Haiti September 2013 Trip

Since being home it has been non-stop but I finally have a moment to sit down and tell you about my last Haitian adventure. (Pictures are soon to come.)  :))

I must start by just saying it could not have gone better! We had an absolutely flawless travel time and stay in Haiti. This trips team members were Dr. Leininger, Cliff, Mr. and Mrs. and Kenny Kennedy, and I. It was a small team but God certainly orchestrates all things perfectly. My goal to achieve this time was to identify and measure all the new kids that IBESR recently brought to HCRM, and to update all the photos of all the children for their profiles. This was done thanks to my wonderful interpreters which were some of the kids at HCRM. They did a fantastic job, especially Mouis. He did a great job of keeping track of everyone. And Jackie, our new "gate guy" was a huge help as well, helping me with gathering kids for pictures. Jackie also did an awesome job at opening the gate. The usual routine of sitting for ten minutes honking at the gate for someone to open it did not happen even once, even at eleven at night!

Now that I am stateside once again, I am going to update all the kids profiles onto the website. The profiles will include clothing sizes, shoes sizes and a photo. Eventually I want to have a little info about each kiddo such as their history, what their favorite color is, favorite super hero, food, their birthday, age, etc. You would be surprised at how difficult some of this is to find out, but its not impossible. Hopefully I can get this finished on my next trip in January. Yes, I am already planning my next trip!! ;)

It was fun for me to a part of the Kennedy's time in Haiti. They gave lots of beans, rice and other food to families in the village and gave goats to other families. It was such a blessing to just see the smiles and watch them walking down the road with their little goat or a bag of rice ever so carefully balanced on their head making their way home. They spent the last few days of their time in Haiti in the mountains where they served as missionaries for two years.

The rest of the team are in the process of building 8 new homes for families still living in tent cities. I accompanied them on one trip to a near by tent city where they chose a family for one of the new houses. It was a little family with three kids. The mother was ecstatic although she tried to hide her smile that kept creeping through her firm cheeks. I can't even imagine what it must feel like to be given a new oportunity like that. When you have lived under USAID tarps for years it must be a wonderful feeling to finally have the opportunity to raise your children in a real house. What a blessing to be a part of the work God is doing in Haiti.

One of my personal goals this trip was to get to know Pippin and Markenson. For all of you who don't know yet, we are trying to adopt them. The boys are 9 years and 3 years old. They are great kids. Full of life and as easy going as can be. Markenson is a bundle of life. His big smile and vivacious personality are contagious. He seemed to remember me and almost every morning on my way to breakfast would run to me with arms open wide, ready for some love. Pippin also remembered me and his buddy Cleavert did as well. We had lots of fun making videos and just playing. Their favorite game was taking my hat and playing keep away. I must admit that I had fun as well. Their laughs are precious and their big, white smiles are beautiful. Both of them are excited to start school with their new backpacks and school supplies. Hopefully they will learn more english by January and hopefully my Creole will imorove by then as well. I'm not holding my breath though.

Each trip seems to entangle my heart in Haiti more and more. I love the culture, the food, the beauty of the land, the simple lifestyle in the mountains and the pace of the city and I especially love the COFFEE. Haitian coffee is amazingly good. Aside from the humidity and spiders, I love Haiti. My favorite thing about staying at the orphanage is hearing the crickets singing as I go to sleep (although I don't much like the thought of them jumping around on the floor while I am sleeping) and the children singing as I wake up in the morning, usually around 5:30am. It is a beautiful culture with beautiful people and a beautiful language. God is an amazing designer and despite the corruption and poverty level of this nation God's hand and the beauty of His creation shines through. His hand is upon this land and He is doing mighty things in the midst of it all. Thank you, Lord. 

Psalms 145:1-13 

I will extol Thee my God, O King; and I will bless Thy name forever and ever. Every day I will bless Thee, and I will praise Thy name forever and ever. Great is the Lord and mighty to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable....All Thy works shall give thanks to Thee, O Lord, and Thy godly ones shall bless Thee. They shall speak of Thy kingdom, and talk of Thy power; to make known to the sons of men Thy mighty acts, and the glory of the majesty of Thy kingdom. 

Your Sister in Christ, 

                 Lauren

My Utmost for His Highest

“Have you been asking God what He is going to do? He will never tell you. 

God does not tell you what He is going to do; He reveals to you Who He is.” 

― Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

An Open Door...an Answer to Prayer

Hello Friends, Family and Supporters,

I am excited to finally have another update for you. It has been a long six months! Often times seemingly daunting and directionless but not wasted. No work that God does is ever wasted. 

Since my last trip to Haiti I have made efforts to join with other organizations to serve in Haiti. Door after door was closed. It was very discouraging for me. I want to be in Haiti. I have loved working with the children and I love the country. More and more my heart longed to be there but I began to accept that perhaps this just wasn't the right time for me to go to Haiti and decided that I would go ahead and apply for a job here in town and see if the Lord would open that door. Well, I never had time to put in an application. After about a week of reaching that point a friend of mine came to me one Sunday with a job offer for a position as a personal assistant. It was a great opportunity with full benefits, pretty good hours and because the family I would be working for is mission minded I would be able to travel to Haiti multiple times throughout the year. So we set up my interview and I got the job. 

What an answer to prayer! It is quite the ideal situation. God is so good and has supplied above and beyond what I was expecting. I am excited that I will be able to continue to develop the relationships I made with the kids at HCRM back in May and am hoping to be able to be of some help to HCRM state side in whatever way that I can. I am completely in awe of how God has worked this out and am excited to see what the rest of this year holds. Thank you for ALL your prayers and your patience with me in this!

Now, don't think this is the end because its not, it is merely the beginning of a new chapter. :) 

In Christ, 

        Lauren

|| He must increase but I must decrease ||

"Make Me Thy Fuel, Flame of God"

     For God has not given us a spirit of timidity but of power and love and discipline.... Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me His prisoner; but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our own works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity.....Guard through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.....For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. - 1 Timothy 1:7-9,14, 7:12

      "Give me the love that leads the way, the faith that nothing can dismay, the hope no disappointments tire, the passion that will burn like fire, let me not sink to be a clod: make me Thy fuel, Flame of God." - Amy Carmicheal

Pippin's Letter written by Cleaver

Still No Open Doors

Hi My Family in Christ,

      Well, as most of you know, I am still on the hunt for an organization to serve with in Haiti. We are now at the 6 month mark. Its been a difficult 6 months too. For one, I don't know how to go about finding an organization in another country. For another, I don't seem to have the skill sets that are needed there. You hear it said, "It is not enough to just be willing..." and it's TRUE! I recently inquired about a volunteer program with God's Littlest Angels and unless there is a cancellation they are booked with teams until 2015. So, I am now endeavoring to put together my resume and fill out an extensive application for Child Hope, which is a discipleship program. They are one of the organizations I met with back in May. However, I only qualify for two positions which may not even be available, hopefully I will find out soon. Its discouraging and I wonder how long I should keep up the "hunt." There are a lot of short term opportunities that I keep running across. I recently met a couple from Hillside Church that hosts a prayer meeting for Haiti and its been so good to be able to join with others who have the same vision and experiences with Haiti. We may not be there now and even though the miles separate us we can still battle the spiritual darkness and pray for the redemption of this country that God has burdened us for. Its a beautiful thing. They are involved with a ministry called Loving Heart and they are sending a team down in August to do a VBS for those children. HCRM is another organization needing short term teams to go serve. Its a curious thing. Why am I in contact with ministries who need short term-ers and yet I am ready to do a long term. Its not an accident, I just don't understand what I am supposed to do with it.

     If you could just be praying for me right now. I NEED direction. It is tiresome waiting and waiting and waiting....I know The Lord has a reason and I am willing. There is a song that says, "Where You go, I'll go and where You stay, I'll stay" I am willing to be there or here but here in the middle of it, unable to make commitments and really get involved with anything I feel like I am just wasting time.  That said, it has been a good time of seeking The Lord. With nothing to distract me from Him I have been able to evaluate what I have been doing with my time. Have I been spending it for His kingdom or for the American Dream or for my dream? What does my life say about Him? He is definitely opening doors here for ministries that I could get involved with and I am willing I just need the go ahead from Him. Please be praying that He will either open the door for Haiti or not and pray that I will be sensitive to His leading. That I won't let what I want get in the way of His calling. I need patience and I don't want to make a hasty decision either way. I need the peace of God which surpasses all understanding upon me during this time.

     Now, I have to give a praise! Pippin, one of the little boys from HCRM sent me a sweet letter. It made my day! I love him so much and Cleaver his good friend wrote it for him. What sweet boys that just want to be wanted and loved. They have precious hearts and I long for them to have a home and family.
      I have a challenge for each of you. There are over 80 children at HCRM, 400 at GLA, 20 at Loving heart, 150 at GHRM, 40 at Child Hope and 200 at New Life. That is almost 700 children and those are just from organizations that I have come across. Those are 700 little lives that need homes and families. That is a tiny fraction of the need in Haiti for Christian homes to be opened to those in need. And isn't that why God blesses us, so that we can then bless others. What's the point if we just keep it for ourselves like the servant who buried the one talent. He was called a wicked slave. I once heard from an adoption advocate that if all the families who claimed to be Christians in America alone would adopt just one child from Haiti each there would be no more orphans in Haiti and more families that could adopt. There are more Christian families in America than there are orphans in Haiti! My challenge to you is if you have never seriously considered adoption DO! and I am not just talking about Haiti. These are real lives, real people and God is fully aware of this situation. He has called those that are here, right now for such a time as this. What are we going to do about it!? This generation is our responsibility. It's not good enough to know that its happening and sit at home and shake our heads. His Godly ones advocate and stand up for what is right. This applies to so many areas abortion, gay rights whatever God has burdened you with its now your responsibility to make a difference. So ask yourself, what are you doing for the kingdom today? What has God called you to? I am asking myself the same questions. It took me having to go to a third world country to finally face it and if the reason God wanted me to go was to see His hurting children and to share in the agony of His heart then it was well worth it. Pray, ask God for His heart, bear His burdens with Him, that's what we are called to do. We have been saved from the pit so that we can go down to the pit and stand in the gap, pointing them to the hope we have, that is Jesus Christ. We are to live like Christ, spending ourselves for His kingdom. May that be the legacy we leave our children and to this generation. May it be said of us that we have given our all to the kingdom. May the Lord say to us, "Well done good and faithful servant." Amen.

"The brutal, soul-shaking truth is that we are so earthly minded that we are of no heavenly value." - Leonard Ravenhill
   
Your Sister in Christ and
Fellow Servant,
Lauren

Limbo, Limbo, Limbo

      Friends and Family,
   
      What a wonderful network of friends and family the Lord has blessed me with.  You have been such an encouragement and hope for me during this time of limbo. Each word spoken and every prayer lifted to the Father is such a comfort to me.  I think everyone would agree that waiting times are not man's favorite times in life and I am thankful to each of you for your graciousness with me and your support through these last few months.
       I do not know or understand the timing of the Lord but I do not doubt His goodness.  He continually provides and works in my life and even though it seems like my plans may be faulty and futile His faithful provisions continue to assure me that I am still in His will.  This IS part of THE PLAN even though it was not part of mine.  He has not forgotten.  Glory to God!

      Please continue to be in prayer.  I have applied to a ministry called God's Littlest Angels.  It is where I would most like to serve.  If I am accepted I will be leaving the first week of July.  Please pray that the Lord's will would be done.

      May the Lord bless you this day!
      Your Sister in Christ,
                         Lauren