:002012-02-24T14:10:52.634-08:00Crafty Productivity and Bible StudiesHey friends! <br />
<br />
I think Marlo and I learn new things about each other everyday, which is turning out to be incredibly fun and interesting.. and at times hysterical.<br />
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Examples from this week: Bethany is not good at driving a stick-shift, Marlo is an excellent encourager. Marlo talks in her sleep. Bethany laughs at Marlo talking in her sleep. And Bethany needs organization and Marlo could be a psychologist. <br />
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So after sitting down and making out our schedule for the coming weeks, which are going to be really busy, my OCD-tendancies were surfacing and I needed to get organized. This always seems to manifest in two ways in my life, lists and crafts!<br />
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Since Marlo and I are both visual people, we had a lot of fun making our new refrigerator decor! <br />
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<br />And as you can see, we have one idea that is already complete! Our weekly Bible Study with the boys. This was an idea that was kind of there from the get-go.<br />
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We have a wonderful, godly, Haitian man named Walle Jeanty who is working with us and he led an awesome study about having a personal relationship with Christ. The boys were incredibly receptive and attentive, we were so impressed!<br />
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One of the older boys led worship and another played piano. These boys can sing! It is so beautiful to listen to all of them sing at the top of their lungs. Here in Haiti it isn't like in the States, everyone sings loud and all the time. There is rarely a moment here at HCO that you can't hear at-least one person singing. I'm so in love with that part of the culture here! I don't ever plan on changing back, I'm going to be that "weird lady" in the States who sings everywhere she goes!<br />
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But we took some time to explain to the boys why were are here, who we are and that we are here long term. The look on their faces when I explained that Marlo would be here for a year was absolutely priceless! After our study was over, the joy of that news quickly filled the entire orphanage. The boys wouldn't go to sleep and just kept singing on into the night. And many of the boys were asking if we could have Bible Study every night! Whoa!<br />
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We are excited to continue this routine and to minister to these boys in this way. Please keep them in your prayers and pray for us as we prepare for next weeks lesson.<br />
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In Love and Singing!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0