Morning Procedures

Every school has a morning procedure. In the States we often say the Pledge of Allegience. In Haiti they sing the national anthem. Here's a little snippet of what that looks like in Gramothe.

In the Land of Rice and Beans

Ah. It is such bliss to be back in Haiti...other than the needing to unpack and put everything away part. I really loathe unpacking. Maybe I'll just live out of my suitcases for the next week and then unpack.

 New construction on the waiting room building has gone up while I've been away. The second floor wasn't even started when I left 5 months ago and now it's nearly complete.

My college friend Beth is in Haiti this week helping in the clinic. She came with me back in April of 2010 when this chapter of my life started. :)

My good friends Porcupine and Mouse. We had a lot of fun talking after clinic finished today. I've missed them!

Flying the Friendly Skies

Today I am flying to Haiti. My first flight leaves Chicago at 8:50 am EST. I'll spend a few hours in Miami's excellent* airport, and then I'm off to Port au Prince. If all goes accordingly, I should arrive in PaP around 4. By the time everyone gets their luggage (I'm flying in with a medical team) and we get through customs, we should be on the mountain by 6pm EST. It will be a long day of travel, but it will be good too.

If you think of me today, please pray for safe travels. I'd appreciate it!

*Using the word excellent is extreme sarcasm. I loathe MIA more than I loathe unpacking.

Thankful

I have much to be thankful for this year.

Unfortunately I don't have much time to write about it here.

I'm headed back to the land of rice and beans in just a couple of days. In the mean time I am packing my suitcases (apparently a little too well since one of them is much heavier than 50lbs... I'm having a hard time taking things out though!), and I'm also cleaning my room at my parents. I'm not sure how one person can collect so much junk in such a short time. I thought I was being intentional about not keeping things I don't need, but it turns but I just made lots of piles of junk in my bedroom. Apparently now I feel compelled to stuff as much of it as possible into my suitcases!

If you think of me in the next couple of days please say a little prayer for safe travels and a smooth transition back to life in Haiti. Pray for my family as they transition too.

I saw this the other day and really liked it. It reminds me a lot of what Jesus said in Matthew about losing our lives to gain something better.

Fun Mail

I sent out wedding invitations a couple of weeks ago. (There are only 7 weeks left until I marry the most amazing man I've ever met! I can't wait.)  Anyway, at the last minute I added two couples to our guest list. One of them has already sent a response: an 8x10 photo with a message from both the Mr. and the Mrs. Here it is:

Three weeks to go

There are only three weeks until I leave for Haiti. Please pray...

• for quality time with my family in the next 3 weeks
• for a smooth transition for the teacher taking over my position in Mishawaka
• that I will not distance myself emotionally from my family and friends as a defense mechanism
• that God will prepare me for the changes I will encounter once I get to Haiti (some staff and ministry changes have occurred in the 5 months I've been away)
• for my loved ones to experience the peace and joy only God can give as we say goodbye for now
• that the Lord will be glorified in everything

Giving Up Your LIfe

Last week Pastor John preached on parts of Luke 9. You know the part of the Bible where Jesus says,  “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Then we sang a song (below) in church today that talks about being the hands and feet of Jesus. There's a line that says, "I wanna give my life away, all for your kingdom's sake."

I want that. I can't tell you how much I want that. But I also feel a lot like the rich young ruler lately. I want to follow Jesus, but it's hard to leave behind the life I have here. 

When I get on that plane to Haiti in three weeks, I'll be leaving behind

• watching Big Bang Theory with my dad
• hot showers any time I want
• Christmas with my family (I start crying every time I think about this. I have a plan for skyping with them that day, but it tears my heart out that I won't be there with them.)
• spur of the moment movie nights with friends
• going shopping with my mom whenever she comes to Mishawaka
• seeing my mom graduate from Bethel in May
• being able to communicate with nearly everyone I meet
• the many extended family get-togethers the Myers family has
• holding my best friends' babies as we talk about life
• giving and receiving hugs from the people I love
• understanding everything my students say to me 
• watching funny TV shows with my friends

Don't get me wrong, I want to return to Haiti. I'm looking forward to it. I know that God wants me to be in Haiti, and I'm excited to get back there. It's just not as easy to say goodbye to life here as I wish it was. 

Where my heart is...

On Sunday I was able to be at my home church again. I don't think I'd been there in about 5 weeks. Two boys from the youth group actually sought me out to say they were happy I wasn't back in Haiti yet. They thought for sure that I had gone back without saying goodbye. Aren't they sweet?

I have really enjoyed traveling to other churches and sharing about what God is doing through Mountain Top Ministries in Haiti, but it was really refreshing to be with my church family again. I think I'll be able to worship with them for the next four Sundays. Then it will be time for me to return to Haiti and worship with my friends in Gramothe. Only four more Sundays in the States. That's both exciting and heart wrenching. Why can't Northern Indiana and Haiti be only 20 or 50 or even 100 miles apart? That would make my life much easier.

Everyone keeps asking me if I'm excited to be going back. YES!! I'm thrilled that I will be with Arold in just 25 days. I can't wait to see my students and talk about school, their families, and what's happening in their lives. Being involved in the life changing ministry of MTM, through the clinic and the school and church, is something I love about being in Haiti.

But in some ways the next 25 days in the U.S. are the hardest because the excitement about going back is tempered with heart ache over leaving. My entire family lives here. They celebrate birthdays and holidays together. They hang out and eat at each others' houses. They get to do life together, and I'm in a different country getting glimpses of it through Facebook and e-mail. Two of my best friends just had babies. I can't cuddle with them from Haiti. I can't just stop by and get my baby fix. I won't be around as they grow and change. I can't celebrate milestones in their lives, and I likely won't even know when some of those milestones happen. Living in Haiti doesn't allow me to be intimately involved in my loved one's lives.

I fully recognize that this is the choice I've made, and I am confident beyond a shadow of a doubt that God wants me in Haiti. I have the peace that only God can give about moving to a country plagued by poverty, civil unrest, and diseases like cholera. I know that once I'm in Haiti again I will be excited to be there, but saying goodbye (even when it's just for a few months--I will be back in June) is hard and I wish I didn't have to do it. I hate thinking "Is this the last time I'm going to see this person before I go?" because it makes me want to cry every. single. time.

Maybe I'm a little hormonal today and my emotions are getting the best of me.

Or maybe life is messy and saying goodbye to the people you love is always hard, no matter how confident you are that where you're going is where God wants you.