Playing with Dolls, Friends and Tractors

Wow!  I am so tired tonight I think I am literally crying!  HA!  My eyes are burning and tears are just pouring down my cheeks :)  Today was a really good day thought, so I wanted to write about it!

We will get the bad part out of the way right away--I got the big D back again :(  I feel fine otherwise, just found myself in the bathroom a lot.  Praying it is short lived...

The girl got their American Girl dolls out today and had a GREAT time just playing on the porch with them this morning.  They all 3 played so well together that I even got the chance to get my devos in while they were entertained and Toby was napping.  I was just finishing up by the time I got the insider invitation to the AG concert--with Karys leading and directing the show of course :)  It went on for quite a while with Brooke and I watching--I found myself needing to work on patience with these things...a gift that Brooke seems to be so GREAT at!  I think she remembers the days she and her sisters did these types of things too and she just laughs.  I do remember doing the performances, I do!  But after 30 minutes, 5 wardrobe changes, and about 300 "Yeah...come on, come on..." I am ready for a new activity ;)  

I was able to move their thoughts and energy to something else when I introduced them to their ENCOURAGEMENT BOOKS!  I got everyone a composition notebook with the hopes of journaling and blessing and recording our time here in Haiti...I wanted it to just be a fun way to just be unbolted with each other and be a blessing to each other, helping each other to see the ways God was using us, the ways He is at work and His goodness around us.  The kiddos are really excited about them, so I am hoping it is something I can do consistently and help them to do for each other as well.  A way to have ownership of our journey...a way to be active and involved!

Today was also a mail day!  We were really hoping that the packages that family had sent for us would have arrived today but none of it did...had to laugh b/c when I told my mom that the mail didn't come I found out that she sent a loaf of bread!  She apologized in advanced for the moldy bread that we would more than likely receive next week :)

We did manage to get some Skittles from all of the mail that came today though, thanks to Nick's generosity!  It is so interesting b/c without sugar I seem to do fine, but when I do have it-even in small, rationed doses-I find myself craving it and my blood sugar really fluctuates as a result.  The kiddos really enjoyed the candy though!  They also enjoyed joining in with the other big kids in licking the frosting off the items in one of the boxes.  The frosting had exploded in the shipping process and was spread over all of the other items in the box as a result!  one of the boys couldn't get enough and was licking all of the items like he had never had frosting before.  I began to wonder if her had--not just once a year on a birthday cake but if he ever got to eat it just for fun, or lick a knife after a cake was made...oh, the small things...hmmmm....

Some of the pictures of the kiddos being entertained by filling up bottles and pouring water down the roof.  That is one thing that I know I will never get enough of...the raw minds of the kiddos...the ways they make their own fun and our entertained by the simplest of things.  We haven't had toys in a few weeks now...and the girls haven't once asked when they were coming or mentioned missing them.  I am grateful for this and just their lack of dependence on their material possessions.  Really grateful...

I walked over to chat with Darla and Christina this afternoon.  It was nice to have a little girl outing :)  I have been missing my girl friends a lot!  Sounds like we will be starting Creole classes next week and that Darla is even willing to do some stuff to help the kiddos learn!  As eager as I am to learn the language, I am also anxious that I won't be able to do it, or won't pick it up quickly, and I am worried that I don't have the desire and drive that I need to do it.  Pray for me over this with me please ;)  Lord, take my fear, clear my mind, I surrender to you!

After talking with the ladies, the VP's and us took the white truck and went into town to get some groceries and check out the Total station that we had heard so much about.  The guys and Toby were in the front/cab of the truck and Christina, Brooke and I stood in the back with the kiddos.  On the way to town, I felt very anxious.  Karys was right by the edge and I just had visions of her falling out or someone else tipping over.  It was so dusty, so it was hard to hold on, cover your eyes and enjoy the sights--"enjoy"...not sure if that is the right word.  The smells, the sugar cane, the trash, the cooking...the looks-smiles, glares, bonswa's, then yelling...It is so hard to know what to expect and so easy to not concern yourself with what goes on outside of COTPs gates.  But we have to...I have to...Our kids come from these places, out nannies and employees live in these communities with their families.  God give me a heart for those communities and the Hatian ppl we serve and work alongside.

Halfway to town we realized we didn't have skirts on.  Shoot!  Newbies fail again :(  Brooke was so worried about it she offered to stay in the truck and not go in.  Since we were just going into the Total station and coming back, we chalked it up to lack of experience and vowed to remember this next time. This is something I am striving to do as well...to gain and possess a mindset that is knowledgeable and respecting of the culture we are living in.  Teach me, O Lord.  Give me your eyes and your heart...I don't want to form thoughts that produce worry...about what I will wear, etc...but bring discernment and peace with the clothing issues that have been discussed here and the rules that are in place for good reason.  The Total station wasn't anything too out of the ordinary compared to home...we knew that a little.  It is basically a very simple American gas station with some empty warmers on the counter and some stuff on the shelves that have been really spread out to make it look like there is a lot of product and selection.  We did find milk, yogurts, bread and some cool drinks though that made it well worth the trip!  The ride home was not near as verve racking but it was still a long ride back in the back of a truck...There is NOTHING enjoyable about driving on the roads here--if you can see past the bumps the scenery is BEAUTIFUL!  Lord, give me eyes to ADORE and recognize your creation and the BEAUTY you have bestowed upon this island!

We ended our night with some tractor rides--Rob and Toby helped Kirk get his little dorm fridge over to his place at Manna--Bible study, dancing in the rain and Jello before bed!  I will continue to say daily...thank you God for today!  The small things that bring us so much Joy and comfort...the reminders of home...the new things that teach us about our new home...and your FAITHFULNESS and PEACE that continues to reside in our hearts!