Home Sweet Home

There's no place like home... my own bed, a hot shower, chick-fil-a and the fireplace. :) After a long 2 day journey I finally made it back to Atlanta. We started out yesterday at 8 am and didn't leave Haiti until 6 pm. We spent 4 hours in the American Embassy waiting on the final documents on the kids and then another 4 hours on a bus at the airport waiting on our plane to arrive and get through all the documentation. And this was all with 6 kids! We were thankful to at least be in an air-conditioned bus and to receive some water and snacks from the US Army guys. Then there was the 4 hour flight to Miami. The kids did awesome the whole day and all slept almost the whole flight. Thanks for all your prayers!
The best part of the day was seeing the kids unite with their parents in the Miami airport! What a happy ending!! Seriously, after 10 days of so much hopelessness and suffering, this was amazing! I cannot describe the happiness and emotions in that room. I was thinking while I was at the orphanage about how as Christians we are all adopted into God's family and what a wonderful thing that is! Many of the kids that I encountered will get a second chance and a new life with a family. But many of the others will never leave Haiti (as well as many who are suffering around the world). But anyone can receive that Second Chance, that New Life, that Hope that God offers to the world through Jesus Christ! I praise God for these kids getting adopted but even more for the adoption into His family that He offers to anyone who will receive.
It is good to be home but I'm already missing my precious kids in Haiti. We did receive word the night before I left that the visas came through for the kids being adopted to Argentina and Maki's mom is coming to get her and Sophie on Sunday! It made it easier leaving knowing she will get to leave soon. I have lots of pictures of her and the other kids that I hope to upload to facebook soon but just wanted to share 2 pictures with you now... the first is of me with Maki & Sophie and the second is me with some of the kids (and an adopting couple) with our pilot at the Port-au-Prince airport.
Once again, thank you SO MUCH for all your prayers and support in this journey. The only way I can keep doing what I'm doing is because of your continued prayers. I know that so many were praying for me down there... I definitely felt your prayers!! I know that many of you would have liked to go to Haiti to help, but let me tell you, you were there with me, through every day, loving on each child, treating each patient! May God bless each one of you! And thank you again!! I'll keep y'all updated on my future, but for now I'm going back to work part-time at Kennestone Hospital and will continue to pray about what's next. Only God knows when my next journey will be! :)

Flying home

Just wanted to let y'all know my schedule and ask for your prayers in our travels. We are leaving the orphanage tomorrow morning and flying out of Haiti on a private plane with either 4 or 8 kids (depending on which ones get visas... pray that they would come through) and flying into Miami. Pray that everything goes well with the travel and that all the kids do ok on the plane (One of the reasons I'm going with them is to help Barbara take care of the kids). Pray for no problems in immigration. And pray that I find a comfortable place to sleep in the Miami airport and am able to get on the early flight Friday morning (Someone is donating me a buddy pass). God has been so faithful during this whole experience and I appreciate you all so much!! Thanks so much for your continued prayers and support on this final journey of my trip. May He be glorified!!

Last Day in Haiti

So I think this is my last full day in Haiti. What's funny about all these adventures is that God keeps taking me to new levels of trusting in Him and not worrying about knowing everything. I usually don't plan trips in 1 day or go somewhere not knowing how long I will stay. Cherie, the woman that coordinated me getting down here told me when I was in Florida that she had pegged me for a spontaneous, fly by the seat of your pants kind of person... I told her that I was actually a type A who likes plans but that has been forced to trust God on all these adventures. :)
I will admit that I am looking forward to getting good sleep in a bed that is not shared with a baby, taking a hot shower and going back to daily life that is not so hard. But as much as I'm exhausted and totally physically and emotionally, this experience will forever stay with me... The precious faces of these kids that just scream to be loved, their smiles when you play with them or just talk to them. These people that are dedicated to make a difference in the world and give kids a second chance. The citywide destruction and tent cities every few blocks. The medical problems and the look of fear and hopeless on so many faces. And the assurance of knowing a God who is loving and wants to give Hope to the hurting.
Like I said, I think I'm leaving tomorrow... I will post when I know my definite plans but the plan is for me to leave with Barbara and some more kids that have been cleared to go to the States. Again, thank you for all your prayers. Continue to pray for my endurance and health (I don't feel so great today but I think it's more exhaustion). Pray for the adoption process for the kids and that Barbara would get the visas and all the papers for them. And continue to pray for the people of Haiti. Love you guys and appreciate you so much!!

Another day of precious kids

These babies are precious, they really are. They are hard work and I still don't sleep well at night, but you can't hep but love them. Maki woke up at 6 am laughing and playing... I tried to tell her that it was too early to play, but I guess an 8 month old can't understand that! :) She doesn't let me sleep much and requires a lot of attention, but you can't help but love her. Her laugh and smile is amazing... I wish you all could meet her.
Barbara, the lady in charge of the orphanage got back today and it working hard trying to get some more kids out. It's difficult and becomes even more difficult when other people try to take kids out of the country without proper documentation. There are a lot of kids that were already in the adoption process pre-earthquake. She's hoping to get some more kids ready to leave this week. Also, the dads that are here from Argentina had more meetings today and are trying to be able to take their kids home as well. Please pray that these kids would be able to get to their new homes soon, that the process would be smooth and quick. Being here at the orphanage is better than being on the streets, but it's still far from ideal.
I spent most of the afternoon organizing their pharmacy. People brought in more supplies and donations (we have tons of stuff now). And who better to organize it than me, especially after I spent years doing this in Brasil (Jen & Sharon, I missed y'all... wish you could have been here to help me!)
I still don't have any definite plans because it depends on when there are planes and seats, but I'm probably leaving later this week. Please pray for my last few days - for health and endurance and that I would do my best at whatever tasks God gives me. Thanks guys so much for all the prayers! You've been a part of this ministry in Haiti!

A tour of the city

This afternoon a Haitian pastor took a few of us around the city to show us the damage... it is overwhelming. As we passed building after building that was crushed, knowing that countless lives were taken, you can't help but be overwhelmed and saddened. The downtown area with the President's Palace and the government buildings was hit the hardest. We stopped at the Palace... I had seen pictures on TV but it is definitely not the same as being there in person. All around it are tent cities, where people are now living. There are tent cities all over the city - thousands, millions living in handmade or camping tents. People aren't sleeping in the houses even if they aren't destroyed, because of a combination of fear and the government telling them it's not safe. We even saw tents set up in the middle of the road. The pastor took us to where he is staying with 40 other people, to an area in front of his friend's house - they sleep outside, cook outside, live outside. I don't even have the words to fully describe all that I've seen or the stories I've heard.
How do you not just cry all the time being here? Because I know the God of hope and I know that He is the only answer to this city and to the world. He is the God that will give hope to the people of Haiti, to these people whose lives have been destroyed even if they survived. Keep praying for Haitians, for peace and hope and that they would turn to the Giver of life and hope.

Loving on Kids

Another day of loving on kids... that's what I did most of the morning. I felt a lot better today cause I actually got sleep last night (Thank you for all your prayers... God gave me rest!) Maki, who is still my roommate and for the last few times has become my bedmate, actually slept through the night. She is so adorable, especially now that she is feeling better. And before you ask, no I'm not bringing her home - her and Sophie, my other favorite are being adopted to Argentina, maybe even as early as next week. So I'll just love on them until I leave. I sat outside for a couple of hours with 2 kids on my lap and others crowded around... whatever you do, do it to glorify God... that's what God keeps reminding me on this trip. Playing with kids or changing diapers may not seem all that special, but it was my task for the morning and God wanted to be glorified in that. And they are so precious that you can't help but love them!
I spent the afternoon cleaning out the clinic/pharmacy with a couple of the other volunteers. It looked so much better after we were done and now we can actually see what medicines we have and find them easily. We are still just treating a handful of patients a day that come in needing medicine. Today it was mostly just the dads from Argentina, who came in to visit their kids and try to get the government to let them take the kids out. They are all worried about their kids, who mostly look better than all the others here, and are coming up to me every few hours with new problems. What's funny is that here I am in Haiti trying to speak Spanish!
Ok, I gotta run but thanks as always for your continued prayers! Please pray for another restful night for me and for Maki.

Another day of clinic

The work continues... today we set up clinic in the "downtown" of this neighborhood. We stopped by the police station, either to get their approval or protection or both... not really sure but they asked us to treat all of them as well. Most of it was stress and pain... everyone is affected emotionally even if they don't have outside wounds. Brenna, the PA and I were able to treat them and then pray for them. Then we moved to our "clinic", a covered area in the midst of the tents. Everyone is sleeping outside because their homes are destroyed or they are too afraid to sleep in buildings. We saw almost 150 patients today, some of it basic stuff but some of it was serious. But most of all we continue to see anxiety and hopelessness. Even my interpreter today, Donald, shared with me how he looks to the future with different eyes now and says that he feels hopeless. We've been able to pray with some of the patients as well as giving them medicine.
We had to shut down clinic a little earlier than we expected because the crowd was getting a little rough... but the police were there and they even gave us a ride back to the village in their truck! We were never really in danger but we just wanted to be careful. Most of the medical team has to leave tomorrow, so I'm not sure what tomorrow will hold... but I continue to trust that God has me here for His purpose. Thank you for your continued prayers!!