Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Thanksgiving 2012

This year was my first thanskgiving as a "Mommy"... and that means that  that I have something else to be thankful for :) Phoebe Kate has blessed my life more and more than I could have ever possibly imagined! She has made my life more full and rich.... she has challenged me, helped me grow, and loved me through some hard seasons of life for the both of us. So thankful that the Lord saw fit to make me your Mommy! I love you so much! 





Friday, November 16, 2012

Tea Party with a Legend



Phoebe Kate and I make weekly visits up to the Baptist Mission in Fermanthe now that we live in the area… they have great food and the view is spectacular! Our last 3 visits have been quite different than the many others that we made prior to our move to the mountain.

About 3 weeks ago this sweet little lady walked up to my table while I was eating and started up conversation with my friends and myself. She wanted to know everything about us. Who we were, what we were doing here, who we are working with… pretty much everything :) I had no idea who she was until her grandson introduced her to us. I was talking to the founder of the Baptist Haiti Mission… and not just the founder… but a woman who forsake her own life and followed the Lord’s call to Haiti with her husband. Because of their simple act of obedience to go… there are hundreds of churches throughout the mountains of Haiti, there are many people of the community using their hands to work and provide for their families, there is a school educating the children of the community, and much, much more!
Eleanor Turnbull, Jessica, Sandrea, & Emma (our first encounter)
I was blown away by the kindness of this precious servant of God. Why would she want to know my story? --- She actually asks just about everyone that walks through the doors of the mission if she can catch you :) But even still, her kindness was overwhelming to me and so was her desire to network with other people working here in Haiti.

Over our next 2 visits, Mrs Eleanor Turnbull sought me out, recognized me and picked up in conversation right where we had left off. Only our third trip was different. She decided she was going to take me into the hospital and introduce me to all of the doctors that she knew and all of her friends :) I felt honored to be connected to these people who she loves so much! As if that wasn’t enough she took us to her apartment and insisted on having a tea party with us… and if any of you reading this have ever met Mrs Eleanor you know that you CANNOT say no to her :)


Eleanor giving Phoebe Kate her first lesson on tea party etiquette.
Pastor Wallace and Mrs Eleanor have become quite fond of Phoebe Kate and insisted that she call them “Grandma and Granpa”. Phoebe Kate did without much hesitancy. So we enjoyed an afternoon of tea and cookies with the Turbull’s. They offered much wisdom and guidance gained through 60+ years of living and working in Haiti. I feel like what I have learned from them is a treasure to hold on to. 


Pastor Wallace joined us for tea :)


 Phoebe Kate had never been to a tea party… so this was a very special tea party. A tea party with a legendary missionary of Haiti…  Eleanor taught her to hold the cup properly and how to sit with her feet on the floor.


“First things first.”

“I heard him call, that was all.
My gold grew dim.
I followed Him”

Tea party with a Legend. And Phoebe Kate has no idea :)

They might seem like simple statements…but they are packed full of meaning and experience. Jesus told us to have the faith of a child… and even as simple as a child’s understanding is, the level of complexity still astounds me sometimes.


Ann Vozkamp wrote something on her blog today that really resonated with me and some how ties into this in my mess of a brain.

We want clarity — and God gives a call. We want a road map — and God gives a relationship. We want answers — and God gives His hand.
Pearls of wisdom gained over tea. 

God is speaking to my heart through Eleanor. She heard God’s call on her life to come to Haiti. She didn’t know everything that the Lord was going to use her to do once she arrived. A call, His relationship to her and His hand were enough. And 60 years later she has no regrets.

So the next time my desire for clarity, the plan, the road map and answers come up… I will remember my time with Eleanor and trust that God’s call, His relationship, and His hand are enough. He is doing something beautiful… that I can rest in. 



Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Christin's Visit & More Transition

We were blessed to have one of my best friends, Christin Mohon, arrive on November 1! Phoebe Kate and I both were just beyond overjoyed to have her with us for a week! And it was a very important week for us… so thankful that she was able to come!

Phoebe Kate and Aunt Christin enjoying a bite to eat at 5 Coins :)

Phoebe Kate and I have been staying at the Barlow’s since May. We are so thankful for their generosity and allowing us to be a part of their family and their home for 6 months! What a blessing! – But it wasback in September that the Lord began to put it on my heart that Phoebe Kate and I needed to be somewhere that we could call “home” until we are able to come home officially. I prayed, my friends prayed, my family prayed… the Lord opened a door :) No surprise to us here! He is so faithful and Hisprovision is never late but is always right on time.

On November 5, with the help of some of my amazing friends, Phoebe Kate and I made the move from the busyness of the city of Port-au-Prince into the mountains of Thomassin. – The Lord provided a precious house with precious neighbors and we are so thankful to call this place our home! 


View from my balcony in the morning 

Sunsets in Thomassin
 It’s just Phoebe Kate and I in our house for now, but our friends Rhyan and Annabel will be joining us in January! We are really looking forward to sharing life with them in our new home! Rhyan is a Midwife-To-Be student as well and has a precious 1-year-old daughter (who just happens to be Haitian)! Thanking the Lord for her friendship and looking forward to the encouragement, support, and grace we can provide each other as we have so much in common!

Rhyan & Annabel

 So some of you may be wondering what this means for Phoebe Kate and I? – We are still walking through the adoption process (waiting on IBESR to reopen so our dossier can be submitted), I am still going to the U.S. every 2 months for 2 weeks for work in the ER, and we are praying and asking the Lord to open doors for work as a nurse here if that is what He desires from me in this season of life!

Not only was Aunt Christin here to help us with our BIG move… she was also here to help me take Phoebe Kate to the Pediatrician for the first time (exam, immunizations, blood work)! It was a really big day for Phoebe Kate but she was such a BIG GIRL! I was amazed… actually astonished… at how well she handled herself for a 3 year old! And Aunt Christin was there… she helped keep me calm, too :)

Getting blood drawn... What a champ! 
           
Proudly showing off her Dora bandaid :) 
Christin also took some Christmas pics :) Sneak peak…!

Mommy & Phoebe Kate 2012 

Since Aunt Christin’s departure on the 8th we have spent our days making this our home! It has been so fun for us and we truly LOVE our new space! --- Trusting, believing, and waiting on the Lord to show us what to do from here as we wait on His good and perfect timing for this adoption to be finalized. We are still learning and growing as mother and daughter and we are soaking up our days together! Please continue to pray for us through this transition.

Thank you for coming to visit us Aunt Christin!!!

Safe Birth Training

So much has happened in the last 3 weeks that I can hardly even believe it myself! So many great things… and I can’t help but share!

October 29 & 30 we had Safe Birth training at the World Orphans guesthouse for 5-6 women from each of our 12 partner churches. It was nothing short of amazing! Carol Denny, CPM, with Global Health Training came alongside World Orphans and spent 2 days pouring into the women from each community teaching them vital sign skills and other ways they can respond when a birth goes bad. – Most Haitian women give birth at home by choice and lack of affordable medical care, so even if this training just saves ONE life of a mother and keeps ONE family together…. SO WORTH IT!
Lecture portion of our training 
Natural Family Planning


Safe umbilical cord care 
What to do when there is shoulder dystocia?? -- They know now :)
I was so blessed to be able to teach blood pressure & pulse to these amazing women!