Fanmi

Fanmi (family) - A group of objects united by a significant shared object.

As I have been soaking up Haitian culture over the past months I have come to realize one thing, that the Body of Christ is the ultimate family. Having so many people from different walks of life, countries, cultures be together in Haiti for the same reason only God could have perfectly crafted the people to bring into my life this summer. Being able to worship, have deep conversations and bask in Gods greatness with people who all serve the One is a blessing beyond words. 

Being surrounded by such devastation within families here in Haiti breaks my heart. That children are going without food, being sold or sent to live somewhere else, and more importantly going without knowing what to be truly loved feels like breaks my heart in so many ways. Yet I have been shown a unity of family here by children taking care of children, mothers & grandmothers taking care of other children, fathers holding their babies. The way all the children in the home here at CLS love each other and look out for one another gives my heart a joy. They have become family without choosing each other. They are all bonded and were brought together by the love of Jesus Christ. 





"God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family to bring us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure." Ephesians 1:5


The comfort in knowing He planned me to be apart of His family, to give me brothers and sisters to spur me on, and a connection wherever He guides me in this life is something I am so thankful for. He brought me places to teach me and prepare me for loving the orphaned, the motherless, those children who can not defend themselves. He put people and children in my life to learn how to take care and raise children up in a loving environment. 


"Take care of any widow who has no one else to care for her. Bit if she has children or grandchildren, their first responsibility is to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them. This is something that pleases God." 1 Timothy 5:3-4

God has grown my intense desire to be a mother, whether they be my own children, adopted or fostered He has given me this love and passion for His children. I know He has brought me to Haiti to be just that, a mother to the motherless. I am resting in His peace of where in Haiti He will have me go. I am praying that whenever and if He ever wants me to start a family that it will be in His timing and in the meantime to focus on what He has for me right now. 



     Part of me desires to be a Katie Davis right here in Haiti

"Childlike, kingdom members accept God's love, and, knowing the joy of being loved, concentrate on being loving. Trusting in God's love, they also know God is working all things for good." Romans 8:28 

GOD - He is our significant shared object. He shares His love, grace, mercy, sovereignty, patience, peace and so many other things with us so why is it so hard for us to share HIM with others? Us as the body of Christ need to be BOLD for HIM. To share HIS LOVE to those who aren't receiving it. To share HIS light for those who are living in the darkness. As a family we need to support each other and spur each other on towards HIS love. 
     
      " And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another- and all the more as you see the day approaching." Hebrews 10:24-25


I am so thankful for my blood family that God has given me. Their continual support and encouragement helps me everyday.

 Prayer Requests:
That God will bring clarity to the next place He wants me to love His children. That He will open the right doors and clearly close the wrong ones. He will protect these precious children He brought into my life here at CLS and I will be able to see them again soon. For my friends He has so graciously given me this summer that their transitions back at home go smoothly and He will be glorified when sharing of what He did in Haiti this summer. 

Thank you for continual support to all those who are financially, spiritually and prayerfully supporting what God has me doing on this beautiful island.

~E

Joy down in my heart.

I can not believe today was my last day teaching at CLS. This summer has FLOWN by and God could have not blessed me anymore. I am so thankful for all the memories, relationships and change that has been over the last 6 weeks.

Wednesday I took my beautiful kinder class to the beach. For many this was their first time ever driving out of Delmas 31, their first time ever swimming and their first time ever seeing the ocean. I could not stop thanking God for allowing me to be apart of this memory in their lives and being the person they get to experience it with. My word for the entire day was JOY. I could not stop singing " ive got the joy joy joy joy down in my heart, down in my heart, down in my heart" Their smiles laughs and screams gave me such an inexpressible joy that will forever be engraved in my heart.

Being able to give them their very own brand new swim suit and flip flops was such a humbling moment ( thank you mom & dad for donating and picking them out along with Janelle : ) ) That moment that they were all lined up along the wall with their suits and sandals was the first time I got a picture with ALL of them smiling their beautiful white smiles. That again filled my heart with joy that God provided these moments and provided a suit for every child to wear.

We split the girls and boys up and of course they all wanted to go into the ocean first. The boys put on all their arm floaties and JUMPED into the water quite literally. I have never seen such happy faces with a grin from ear to ear. How they were able to just play and be children. The girls and I played in the sand and built castles and buried Evensky in the sand. I wish that each and everyone of you could have been there to experience the sheer joy and excitement from these children. It made me really savor the little things and to enjoy the simple pleasure that God has given us in this world.

The girls got their turn to swim in the salty crystal turquoise water. They clung on for dear life but my the end they were swimming and kicking and just loving this freedom that being in water brings. I wanted to let them play in the water for hours and hours. The boys buried their principle in the sand, it was a funny laugh for them all to see their principle covered in sand.

After washing them with clean water, which was such a mom moment for me making sure all the sand was off of them, something that God putting on my heart more and more. We were going to try and do some "organized" games in the grass but I loved watching them all play on the swing set that was at the resort. To think that several have never swung or gone down a slide. The boys were running around with beach balls and in that moment I coudlnt stop thanking God for these children and for allowing them to BE children.

They did not want to leave and I didnt blame them. I wanted to give them the whole day at the beach, give them more and more experiences and more time to soak up Gods beautiful creations He has so willingly given us to abide in.

I bet you could all guess that the tap tap ride home was silent, oh yes it was as every single sweet child of mine was asleep from the few hours of pure child play time. I did everything I could to hold back tears countless times.

I was forever thankful to God for that special day, He kept us all safe, and provided everything for us. He picked these children to bring into my life this summer, He lead me to take on a whole new world of teaching, He graciously gave me a heart for showering these beautiful children the love they more then deserve.




Today we had a family dinner with all of CLS. Rachel and I went to the market and had the older girls in the childrens home help us prepare and cook the meal. We made... TACOS. since none of the kids have EVER had a taco before. It was so much fun to go into the market with the girls and purchase the local produce, supporting the people of Haiti. We cut everything up and put chicken and black beans in the crock pot.

Seeing how the kids reacted to setting our "outdoor dining room" up was priceless. They wanted table cloths because the table was ugly and not nice enough, they cleaned the whole area & made sure that it was just perfect. This brought so much joy to my heart to be able to share this new cuisine with them and to have this first experience with them as I am sure they dont have many " family" dinners.

We ended the night with wiggly jiggly strawberry jello that they all slurped up in a second and Monsters vs Aliens projecting on our white wall.

This was a beautiful way to end a summer that was fun of amazing memories, frustrations & new found relationships.

Now I am just surrendering the next door to open that God will guide me to the right ministry and the right position to love His children.

My verse I read this morning put it perfectly... as God always does when we are seeking His direction.

" At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen" Isaiah 60:22

Now I am just enjoying every moment I have with these amazing people God has brought into my life and waiting on His perfect timing.


Em

Branson Bound

Posting this from Dallas texas as I spend my last night in the US before I head back to beautiful Haiti. I spent the last week with my family in Branson MO celebrating the 4th together and celebrating what God has been doing in all of our lives. There are 5 grandkids in the family so I must say there was never ending action and activity : ) we spent countless hours by the pool, laughing, and holding a baby.

Anna, my oldest niece is 4 years old going on 10. She is so precise and knows exactly what she wants. I love her sweet sweet smile and the way her dimple on her right cheeks shows when she laughs. She is always wanting to read books & show us how amazing she is at ballet. I cherish holding her in my arms and holding her hand. I am so excited to see the woman God has created her to be and what He has in store for her.

Lauren, who needs to be on the front of a magazine is turning into a curious toddler. She is always asking questions about everything. Her personality is so bubbly and I just know that she is going to be a blessed handful for her parents. He bright blue eyes are so breathtaking along with her super tan skin (I wish I could get that tan with 75 spf)  She is a wonderful sister to her brother. I cant wait to hear about what she learns when she starts preschool this fall. God has given her such a wonderful family & curiosity to understand things.

Isaac is the superhero of the family. Recently potty trained he was always running around in his superhero underwear and goggles. His handsome smile melts me every time. He is a cuddle bug and I wouldnt change that for anything. God has made him into something else. His vibrant personality will light up any room when he laughs.

                                                                   

William is the blonde hair blue eyes cheeks you just want to pinch baby. He is such a happy boy always smiling and giggling. His non stop drooling and babbling shows you just how fast kids grow up. He didnt want to get out of the pool as he kept splashing and playing in the water. I cant wait till he is walking the next time I see him. This little man has a wonderful father as a role model so I am 100% that God will do great things with Him as He did with my brother.

Jude, last but not least the newest addition to our growing family. Mr cuddle bug and definitely a mommas boy. His sweet subtle cry makes me want to hold him forever. My favorite thing is carrying him in the ergo. I feel like such a mom  when he falls asleep on my chest all cuddled up. I cant believe he is 2 months already. He is crazy tall & skinny already. I am so excited to see this next year as he grows into a baby. He can smile now since the last time I saw him. next thing is a laugh, oh and he has a dimple like his big sister as well : )

I am SO incredibly grateful for the family that God has given me. THankful that they all have God as the center of their lives and are living everyday for Him. My sister and brother are the best role models for me and my future family if God has that planned for me. They are not just a brother and sister but best friends, supporters & encouragers. Their spouses are a perfect match for the and I thank God for bringing them into my life and the way they love my brother and sister endlessly. I pray someday that God will bring a man into my life who loves Him and serves Him with his whole heart and will love me for who God has made me, and have the same desires that God has put on my heart to serve in Haiti. 

My parents have been such amazing support my whole entire life, from my ups and downs to bad mistakes and always supporting my many moves. I am so thankful to spend time with them and that they are always planning a time for the whole family to spend time together. They are always pushing me the right direction and loving me. I am so grateful to God that He has given them peace about my serving in a third world country and that He has given a similar desire in my dads heart. I have so much joy when spending time with my mom and dad and would not be where I am today without their support and commitment to their crazy youngest daughter. Thank you mom and dad for your never ending love. 

 I can not express how thankful I am to be in this family. Being sent off back to haiti surrounded by my family in prayer was overwhelming in a way that I wish everyone could experience. I had tears streaming down my face. I cant wait for our next family reunion which will be at the happiest place on earth.... DISNEYLAND!

Until then I go back to the caribbean, I get back to Haiti wednesday morning to my sweet sweet students & friends. I cant wait to embrace them and continue building relationships. I will be teaching for 2 more weeks and am praying patiently for where God will open the doors up next in Haiti. Please pray for continual strength and rest in His plans.

" To shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace" Luke 1:79

~Em