GO YE- Haiti 2012

“If He was here, Jesus would walk the same way,” Patrick turned and said as we followed him single-file up a steep path of rocky terrain and plantain trees while little Richardson hugged my waist tightly to ensure I didn’t fall. Patrick may not have known the weight of his words at the time, but that phrase stayed with me as we made our journey up the dirt trail to a woman’s house in need of prayer. Even now as I’m back in America, sitting comfortably with a full belly in a climate controlled room, the phrase “WWJD?” has taken on a whole new meaning.

Patrick, our Haitian translator, the man who learned English through self-teaching of comparing his Haitian Creole Bible with the English version, only a mere 6 weeks ago I might add. Patrick, 26 years old with a 16 year old sister and a 9 year old brother, a mother who passed away on July 15, 2011 and a father who died when he was a young boy, once attended school in the Dominican Republic but had to return home to his village due to costs of his education. Patrick, our Haitian translator who works for Mission of Hope in order to put food on the table for his younger siblings and who God used mightily to impact our entire team. But there I go, getting ahead of myself….

Note: I started to document and write everything about this trip, the details, day to day…but it didn’t feel right, details aren’t what I want to share. The people, that’s what I want to share. The ones I traveled with, and the ones I met that impacted my soul to its very core. So please, as you read on, let these characters in my story of Haiti January 2012 touch your heart as they have touched mine.

MAIN CHARACTERS: There are two main characters in my story, without these two people, my Haiti experience would be just another mission trip. Let’s meet them, shall we?

PATRICK: I wrote a bit about Patrick earlier, but I don’t want you, the reader, to miss out on the great depth of love our team, and myself, have for this humble man. Our first real encounter with him was when he accompanied us into a village called Source Matelas (pronounced “Seuss Mahtlay”). He was quiet, watchful, and in his slow, yet perfect English, he told us we would be going from house to house, asking people if they know Jesus, if they are saved, and if there are any prayer needs. We did as we were instructed, and the first woman we came to had back pain, the first man we came to (Charles Mac), the same problem.  As we took turns praying for these people, it was immediately evident that Patrick was more than just our translator, he was a prayer warrior. The authority in which he prayed startled me, but I loved it. I knew this man was for real. In that village that morning, there were 3 women led to Christ, and one woman (Sandra) who Derek baptized using Rebecca’s water from her water bottle.  There were many people we prayed over, including a lady who was due to have a baby in about month. There were village children all around, most wanting us to cut our evangelizing short so we could play soccer.  It was in that village, going up the path I wrote of prior, that I really felt like one of His disciples. I looked down at my feet, filthy in my sandals, and I knew why the washing of the feet was such an honoring experience for the disciples. We went into homes that had no airflow, in the 90 degree weather with several people crammed into one room, and I knew, our Savior must have done the same thing.  I held a newborn baby, soaking wet in urine, but sleeping as peacefully as can be. And it was Patrick who was our guide, it was Patrick who led us in song on the way back from the village for he knew our hearts were heavy with what we had just seen. We saw Patrick be silly that afternoon while visiting an orphanage. He danced, he sang, he jumped. He had a gentle way with the children and our team knew we were in good hands when he was around. The following day, Patrick came with us to the village of Leveque where MOH had broken ground on 500 new homes to replace tents put up after the earthquake. Not only did he come with, he helped us paint (yellow) a house for a family who would soon be moving in. Before long, we were once again singing by his leading and while he worked side by side with Debbie on the inside of the house, he learned what her teasing was all about. J The Haitians don’t quite get our sense of humor, but Debbie tried.  She and I also tried to teach Patrick the song, “this little light of mine.” That day while painting, Patrick heard and saw all of our silliness, and loved us just the same. We learned more about him and he learned more about us, and when it was time to say goodbye when we returned to the mission, we reminded him that while he will see several teams each week and may never remember us, that we would never, ever forget him and would always be praying for him. As we stood in a circle of goodbyes and tears, Patrick reminded us, “When you go back home, you love everyone. You preach the Gospel. You make disciples.” Did he understand that our team was called the “Go Ye” team and that what he had spoken was our very mission? Probably not, but God knew what we needed to hear, and who we needed to hear it from.  Debbie later told us that Patrick opened up about wanting to preach the Gospel and evangelize all over Haiti. I pray one day, with his brother and his sister that they will get to do that. Thank you Patrick, for that’s all I can say. There aren’t enough pretty words in the entire world to make you understand how special you were/are to me and my team.

ELIZABETH: Our group coordinator/leader for the week. I instantly fell in love with this beautiful brunette who was all smiles and passion. Her story at the Mission of Hope began a couple of years ago while she was living in her home state of Colorado. She had a great job, all of her family and friends were there, but something was nagging her. She kept hearing from God to move to Arkansas. Ha! Arkansas! From Colorado! That’s what she was thinking…she had no idea what in the world He was asking of her or why, but through many sleepless nights, she finally obeyed Him. She packed up and moved away from financial security, family and friends to journey on a path that God wanted her follow. In Arkansas, she got connected to a church that went on mission trips yearly. Though Haiti wasn’t ever on her radar, she somehow got corralled into going to the Mission of Hope with a team, and when she arrived, she knew. She couldn’t get enough and had to go back, and the “whys” and “whats” and “whens” of obeying God started to make sense. It was then that an internship opened up for her to stay at MOH for 3 months, and that later led to a job. This story stayed in my heart during our stay on the mission. Obedience. Where would she be had she not moved to Arkansas? Her love of the Haitian people and land, her compassionate heart, and her tender spirit were contagious! And ya know, the next time He asks something of me that doesn’t make any sense, I’m going to remember Elizabeth’s story. We all need to remember Elizabeth’s story.

THE SUPPORTING CAST:

THE CHILDREN: Each and every one, whether I remember their name or not. But especially Tracy, who followed us the entire time at Source Matelas and who, after I gave a pack of granola thins to, was licking the paper because she was so hungry. And then there was 11 year old Richardson at the village who told me he loved me and held me tight. Little Pierre at MOH orphanage who sang “Hallelujah” and Matthew who kept telling me “no” every time I’d say his name. Steve who let me love on him, Christina who I met last time I was in Haiti at the Berci property, and saw again on this trip. There was Juna that I held, Phalencia from Victorious Kids Orphanage who is 13 and very very smart, little Guanshay (sp?) who sang to me as she rubbed my cheeks and wiped my tears, Revaldo who sang like a champ, Bobby, Jerry, and the list goes on and on and on. So many faces, so many little hands, so many smiles and hugs and kisses, all happy and unselfish in giving their love freely and openly.

OUR PRAYER WARRIORS: in particular? My mom (mine and debbie's, and derek's mom), and our oldest sister, Deanna. Not to mention the countless number of people who invested in us financially and/or prayerfully. The many people who texted and called and emailed me specifically saying they were praying on our behalf, I/we say a big THANK YOU!!! But in particular, it was our mother and our big sister who carried us via prayer to and from Haiti. I have no doubt that they were both on their knees in prayer before, during, and after our trip and I believe that great things can be accomplished for the glory and honor of the Kingdom when people have a supporting cast of prayer partners such as we had.

EXTRAS:

 DELMONT: Another translator at MOH, he said after he graduated school, he would travel around the world, maybe even Tampa, FL, and be “the BEST SOCCER PLAYER EVER!!!!”

MOH’s PRAISE AND WORSHIP TEAM: our Haitian Hillsong

OUR “GO YE” TEAM: myself, Derek, Rebecca, and Debbie

THE OTHER TEAMS ON THE MISSION: Miranda and her family, Sarah, Isabelle, Cindy, Christy and her family, Bill and Jean

JOHN FROM LEVEQUE: the man with 28 children and 15 mommas of those children…wow! Talk about a lot of baby momma drama…. But such a sweet man who helped me learn more Creole

HOSANNA: a widow in Source Matelas who was so grateful to God and couldn’t stop praising Him for what He had done in her life

THE GOATS, CHICKENS, DONKEYS, COWS, HORSES, DOGS: enough said

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, MY HUSBAND, DAVID: Without this man's support, prayer, love, and gratefulness for how the Father uses me overseas, I would never be able to take this trip, see Haiti, understand that God's love has no borders, and shine His light in a dark world. Thank you, David. I love you so!

AND SO MANY MORE PEOPLE!!!!! SO MANY MEMORIES, SO MANY STORIES, SO MUCH SPEAKING TO MY SPIRIT FROM THE FATHER!!!! SO MUCH PRAISE I GIVE TO THE GIVER OF LIFE!!!!!

I pray I never forget what it was like to walk off the beaten path, have a man named Patrick turn to us, and say “If He was here, Jesus would walk the same way.”

when life hurts, be an oyster

life is hard. pain hurts, hearts break.

Ephesians 6:11 tells us we must put on the armour of God in order to stand agains the schemes of the enemy. in Isaiah 54:17, our Father tell us that no weapon formed against us will prosper, or come to pass.

what do these two verses have in common? they're meant to prepare you for things that are happening or will happen in your life. we have to put on His armour for battle because, there WILL be a battle. and with His protection, no weapon formed against us will prosper...BUT, there WILL be weapons formed against us. we absolutley will face hard times, and sometimes, life kicks us when we're down. and it's painful, and dark, and sometimes the light doesn't come back for a long, long time.

this morning, i was looking at desiree's pearl earrings, and i was reminded how pearls are made. the oyster gets a grain of sand stuck in it, and it HURTS. the oyster must feel miserable, but during the pain, it is producing something beautiful; a pearl, something that is sought out by many because of its delicate beauty. then there's diamonds....they start as dirty coal, but through much pressure and heat, they become a precious gem. and silver is refined only through what? FIRE!

hard times will come! this world is hard, and we have an enemy who wants to destory us with whatever he can to make us ineffictive for the Kingdom of light. but through the hurt, the pressure, the fire, we are becoming something beautiful and much treasured.

be an oyster, let your pain produce something unique and valuable for someone else. you never know, the heartbreak you're going through today may be used in the future to help others going through the same thing, and the reason and purpose you're experiencing hurt now will all make sense.

our inconveniences are apart of His plan

i had such a lovely weekend. we spent it in warm, sunny florida, eating lunch on the beach, taking a stroll on the boardwalk, shopping, spending a day riding horses and enjoying the outdoors. a relaxing and fun time..until tragedy struck.

okay okay, well maybe not TRAGEDY so to speak. just a minor inconvenience really..but at the time, of course the world ended and doom and gloom set in. okay okay, maybe another small exaggeration, but i was aggravated. set backs are really a pain, aren't they?

about an hour after we left his dad's house, david noticed greasy fluid spraying up on my back glass. sure enough, it was transmission fluid. we had to quickly pull off and sit in a gas station parking lot for another hour until his dad came to get us. THANKFULLY, we didn't have to call a tow truck because his dad came with a flat bed trailer to load my car. THANKFULLY it happened only an hour away from his dad's and THANKFULLY david was with me when it happened. how many times have i made the trip to florida all by myself???

but of course in those first few moments, i was anything but THANKFUL. although, my first thought was, "i wonder what could have happened later on down the road had we kept going......" so while i immediatley put things in perspective, i was definitley not thankful. i was upset. i wanted to get home. i had a good time, but i wanted to go home. i started worrying about what my boss would say, what my co-workers would think, what david's work would do. i tried to put on a brave face, not knowing yet exactly what was wrong with the car, how long it would take to fix, or how much it would cost to fix it.

david quickly realized how upset i was getting, and being the rock that he is, he grabbed my hand and intently told me it would be okay. that worrying and making myself sick wouldn't help, and how we needed to stay positive and THANKFUL (there's that word again) that it happened while he was with me, and only an hour away from his dad and that we wouldn't have to pay for a tow truck. he must have spent 5 minutes giving me a good pep talk and calming my nerves.

david's dad showed up and as you can see from the picture, loaded my car up with no problems. THANKFULLY there was a man at his house who is a certified mechanic..who guess what? helped david fix my car. for not a lot of money and in a very short amount of time. i mean, how much favor does God give me and my family?! TOO MUCH!!! SO MUCH UNDESERVED GRACE AND MERCY HE SHOWERS ON US!!!!!

so i am THANKFUL!!!! thankful for whatever the reason was my car messed up (what the mechanic called a "fluke")..thankful that he was there to help david, thankful for the way it all worked out, thankful for getting home a day later and enjoying more time with my sweet little family, thankful for unforseen blessings, thankful that one day i will know the reason why this "fluke" happened. thankful that even when i have to look behind me to see something broken, like in this picture, i can trust that the broken will be fixed and that He has a plan in the brokeness. 

yuck on the surface

i have often wondered why, when it seemed like the closer i was getting to God, the more i messed up. i would sometimes chalk it up to just being "more aware" of my great need for a Savior and what a huge failure i was. but then i came to the realization that, while both of those points are most certainly true, my excess screwing up isn't something that the Father uses to rub in my face and make me smell my own dirty laundry, so to speak.

so, i think i finally get it. when i need a break-through the most, when i seem to mess up time and time again, when my attitudes are at their worse and my mouth is spewing awful things, i think i can finally see and understand the plan He has for me through all of it. He is allowing my ugliness to come to the surface.

okay, so stay with me. when i exercise, my body sweats, which brings impurities and dirt, bacteria, and toxins to the surface. now, if i don't quickly exfoliate, clean, wipe the yucky away, then it stays on my skin. clogging my pores, and causing acne.

when you soak beans, you soak them to clean them. when they're in the pot, all of the dirt and filth from the beans rises to the top and it has to be skimmed away. if not, then the beans just cook in dirty water and nothing about the bean changes. you may as well not soak them at all.

don't you see? when our Father allows faults to rise to the surface, He wants to exfoliate, cleanse, skim them away! when it seems that you are closer than ever to Him, but can't understand why you're angry, depressed, using ugly language, etc....it's because in His great love, in His tender mercy, He is crying out for you to be cleansed and delivered of whatever binds you! we need our impurities to rise to the surface, to come out of us in order that we be scrubbed clean. but, we have to LET Him take away our sins..we have to allow Him to free us and get us out of the bondage that He is exposing to us to be on a deeper level of intimacy with Him.

He wants free fellowship with us, and if there are things hidden in our hearts that have yet to rise to the surface, we may not see the huge requirement in front of us to be whole and healthy individuals in order to be used by Him and for Him.

so go and be blessed, and know that every step you take closer to the Father, the more pure you will become. but it's not easy, the cleansing isn't always gentle...but His love is gentle, His mercy never ending, His kindess always enduring.

$3 for eighty cents?!

i was furious this evening when i found out that my 6 year old daughter traded $3 in coins she had (for a fundraiser at school) for .80 cents. i saw no logic in it, she gave me no answer other than she wanted to..she doesn't know the girl's name, only that she is in second grade. i kept saying over and over, "you gave up your three dollars for .80 cents?" this may seem menial to you, but i'm all about teaching my girls the value of a dollar and RESPONSIBILITY!!! not to mention, most of the money she had came out of her sister's piggy bank. $3 in exchange for .80 cents. sounds like a raw deal to me.

so, who do i call and vent to? my best friend of course!!! i called david, her daddy, my husband, our rock. i just couldn't understand why anyone would give three dollars in exchange for eighty cents. i wanted him to talk to her; he did, much more calmly than me, and then when i got back on the phone, i just kept saying, "why would she DO that?! $3 for eighty cents?!"...and then of course all of my questioning subsided when the Spirit reminded me i do that to my Savior all the time.

i have the most costly gifts...salvation, grace, mercy. and i am daily exchanging it for something much cheaper...wrong attitudes, harsh words, pride. i willingly exchange my gifts from God for something that is of far less value. and i do this often. how many times do i get done praying, "thank you so much for Your mercy"...and then refuse to give mercy to someone else who needs it? or maybe i'll trade His love in on people-approval..DEFINITLEY MUCH LESS VALUABLE BY THE WAY, because basically people suck and so does their approval. most i know are fake fake fake and their approval is also fake fake fake. so instead of making sure i'm pleasing Him and basking in His love for me, i'm too busy ignoring His acceptance and seeking it in someone else.

this is an every day occurence that WE ALL do this!!! we take the diamonds and pearls that our Father in Heaven gives us and exchange them at the corner street market for some cheap costume jewelry. and then we walk around all day wearing our costume jewelry, thinking we're better than everyone, full of pride and "me-ness," and completely ignore the fact that the fake jewelry around our necks will break like cheap garbage and we'll be in desperate need for those diamonds and pearls once more.

DEAR GOD, PLEASE don't let me exchange the blessings You give me for something that could NEVER equal the value of Your gifts!!!! $3 for eighty cents may seem like a raw deal, but so does grace in exchange for self.

it's a lie: just a blog to vent

if anyone can prove to me that christmas, december 25th, is our Savior's day of birth.. i will literally stand on my head for 24 hours. seriously. it is a proven fact that He was not born in december at all, and definitley not on december 25th. do your own research, it's all there. computer, books, history, the Bible....check it out. you've been lied to. "Jesus is the reason for the season?" um, no. take me for a scrooge, and a bah-humbug, but our Messiah should be the reason for every season. the fact that He came to earth as a God-babe should be celebrated EVERY DAY..not just one day that is mixed with some fat man in a red suit, presents, over-eating, family disputes, and self-indulgence! so the next time someone says that christmas is His birthday, you can ask why they believe that. and 99% of the time it's because of how they were raised, or because of what a church told them. but it's a lie. so i suggest you dig and do your own research. and if you can prove me wrong, then by all means..i'm ready to stand on my head :)

why Jesus is better than Santa

i was surfing through my old myspace blogs (man, i used to be a fiery one in my writing) and came across this. thought i'd share it since it's the season for santa. i think it's something that my sis-in-law sent me, but loved it so much i copied and pasted it on my blog.

WHY JESUS IS BETTER THAN SANTA CLAUS!
Santa lives at the North Pole....JESUS is everywhere

Santa rides in a sleigh...JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water

Santa comes but once a year.....JESUS is an ever present help

Santa fills your stockings with goodies.....JESUS supplies all your needs

Santa comes down your chimney uninvited...JESUS stands at your door and knocks, and then enters your heart invited

You have to wait in line to see Santa...JESUS is as close as the mention of His name

Santa doesn't know your name; all he can say is "Hi, little boy or girl, what's your name?"....JESUS knew our name before we were born. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our head!!!

Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly...JESUS has a heart full of love

All Santa can offer is HO HO HO...JESUS offers health, help and hope

Santa says, "You better not cry"..JESUS says, "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you." (this one is my favorite)

Santa's little helpers make toys....JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes, and builds mansions

Santa may make you chuckle but...JESUS gives you joy that is your strength

While Santa puts gifts under your tree...JESUS became our gift and died on a tree