Hit on

If a priest gives you his address, email, and phone number, does that count as a come-on? Hmm… something I got to ponder on my flight from Miami to Port au Prince. He was super sweet and was talking to me in Creole for about 5 minutes until he realized I wasn’t answering his questions. All of that was after he asked me in English if this was my first trip to Haiti and I replied ‘yes’.

I landed and the priest said God Bless You and disappeared. I stood in line and turned in my green form without problems. Then to the baggage claim. I waited at the end of the carousel bag thing next to two cops from Miami. I told them my luggage had orange tape on the handles and if they saw it to please tell me. They were cool… but they never saw it. I walked around and discovered a huge pile of bags on the floor. There was bag #1. A very nice, very tall Haitian man saw the orange on my bag and said ‘Wait’ and gave me the universal pointer-finger sign for one minute. Sure enough, here he comes around a corner with my other massive bag. Whew. Go through customs without problems. As I’m walking out, about ten men asked me if I needed help until this big guy comes toward me… I think Troy actually called him Big… and asked who I was looking for. I was hesitant but told him “the Livesays” and he replies “oh oh, yellow! Yellow! I know I know” and grabs my luggage cart and gives it to his lackey. So, I follow them outside and see Troy, Tara, Lydia, and Isaac waving at me with big smiles. It was a great sight.

So, I survived the airport. I know those of you back in Dallas were worried about that, and I thank you for the prayers!

I also survived a tap-tap and a true Haitian market today. More on that later.

Aaron Ivey (a Christian musician guy and friend to Troy and Tara) is here with a team from Austin and they are bringing the curriculum. Should be interesting. And I get ziti for dinner. Ciao.

a grateful heart

I have received my teacher manuals for homeschooling the Livesay bunch, and, I must say, the pictures are hilarious. Really.

I keep forgetting to throw my extra bonnets into my suitcase. Write that down, Viv.

A woman from my church, Kim, works for this company, Cranium Kids. CK works with preschoolers and school-age kids with technology and how to use it to increase understanding of material and general intelligence. They have programs starting with 2 yr olds (Tech Tots... how cute is that?) and go up from there. The results are amazing. Kids are constantly surrounded by computers these days, and learning at an early age with help them forever. WAY TO GO KIM AND NATALEE.

Anyway, they asked me to work one of their camps, and I learned how to do claymation and teach kids how to do it. If you know me well/at all, I'm not the most technology-savvy young woman out there. It was a funny sight for sure. Well, Natalee (the founder of CK) discovers that I'm working to take money with me to Haiti and why I'm moving down there. She asks about the kids and their ages and the subjects I'm going to be teaching them, etc. Natalee then donates software to help them understand basic subjects in a fun way... like Arthur's Reading Race (that super cute aardvark) and I Spy, Jr. and Dr. Seuss' Fun with Numbers. And she is giving me some games for the younger Livesays: Phoebe, Lydia, Annie and Noah, who aren't even my responsibility! I didn't even ask for them. She just told me during lunch that she was going to give me a gift before I finished on Thursday and that it was something she really wanted to do.

God is good. He knew (of course) that the only thing I was nervous about was being a good enough teacher for these awesome kids. I mean, seriously, the Livesays are trusting me with their kids' education here. Insane right? Well, just when I have the lowest self-confidence ever, here comes a swift kick to the butt to remind who is in control. Ahh. He is terrific.

So, thanks to Natalee and Kim for two great weeks and for all the brilliant software that will help me be a better teacher. Isaac and Hope will thank them too, I'm sure... although Paige might be sad she didn't get any fun games. I will have to figure something else out for a freshman! :)

CHANGE

I am moving to Haiti on August 29th to help out an awesome family... the Livesays. I will be homeschooling three of their wonderful children and working with Heartline Ministries whenever they tell me to.

This is totally different than what I planned to do this fall, which was grad school in El Paso. However, that is exactly why everything has changed: MY PLANNING. Not God's. Yes, multiple doors were opened for me in EP, and part of me was so ready to be there. To help people on the border and become completely bilingual and get a foot in the EP med school. To experience a completely different life in the same state. To become an adult.

When I graduated in May I had an odd pit in my stomach, like the feeling you get when everything isn't right, or how you know something big is about to happen and you have no control over it, or just living in the dust of Jesus' feet and having previous knowledge of inner peace... and that peace no longer being there. The absence of calm. The absence of control.

I am, in no way/shape/form, a control freak. According to my parents, I generally 'fly by the seat of my pants.' But this decision was different. Was special. Was only made through God's grace and amazing power to change hearts. Like the way Buckner is donating SIX MONTHS of health insurance, which would normally be $618 a month and would have prevented me from going. Or the way my parents, who were skeptical and didn't understand my reasons and my complete turn around from desiring grad school to desiring a completely different life, have supported me and helped me in decoding the desires God has placed in my heart vs. the desires of my human heart. Or the way an American doctor goes to church with the Livesays and can help me out if anything lupie happens while I'm there. Or the way God has answered all my prayers and showed me so many times that He wants me there.

I went to Lubbock in early July, before this move was a sure thing, to tell my friends and ask for prayer and say goodbye for a year, just in case. I learned 3 things up there: 1) Amanda, a friend I met this past year and instantly connected with, helped build the Heartline clinic with her church group; 2) Kendal, another friend I had to wait until my last semester to meet, went to Haiti on a mission trip, loved it, and is going back; 3) even if every single one of my friends thinks I am insane, which is probable, they are super excited for me. God used that trip in so many ways. I knew I wanted to go, but I just needed confirmation that it was the right decision for me, at the right time, with the right family, in the right country. You know, just right. And He gave it to me. Not just through those 3 things but through prayer too.

So, I'm leaving this great state of Texas and moving to Port-au-Prince, into a guest house with plenty of room and internet. COME visit. You won't get kidnapped or beat up or whatever else the U.S. government wants you to believe about Haiti. Sure, it can be dangerous. Yes, I'm going to stick out because I'm the color of a ghost. BUT if this is what God wants, and I am 187% positive it is, then I am in the safest place in the world.