Missions Conference

Wednesday to Sunday we lead a missions conference in Johnson City.

Our director Matt talked with the adults Wednesday night and Sunday morning while Sarah, Rachel, and I worked with the children.  We talked about John 21:15-25, where Jesus tells Peter to follow him.  Growing up, all I usually got from this was that Jesus wanted Peter to build and care for the church.  Matt focused more on verse 21 and 22, which I don't think most people do.  After the whole mess of Peter betraying Jesus three times, then Peter being offended Jesus asked him so many times if he loved him, AND Jesus is speaking to Peter AFTER he rose from the dead, Peter wants to make sure things are fair and is concerned about what John is going to have to go through.  Why do we care so much about other people's mission?  We may be burdened with a much more difficult calling than others, but it's not going to help matters if we're constantly comparing circumstances or judging others.  God tells us to be obedient.

Thursday we had a social/cocktail-type party at a restaurant owned by one of the church members.  While we mingled I got to know two people.  One lady I talked to had been married to her husband 54 years when he died last September.  They dated through high school and college and then both became teachers, driving to and from work together every day of their lives.  She said she's only been able to talk about it the last couple months.  As you can imagine, she could really use a prayer when you have a moment.  Then I met a man who should not have been standing there talking to me.  A couple years ago he got sepsis which caused all of these other problems.  He had seizures; he had strokes; he had open heart surgery; he had toes amputated; you name it.  Doctors told him there was nothing more they could do; it was over.  He said the most comforting thing through the ordeal was knowing  all the people, all over praying for him.  When it gets that bad, you know God's the only reason he can stand and talk to me.  The cool thing is he's a chaplain in an Intensive Care Unit.  He says he wouldn't trade the experience away because now when people tell him, "you don't understand," he can say, "but I do."  It's so amazing when you get to see how God uses the heartaches in your life for His glory.  I love so SO much that these two opened up to me, a complete stranger, because I got to see another glimpse of MY God in action.  When you get a chance, also praise God for what He's done in this man's life!

After some mingling Matt spoke on malaria.  The point of the evening was to raise awareness and funds on bed nets, something I'll be passing out to families in Uganda in November.  What I love about SafeWorldNexus is we'll be going about things differently than I would ever go about them.  I would think we need to get as many nets as we can, just drop them from planes.  The project is to end malaria, so that's the fastest way to do it right?  No.... It turns out the culture in Uganda (um... a lot of the world) is very different from here.  What happens when organizations do mass distributions is people will use the nets for fishing or even wedding gowns.  At SafeWorld we get to go door to door and hand deliver mosquito nets.  We're invited into the homes of families.  There's no quota or time limit.  We can get to know people.  The village chiefs now know SafeWorld and respect Matt, so they come along!  Having your own village chief tell you the importance of the net makes all the difference.  Then we take a picture of the family and mark their GPS coordinates.  If you donate a family's net ( just $10 ), you will eventually receive this information.  Then, if you ever go on a trip with us, you just tell Matt you'd like to meet your family and he'll take you there.  I am so blessed to be working for an organization that reminds me people>projects.  

Jesus didn't tell Peter, "then go feed as many sheep as you can."  He just said to feed HIS sheep.  I am so thankful for the tangible experience I'm gaining in organizing events and communication, however the most valuable thing I'm getting from this internship is (it's corny, but...) the reshaping of my mind.  If you would like to donate a net to a family go here.  Then select "Net:Worth" in the dropdown menu.  Maybe I'll get to meet your family in a couple months!  

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is- his good, pleasing and perfect will.

-Romans 12:2

Orphanage

I'm going to follow up one of the most beautiful things I witnessed with one of the hardest.


After spending most of the week with Heartline in Port Au Prince, we traveled to Gressier, a town off the beach.  When I think of the beach I think of a flat area.  This was mountains right next to the beach.  It was gorgeous.  We went here to visit Megan Boudreaux's organization Respire Haiti, to see how SafeWorld could assist them.  I don't like saying organization though, because I know what you're picturing and it's not that.  Heck, I don't really work for what you're picturing either.  It's just people.  I'll talk more about Megan later though.  


While in Gressier we visited an orphanage.  I have never been to one before.  I have never met a child without parents.  I don't even think I've consciously met foster children.  This was the hardest thing for me in Haiti.  Once we got off the tap-tap, the children swarmed on us.  I think they were literally claiming us, like "this white-girl will be mine while she's here.  She's holding ME.  Stay away from her!"  I was claimed by nine year-old Esther and three year-old Jessica, who could not keep her pants over her tush to save her life.  They pulled us under, what I gather, is their common area.  It was a tent you would tailgate under with some ratty plastic tables and chairs underneath.  

Here we are- pretty Esther on the left with goofball Jessica on my lap.  Notice the details.  I am pretty sure this is equivalent to their living room.  The children move chickens and puppies out of their seats, never washing their hands.  Their carpet consists of dirt, more than likely with animal feces here and there.  Look at Esther's shoes.  They're terrible.  Jessica couldn't hardly walk in hers, excluding the fact she was lookin' like a fool with her pants on the ground.  There are photos on the pole behind Jessica but no frames.  I wonder if they would even know what something like a frame is.  For awhile we all sat there.  There was nothing to do.  They have a little playground but it's smack in the sun all day.  No one plays on it.  I was remembering the day-care I worked at this past year.  The kids have more toys than they know what to do with.  We taught children things like cooking and photography.  They raced remote control cars and swam in a pool.  From what I saw there were NO toys at this orphanage.  

Megan told the kids they should show us their new school that was built.  We walked across a field to a cement building.  There was nothing inside yet.  

It was really tricky with the language barrier.  If we all just spoke the same language I could have easily organized races, games, JUST CONVERSATION.  As a kid I remember how much I loved someone older asking me about my interests/dreams.  I couldn't do that with them. :(  Esther did teach me some hand games.  I wanted to tell her I wasn't good at them even at her age.  Eventually she figured it out and let me watch her do it with other girls.  The girl sitting in my lap is six year-old Daphnis.  She was really sweet too.  I think the boy behind me is six year-old Djoervensky.  Look how he just LONGS to be near an adult, how he NEEDS human touch.  No boy that age at the day-care needed/wanted that from me.  

This is what they played with: rocks.  I think the point of the game was to see how many you could pick up while one was in the air.  Notice how some kids don't have shoes and puddles accumulate. 

The kids LOVED watching videos of Jordana's children on her iPhone.  It could have been the first time some had ever seen white children.   

I think this photo is gorgeous and says so much.  (Most of the photos from Haiti are by Sarah.)  The girl is sitting in the most bare/basic of windows, wearing simple clothes, looking so bored.  I don't know her name or her story.  I know she must have a big one though because she had awful scars on her arm, chest, and neck.  It looked like she'd been burned somehow.  She mostly stayed in the window the whole time watching everyone.  I don't know if she was shy or what.  I felt sorry for the shy kids.  We hung out with the outgoing ones who were constantly at our side.  If you wanted any attention you fought for it.  

                                         

This is 12 year-old Venise, she was looking through a math workbook.  She wasn't studying.  She just had nothing else to look at or do.  All my years of french did help a little, being so similar to creole.  Numbers in creole are exactly the same as in french.  Once the girl figured out I knew all of them she started asking me math problems!  She would get so excited when I answered and say, "correct."  When I was slow, I think she thought I didn't know how to say the answer in creole, so she would go straight to the next one, when really I was just having trouble doing the math in my head.  It was really cool being able to "speak" (I mean, it was so minimum.) in another language.  I was able to get children's' names and ages.  I kept pointing to things and saying, "en creole?" and Esther would tell me how to say it in creole, then I would teach her how to say it in english.  Esther knew a good bit of english.  You could tell she wanted to learn too.  She would repeat stuff I said, practicing the pronunciation.

Megan says the children are really smart.  The Korean UN is close by and has been teaching the children Korean too!  The Koreans had covered a poster board with pictures of them hanging out with the children and had it hanging in the common room.  It said, "Remember you are always loved."  I hate that these children have to be reminded!  If they were in a home with moms and dads they would just KNOW they were loved.  

The sad thing is a lot of these children have biological parents still living who DO love them.  They love them so much they put them in an orphanage because they know they'll eat better there.  Sometimes economics are the reason a child becomes an orphan.  It's heartbreaking.

This is me again with Daphnis and then the girl on the left is  three year-old Minaura.  A woman who went with us to the orphanage was interested in adopting Minaura and her ten month-old sister.  Megan said she knew their mom visited the orphanage every two weeks though.  They had to meet with her.  The whole time we were at the orphanage Minaura just wanted to be held by her potential future mommy, however once her real mom arrived she ran for her.  She knew that was her real mommy.  Megan asked the mom, "if you could keep your girls with you, would you do it?"  The mom replied, "but I can't."  Megan said, "I didn't ask that.  I said if you COULD, would you?"  The mom still said she had no way to keep them.  Megan had to ask her several times.  Finally the mom said she would keep them if she had the means.  With that, they knew they couldn't go through with an adoption.  Instead, now they are figuring out a way to help this mama get her babies back.

It's crazy to me that this orphanage is a step-up for this woman's children.  The children are lucky there if they get to eat every day.  Us girls wanted a water break at one point, when we realized there was no water for the children to drink.  Jordana filled a water bottle up from her own and passed it around to the children.  You could tell immediately they felt better.  The poor things just need a little water!  This orphanage doesn't have a lot of money, but it is run by a couple who actually care, giving these children a huge advantage.  So many orphanages have child trafficking and other atrocities.  There is no protection around the compound to keep people out who may want to steal children for these purposes.  The owner therefore has bells hidden around the property and if he hears anything throughout the night, he goes out with his gun.  Haiti's government is crazy, however he saves up so he can register the orphanage and make it legal and legitimate.  It's so sad the government puts them through this.  The money is needed for food.  Megan is trying to find a church to be a permanent sponsor for this orphanage.  I am looking at ways YOU could personally help.  Stay tuned.

But, brothers and sisters, when we were orphaned by being separated from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you.  For we wanted to come to you--certainly I, Paul, did, again and again-but Satan stopped us.  For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes?  Is it not you?  Indeed, you are our glory and joy.

1 Thessalonians 2:17-20

A Beautiful Dinner

I am going to stop putting parameters on my blog posts.  This one is not about a particular person.  
One of my favorite things from Haiti was having dinner at Heartline's Harbor House, a home for new and expecting teenage moms.  When we got there the girls were playing soccer.  We got to hold some of the babies while dinner was still cooking.  One of the little toddlers Jobins was so cute getting in the middle of the game.  They kept trying to shoo him away, but he would come right back.  Everyone was so friendly towards us.  You would have thought we were new neighbors who'd just moved to Haiti, not a couple girls on a week-long trip.  I would have thought nothing of it had we not been invited.  We had a lovely guest house with food.  

Above is a photo from another day when the girls were making tie-dye shirts.  The white girl on the left is Brittany.  She and a haitian woman are the "house moms" I guess.  The white girl on the right is her cousin who came down to visit and teach the girls tie-dye.  Not only is Brittany looking out for these young teenage moms, she also cares for her young haitian brother and sister her family is in the process of adopting.  From what I've heard, I think the haitian adoption process takes two years.  Because they still can't take her brother and sister home to the states, Brittany's mom flies down from Vermont every 2 months or so to be with her babies!!! I can't imagine having to leave your children for weeks at a time, or being a young kid and having to tell your mom goodbye for weeks at a time.

When we came over for supper Brittany's mom did the cooking.  I'd been sick from malaria meds and had hardly eaten the day before.  Haitian food wasn't my favorite and I never ate enough.  It was such a surprise and blessing to go over to the Harbor House to eat American food!  She had green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, pork, etc.  One of the Hendrick family boys said, "we get to eat meat on a plate by itself?!"  In haitian food your meat is always mixed in with rice and beans.

This is the Hendrick's family blog: allthingshendrick.blogspot.com.  They have four boys, the youngest, who's three, is adopted.  His little voice was so cute and reminded me of my brother's when he was that age.  He kept asking if there would be cake and was so excited.  When the cake was brought out his mom kept eyeing him and reminding him not to touch it.  I think later he DID steal another kids piece when they weren't looking.  He was so adorable!  We sang "happy birthday" to one of the moms in the house.  She looked so happy.  It's crazy when you think about what these girls' living situation would be if they didn't have Heartline.  They could be in a tent, up all night listening to their baby cry for food, scared someone will come in and rape them, ashamed as people hurl insults at them for having a baby so young (though those same people probably wouldn't have done anything to save them if they heard them being raped).  At the Harbor House they have a safe place, a LOVING place to raise their children.  They can get their hair done and do crafts like a girl should be able to do, while simultaneously transitioning into motherhood.

This dinner was so low-key.  It wasn't a "staff meeting".  It was friends and family and friends who became family, all sitting around a super long table laughing, talking, loving.  Looking to my left and right, it was just ...beautiful.  Though it was so hot the icing slid off the cake and our bodies expelled more sweat than we thought possible, no one cared.  There were teenage moms giggling, old friends sharing stories, adopted children asking their mommy and daddy to kiss booboos.  This table was filled with so much redemption and love.    

More tie-dye!

I wish we had pics of them when they were done! So Pretty!

They even dyed little onesies for the babies.

I have got to practice Creole for next time!

Jordana with baby Sophia!

  

Meet Moses

I have been trying to figure out how to possibly describe all that I learned in Haiti.  For now I think the easiest thing to do will be to share a different person's story a day.  This is Moses'.

Jordana loving Moses for the afternoon.

A couple weeks ago a woman asked a guard at Heartline's maternity center if this was an orphanage where she could leave her son who looked to be around two years old.  The guard explained that it was not an orphanage.  Later that day the baby was found laying on the side of the road.  He couldn't sit up.  He couldn't even hold his head up.  He could have been run over.  The staff decided to call him "Moses".  This is what the Livesays said in their blog when they went to report the incident: "The police literally told our staff that they should have left 'Moses' in the street, that by picking him up they did the wrong thing.  They actually said that!  The staff members that went to report what happened (with 'Moses' with them) were reprimanded.  Oh.my.head.  Nothing like getting a lecture for doing what is CLEARLY the right thing.  How can leaving a living disabled human alone in the dirt be the right thing?"  T.I.H.  (This is Haiti.)  Our friends at Heartline use this phrase a lot.  For now Moses is living with the Livesay family.  I think their 16 year old daughter Paige has been the primary caregiver.  (She got malaria while we were down there too!  Thankfully I hear she is fine now.)
Sunday we met Paige at church and took Moses for the day to give her some rest.  It appears he has cerebral palsy.  It was so sad trying to feed him.  I don't think he was really able to swallow so we were scared food was getting into his lungs.  He started crying after we fed him. :(  He couldn't even suck on his sippy cup though he kept trying.  If you saw my facebook status last Sunday I was trying to find something we could be doing with him.  It's a tricky situation.  Some of Heartline's staff are scared his mom may change her mind and come back for him.  They don't want to put him up for adoption without her consent.  You never know if she is even watching from afar.  Meanwhile, the Livesay family is getting more and more attached, as is Moses.  Also, he really needs to be getting specialized care.  An adopted family in the United States could provide that.
These are the crazy situations that the Livesay family and other missionaries in Haiti have to deal with all the time.  They already have their plates full with their own families and the "normal" day-to-day activities at Heartline, not to mention bouts of malaria every now and then.  But then one day you can wake up to find out God is calling you to care for a disabled baby orphan for an unknown period of time.
Please pray for Moses to find his home.  At least for now he is happy and in a safe environment. :)  Look for updates on the Livesays' blog, livesayhaiti.blogspot.com.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

-James 1:27