Hi everyone! Emily here. Fourth year in and I finally decided to give blogging a try! Today was a hard day, to say the least. Yesterday, I was sick and slept literally the entire day so I came into today a little weak and not really sure what to expect. But everyone was so incredibly helpful and sweet!
My small group (Scott, Josh, Cody, Kelly, Ashley, Claire, and Sara) had our construction day today! We spent the whole morning putting together a Gaga-ball pit (I don’t even know what the heck Gaga-ball is, but I hear it’s fun), only to find out in the last hour we had done it completely wrong and had to dismantle the whole thing. It was frustrating to say the least! But,special shout-out to Josh and Cody who worked super hard. During this time Scott worked in the clinic and Ashley and Sara helped put up decals in Asher and Levi’s bedroom, but we don’t resent them for being in the A/C ;).
After a delicious lunch, which featured some whole fish heads in the stew, we hiked over to Calvert for VBS and Teen Conference! Anna got to take a moto because of her ankle, which she said was super fun! Today, VBS was all about animals! The kids loved hearing Jacob and Scott make monkey and goat noises as we told the story of Noah’s Ark! We then went outside and hokey-poked real hard before doing a quick craft with some pipe cleaners and sending the kids home. It is always so wonderful to see the joy the Haitian kids get out of a simple game or craft. I am in awe of my teammates that have a special touch with children! It is such a joy to see them love these little babes so well.
From what I heard the Teen Conference had more Haitians than yesterday, which is beyond awesome! Kelly, Cody, and myself spoke today about Jesus being “the solution” and I think we did pretty dang great! We really focused on the metaphor of Jesus being the Lamb of God and how he was the perfect sacrifice. I hear these words all the time, but I know they carry a different weight in Haiti, where sacrifice is a real and present thing.
After the talk we tried to split into small groups and this is where it got a little hairy. The guys and gals wanted to stay together and it quickly became clear there were too many cooks in the kitchen on both ends. Furthermore, all of the questions felt almost confrontational. It was a lot of “is this a sin, is that a sin”. This happens in America too, when presented with the Gospel people want to accept it, but also want it to conform to the lives they already live.
Unfortunately, there is no clear handbook how to please God. We cannot give the Haitians a checklist of things to do and guarantee that they will enter into Heaven. But, even through the heat and frustrations, GOD IS GOOD! All we can do is continue to seek Him and have faith that He will be seen and heard through our actions and words. As I type these words and listen to Carson and Molly lead worship, I am just so reminded of the goodness of the Lord.
“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.”
We are such broken vessels and still the Lord chooses to use us to spread His glory. That is the most beautiful thing I can think of! Praise Him!
Please continue to pray for:
– Health for the team.
– Wisdom to be spoken.
– Grace to be given freely, both between the Haitians and the team.
– Vulnerability.
– The Lord to shine from our very faces!
We love y’all. We can’t wait to get home and tell y’all all the things the Lord has been showing us! We can’t get enough of your comments, please leave more :)! Susan loves reading all the “y’all’s”!!
I love and miss everyone,
Emily
P.S. Patrick the Rat has been spotted multiple times and even ate some Reese’s Pieces. SOS.
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Hey guys! It’s Carson and Emma and we just want y’all to know that…..”WE’RE IN HAITI!!!!!” Oh and I, Carson, ate a mango off the floor yesterday! It still tasted good.
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Brad and Randy’s Daily Adventure (Really we are Two Real Men On An Mission Without Chaco’s™)
Imagine this. A ring of roosters (Rooster cukaroo) are angry because they are not wearing Chaco’s™. You know who else isn’t wearing Chaco’s™ on this trip? The ocean? A palm tree? A hermit crab on the beach we found? Brad and Randy? As Christians our mission is to spread the gospel to all nations wearing awesome footwear. However, some people think it’s all about the Chaco’s™. We call these people Chacians (Cha-Ki-ens) or Christians that wear Chaco’s™.
As Randy and Brad are on mission, interacting with Haitians with our teammates, we feel inferior because of our lack of stylish footwear. Can we really spread the same truths without an $80 pair of sandals? Jesus wore sandals. Were they Chaco’s™? Quite possibly. Bible scholars and historians have debated this issue along with pre-destination for thousands of years. We may never know. But it is safe to assume, that we should have Chaco’s™.
As we prepare for our 4am alarm clock from the Roosters, we are assured that they don’t have Chaco’s™ or common sense, and God is awesome, because we can relate to that- we don’t have Chaco’s™ or common sense either.
When life gives you Chickens and Chaco’s™, one is dinner and the other is footwear. You decide which.
Sincerely,
R&B
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Please feel free to leave comments. Comments will be read each night at dinner.
