Haiti Mission Trip: Traveling

Haiti mission trip: July 5-13, 2013

This series of posts is mostly for our memory, but I'm going to break them up into days so it's not so much to read in case you are interested in our trip!

 

This was our first mission trip out of the country, and we were chaperones. gulp. Thankfully we had a great group, and knew we wouldn’t have any problems from them! There were five high school students: Emily, Madison, Tyler, Maygan, and Austin, two recent high school grads: Josh and Scott, three college students: Katie, Hannah Lee, and Kevin, and Mrs. Tanya, Josh, Leslie, and myself.

We left for New Orleans on Friday night on a BCM bus so that we could catch our flight early the next morning. We were all excited that this week had finally gotten here after planning this trip for nine months! We went to dinner together at Acme Oyster House and stayed at the Baptist Theological Seminary.

On Saturday we woke up at 2:30 am to get to the airport with plenty of time before our flight. We flew from New Orleans to Miami and then from Miami to Port Au Prince, Haiti. We were in first class for both flights, and we were definitely spoiled! I’d never gotten a meal on a flight or had seats that go to “sleep” position. Both flights were about two hours long and were easy flights. We had three students with us that had never flown before, and we warned them not to get used to first class treatment!

Reclining in first class

I had heard a lot of things about Haiti. It was poor, hot, humid, and even dangerous. But no one told me that Haiti is also beautiful. I was surprised flying in to see so many mountains and clear ocean water all in the same place!

Sorry for the bad quality plane photo...

We got off the plane and got through customs relatively easily. I learned quickly that it really does pay to try to learn at least a few words in the language before visiting. We were greeted by the missionaries from the Hands and Feet Project and we all loaded in a van to make the two hour trip to Grand Goave. We rode with the windows open and experienced all of the new sights, sounds, and smells.  We learned quickly that driving is very different in Haiti! There was a lot of honking and passing whenever someone wanted. There were very few personal vehicles, and most people in colorfully decorated “tap taps” (trucks that were built for people to sit in the back of that you tapped if you wanted to get in for a ride) or on small motorcycles. Leslie quickly noticed that there are very few road signs there, so you better know where you’re going!

Tap tap!

We drove through towns where there were marketplaces and many people walking through the streets trying to sell things. While we were stopped people would walk up to the window to try to sell us things. I realized quickly that smiling gave boys the wrong impression after I got some unwanted attention- oops!

 

Goats and chickens were seen everywhere on the side of the road, up in the mountains, and even on the beach later on! They seemed to be everywhere in Haiti.

 

Most of the buildings were colorfully decorated. It seems like everyone there is artistic! On the way there I did not notice too many homes, more stores and marketplaces and scenery. It was overwhelming and wonderful to be in a new place.

 

 

 

 

Catch-Up and Summer Excitement!

I feel like I am always playing catch-up on this blog! This time I’ll try to keep the updates short because I have something more exciting to share!

Leslie and I are staying busy as usual with trips to visit family and friends, his work, and my school. Linus is almost a year old and he is SO big! He keeps us entertained, for sure.

 

Leslie is still working for Northwestern State as one of the assistant athletic trainers. We’re not sure who will be paying him next year since his contract with the hospital runs out in July, but we have confidence that it will be figured out before he gets dropped! He will most likely be working with the soccer team primarily next year which I am thrilled about because of their short season and decent schedule! There is also a possibility that Leslie may get to begin his PhD program earlier than planned, but more on that as more details come together!

I am STILL working on my masters! NSU made some changes and added two 60 hour counseling programs. I chose to switch to counseling with a focus in school counseling. Some states require a 60 hour program, so I decided it would be worth the extra semester in school. Besides, who am I kidding, I love school! This program will allow me to work as a school counselor or (once I pass my NCE and do my LPC internship hours) become a Licensed Professional Counselor. Still not sure what I want to do with this, but I’m excited about the possibilities!

Now on to the more exciting part... Leslie and I are going to Haiti! Neither of us have been out of the country before, so we were very excited when we were asked to go with the church’s youth on this trip. We will be traveling to Grand Goave on July 6^th and will stay until the 13^th with our group of 14 people.

 

 As I learned earlier, Grand Goave was very close to the epicenter of the earthquake that devastated Haiti and experienced extreme damage.

 

During our trip we will stay in a compound run by the Hands and Feet Project (started by the lead singer of the band Audio Adrenaline... check out the website!). We will get to work with an orphanage and do some construction within the compound. The language most commonly spoken there is French Creole, and we have tried to learn some, but it is tough! Thankfully we'll have guides with us who live in Haiti and can translate for us and tell us what is safe to eat if we ever find ourselves eating outside of the compound.We have gotten updated on all of our vaccines and are taking pills for malaria and typhoid fever in addition. We know it will be a completely new experience and, although we have tried, know that we cannot totally prepare ourselves for it. We covet your prayers as we get ready to go in just 10 days and as we spend time in Haiti. We are so thankful for this experience, and I can't wait to share more with you when we return!

 

 

 

 

A Snapshot of the Gospel

This weekend I was blessed with the opportunity to co-lead a breakout session at our Princess Retreat at FBC. Our session was focused towards people who wanted to know the basics of Christianity. This is the Snapshot of the Gospel that I shared with the girls. Warning: Super long, but I wanted to share!

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 2:7, 15-23

Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.

But for Adam no suitable helper was found.  So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Genesis 3:1-13, 21-24

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.  But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”  So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.  After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Daniel 9:5

We have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws.

James 4:17

If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

Hebrews 9:22

The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Luke 1:26-27, 30-31, 34-35

God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

Luke 2:1, 4-7

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

Hebrews 1:3

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.

Luke 3:23

Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry

Luke 4:1-2, 13

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

Hebrews 2:18

Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Mark 1:34

Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

John 20:30-31

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John 14:12

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

John 11:47-48, 57

Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs.  If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.” The chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him.

John 16:7, 28

But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.

John 18:28- 19:16

Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”

 “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”

 Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”

“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.

Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”

 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

“What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.  But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”

 They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!”  Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.  The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face.

Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.”  When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”

 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”

But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”

 The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”

 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”

 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”

 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha).  It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon.

“Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews.

But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”

“Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.

“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.

 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

John 19:40, 20:1-8

Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them (Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus) wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.  So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.  He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in.  Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.

Hebrews 7:27

Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Acts 4:12

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.

2 Timothy 1:9

He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time

Galatians 5:13

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

Mark 16: 15-18

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

 

Christmas Break

Sadly, Christmas break is over today, but it has been wonderful. December started out with lots of Christmas parties (including our first party at our new house), a trip to the Christmas festival with Leslie’s mom and grandmother, and finals for me. 

At the Christmas Fest

 We had so much fun decorating for Christmas now that we have a house of our own!  

 Linus was still with my parents when we put our Christmas tree up, and he was quite fascinated with it when he got home. Unfortunately, the tree didn't look quite so nice by the time we took it down, thanks to him.

 This year we went to visit Leslie’s family in Alabama for Christmas. It was hard to be away from my parents during Christmas for the first time, but we were able to have dinner with them in Birmingham one night and visit with my grandmother. Leslie and I had fun making gifts for his family gift exchange, and were excited to unexpectedly get to see both sides of his family. We really enjoyed spending time in Tuscaloosa, getting to go to places we don’t have in Natchitoches, and catching up with some great friends!

Christmas present crafting

 Linus made the trip to Alabama with us and did really well in the car! He and their dog, Belle, didn’t get along too well, but we like to think they were just trying to play J. Linus had a great time sitting on top of the TV and batting at the football players with his paw while everyone was trying to watch playoff games. He was quite the entertainer.

One day was really cold and rainy, so Leslie and I decided to stay in Reform until time for dinner. We headed out to grab a quick lunch in town and I heard a kitten crying. There are cats all over the place, so it wasn’t totally unusual, but this kitten did not sound happy at all. I looked around the garage and couldn’t find who was crying, so I got in the car. When Leslie went around to his side of the car he found the poor kitty stuck in my wheel. It took us quite a while to figure out how to get him unstuck. He was freezing, so we brought him inside with us to warm up. Poor little guy was so cold he couldn’t even walk! After a few hours he was all warmed up, had a bit to eat, and was ready to get away from us! He was not a big fan of people. We went to take him to a warm spot in the garage, but he ran back out into the rain. Thankfully, we saw him later on so we knew he was okay!

 On our last night in Alabama Katie called to tell me she was engaged! We were both super excited for her, and when we found out that she was going to be in Texas for a few more days we decided to make a surprise visit for New Years. We had a great time catching up, playing games, and of course wedding planning!

 After taking a few days to rest after we got home I decided it was time for a project. I had already taken the border in the bathroom down (using dish soap and hot water- yes, it works!) before we left for Alabama, so it was time to paint! Leslie helped me pick a color and tape and I decided to go ahead and paint while he was at work the next day!

Bye bye mauve walls!

 So much better!

Hope everyone had as nice of a break as we did!

Trip to the Texas Fair

Leslie and I both ended up with a free weekend last weekend, so we decided to visit my parents to go to the Texas State Fair! Leslie wanted to check out all the fried food, and my dad loves the fair. We'd been trying to make it work out for a few years now, but we were just never able to make it.

 

We felt bad leaving Linus at home, so he made the road trip with us on Friday evening! He was pretty good in the car, but kept trying to climb over to visit Leslie.

 

My parents' cat, Spud, wasn't too sure about Linus.

 

 

We knew it was supposed to rain on Saturday, but we thought it would clear up in the afternoon. It ended up raining all day, and it just got harder and harder as the day went on. We still had a great time, but we didn't take too many pictures of ourselves. Leslie and I did get one picture with the big longhorn, though!

 

One of my favorite parts was the petting zoo. It was great to get out of the rain, and they had so many neat animals! It was like a trip to a real zoo!

 

These little guys were strange- they had 4 horns! None of them looked too happy about it, either.

 

 

This little goat decided to make himself comfortable, ha!

 

 

This is a baby llama, but we got to see two people show their much bigger llamas! They had to show that they were agreeable going through different environments while carrying a load on their back. It was like a llama obstacle course! It was neat to watch, and they seemed like really sweet and smart animals.

 

 

We thought this goat was too funny not to take a picture! Leslie said it looked like Charlie Hall or David Crowder.

 

We also saw the biggest pig I've ever seen!

 

 

The shoe competition was another favorite of mine!

This is the Nine West Nile Virus, clever because of the current West Nile outbreak in TX.

 

Little Honey Boot Boot, ha!

 

 

We also got to try several strange fried things (thankfully Leslie decided to skip the fried butter, previously at the top of his list to try). We had fried cheesecake, fried jambalaya, fried lobster macaroni and cheese, and fried lemonade! All surprisingly good (in small quantities).

 

It was such a fun weekend! I think we wore Linus out. This is him relaxing in my lap in the car.

 

 

We got home Sunday and I had fall break on Monday and Tuesday! Such a nice long weekend.

Linus

Most of you probably know I'm a cat person. I've wanted a kitten since Leslie and I got married, and especially wished I had some company when he had to travel and work a lot last year. At the time, we lived in a guest house and we weren't allowed to have a cat, but Leslie promised me that as soon as we moved to somewhere we could have a kitten we'd get one. 

I planned to wait until we were all settled in and unpacked, but Leslie was out of town one weekend and we had a few days off because of the hurricane, so I decided I would start looking. Leslie said it was fine if I went without him since we probably wouldn't find a time soon to go together anyway, and I promised to send him pictures of potential kitties! 

I Facebooked and called around a few places and they were either closed or had no cats at the time. Someone suggested that I visit the local animal shelter, and I decided to go take a look even though no one was answering the phone there. 

It took me forever to find the shelter, and when I got to it it was not at all what I was expecting! The animals were kept in cages like you would expect to see in a shelter, but they weren't in a normal building. They were all practically outside, with little protection from the weather. It was so sad!

There was a lady sitting outside and I asked if they had any kittens available. She said that there was one that had been put out on the side of the road near the shelter just that afternoon. It was lucky that they had been there to find him, because they were supposed to be closed all day. 

She took me back to see this little guy and I couldn't believe how tiny he was! I got him out of the cage and he meowed and meowed. I sent a picture to Leslie and my mom and they both approved. I wasn't sure if it was a great choice with him being so loud and since he hadn't been to a vet, but I knew he needed to come home with me!

He climbed me on the way to the vet and insisted on sitting on my shoulder. I'm sure I looked incredibly intelligent trying to pry him off of my back when I parked at the vet's office, but he was not letting go of my shirt with his sharp little claws! 

He meowed loudly throughout the ride and in the vet's office. Thankfully he settled down and took a nap once we were seated. 

The vet said he was only about 5 weeks old, and he only weighed 1.2 pounds! He was a very healthy kitten, aside from ringworm in his ears. Since then it has spread and I've had to give him lots of medicine and two baths a week, but now it is almost gone!

He was so tiny!

He has grown so much and he LOVES to play! Sometimes he gets a little too playful and hurts, but overall he's a very fun kitty!

Home Sweet Home

As I mentioned before, Leslie and I are super excited that we are now homeowners! We weren't even sure that it was the right time for us to buy a house, but we decided we'd look around some anyway. Leslie spotted our house the first day we both decided to drive around and look on the way home for work.

 We looked in a TON of other houses over several days, but none of them compared in our opinion! We're so thankful for all the help we had from friends in finding a house and getting everything moved in and unpacked! And a big thank you to my parents for most of the furniture!

 Our living room! The bookshelves we had just weren't enough, so we decided to get three to put in our living room! I really like how it turned out, and we have room for all of our nerdiness now :)

 We have two guest bedrooms, but they're both still pretty filled with stuff that has only partially been unpacked, so here's the better of the two for now! The other one has the furniture that I've had in my bedroom since I was a little girl, and I don't think I EVER cleaned out the drawers! I had to stop in the middle of cleaning out the other night to go to bed, so it looks like an explosion of pre-teen girl happened in there right now!

 Our dining room. It's smaller than it looks, and we're going to have to find the right table for the area!

 I love having a kitchen and dining area now! We had a super nice kitchen before, but we only had two bar stools, so having people over to eat didn't work out too well. Now we have a bar area and a kitchen table that sits six! I love that the kitchen opens up to the dining area and the living room. It's also awesome that the sink is facing the TV- it makes washing dishes so much better!

 Our bedroom! Still have quite a bit of stuff to unpack in here, but we're getting a dresser and chest soon so we'll have a place to put it all!

 We still have our fish, Dot and Carl! They made the move very nicely.

 Our bathroom, which is currently being taken over by this little guy...

Poor Linus' ringworm spread ALL over him, so he still has to sleep in the bathroom and stay there while we're at work. 

Thanks to Leslie's parents for the washer and dryer! We were so lucky to be able to get them delivered and installed as soon as we bought them on Labor Day!

We're so thankful for our new home! It will be so nice to have a place for family and friends to stay when they visit us, and we love having our own space. We've had several comments about filling the house with kids, but that's not the plan right now! This little guy is filling it up quite enough :)