The Wonder of Winter

I just got back from two weeks spent at home for Christmas. Those two weeks were wonderful, beautiful, and refreshing. I am so blessed! To have a wonderful family, a loving church family, a friendly small town, and great friends is such a privilege. And to have wonderful friends and GLA Family to come back to after going home makes me doubly blessed! I think each time i go home i realize it more and more :-) I thought I'd share a little bit about my white christmas. 

i arrived home to not-too-cold, absolutely-no-snow weather. i walked out of the airport in a sweater and my flipflops! I was worried that there would be no snow for Christmas, but with the prayers many, including the nannies at GLA who told me they'd pray we got snow for Christmas, we did get a dusting of snow on Christmas Eve. There was just enough to cover the ground, and then on Christmas Day it snowed even more. 

There is something so magical about snowfall. It's quite amazing to think that before it drifts to blanket the earth, a tiny ice crystal forms around a particle of dirt and goes through a formation process, eventually becoming an intricate snowflake. i suppose it's a little like the way God forms us. He can take a simple, imperfect human being and refine and shape him or her into something beautiful. The process of refinement is not usually a pleasant or easy one, but through it we become stronger and purer. For a snowflake it doesn't take long to reach its completed state, but for people the process takes a lifetime - and even by then nobody's perfect. How much patience God must have!

 

The way in which it forms is not the only intriguing thing about snow. Have you ever stood in the middle of a wide open space blanketed in snow and just listened? The silence is beautiful. You can stand there while snow falls around you and feel like the only person in the world - just you and God. There's really nothing quite like it. 

The grey skies are beautiful. The biting cold that freezes eyebrows and makes cheeks sting is refreshing (in small doses), and it makes me feel so alive. There's just something about being surrounded both above and below by white and grey that makes the world seem to stretch out in un-ending vastness. 

Then there's the deep, cozy warmth of a wood-burning fire place that can't be imitated by gas or electric ones. I loved sitting by the fire and watching the glow of the red-hot ambers shift and dance to their private orchestra, or spending time with my family around the fire and simply being together. 

I do love winter, and i think that i appreciated and experienced it more deeply because i knew i wouldn't see much of it this year. If you read this and you have snow, go out and marvel at the wonder and beauty of winter. It takes this process of dying to make way for new, fresh growth. 

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire. And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. For you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands. -Isaiah 55:10-12

so many reasons to be thankful

our tree

the collaboration of ideas. tres bel!

last week we celebrated American thanksgiving. one of the great things about living in a place where there are people from different countries is that we get to celebrate holidays, such as thanksgiving, more than once each year ;-) The morning started out rather crazy as we worked to get 23ish volunteers and team members to their respective occupations for the morning. once things settled down, the decorating began! the tree was set up and decorated with little lights and silver and red ornaments. paper chains were put together to hang around the dining area, garland was intertwined with lights and hung up the stair railing, and more garland and christmas balls were hung throughout the main floor. christmas music filled the house as we worked together to decorate. once the bulk of the decorations were in place, we started to get crafty and create more things with which to embellish the house. my personal favourite, mostly because i was doing it and it involved glitter, was painting pine cones and needles from Ft Jaques, and twigs from the yard, then sprinkling glitter all over them. i never knew i liked glitter so much! 

the stairs :-)

food was being prepared throughout the morning, and once i finished adding some bling to leaves and such, i did my best to pitch in. by 3:00 pm the meal was nearly ready, and food was laid out on the buffet table. 50 + people joined hands to pray before we filled plates and sat down to enjoy the thanksgiving meal. it was a very full and festive house! and the meal was excellent :-)

this time of year is a good time to be reminded of all the blessings we have. although we should always be thankful, i know that i, personally, can easily let myself get bogged down with concerns and worries. sometimes the most basic things like life itself escape my notice. life really is a beautiful thing. to be able to wake up each morning with a fresh day ahead with which to serve God is pretty amazing, as well as a big responsibility - one that i often don't take seriously enough. other times i have to remind myself just how amazing it is to be in the position i am. i'm in a beautiful country surrounded by vibrant people and wonderful friends. each day i have the opportunity to play, hug, and kiss babies. there is something very special about entering a room and having five (or more) little people run to you with big smiles, outstretched arms, and calling out 'na-na-neen!' (Emelyne). it's heartwarming, if not a little overwhelming, to sit on the floor and have a bunch of kids get as close to me as possible. it's amusing to watch their antics and the way the interact and 'talk' to each other. it's a pretty cool thing to be even a tiny part of what goes on in this large organization, and to play a small, albeit indirect, roll in the process of adoption. in the past year i have experienced more than i'd have imagined. when i first came to Haiti nearly four years ago, my life took an unexpected turn. ever since then it's been a bit of a crazy mountain road ride, never really knowing what lies around the next corner. it's not something i would trade for anything! 


so for now, i just want to be thankful for life, for the opportunity to be in this place, for the fact that Christmas is just around the corner, and that i'll be home to visit in three weeks. Yey! 

climb every mountain

A couple of weeks ago, a group of us hiked the mountain that lies across the riverbed from us. It was the hardest hike i have ever done (and i had hiked the same mountain my first trip to Haiti, but i didn't remember it being that difficult!). there were many times when i was afraid that i wouldn't make it to the top and that rather than me conquering the mountain, the mountain would conquer me. my fellow lag behinder and i made innumerable breather and photo taking breaks. we took lots of time to 'smell the roses' as they say, and then i made sure i got a few pictures of each one as well. this conveniently dragged out the rest period before we made ourselves move on ;-P we met some very nice people who live on the mountain and most likely make the trek we were making a regular part of their lives. we probably wouldn't have taken the opportunity to talk to them if we'd been extremely cardiovascularly fit. i can't say the number of times we asked 'did you see some other people come past here', or 'which way did the others go?' every time without fail, they gladly showed us. finally, after about 4 hours of intense upward climbing, we made it to our goal. what a sense of accomplishment! the view was awesome, the air was clear and cool, and THERE WAS GRASS! :-) the whole mountain was lush and green, with many fields being planted or growing crops. the soil was dark and rich with a deep red tinge. 

the hike down the mountain was pretty difficult, but not in the cardio kind of way, with many hairpin turns and craggy, steep paths. by the time we were on the last stretch to home, i was ready to hail a moto taxi, hop on the back, and ride the rest of the way home, which would have been a five minute drive. however, i told myself 'you just climbed that whole mountain; you can't give up when you're so close to the end!' 8 hours after leaving, we arrived back at the house very tired, extremely sweaty, stiff, soar, sunburned, and ready for a huge glass of icy water :-D 

Here are just a few of the photos i took while we hiked. Enjoy!

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"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  Matthew 6:28

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Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. Isaiah 40:4

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. John 12:24

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In You, O LORD, I put my trust;Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness.Bow down Your ear to me,Deliver me speedily; Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me. For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name's sake, Lead me and guide me.

Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the LORD.

Psalm 31:1-3, 24

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:14

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When your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything. James 1:4

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You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11

So much to be thankful for!

**** This blog we written last night, but posted today, as i didn't get the photos attached last evening :) 

Turkey!

maple leaf embellished pie :-)

Happy Thanksgiving! it's been a wonderful day here in Haiti. it started with a cool, fall-ish morning with mostly cloudy skies, then a drizzly, rainy afternoon. And then, the highlight of the day, thanksgiving dinner! it was delicious, with turkey and all the trimmings :-) Before eating dinner, the non-canadian attendees decided that the Canadians should have to sing 'O Canada' before we prayed and started eating. We complied, and we rocked it! ;-D it was almost as good as the anthem before a hockey game; just not quite as loud. lol.


although i missed spending time with my family at home, i had a wonderful day with my GLA family. I'm so thankful for each and every one of them! 
God has blessed this place with a great group of people, and i'm so privileged  to know and share life here with them.
Just a few blessings i'm thankful for this year....
My wonderful, loving, supportive family back home.
My amazing, fun 'family' here in Haiti.

With Melissa, a fellow - Canadian co-worker. :-D

The opportunity to watch many children grow
up, change, and move on from GLA over the course of the past year.
To see Eglise D'Espoir grow and strengthen over the past year. I have been wonderful to see the hand of God working in and through the people there. it's exciting to see so many people seeking God and becoming godly leaders.

With some of our Canadian volunteers. You ladies are great!

God has proven Himself faithful over and over, time and time again. He has performed miracles, transformed lives, and shown Himself able to do anything. i, and each one who makes the choice to serve the One and Only, can be sure that He will always guide and provide. Life with our Saviour is an adventure unlike any other. it can be challenging and at times a little (or a lot) frightening, but i wouldn't have it any other way. 
it's an honour like no other to play even a small role in His great big story!
I am blessed beyond measure!

It's been a year!

It's been a year since i packed up my suitcases and bid my family farewell to go spend three months volunteering at GLA. at that point, all i knew was the next three months and from there on out it was up to God to make it clear. Well He did. I became staff and three months became six months, six months became a year, and a year became a year and a half. from there, i don't know. once again, that's in God's hands, and i know that in time He'll make it clear! :-)

in some ways, September 14th 2010 seems like so long ago. a lot has happened, i've learned a lot, i've grown a lot, and i've met a lot of incredible people. But most of all, God has never failed to show Himself faithful. it is such a privilege to be able to serve Him in this place that i love so much, and i am excited about what the future holds, not just in my life, but in the future of God's Littlest Angels, Eglise D'espoir, Thomassin 32, Petionville, and Haiti as a whole. there is so much potential in all these, and i am privileged to be witness to (and a little tiny part of) it! Sometimes i forget just how blessed i am.

there's a quote i love by one of my favourite fictional characters, Anne of Green Gables. She says:

'When I left Queen's [University] my future seemed to stretch out before me like a straight road. I thought I could see along it for many a milestone. Now there is a bend in it. I don't know what lies around the bend, but I'm going to believe that the best does. It has a fascination of its own, that bend, Marilla. I wonder how the road beyond it goes--what there is of green glory and soft, checkered light and shadows--what new landscapes--what new beauties--what curves and hills and valleys further on." 'Anne of Green Gables' by L.M. Montgomery, Chapter XXXVIII

Sometimes my life feels a little like one of these mountain roads. when you've rounded one bend, you're bound to come upon another. The views around those bends can be absolutely breathtaking; each one is different than the last, but the anticipation of what may be beyond is quite thrilling. how awesome to have a Master Route Planner in charge! :-D

Thank you God for an incredible year!

Somewhere In The Middle

lately i have been challenged over and over to live a life of whole hearted abandon to Christ. to live as though the only thing that matters is loving and being loved by God. i recently finished a book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan which basically reminds readers of how huge and worthy our God is, how small and really insignificant we are in comparison to the entire universe, and how God doesn't NEED us, but that He WANTS us, and wishes to use us to fulfill His plans and purposes. i highly recommend reading it! here is the website if you are interested in finding out more about it. http://crazylovebook.com/

As much as i wish i could say that i am at the point where i am totally sold out to God, i'm afraid i can't. i know that i'm still somewhere in the middle, and that deep end is, quite frankly, rather frightening. to come to the point of laying everything down - hopes, dreams, plans - and saying 'God, i want to do whatever You want me to do' (taking into consideration that this COULD mean leaving family, friends, and life as we knew it, and spending a lifetime living out in the middle of a jungle or a desert with no modern conveniences and no connection to the outside world, and possibly never returning home) and honestly be ok with it, is a huge thing. There's a great song by Casting Crowns that pretty much spells out the challenge. It's called 'Somewhere in The Middle'. my big thing is this: 'just how close can i get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control?' to be brutally, completely honest, i struggle with telling God 'here i am; you can do whatever you want with me'. it's a prayer that i'm still a little afraid to pray, not because i don't want to or don't believe that His plans outshine my own by a million, but because i don't know what is going to become of it. it's a little like driving blindfolded and trusting that the person beside you is going to give you accurate directions. but then, God's supposed to be the one in the driver seat!

Somewhere in The Middle ~ Casting Crowns

Somewhere between the hot and the cold

Somewhere between the new and the old

Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be

Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me

Somewhere between the wrong and the right

Somewhere between the darkness and the light

Somewhere between who I was and who You're making me

Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control

Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense

Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle

With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is

But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle

Are we caught in the middle

Somewhere between my heart and my hands

Somewhere between my faith and my plans

Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves

Somewhere between a whisper and a roar

Somewhere between the altar and the door

Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more

Somewhere in the middle You'll find me

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control

Lord, I feel You in this place and I know You're by my side

Loving me even on these nights when I'm caught in the middle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DveYBno-pmQ

it's easy to be a fearless warrior when you never have to face a fear. it's not difficult to have faith that you won't drown when your feet can still touch the bottom and your head's above the water. faith to move a mountain is not hard if you've never had a mountain that needed to move. Christianity and living for God is not easy; it's not intended to be, and Jesus never promised that it would be. Living in this world and working for Christ pretty much guarantees that there will be fights and battles. it may mean having to stand up and fight for freedom of little girls who have been sold into sex slavery (http://www.ijm.org/). it may mean fighting to free boys and girls who have been forced to become child soldiers (http://www.child-soldiers.org/childsoldiers/child-soldiers). it may mean caring for orphaned children. it may mean raising children in a Christ centred home and teaching them to follow hard after God. it may, and really should, mean hand to hand combat with forces of hell. and after all that, we may never see results of our work this side of heaven. 

each of us has a different calling, a different gift, and a unique supporting role in this huge, amazing story that God is scripting. we are highly privileged to be a part of this story! although God never manifests His will in each life in the same way, we all have one thing in common; We are serving the same God; we have the same promise of eternity, forgiveness, peace that passes understanding, hope that makes no sense to the world, and confidence in our place in God's hand.

right now i feel a little like one of those soldiers standing at the gate of my safe picket fence, not sure if i'm quite ready to step outside. the Giver of the deepest, most sincere, most inexplainable love there is is standing outside the gate beckoning, encouraging, promising to be beside me...... i don't want to hold back because of fear! i challenge you to join me on this amazing journey of learning to trust and follow the One who loves us with the craziest of all loves. a love crazy enough to give up His one and only Son so that every person who ever walks this earth would have access to the greatest gift there could ever be; salvation. 

‎"Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves. When our dreams come true because we dreamed too little. When we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord."
-Sir Francis Drake

NOT just another lightning post!

k, i know i've had a couple posts about how incredible the lightning storms are here, but i've gotta make another. BECAUSE.......tonight was the first night that i was ever able to capture it in a photo! i've had several people explain to me how to do it; how the shutter speed needs to be slow and the camera on a stable surface, ect. but it took me actually taking some time and playing around with my camera to figure it out. and i was just blessed enough to capture a few forks of lightning among the 50 some pictures i took. it's kind of addicting!
 because there was a lot of sheet lightning flashing almost constantly, i found that sometimes when there was a lot of other light entering my lens while the shutter was open, any fork lighting would be drowned out. HOWEVER, i did get a few shots where the forks are beautifully obvious, and many where the constant flashes lit up the clouds like daylight. i am pretty pumped about this accomplishment!