Haitian Adventure: Part 2

{Part 1 found here.}

These colorful houses were the face of hope for so many people.  They weren't any bigger than my bedroom, but they were castles compared to the "tent city".  The tent constructions were meant for immediate aid, not for long term residency.  The tents didn't block the rain that would come with night fall, or the wind that came in the mid afternoon.  

Mission of Hope plans on building 500 individual family houses on this specific piece of property.  Not only would that have their own home, they would also have enough area for a small garden to provide food for their family.  Their two year mortgage is equivalent to $10.00 US dollars a month.

My team spent two and a half days painting houses, I never thought painting could be so challenging.

Weather.com said it was in the high 90s, but that estimate wasn't valid after 2PM, needless to say the afternoon heat was intense.  I would be painting with my back to the sun, and cool sweat was constantly dripping down my back and running into my eyes.  We would try and time it right so the sun was always on the opposite side of the house we were painting, when we'd get it everything was a little more doable. 

On our first day of painting I forgot to put sun screen on my caves, they were almost blister red when the day ended.  After that I made sure to cover everything, twice with sun screen.  

During our two and a half days at the housing project, I always kept ending up with one of our leaders.  No one really knew her history, through those two and a half days I was privileged enough to learn her story, and I was amazed.  No one ever would have ever guessed unless she told you, she was a living example of God's power to heal.

  

Background story --- Whenever someone would have a new baby I never want to impose and ask to hold their baby, instead I'd anxiously wait until the Momma almost shoved their little bundle into my arms. ---

God knew my background story, he knew I longed to hold a sweet Haitian baby, loving the best way I knew how.  He knew I wouldn't come out and ask someone to hold such sweetness.  

During the children's Sunday School lesson, the helper had her hands full with two babies, looking around she locked eyes with me and handed me a sleeping baby boy, all the while without saying a word.  I couldn't believe it.

God knew the desires of my heart even when I didn't, and He came through bigger and better than I ever could have imagined.

I got to hold that baby boy for a good forty-five minutes, those forty-five minutes made the list of top five moments in Haiti, not only did I get to love on a sweet baby, I also felt God loving on me.

Adventure in the D

This was where I spent my Saturday morning, The Eastern Market!  I'm proud to also add that we did not get lost on the way down, first time driving into the city for me.  

Hello little city pigeon, you know you're a country girl when you get excited seeing a common city bird.

A cow made of vegetables?  Would seem out of place anywhere else but at the Market.

The meet-up location for the day, "shed 3," sounds a little shady if you ask me.

You know the mushrooms are fresh when there's still dirt on them.

I'll admit, I was creeping on this cutie and his orange slice.  

Next time I go to The Eastern Market, one of these guys are coming home with me!

You surprised me Eastern Market, I greatly under estimated your awesomeness and I will be back.

You know it's finals time when...

• Papers have consumed the desk.

• A mini collection of cups accumulating around said desk.

• Laundry pile is sky high, leaving only sweats and other homely clothes left

• Start having panic dreams, (in one I over-slept and came to class an hour late!)

• Hair gets thrown into a bun, it's either that or it gets chopped off :O

• A constant countdown has been running through my head

• It's a good day if I have some mascara on, and that's on a good day

By this afternoon I will only have ONE more final!!!  Can't believe I'm almost finished with my first full year of college.

Monday Muse: Color Party

How can this not look like anything but fun!!  (Now returning to my crazy college finals week.)

Going Old School..

With this beauty, I got the Fujifilm Instax Wide Camera!  I was so excited when I got it for my birthday (plenty of hints had been dropped let me tell you :)

I was just a little giddy with my first picture, can't wait to add to my collection!

Dish Duty

On one particular night last week, it was just Fairygirl, Littleman and myself at home.  Dinner was wrapping up, Fairygirl was in tears because she didn't want her vegetables, Littleman was ready to roam free, the dishes were waiting and I still had to study for finals.

Fairygirl, finally, ate some veggies, Littleman went running to destroy the toys and I was frazzled.  I felt like the world was on my shoulders, I had to keep an eye and ear open to what the two little kiddos were doing, the dishes and table still needed my attention, and I was freaking out about my many finals, my anxiety was running high to say the least.

I was ready to give up, but God came to rescue, like He always does.  God calls us to leave a legacy on this earth, and I want nothing else, I long to leave a mark that will last longer than my life.  I get it into my head sometimes that only amazing, note-worthy things make a difference.  Working in the inner city or living in Africa is only note-worthy.  God showed me other wise, leaving a mark can look like crawling on all fours cleaning up dinner crumbs, it can look like cleaning Littleman's stinky diaper, or doing the dishes when it's not my turn.  Making a difference doesn't need to be confined.  

Sometimes the things that leave a mark aren't glamorous to the human eye, but to God they hold value.  No one thinks much of it, or even notices, but God does.  When we move the focus off ourselves and onto others, when we start looking to fulfill other's needs before our own, and when we start thinking how we can honor God and other's before ourselves, that's when we start leaving a legacy.

I've noticed that when I'm loving others, and serving them before myself, I find true happiness.  Not just surface level happiness, but happiness that sprouts deep in my soul.  A deep happiness can not be found when we focus on ourselves, but rather when we focus others!

I started off the night focusing on myself, on what I needed to do before tomorrow, how I wished others were home, totally focusing on myself.  God worked on my attitude, He moved my focus off myself and onto others, replacing my anxiety with His peace.

Thank you "Charlie is So Cool Like"

My weeks of finals just got better!  I know, it has been a little quite around here, finals are intense!

Awkward Awesome Thursday

Awkward

• I know I need to do laundry when the only clean socks I have are holiday socks.  They go great with my workout clothes...  (laundry is in the washer as we speak)

• Having the cashier look at you funny when you only purchase plastic gloves and sandwich pages.  I know it may look weird lady, but really it's just for dying my hair back to purple... Nothing weird in that at all!

• Yesterday I thought winter had unfortunately returned, we had snow and everything.  But today, spring is back!  Leaving me very confused as to how to dress.

• This semester will be done in under two weeks!  I think I'm going to become a hermit with all the studying for finals, paper editing and presentation making.  CRAZINESS (I might be, possibly, maybe freaking out already)

Awesome

• My bird wolf whistled at me when I came in the door from school.  Why thank you "Misty" for the resounding affirmation of your affection.

• This weekend it is supposed to be in the 70s!!  Great way to celebrate my birthday weekend! 

• Only THREE days till I kiss 18 goodbye and say hello to 19!!

• This school semester will be finished in two weeks!!  Freedom is so close I can taste it!

• SpringHill is only a month and a half away, you should see my packing list.  My list is extremely long and color coded, I like organizing, maybe a little too much.

Inspiration for this post found at The Daybook

Princess Hair and Procrastinating Math Homework

Today while I was babysitting, the Little Miss was very set on adding everything princess to my hair, needless to say when she was through my hair was a complete mess.  I decided rather then trying and untangling I'd just try and throw it in a braid.  Even though I have no idea how to braid, I was willing to give it a shot, hoping for the best.  What do you know!  I can braid my own hair!!  One more thing to cross that off my 25 things checklist! (Only took eighteen years.)

Here's a little something I found while procrastinating math homework.  Love Zooey Deschanel! (by the way I'm still procrastinating by writing this post, but don't tell anyone.)

Guess What!!??

This lovely month of April 

is my

BIRTHDAY month!!

I may just be a little excited...

And I may have celebrated with some mid-day ice cream, last birthday before the big 2-0!!

Haitian Adventure: Part 1

A full year has passed since my feet were on Haiti soil, and I still don't know what to make of those seven days.  Even now after a full year, I'm still learning new things, amazing how God can work. {You can read more about my pre-departure thoughts here}  

I experienced so many conflicting emotions, my breath got taken back by the beautiful mountains, and my heart broke seeing the circumstances these people were living in.  Once second I was in awe with such beauty and the next second I was asking God why these people had to live in such poverty.

The earthquake happened a year earlier, and still 1.5 million people where still living in tents (as of last April).  It wasn't temporary anymore, for many families this was becoming their permanent reality.  Looking down into the valley, everything was white, white because of all the tents where thousands of people were living in spaces smaller than my own bathroom!

Throughout the trip I started to become numb, numb to the poverty, numb to the squelching heat, numb to everything around me.  I didn't know how to relate to these people who were living in such deep poverty, the homeless in The United States would be considered rich through their eyes.

Here I was, white little city girl, able to sleep comfortably in my bed every night, had access to clean water 24/7 and a refrigerator full of whatever I desired.  I came from a world over flowing in surplus and they came from a world lacking the necessities of life.   

*all pictures taken collectively from our team.