Hello world, we have successfully made it into the Mole! I cannot believe that Tuesday is already to a close, the first day of the women’s conference was a huge success! Telly and Sharon did an excellent job with talking about God being a Way Maker and a promise keeper. We need to trust God in his infinite wisdom, that he uses every broken and messed up thing here on earth that we might grow in our faith and trust that He keeps every promise He asks.
God never breaks his promises, he has woven them through scripture and our lives. Promises are sacred and when someone makes one there is always that feeling that it might be broken or used against you. But with God I know he will never break his promises with me, I will always have God on my side.
At the conference we played a cup game with the women and they truly loved it! They were cracking up and cheering on their teammates, we could have played that game for hours and the reaction would have been the same every time!
We started painting the orphanage today, it’s a nice light green and makes the campus pop. As we Spartan’s say, go green right?! The team started preparing tonight for the New Year’s Eve celebration, I am honestly so excited to dance in the New Year in one of my favorite places, I have already been practicing my dance moves with the kids. We have so many hats, noise makers and glow sticks, it truly is going to be an amazing night!
We are finishing out the day with a movie night with the orphans, watching Let it Shine, eating popcorn and enjoying left over pretzels from the conference this morning.
The campus is adorable all lit up with Christmas decorations, even without snow it’s still just as magical. Makes me smile every time I walk around campus, even if it isn’t dark out, it still keeps me in the spirit of the season. It’s chilly here, I am wearing a crewneck walking around campus and it’s different, I am so used to sweating and being warm constantly when I am down here. I guess I shouldn’t complain though, anything is better than 15 degrees in Michigan right? We had our favorite meal today for lunch, Haitian spaghetti! Yes, I might have jumped for joy and had seconds, it’s just that good!
I pray that everyone ends the year on a good note and is preparing for the year that God has ahead for them. 2020 was a year that tested so many, but my favorite number is 21 and I already know that this year is going to be a true blessing to all. Only positive vibes heading into 2021, can’t let this year hold us back from what lies ahead, lets smash out 2020 and look forward to a year filled with love, adventure, growth and so much joy!
Cheers to a new year, cheers to a fresh start, and cheers to what God has planned for you! Love to all my family and friends, you all mean the world to me and I can’t wait to talk to you all very soon! Until then, stay safe, enjoy each day and be thankful for the life you live. I can’t wait to share all my experiences with you all, I am writing each night trying to recap the day and I am enjoying the moment and loving life!
Peace, love and joy, Carlee Jo J
**
Please feel free to leave comments. Comments will be read each night at dinner. The internet is SUPER slow! It may take some time each day in order to get their blogs posted. Thanks for your patience.
Hey pretty ladies! I miss you all so much and I wish I could be there with you!
Please enjoy the “chilly” weather there haha. You aren’t missing out on much here, we got about 4 inches of snow last night and now it has rained all day, yuck! Im so proud of each of you.
Love you Mama, Lily and Carlee ❤️
Can’t wait to see you when you get back!
Carlee hope you and all your friends are having a great time. Let your light shine! Keep spreading Gods word and enjoy the rest of your time there.
Love you,
Mona
Well done, Carlee!
Good to “see” you Telly and Lily! The boys and I have been praying for the conference and that God will open and soften hearts to hear His calling through your words and actions.
All good on the home front: boys are still alive. The plants that were alive are still just as alive as they were when you left. I “fed” your sourdough and started a new one. We’ve walked two plus miles everyday. Laundry up to date – even put away! All bed sheets washed. Dusting and vacuuming done.
Howie wonders where the ladies of the house are. He’s so confused!
Lily – you’ve had a package arrive every day this week. (Insert eye roll here). I’m keeping your car warm and starting it every day. She’ll be ready for you when you get home.
We got rid of all our Christmas Eve snow and then last night we got a fresh coating of 2-3 inches of ice and snow. We went up north and saw grandparents yesterday and played in their snow. Their snow is better. The boys shoveled the driveway this morning. Oh wait. Nope. That was JUST ME.
We love you and miss you! We can’t wait to see more pictures of you serving. Proud of you for being His hands and feet! Keep up the great work!
The boys say to say hi and that they love you and miss you. I think the junk food I bought keeps them from missing you more than they do. 🙂
All my love – Craig
Howdy folks! Glad to see you’ve arrived safely and are settled in. I’m so glad that you are instantly working to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Mission trips are so beneficial for those that we help and ourselves personally. What a humbling experience to be able to share the word of God with others and share how God is faithful to us. I’m thankful that all of you took the call to serve and are taking it seriously. You are being a bigger blessing to those that you serve than you could even imagine. I will continue to pray for God’s safety and provision and that He would be on the move and transform lives. Miss the Ryan ladies like crazy. Take care!
-Noah Rohrer
I’m so thankful that your team arrived safely to the mission. I’m also thankful that each and every one of you have the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Thank you for being servants to all that you encounter. I know for me some of my biggest life lessons have come from serving on mission trips. You will have an impact on those you interact with greater than you folks could imagine. I pray that God will continue to give you the words to say and a spirit of immense enthusiasm. I will continue to pray that God bless you and that the Spirit he instills in us will be active and on the move. I enjoyed getting to meet you fine folks. I hope you and the Ryan ladies are all doing great!
God Bless
-Noah Rohrer
So thankful to see y’all made it safely! I’m thankful that you all have the opportunity to be servants to others. So many great life experiences come from serving on mission trips. I pray that you will continue to have a safe trip and that God will use you as his hands and feet. I also pray that you all will have a lasting impact on those you are reaching. I can guarantee that you will impact those you are serving in more ways than you realize. I’m thankful that I got to meet you fine folks. To the Ryan ladies, miss y’all like crazy and hope you’re having an amazing experience!
God bless!
-Noah
Mom and Dad (aka: Tom and Sharon)
The kids have loved seeing the pictures so far! Hope you’re enjoying the trip and you have a great NYE party! The kids requested a charcuterie board for dinner (their new favorite). So we snacked and watched a movie! TK has a message for you below…
“Hope you have a great day in Haiti! Can you give Christina a hug and send me a picture? Love you! Bye!” -TK
Campus looks amazing! Thank you for spreading Gods word and love! Here’s to blessings in 2021 ❤️❤️