Help Me Find It

There have been many times in my life and in my journey to see an orphanage built on La Montagne that I have come to a crossroads. So often I think that I know what should be done and which way I should go. But the Lord continues to humble me and make me realize that He is in control, not me. What I don’t know, He knows. I need to seek HIS direction, and not lean on my own (Proverbs 3:5-6)

 

I don’t know where to go from here

It all used to seem so clear

I’m finding I can’t do this on my own

 

I don’t know where to go from here

As long as I know that You are near

I’m done fighting

I’m finally letting go

 

I will trust in You

You’ve never failed before

I will trust in You

 

If there’s a road I should walk

Help me find it

If I need to be still

Give me peace for the moment

Whatever Your will

Whatever Your will

Can you help me find it?

Can you help me find it?

 

I’m giving You fear and You give faith

I’m giving you doubt

You give me grace

For every step I’ve never been alone

 

Even when it hurts You’ll have Your way

Even in the valley I will say

With every breath

You’ve never let me go

 

I will wait for You

You’ve never failed before

I will wait for You

 

I lift my empty hands (come fill me up again)

Have Your way my King (I give my all to You)

I lift my eyes again (Was blind but now I see)

‘Cause You are all I need

 

--“Help Me Find It” by Sidewalk Prophets

Faces of Haiti: Jeff

One precious little boy in Haiti that was special to our team was a little guy dubbed “Jeff.” This young man has a smile as big as Haiti! J He was always smiling, joyfully tagging along with our team wherever we went.

 

I often wonder about Jeff. Although we learned a great deal about his personality while we were in Haiti, I often wonder about his life. Who does he live with? Does he go to school? Is he brought to church? How old is he? There are so many unanswered questions about the children I met in Haiti. I am so grateful that I serve a God who knows the number of hairs on Jeff’s head. I know He is watching over Jeff.

 

Haitian Proverb

This is a good Haitian proverb about working together:

Pou yon tab kanpe fòk li gen kat pye menm longè.

“For a table to stand, it must have four legs the same length.” To work well together everyone must work equally.

Update

I have not done a very good job of posting actual updates here! I spend a lot of time working on other aspects of this project and updating those who really need to know. So updating the general public has slipped further and further down the list.

But no more! What I have copied below includes excerpts from the latest email update I sent out earlier this month. Sorry to cut and paste, but it’s what I have time to do right now!

Changes on the Horizon . . .

I feel like I’m finally coming up for air after a flood of changes that occurred over the past 2 months! As you can imagine, things were extremely hectic for our family as we transitioned to our new home in Texas. The orphanage project was most certainly not neglected during that time, but it was on “cruise control” if you will.

God continues to amaze me by the way He has used 1 support letter sent out back in August to bring an incredible amount of funds to the project! Right now the total stands at $6,914, almost 10% of the $70,000 goal! Whenever I think donations are dropping off, more come in. I am learning that I should never, ever doubt God’s provision and His perfect timing.

Now that we are in Texas, surrounded by a new church family and friends, I plan on looking into doing fundraisers for Hope Hill. I also plan on sharing the project with the Pastors and the people at our new church as we get to know everyone better.

Over the past few weeks I have been communicating with an organization in Houston, TX called “A Child’s Hope.” How I came to know about their organization is truly a work of God, but unfortunately it’s a little too long to write here. To summarize, their organization has also been working to raise funds to build an academy as well as home-style orphanages on La Montagne in Haiti. Our visions sound very similar; in fact their vision goes above and beyond mine! While nothing is official yet, I plan to meet with some of the board members early next month to discuss the possibility of a partnership between us.

For right now, we press on! I am so excited to see the changes God is working on La Montagne and in my life. The words of Jeremiah 29:11 are so true: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” May we all find joy in seeing the fulfillment of God’s plan for 2013!

Faces of Haiti: Fabie

We serve a God of miracles. When our team was in Haiti, we met a little girl named “Fabie.” This little girl was severely burned when she tripped while carrying an oil lamp in early 2012. Due to the severity of her burns, her skin did not heal properly. As a result, her chest and her chin healed together. This immobilized her neck, made swallowing difficult, and stole this little girl’s joy.

Her caregiver—her grandmother—brought her to us while we were on La Montagne. She left Fabie with us for 5 hours while she went down into the city to get her birth certificate so that we could pursue medical help for her. While her injury was non-life threatening, there could be complications in the future as she continues to grow.

Five months later, on January 11^th, Fabie finally made it to the U.S.A. One member of our team was incredibly impacted by her story, and worked tirelessly to get her the medical help she needs. After ensuring that there was no doctor in Haiti that could help her, she turned to doctors in the States until she got approval from a hospital that would donate their services to help this precious child.

A family from our church in Michigan was very touched by Fabie’s story, and wanted to adopt her into their family. You cannot imagine the joy and excitement present at the airport when Fabie and her new family finally got to meet! Fabie has a new family that loves her, has prayed for her, and will be with her as her plastic surgeries start in late February.

Fabie will have multiple surgeries over the next 2 years to correct her burns. During that time her new family will work on the adoption process necessary to make Fabie a permanent part of their family.

What an amazing God we serve! He not only crossed our paths with Fabie in Haiti, but He also gave a burden to her new family to adopt her. He provided a doctor, hospital, and medical team that is willing to cover the expenses for her surgery. He is changing Fabie from the scared, shy, and sad little girl we met in July to a little girl that is joyful, well-adjusted, who smiles, and experienced her very first bath this weekend. J Our God is the God of the impossible! Beni swa Letenel!

Haitian Proverbs Galore!

One of my Christmas gifts this year was a book called “Hidden Meanings” by Wally Turnbull. It’s a book filled with over 1,200 Haitian proverbs! I don’t believe I’ll be running out of proverbs to share any time soon. J The following one gave me a good laugh over the mental image of a turkey laughing:

Lè y'ap plimen poul kodenn pa ri.

“When the chicken is being plucked, the turkey doesn’t laugh.” Don’t laugh at others’ misfortune, for it could happen to you, too.

"Do Hard Things" Quote

For the past 4 years in a row, the first book of the year I read is “Do Hard Things” by Alex and Brett Harris. This year I have found a LOT of encouragement in reading the book because of the changes God is working in my life. This quote stood really out to me when I read it:

“We aren’t called to be successful all the time. We’re called to be faithful, to take those first difficult steps—and to leave the results up to God.”

During the birth of the Hope Hill Orphanage Project, I had a lot of fear of failure and what others would think of me. But God showed me that I needed to rid myself of that pride and be faithful to what He had called me to do: surrender to His plan for my life and serve the children of Haiti. Ultimately it doesn’t matter whether I fail or succeed; God’s plan will ALWAYS prevail. I am simply blessed to be a part of what He is doing in the country of Haiti. I’m not called to know all the answers; I’m called to obey.

Faces of Haiti: Valencia

How I miss my precious Valencia! A friend from our Haiti team returned to La Montagne in late December. She had a picture of me, and when Valencia saw it she exclaimed “BIAN-ca!” J Oh how that made my heart turn cartwheels! I cannot wait to see this little girl again. I hope she knows that she is loved more than ever by me, and also by her heavenly Father who watches over her every moment of every day.

Reckless

I heard this song by Jeremy Camp over Christmas break, and it really spoke to me. For so long, I was holding on to parts of my life that I didn’t want to surrender over to Christ. But God wants ALL of me, not just part. My life is not my own. The world may think it’s reckless and ridiculous to live your life serving someone you can’t see. Our instant-gratification culture thinks it’s absurd to strive for a reward that we won’t receive until we enter eternity.

 

But I’m not striving to please the world nor to live up to its standards. 2 Corinthians 5:13 says, “If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.” If I’m going to be reckless, it’s going to be for HIS sake alone!

 

Every time I try to play it safe

Holding back just a little part of me

I find myself forgetting what

I say that I believe

The promise of Your Word

Is all I need

 

I’ll lay my life down

And give it up

I’ll give it up

 

I want to be reckless

Cause You are endless

I want to be shameless

And shout Your greatness

I will not be afraid

To surrender my way

And follow who You are

I want to be reckless, reckless

 

I will lose my life and just let go

Because I know this world is not my home

With fearless faith

I won’t be moved

Unshakeable inside Your truth

 

You laid Your life down

And gave it up

So I’ll give it up

 

I won’t waste any more time

My life’s Yours it is not mine

Use me Lord no matter what’s at stake