at the conclusion of two wonderful weeks

it's 7:30 am and i'm sitting waiting for my flight to leave for miami. i was able to quickly get through baggage and security as there were hardly any lines - my favourite way to travel!
this marks the end of my two week visit home, a time that i treasured and enjoyed to the fullest! it was so good to be with my family, friends, and church family. i appreciate them all so much, and didn't realize just how much i'd missed them till i was with them again.
there were so many things i loved about being home: the long summer nights where it didn't get dark till 10:00, the fireflies that would flicker across the pond, the cool green grass, the quiet (i live in the country), time spent with family and friends, campfires, driving, reading a good book, eating fresh strawberries, playing a real piano..... these are all things i loved about being home. i could have done without the horseflies that buzzed around my head anytime i went into the woods, but other than that.... it's crazy to think that the next time i see that place it will be covered in snow and being prepped for christmas!
now that i'm waiting for my flight, i am looking forward to being back in Haiti, cause i love that place a lot too! sometime i'll maybe make a list of all the things i love about haiti. there are lots!
so for now, my dear Ontario, i bid you 'Adieu'.

a heart with two homes

i cannot say how many times in the past three and a half years i have said something along the lines of 'haiti is where my heart is' (or something cheesy like that. lol. what can i say? i like cheese). i think it's safe to say that those words have exited my mouth quite frequently. that certainly hasn't changed. yes, there are days that are hard, times when i get really frustrated, moments i feel discouraged. but according to several very wise people who have spoken at church, challenges are signs that you are doing something for God. it's when one is feeling comfortable and like things are easy that there may be reason for concern. 
anyway, that's not what this is about. 
in less than a week, i will be home in Ontario visiting my family and friends for a couple of weeks. the closer it comes, the more excited i get. i think of all the things i'm going to do, the people i'm going to see and hang out with, and just being back in the home where i spent the majority of my life. recently i looked at pictures i have of our property, and i thought to myself, 'i have a beautiful place to call home!' it's a place that holds so many memories and stories and, best of all, some of the most important people in my life. the people who have helped to shape me into the person i am today. people that i am proud to call dad, mom, brothers, and sisters. sometimes i take for granted the fact that my family is so supportive and encouraging of me being here, but it's an incredible privilege to have that - not everyone does. 
so, as the day of departure approaches, i look forward to being reunited with my family, and i look forward to hanging out with my friends from home. 

My wonderful family :-)

i have discovered that i easily call ontario and haiti both 'home'; apparently, i have two :-) what a huge blessing. i thank God for both of them!

magical, tropical, beautiful, paradise

yesterday i had the privilege to accompany a group of our volunteers to a waterfall nestled in a crevice in the mountains. it's a place i've been to multiple times, but yesterday was special. as we were heading toward our destination, rain started to gently fall. when asked them if they wanted to keep going and risk getting wet, or turn back, it was decided that we would continue on. and i'm glad we did. the rain never came down heavily; it just gently pattered on the foliage and dampened the path, making it a little more slippery and challenging. but when we got the the waterfall, it was more beautiful than i have ever seen it. every colour seemed to be more vibrant, deep, and lush.
sadly, my camera battery had died on the way there, so i was unable to take pictures. instead, it was a scene that i needed to embed in my memory. our clothes were all wet, but our spirits were not dampened. there's something adventurous about taking a hike in the rain (but not pouring rain; i have learned that that's not a good idea, especially if river beds are involved. lol. this trip was uneventful, though). lush green walls of vines, ferns, and other foliage covered the towering walls of the valley, and smooth, sun bleached rocks made up the floor. large boulders all piled on top of each other created a beautiful scene with little cascades of water spilling over and continuing on toward the riverbed. grey clouds hung low in the sky and hid the sun from view, while rain pattered and created a natural symphony. i thought to myself ' it doesn't get much better than this!' i love this country so much; it is such a privilege to be called here. and i love sharing the privilege with people who are willing to accept this place for what it is - beauty, scars, and all. the artistic work of God is breathtaking, the wounds inflicted by so many situations are heartbreaking. and for me, being in the place that i know God wants me to be right now, it is paradise.

I loved him too

yesterday i had to do something that is near the top of my list of difficult things to do. i had to say goodbye to one of my special kids. he was here for assistance, and since i first met him in september when he was one of my assigned kids, i was wrapped around his little finger. his personality was huge, his smile incredible, and his little voice was enough to melt my heart - especially when he looked at me with sparkling brown eyes and repeated 'ah lah loo' (i love you). or when he would call to me from the nursery balcony as i walked by: 'lalalene!' yes, i was fairly deeply in love. i knew all along that at some point he would need to leave and return to his family, but to actually say goodbye? that was hard! i honestly didn't think that i could do it. i knew for sure that i didn't WANT to! but by the grace of God and the support of great friends, i did get through it.

when i saw him with his nanny at the top of the stairs as we prepared for him to leave, i had to turn away because i did not want him to see me cry. if i knew that there were some guarantee, it would not be so hard. but there's not. there never is for any of us. i have no idea what his future holds. odds here in haiti are harsh, but we do have this promise: this little boy is loved by the One who created him and brought him here to GLA where he was given a second chance at life. this little boy has the God of the universe on his side. this little guy has been loved and prayed for by so many, has beaten so many odds, and has a strong will and personality. this little guy is strong; and he's in the hands of God, the one truly safe place. that is
not to say that hard things will not come his way, because  i'm sure they will. it is to say, however, that regardless of what he may face, God will be there with him through it all. it's to say that God has plans for this little boy's life. plans to prosper, not to harm him; to give him hope and a future (see Jeremiah 29:11). my prayer is that one day this little man will make the choice to accept Jesus as his personal saviour. my hope is that he will make a positive impact on his world, whether it be a tiny village, a big city, the entire country, or the planet in all its entirety! he's had a good start already!

so, after i held him one last time, kissed his cheek and said 'i love you', and after he waved to me and blew me a kiss, i watched him go through the gate in the arms of one who will provide care for him until he is reunited with his family. i know his family loves him. i and everyone here at GLA have done what God intended us to do in this little guy's life; now it's up to his family and God. i know that he will soon forget me, but i will never forget him. i am so blessed to be able to say that 'i loved him too'!
Go with God, little one! Bondye beni ou!

A New President is Inaugurated

Yesterday was President Michel Martelly's inauguration ceremony. i personally didn't listen to any of it becuase a. i forgot it was happening :-S and b. i wouldn't have understood much of it. lol! anyway, the point is that Haiti has a new president, and he seems to really want to help Haiti get back on her feet. we need to be sure to uphold him and all his advisors in prayer, as the road ahead will not be an easy one, and no change will come quickly or easily, i'm sure! 


last night i was in bed trying to get to sleep when i started hearing this popping sound, like a very loud popcorn machine or a car backfiring. for a while i tried to block it out, but then started to place the sound and thought 'how crazy would it be if there were fireworks going on out there, and i were laying in bed?!?!' i got up and went on the roof/balcony of our house. sure enough, light flashed and lit up the sky beyond the mountain that lies between us and port au prince. fire works shot hight into the sky, exploding in a myriad of colours, sizzling and sparkling, lighting the dark night sky. it was a fireworks show that would rival a Canada Day celebration at home, and it lasted a good half hour! it was a lovely treat, and i thought to myself that Mr. Martelly may be inaugurated any day he wishes if it means getting such a great show of fireworks! lol! but i suppose that wouldn't be very practical. 

i tried to capture their beauty.... 

but i'm still learning all the settings on my camera... 

my favourite shot :-)
however, in all seriousness, i believe that hope has been renewed in this tiny country of Ayiti. People expect great things, and i pray that they happen! my prayer is that President Martelly would seek God's will in all things, and create and maintain a government free of corruption (something that countries like Canada and the U.S. don't even have - dose any country have a corruption-free government? maybe haiti will be the first!). Prayer is very powerful; we need to utilize this commodity to its fullest potential - something i am still learning how to do....

Three Precious Words

One of our little guys here has lately started repeating words, calling people by name, and greeting those who enter or leave the nursery. for a while he has been saying my name, and any time he sees me he shouts 'emelyne!' when i leave the house and he's out on the balcony, he calls out to me and loves when i greet him back! lately he has started to blow kisses without being encouraged to first. he says 'bye bye' and waves, then puts his little hand to his mouth, and with a 'mah!' he blows a kiss.  his latest accomplishment has been to repeat three very precious words: 'i love you'. i say his name, he says 'mmm?', i say 'i love you', and he says 'ah lah loo' with the same intonation, eyes glowing. it's incredibly precious! it warms my heart to see him advancing so much. i'm amazed at how much i love this little guy with a huge personality!

it was just 'goodbye for now'

On sunday, mother's day, (i'd just like to say that i am so thankful for my mom!) i hung out with Sonia for a few hours in the afternoon. Finally it was time for me to say goodbye and head home with the Gemmens', as my flight left the next day. One last time (for now) i held Sonia in my arms and prayed for her. I prayed that God would give her strength for everything she has yet to face; i prayed for the doctors and nurses and everyone involved in her care, that God would give them wisdom and guide their hands; and i thanked God for the wonderful family who is caring for her until she can return to Haiti. And i cried a little. i have learned to love this little girl so much!

finally, i laid her in her bed and covered her with her yellow crocheted blanket which has been with her from the start (and which, by the way, was almost as good at settling her as i was! lol.). i bent over her and gave her kisses, and then just looked at her beautiful little face. She looked back at me. then she reached up with her little hand, fingers poking through her blanket, and touched my face. Then i gave her one last kiss, said goodbye, and walked down the hall with the Gemmens'.

i was amazed at the support and interest people had in sonia's case. especially the way the hospital just got on board  and did what needed to be done to get Sonia well enough for surgery! None of us were expecting all of this, but it has been awesome to see their willingness to help a little girl from a little country just a couple hours south of Florida!

I'm so thankful for the Gemmens' who have so willingly opened their home to Sonia, and who have been so influential in making this possible; for the churches who have been involved in so many ways; for the many women who have been willing to step in and help lighten the load by sleeping with Sonia at night or being there during the day if needed. every person has been so influential and helpful!
please continue to keep Sonia and her caregivers in your prayers. the journey is not over for them, and they will need grace and strength for all that still lies ahead! also, pray for complete body health for Sonia! she needs to be very healthy for them to do heart surgery!

i loved having the opportunity that i did in caring for Sonia and meeting all the wonderful people involved in so many ways! and i didn't mind at all when hospital personnel came in and called me 'mommy' ;-) it was fun to be sonia's surrogate mommy for a while! i wouldn't trade those two weeks for anything. i learned a lot about flexibility, faith, love, and trust over the two weeks that i spent with Sonia in the hospital (and FYI, i wasn't just at the hospital; i got to experience some of miami and the beach, too! :-p).