Prayer and Healed Relationships

So those of you who had followed my blog last time and heard my awesome horror stories from teaching...here's what happened this trip with my dear Richard. When I first arrived, the kids didn't know I was coming. They were at school as I was helping set up for our big soccer event against another school at the Ben's, our little play area. When they all filed in for the event, a lot of the kids ran up to me in surprise and gave me the biggest hugs ever. And then there was Richard. He saw me as he walked in. He sat down on a bench and just kept looking at me from afar and then looking away. I kind of giggled. I could only imagine what was going through his head. "Oh my gosh, please don't tell me she's going to be my teacher again!" I could see him thinking back to all the sentences I made him write as consequences for his bad behavior.

During half time I said hi to him. He said hi coldly, not even making eye contact. I asked who his teacher was now and he said it was Mr. Lucner. Now Mr. Lucner had him before I had Richard in the summer. I heard Richard was waaaay worse for him than me. He told me in the summer, "Richard was so bad all year. I tried everything with him and nothing worked." Anywho, all that was going through my mind was, "Poor Mr. Lucner has him again?!" I asked Richard, "Oh, you have Mr. Lucner? He's way nicer than me huh?" He quickly responded with a "yes" and a little sly smile. "I know, " I said. I asked Mr. Lucner, our Principal, Mr. Ivens, and Cindy, Richard's house mom how he had been doing. I was so pleased to hear that he was doing really well and that he had changed so much since the summer. Praise God! Man, if it took Richard having to endure my tough love and discipline and hating me to appreciate what he had, then so be it. I'll be hated for the greater good of everyone else and his maturity growth. I came to terms with being disliked again, and trusted that God would continue to do the good work he already began in Richard.

The first few days with him were a little weird. He would get the old look in him again and say over and over, "Sentences!" at me and try to get the other boys to gang up on me. The boys usually ignored him, well, except for Diene who I apparently traumatized when I was here in the summer too. Oh my, a little discipline and it's never forgotten. And I was so stubborn last year too, I would not let them get away with anything...talking back, disrespect, not listening...if it happened, I always had the last word. Anywho, when they got in angry mob mode, I just hung out with the girls.

Then, just like old times, Richard would surprise me with his sweetness. One day I was hanging out at the Ben's play area, watching the boys skateboard. Richard asked for my camera, laid his head down on my lap, and looked at my pictures. He told me stories of things that were happening recently. The most adorable, loveable kid in him shone through again. The next night I prayed with some of the little boys by their beds as they were about to sleep. At first I didn't get to pray over Richard, because another missionary had already prayed for him. As I was leaving, I could see Richard's big, mischievous eyes glaring at me. I walked over to him, kissed him on the head, and said goodnight. He just continued glaring at me. "Do you want me to pray for you?" I asked. *silence* "Orrrr, do you want me to leave? *silence* "Okay, for real Richard, do you want me to pray for you?" Pushing through his pride, he finally shook his head slowly, yes! And oh boy did my heart leap with joy. I prayed for him and was so thankful that God had healed this strained relationship. I was okay with being the enemy for the greater good of everyone else, but God in His grace, blessed me and Richard with a renewed Christ-like love for one another.

Way to Drop the Stink Bomb Estaline

I told Daphne, our 5 year old diva, that Estaline had a poopy diaper. I jokingly said, "Daphne, you change her. She stinks! I'm not doing it!" So she took Estaline by the hand and said, "Come Jess-see-ka, I will show you how I change her diaper." Estaline just looked back at me with a big smile as she walked into the house with Daphne. I just laughed it off, thinking Daphne would have just handed her off to Monise, their nanny. I walked into the hallway 2 minutes later and was hit like a brick with the stench of Estaline's poopy diaper. And the girls all had tissues over their noses!

Here's Bethaina, Daphne, and Katrina trying to change Estaline's diaper together.

Here's Estaline, as happy as can be. She was covered in baby powder!!! I asked them, why is that on your faces?! Check out the video...

Katrina's response in extreme annoyance: "Estaline poops and it smells! She always poops!"

Reliving Childhood

I love playing with the kids in Haiti! As I was sharing stories with friends and family about what I get to do while I'm there, I was kind of embarrassed at how excited I got about doing the some of the stuff we did. So I started contemplating about how MY childhood was spent. Up until I was about 6 or so, life was carefree and childhood was pretty normal. Then, one of my sisters, Leslie, was diagnosed with Leukemia when she was 8 years old. She relapsed again when she was 13, and again when she was 14, and was completely healed after she received a bone marrow transplant from yours truly. Soooo, a lot of my childhood was spent in the hospital when I was younger. I was on a year round schedule for school, so during my months off I'd typically be with one of my parents in Children's Hospital LA, hanging out with my sister. I occupied my time with word searches, running up and down the endless flights of stairs for no apparent reason other than to have something to do, I'd lay next to Leslie on her bed and watch the Disney channel or movies. Yup, that was a lot of my childhood. I guess in a way, I love being in Haiti because I somehow get to relive my childhood.

::SINGING IN THE RAIN::

In the summer, when it was pouring down rain, the teachers and I went to hang out with the boys at their house. Suddenly the hallway connecting their front yard with their backyard was full of water. Some rain had flooded it while some of the boys began to fill up buckets of water from a broken pipe streaming from the roof and started dumping it all over me and the other teachers in the hallway. They said it was to get us back for all the punishment we gave them at school. We didn't mind, but laughed hysterically while joining the kids in sliding along the wet floors and wrestling, trying to get each other to stand under the broken pipe pouring down water. It reminded me of when my sisters and I would slip and slide in our garage. Our washer would always leak water, so we'd throw some soap on it and have our own ghetto slip and slide! Oh cheap thrills! :)

::WE'RE GONNA LIMBO LIKE IT'S YO BIRTHDAY::

When I went to Haiti this December, it was one of the older girl's (Katiana) birthday. The other missionaries and I were so excited to present her with her birthday cake and gifts. We even made plans to have a dance party afterwards. However, the birthday girl and the other older girls were so not interested. They retreated to gathering around the TV screen. Oh well, the little girls were game so me, Erta, Brooke, Kaitlyn, and the little ones blasted some tunes from Kaitlyn's ipod, turned the lights off, and used my head lamp as a strobe light. The girls wanted to play Limbo so I just put my arm out like a limbo stick and they went at it. It was hilarious watching them cheat, run into each other, lift my arm up, groove to the music as they went under. Tina, their night time nanny, was sitting to the side watching and laughing at us. "These crazy Americans!" she must have been thinking. I have an eye for the quiet ones and have a way of persuasion. So I yelled over the music, "Tina! Danse!" She shook her head shyly...but I knew she really wanted to. So the little girls and I kept pushing her to dance. She finally got up and shook her booty a little as we all chanted, "Go Tina! Go Tina!" Then everyone screamed in shock and delight that she was actually dancing. Tina retreated to her room, a little embarrassed, but I think she enjoyed herself. I would have pictures to post if I wasn't so preoccupied dancing and having fun.

::BOOTY BOARDING::

Lastly, I got to spend almost all afternoon with the little boys one day. Skateboarding has become the new thing for them. They kept trying to convince me to get on one and try to skate. Oh my goodness, if they only knew how unathletic I am! Emmanuel convinced me to sit on the skateboard as he pushed me around. Uhhhhh, he reached speeds I was a little uncomfortable going, and didn't slow down as we approached walls, people, or other objects obstructing our path. It was so much fun though....extremely scary....but so much fun too. I let him get a little taste of danger too as I took over the driver's seat. Enjoy the video below and my shrieks to go along with it! Video courtesy of little Davidson.



Here's a cheers to reliving childhood. Thanks for the memories kids! :)

God, Raise Up a Josiah!

Late Tuesday, the 7th of December, Haiti announced it's top two presidential candidates from the first round of voting. Jude Celestin, the son in law of the current president, was one of the top, just barely squeezing out runner up and crowd favorite, Michel Martelly. Martelly supporters, which is the majority of the country, suspect corruption with the polling results. Since Celestin is extremely unpopular, they believe it is impossible that he could have made the top two or even beat out Martelly. As of right now, Jude Celestin and Mirlande Manigat are the candidates who are running against each other in the final presidential elections. However, a recount has been in order for the top three candidates. Now how this is going to change the outcome? If there had already been ballot box stuffing before polling places opened on voting day as well as a number of people who couldn't vote because their name was not on the registered list, how does this filter through corruption?

Since the results there have been intense rioting the past 3 days...tires have been burned creating road blocks, violent protests and rock throwing, attacks on employees of polling places, airport closure and flights canceled. Nobody has wanted to be out on the main roads, especially us here at Maison de Lumiere. My flight on Saturday has been canceled and I'm kind of relieved. I wasn't looking forward to trying to maneuver through this chaos to get to the airport. I heard that when our school Principal was in a police car and then on a motorcycle on Wednesday, he got rocks pelted at him. Now if he, a Haitian man, was still getting attacked by the mobs, I didn't want to experience what they would do to a female foreigner. Here's a link I recently posted on my facebook to give you an idea of what it's like at the moment: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1337127/Haiti-elections-UN-armoured-cars-rubble-strewn-streets.html

In the last 200 years, Haiti has never had a President serve full term without them getting assassinated or run out of the country, until this last president, Preval (or that's what I've heard). This country has had corrupt president after corrupt president, leaving the country in extreme poverty, riddled with violence. Every 5 years during elections, violent protests have always erupted. It breaks my heart. As if the devastation of the earthquake and the cholera outbreak weren't enough heartbreaks to deal with. People are feeling hopeless and fearful.

As I read my Bible this morning, I read about King Manasseh in 2 Kings 21, who is recorded to be the most wicked king of all time. He rebuilt the places for idol worship, which his father had destroyed, he sacrificed his children in fire as an offering, he practiced witchcraft, he shed innocent blood, and he encouraged the Israelites to do more evil than the nations they had destroyed. Even when warned by the Lord that He would bring calamity on the people in judgment of their unrighteous deeds, Manasseh continued in evil work for 55 years. His son, Amon was his predecessor and continued in the evil deeds his father did and forsook the Lord. He was killed by his own servants and then the people of the land killed his murderers. Now, when his son, Josiah, only 8 years old took reign, he walked righteously, forsaking the ways of his fathers. When Huldah, a prophetess, told Josiah that God was going to judge the nation and bring forth His wrath on a land that has forsaken Him, Josiah made a covenant with the Lord and extreme reform in the nation happened:

"The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to to keep His commandments and His testimonies and statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people entered into this covenant." (2 Kings 23: 3)

Yes God, even though Haiti has a had a history of Manassehs and Amons who have turned and forsaken you, who have practiced evil and voodoo, who have shed innocent blood, have spurred the people on to follow in their evil deeds, that You would raise up a Josiah. God set Your Spirit upon the next president of Haiti, that they may be a man or woman that loves you with all their heart and soul and would be faithful to follow your commandments and encourage the people of Haiti to follow likewise. Bring extreme reform to this nation, just as you did in the times of Josiah. And may it not just be a season of fruitful growth and turning to You God. May the presidents that proceed love you and follow after you with all their heart, that this country wouldn't be stuck in a cycle of revival and rebellion. God redeem and do a work in Haiti!!! In Jesus name, Amen.

Heading to HAITI...again

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the afflicted.” Isaiah 61: 1

November 19, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

As many of you know, I went to Haiti for 7 weeks through Child Hope International to teach at a school for orphans. After returning from Haiti, I started working as the state-side administrator for the organization. I am so thankful that I get to continue to be a part of this ministry to help the people of Haiti, whom I’ve grown to love and care for so much.

I am returning to Haiti for a week from December 2-11^th. This time I will not be working as a teacher, since the school has transitioned from English to French instruction this past fall. During this week long trip I will be creating an informational packet about the different ministries of Child Hope; orphanage, school, medical clinic, new transition program, earthquake relief, and community outreach program. Since so many exciting new changes have happened since I was there in the summer, I need to revisit these ministries so I can effectively and accurately communicate what Child Hope is doing to help the people of Haiti in order to raise awareness and support.

I am writing you to ask that you partner alongside me in prayer. Haiti can be very dangerous, and because I am arriving there shortly after their presidential elections, chances of rioting will increase. Please pray for my health. Many foreigners have gotten Dengue Fever while providing relief after the earthquake and now there is a Cholera outbreak, which has killed more than 500 and infected thousands. Lastly, and most importantly, please pray that God would strengthen and guide me in everything I do. That I will be Spirit led and a blessing to the missionaries, the staff, the orphanage kids, and the neighborhood children.

Also, if you’d like to financially support me on this trip, I’d greatly appreciate it. My trip will cost $700. You can address your tax-deductable check to Child Hope International and write my name on the memo line. Email me and I'll send you the address to send your check to

Thank you for your love, encouragement, and support. It means the world to me. You can follow my adventures on my blog at www.jessinhaiti.blogspot.com.

God Bless,

Jessica Selga

Life After Haiti

As I was anticipating going to Haiti, I knew I'd change, but I never could have predicted how. I've been home exactly one month today and am still trying to process all that I've seen, heard, and learned. Coming back from a country where there is starvation, lack of governmental infastructure, severe poverty, thousands of orphans, neglect and abuse, 80% unemployment, with 50% of the population illiterate because they do not enjoy free education as we do here...ugh...it breaks my heart. I'm left feeling a little out of sorts back in the states. Someone told me, "You don't seem like yourself." A little thing that God has shown and grown in me is the desire to have a gentle and quiet spirit. I feel like I'm less of a spaz and I'm learning to be quiet and not miss out on when God is speaking to me and leading me. I don't know how to articulate how much my thought process has changed after spending 7 weeks in Haiti, but I don't think I'll ever be the "old Jessica" again, and praise God for that! That being said, here's a peek into how my Jesus has changed me.

The faces of those 10 boys who hung out in front of our guest house remain in my mind. I don't eat much less than I did before, but I am soooo much more aware of not wasting food and clean, filtered watered. My family goes out to eat at a nice restaurant every birthday, this month being when I celebrate mine. I keep thinking about these Haitian kids and asked my parents if they'd be willing to buy 90 pairs of flip flops for the kids at our feeding program who live in tent cities instead of eating out for my birthday this year (I saw they were on said for $1-$1.75 at Old Navy). My parents gladly agreed and 90 pairs have been delivered and should have been distributed yesterday. These poor kiddos often walk around barefoot, in broken or ill-fitted shoes, or in the shoes of their sibling who was of the opposite gender. The roads in Haiti are hot, rocky, and may have broken shards of glass too so foot protection is sooo needed. I shared this, not to get bring glory to myself, but to encourage you to think about how you can bless others with your blessings. To GOD be all the glory!!

I look in my closet and am humbled by how much I have. "I have nothing to wear," has been taken out of my list of common phrases. I have a car and am able to drive on paved roads...hellllloooo...who knew that was such a luxury...but it sooo is! My appreciation of time has been amplified. I'm becoming more dissatisfied with time wasted on TV, gossip, shopping online, outward beauty, self-consciousness and competitiveness, and even being so sick with sin in my life and the life of others. My patience for the unimportant and trivial has become so much shorter. Money, although necessary to live, is no longer at the forefront of my mind...giving me anxiety and fear. No...I'm learning that life is not the accumulation of things and having a good reputation. I'm learning that the American dream of having a stable job, a nice, comfortable house, finding a husband and having 2 and a half kids, is such an overrated picture of what life should be like for me at 27 years old. Although these are great things to have, truth is, some of these things that I thought would make me feel so secure, stable, and successful could also be the very things that keep me from living freely, living by faith, trusting God completely, and following Him wherever He calls me. God is the only security I have, who will never fail me. The safest place for me to be is in the center of God's will for my life (Thanks Pastor John from Port-au-Prince Fellowship. That truth is ingrained in my mind forever)

My heart is to know God more and more, wanting to know the fullness of who He is, experiencing a joyful life... running recklessly after my Jesus, and yes, even the joy of sharing in His sufferings. Cuz to know Christ more and see Him magnified in the lives of others, I'll say it again, is theeeee most beautiful thing I could ever experience. MORE!!!! I am spiritually hungry for more!!!

Growing: Week 1 to Week 7

Week 1 in Haiti...I was a total germaphobe...I am ALWAYS sick! So, at the feeding program, I’d play and love on these 120 kiddos who were often covered in scabies, open cuts, infections, or would have horrible coughs and would conveniently cough in my face with a bit of spit to go with it. I'd sneak away every 10 minutes or so just to apply hand sanitizer, pray God would protect my health, then continue ministering. By week 7 of Haiti, I had no inhibitions with the kids. They were hugging me, hanging on me, sleeping in my arms, kissing my cheeks, holding my hands with their scabi covered hands. It's so silly, but I no longer saw them as walking viruses out to get me, but saw them as people. Just like Jesus saw the lepers...people were afraid to touch them or come near them, but He wasn't. I was so convicted of my previous attitude toward them, and God totally replaced my paranoid spirit with peace and love for these kiddos who so desperately need Him. And my Jesus honored my obedience to love by blessing me with perfect health throughout my time in Haiti!

Week 1 in Haiti…having the street kids beg for food and water from me every single day every single time I saw them. As a rule of Child Hope, we are not allowed to give anything to these kids when they ask because #1, we could never have enough for each child when a crowd draws and #2, we cannot sustain feeding them after we leave, so it's unfair to put that burden on the remaining missionaries. This really grieved me, and some of the kids would get really angry when I'd refuse to give them food or water. Week 7: Realizing that although it would make me feel better that I have given to these kids when they are hungry, I am not the ultimate answer to their need. I have a heart to give and feed the hungry (duh) but I had to come to realize that I cannot feed all of Haiti. My mission was not to fill them physically for a moment, but to pray for them and show them how to get fed spiritually. Drink LIVING WATER that they may never thirst again! These sweet kiddos who would once get mad at me, would still ask my for food and water, but when a hug and kiss on the cheek and letting them know that Jezi (Jesus) and I loved them was all I gave for weeks...eventually they were content. My focus on the poor has changed from simply giving a handout to thinking about how to build meaningful relationships with them.

Week 1 in Haiti…feeling completely overwhelmed and unqualified to teach and persevere through the amount of misbehavior and disrespect I had to endure daily at school. Nothing that would’ve worked in the States was working here. I was discouraged and losing sight of my purpose. Week 7, realizing that I am probably still ill equipped and God truly had to do the work through me. I can’t expect to see fruit develop in the lives I’m sowing into over the span of a few weeks. It was a pride issue. I wanted to see results and transformation to feel significant and purposeful. Ouch, sorry God...I wanted to take the glory. I was reminded of the life of Jeremiah. He was called to be a prophet and for 40 years he pleaded and cried with a rebellious people that didn’t repent during his lifetime. Yet he persevered and was faithful. Wow, I just gotta trust that what I sowed will be watered and hopefully harvested by others, and God will certainly provide the growth.

Jezi Renmen Ou

It's no secret that I'm drawn to the roughest, hardest kids. I have such a heart for them to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior and see them transformed by our Maker. These group of boys, who mostly live in neighboring tent cities, would always hang out in the street in front of our guest house or our boys' home. They would usually be begging for food or water or some would just want to walk with me, hand in hand, and give me kisses on the cheek as I walked from house to house (I think it kind of became a competition between the boys...who could kiss the most missionaries as they walked by. Pretty awkward, but pretty funny to see as a spectator when visiting missionary teams would come in) This picture was taken right before I left for the airport. I love these little trouble makers.

These boys all attend our feeding program three days a week where they are not only fed, but also get to worship the Lord and hear the Gospel preached. In Haiti, churches don't let kids in unless they're clean, dressed up nicely, and have a parent with them. That excludes every one of these kids from being able to attend church. So the feeding program is a way to not only meet their physical needs, but their spiritual needs as well.

I've been hoping and praying that these little boys would get saved and really trust in Jesus before I left. There's such a language barrier so it's hard for me to really communicate to them. However, I feel like I've communicated Christ's love in little ways, like by giving them hugs and attention even when the guards to our house or other staff members would yell at them to leave me alone because they thought they were pestering me or begging me for something. It reminds me of the story of Jesus and the children in Matthew 19: 13-15. "Then the little children were brought to Him, that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.' And he laid His hands on them, and departed from there." Amen!

I know wholeheartedly that seeds have been planted in these kids and they are beginning to know Jesus more and more. I've seen them following missionaries to tents to lay hands and pray for people. I've seen one of them, Dupren, who attends an English school in our neighborhood, help translate for missionaries as they are sharing the Gospel to people living in tent cities. I told my little thug, Markezy, who has really just stolen my heart, "Mwen renmen ou."--I love you. He responded, "Anpil? Anpil!"--A lot? A lot! I just said, "Wi, dezod, anpil anpil."--Yes, trouble maker, a lot a lot. He just smiled and gave me the biggest hug. It's nice to see him softened up, because he is usually so angry and mean. I don't know what has happened in the past to make him so hardened, but my mission was to let him know he is loved, by me and by God. I'm thinking that was successfully communicated, by the grace of God and my limited Creole. ;)

And lastly, something that warmed my heart and really encouraged me....Markenzy (who, by the way is the child in the very forefront of the picture in the blue basketball jersey) was hanging out on the street with his gang of friends and Scotti, a missionary that works at the feeding program. Scotti decided to exercise with those kids, running up and down the street, just to spend time with them and attempt at calming them down. After they were done, he said that Markenzy told to him, "Thank you. Scotti, Jezi renmen ou!"--Jesus loves you. Ahhh, just to hear him say the name of Jesus is so sweet. I have trust in the Lord that He will continue to complete the good work He has already started in Markenzy and some of the other boys I connected with--Jean Jude, Yvell, Ashly, and Dupren. I don't feel the guilt of not being there to minister to those boys, because I know my Heavenly Father is going to use the faithful servants He has there to continue to disciple these kids. Man, there's nothing better than serving Jesus and seeing Him magnified in the lives of others.

My Yellow Shirt Babies

So there are a group of 30 children from another orphanage who regularly attend our feeding program. They lost their home in the earthquake and have been living in a small tent together ever since. They are the cutest little things ever and I've totally fallen in love with them. I've been able to cruise by the Ben's every once in a while on days when they are just there to get fed without the rest of the feeding program kids and just play and hang out. They've also become very fond of my camera...whether getting their picture or video taken...or taking pictures with my camera. I got to print out a few pictures of them and give it to them before I left. They were so stoked!

On Wednesday I decided to go with them as they got a ride back to their house. I had heard their living conditions were pretty bad, but I had no idea. Here are a few pictures of where the 30 of them live.

They live under that blue tarp.This is the entrance into their little home.
30 of their little bodies cram in here at night to sleep. :( Makes me so thankful to God that all the buildings to our orphanage are in tact. This could have been our kids.

However, praise God, the story doesn't end there. Our orphanage has been trying to get help for these kids, and another orphanage organization called, Hands and Feet, have decided to take over and help them out. They found a house to rent and are trying to get everything figured out in order to get the kids into a home as soon as possible!! Even sleeping on the floor in a completely empty house has to be much better than this (especially when it rains)! God is so good and I can't wait to get back and visit them in their new home one day.

What in the Flying Cockroaches?!

Mezanmi!!! So Brooke (our lovely nurse here) and I were in the guest house office when I saw a large bug crawling on the wall in front of me. "Is that a cockroach?" I asked, as I pointed it out her. She started to get up...to kill it, or maybe run away. Then suddenly, the little sucker started flying and she chose to do the latter. She bolted out the door as we both screamed in horror. The cockroach decided to leave the office too, so I slammed the door behind it. Then I laughed hysterically as I could hear Brooke, Jamie (our guest house manager), and Bob (a visiting missionary) yell and shriek as they pursued the flying insect. I could here SLAP! SLAP! And, "Oh my gosh!! Ahhhh!!!" I was pleased to find that when I opened the door, la cucaracha esta muerto.

Brooke and I collected ourselves and returned to our computers in the office when we heard a buzzing and tapping. We were wondering what it was, and then I saw from a small window above the office door that there was another large insect flying around in our hallway. We yelled for Jamie to help, but she had her Ipod blaring in her ears. Brooke facebook messaged her about our new uninvited guest, and she came to the rescue like a champ. We again heard her smacking at it from behind the door, the insect buzzing around to get away, and then silence. Brooke and I are such chickens, so we just screamed and laughed while Jamie, the assassin, did work on the bug.

Then we had enough sense to close the door to the back porch. This is the grossness that had been flying around our house.
And, earlier today, the cooks and I found a tarantula behind our forks. Mezanmi!! TIH!

His Joy Will Be My Strength

So let's keep it real here people. I know you've seen the pictures on facebook of me smiling, laughing, and having a great time with the kids. But that's half the story. And don't get me wrong, I really love and enjoy the kids most of the time. But, I want to be real because most people go on missions trips and return sharing about how God used them to minister to people and how people were so receptive to receiving the Gospel. That hasn't really been my experience.

These past 6 weeks have been some of the hardest times of my life. Never before have I had to frequently, purposefully choose to love people despite what has been done or said. The teachers and I struggled with students constantly being disrespectful, unresponsive to discipline, and thinking we're too mean and strict. When we've explained to them that God disciplines those whom He loves because in the end it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness and how we demonstrate God's love is by being respectful and kind to each other, it has typically gone through one ear and out the other (More so for the little kids than the big ones. The older kids have been more receptive to our conversations). It's frustrating trying to disciple kids who want nothing to do with you at times and have no desire to understand. It is also difficult when all the kids view love as is affection and gifts and they see discipline as just a way of you wanting to be mean to them--because of course, they it's never their fault right?!

Here are some of the hurtful things the kids have said to me or one of the other teachers:

"I don't like any of the American teachers. They're all mean. I'm going to pray for you all because you make us all write sentences."

"You have a big nose! You're ugly. I hate you!"

"Chinois! Chinois!" (means, "Chinese Chinese!") Even though I repeatedly said I wasn't Chinese, they would call me this and slant their eyes at me.

In Creole, "I hope that when we're running you trip on a rock, fall, and hit your head."

In Creole, "I'm going to whack her hard in the head and it's going to hurt."

"You're not my friend. You made me write sentences. Do not talk to me!"

These are just to name a few. Who knows what other mean things have been said in Creole. We've also gotten the silent treatment, kids walking away from us in the middle of conversation, and kids being obnoxious just to be obnoxious in class. One of my students would look at me and whisper things in Creole (kinda creepy and probably demonic) so I would hum worship songs or speak in tongues quietly. For a long while the teachers would hardly hang out at the kids' homes because they were so distant or mean to us after school because they would hold grudges.

I have pretty thick skin, I don't get mad or upset easily, but two weeks ago I bust out in tears after school. I felt so beat up by the words of the kids that day that I just couldn't take it anymore. I needed our Haitian Principal to sit in my class half the time because 2 of my 3 kids were just out of control, saying the meanest things to me. I was questioning..am I being too hard on them? Am I playing favorites? I honestly just wanted to go home, I didn't want to teach anymore. What was the point? If they didn't want me here, I don't have to be here. All I wanted to do was be with the kids from the feeding program. Those kids love me, just want me to hold them, they listen, and are so hungry for Jesus. They need Jesus. The kids at the orphanage already know Jesus, so wouldn't my time be better spent with the feeding program kids?

My fellow, amazing teachers prayed for me this hard day. Caitlin, thank you, I love you, and you're amazing! I was reminded that this is a spiritual battle. The real enemy I'm facing is the devil. The real obstacle I'm facing is discouragement. I was reminded by Francis Chan in his book, Crazy Love, about lukewarm Christianity. Do I really have Paul's heart when he said in Phil. 3: 10, " I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death?" I want to know Christ, but do I really want to share in his sufferings? I don't think anyone enjoys suffering (especially me), but if its for the furtherance of His Gospel...yes and amen! I want to know Christ more!

A few pages over, Francis said, "Lukewarm people tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict." I found myself in this position. I was in conflict with my students and instead of choosing to continue being steadfast in discipline and challenging them in their school work, I was thinking of just doing fun activities for the rest of the summer and easing up on the discipline. I figured that would be the best and easiest solution. I realized I was choosing what was popular instead of what was right. I was more concerned about the kids liking me before I left than I was about helping mold them into the image of Christ. Not good.

However, I'm realizing that it's not my job to assert that the kids respect me...this is a heart issue and only God can change that. I can't change the fact that they don't respect me or respond to me because I'm an American woman No point in getting frustrated over that...I'll never be a Haitian man...although I learned that when I raise my voice at the kids like a Haitian man would to put them in their place, they're pretty receptive to that. I cannot heal those wounds from the past that have made them think and react the way they do to certain situations...only God can. The two I've had the hardest time with are true orphans, no mom or dad. How else should I expect them to behave without having had a mommy or daddy to properly raise them in a godly household?

I've known more intimately than any time before that when times get hard, Christ surely is my sufficiency. His approval is all I desire. My value is not determined by how much these kids like me before I leave or how much people back home think I'm a great person for doing this, but my value, in God's eyes, was high enough for God to send His only Son to die for me (What?! That the God who spoke the universe into existence loves and wants me is beyond my comprehension). There is nothing good about me, but my God still chooses to love me. My job is to love these kids unconditionally, and that's what I'm determined to do for the rest of my week here. Whether that means disciplining them, praying for them, spending quality time with them, or just giving them grace when they're not at their best...I'm determined, with God's joy as my strength and His Spirit within me to persevere, that I may see Christ magnified in Haiti. I know my work here is not in vain and I'm believing for God to continue to work in my life and the kids lives.

Dear Davidson

So my dear, sweet Davidson has stolen my heart this summer. I haven't blogged about him until now because I get really emotional thinking about his story and thinking about having to leave here soon. (Warning: If you're a crier, you might want to grab a tissue now.) He became my buddy early on when I relayed a message to him from his favorite missionary, Rocky, who goes to the same church as me at home. I also got to tutor him the first week of school, working on learning his letters...which, by the way, he has learned over the summer. Davidson is new to the orphanage, was here less than a month before I got here. This is his story, as posted on the Child Hope website:

"12 year old Davidson came to us for the first time immediately after the earthquake. The house he and his mother lived in had collapsed and they had nowhere to live so we let them live in the Ben's on the soccer field with the rest of the MDL kids and other displaced families. Later we helped them rent a house for the year. Five months later his mother became seriously ill and passed away. Immediately after the funeral, he walked all the way to the orphanage because he had nowhere else to go. He has been a part of Maison de Lumiere ever since."

I can't even imagine what it would feel like to have my house collapse in an earthquake, then lose my mom from illness in a matter of months. Makes me so sad.

A few weeks ago when I was leading our Community Circle class, the question the kids responded to was, "What blessings has God given you to show that He loves you?" Katrina, one of our little girls, quickly said, "God blessed me with my mom." I cringed thinking about how Davidson felt about hearing that answer. But then he raised his hand and answered in Creole. Mr. Lucner, one of the Haitian teachers, translated and said, "He said he knows God loves him because He blessed Davidson with his mom." It was sweet to see his faith remain in God even though his mom is no longer with him.

This is Davidson's drawing of his mom.

When I saw it, I had to hold back tears. I was looking at all the spots on her body and thought...this is the last image he saw of his mom...sick and her body decomposing. He pointed to the picture and said, "Mama." Then he started sucking on his thumb (which he does pretty often). He is 12 years old, just lost his mama, and is sucking on his thumb to sooth himself. Gosh, this is just too much sometimes. Every time I retell his story, I can't help but break down in tears.

On a lighter note, I've had the opportunity to spend a lot of quality time with him this summer. He's been my pal...playing basketball, marbles, and dancing together at the Ben's. A lot of the times when I'm sitting just watching the kids play soccer or dominoes, he'll sit on my lap and just wanna cuddle. I feel like God put me here at this time to give him some motherly-like attention and affection, and it makes me sad that I won't be here for much longer to do that. I know God will still be with him, but I wish I could just take him home with me. Love this kid. Please pray that Davidson would grow in his relationship with the Lord. He has such a sweet disposition about him and I know the Lord has saved him for a unique purpose.

Love Lessons With Keso

So, I'd love to post a picture of Keso so you can put a face with the name, but he hates taking pictures. Anywho, during school we have a 30 minute session called "Community Circle." The goal of the class is to build community with a small group of students and provide a platform for students to express themselves and encourage each other. So typically we read a Bible verse together and I explain what it means. There are questions the students are asked and then they are given ten minutes to write or draw their response. Afterwards, they sit in a group and share what they wrote. I have a group of 12 of all our little kids. This can be quite the challenge because they are all just coming in from recess, are really hyper, and usually cannot focus.

So our topic this day was as follows:
Keso decided in the middle of this Community Circle time to lay in the middle of the floor and yell random things at the top of his lungs. I gave him five seconds to get to his seat and quiet down, or he had to write sentences as a consequence. He made it there when I got to zero, but then he decided to keep falling off his seat and delay obeying. I started to write down the sentence, "I will obey quickly." I wrote down 1-10 for him to copy underneath, which led to Keso having a meltdown and being really disrespectful. Instead of letting him throw a fit in front of everybody, I decided to take him outside. I said very calmly, "Look, I love you and I don't want to make you write sentences. But, when I ask you to do something, I'm serious and I expect you to do it right away. We're learning about how to love each other better, the way God wants us to love each other. When we love each other, we're not rude and we respect each other. It's not easy, but lets try to love each other and make it a better day. Can we do that?" In the back of my mind I was thinking, am I really just wasting my breath? I don't think he's really going to understand. But he nodded his head, signaling that he understood and wanted to do better. So I said, "Okay, I cannot let you back into class until you apologize though." So with a bit of a sad and pouty voice he said, "I'm sorry." I asked, "For what?" "For not obeying." I told him I forgave him and that he wouldn't have to write sentences.

However, when we went back to class, he immediately went to his notebook to write his sentences. I repeated, "I told you you didn't have to do that." He just kept writing. This is what I found written the next day.
For those of you who know Keso, if you made him write sentences, he would hate you for the next few days. He would hold onto grudges for soooo long. Three weeks ago when I had him write sentences he told me over and over, "You are not my friend. You made me write sentences. Do not talk to me." So, for him to write these on his own, to keep remembering the importance of love, and learning not to keep a record of wrongs (well, I never did anything wrong but in his eyes it was wrong) it was a sweet moment. God is good.

Daphne the Diva

Short little story...so our little 4 year old, Daphne, is quite the character. Even though she's so small...she has a big voice, carries a big personality, and attitude for days. The last missionary group to come in named her Daphne the Diva. To my friends in Hawaii, you know what I mean when I say she's such a titta.
So yesterday, a group from Washington came in to install fans on the walls of our girl's orphanage. These group of white men were asking our Creole speaking nanny in English if there were any more rooms to install fans. Obviously, there was a frustrating language barrier. But have no fear, Daphne the Diva to the rescue! She came in with her little attitude, translated into Creole what the missionaries were trying to communicate to the nanny, then said in English, "She said there's no more rooms." Then she turned and walked away...like hey, my duties here are done...I'm on to bigger and better things...call me if you need me. Di-va! The missionaries said they were just cracking up that this little girl just came through and took charge. I mean, God did say in His Word not to let people despise you because of your youth. Get it girl!

An Ode to Rubber Bands

I've been so amazed at the value and multipurpose use of colored rubber bands here. Here are some examples of how they are used.

A game I fondly refer to as

Bocci Band Very similar to Bocci Ball...the object of the game is to throw rubber bands until you land on top of your opponent's band, then you gain all the rubber bands that were thrown.

Dominoes Gambling

The older boys play dominoes every day and can never just do it for fun. It costs 5 rubber bands when you have to pass and 10 rubber bands when you lose. As a side note, I've heard they've made each other do silly things when they would lose. Like have to play with a metal bed post around their shoulders for the next game, or stick these huge leaves in their mouths as they played.

Lastly, and my favorite,
Friendship Bracelets

I've gotten rubber bands from Davidson and Keso from our orphanage and from Markenzy, my buddy from the feeding program. I cherish them dearly. :)

First Visit to a Tent City

I'm ending week 5 here and I haven't been willing to go to a tent city until today (my heart already breaks for the kids that I see on the street daily, so I didn't want to have an emotional meltdown in a tent city...been really cautious about going). The street I live on is pretty nice and rebuilt...there wasn't severe damage from the earthquake. But as I walk down the street and turn a corner, there are not only collapsed houses, but also large tent cities. Many of the kids that come to our feeding program live there and Scottie, one of the missionaries here, usually walks a few of the kids home to meet their families and pray for them. I decided to join him today.

So I went with six other missionaries and about thirteen kids from the feeding program. It was hard to walk through the wet dirt, shabby tents, and see kids with holey shirts to no clothes, and soooo many people living there. It broke my heart...especially to think of what it's like when there's massive storms or really hot days. One of the little girls, Melicia, brought me to her tent which was actually fairly big relative to other ones. It was actually wood panels with a tarp on top. The entrance of the "house" had a sheet and Melicia, with a big smile, opened the sheet to show me the inside. Her father sat in his boxers washing clothes inside a bin while her mother was in the back on one of the bunk beds. I felt awkward, honestly. Feeling like I was being a bit intrusive as Melicia invited me to come in. Although her parents were very cordial, I decided to stay outside.

During this time, our team of people were praying for one of the feeding program girl's mom and I stood on the side holding one of the small boys. I was praying from where I was and noticed there were four young women that were standing by and watching, one was holding a baby. They were smirking, talking in Creole, looking at both me and another young missionary, Arielle, and from their body language, were not saying very nice things. One of them, at one point, even brushed Arielle's arm in a kind of mocking way. I continued to pray and sing quietly that God's glory would be revealed to them. After the team prayed for the mom, Scottie looked at the young woman holding the baby and asked if she had anything to pray for. She laughed awkwardly and didn't know what to say at first. Then she said that she wanted prayer for her baby because the baby was sick. So Dena, one of the missionaries held the baby and they prayed. The baby's countenance was so happy and the mom began to laugh. I think she just didn't know how to react.

Meanwhile, I moved closer to the three other young women who were standing by and talking trash about us. Then one of them pulled out an envelope with pictures and handed it to me. It was pictures of a cute small boy that I assumed was one of their sons. They then pointed out that this little boy was sitting on the side on the ground...he only had a shirt on, no pants...sitting on the ground. I told them thank you for sharing the pictures and said that the little boy was so cute. I asked them each their name...I forgot the first girl's name but the other girls names were Christella and Jessica. When I met Jessica, I quickly said, "Mwen rele Jessica." My name is Jessica! For weeks, two of the little girls from the feeding program have been telling me they had a older sister named Jessica, so it was exciting to finally meet her. Anyways, these three hardened women all smiled and somehow I felt their preconceived notions about me diminish. I'm sure it also helped that I tried to communicate in Creole. The missionaries finished praying for the woman and her baby and we moved up two tents to pray for another mom of a feeding program child. I bid buh-bye to the four women, and Jessica actually followed us to the next tent. :)

The lady we prayed for next was such a sweetheart. She was so thankful, gracious, and praying for blessings for Haiti. I was so happy to be able to witness that.

And to wrap it all up, we started making our way out of the tent city. Our last turn before we exited, we could hear a man yelling and a woman and child screaming. It was starting to get dark, I felt uneasy about staying in the tent city any longer, so me and two others headed straight back home. However, Scottie and two other missionaries stayed back to intervene. Scottie asked one of the Haitian men standing nearby if he could go in and check on the tent they were hearing noises from. It was clear that both the woman and boy were getting beat by the man. The man emerged from the tent, stunned and embarrassed to see the missionaries and a dozen kids staring at him. He started to make excuses for what he was doing, but he was still really embarrassed. His little boy emerged in tears and his face covered. Scottie was able to pray for the man before they left.

God is so good. He cares about revealing His Fatherly love to a boy and wife who at that moment thought no one would deliver them. And He cares about redeeming the life of one man who thought that violence was the answer to his situation at that moment. Our God is a God who is mighty to save!

What to Do About Jealousy

Oh my...what to do about dealing with jealousy and possessiveness. Let me clarify that. I don't mean, what to do with people who are possessed (although it's a possibility there's some spiritual manifestation going on). But what I'm asking is, what I should do when the kids get possessive over me or get jealous that I'm spending more time with someone else? With more than 50 kids in the orphanage and 120 kids at the feeding program, it can get exhausting trying to spread the love equally!!

But the two kids I've been praying for the most...Richard (my student) and Markenzy (a boy from the feeding program) are the kids that I've had the most issues with this week.


Richard told me the other day that I loved MarcKendy (one of my other students) more than him. He hasn't grasped that I don't have to give MarcKendy punishments because he is behaving well, while Richard on the other hand, demonstrates misbehavior that merits consequences. In his eyes, affection is the only thing he sees as love and discipline is just a form of malice and hate towards him. But lets just be honest, its so much easier to be loving and affectionate toward a student who is consistently receptive to the love I give rather than giving it to someone who occasionally gives me the cold shoulder when I extend love. Ain't that the truth in any situation? So yesterday I made more of an effort to not "play favorites" and start anew with Richard, even though I was pretty hurt by some of the things he had said. I think deep down he really loves me and cares if I love him, though I'll probably never hear it from his mouth and I'll probably leave with him thinking I still didn't love him as much as I love the other kids. But again, yesterday, he sat in my lap all recess, fed me food, and was such a sweetie pie.

Then there's Markenzy. My sweet sweet boy that I've connected to the moment I got to Haiti. Throughout this summer he's been my pal, walking me to the guest house from the boys' orphanage. He gives me kisses on my cheeks everytime I see him. He protects me from the other kids when they try to steal the stuff from my hand. But when I'm at the feeding program and other kids want to play with me or hug me, Markenzy starts beating up on them or he starts pushing me. My default reaction is to laugh because I'm so shocked at how possessive he is over me. This picture was taken 5 minutes before he pushed me all the way home because he got mad at me for letting another child take a picture with my camera. He thought he should be the only one with that privlege. Eeks...I want to communicate somehow that I really do love him and he has such a special place in my heart compared to the other kids, but I can't just ignore these other kids who are so hungry for love too.

*sigh* It's nice to be loved, but yikes! I need God's wisdom on how to deal with this and am praying that God would give them hearts of understanding.

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

So I always have to blog when it's a great school day because hey...they are few and far between. Richard has been spending mornings with Kamala, our Principal, just to get some one on one time for school work. Yesterday went horrible, but today was a different story. He worked with Kamala in the morning and did an incredibly great job. Afterwards he joined the class to make tissue paper flowers. They insisted that the flowers be huge so I held the flowers like a bouquet and said, "Hey look, it's like I'm getting married." The students quickly reminded me I'm getting old and that I need to get a boyfriend soon.

At recess I sat down, Richard sat down next to me and just laid his head on my lap. I was eating cookies for snack and he wanted to share with me. It was so sweet...he would get one, take a bite, and then try to feed me. I've gotten used to him being so cold and ignoring me so this was a great welcomed change. He hasn't been this nice and affectionate with me since the first week of school, so it was a great blessing. Then he quickly got up and said, "I know what's gonna happen when you go back to America. You're gonna get a boyfriend right away and after two weeks, you will get married." I laughed and said, "Did God tell you that, or do you just think that's what's going to happen?" "I know," he said with confidence. I said, "Okay, well pray that I will find a good husband and I'll email Brooke (our nurse here) and she'll tell you if what you said really happened." Haha, this kid.

To top it all off, at the end of the day I asked Richard if he wanted to take home his tissue flower. He said no, so I asked him if he wanted to give it to someone and he pointed to Kamala. So he so sweetly hid it behind his back and then handed it to her and said, "Thank you for helping me." The most precious thing is that I feel that both me and Kamala have been on the top of his list to hate because we have been the ones disciplining him the most and the fact that he said "thank you" on his own was a moment to capture. :) God's sincere love and joy in Richard captured.

Friday Night (High)Lights

You wouldn't be able to tell from this sweet picture of him sleeping, but this little boy from our feeding program was inappropriately putting his hand down my shirt and head butting me 5 minutes earlier. I love how God seems to always have me befriend the biggest trouble makers. It just makes moment like these that much more precious...probably because it happens so rarely! :)It was hard to wake him up, but once he was up...he was ready to eat!!
I went to visit the girls home and had a lot of fun with Oline, Yudelka, Baby Estaline, Katrina, and Cendy.
Daphne tried to braid my hair. It was sweet, but pretty painful. Gentleness is a little hard to find here...don't think it's in their vocabulary. :)

Spiritual Battle

So two nights ago I had a super gnarly spiritual attack in the middle of the night. I was in and out of sleep, but I woke up to feeling like someone was pinning me down on my shoulders and chest with their hand over my mouth. I could feel it down all the way to my throat...just an oppressing spirit. I couldn't get up, I couldn't speak. In my mind I was repeating scripture of God's sovereignty, His might, and His authority. I was praying that God would bind up these evil spirits and that His holy angels would come down and release me. I prayed for God's Spirit to come like a rushing wind. It had been a few minutes and I kept struggling to talk and get up. It was scary and creepy, but I had confidence in God that He is so much stronger. After a while, it lifted and I immediately became aware of the bondage of Voodoo in Haiti. I prayed for God to break those chains and went back to sleep in God's peace.

Today, however, one of my students randomly told me (with no prompting from me) that two of the boys from the orphanage had similar experiences this week. He explained, "Devils were holding them down in their sleep." Knowing that the missionaries, the MdL workers, and orphans are battling for souls for God's kingdom, I understand that in the spiritual realm, there is a gnarly battle going on. The kingdom of darkness is threatened and is trying to fight for those same souls. Please keep praying for us all...that we'd be protected and have confidence in God's might....that we'd endure hardship and wouldn't grow weary in battle. God is so much stronger and has great things in store for Child Hope and Haiti!

Two Steps Forward/Two Steps Back

Well, update since Tuesday. My kids have spiraled down. All except MarcKendy, who has been such a sweet and studious child these past few days. Oline got sent back to a little kid classroom for the day for having an attitude and being super disrespectful. My Richard had quite the day today. He got sent to go pick up trash outside the school in the morning for being rude and inappropriate in class. He continued to be super defiant while walking back home and so during elective time, he had to pick up two bags of trash from the street outside the school. It was embarrassing as neighbors watched him and classmates walked by and made fun of him. We went back inside the school to discuss what he could do differently so he wouldn't be in trouble. Long story short, we spent the next two hours with him writing sentences and I added more sentences to write each time he was yelling out and being obnoxious and yelling things in Creole that I didn't understand. He put papers in his mouth and started spitting it out on the floor that our janitor was cleaning. He then had the job of helping clean the room. I had enough as the Principal and I were waiting all this misbehavior out. We finally told him that Fritz, our orphanage manager, wanted to see him when he returned home. Our janitor, Andy, remarked, "OOOH, you're going to see Fritz? See you in heaven Richard. See you in heaven." Haha, everyone knows not to mess with Fritz. When we brought him home, we could feel the tension in the room already. Fritz handled it and I'll find out tomorrow what happened.

I feel like Richard needs a daddy to show him how to be a godly, respectful Haitian man. I, being a Filipino American woman, am unqualified to do that. During the time we spent after school, I gave Richard the chance to tell me what he would need to change so he wouldn't be getting in trouble all the time. He stubbornly stood their quietly so I wrote down what I thought should change. I put "I (Richard) will be more respectful and obey at school." I asked him if he agreed. He said, "I don't believe someone can change." I asked why. He said, "Only God can change someone." I said I agreed but that it depended on him to choose to obey or disobey and allow God to grow him in obedience and love. He said, "No, only God can." I seriously think this kid thinks that God has to do something major to make him a good...which I agree...but there also has to be a willing heart. God can change hearts, but is that heart stoney, thorny, or good? We're learning Luke 8 about the Parable of the Sower right now, so I've been thinking about that a lot.

What?! No Meltdowns Today! :)

Okay, so I'll just be honest. The teachers and I have been really frustrated with the kids' behavior as a whole. Lots of defiance and disrespect, but we're persevering and praying for God's wisdom. Yesterday, I felt like I had no patience for my little Richard as he was constantly trying to be rude and get under everyone's skin. This led to many trips to sit by himself in a neighboring room. At one point in class yesterday, I had asked him to stop talking. I was really quiet and Oline asked, "Are you sad?" I said, "No, just tired." "Tired of Richard talking huh?" she said. Which was hilarious, but I said, "No, just tired." Then Richard mumbled in Creole, "Yeah right, she's never tired. She's never tired when she's punishing me!" Haha, yes! It's good to know he knows I will stand my ground and he can't tire me out with his behavior. It was quite encouraging because I know there will be less testing and hopefully more obedience as he knows there will always be a follow through with what I say.

Then today he ran into my classroom 15 minutes early as I was setting up with an eager smile on his face. He said he rushed over so he wouldn't be late to school. (It's always great to see him smile so early in the morning...a big sign that he's chosen to make it a good day). I told him we would be planting today and that he'd get to pick which seed he wanted to plant. He was so excited and when the other kids joined class, he quickly told them about our project for the day. We started off with prayer and Richard, for once, had a prayer request. He wanted to pray for the older kids who were graduating. He even wanted to pray first!! So awesome!!! Then we read the parable of the sower in Luke 8. I got to take them outside our school gates and observe the rocky roads, the weeds and thorns, and the good soil with fruitful trees. For three kids who constantly had meltdowns every time I mentioned the word science, they were so intrigued and involved. During the time of sowing our seeds, Richard decided to plant sweet pea flowers, Oline planted lavender seeds, and MarcKendy sowed another type of flower that I can't recall at the moment. They were bummed I didn't have apple seeds so I told them I'd look for apples when I got home and would bring the seeds for them tomorrow. Anywho...they were so great the rest of the day. We worked on spelling, place value in math, and had a time of watching Planet Earth. Their amazement with creation was just precious. Seriously, to get through a day without having any major meltdowns, no hissy fits, no talking back, no kids having to stay for dentention....ahhhh...it was such a glorious gift from God! To top it all off, Richard returned to elective class in the afternoon with two apple seeds in hand that he got from home. :) For a boy who last week told me he wanted me to go home already, I think he's realizing I'm not going anywhere and I'm still gonna love him no matter what he does. This love requires much much discipline, patience, and strength through Christ, but I think he might be starting to believe that this love is genuine. Tomorrow's another day, but I'm enjoying this wonderful day as long as I can.

Thanks for the prayers saints! God is constantly making me aware of you faithful prayers warriors and I am ever so grateful for ya'll!!!

Random Sights and Sounds

1. Saw an 8 year old boy at a food court downing a Heineken. Not just a sip of his dad's....nope...one of his own that he was chugging.

2. A Haitian woman was walking down the street with a white baby doll on her hip as if it was a real baby.

3. None of the kids zip their zippers...ever. Guess its some kind of some unnecessary step they can skip in the morning and after they use the bathroom.

4. My students have asked to used the "boom boom room." I was like, "What the heck is that?" They explained to me that's where they go to go number 2. I guess there's a designated bathroom on campus that they all go to when they go poop. Okay then.

5. Asians are few and far between here, so when I was in the car on the way back from the grocery store, we stopped next to a UN truck. I saw an Asian guy hanging out the window so I just waved and said to the others in my car, "Hey look, another Asian!" He asked if I was Chinese, haha. Everyone here assumes I'm Chinois.

Some Sweetness

A couple of things have just gotten me so excited and have blessed my heart this week. First of all, the school has hired a Haitian Principal. He has been so awesome. Today he worked with a new boy, Emmanuel, who is staying temorarily at the home and helped him learn the color red. They colored and drew things that were red. He took the boy on a tour of the school and had the boy point out things in red. Then he took him to our porch to overlook the neighborhod and had the child point out things outside our gates that were red. Mr. Ivans explained later that this was a vision test and so now he knew this little boy could see close and far. I was so impressed. I am so stoked for the school to have a Haitian Principal who is very capable, intelligent, and has such a love and passion for what's best for the kids, especially in helping them grow to be successful citizens in Haiti. He's going to be such a great role model for our kiddos.This new little boy, Emmanuel, has been such a joy to have. I don't know much but he has his arm stitched up from a recent gunshot wound and is staying at our boys' home for a bit. He has such a sweet spirit about him. He's never been to school before, so on his first day at the school, he was amazed by everything. He was mesmerized by the computers and inappropriately stuck his face in front of one of the teacher's screens as she was showing a video to her class. He had no idea how to stand in line or to look for a trash can when he was done with something he ate. But Emmanuel was so eager to learn and comply. When he left school, he pulled me down to give me a kiss on the cheek. I'm not a super affectionate person normally, but these kids are teaching me to give and receive love with such sweet affection. Many of these kiddos don't have mommies that will hold them and love them and it's crazy how a hug and a kiss can mean so much to them (and me!).

Another thing that brought me such joy today was my student, MarcKendy. He asked if I would come over to the boys home and he would teach me Creole. Of course I said yes, but I told him that I would do it after I helped at the feeding program, which is held right next to his house. So he, so sweetly, sat on the steps of the feeding program facilities, patiently waiting for me to finish so he could teach me. When I finally got around to the boys' home, he brought me to their room that had a chalkboard and he already had numbers 1-10 written in Creole for me! So sweet! Then he wrote down a few phrases for me to learn. The first phrase was "An ale nanfete," (which I'm not sure is spelled right) This meant, "Let's got to the party!" Haha, one of the "essential" phrases I need to learn to survive here right?! He ended by pulling out his personal library of Creole books and said I could pick one to borrow and read. :) Afterwards, Davidson, a boy I had been tutoring started practicing writing his numbers on the board. First he wrote 1-30 and counted in English. Then he cutely stood there and taught me the numbers in Creole. I called him "Mr. Davidson" and he was so excited that he could teach me something. Sooooo precious!!!