Fascinating Discovery

There is a soup that I have been eating since I arrived in Haiti. I assumed it was some kind of vegetable soup because I could see carrots and tomatoes in it. It also had these little things that tasted like dumplings. Yesterday, while eating this soup I realized what the source of it's unique tastes was. There was a goat's head resting in the bottom of the stew. Yes, you read that correctly...A GOAT'S HEAD. The head of a goat, brains and all, floating around in the soup that I have been eating for 2 months now.

I'm not going to write anything else in this blog. Nothing else needs to be said.

Teach me to love.

I’m sick in a third world country…..not cool!

I’ve been lying in bed all day. Since I have no TV this has given me a lot of time to think. That’s a scary thought, I know.  I was thinking about all the times in our lives when we tell people “God is good”. When the weather is just perfect for our church picnics we announce “God is good”. When a doctor tells us we have perfectly healthy children we remember that God is good. When we see our church being over flooded with new members we never forget to tell one another, “God is good”.

These things are all true. God is good at these times, but he is also good while I’m lying here sick in bed. He is good when a Haitian child suffers from malnutrition. He’s good when death takes away our loved ones. He’s good when we are diagnosed with cancer. And, he is still good even if we die of cancer.

C.S. Lewis once said, “A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word “darkness” on the walls of his cell.”

I have decided that the suffering I see every day will not determine to me whether or not my God is good. There is suffering because there is sin. We cry out to God so often saying, “Lord, why will you not stop this madness?” I have heard people say that if God was so good then he would never allow such horrible things to take place. Ask yourself this….How should he stop it? If we are the ones causing the problems then the only solution is to somehow stop us.  He could destroy us? He could take away our free will. God must be love because he obviously has not done this. Instead of getting rid of the problem he did something that is almost inconceivable. He forgave us. He sent his son to die for us. I still can’t understand why he would do such a thing. Most of my life I refused to believe it. We are such unlovable creatures. Surely, this story is a myth. No one could love like that. It’s impossible. But Jesus did. Not only does he love, but he came here to teach us how to love.  I have come to understand that without God we have no idea how to love each other correctly. That’s why so many marriages end in divorce. That’s why many children grow up resenting their parents.  We’re ignorant of love without God. Lately, I’ve began asking him every day, “God teach me to love”. I’m challenging you to do the same. Every time you’re angry at someone, or hurt, or disgusted quietly ask God to teach you to love. He is the author of love. He wrote the owner’s manual for it. Doesn’t it make since to go directly to the source for advice?    

Its hot!!!

Lord help me!!! This country is so hot I think my brain is boiling!!! My little battery powered fan is no match for the heat today. I've been sweating since 8:30 this morning and I just can't seem to cool off. Normally it's not this bad. I don't know what the deal is today. I took a cold shower right after school and tried to take a nap but I was still too hot. Now I have less then a hour before I have to start tutoring the children living with me.
I'm praying the sun will set early tonight.
Oh ya... just a little advice, if a Haitian ever serves you lime juice be sure to drink it sparingly. That stuff is so good I've been drinking 2 or 3 glasses everyday. But apparently there is a lot of citrus acid in limes that can potentially cause mouth sores. I have 8 sores in my mouth right now!!!!! It hurts!!! Please pray it doesn't get any worse or I won't be able to talk. That will make teaching English a little difficult.

Wow, I've complained a lot in this blog...lol. Sorry people sometimes a girl just has to vent.  
Maybe I should start trying to focus on the good and not the bad. Let me try.....

I got to eat lunch today. I have a bed to sleep in. I have running water in my house. I got to eat a half a pack of M&M's earlier. All of my children are healthy. All of my children are able to attend school. All of my children told me they loved me after dinner last night. This morning I was able to give all of my children a new pencil to use in class. I got to see each one of them smile and say 'Thank you" before they left for school today.

God is still good even when its hot outside ;)

Back to Normal

Todd came to visit last week and he brought a team with him to help out. They planted a garden, nursed a very sick young lady, and painted the inside of my house. One man also came down to help get the school organized. Thank you Jesus! Things are running a lot smoother than they were.  They also brought me a ton of chocolate. The children and I have been snacking on miniature snickers bars after dinner every night.  The candy is gone now though. Chocolate never last long in this house.

I’ve noticed that it always takes me a day or two to adjust back to normal life after Americans come to visit. While they’re here I get used to speaking in English and eating foods other then rice and beans.  I also get to have two fans in my room when I have guest staying with me. Haitian animals are very noisy at night, and with two fans I can’t hear anything. But my week of being spoiled has come to an end. Life will return to normal for me. We have church tonight and this service won’t be translated into English. If I listen closely I might be able to understand a little of what’s being said.  

My progress with the Creole Language has come to a standstill. Once school started I had to force everyone to speak English to me. It helps them, but it has made me lazy. The better they become at English the less I have to communicate in Creole. I have to be more self motivated when it comes to studying. That is the hardest part for me here. Unfortunately, self motivation with anything is not my strong point. And as a missionary you have to have a ton of it to get anything done here. That’s just something in my personality that God and I are going to have to change.

“Thank you Jesus, for giving me the determination that brought me to Haiti. Thank you, for placing that desire in my heart. But I need more of you, Lord. I need your help every day I’m here. Every time I leave school I need your motivation to keep me going. Lord, you know after I work at the school I continually want to escape to my room for privacy. Don’t let me do that. Give me enough energy so that I may help the children finish their homework before dinner. Give me the energy to tutor every person who has come to me and asked for help. Please, give me patience when the children don’t seem like they care to learn. Help me to remember they are only children. Help me to learn they’re language, Lord. When they cry I cannot comfort them. When they make mistakes I cannot correct them. Help me to understand them. Help them to understand me. Thank you Jesus, for your guidance. For showing me the faults in my own life. For correcting me when I’m in the wrong. For taking the time to shape me into something better. I love you, Lord. In your name I pray. Amen.”   

My testimony

I know this is long, but I felt like it was time to share my story.....

I grew up going to church. As a kid I knew all the bible stories and songs, but they were always just stories. I never really knew Christ on a personal level. As I got older I began distancing myself from God. I was too absorbed in myself to care about the matters of a man that lived 2000 years ago. Besides, I was far too concerned with what satisfied me today then what may await me in eternity. By the time I graduated from high school my entire life had been consumed by drug addiction. No one can fully understand the strength the devil can have on a person until you feel his grasp personally. Thankfully, my God is stronger than he is. At 22 years old I was in an emergency room listening to a doctor tell me if I didn’t stop using drugs I would die.  A few days later, in a tiny back office of a rehab, I quietly asked God to help me. I prayed he would carry me because I could no longer walk. Through his unexplainable mercy He healed me. I’ve been sober for almost three years. Thank you Lord, for my freedom!

            About a year after I got sober I decided to try going to church again. I started attending Soul Harvest Church because my family had been going. I never once felt judged by anyone. In the beginning I kept coming back because I liked the music, but I had a hard time understanding why everyone was so excited during praise and worship. I had never had a close relationship with God, and to be perfectly honest I often doubted whether Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. I’ve always been a bit of a doubting Thomas. I wanted proof and historical facts before I committed to something so important. Like Thomas, I wanted to see the scars on Jesus’ hands before I believed. Fortunately for me, Jesus knows my heart and the way my mind works. With the help of a supportive church family, a very patient Pastor, and many biblical books Jesus began showing me the truth. He was the promised Messiah, and he had conquered death.

“For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

            ~Proverbs 2:6~

           

That following spring I was baptized. Shortly after my baptism I visited a doctor where I learned my liver was no long functioning properly. After a blood test I was diagnosed with Hepatitis.  I was in shock. I had just given my life over to the Lord. How could he have let this happen? Through many long nights of prayer I began to realize it wasn’t God’s fault I was sick it was mine. I had fallen away from God and these were the consequences of my actions. Once I took responsibility for my own mistakes things became a lot easier. Instead of arguing with the Lord I asked for forgiveness, and I found my peace.

            Eventually Jesus led me to a wonderful doctor who could offer me treatment. The treatment was injections once a week for a year. It was said to be extremely hard to handle. The medicine had many horrible side effects, and it could be compared to chemo therapy. Fevers, vomiting, weight loss, hair loss, and anemia was just a few of the risks. Plus, the treatment was only 50% affective. To say the least, I was scared. I knew I had to put my faith in God.

            The first night I gave myself an injection I was shaking so badly I could barley hold the needle. I went to bed that night thinking the next morning I would be extremely sick, but I wasn’t. I felt perfectly fine. I even had enough energy to walk my dog. The doctors told me it may take awhile for the medicine to build up in my system. I spent some time waiting to become sick, but the sickness never came. Within two weeks of taking my first injection my liver was normal and the virus was completely gone. They gave me many more test, but couldn’t find anything wrong. God had healed me quickly and painlessly! My doctors were amazed. They said no one had ever responded so well to this treatment. I continued taking the medicine for the remainder of the year. Besides a little fatigue now and then I was perfectly healthy the entire time.

            Looking back, I’m thankful for the experience I went through. Because of the treatment I was forced to be still and trust him. I spent an entire year focusing completely on God. He taught me a great deal about myself. I had the opportunity to reflect on my life and I began to realize what God had been leading me to do all along. He intended for me to become a missionary. When I accepted this everything else in my past began to make more sense. Many of the struggles I had faced now had meaning. I finally found my purpose, and I had never been so thankful for anything before.

            At first, I didn’t know where I was supposed to go or how I was going to get there. This was very frustrating. I knew I was supposed to help people, and time just seemed to be slipping away. I decided I had to do it on my own. I couldn’t wait around forever. Besides, no one was going to just walk up to me and offer a free trip to a third world country. I looked up mission organizations on the internet and filled out application after application. Every time I contacted a company I got the same response, “No”.  They would tell me I wasn’t qualified, I needed more education and experience, or I hadn’t been a true Christian long enough. It seemed hopeless. Finally I went to God. I told him of my frustrations and asked for his help. After I finally gave into him he pointed the way for me. My Pastor invited me on a weeklong mission trip to Haiti. He said the church would pay for everything. Isn’t God amazing!

            While I was in Haiti one of our team members missed her flight due to bad weather. Through a serious of unplanned events she met and introduced me to my future boss. Todd was running an orphanage about an hour away from where we were staying. He invited us to his school where we learned he needed a full time English teacher. From the moment he said he needed help I knew God had led me to him for that reason. I volunteered for the job immediately.

I’m now living in Fond Doux, Haiti. I made an agreement with Todd that I would spend  one year here, but I can’t imagine ever leaving now. In just a short amount of time I have found my new home. My place in this world has always been Haiti. I can see now that God had this planned from the beginning. There was always a small part of me that felt out of place in America. There was always something inside of me that wanted more out of life. Now, I don’t need anything more then what God gives me here. I’m not searching for answers or proof in the existences of Jesus. All of that seems so pointless now. I have my proof every time I hear one of my children tell me they love me. I have my proof every time I’m able to give a hot plate of food to a hungry mother and baby. In Haiti, every time the wind blows through my hair and cools me off I find all the proof I need.

            Because I have obeyed God and I am fulfilling his purpose for my life everything I do feels like worship. I work hard every day to show my children that I love them. This I do so that I may honor the Lord. You can’t imagine the joy He has placed in my life because I simply do what he asks of me. I can’t describe my happiness. I won’t even try. Something’s are meant to be felt and not said.

            I hope that by writing this some of you may follow in my footsteps. I pray others can learn from my example. I don’t believe everyone is suppose to travel to far away countries, but I do believe we are called to abandoned are own ambitions and following Christ. He is calling on us all to love and to teach others to love. If everything is right with him then the love inside of you will pour out into the rest of the world. And if you receive his love and make that commitment to follow him then nothing in this world should be able to stop you from sharing your faith. What a gift He has given you. What precious knowledge you possess. Remember, God has placed his faith in us as well. The amount of faith he has for us surely goes beyond our own understanding.  He gambled on us. Trusting in people so completely that he gave us the awesome responsibility of keeping and sharing his Word. It is only through us that others may know him. How will the world ever know love if we as Christians do not show them? We have all been called. I pray you open your hearts and answer that call….     

Its to loud!!

I can look back on all the times when I thought I was stressed out and laugh at myself. I had no idea what stress was until I came to Haiti! 

Trying to teach in my school is near impossible. There is so much work that needs to be done with the basic structure of the school system. The teacher's schedules are all different. The times that each class begins changes everyday. The children get up and walk around the school whenever they feel like it. There is no order! And don't even get me started on the noise! 

I have a CD player that I'm supposed to use to teach the children the alphabet. It sings the alphabet song with music behind it. The school is so loud that if I turn the music up full blast the students in the front row can not hear what its saying. I have to yell (not talk but yell) my lessons at the kids for them to hear me. My throat is sore from talking so loud all day. We have 270 children packed into a tiny building like sardines. Its so hot that the poor preschoolers just cry all day. And what makes it most difficult is the Haitian people just accept this. They are not the type of people who will see a problem and then work to fix it. They just accept what is given to them and they don't complain. This is a good quality to have with many things in life, but not with our school systems. They have to improve or the children will never learn.   

I went on break at 10:30 and thought to myself, "I can't do this. Its impossible. Its to stressful." It took everything I had not to break down in front of everyone. I wanted to cry. I wanted to throw my hands in the air and give up. But then, right at that moment, a breeze picked up. I could see the leaves start to move in the tree I was standing under. In Haiti, the wind never blows where I live. I think this wind was different. It was cool air sent from God just for me. I closed my eyes and remembered why I was teaching. "This I do because I'm in love with Jesus Christ." I asked him to give me strength, and somehow I made it through the rest of the day with a smile on my face. I gave every child the best I had today. 

After school I crawled to my room. I slept for three hours straight! I think my mind was more tired then my body. I didn't want to move. I couldn't move!! Its was the kind of exhausted feeling that makes you think your getting sick.Then I heard a little voice outside my bedroom door......

"Ms Carrie, Ou prale legliz?" ( Ms Carrie are you going to church?)

"Wi Bebe, map vini." (Yes baby, I'm coming)

"OK Ms, Carrie. I love you"

"I love you too"

No matter how stressful things are I'll never leave Haiti. This is my home.

God's Children

We were made so we could love God, but also, so that God may love us.

The Light in the Dark

 God has been placing a burden on my heart for the church I attend here in Haiti. I watch all the men running the services, and I know what good Christian men they are. They want to serve the Lord. They love God very much, but they are missing something. In our church they never have alter calls. I have never seen anyone accept Jesus into their life. I have never seen anyone baptized. They have no desire to evangelize. Aren’t we as Christians called to serve others? Aren’t we required to love our neighbors? I believe the greatest way to express that love is by sharing our faith. If I truly love my neighbor how can I sit back and watch them live a life absent from God? I know the joy Christ has given me because I serve him. What kind of person would I be if I did not explain to other people how they can feel that same joy? This is what I want my Haitian church to understand. They are more concerned with religious ceremony then with reaching the lost.  There are so many people in Haiti searching for hope. We have the answer. What a horrible sin that would be if we spent our lives keeping that knowledge to ourselves.

I am a woman, and God has been trying to teach me about humility, meekness, and submission. Most of the woman in the Bible that are praised had quiet gentle spirits. This is what I desire to have. Nothing will get done if I parade around the church pointing my finger at people and barking orders. My goal is to make simple suggestions in casual conversations. I’ve become very close with the men that help Pastor our church and I spend a lot of time talking to them.  They always enjoy talking about God and the Bible so it will be easy to bring up the subject of our church. Maybe somehow I can at least make suggestions that will cause them to reconsider their methods. I just want to open there eyes and see the people around them. They have lived in Haiti their entire lives so they do not see the need here as I do. This is just the way the world is to them. Suffering is a part of life. I have to teach them that the only way they will see change is if we change people’s hearts. And the only way we can change people’s hearts is if we teach them about Jesus. There is no other way accept through Jesus. He is a light in the dark…..

I taught them that!!

I'm feeling much better.
 A couple of American men are staying with us for a few days. I've never met them, but they seem really nice. When American's come and visit the Haitians always try to be as hospitable as possible. When they arrived last night the women prepared spaghetti for dinner. I got to eat it to. I filled my plate up twice! It was so good to have a belly full of American food. Sometimes I just crave anything familiar to home. 
We hosted a Saturday club for the kids today. I didn't run it, but I helped serve lunch. The American's brought us PB&J so all the kids got a sandwich and grape Kool-aid. They were happy! Right before we started eating I told the kids we had to pray before we ate. To my surprise a group of little girls I know well stood up and started singing "Jesus Loves Me" in English. I was so proud. I taught them that!!
Even though there are some challenges living here....it so worth it!!!
Thank you Jesus for giving me encouragement at actually the right time.

A hard day

I faced a hard day today. I went to school at 7:15 just like every other day, but on this day the heat really got to me. I don't think it was any hotter then it has been. I just didn't have the patients for it today. I was very tired when I woke up this morning and then, on top of that, I skipped breakfast. Big mistake. The heat and lack of sleep made me so sick I had to retreat to my bedroom. I laid in front of my fan all afternoon and did not teach at all. At about 3:00 I got up and ate some boiled eggs. After that I started feeling a little better so I decided to tutor a couple of the kids in the house.
I feel like such a wimp right now. I watch the Haitian people work so hard in the heat with little to no food and it amazes me. I don't know how they do it! I've only been teaching for two weeks and I am more tired then I've ever been in my life. I hope one day I can be half as strong as the Haitian women I see everyday. They are such an inspiration to me.
I am praying that the Lord will give me the strength I need to continue. These children deserve the very best I have to give them.
I try to always remember this teaching......"The point of our lives in this world isn't comfort but training and preparation for eternity. Scripture tells us that even Jesus learned obedience through suffering and if that was true for him, why wouldn't it be even more true for us?"

So Tired!!

Oh my! Teaching these kids is the most tiring thing I’ve ever done. I feel like I could sleep for a hundred years. I have to have so much energy in every class it’s almost impossible. Plus, its 4000 degrees outside!!!! Well, maybe not 4000 but it is 90 degrees. And, for your information, 90 degrees feels a lot different when you can never retreat to the air conditioning. I’m doing better with it now then I was at first. I think my body has adjusted some, but it’s still really hot. I sweat all day long. Yuck!

The kids at school seem to really like my class; especially the little ones.  They think its fun because I play games and sing songs with them. I don’t think they’ve ever done that in school before. However, the school here is like a mad house. I have no idea how they learn anything. It’s so loud! There aren’t any walls. Just thin ply wood dividing each class. I’m in a tiny building with 270 children practically piled on top of each other. There are eight classes going on at the same time. That’s a lot of noise.  I’m just going to do the best I can and if they can say anything in English by the end of the year then I’ll be happy.

Please, pray God will strengthen my body and mind. This is very hard work!

How will I go back?

I just finished reading my last entry. I can feel a hint of bitterness in my writing. Maybe you can’t see it but I can. I pray continually that I won’t become angry at the unfair circumstances of this world. I don’t want to be disgusted when I look at the surplus of wealth in my own country. America is my country. It will always be my home.

I keep wrestling with the idea of when I’ll return. How will I go back? I don’t think it will be as easy as I once assumed it would be. How can I return to Wal-Mart Super Centers and Wednesday Wing Nights at the golf course when I have looked in the eyes of starving babies? How can ever enjoy a meal at Red Lobster when I know my children will only ever eat rice and beans? How could I ever spend an afternoon shopping at the mall when so many women here can’t even afford a bra to cover themselves?

What will I do when I go back? Who could possibly understand what I’ve seen? My first trip to Haiti was so different. I was here for a week. I saw poverty. I witnessed sickness, dirty children, and unclean living conditions.  But, I was looking at the problem and not the person. Now, these people are my friends. I have a bond with some of them that I never felt with anyone in America. I laugh with them. I sing with them. I pray with them. And then…..I watch them go without. I see them struggling to find clothes and food and I feel helpless. If only I had more money. Why does everything have to come down to money?

I once asked God to give me compassion. I would sing songs that said “Break my heart for what breaks yours. “  I don’t know if the answer to those prayers has been a blessing or a curse. Our God loves so much. I can’t imagine the hurt he must feel when he watches such needless suffering. 

What I have seen...

Today was the first day the students actually showed up. My first class was preschool children. When I walked in I saw about 15 pairs of eyes looking up at me. They were curious, but very shy. I started going around the room shaking their little hands saying, "Hello Babies, my name is Ms, Carrie"  Their little eyes got bigger every time I said, Hello. A couple times while I was holding their hands I noticed many of them felt very hot. Little burning fingers. It must be fever. I have seen so much sickness here.
As I entered the class with the second group of preschoolers one little boy, in particular, caught my eye. He was so thin. He reminded me of those WWII Holocaust pictures I've seen in all my history books. He moved a lot slower then the rest of the children and he barely smiled at all. I have seen so much hunger here.
Today, we had enough money in our budget to feed everyone. So all the children got a big hot plate of rice and beans. Its good to see them eat.
Be careful any of you wanting to come visit Haiti. Once you have come here you can never again tell God you did not know......     

T. I. Ute

I would like to introduce you to T. I. Ute. She lives in the house with me, so I get to see that beautiful smile everyday. Every morning she runs up to me at school and gives me a big hug. She never forgets to tell me she loves me before she goes into class. She is a very sweet girl, but she can not sit still through class to save her life..lol She is always trying to move to a different seat, or go to the bathroom, or lay down and sleep on the benches. I have to remind her to pay attention every 10 minutes. Hahaha... Children are so rotten sometimes.
When her mother became pregnant for her she wasn't married. After telling her family what she had done they were so angry with her that they beat her almost to death. The mother has brain damage from the beating, but luckily T. I. Ute wasn't harmed. Now her mother is dying and T. I. Ute had no one to take care of her. So, now she lives with us. She gets fed everyday and she attends our school.
Please remember her and all the other Haitian children in your prayers tonight. We are working hard to give them a brighter future.

A Part of Life

There is a lady in our house that is very sick. She needs a lot of prayer. She has Typhoid fever and Malaria at the same time. I feel horrible cause I didn't even know who the girl was when my friends started telling me about her. She has been sick practically the entire time I've been here so I haven't seen her much.
All the men from our church went to her room tonight and prayed for her healing. They're going to try an take her to the doctor tomorrow, but the road to the hospital is only accessible by motorcycle. This poor woman is going to have to ride on the back of a motorcycle after she has been sick for three weeks. I can't imagine!
I started asking people how high her temperature was. I was trying to explain to them that if an adult's temperature gets as high as 105 degrees that can be very dangerous. Luckily, I packed a thermometer when I came. Her temperature was almost 105 degrees. Of course, I'm not a doctor but I do know that's to high. I told them to give her a bath in cool water to try and bring the fever down. I kept asking what medicine she was taking, but no one really knows. They just say its the medicine the doctor gives for Malaria. I have no idea what that would be. I want to, at least, give her aspirin or something but I don't know if I should mix the medications. I don't want to give her more then she needs.
I was telling a man here how upset I was that she was sick. I feel so helpless. He said, "No Carrie, don't be sad. This is natural. It's just a part of life." I am not as comfortable with sickness as the Haitians are. I realize they see this kind of thing everyday, but I have never. It breaks my heart.
Please pray she recovers quickly. I can't even imagine how awful she must feel.

Today was a Good Day

Today was a good day. I woke up and went to school. There wasn't very many kids today either, but we did what we could.  While I was teaching I looked over my shoulder and noticed all the teachers at the school were gathered around watching me. It made me so nervous. It turned out OK, though. After I was finished I realized they just wanted to learn, as well. One teacher, that was about the same age as me, graped my flash cards as soon as I was finished and started trying to read them to me. He did pretty good. Except he could not pronounce the "r". Most Haitians have trouble pronouncing anything that starts with an "r" but this guy was really bad. I would say it and then he would say it wrong. Then, I would say it and he would say it wrong. I started laughing so hard I thought I was going to pee my pants! He was hilarious. Of course, he was laughing about it to.
After school I walked up the hill and another guy I work with ran up to me and told me to sit down and wait. I didn't know what he was doing, but the next thing I knew he had climbed to the top of a tree and was dropping fruit down to me. He picked 5 or 6 before he came back down. He peeled them for me and we sit under the tree and ate them. It was great. I think they were oranges, but they didn't look the same as American oranges. They were really good.
So, here I am sitting under a shade tree with a good friend. Just relaxing and enjoying the conversation. I had my IPhone so I got to show him pictures of America. He had many questions. While I was sitting there I thought to myself, "I'll never know why God would give me such an amazing life".
If you don't know this about me already I used to have a very serious drug problem. At one point I overdosed and a doctor told me I would die before I was thirty if I didn't stop using. That was the lowest point of my life. But its amazing to think that at that same moment God was sitting at the foot of my hospital bed saying...... "I'm going to use this one. Im going to lift this girl off of this bed. Clean her up, and  send her to a third world country.This drug addict is going to be teaching orphans in Haiti in less then 2 years."
Wow! If I was Jesus I wouldn't have chosen me. If I was him I wouldn't have even bothered to give me a second glance. I love him because he first loved me.

Schools Starts

The first day was interesting. No one showed up! We had eight children come to school today. Vickie said it takes the Haitian people a little while to get back into the swing of things after summer ends. They are so different then American's. Time is not important at all here. In America, if you are 5 minutes late for something people notice. In Haiti, I can be 30 minutes late for church; walk in and realize they haven't even started yet! I'm getting very used to it though. I am going to have super natural patients when I come back home to visit. No one can disrupt my day now. I'm learning to just go with the flow. I was a really easy going person before I came here, but now I'm even better. I like it that way. People here don't get bent out of shape about the small things. Sure sometimes it can be frustrating that no one is on time for class, but these people aren't as stressed out as Americans are. I have a lot to learn from them.......

Greater Things

So, I heard through the grape vine that the first service at the new Soul Harvest Church building was a big success. I'm so thankful for the revival that's taking place in that town. Its so huge that its spreading to other countries! Earlier, I was telling my friend Vickie that I want the Haitian people to be as excited about praising God as my home church is. Haiti is in need of a serious revival. I know that it's coming. When the earthquake hit a year ago it caused the global church to take notice of this little country. Since then missionaries, like myself, have been arriving in greater numbers. God was just trying to get our attention. He's got my attention, thats for sure. I now I'm going to be here for a very long time. I signed up for a year long mission trip, but there is no way I'm going to leave as soon as I learn the language. That would be crazy! Next year is when things are really going to start happening. Next year, I'll be able to teach The Message without a translator. Next year, I'll be the translator! When I think about the possiblities of the future here I get so excited I can hardly stand it......
"Greater things are yet to come. Greater things are still to be done in this city."

P.S If anyone took pictures of the opening service will you please email them to me. I would really appreciate it. carrieroush51@yahoo.com

Welcome Back Lunch

Today at the school we held a teachers meeting and a "welcome back" lunch for the kids. There was quite a few children there and I got to meet all of my fellow teachers. Kind of. Of course, I cant speak to any of them so I just waved and said Bonjour (Hello). It was challenging. Everyone was socializing and I dont have the ability to socialize. Every now and then someone will approach me and try to communicate, but it normally ends in both of us becoming frustrated. But, I can always count on the children to keep me company. They never get aggravated that I can't speak their language. They just simply act out what they're trying to say. I think it feels like a game to them. Alot of the children here today had never seen me before, so they were very curious. After they were done eating many of them started feeling my hands and arms. I guess, they were wondering if white people felt the same as they do. They also think its strange that I turn red when I get hot. I don't blame them.....it is a little strange if you think about it. After about 15 minutes of gettting poked and pinched by a hundred little fingers they must have decided I didn't feel that much different  and they ran off to play. Hopefully they won't feel the need to do that the first day of class...lol