Day 11: Meet Madame Papi November 23, 2013

Meet Madame Papi:

 

 

As you can see from this picture, Madame Papi is one of the most joyful people I know. This lady is always beaming. Madame Papi is 27 and she has two children, Ki-Ki who is 4 and Adriana who is 6. She treasures those two. When she looks at her children it is with the greatest love and joy. You can she tell she dreamed of being a momma since she was little. Not only does she adore her children, but everyone else’s as well. She’s a nurturer. 

Magdala is a Haitian lady who is the program director for the mission, she also overseas a lot with the nutrition program. Every year she appoints one of the moms to be “head mom” which means their responsibilities include things such as cleaning the area for the program and doing Bible study with the other moms. Its a huge honor and Madame Papi was the head mom last year. She never complains and always goes about her work in a joy-filled manor. 

 

 

This lady continuously puts others first. The day I visited their house it had just rained a pretty good amount and somehow I managed to step right in a huge pile of mud so my feet and shoes were covered. It was nasty, but I knew I could clean my feet once I got back to the mission. When we got to Madame Papi’s house first of all she always greets me like she hasn’t seem me in years. She has a way of making you feel so special. Once she saw my feet were covered in mud she offered to clean them off for me. I said no thank you, but then she disappeared and returned with a bowl full of water. I knew I just needed to surrender, because whether I wanted her to or not she was going to clean my feet. I was sitting on their back steps which were pretty low to the ground. She bends down on her knees in a completely uncomfortable position, takes my shoe off, and starts scrubbing the mud off of them. When I say scrub I mean she got every last trace of mud off those flip-flops, some of which probably had been caked in there from other walks. Those flips-flops looked brand new. Not only did she scrub my flip-flops, but she washed my feet. You heard me right. She washed my feet…my DIRTY, MUD-COVERED, NASTY feet. I’ve had ladies wash my feet before here in Haiti and it was one of the most humbling experiences for me and they were even clean that time.

Yes, she is my friend, BUT that’s not why she did it. She would’ve done the same for you. That’s who she is. She doesn’t think she just does. She lovingly serves others. 

 

 

Ki-Ki is Madame Papi’s youngest and my buddy. The first year I taught the pre-school Ki-Ki was too young to come, however this kid craved to be in school. Multiple times a week he would come running across the court yard with the other kids to school only to be taken back to the nutrition program. We would let him stay some Fridays since he wanted to come so badly. Madame Papi would always laugh and say how he cried to go to school. So when he finally got to come last year he LOVED it. He was the best student, he wanted to learn and he wanted to be there. He would sing his little heart out and give his all at everything he was handed…just like his momma. He graduated last June and now goes to school across the street at the mission school, but every time I see him he comes running with his big smile. Madame Papi reminds me whenever I see her that he misses “Miss Ashley” and the pre-school. 

The second time we went to Ki-Ki’s house some of Madame Papi’s family had just had a baby. Ki-Ki kept telling us there was a baby and it was his. Watching Ki-Ki with that baby was the sweetest thing. He just looked at it so lovingly…he does have a lot of his momma in him. 

Adriana is turned a lot like Madame Papi as well. They both have the same ear-to-ear smile that they are always wearing and they both have the sweetest way about them. 

Madame Papi’s “husband”, I’m not positive whether or not they’re married, does live with them. He does construction at the mission whenever they have a job for him. 

 

 

I’m so thankful for Madame Papi and her precious family, they make me feel so loved.

I’m also thankful for the way God uses Madame Papi to remind me to be joyful in all things, because joy is different then happiness…joy comes from the Lord and doesn’t change with circumstances.

I’m thankful for the way God uses her to humble me and to show me what it looks like to live your life putting others ahead of yourself and serving them out of love.

Day 10: Meet Maritha November 22, 2013

Meet Maritha:

(Photo taken by: Amber Bea)

Maritha is 23. She is so quiet and timid and really doesn’t speak unless spoken to. I think she beautifully lives out being slow to speak and quick to listen. She is also very thoughtful.

The day Maritha picked me up from the mission to walk to her and another one of the mom’s houses that was on the same route it took the whole afternoon. Her house was a pretty good distance from the mission and the other mom’s house was even further, but Maritha walked with me the WHOLE way. She even took a longer route home just so I didn’t have to walk in a lot of mud.

Maritha has two children, Davidson who is 6 and Marline who is 4.

Marline is turned exactly like her mom; it was like pulling teeth to get her to talk in pre-school last year. However, Davidson is the opposite. He isn’t wild by any means and still is very quiet and reserved, but he has such a sweet disposition and will speak up when spoken to. His little toothless smile draws you in. The day we went to his house he led us the entire way, he knew exactly every turn to make and every rock to step on.

One of my favorite memories of Maritha is the day she brought me avocados. I hated avocados before moving to Haiti and then all of a sudden I started eating them all the time. You can buy them for pretty cheap here in Haiti. Though I don’t really ever have to buy any. Once the moms found out I liked them they would start showing up with one or two on Saturdays for me. However, one Saturday Maritha showed up with a WHOLE bag full for me. What?! There were probably 20 avocados in that bag; I couldn’t believe she took the time to collect those. I couldn’t take them all, it just didn’t feel right. So I took three and suggested she should try and sale the rest. Maritha hardly has anything. She rents her house. Her children’s father lives with them, but doesn’t have a job. I’ve seen both of her kids in only two different outfits, she probably could of used those avocados way more then me.

Another one of my favorite memories of Maritha is when she got her new Bible. She was sincerely thankful for that gift. She was the mom that when I handed her the Bible she smiled and said, “now I can go to church”. It breaks my heart that she believed she couldn’t attend church because of the things she lacked, a Bible, nice clothes, good shoes. I pray through digging into that Bible she sees that God wants her to come to Him as she is.

I am so thankful for Maritha.

She teaches me that a lot of the time we just need to listen and stop talking so much.

She also teaches me that you can speak volumes by the way you live without even having to say a word.

Day 9: Meet Janette November 21, 2013

Meet Janette:

I don’t even know where to start with this precious lady. Her family is adored by almost every who comes to the mission. 

Janette is 46 and huge families is all she has ever known. She comes from a family of 11, she has 5 brother and 5 sisters. She also has  10 kids, 8 of her own and 2 that belonged to her sister and she ended up taking in after her sister passed away. Let me begin by introducing you to her family.

First: Julmard; the baby and the little miracle.

Julmard is 3 and lived the first year of his life in the baby orphanage at the mission. He’s really is a little miracle. A few months after I first got to the mission in 2011 to do my internship the cutest little baby had been moved to the baby orphanage and it didn’t take me long to fall in love. I visited Julmard in the orphanage so often while I was interning that all I would have to do is walk to the door and he would come crawling for me. All the mommas in the baby orphanage would jokingly call me “Momma Julmard”.

 

 

 

 

If the mission would’ve let me I would have adopted this little munchkin in a heartbeat, however God has better plans in store. Plans that involved reuniting him with his real mom. After Julmard was at the mission for a few months I finally learned the story of how he got there. Already having 9 kids Janette had asked to get her tubes tied when the next surgery team came to the mission and she did. Little did she know she must have gotten pregnant before they tied them, because nine months later along came Julmard. She had already made up her mind about not wanting another child and already felt overwhelmed with the 9 she was trying to take care of so did’t want to keep him. 

About 4-5 months after Julmard became a part of the baby orphanage it was decided that it was going to be closed down in St. Louis and the babies would be moved to our Mole campus. We wanted to try to put the babies that did have families in St. Louis back in their homes as long as we felt like it was an ok situation, Julmard ended up being one of those babies. I was so relieved that he wasn’t going to be so far away that I would never see him, but I was also so sad that I would no longer be able to walk to the orphanage and hold him whenever I wanted to. I’ll never forget the day he went home with Janette, it was one of my first encounters with her and it started our friendship. I began taking my last pictures with him and then handed him over to Janette. I remember her begging me to take him and tell me that I could be a better mother for him and that he didn’t want her. I remember telling her that I could never be his mother, because she was and she loved him and that’s what he needed more then anything. I started to walk away from them and she sat him down, immediately he started running towards me. I took him back to her and walked away crying. It was such a bittersweet moment that will always be ingrained in my mind. 

 

 

 

One of the agreements for the babies that we sent home was that they could be a part of our nutrition program so that their medical needs would be met and they would also get several meals. Julmard went home with his family during June and then I left Haiti for two months. Once I got back in September I quickly made my way down to the nutrition program to see him. I was so happy to see how much Janette loved him. She would tell me that he cried a lot and got sick a lot, but I could tell that even though it had been a rough transition her face told me that she adored her child. I love this next picture and the comparsion between it and the picture above. When she first got him back she looked so scared and unsure, but in this next picture it’s like she quickly found her way back to being a mommy and looks so much more confident. 

 

 

 

 

“Reunited and it feels so good.”

 

Next Up: Richie

 

 

 

 

Richie is 5 and there really are no words to describe this unique little guy, but I will sure try. Richie is a firecracker. He has the cutest the little squinted-eyed smile that you well ever see and it definitely makes you look past his mischievousness. He is pretty invincible and can “do da dougie” better then anyone I know. This kid never stops…he goes full speed 24/7 and from the picture above it is pretty clear that his many faces has rubbed off on his younger brother. I will walking to or past their house and before I even have a chance to know it Richie is already in my arms…the kid is a monkey. It’s so crazy to me to see the many parts of his personality and that though he gets into trouble often he has such a sweet deposition. 

Janette adores Richie and cracks up at about everything he does. She gets on him, but she also allow his personality to shine in such a beautiful way.

 

Number Three: Sweet sweet Yole. 

 

 

 

Yole is 7 and was Janette’s sisters daughter. I have a special place in my heart for this sweet girl. She one of the most precious little girls I have ever met. She helps take of Julmard and Richie a lot of the time while Janette is working and I have never once heard her complain or act like she doesn’t want to help. She is the exact opposite of Richie with her gentle and calm personality. She is still a 7 yr. old and likes to act silly at times, but she is also mature beyond her years. She is so selfless and humble at such a young age. I really don’t know what Janette would do without her help and know that she is beyond thankful for her.

 

Next: Jim (James) and Nyson:

 

 

Almost everyone that comes through the mission’s gates fall in love with these boys. Nyson is 9 and is the second child of Janette’s late sister. Jim is 11 and is Janette’s oldest boy. Jim is more of the strong silent type. Janette isn’t married, but all of her children have the same father. I asked her recently why I see him at their house every now and then and she explained to me that he has another wife and family on Tortuga (the island across from Haiti) and justs comes to visit the kids sometimes. Since the kids don’t really have a father figure or “man of the house” Jim steps into that role. To see the way he loves on and takes care of the younger kids is bittersweet. I hate that he had to grow up so fast, but he doesn’t seem to mind looking out for his siblings. Nyson has one of the best personalities ever. She just a sweetie that loves jamming (out loud) to some tunes. This kid really should be on America’s Funniest Home Videos, because he is dead serious when it comes to singing and he doesn’t care what it sounds like. He also gives the best hugs, the kind where he runs to you and holds on tight. This little loves being loved and you can tell he craves it. He also threw up on me one time…so we’re pretty close! 😉

 

Now for the first of the older girls: Aimenada (Aime)

 

 

Aime is 16. Aime use to bring Julmard and Richie to the nutrition program for the first few months. The several times I visited their house and she was there she was always helping Janette out in some way, whether it was doing their laundry or watching the kids. She is really just a regular 16 year old, she loves music, dancing, hanging out with her friends and her boyfriend. 

 

Janette also has three older daughter, two of which I’ve never met and one that I just recently met. Erlande is 20, Natasha is 21, and Kedena (her oldest) is 25. Natasha has 3 boys of her own and Kedena has 3 girls. Kedena is Nedge’s mom, the cutest baby in the whole world. 

 

 

What a HUGE and incredible family right?! Janette is certainly blessed and I know she knows that even though she has struggled to provide for all of them and their have been many difficulties along the way. She is one of the most patient and loving women. I love the watch her motherly side come out with the other moms in the sewing program. She is SUCH a huge help to me and I know to them. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As if 10 children weren’t enough for her to take care her she has also been taking care of her father who is blind.

 

I love this woman.

I love her children.

 

I am so thankful for her strength, her perseverance, and the way she shares her family with me and so many others. 

Day 8: Meet Madame Anslot November 20, 2013

Meet Madame Anslot:

 (Photo taken by: Amber Bea)

I love this picture of Madame Anslot, because I think it reflects exactly who she is a very bold yet loving woman. She is 28 and she is one of those ladies that demand respect. Not in a rude demeaning sort of way, but in the way she carries herself and lives her life. A lot of the younger moms look up to her in the sewing program and she is always getting onto someone during the sewing class. If someone doesn’t immediately share a song or begin reading the verses I have for the day you better believe she’ll take it upon herself to get the job done. She is part of the women’s choir at church and is one of the two ladies that come pretty consistently to the mission’s church. She is very proper and tries to always present herself in an honorable manor. However, deep down she’s got a silly side that has almost showed itself a few times during class. Especially whenever someone like myself tries to pull it out of her…I promise right before we took this picture we were laughing about our hats! 

 

She has three daughters; Loduna (10), Daline (8), and Lyse (4) and they are some of the sweetest and well-behaved girls I have ever met. She has also been married for the past 4 years and in just the little time I spent with them together I could see how much he adored her and she respected him. Marriage isn’t very common in Haiti, because most people can’t afford it. Out of the 15 moms in the sewing program Madame Anslot is one of the four that are married. Unfortunately he wasn’t there the first time I visited their house. 

 

 

This is one my favorite pictures of Madame Anslot and her youngest, Lyse. This was the day her and her husband presented Lyse to the church. She was so proud of that moment and of course immediately after church was over needed a picture. 

 

 

I’m so thankful for Madame Anslot and her boldness. 

 

Day 7: Meet Rose-Kerline November 19, 2013

Meet Rose-Kerline:

(Photo taken by: Amber Bea)

Rose-Kerline is 22 and has one daughter, Rose-Nedge, who is 4. Two things that I learned quickly about Rose is she adores her daughter and loves fashion. She often shows up to class looking super fresh (or “fre” as they say in creole) in her sunglasses and/or fancy tennis shoes.

 

Rose and Nedge are inseparable. It is so beautiful to see how much Rose loves her daughter. One of my favorite memories of Rose is when one day she showed up late to sewing class, she had been at the market buying stuff for Nedge for school. She runs up to me with a plastic grocery bag that was about to burst open it was so full. I’m pretty sure she spent her entire paycheck from the week before on whatever was in the bag. She starts pulling out all of the stuff to show me what she had bought…even the underwear. She had the biggest smile on her face and was so excited to show me everything. I loved seeing how much joy she found in not only providing for her daughter, but getting to spoil her as well. Money is definitely not everything, but can you imagine not being able to provide for your child for so long that when you finally could you couldn’t help but go a little crazy? One things for sure, Nedge was probably one of the best dressed kids on the first day of school…all the way down to her new fancy underwear. 

Nedge’s dad is not part of their lives therefore they both live with Rose-Kerlines family.

Another one of the things I love about Rose-Kerline is her family. I mean just look at them:

How beautiful is this family?! Rose-Kerline has 3 brothers and 3 sisters. Only two of her siblings live with her in their parents house (mom is pictured in the back center), Josnel (29) and her sister Edna (27; standing). Her other siblings live in Port-au-Prince. Edna has three children, DAlexandra (8; pictured front center w/ red bows), Wesen (6; next to DAlexandra), and Reckelma (3; in front of his momma). Josnel and his wife Mona (29; pictured behind Josnel) have two daughters, Brittany (8, pictured front center w/ pink bows) and Leah (1; in her daddies lap). 

I had actually met Rose-Kerline’s brother, Josnel, and his wife, Mona, before I knew her. However, I didn’t find out until later that they were siblings. Josnel and Mona both worked at the mission for a period of time and I became friends with them in passing as they were leaving with their brand new baby girl, Leah, from the mission’s birthing center. It’s not often that you see men come to see their babies in the birthing center so they caught my eye when they all walked out together. They were so precious with their new baby, they even brought an umbrella to shield her from the sun as they walked her home. After seeing the way they adored that baby it made since that Rose-Kerline would be related to them. 

Haiti is a very family/community oriented culture. If you have a job and your sibling can’t find one, often the sibling with the job will take care of the whole household with their paycheck. Everyone watches out for one another here and I love that about this culture. Many families will live together in one house even once the children are grown, usually each family will have a room in the house that they stay in. I was so excited when I got to Rose-Kerline’s house to see that they all lived together. My friend Amber said it best, “some houses we go to and it’s super awkward, but others you just feel right at home.” SO true about this families house. I didn’t want to leave. I loved it there so much that I was really hoping they would adopt me into their family…at least for while I’m in Haiti. I’ll make sure to crop myself in the family photo later! 🙂

A lot of the moms in the sewing program don’t attend church for multiple reasons. From having to do laundry, to not having nice enough clothes to wear, to just not wanting to make the trip down the mountain, to not having a Bible…whatever the reason the majority of them don’t go. It’s my prayer that as they learn more about the Lord and how he loves them that those excuses will fade. However, every now and then one of them that doesn’t usually come to church will show up. One Sunday that was Rose-Kerline. It was such a blessing getting to worship with her, Nedge, and some of her family. She sat so proudly with her new Bible and Nedge, though she had trouble sitting still (which is explainable considering the service is usually almost 3 hours) looked so beautiful in what was probably her best dress. 

 

I am so thankful for this family.

I am so thankful for Rose-Kerline. 

I am so thankful for the reminder of what it looks to watch out for one another, take care of one another, and just enjoy doing life together with people you love. 

Day 6: Meet Gislene November 17, 2013

Meet Gislene:

 

(Photo taken by: Amber Bea)

Oh sweet Gislene, I just love her. She has the sweetest spirit. She is one of those people who you could never say a bad thing about, she is sweet to her core. For some reason when Haitians take pictures they don’t smile and I think they think it’s absurd when I ask them to. I usually end up acting like a fool to get them to smile for me, but Gislene is usually the easiest to crack. 

See…

 

Gislene is 26 and has a house full of girls, three that belong to her and one that belongs to her sister. Her sister lives farther up the mountain in St. Louis. It is common in Haiti for siblings to take care of each others children, whether its temporary or permanent. I’m not sure the reason in this case, Gislene just claimed her as her own. It was only when I pointed out that her and Vielene (Gislene’s youngest) were very close in age that she told me the little girl belonged to her sister. There names are Fadline (11), Bedeline (9), Vielene (4), and Loudjina (4; sisters child). The father of Gislene’s children does live with them, but they never have been able to afford to get married. 

Gislene’s youngest, Vilene, was in the pre-school last year. She must be turned like her dad, because she was the exact opposite of Gislene. That child is a firecracker. When I was in the states I would get asked how many pre-schoolers I had in class and when I answered 40 people didn’t understand how I could handle that many 3 years olds. I use to just smile and explain that the kids I had in class were completely opposite of pre-schoolers in the states, my kids knew how to sit still…at least thats how it was the first year I taught. After I got a few years under my belt I started thinking that maybe God just gave me “good” children that first year because He wanted me to stay a little longer and the longer I stay here the more the kids seem to become a lot more like American pre-schoolers. Vilene is one that would fit in well with a bunch of active 3 year olds in the states, that girl had ants in her pants or something. All I can say is bless Gislene’s heart, because she has got her hands full with that one. 

The day I visited their house to take this picture, I barely got up the rather steep hill before Vilene had already ran to greet me. While we sat in their two room house I could tell in this family it was often the Vilene show. The other girls sat quietly on the bed next to me as they watched Vilene take the stage. Gislene was so patient with her. She sat back and let Vilene be herself and when she got out of hand she gently scolded her. 

Of the many things I’ve learned from Gislene the biggest lesson she’s taught me has been patience. She is never in a rush. While teaching the moms to sew she was one of the more difficult ones to teach, but she eventually got it and when she did they were sewn beautifully. One Saturday I remember she kept sewing one of her purses inside out. After we corrected it the first time somehow she still managed to sew the fabric the wrong way. I never saw her get frustrated, she just laughed it off with all the moms and took apart the purse to begin resewing it. 

Today I am so thankful for her gentle way, her radiant smile, and her patient heart.

Day 5: Meet Guerda

Meet Guerda:

 

(Photo taken by: Amber Bea)

 

The first time I ever met Guerda was while I was spending time in the baby orphanage during my internship. I spent A LOT of time in that place and Guerda seemed to too. I knew she wasn’t part of the staff so one day I asked who she was. Some of the workers explained to me that she was the mother of not one, but two of the girls in the baby orphanage. She was unable to take care of them on her own and had brought them to the mission for what she hoped would only be temporary. Though she couldn’t provide for them in the way she so desired she was still such an incredible mother, whether she saw it or not. The thing she didn’t understand was all the money in the world would never replace love and time, and that’s exactly what she gave them. Not only did she make frequent visits to see them, but during that time she played with and loved on them. A while ago we closed the baby orphanage on the St. Louis campus and all of the babies, except for 5 that we felt like we could place back in their homes, were moved to our Mole campus. Guerdas two daughters were part of the 5 that got to stay. 

 

 

This is their little family at the house they were staying in when I went to visit. Guerda is 25 and the father of the girls isn’t really part of their life nor does he help take care of them. Guerda is holding Cassandra who is 3 and Katiana is standing next to her and is 5. Guerda still struggles to take care of the girls financially, but is doing a lot better. You can see how much she adores them by the smile on her face. The first time I visited them they were living in the front of this house with another family. I had to hold back the tears when she showed me their room. It was marked off by a sheet and no bigger then a small/medium closet space. There was no bed, no furniture. They all three slept on the dirt floor. As heartbreaking as it was for me to see I could tell Guerda was proud of that space. She had her girls and she was doing all she could to provide for them. So I smiled and told her it was beautiful. 

 

 

Meet Katiana, Guerdas first child. This little girl is too precious to not introduce her as well. When the girls went back with their mother the agreement was that they could be a part of our nutrition program, which would provide two meals a day for them, medical care, and they would get to be in the pre-school. The first time I met Katiana in the baby orphanage she was shy for the first few visits, but quickly became comfortable with people and her little personality would shine through. This little girl has such a sweet personality and is SO very smart! In class she would love singing and dancing and she would fly through all of the centers. However, the day I went to visit them at their new house Katiana did not seem like herself. She was playing/working away “washing dishes” with a small amount of soapy water and using a leaf as the sponge, but she seemed sad and wouldn’t smile for anything. I left that day with a heavy heart.

A week or so after that visit I visited all the moms homes a second time with my friend Amber and Guerda told me she had moved and we would have to take a moto to get there. The second house was by the ocean, which in Haiti means the exact opposite as it does in the states. Usually houses on the beach mean someone has some money, but in Haiti it means that you are extremely poor. Once we got there though it was like Katiana was a completely different child, as she ran up to hug me I could see she was herself again. The atmosphere was so different at this new house, it wasn’t heavy, they were all joyful and I could tell much more comfortable. After talking to Guerda I found out the house they were now staying at was her “mother-in-laws” and that Katiana didn’t like the family they were previously staying with. The girls dad doesn’t live there, he lives in the Dominican, so though Guerda has to travel a long way daily to bring the girls to school and the nutrition program I feel like this place is so much better for them. 

It’s been such a blessing seeing how God reunited this family.

I’m so thankful for Guerda and her sweet girls. She teaches me what it looks like when you fight for the ones you love. 

Day 4: Meet Erlande November 16, 2013

Meet Erlande:

 

(Photo taken by: Amber Bea)

 

Erlande is the strong silent type and she holds herself with such grace and poise. She is always dressed to a T. When she comes to sew on Saturdays she barely makes a peep as she immediately gets to work. She is almost always the first one done and has sewn beautifully since the first day we started the program. She has three boys; Evans (8), Jeffly (6), and Jeffson (3).

 

All three of her boys are turned just like her and are very quiet. Erlande is 24 and you can tell she has had to grow up quickly. She lives in a nice home made from concrete, but the floor is unfinished. You how we have foam pits we jump into? I would describe their floor as a giant concrete pit. She lives with her sister, her sisters kids, and their younger brother. The house belongs to her sister and she just lives with her, which is very common here.

Though I have a hard time getting a lot out of Erlande I’ve learned how beautiful quiet strength can be and I admire the way she makes others feel loved without even saying a word. I don’t know how to describe it. She has a captivating smile and a mothers heart.

Im am so thankful for this beautiful lady.

Relational

These next 15 days I’m going to be sharing with you the stories of the ladies in the sewing program. However, I want to share what led me to wanting to get to know these ladies better.

 

There are many times that I’ve referred to the mission as a concrete jungle. I get so caught up in my daily routine that weeks go by before I realize I haven’t stepped foot outside the mission gates. Though there are so many great things that occur within the gates of the mission and so many people to pour into you don’t see the “realness” of what these people live in/go through until you step outside our gates, and until you see it it’s hard to completely grasp it all. I think I could live in Haiti the rest of my life and still not understand this culture. This place is so beautiful, the people here are so beautiful, but it’s also very dark.

 

I was reading the Explicit Gospel by: Matt Chandler and I started realizing that I wasn’t being intentional with my relationships here, especially with the moms in the sewing program and the three orphanage girls I disciple. In his book he talks about the difference between the dangers of the gospel on the ground too long and the gospel in the air too long. He sums up the dangers of the “gospel on the ground” as beginning to look at the Bible with ourselves at the center. He sums up the dangers of the “gospel in the air” as us becoming caught up in the “social gospel, our culture starts to define the Scriptures instead of the Scriptures defining the culture. If that sounds confusing then I apologize and recommend that you read the book for yourself, it’s really a great book.

 

While reading the chapter on the dangers of the gospel on the ground too long God started speaking to my heart through the words. My relationship with God hasn’t always been something that was personal to me, for a long time I was caught up in religion. So after circumstances led me to fall in love with God and see Him like I never had before everything changed. Since that moment my relationship with Him has become very personal. It’s been just Him and me for so long that I’ve become kind of selfish in a way.

 

These words really convicted me personally:

 

“Once we give into the idea that the gospel is only about a personal relationship with God and not about God’s redemptive plan to renew all things, we give ourselves permission to stop engaging the world around us.”

 

“One of the ways the mission of God to reconcile all things to himself chisels away at us in the work of sanctification is when we engage with the hurt, the pain, and the sorrow of the world around us. When we do that, God shows us our inadequacies, shortcomings, and fears.”

 

“If we stay too long with the gospel on the ground, discipleship can become about a mere transfer of information that doesn’t produce maturity of foster internal growth in the fruit of the Spirit. “

 

It’s a balance and I’ve found that is a hard thing to learn. For me it’s learning the balance between personal time with the Lord and pouring into others. And it’s not just pouring information into others, but time and love. It’s about being genuine. The funny thing is those things should go hand in hand, He fills us up to be poured out. For me sometimes I get so caught up in the routine of things and forget to actually invest in these people like Christ would…not just give them information but give them Him.

 

All that to say God convicted me about actually getting to know my moms in the sewing program and not only spending time with them on Saturdays for a couple hours while they were sewing. Seeing where they lived. Seeing the struggles they have to endure daily. Meeting their families. Wow were my eyes opened. Most of these ladies walk miles upon miles on muddy paths daily. For the past three to four weeks I’ve traveled to each of the 15 moms houses. The first few weeks I got to take them new Bibles that I was able to purchase with my support money. They were so thankful to have their own Bible. Oh how blessed we are. One of the ladies even said, “I can go to church now, because I have a Bible.”

 

Goodness, these past four weeks have been so incredibly humbling for me. I am beyond thankful for these ladies and their friendships; I have learned so much from them.  As I share their pictures and stories with you I hope your hearts are drawn to them as well, because they are some really special ladies! 

Day 3: Meet Natasha November 15, 2013

Meet Natasha (pictured left):

 

The first time I met Natasha she was getting scolded for her attitude. That’s probably not the best way to start a blog, but it’s the truth. 

Natasha is part of the orphanage at the mission and she is one of our oldest. When the kids first moved back to the St. Louis campus from the far west all I remember about Natasha was that she thought she was too good to obey authority. I was actually slightly afraid of her, teenage girls with attitudes can be intimidating. 

During the fall last year, myself and several of the other missionaries decided that God was calling us to start discipling the older girls in the orphanage. After writing all the names down there were the girls that we all just adored and then there were the ones that were on the difficult side (Natasha being one of them). I’m often drawn to the underdogs or maybe in this case you would say I’m drawn to a challenge, either way I decided to go for it and disciple Natasha. It has ended up being one of the biggest blessings, though some days she’s a hard one to crack most days I love the time I get to spend with her. 

Natasha is 17 years old and in the 12th grade. She came to the orphanage when she was just 3 years old and is 1 of 13, 8 sisters and 4 brothers. Her dad cannot walk and lives a good distance from the mission, but she seems to have a good relationship with him. 

Throughout the past year of getting to know her better I have seen her grow into such a mature and beautiful women, inside and out. One of my favorite things about her personality is one minute she will be dead serious and then the next she’ll be completely silly. She even plays along with my “lets take a silly picture” requests, which definitely makes her a winner in my book.

 

Fun times at the One Stop (Natasha is on the right)

 

Enjoying (I think) some ice cream during discipleship 

One of the things I love most about this girl is that she is very inquisitive. At the beginning of discipleship I always tell the girls that anytime they have a question about what we’re studying or just about the Bible in general that they can ask and if I don’t know the answer then I will try and figure it out. With most of the girls its like pulling teeth to even get them to open up during discipleship so for the most part they don’t really ask questions, but Natasha took my words to heart. That girl shows up with like three questions every week when we meet. She really knows the Word too and is always the first one to pipe up when I ask questions about what we’ve been reading that week. She continually blows me away. 

Recently she has started helping out in The Miriam Center, our special needs home at the mission. On the week nights her and three of the other older orphanage girls help feed, bathe, and get the kids ready for bed. She really seems to be enjoying it and I can tell she really takes time to love on the kids, its more then just a job to her. 

One of my favorite memories with Natasha was recently. I get to continue discipleship with her this year and she continues to blow me away. Now, instead of coming to discipleship with questions she brings verses that she’s read and explains to me what they mean to her. She shared with me the verses in James 2:1-5 and explained how we are not to judge others and we are to treat everyone the same. She brought up an example of the church here is Haiti. She reminded me how people think you can only come to church if you have nice clothes and how we should set an example and go and sit with that person who isn’t dressed in beautiful clothes instead of talking about them. Wow. I’m just so proud of her and am so excited to see how she grows and how God continues to use her. 

This amazing young woman is still in need of 7 sponsors at $30 per month. If you would like to join me in sponsoring Natasha you can click on this link: http://nwhcm.org/sponsorship/our-orphanage/natasha-gentilhomme.