Mont Jolie with NEW friends!

09.16.12

My devotion time today, there were 2 main things that stuck out to me--”yielding” to the purposes of the Lord and TRUSTING Him as He leads me down paths that might feel foreign to me.  To be honest I am feeling lost...I can’t seem to find myself...my joy seems conditional so I almost wonder if it is even true joy or merely momentary happiness.  My instinct after reading this devo today is that I am still not close enough to God, dependent enough on Him.  I think my flesh is fighting against this transition is so many ways.  While I trust HIM completely--I am not completely surrendering to Him and allowing Him to have His way COMPLETELY in my life.  YET, He continues to remain so gracious and merciful!!!  He brought us LOVELY friends--friends for all of us, this family has three girls who are 8,5, and 2!  We met up with them today in Cap and got to swim all morning.  It was a BEAUTIFUL morning and we really enjoyed just chatting with them-Sarah and I had a GREAT chat and I just really enjoyed our “common” conversation.  They moved here just weeks before we did so there was something so comforting in knowing that they had gone through and were continuing to go through a lot of the same transitions.  Our girls also had a great time just playing with kids their own age and of their own culture.  Kids who were used to having parents around and who my girls didn’t feel the need to parent.  I don’t mean that to be taken wrong...it is just true.  In some ways my girls miss that and are often the ones telling the kids “no” or redirecting their activity or behavior.  They just need the chance to just be kids sometimes and I loved watching them get that today.  

We headed home after we had a GREAT lunch, and it again never failed that Toby fell asleep on the drive.  I think there has only been one time that he hasn’t fallen asleep in the car.  This time we tried to put him in the carseat.  People, carseats are not affective in Haiti in terms of your kiddos sleeping in them. Sure they might be safe, but his little head was just bobbing like a bobble head as soon as we hit the “country roads” :)  It was so cute though b/c Gracie and Addy were so concerned about this so they took turns holding and supporting his head so he could stay asleep!  It was too cute!  When we got home, Gracie wanted her hair washed right away so it didn’t turn green and the chlorine smell got out of it-ha!  I did some laundry and the kids just hung out and chilled...despite the laziness of our afternoon I still felt edgy and just crabby.  So I couldn’t take it any more and decided to go for a run by myself.  I needed an endorphin release...to clear my head and just dump some lactic acid!  So after getting all geared up, finding out which roads were and weren’t ok to go on and how far I should go on them I headed out for my first run in Haiti.  It was BEAUTIFUL!  WE have some of the GREATEST scenery that surrounds our place!  But it was rocky, so I felt conflicted as to when I could look up and enjoy it and when I had to keep my head down so I didn’t bite it :)  I hadn’t run in months so let’s be honest...I maybe only ran 2 miles...but I RAN IN HAITI TODAY and I really did love it. On the way back to COTP I could feel the air getting thicker as if it was standing still and when I stopped I was breathing harder than I had in a long time!  I also sweat in the minutes to come...not just a normal sweat either.  I am not much of a sweater and I had it coming from EVERY pore on my body!  It was even beading on my forearms!  CRAZY!  But still...I loved it!

I also loved how I felt when it was over.  I felt lighter and out of shape :)  It made getting through the rest of the day so much easier and definitely changed my attitude!  It also definitely helped that ALL of the kids were in bed before 8 tonight!  It gave me time just to sit with Jesus :)

May I continue to find my comfort and peace in you, Lord!  and my I be prompted throughout the next days and weeks to seek you and find you--may I EXPECT to find you!  Thank you, Lord for all of my blessings-all that I have.  Continue to give me your eyes and show me your heart for COTP and for Haiti.  May it be there that I find your will for me--there and only there!  Not in the needy of the moment, the drama, or even the void...but in your heart, Father...through your eyes.

The BEAUTIFUL view from the hotel we went swimming at today!

In a lot of ways it felt like we were vacationing at a tropical location ;)

In other ways, we were reminded of the country we live in...BEAUTIFUL none the less!

I didn't get many pictures of the girls swimming...Gracie was very shy today-still feeling a little rough and run down I think :(  But these girls had a GREAT time swimming together!  This is our new friend Danielle.

Karys and Danieally got along great and stayed very busy swimming all around the pool!