beginings of bittersweeet.

Oh, this time of change I'm about to jump into...
I am excited and not excited at all.

I will be leaving some WONDERFUL relationships here, and missing out on some JOYFUL times in this country.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Hope Village Kids.. I could never express truly how much I have fallen in love with these precious ti moun (children in creole). From the babies to the teenagers, having them in my daily life has been a JOY.
I will be leaving some AMAZING staff! Seriously, loving the awesome people God has ordained to be in Haiti working for Mission of Hope. Incredible, love getting to know them! (interns included of course!!!!!)
I will be leaving some PRECIOUS Haitian women who work in 3 Cords... these ladies brighten my day even if I only get to stop in for 5 minutes. They are the sweeetest and i would trim fabric all day everyday just to be in their presence!
I will be missing out on CRAZYFUN, Haitian-baby-filled, crafty VBS days and the ridiculous stories that are inevitable with over 500 kids.
I will be leaving the most beautiful place I have ever been. people, landscape, stories of redemption and healing, all of it just beautiful.

Amidst all this amazingness I will be missing out on, I have a peace from God that is helping me not feel devestated. I KNOW I am coming back one day (the sooner the better!) and that I am supposed to be in Orlando and going to school. I also know I serve a God who loves me and CARES for me, he knows that I love this place, he has put this passion in me and he is not letting me be torn apart by leaving.... not that I won't be sad, believe me I WILL BE, but I still have hope. Hope in Jesus alone!

I have hope because I know Jesus is here. He was here way before I got here and will continue to be here way after I leave. He cares for Haitians more/better than I do, they are HIS. AND He will continue to care for me and show me his grace wherever I may be living or visiting.

MESI SENYE!
(Thank You God!)

...........3 full days left, soaking it all in!!!!!!!!!.... This place, these people, Jesus!

                                                Iverson & Stevenson helping at Crafts! ^

 

Mislene being sassy in 3 cords, as usual :)

9 days left.

Bad News:
Lots of my new intern friends have started leaving and we are all going home to different parts of the country and I am just missing their sweeeet friendship already.
Good News:
I have been so blessed in the relationships I've developed this summer! New friends in Haiti(Haitian & American & Canadian), old friends in America... All have cared for me so well, I am truly blessed.

AND... before most of my sweeet friends left... we had the most amazing dance party at church's Tuesday night worship session! I have never loved being sweaty... but after that I just didn't care.  I had my precious Widler in my arms and everyone was out of their pew with the biggest smiles full of JOY while dancing and praising Jesus! I could not be more thankful for such a precious moment, worshiping with my new Haitian and American friends, to cherish for the rest of my life. A sweet picture of Heaven... JOY JOY JOY.


The sunset a few days ago... umm BEAUTIFUL!

Interns.. Well some of the girls and I captured a goat (they are plentiful here!!... I'd compare them (quantity wise) to squirrels in the US... crazzzy) and we placed a couple in each of the intern boys rooms! We heard bahhing a mile away, and the boys cleaned up tons of poop.... :)

Steevenson... This child.. he has the largest nostrils i've ever seen, the cutest smile/snorty little laugh, and my OH MY is he hilarious. He takes my camera multiple times a day and takes a bajillion picture of himself... all gems! He is one of a kind for surrre...

All of the hope village kids in general have been SUCH a blessing to get to know and spend time with.. they are reallly precious children/teenagers that I reallly do LOVE. At VBS yesterday I wasn't feeling good and 7 of my precious Hope Village children came up to me and were filling up my water bottle, asking me if they could take me to the clinic, and just being ADORABLE and I felt super loved. These cute lil 7,8, 13, & 14 year old were taking care of me and making sure I was okay, how dang sweeet. I just can't imagine the day (9 days from NOW) that I will wake up and not see their sweet faces & get 'schnuggles' from them every morning.... dreadful.


VBS... Well, now that some of our interns are gone I got put in charge of crafts... actually i'd like to take credit for running it but really we have an amazing Haitian girl from the Hope Village named Nashleene who runs it so well!!!! She is only 15ish?! CRAZINESS!... Yesterday we had 520 kids tye dye tshirts in the time span of two hours. The day before they made bracelets, tomorrow they make picture frames, and thursday they make crowns! TODAY 675, yes SIX HUNDRED AND SEVENTY FIVE Haitian children came to VBS and colored in popsicle framed pictures. SO FUN.

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In the afternoon, about once a week I get to lead a group through my favorite village in Haiti... Messailer! (mesaye as MOH spells it..) This village, oh my.. I just can not even convey the beauty of this place or the precious people who live there..  My sweet little friend Ludzin... look at that CUTIE!

3 Cords... Everyday for the past two ish weeks, I've spent my lunch hour in the 3 Cords lab... and oh how I wish I had more opportunities to so that earlier in the summer!!!!!!!!!!!!  These women are PRECIOUS.. and I just LOVE laughing with them!! Most of them are amputees or mothers of amputee children and they work so hard making the CUTEST headbands and purses ever.. Some of them speak some English and I speak some creole so we can talk a LITTTTLE bit, but not much... mostly we just laugh at each other trying to figure it out.  Sencia is my favorite.. She is 19 like me! :)

I have 9 days left and I want to soak up every minute I can!!!!!!!