We were taken to an internet cafe today, so I thought I would update everyone and let you all know we are doing great! We are all loving it here. I don't think I have ever been this hot in my life, but I wouldn't trade it for anything!
Today is our first day not doing VBS. We went to the grocery store to buy some supplies for a craft, and then to some other little store where we bought 2 soccer balls so that we can play with the kids. We told all the kids in Leogane yesterday to bring a change of clothes to church tomorrow so that we can play after.
Last night we experienced our first Haitian storm. All five of us were up on the roof when it hit. We like to go up there and do devotions, journal, and just read. And when we saw the storm coming, we put all of our stuff in plastic bags and stayed up there for a little bit of it. I can not believe how wet we got so fast! It was amazing.
It is absolutely beautiful here. There is something about being immersed in another culture that makes you speechless. I could sit up on that roof, or drive around and just be left speechless. There is so much beauty here. The fact that they still worship God in the midst of so much destruction is very humbling. We attended the first hour or so of a church service last night. It went from 7-12. We stayed for a little and helped them mop up some of the water. It was such an amazing thing to experience. Although we didn't understand a word of the service, they were worshipping in a way that I have never seen.
All together, this is one of the most amazing places I have ever been. I know that we are all loving every minute of being here. We are treated like royalty. They bring us our meals, and then knock on the door to let us know it has been served. We even have air conditioning! And yesterday they brought us a platter of mango, we ate it in like 2 minutes flat! It was delicious!
Well, I think that about sums it up as quickly as I could. There is only one computer, and I know others would like to use it.
Thank you all so much for your prayers. God has definitely been present and moving. He went before us and prepared everything, and we are continually seeing how He is working here. It is such a blessing to each and every one of us! We love you all!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Haiti Bound!
Hi everyone, this is Rachel's sister Kim. She's asked me to update her blog while they're in Haiti.
Their group of 5 girls left for Haiti on Tuesday evening carrying 9 gigantic bags stuffed with supplies. I received a text from Rachel saying they'd made it safely to Miami. From there, they caught a flight to Haiti. I haven't heard from her again, but since there were no reports of plane crashes, we'll assume they made it safely to Haiti. I hope to hear from her within the next couple days and then I can give another update. For now, though, the girls have asked that you keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
Please pray for:
-Safe travels within the country and their health
-A successful Vacation Bible School at each of the two orphanages
-That the girls would be a blessing and encouragement to other Christians they meet in Haiti, especially the pastor and members of the church they're working with.
-That the girls would share the gospel boldly and that many would come to know Christ
-That the girls would be a blessing to everybody they meet, clearly displaying the love of Christ and hope found only in Him through their actions and work there.
Thank you for your prayers and support! I hope to have another update for you soon!
Their group of 5 girls left for Haiti on Tuesday evening carrying 9 gigantic bags stuffed with supplies. I received a text from Rachel saying they'd made it safely to Miami. From there, they caught a flight to Haiti. I haven't heard from her again, but since there were no reports of plane crashes, we'll assume they made it safely to Haiti. I hope to hear from her within the next couple days and then I can give another update. For now, though, the girls have asked that you keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
Please pray for:
-Safe travels within the country and their health
-A successful Vacation Bible School at each of the two orphanages
-That the girls would be a blessing and encouragement to other Christians they meet in Haiti, especially the pastor and members of the church they're working with.
-That the girls would share the gospel boldly and that many would come to know Christ
-That the girls would be a blessing to everybody they meet, clearly displaying the love of Christ and hope found only in Him through their actions and work there.
Thank you for your prayers and support! I hope to have another update for you soon!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
What happened to the time?
....oh wait, I know.
My time is consumed by two little rascals named Jackson and Cullen.
Don't get me wrong, I have loved every minute that they have been here, and I will continue to spend as much time with them as I can before I leave for Haiti, but I can't seem to find the time to be productive. I keep telling myself that as soon as they go down to bed I will get something (anything) done. But come 8:30 when they waddle down to the bedroom, I am not far behind them.
This week we got a massive heat wave. I love the heat. But going from wearing a sweatshirt last weekend to sweating pretty much all day long, the heat is taking it out of me.
This week has been an amazing week. I am not very good at putting my thoughts and feelings into words, but here is my best shot and trying to describe how amazing VBS has been this week. For all of you who do not know, VBS stands for Vacation Bible School. It is this amazing summer program that my church (as well as many other churches) puts on in the summer. I have had the unique opportunity to be involved with it. And it really has changed my life. Whenever explaining what my role has been this year, I add on that it is the best role, because I get to travel around to different sites and see all that God is doing around our county. As amazing as each and every one of the sites is, I get to be blessed by being directly involved with four of our 30 some odd sites. I get to connect with the leaders of the sites as well as get to see all these different kids every day. At the end of every day, I stand in awe of all that God is doing. And then I remind myself that I get to do this all over again in less than two weeks when we travel to Haiti, and I get excited all over again. God is moving in some amazing ways, and I am so honored to get to witness it.
Now that VBS is coming to a close (tomorrow is the last day), now comes the time to really start preparing for Haiti. Rockharbor, my church, is donating what is left of the VBS supplies for us to take to Haiti (well, what of them we can fit in our bags). So starting this weekend, we are going to start sorting through the remaining supplies and organizing them. It is hard for me to believe that we leave in 11 days. And as I sit here, I am making a mental list of all that needs to be done, and the list just keep growing and growing. I know that it will all get done. And I have been blessed with a very flexible job this summer, which has made this trip possible, but it still seems a little overwhelming.
*There is a trip to REI in my near future, although all of what I need is still unknown
*VBS of course
*Personal packing and preparing
*Trying to spend as much time with my nephews (I leave before they do, and I will miss them so much)
*Finding my passport, which should be at the top of this list
*We are still trying to raise some more money for the trip, although we have been so very blessed already by everyone who is supporting us
There are so many other little details that should be on that list, but looking at that list is making me want to get going, so instead of adding all the other minor things, I figured that I better get cracking on some of them.
I still can hardly believe that we are 11 days and counting!
My time is consumed by two little rascals named Jackson and Cullen.
Don't get me wrong, I have loved every minute that they have been here, and I will continue to spend as much time with them as I can before I leave for Haiti, but I can't seem to find the time to be productive. I keep telling myself that as soon as they go down to bed I will get something (anything) done. But come 8:30 when they waddle down to the bedroom, I am not far behind them.
This week we got a massive heat wave. I love the heat. But going from wearing a sweatshirt last weekend to sweating pretty much all day long, the heat is taking it out of me.
This week has been an amazing week. I am not very good at putting my thoughts and feelings into words, but here is my best shot and trying to describe how amazing VBS has been this week. For all of you who do not know, VBS stands for Vacation Bible School. It is this amazing summer program that my church (as well as many other churches) puts on in the summer. I have had the unique opportunity to be involved with it. And it really has changed my life. Whenever explaining what my role has been this year, I add on that it is the best role, because I get to travel around to different sites and see all that God is doing around our county. As amazing as each and every one of the sites is, I get to be blessed by being directly involved with four of our 30 some odd sites. I get to connect with the leaders of the sites as well as get to see all these different kids every day. At the end of every day, I stand in awe of all that God is doing. And then I remind myself that I get to do this all over again in less than two weeks when we travel to Haiti, and I get excited all over again. God is moving in some amazing ways, and I am so honored to get to witness it.
Now that VBS is coming to a close (tomorrow is the last day), now comes the time to really start preparing for Haiti. Rockharbor, my church, is donating what is left of the VBS supplies for us to take to Haiti (well, what of them we can fit in our bags). So starting this weekend, we are going to start sorting through the remaining supplies and organizing them. It is hard for me to believe that we leave in 11 days. And as I sit here, I am making a mental list of all that needs to be done, and the list just keep growing and growing. I know that it will all get done. And I have been blessed with a very flexible job this summer, which has made this trip possible, but it still seems a little overwhelming.
*There is a trip to REI in my near future, although all of what I need is still unknown
*VBS of course
*Personal packing and preparing
*Trying to spend as much time with my nephews (I leave before they do, and I will miss them so much)
*Finding my passport, which should be at the top of this list
*We are still trying to raise some more money for the trip, although we have been so very blessed already by everyone who is supporting us
There are so many other little details that should be on that list, but looking at that list is making me want to get going, so instead of adding all the other minor things, I figured that I better get cracking on some of them.
I still can hardly believe that we are 11 days and counting!
Friday, July 2, 2010
an unexpected Friday off...
I got home last night and just had the itch to paint. Normally I want to break out all of the craft stuff, but tonight, I knew I wanted to paint!
And so the painting began. This ocean scene started out similar to the one below, but much darker. I was stumped last night, so of course I left it sitting on the table and went to bed. I woke up this morning, added some more paint, and this is what I got.
If you look around the edges of the photo, you can see my mess!
I really like the spring colors of this painting, I might have to use these colors to make another ocean scene. Can you tell that I really love the ocean?
I really do just love art, and painting!
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