Pray

Sometimes we have those weeks that are more difficult than others.  This week has been one of those weeks, so, dear friends, be praying.  Here's why.

On Tuesday, I developed a swollen gland.  Through that night, the swollen gland multiplied to several swollen glands on the right side of my neck.  I had no other symptoms or fever or anything.  By Wednesday morning, the right side of my neck was visibly swollen and we headed to the clinic.  The doctor put me on an antibiotic and told me to double my 1,000 mg dose of Vitamin C.  Along with rest and liquids, I have been trying to make sure I am diligent in taking the medication.  Between Wednesday and now, there have been stomach aches, fevers, headaches, and a literal pain in my neck as the glands remain swollen.

This morning found us at the clinic again, this time for the dreaded blood tests.  We will receive the results on Monday, but in the meantime, friends, please pray.  Pray for complete healing.  Pray that this  infection would be just a random mystery that is miraculously removed.  I believe that God can heal me and I believe that He hears the prayers of His people, so pray friends.  Above all things pray that His will be done.

It's different for me to write this way, but I hope you understand and pray.  Thank you in advance for your prayers.

"Soley la Toujou Leve"

In church on Sunday, the congregation here in our community took some time to praise the Lord because, after the hurricane passed us by, the sun still rises.  The eye of Hurricane Sandy did not actually strike land in Haiti and we were fortunate in that, but we still got plenty of rain that caused flooding and the loss of many things and over several lives.

Last week, when Sandy was on her way through this area, Almando and I were leading a trip in Gressier, Haiti, so I kept a close eye on the storm.  Our teams were great and we continued working as planned.  Our day to see more of Haiti was changed to a morning of worship and an afternoon of seeing more of Haiti.  Our teams made it home safely on Friday, but the rain continued.  

Flooding was a major problem especially in the south and in low lying areas.  Rivers that are normally just more than small creeks quickly turned into raging rapids and people crowded to the bridges to watch the river expand and gain depth.  The rain in the mountains washed much dirt and gravel across the main road and into the ditches and beaches on the other side.  We ventured further than our home to see the river in Leogane and were surprised to see its depth too.

That was Friday.  Everything was wet and chilly.  On Saturday, though, the sun rose.  Praise God!  The sun rose!  Everything started drying up and warming up.  Soon, we won't even see evidences that there was so much rain last week.  We will just remember the sun.

The message at church goes through my mind often.  The sun still rises after the trouble times, the dark times, and the gloomy times.  The sun still rises.  

By Faith...

Sometimes you will meet someone who reminds you of Hebrews 11: the Hall of Faith.  This week I was reminded again of Hebrews 11 in someone I have known for a long time.  Her name is Mona, but we call her Sister Mona.  She has been serving in Haiti for 20 years but that doesn't make me think of the Hall of Faith, there is so much more to Sister Mona that does.

Good Shepherd Orphanage is where I met Sister Mona and also where 30+ kids live and many, many more find the love and care that they need.  She loves all of the kids no matter where they come from and she wants to help the ones that she can.  She knows she can't save every child in Haiti, but she can help those who are in front of her.  And she does.

Each year, Good Shepherd Orphanage hosts a Christmas party for children in the Port-au-Prince area.  They send out the buses to pick the kids up, bring them to have a wonderful meal, and receive a present before bringing them home.  This would be a big undertaking for 50 kids, but they will be hosting almost 2,000 this year at this one party.  Sister Mona loves putting all of this together so much that she has decided to bring the party to a couple other orphanages this year as well as the general hospital.  She is planning it in faith as the funds have not come in to provide for the food...yet.  God will make it happen.

Besides the Christmas season, Sister Mona works hard to help more kids get an education.  She started a sponsorship program in which the children would receive everything they need for school for a year including one hot meal a day, books, uniforms, shoes, and book bags.  This program had 22 children in it last year and 22 again this year even though the sponsors didn't renew their sponsorship.  Sister Mona is providing these things for these 22 children knowing that God will move in hearts to sponsor these children through college.  She is doing this by faith and was so excited to show me the packed book bags ready to deliver to the children when we visited her last week.

In serving at the orphanage, Sister Mona works by faith.  In life, she does too.  She considers herself a volunteer and trusts God with her every need.  God provides.  She knows this.  She trusts that He always will.  For her life and for the children.

God does the same for all of us, if we would let Him.  What a great God we serve that we could just live and let Him work.  One thing Sister Mona always tells me, "I don't even feel like I am working.  I'm just having fun!"  She just has peace from God and faith in Him that makes her find joy!  All these things are from God.  I am so thankful that I have a friend in Sister Mona who continues to show me and remind me that God is Faithful and He has a plan for each of us!

Something Familiar but Never the Same

I am currently sitting at a restaurant not far from the airport waiting for a team of 34 people to come in.  Their flight is delayed, but that's okay because it gives us a little more time to feel prepared for the upcoming week.  This is what we do before a trip begins.  We get to this side of town early to make sure we are on time for our teams, then we wait.  There will surely be many hugs and warm greetings that come as our staff trickle in as well all wearing the blue and orange PPM T-shirts.  Then we wait some more.

Once the airline website says the plane has landed, we know we have a certain amount of time before we head to the airport to wait with a crowd of people in anticipation of seeing a sea of blue t-shirts walking toward us.  We often use the saying "a watched pot never boils".  Then, they finally will arrive.

The bus ride is usually filled with lots of questions, introductions, and small talk on the way to wherever we will be staying or with a lot of sleeping people.  As the day and week goes on, we will get to know this group very well--some individuals better than others. We will help them serve well, help them process what they are experiencing, and encourage them to continue serving well after the trip has ended.  When it is time to say goodbye, we know we will be sad, but we also know that this is not goodbye forever as we are part of the same family of God.

This is always a familiar process, but each team and each individual we meet is different.  The ministry may look different and so will the time spent in fellowship.  Be praying for us this week as we serve in Mariani with a group of 34 people and 3 other wonderful PPM staff members.  This is not just another week.

Home Sweet Haiti!

After a six week visit in the states and a travel day full of interesting experiences from delayed planes to airport slumber, we made it home to our little house in Haiti.  When we left Minnesota, we had grown accustomed to the one shower a day routine of most Americans, then we remembered why we take so many showers in Haiti--it's much warmer here!  We breathed in the humid air, looked at each other knowing that we would no longer be needing chap stick.

As we were driving through Port-au-Prince we noticed some changes like the Palace being taken down, new stretches of roads, and more tent cities being emptied out as people move to more permanent residences.  We arrived at our house around mid-morning, so not many people were around.    I jumped right into unpacking and Al started putting together much needed appliances we brought with us from the states such as a ceiling fan that is now swirling above my head.

We kept ourselves busy--unpacking, organizing, and reorganizing all the while trying to wrap our minds around what is next.  We have two weeks of trips starting this Saturday that we are looking forward to, but--for those of you who know--there are a lot of last minute details that will be falling into place during the next couple of days. While you are reading this, please pray for those details to fall into place easily so we can relax and enjoy our last two days here with our family before heading out.

It happened again!

I was somewhere between St. Louis and Knoxville yesterday when the thought crossed my mind: "is this really my life?" There I was driving down the freeway, listening to worship music, sitting next to my first Haitian friend-who is now my husband on our way to visit a church that has sent multiple teams to encourage pastors in Haiti through Praying Pelican Missions and it just felt unreal. I thought about pinching myself to see if I was dreaming, but since I was driving I didn't think it was a good idea. This was not the first time the thought had crossed my mind and it won't be the last--I am sure.

The last week and a half, Al and I have been in every time zone there is in the lower 48 states. We have driven from Minnesota to Washington to Montana to Colorado to Tennessee...so far. The purpose behind the trip wasn't to see the far corners of the US, though we have seen a couple of those, the point of our driving around was to connect with and visit our dear friends and prayer warriors and share with churches opportunities to partner with us.

My brain can't quite comprehend this reality of living a life so full of love, ministry, and faith. Who am I to live this life? Who am I to serve the Lord? How blessed I am to be a child of God. How blessed I am to be a member of this family. This Body of Christ.

As we were sharing with the church this morning it happened again. "Is this really my life?" Yes. It is. And I am part of this Body of Christ that crosses states and nations! As we continue on this journey, please be praying the God's will be done in our lives. And that He is glorified in us.

Watched. Humbled. Blessed.

Something has been brought to my attention as Almando and I have finished our summer trips in August and have been traveling in the states these last few weeks.  We are watched.  Whether that is on facebook, on trips, speaking at churches, or traveling across the country we are watched by many people.  Knowing this, causes me to look at my life--at who God created me to be--and, when I look, I see that I am a mess.  

A friend came to me the other and told me that we have affected his life and his family's life.  He talks about us often to his church family and watches how his family is touched by being connected--even in a small way--to us.  Hearing his words brought me to tears.  Even now, those words are ringing in my ears. He reminded me that God is using us even when we don't realize it.  I was humbled by this reminder and realization knowing that I am still a sinful human being that God chose to represent Himself on earth.

We have been given the opportunity to speak in two different public schools in two different states and have seen God work through those times as well.  The presentation is mostly answering the questions that so many people ask about Haiti and the people living there, but we can't talk about Haiti without talking about the ministry that we are doing.  After we were finished speaking at the school today, I was approached by a young girl asking for more information.  I don't know if she knows the Lord, but I know I can pray for her and talk with her about opportunities in Haiti which include so much more than just going to Haiti for a week.  What a blessing.  How blessed we are that God chooses to use us in ways we don't expect.

So, something that God has laid on my heart is that we are indeed watched by the world and they are looking for His love shining through us. I am humbled because God is using me in ways I may never know and giving me the privilege of being His representative on earth.  We are blessed because He continues to give us opportunities to serve Him and share who He is with the world in many different ways.  Praise God for all He is doing.

He is so good!