Thank You!

Rusty and I would like to thank you for all of the kindness and support that you have shown to us over the last four years while we were serving the Lord in Haiti. We have resigned and are no longer working with JBA on their mission in Haiti. We were so incredibly blessed to witness God's hand at work and are sincerely grateful to you for your part in that blessing. Without your gifts and prayer support we would not have been able to serve. Your friendship is a treasure to us. Please continue to support the mission and these children we love so much. I will post photos of the orphanage children in the next few days which will remain on the blog as our closing entry.

God bless you,

Cheryl

Thanks Shelly & Lexi !

Thanks Shelly & Lexi!

You poured yourself out as a living sacrifice- wholly and without reserve- to love and serve those you did not know- yet precious to Him. And we were blessed.

Psalm 40

^4-5 Blessed are you who give yourselves over to God,

turn your backs on the world's "sure thing,"
ignore what the world worships;
The world's a huge stockpile
of God-wonders and God-thoughts.
Nothing and no one

comes close to you!

I start talking about you, telling what I know,
and quickly run out of words.
Neither numbers nor words

account for you.

⁶ Doing something for you, bringing something to you—
that's not what you're after.
Being religious, acting pious—
that's not what you're asking for.
You've opened my ears
so I can listen.

^7-8 So I answered, "I'm coming.
I read in your letter what you wrote about me,
And I'm coming to the partyyou're throwing for me."
That's when God's Word entered my life,
became part of my very being.

^9-10 I've preached you to the whole congregation,
I've kept back nothing, God—you know that.I didn't keep the news of your ways
a secret, didn't keep it to myself.
I told it all, how dependable you are, how thorough.
I didn't hold back pieces of love and truth
For myself alone. I told it all,
let the congregation know the whole story.

Pictures from the last few days.

Tuesday was the first day of VBS. We learned that God made the World :)

Another blessing was that we were able to purchase 2 new washing machines. These might help washing laundry for 43 kids go a little bit faster.

Last night, some of the kids opened gifts that they got from their sponsors. Many of them got new clothes and toys.


The team is beginning to feel the effects of very hot weather and less sleep but we all can attest to the great things God is doing in Haiti.

Day 2

The computer won't upload pictures tonight. I was going to show you the beautiful Haiti sunrise, our group preparing for VB S which starts in the morning, some of the team helping teach an English class, our group loving on the children, the men spending the day looking for washers and hardware, treating a child for pink eye, giving a child a guitar lesson, and a climb on the roof to fix a leaky roof.

Hopefully technology will cooperate tomorrow.
We love all our family and friends. We wish you could be here with us!

AUGUST TEAM ARRIVES

We arrived in Port-au-Prince, the beginning of our journey.

Here we are waiting to go through immigration.

We arrived at the orphanage and began unpacking the 32 duffel bags we brought full of supplies. Lots of organizing to do!

Tomorrow we will begin our work and get to visit with our precious children. There's VBS, clothesline to construct, washers to buy, and English classes to speak to.

Thank you Lord for allowing us to be here in this country of beautiful people. Help us to be Your hands and Your heart.

Birthday Party, Team Departure, and Market Day

Last night we had a fun, yet very chaotic time celebrating July birthdays. It's always great to hear them sing over and over to each individual child ... last night, I believe, there were 7 birthdays. After lots of singing and cupcakes, we all sat (well, some ran around) and sang songs together for quite a while. A good way for the team to end their week here.

This morning was time to say goodbye. I've never done well with goodbyes and let's just say this certainly was not one of my easiest. Many treats were given out to the children this morning, many kids up here "helping" ... it was chaos at its best ... but we did have a few special moments and love-on-the-kids moments before we left for the airport. I had to reassure MANY children that Mama Shelly was indeed returning from the airport and not going to America with the team.

I had promised the older girls at the beginning of the teams stay that I would take them to market after the team left. They took me literally ... and were all dressed and ready to go when we arrived home from the airport. I'm a big ole softy sometimes and a bit emotional today anyway, so how could I think of saying no?? I even spoiled them a bit by buying them a couple of "out of the norm" treats. Someone's gotta do it. :)

We had a great afternoon once we returned from the market. I think I counted 18 children up here at one point ... just hangin out. We had 10 of them up here for dinner and have MANY girls looking forward to a big ole slumber party with Shelly and Lexi tonight. Great fun, that's for sure. I just heard that the team is safely in Miami, awaiting their flight to Jacksonville ... best wishes and safe travels to you all ... and thanks again for a great week together!!

Catching up ...

I'm sorry that it has been a couple of days ... photos haven't been uploading and I know it is better to see pictures than to listen to what I have to say all the time! The team has kept busy and will soon be heading back to the states. Thanks so much to all of them for the many projects they helped us out with this week! And ... they certainly kept us laughing!

They finished up 2 sets of cabinet/shelves and I think that they will work great in the kids' rooms. They also completed the absolutely HUGE task I set before them which was organizing the storage room. Not only can I find things now, but it looks incredible! I am THRILLED beyond measure that they were able to help out with this!


Friday afternoon, we took the children to the beach and had a great time together. And then on Saturday afternoon, we took just a few employees and the team to Wahoo Bay, which I believe is one of the most beautiful places I've seen in Haiti. Both days were great fun and good breaks for all of us.

Although Cheryl probably wouldn't approve, I just had to include the above picture ... when she caught a crab at Wahoo :) She and Lexi were chasing him around for quite some time. I took a zillion photos of different scenery sort of stuff at the beach, but the one below is probably my favorite from the two afternoons.

Today was church in the morning ... Pastor Micah preached a phenominal sermon and the team ministered through song. It was a great time of worship and a great time for some of them to love on the kiddos (altho it does get a tad hot and a bit overwhelming to have 50 kids with you in church!).

Thanks again, to everyone on the team for all you've accomplished this week for the kingdom. Thank you for taking time out of your "normal" life to spend a week with us and to share your lives with God's precious children. A special thanks to Rusty and Cheryl ... there aren't even words to express how much I appreciate them, how much I love them and how honored I am to know them and to be a part of their lives. You guys are a treasure. You are incredible people and we love you so much. Thanks for giving your all ... over and over again!

Sharing God's Love

We have a team here this week and they have been working on some projects to help improve the orphanage. They have made the children some swings, put together many parts and pieces to make 4 bicycles, are working on shelving for the childrens' rooms and the storage room, etc. They have also enjoyed playing with and getting to know the children as well as holding a men's conference last night and this evening for some of the men in the community. I can hear them worshipping over at the church right now as I type these words. After the conference tonight, they will be fed a chicken dinner.

They have been keeping busy, as have I, and I have not been able to spend a lot of time with them over the last three days. On Tuesday afternoon, our precious Jerry (10 years old but very small for his age) fell and broke his arm. That afternoon, I took him to Doctors without Borders and spent a loooooong time there. They are doing great things there and help many people ... but honestly, it is a very difficult place to be. I had a tough time being there alone with him and finally had my breakdown when I returned to the orphanage that evening. In the bed next to him was a woman who had been beaten ... next to her were two children who had been severly burned. It was heart-breaking. Jerry was scared and having a tough time, but I gave him loads of love and held him tight as much as I possibly could. :) I thanked God many times throughout the day that I was able to be there ... and that I took a few years of Spanish way back when because that is how I was able to communicate with the doctor ...

That next morning (yesterday), we took Jerry to Sacred Heart Hospital to have surgery. This hospital is quite amazing for Haiti and very much like a hospital in the states. It was a nice change! The surgeon made a small incision in his arm and put in two pins. In a few weeks, I will take him back and they will be removed. He did GREAT and was a very brave boy all day yesterday! Since the surgery was a little later in the day, we were unable to take him home and he spent the night in the hospital ... Jonas stayed with him. I went back this morning to pick him up and meet with the doctor again. He said everything went so well and that Jerry is doing fabulous. We are thrilled with the success and ask that you keep little Jerry in your prayers as his arm begins to heal and become strong again.

Now that Jerry is back at the orphanage, he is getting a whole lot of attention from all of the children as well as the adults. Earlier, he came upstairs with a handful of suckers and a big smile on his face :). He slept in my room last night and believes he is again tonight ... which is fine by me. Jerry had a special place in my heart long before his injury, but now ... Mama Shelly loves him like I love my own. He's a special guy, that's for sure. Again, please pray for a full and quick recovery for Jerry. The doctor said that he shouldn't have any pain and that he should heal quickly. And believe me, we'll be keeping an eye on him. I am SO thankful to have been here when this happened ... and Jerry, a precious little orphan boy, had two mamas to be there for him and to love on him.

Sunday afternoon

Yesterday, as we were toward the end of our church service, I saw a familiar truck drive up to the orphanage, followed by two vans. As I walked over to see what was going on, children began piling out of the vans like crazy! I'm thinking, "No, no! I can't take all these children!" Come to find out, these were all the children from the orphanage that was destroyed by the hurricane ... all the children who stayed here during those days following the tragic event. They had come to say thank you for helping them and had a few songs prepared to sing for the children. It was great fun and there were many many hugs following!

After the children were gone, we began the great adventure of making sandwiches, snacks and juice to take along with us to the beach. I had found out that morning that there is a different beach, a little further down that is literally 1/5 the price of the one we normally go to. The children were THRILLED when I said that anyone who wanted to go was welcome to come with. There was a whole lot of yelling and screaming and excitement in the hour before we left and throughout the trip there. The van was packed with 27 children ... and Nick and I. Once there, the children LOVED this beach and had a great time playing in the water and hanging out together.

Of course, the photographer in me took over and I had the best time taking all sorts of different photos. When I had taken almost 60, I realized that was probably enough for one afternoon :)

The mountains are so magnificant and the sunrise was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. The emotions were inexplicable as I was photographing the sites and enjoying the children. Several times, I had to wipe a tear trickling down my face as I thought about our first 5 weeks here and next 5 to come.

Something that I have not been able to get out of my mind for the past few days is a visit that we had at the orphanage. A group of 15 people came walking in the gate the other day, one older woman, 3 or 4 young ladies, 3 or 4 young men, and the rest were children (maybe 10-15 yr olds). As they were all chatting amongst themselves and then to an employee here, before he had to tell me, I understood that they were the family of one of our little 6 year old boys. He came out to the front porch to meet with them and was very quiet, couldn't look anyone in the eye ... I was told (by an employee) that this is the first time he has ever had his family come to visit him. My heart broke as they walked away after spending 5 minutes here. My heart ached as I looked at him and wondered what he must be thinking, seeing them leave WITH SO MANY CHILDREN. What about him? It was very difficult for me and I cannot imagine how much more difficult it was for him.

He speaks very few English words ... but I merely walked up to him and gave him the tightest squeeze I could and told him that I loved him. He smiled and hugged back and said he loves Mama Shelly too. A few minutes later, he took off on a scooter and was back to himself. But I can't help but wonder what he was thinking as he fell asleep that night. I can't help but wonder what a lot of these children think, the things they have been through ... it breaks my heart over and over again and makes me want to not only squeeze my own daughter a little tighter, but love on these kids more and more each day. God gave us an incredible opportunity in being able to spend our summer here and when I leave, I want each and every one of these children to feel a little more loved ... by me and by their heavenly Father.

On a Mountain Top

This afternoon, we went to the top of the mountain ... okay, more like a large hill ... that overlooks The Habitat. We hadn't been up this way before and the view was great!

There's just somethin about being somewhere with a view like this. The mountains ... in all their majesty ... proclaim God's majesty like nothing else.

We even me at few little friends along the way :)

Earlier that afternoon, as we were waiting to leave for our little adventure, one of the nannies came up to me with another who speaks English quite well. She was hiding somewhat behind the other nanny ... I asked them if they needed something and the English-speaking one told me that the other needed money for a tap-tap ride (somewhat taxi-ish) home. She had no money. I nodded and asked her how much it would cost ... and was told "ten goudes."

Ten goudes.

In the U.S., that is equal to 25 cents.

25 cents and she was sheepishly coming to me, asking for help.

I went upstairs and grabbed a few coins, counting them on my way down. I had grabbed 20 goudes. I handed them to her in two piles of 10 goudes, counting to two and showing her it was enough for two rides. She literally bowed to me and got all teary-eyed "mezi mama, mezi mama Shelly." You would have thought that I had given her a thousand dollars.

These are the moments that break my heart, yet the very moments I treasure.

JOY

God is hope to a broken world.
He is a Father to the fatherless.
He is love where there is no love.
He is peace throughout the storm.
He is joy amidst the sorrow.
He is the way ... every time.

And today ...

I will rejoice for He has made me glad!

(pictured above: Madeline, Fritzon, Mackinson, Dourison, Dada, and Roudfaelle)

An out-of-ordinary Beach Day

It will probably sound funny when I say that we only had 10 people along on our beach trip yesterday ... but in comparison to two weeks ago, when we took 21 ... it was a breeze! We took the older boys on the outting yesterday, along with a girlfriend for Lexi. Who would have thought that in taking boys 12 and older that we would have the privaledge of hearing awesome praise and worship music on our way? No, not the radio ... not a cd, but the boys sang their hearts out the whole way to the beach. It blessed me like crazy. And once we were there, they all had a great time.

After a while, several of the boys joined another group there in playing soccer, so Lexi, Mirloudes and I went for a nice long walk. It wasn't too hot (only about 95) and there was a nice breeze and we had a great time exploring. We found some really great treasures, too!

About 1/2 hour before our "normal" leaving time, it began to POUR down rain, without any notice. We grabbed all our belongings as quickly as possible and headed for shelter. There we stood, eating our PB sandwiches and watching the rain, when one of the boys asked if they could go out into the downpour. There was no thunder, no lightening ... so I smiled and said "Okay." The word was barely out of my mouth and all of the children went running into the rain ... what a riot!! Until it began to lightening ... then we packed our wet selves into the van.

But the van would not start. And it would not start. And it would not start. We joked about sleeping in the van, sleeping on the beach, and the van would not start. Nick finally pointed out that we were really low on gas and perhaps we were out. He took a container and got a ride to the gas station, while we walked back out onto the beach, as it had stopped raining. There was a guy out there smoking ... and one of the boys told him, "The Bible says that you should not do this" and did the smoking motion with his hand. It was quite funny. The guy had no idea what to say, and just sort of shrugged and laughed. Nick finally returned over 40 minutes later with gas. We piled back into the van as it began to rain again, and the van would not start. And the van would not start. And the van would not start.

After almost an hour, we finally get a man who knows a man who knows a man who can come pick us up and give us a ride back to the orphanage. He lives about 20 minutes out ... as he pulled up next to our van, Nick tried it once more and it STARTED with no problem. Hmmmm ... I had to pay the man $50 Haitian (about $6 US) for wasting his trip, but that was better than the $150 I was going to pay him for taking us home.

After all was said and done, our beach day ended very late and we came home with a bunch of tired kids ... we didn't eat supper until 9pm and I think we were all asleep before 10.

The fun never ends around this place, I tell ya!! It is certainly one adventure after another!

Lovin' on Babies

This afternoon, Lexi and I spent some quality time doin nothing but loving on some wee ones. We had fun, they had fun ... and we got some cute pix too :)

Sweet, sweet Emily, always there with a smile on that cute face of hers!

Jack-Jack is starting to come out of his quiet little shell!

Lexi giving squeezes to everybody around! Emily, Dourison, Jerry, KC, and little Mack

Big squeezes and tickles for my babies! Dourison and Emily ... ya gotta love em!

The Best of Times

The Baby pool has been a great new adventure for the wee ones at the orphanage!

The baby ride-on toys and scooters and skates for the older children have been great!

Jacob saw the older children riding on the scooters and wanted to try his ride-on toy the same way ... it was so cute!

The slide finally got to Haiti last week and I think that it has been the biggest hit of all. All of the older children gather around and help the little ones up and down the slide. It is great fun for all!

The computer room is finished! ( and more random thoughts)

Check out the computer room ... this room is for the older kids to enjoy ... last month, a couple of computers were donated to the orphanage and put into this room (thank you ... again! post and photos are back a few posts). Since then, I decided it would be cool to get more stuff into that room ... to make it a cool hang out place for the kids. We added a bookshelf and a table, which Hermen so kindly made for us ... I painted them, and loaded the shelf full of books, toys, puzzles, and games (we could sure use more though). It is a GREAT hit and the kids have loved spending time in here!





Here is what the computer room looked like before:







And this is what it looks like now!! They are even doing a great job of making it look like this every day when they are finished playing! (wow, that is an accomplishment!).

So ... needless to say, we are very happy with this and hope it continues to be a blessing to the kids. Cheryl sent some fun big toys for the kids to enjoy ... and they have been having a ball with all of their new things!

Of course, the computer has decided that it is finished uploading photos right now. I was going to post some photos of the kids on their new baby slide, on some ride-on toys, in the baby pool ... but that is obviously not going to happen right now. Moan. Groan. This is how it works (or doesn't work!) in Haiti!

It has been a very eventful several days and I am sorry I have been unable to post. There are several reasons for that ... lack of time, lack of internet, lack of knowing what to share and what not to share ... the list goes on. It's been a struggle, to say the least, and we have been tested and pulled in many directions. But God is faithful and we are being obedient and holding onto His promises. Each and every kid is healthy and doing well. They are happy and they love having us around. Yesterday, I was having a "down and discouraged" moment, and Lexi came walking around the corner wearing big white angel wings on her back and dancing around, singing "all night, all day, angels watching over me ... " It cracked me up ... and once again put things into perspective for me. God knows when I need moments like those and gives them to me each and every time!!

This past Sunday, I just needed a touch from Him, and as I went to bed the night before, I asked Him to just give me one song. One song that I could sing along with in English. One song I knew and could worship with my whole heart. God smiled and said, "No Shelly, I will do more than that for you" ... He gave me SIX. Yes, really ... six songs I knew and could sing along to in my own language. I need to stop limiting Him and stop limiting my potential in Him. He has and will come through every time ... in one way or another ... if I just have my heart in the right place and my mind on Him.

At a loss for words

It's been a rough couple of days and it's been difficult to figure out exactly what to say on the blog to share with friends and anyone else who reads this.

Don't get me wrong. I love every child here. I have become attached to so many of them and have gotten to know each and every one of them so much better. If living here was just about the children, just hanging out and playing with kids, it would be such an easy road. But, sadly, there is a whole lot more to it than that and someone who hasn't lived here, cannot truly get it. Ever.

To sit here and write examples for you seems so silly, because as they come to mind, most of them will sound little and insignificant to you. There are many and when you put them all together, every day gets just a little bit more difficult. I was reminded last night, as I held my favorite little guy in my arms, why I am here. It isn't about their money issues, it isn't about the generator or the water, or any of the ridiculous things ... it is about helping provide better care for these children. It takes a lot of effort and a lot of constant reminders for me to get back to that fact. Last night, after I had already gone to bed, someone was at the door. Lexi went to open it and came running back to me, "mom, they need you!" My first thought was, "Oh, now what?" But when Marie-Joe came toward me with her arm around Mirloudes, I could tell something wasn't right. Mirloudes was in tears and burning up. She needed a mom. And I had the privaledge of being her mom last night. I gave her medicine, I gave her water, and I gave her love. THAT is what it is all about.

Jesus Loves the Little Children

This morning, I sat under a tree with Nalda (pictured above) on my lap. I was enjoying the shade of the tree and the laughter coming from her as the leaves kept blowing onto my shirt. She would pick up the leaf, throw it on the ground, and wipe my shirt a little as if it had left my shirt dirty. Then she would giggle and do it all over again. 5 minutes into our time together, she picked up a leaf that was a little more colorful than the others had been and she showed it to me ... and then began tearing it apart into little pieces, throwing each one into the air and smiling. When the last piece was gone, she began to sing. She was singing in Creole, but it only took a couple of words for me to realize that she was singing, "Jesus Loves the Little Children." Nalda loves to sing ... and dance. As she sang it through the second time, I joined her in English. Nalda singing in Creole, me singing in English. The very same song, the very same words ... about the very same Jesus. As I walked away a few minutes later, for no apparant reason, tears formed in my eyes and I glanced over to the nannies sitting on the porch with many of the wee ones. They were singing as well (yea!!) ... "Jesus Loves Me" ...

I came upstairs and took out my journal, but fell short on what to say. So much in my heart, so much on my mind, yet to try to write about it seems so ... even now, the words don't come.

I have seen and heard things in Haiti that I would never have imagined. I have laughed so much with the children and enjoyed them immensely. Yet I have cried just as many tears. Thinking of those living in the village when it is pouring down rain outside. Thinking about a woman we drove back to Bercy from Port Au Prince whose husband beat her with the wooden handle of a hoe. Thinking of the many mothers and fathers who want nothing to do with their own children. Seeing the many children who deserve so much better and knowing I cannot fix their situations. It is a hard life and it breaks my heart over and over again.

(the two photos above, I took the other day in Bercy, our village). Okay ... in the time it has taken me to post this, I have treated one child for scabies, put medicine on a cut behind another child's ear, gave medicine and gobs of water to 4 wee ones with diarrhea, and checked out the awesome shelf that Hermen finished building for the computer room. Hmmmm. Never a dull moment around here. And ... it's only 11am :)

Happy Birthday, Lexi!!

Who would have thought 8 years ago, as I was giving birth to my precious Alexis Kathleen, that today we would be spending this special afternoon on a beach with 21 of her little friends in Haiti. Certainly not me!!! We left the orphanage at 2:10pm, the exact time that Lexi was born (her idea) and returned around 6. The kids all had a blast, as usual when they get to spend an afternoon in the water.

We started our day out, many hours earlier with finger jello. The kids LOVED it! :) Then church, me with 14 children under the age of six with me on the bench ... yes, really. That was a bit much. Tomorrow we hit the ground running, starting at 7am with some serious training downstairs. God, be with us!!

Hanging out with friends

We had a fun time last night just hanging out upstairs with many of the children. At one point, I counted 27 of them up here ... that makes for a lot of noise! But after a while, about 10 of them outlasted the others, the camera came out, and they were having all sorts of fun. Never a dull moment around here, that is for sure. The computer is being kind to me this morning, so I thought I would upload a bunch of our photos we took during all the fun! Enjoy!

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The baby play room is finished. I painted the walls (no, I cannot take credit for the Jesus mural), had a lot of fun putting all the childrens' handprints on a wall, cleaned up the toys, brought many new ones down, had a shelf made which I painted, mopped the floor, etc. This is what it looked like immediately after it was finished.

The second photo is a bit dark, sorry, the sun was coming in that window ... oh well, you get the idea. Anyway, this lasted about 5 minutes ... until the children entered the room! They loved all the toys though and were having a great time in there. I had a talk with the nannies and told them my expectations (toys stay in that room, clean, etc). I did my hourly check, making sure toys stayed in the room (otherwise they end up in pieces all over the yard, never to be back together again). Yesterday morning, I wasn't feeling the greatest, and it was a few hours before I was able to go downstairs again. When I did, I saw the toys all over the orphanage, inside, outside, etc. The floor was a mess ... dirty ... I threw up my hands in frustration, threw all the toys back in the room and left. The success had not even lasted 24 hours. Ugh. Last night as I prayed about how I could make a difference in the little things ... I felt at my witts end ... over silly little stuff ... but things that will make a difference if they are actually followed through on. I opened my Bible and read these words, " You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written, 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.' So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore, let us stop passing judgement on one another. Instead make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way." Romans 14:10-13

Well, didn't that just put me in my place ?? :)

This morning, I woke up competely revived and ready for a new day. I went downstairs around 9am and ...

Not only were the toys all in the room ... they were on the shelf ... they were clean ...and the floor was mopped. God is good, all the time!

Success. For a moment anyway. I rejoice in the small things. I have to, it is what keeps me going.

One little thing at a time. Over and over again.

Beautiful Girls

Today was the first day of two that our 4 oldest girls are taking their government exam. When talking with them last night, they were a bit nervous, but really excited about wearing their new pretty dresses that Mama Cheryl picked out for them. I went downstairs at 6:45 this morning and they were all dressed and eating breakfast. I got side-tracked for a minute (imagine that ...) and when I walked back into the main room downstairs, they were gathered in a circle with a few other children holding hands. Marie-Joe smiled at me and said, "Come here, Shelly, it is time to pray." The children sang a couple of songs and then she led in prayer. A beautiful thing. They were thrilled to pose for a few photos outside before heading off for their test in Cabaret.

The following photos, in order, are of Marie-Joe, Charlene, Nadege, and Melina ... looking as beautiful as ever.

Don't they look fabulous?? I can't wait to talk to them when they get back this afternoon ... which should actually be in about 20 minutes or so. It has been great getting to know these girls more this time down, as I hadn't really gotten to know the older girls too well on my other trips. They are precious, precious girls and all have hearts of gold. Please keep them in your prayers as they continue their testing tomorrow!

God's Perfect Timing (by Shelly)

This morning, Cheryl and I talked about walking over to one of the teacher's houses because we had something to discuss with her and her husband. Cheryl mentioned heading over there at some point in the late morning. By early afternoon, we hadn't gone yet (very normal for a typical day here) and she came into the kitchen and asked me if I was ready to head out. I went into the bedroom quick and changed into a skirt, grabbed my camera and was ready to go. We walked down the steps, turned the corner and began to walk the length of the orphanage. As we walked past the girls' hallway, I smelled smoke. I turned back to look down the hallway and I forget what I said at the same time that Cheryl yelled "it's coming from the babies' room!" and began running down the hall. I was close behind and as we got near the room, we could see the smoke billowing out the doorway. We ran inside and a mattress was engulfed in flames ... amidst 3 children in their cribs ... Cheryl tore 2 children out of their beds and sort of threw them toward me, as I grabbed them and went running out the door with them. I returned to find many children running into the doorway to see what was going on. A lot of what happened after that was a blur. I remember high flames, a lot of smoke, children being thrown at me, and running back and forth to the outdoors carrying them. I remember putting my shirt over my face at one point as the smoke was so thick. I know that we pulled three children out of the beds in that room and one out of a bed in the next room over. I remember all the children standing outside the orphanage confused. I remember checking each and every room over twice with Marie-Joe, the oldest child at the orphanage. No more children were inside. Time for us to get out. I remember a blur of a mattress, flames, smoke and someone running by ...









The children were all safe. Out of the orphanage and standing out front. The burning mattresses were put out and lying out in the grass. Smoke filled the orphanage in a matter of seconds. We stood there in disbelief. I finally took a breath and realized what had just happened. I could barely stand up, as a sleeping child, one of my precious little baby boys, was handed to me. I squeezed him tightly and laid him down next to one of the nannies sitting outside. Deep breath ...

This was the only damage done. A couple of mattresses destroyed. More than 40 lives spared. A child had gotten ahold of a match and the rest was history. Who knows what could have happened if Cheryl and I had waited even two more minutes before walking down those stairs. Who knows how badly burnt those children could have been. Who knows how many lives could have been lost if the fire had been able spread any further. Who knows how long it would have been before the nannies (who were all outside at the time) would have gone in to check on the sleeping children and noticed ...

Thank God, we will never know the answers to any of these questions. God's perfect timing ... a miracle in and of itself. Thank you, Father, for saving all these precious lives today. You are so worthy of our praise.

Amen!!

I have been trying to post some more photos, but they won't seem to upload tonight ... this will have to be it for now. And believe it or not, that was only one of the highlights of the day! Please keep the orphanage in your prayers ... the children, the staff ... Rusty and Cheryl, and Lexi and I as well. We appreciate it more than you could possibly know.

Because He Lives (by Shelly)

It is after midnight and I am sitting at the computer trying to upload some photos. Only a few short yards away, church is happening ... yes, at midnight ... an all night service is going on next door. Right now, they are singing "Because He lives," and as I write, the tears are falling down my cheeks. "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future and life is worth living just because He lives." Granted, they are singing in Creole ... but I have sung the words a thousand times. It is affecting me more deeply tonight than ever.

Today we spent a few hours walking through the village of Bercy. I was blessed to see so many children smile at us and want to be with us. I was saddened at the conditions in which many of them lived. I was blown away, as I have been many times before, to walk into someone's home that was just a bit bigger than my bathroom ... and to see that 8 people were living there. My heart broke as I listened to a woman wanting to give a child away. It was painful to realize that as much as I would love to change the world, to have some sort of an impact on some part of Haiti, I can do so little.

When I sing the words to this song, I mean what I am singing with all of my heart and it usually brings me to tears. But to hear it tonight, after our day today ... and to think about the words ... to know that the people who are singing the words live in the village that I walked through this afternoon. They are singing with every fiber of their being ... I am more than blown away by their incredible faith. "All fear is gone ... I know He holds my future ..." I don't have to worry about where my next meal will come from or if I am going to be able to afford to provide for my child tomorrow ... yet there are often times where I feel my faith wavering.

The mission here in Bercy is not just about the orphanage and caring for its children. Certainly, that is a huge part of what is going on here, but there is so much more ... the families, the church, the community ... it goes far beyond these orphanage walls. The needs are great ... the resources are few. Father, teach me to be more like You. Teach me to love as you love. Show me all I need to see and change me in ways that I have never imagined possible. Make my life a prayer to you. Every hour of every day. Every minute of every hour.

I feel so blessed that God has given us the opportunity to love on these children, here at the orphanage and those in the village. We are honored to be called to this mission and to be a part of His plans for these little ones as we spend our summer here. We are not kidding ourselves and know that it is a difficult road and that things aren't (and won't be) easy ... by any means. But God is faithful. And already, He has blessed us with strong bonds and a love that runs deep. "Because I know He holds the future ..."

Photos From The Team

A beehive of activity!

We returned to Haiti Wed. night after being away for 2 months! We were able to be present for the birth of our grandaughter and help with the other grandchildren, too. Emma Grace was born May 4, weighing in at 6lbs 4 oz. She's now up to 8 lbs and is an absolutely perfect and beautiful baby :)

It's a crazy time when we return after being away for so long. The first night back we arrived to a monsoon (well, it seemed like Jax weather lately) and stopped by the store in town to pick up a few essentials then off to the orphanage, arriving just before dark. All we were able to do that 1st night was do a quick walk-thru, check on each of the children, make eds, eat a snack and hit the pillow! We were pleased to see the children looking great. 

This morning we hit the floor running! In April, there was a large team, so there was still a mountain of clean laundry to sort through, matching up sheets, putting away towels, etc. Nadege & I attacked the mountain together. Then we had a meeting with the "big" girls. I told them how proud I am of them for keeping their rooms so tidy and taking such good care of their things. Then we unpacked our 6 duffle bags together, more sorting and putting away. 

After things were unpacked we began sorting through the new clothes I brought down and tried to find appropriate clothing for them to wear when they go to take their big Govt. test later in the month. It was a fun time! In the middle of all that the school headmaster came in and we stopped to have a meeting with him. We were able to finalize last minute details for the school graduation program that will be this Sunday. 

Next, Charlene and Vedline headed up a team that is washing all the dishes, silverware, pots and pans and putting them all away in an orderly fashion, while Sarah, Marie Joe, Jenifer and Mirloudes, along with some smaller helpers are busy washing the pantry shelves and all the cans and organizing and putting away all the groceries for the next few weeks. They still love to help and we have a blast with them while all this is going on> We've been able to have a few meetings already, and make some key contacts to put in motion all the things that will need to be accomplished here in the next couple of weeks. 

Please join with us in praying for wisdom in decision making and that Jesus name will be lifted high in the midst of all this "busyness"!

SNAPSHOTS FROM THE MAY TRIP

God put together just the right group for this trip. Here are some our special moments.

The birthday party

A computer lab!

What carpentry work!

They love the books! Thanks Dave and Katie!

Isn't she precious?

What's a trip to Haiti without a trip to the market?

We're forever changed!
Lord, please watch over the precious children and workers we left behind.

Change for Haiti

Throughout the month of May, the children in pre-k through 5th grade at Cross Creek Charter Academy (in Byron Center, Michigan) collected change to raise money in order to buy the children at our school some French books. Like many schools in the US, Cross Creek has over 20,000 books available for children to read on a daily basis. After Shelly and Lexi shared in an assembly in April that the children at our school had less than 50 books total, the kids were overwhelmed with love and compassion for these children, wanting them to be able to have some of the opportunities that they have. "Change for Haiti" was an ongoing project for the month of May, where cans were placed in each classroom and children would bring spare change from home and donate it to the cause.

Many children brought in money over the 4 week project. There were several children that collected change from family and friends to bring in to school, as well as many who brought in some of their very own money. One little girl in kindergarten filled the entire front pocket of her backpack and drug it into the classroom one morning. Another little boy in first grade brought in change every single day, whether it was 5 cents or 5 dollars worth. Toward the end of our collection, a boy in first grade named Zachary came into the classroom carrying a little baggie. Inside was a note from his mom to the teacher with some change inside.

The note reads "Zachary wanted to send some of his own money for Haiti." Inside the bag, were two dimes, a nickel and 3 pennies. For this little guy, it was like giving away his savings to help the children of Haiti. Beyond precious. The bag is still sitting on my coffee table, as I am so touched by his generosity at age 6, and cannot bear to take it apart yet. Giving from the heart, that is all He asks of us. The heart of a child ... priceless.

Week after week, the change was counted, rolled and deposited ... week after week, I was shocked by the amount of money that came in. In pennies alone during the third week, we had over $57 ... who says that pennies are worthless ??

My hope, or goal, in doing this project was to raise awareness for our orphanage and school in Haiti, at the same time hopefully raising a few hundred dollars to buy books for the children. I was blown away when the total for the first week of the four was over $655!!! The change kept coming, the children kept working hard and were so excited, constantly asking me in the hallway what the totals were and whose class had the most change. By the end of week four, the total was so overwhelming, I could barely get the words out as I shared their accomplishments with the children.

$1,500. In change. IN CHANGE!! Talk about making a change in the world by doing something simple!! I am so proud of each and every child that participated in this challenge and I am so thrilled that Cross Creek Charter Academy has such awesome kids willing to help other kids who don't have everything that they have. THANK YOU CROSS CREEK for making a difference! Thank you for partnering with us to touch lives. YOU are the hands and feet of Jesus, and you are changing lives!! What a blessing!!

More from the May Team

It looks like the generator issues have been solved and we are enjoying consistent electricity and Internet. Pictures are not uploading for some reason, so this will have to be more written than viewed, which is a shame because there are some really good photos. Like the one of Mirloudes reading by herself amid stacks of French and English books. Or the one of Rickie and his Haitian team (including Davidson and Jerry) working diligently on the cabinets. Or maybe the one of Natalie sitting quietly, enraptured by the PowerPoint presentation showing pictures of the children and activities of the week.

Tomorrow we try to wrap up the various projects: updating pictures and information for the children, placing cabinets in each school room and putting French and English books in them for the students to use, and setting up computers at the orphanage for the kids to play educational and learning games.

All has gone well, despite the machine breakdowns. Hopefully, we have prepared the way for the June team to have a wonderful experience. We are looking forward to worship on Sunday and enjoying the beach with the children. Please pray that we accomplish all that God has for us.

May Trip

The May Haiti team is here working and loving on the children. The days have been filled with lots of repairs: the van, the generator, and the workbench, to name a few.



"Organized chaos" is a good description of the upstairs room on Wednesday night - books being read, music being played, children playing educational computer games, and a group watching a kids movie.

We are updating the information on all the children, delivering sponsor gifts, and preparing the way for the June team and the upcoming graduation.

Everyone is having a blast! The children are smiling and filled with joy. Janice and Amanda Taylor from Kansas City came by for a visit and spent the day with us. They even pitched in to help us sort boxes of shoes, milk and school supplies. Keep us in your prayers as we finish out the week and accomplish all the things God has for us.

Greetings again from Haiti!

written by team blogger - Paige Palmer

For the first couple of days, it was surreal for me to realize I was back in Haiti.  It touched my heart that many of the kids in the orphanage remembered me, especially little 8 year old Islanda, my beautiful girl I bonded with last year!  She was attached to me the whole week!  :)

The orphanage kids are some of the most amazing kids I’ve ever met.  They have the sweetest, strongest, most helpful spirits!  I always enjoy being “Mama Paige” when I’m in Haiti!

My teammates and I also enjoyed some incredible times of worship with our Haitian church family.  It still amazes me how free and joyful they are in worship.  They do not hold back at all, even though to our standards, they have nothing.  Many of them are faithful to walk to church in

 the dark every night!  One of myfavorite times this year was when our mission team was called up and the church prayed for us.   Then, we proceeded to sing together, in Kreyol and English, “When We All Get to Heaven.”  What a sweet time with our God that was!

 

We definitely had a busy schedule during our trip, March 31^st-April 4^th!  We had a medical clinic for 3 days in a row, seeing between 600-700 patients.  I worked over in the school for a few days, where we had the children write thank you letters to their sponsors, delivered gifts to them from

 their sponsors, and we also taught the students and teachers some fun classroom games.  We also did some construction and painting in the orphanage and definitely spent a lot of time loving on the orphanage children.

 

On the last full day of ministry, we went to the prison.  Going to the prison in Haiti is always a trying experience.  There are 20-25 prisoners crammed in a very small cell, and they normally only get fed a porridge like substance.  So, our mission team along with the Haitian church members, were able to take them a good meal, Bibles, tracts, and some goodie bags.  We walked around cell to cell and prayed and talked with the prisoners.  My teammate, Pastor Armando, led many people to the Lord that day!

Personally, I saw God at work in a most mighty way through 2 precious little girls, Madeline and Rosaline.  Madeline was brought to us during the first day of medical clinic.  She was near death and very malnourished.  She is 2 years old but weighed only 18 pounds.  She was so weak that she didn’t even know how to walk yet.  Her mom had died and her aunt, who brought her to the medical clinic, had not been feeding her, even though she was feeding her

 own 2 children.  We got her hooked up to an IV and saw her get much better in a matter of days.  By the end of the week, she was eating solid food and smiling!  Since she was staying with us through the week, our team got very attached to her, especially me!  She is absolutely beautiful with some of the longest eyelashes I’ve ever seen!  She also had quite the sassy little attitude sometimes!  But I am thankful and comforted to know now that she is being taken care of at a clinic in Haiti and at the orphanage.

Rosaline was also brought to us through the medical clinic.  She is 6 years old and weighed 22 

pounds.  Due to her diet of small portions of rice, her body had been deprived of protein, so she was very swollen and had bad sores on her little feet.  Thankfully, 

her mom is attentive and loving, and they live in the community near the mission, so they will be ministered to.  By the end of the week, Rosaline had also bonded with the orphanage kids and was smiling at us too and feeling much better!

 

It’s amazing to see God at work as Provider and Healer!  My faith was tested several times that week as I looked at these beautiful little faces and wondered how this could happen.  But the Lord kept telling me to trust Him and pray over these little ones.

 

I also remain thankful for the special relationships formed with our Haitian family and friends, the children in the orphanage, and among our mission team.  How awesome it was to serve with 2 other churches, make new friends and experiences and see everyone’s gifts and abilities used for the glory of the Lord!