F.R.O.G (fully rely on God)

Alo!

Our last week has been a little crazy, which is why it has taken me so long to write!

Zeke is our Haitian boss and last Sunday his father was hit by a motorcycle while he was going to get some avocados. He was doing pretty bad for a while and wasn't responding to very much. We went and prayed with him last Tuesday and it was quite the experience. On the way out, the young man who hit him was lying in the next bed over. He wasn't even close to how bad of shape Zeke’s dad was in, but he had a small head injury. On our way out Zeke told us this was the man who hit his dad and that we could stop and pray with him if we wanted too. So we stopped and prayed. I was shocked that Zeke was even considering it, this is the man who caused his father so much pain and he still wanted to stop and pray with him. The young man started to tear up a little and you could tell he felt so awful, but at the same time he was able to see the power of forgiveness and prayer. I am so thankful that Zeke’s faith is so strong that he was able to show this man love and compassion immediately after this devastating situation happened to his own father.

That night (Tuesday) Cassidy and I were feeling kind of down and I felt like it would be a good time to open a “blessing” card. Before I left we had a small going away party and my mom had people bring a “blessing” card for me to open on rough days while I was away. That was the perfect day for one! I grabbed a random one and it happened to be from Paul Rekow. It said, “One thing I remember from our first trip to Haiti, was how much Haitian’s relied on God for EVERYTHING!! It may be hard sometimes to understand God’s plan, but always remember to trust in Him.” I wasn't even surprised that this was EXACTLY what I needed to hear at that moment because that is how God works! (Thank you Lord!! And thank you Paul for the reminder!!) :)

On Thursday morning we were at the hospital for a meeting and as we were walking out, a nurse stopped Zeke and said that his father was speaking again!! We went and saw him right away, he said he was thirsty and was asking for water. The nurse said, “even the doctors were not expecting this, they say this could only be because of The Lord!” It seemed like everything was turning around and we were so excited, but sometimes God has different plans. Friday morning I got a call at 7:30AM that Zeke’s father had passed away a few hours before. It was devastating news to hear and I was shocked. The funeral was this past Tuesday and it was so sad to see one of our closest friends going through such a rough time. I am so thankful that our team could be here to support Zeke and his family during this rough time. Everyday Cassidy and I learn more about this amazing beautiful culture, and one thing we know: God is so powerful and can do anything! Loving one another and being there for each other is so important as well!

Last Monday we started the Thrive for 5 program in Savanette. It has been going great so far! We have 101 kids signed up and most of them have been showing up every day so far. We have singing time, a Bible story, crafts, and we feed them at the end. We see these children Monday through Friday for about 2 hours each day. We also have a health agent from the hospital that will come once a week and vaccinate children and make sure they are staying healthy. All 101 kids are ADORABLE!! It has been so fun signing these kids up – but taking some of their picture's has been another story! Some of them are so young, our "blanc" skin scares them. :) They are warming up to us though!!

Today our morning started off at 6AM teaching English at the Hospital in Pignon. It went really well. We had about 20 people in there for our first class! This will be a great opportunity for these doctors and nurses to know more English and for us to learn more Kreyol in the process. I'm excited for this class to continue and to get to know each of the people individually. They seem like a very bright and fun group and it will be great to have even more friends in town we can chat with!

Cassidy and I were walking home by ourselves for a few blocks today and a group of guys was walking by. One guy says, “Do you speak Kreyol?” We both look at him and say, “Itsy bitsy, we are learning.” He says, “You know what I mean when I say, ‘Ou renmen mwen?’” We look at each other; shake our heads and yell, “HUH UH SIR, NON JODIA!!!!” Huh uh, not today sir, not today! No, we do not love you like that! He laughed, his friends laughed, and so did we – I can’t wait until we know everything that everyone is saying to us so we can reply to it all! :)

Even on days when we run out of power, run out of water, when there’s a million ants running around our table, when we find a lizard in the house (and then lose it again), etc. I am still so thankful to be here. When we ran out of power the other night I was lying in bed at 7PM in pitch black listening to the rain, thinking about how dependent we are on power - we feel like we can’t do anything without it. We even begin to feel desperate without access to charging our computers, phones, Nooks, cameras, etc. it is crazy when you really think about it. I want my relationship to be like that with God, all the time – not just when I am in Haiti and have to be so dependent on Him with day to day things. I want this neediness for my King to continue to take over me and I want to cling to Him all day every day, not just when it is convenient for me. We think we need power and electricity to live and function every day, but the only thing we really need to function is God. He will always take care of the rest! :)

That’s all for now!

Dako, na we! (Okay, see ya!)

Tampico