Priorities of the Sand and Sun.

There are times when you can look back at a single moment in time and realize that it shaped and helped define the rest of your life.

I had one of those moments when I was 17.  At that time I was consumed with two things: a certain baseball player and going to the beach.  We went to the beach on a regular basis in our house. Most every weekend and holiday involved the salt and the sand more often that not.

We loved the beach. The water, the sand, the chairs in the sand, and everything else that goes along with a great day.  The seaside, for us, became a place of soul-soothing moments that we grew to crave. There is still no other place like it.

On a particular Saturday morning, we packed up and headed to our happy place for the day.  We would go early in the morning and stay until the late afternoon.  We lathered ourselves with sunscreen  baby oil...horrors upon horrors...and waited the day out.  We didn't wear hats or sunglasses. Who needed them?

The next morning upon getting out of bed, I looked in the mirror and saw fire-engine red skin and very swollen eyes. Well, I knew I couldn't go to church looking like this, so I proceeded to find my mother and discuss this matter with her.  In our house, church wasn't on the optional activities list. It was always a given that we were going and normally I was ready. Not that day, though. It would be a tad bit embarrassing to walk in SS looking like that.

I found her and began my tale of woe."Look at me," I said. "I just can't go to church this morning.". I was sure I would receive the grace and mercy of a totally understanding mother. However what I got was, " Oh, you are going to church." She then proceeded to tell me that it was the Lord's day and that her worship of Him was the most important thing in her life. Even more important than me.

Insert my life-defining moment.  My mother's worship of God came first and foremost. She didn't always get it right, but she knew where the Anchor was.  I learned that day my mother loved me so much that in that teachable moment she put my priorities where they should be.  To her dying day, I am convinced that my mother  never stopped worshipping her Savior.

I want to be like her when I grow up.

Happy Birthday, Mom. We miss you.

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You,  for You, O Lord have not forsaken those who seek you.    Psalm 9:10

Reflections on Haiti

To say that we had a "good trip" to Haiti would be like saying, "I had a good day"....too generic.

So here is my list of things we saw, heard and experienced:

The airline we flew needs to check their thermostat. However, we didn't remember that the cold air was the last bit of coolness we would be a part of for a week. Hindsight is always 20/20.

My luggage which looked fine as I waved it good bye in Ft. Lauderdale came to me in Haiti beat up and filthy.

Port au Prince---what else can you say about no traffic rules, horns blaring, smells that haven't a name, wandering animals and people bathing, washing and "what can't be mentioned" in the same puddle of water.  Not to mention all the devastation from the earthquake.

Our first sight of Christianville was telling. We were anticipating such joy and happiness. And that is exactly what we received. The hospitality there was welcoming.

Mrs. Sue is a modern day Mother Theresa, or as Noah called her "Sister Theresa". For him to recognize  that was insightful for his 11 yrs, and he is absolutely correct. Any woman who moves to a 4th world country, saves children and uses her life savings to do it, along with God's leading deserves the title. She is a straight-talking, no non-sense kind of woman that children and adults love.  She has my respect and unending love for what she is giving her life for.

Christianville is a 25 acre ministry that is doing amazing things for the Lord and His work.  They are making a huge difference in their area and the people that live there.

Rats and tarantulas run freely.

The children we were with all have their own stories that would astound you, yet they all love with a heart that is open to everyone.

Of course, the two reasons we went: John and Betchina. My heart was meshed with theirs immediately. It was as if they were always ours... (I say "ours"...but I mean Clint and Jennifer's..I think :))...for their whole lives. I found there is no distinction of the heart. They belong with this family. Their hugs and smiles just seem to fit.

We had a room with three beds and a bathroom light that worked only in the daytime, a cold shower and a tin roof that when it rained sounded like we were being run over by a train, but our accommodations were very pleasant. When you are in Haiti you find out just  how spoiled and picky that you really are. The Lord seems to say, "Ha! I've been telling you all along" in those moments. I hope I listened.

The next time I go to the doctor and have to wait, I won't grumble about it. We went to a clinic that had a tent full of people sitting and waiting in the heat and I suspect it was an all day affair.

Worshipping with those you don't speak the same language with is, without sounding weird, a pure joy.  When you are worshipping in song and the only words you recognize are "Jesu" and "Papa",  you know that somewhere in the lyrics they worship the same God you do.  Anytime the song mentions "Jesus and Lord" you can count on hearts turned towards heaven. We also had Squirrely, the dog join us in worship that morning. He needed Jesus, too. :)

We took a walk to a near-by village where a well is in the center of it and people were bringing 5 gallon buckets to fill it up. There were little stands set up selling everything from Lotto tickets to mango's on the side.  Children ran freely, houses were being worked on and life went on in a world that we know very little about.

All this and more happened while we were gone. We spent seven days in a place almost completely opposite than where we live and yet, in many ways it was very much the same.  They are people trying to make a living, feed their families and get by. They want more for their children than what they have and do what they need to so it can happen.  They love Jesus...probably in a deeper way than we do.

My first born, the oldest Treasure and I left our homes and went to a small place in the sea and saw that God was working in very miraculous ways, in big ways.  I seemed to see things clearer there. I'm asking God for that same kind of clarity now that we are home.

May our eyes and hearts be open to see where God is working and to join Him in what He is doing.  I'll be going back soon to this island....and my heart is yearning already.

Mwen p'ap kite nou pou kont nou

Mwen p'ap kite nou pou kont nou

I will not leave you as orphans...John 14:18



Tomorrow begins a journey. It has been a long time coming and greatly anticipated.  In the wee hours of the morning, three generations will leave this land that we call home and fly to an island in the sea.  Waiting there are two children, whose names will soon change. I'm very sure that when our feet touch that ground our hearts will be eagerly waiting for moment we see the two that we are longing to hug.  God has granted us this time.  May we not waste one second.

Remembering....

Seconds  turn to minutes. Minutes turn into days and days into months.  Before we could blink, a year has passed, and our hearts are still remembering with thankfulness.

He is still the "Birthday present she couldn't return"

A good day with G'ma

She loved these.....

and the great grands .....

and most of all these. 

We are thankful we were hers and she was ours. And we are better for it.