Reflections of Haiti Part IV

Day 4 in Haiti was Sunday, which meant one thing... church!  My experience at church was astounding!  While I didn't understand a single word said the entire 2+ hours we were there, it was a very moving service. The songs and preaching were absolutely beautiful.  The emotion and effort put into church was something I have rarely experienced here at home.  Church began at 7 in the morning and like I said, was a little over 2 hours long.  The people who were in attendance appeared to be dressed in their best clothes and all came on foot!  When was the last time you put on your best outfit and walked to church down a "street" covered with filth and mud puddles?  During one of the songs, the Haitian people lifted their arms and swayed them back and forth.  This represents their freedom from the bondage of Voodooism.  While Christianity can be found in Haiti, Voodooism is the dominating religion.  What a great thing that these people have been saved from Voodooism and will be in Heaven with me!

Sunday afternoon we began making cookies for our luau party that night with the girls.  What a challenge!  Much like the brownies, making cookies was not an easy thing to do.  I had to laugh when the back of the package said to soften the butter in the microwave...obviously that cookie company has never made cookies in Haiti! 

We actually ended up making chocolate chip brownie bar type things because the cookies were just too runny.  We had to use the eggs and some other things in the Pastor's house but we didn't have a key for it so...Walt just broke into the Pastor's house.  What's a mission trip without a little breaking and entering?

That night we headed to the girls' house and had the luau party.  The girls seemed to have warmed up to us a bit and seemed to have fun.  For their dinner, they were treated to fruit cocktail (a rarity) and teriyaki chicken sandwiches. 

What a HUGE blessing this night was to the girls and us!  I think this successful event was able to give us all much needed energy and encouragement. 

Reflections of Haiti Part III

Day 3 in Haiti brought about some realization of needing to focus more on God.  We had power from 6 pm- 6 am thanks to a generator everyday.  I woke up this morning wanting to send out a quick e-mail to a family member.  Not paying attention to the time, the generator cut off before I was able to complete the e-mail and send it.  At first I was disappointed but then I quickly reminded myself that my family knew I was okay and what I had typed was insignificant compared to the fact that I was letting God's beauty of the Hatian people go on around me unnoticed. 

The biggest thing we did was clean Pastor Andy's house this day.  Cleaning a house in Haiti is not an easy process.  In order to clean the floor, we had the opportunity to use a handmade broom.  No vacuum was available, but we didn't seem to notice.  In order to mop and clean the bathroom, we had to go out and get buckets of water from the faucet located outside.  We were thankful for the breeze coming through the limited number of windows because that was our only ventilation since A/C is nonexistent in Haitian homes. 

The big thing I take away from this day is the fact that the children here have very little but make the best with what they do have.  Some of the boys have mastered the art of making kites out of trash.  I was amazed at how they could look all over the compound for materials and after a short period of time craft something that actually worked.  I took this situation and thought about how spoiled my own children are.  I am sure Landon would not be able to make a toy to play with if I gave him a pile of what looks like trash.  I am challenging myself as a parent to downsize the amount of "stuff" my children have and make them more appreciative of what they do have. 

Reflections of Haiti Part II

Our 2nd day in Haiti was an awesome experience!  One of the big things we did this day was have a slumber party for the girls at the girls' home.  We had the experience of making brownies for all of the girls. 

That wasn't an easy feat considering the stove was gas and we weren't sure how it would cook.  We also had to go get the water to wash dishes with and make the brownies.  We are so fortunate in America to have running water that is safe for us to consume!  The slumber party went great.  We were able to paint fingernails and toenails. 

The girls also made tons of bracelets and necklaces with the beads we were able to bring. 

Even though it was incredibly hot inside the girl's house, it was a great way to interact and spend time with these girls.  Before bed, the younger girls sang and said prayers.  Even though I wasn't able to understand any of it, it was absolutely beautiful.  What an amazing reminder that people from all over the world with be in Heaven and it will be a great mix of the nations! 

Since Haiti is considered a tropical place, the water was beautiful...as long as you didn't look down.  Some of us had the opportunity to go swimming in the afternoon. 

The water in some spots was almost too hot to stand in.  This was a great opportunity to bond with some of the boys.

This day was also the day when we experienced several rain/thunderstorms.  After one rain storm, we were able to see an amazing double rainbow.  What a great reminder of God's promise! 

The sunset is absolutely amazing as well!  What a picture to capture God's work!

Reflections of Haiti Part I

Wow!  First, let me saw how amazing my trip to Haiti was.  I am so pumped by the way I have seen how God works.  While I have a lot of questions about things, I have a better sense of how mighty God truly is.  I hope to be able to reflect on here over the next couple of days about my experience in Haiti.  I went on this trip with little to no expectations other than just to help however I could.

My first reaction to Haiti was surprise at the level of poverty.  While I had read news articles and seen pictures about it, it didn't seem all that real until I had seen it first hand.  When we got to Port de Paix, I was immediately greeted by people who are working just to survive.  With no infrastructure, running water and electricity is scarce.  At night, we could look across our part of the city and few lights were seen.  Once the sun goes down, Port de Paix becomes an even darker place.

 
The biggest thing I took away from the first day in Haiti was the story about Steven.  When I first met Steven, I found him to be a precious little boy who was seeking love.  I quickly learned about his fight early on in his first few years of his short little life.  Steven has Autism...which really pulled on my heart strings.  His parents did not know about Autism or what was wrong with their child but did believe there was something wrong.  Voodoo is very strong in the country of Haiti so Steven's parents immediately thought that was the cause for Steven's oddities.  They proceeded to set his arm of fire in hopes to burn the problems away.  By the grace of God, he was taken in by the Lashbrooks and is living a much happier life than ever before.

Mini Meatball Sandwiches

I got this recipe originally from the Pioneer Woman.  I changed it a bit by using frozen meatballs and cooking them in the crock pot.  When you have two little boys running around, you are always looking to cut corners!  Head on over to the above link for the recipe!

Choices

As I was leaving Wal-Mart today with the boys, I had a local radio station on and the DJ was thanking the listeners for making the choice to listen to them this morning.  He said "When you woke up this morning, you had many choices and I am glad you chose to spend some time with us."  While this was such a simple statement, it got me thinking.

We have so many choices in life.  Through the Bible study I have been doing for the past couple of weeks, we have been looking at the choices women have made in the Bible.  It makes me think about a very important choice that changed the way God intended the world to be.  When God created Adam and Eve, the one thing asked of them was to not eat the fruit...well we all know the story...Eve ate the fruit and had Adam do the same.  Such a simple choice that had so many consequences so many years later. 

Every time we make a choice in life, there is a consequence.  This is something I am trying to instill in Landon right now.  Even as adults, we are faced with different choices everyday.  While some are easy like choosing what to eat for breakfast, some are more complicated that will have huge consequences to those around us. 
So, I ask you, what choices have you made today and what consequences (good or bad) have you seen come of them?  Are these choices that have made you proud, or even more, choices that would make God smile? 

Crock Pot Barbecue

Yumm-o!  I didn't get a picture taken of this, but it was good and oh so easy!

-4 lbs. boneless beef chuck roast
-1 med. onion, chopped
-1 1/2 c. hickory smoke flavored BBQ sauce
-1 c. catsup
-1/2 c. brown sugar
-1 tbsp. mustard
-Chili pepper to taste

 

Cut roast in half; place in 3 quart crock pot. In medium size bowl stir together remaining ingredients; pour over beef in crock pot. Cook on low setting for 10 to 12 hours, stirring occasionally. With fork separate large pieces of beef, beef should be tender enough to separate into small pieces. Skim fat before serving. Spoon onto hamburger buns. Serves 12.

While in Haiti

Several people have asked me what our team will be doing while in Haiti and I have been telling them I wasn't really sure.  We had a meeting Sunday and I am so excited about some of the things I found out we will be doing while there!  The first day there we will be having a Luau with the kids.  This will be a HUGE treat for them.  We plan to bring a little bit of the fun to them with grass skirts, leis and just decorations in general.  Another treat to them will be teriyaki chicken for dinner!  The children are used to eating mainly rice for their meals and very little meat if any.

The second day we are there, we will be hosting a slumber party for the girls who live in the girl's home.  There are 5 women going, so this is going to be a blast.  We are in the process of finding enough nightgowns for all of the girls.  I have gotten enough fingernail polish together and we are also bringing snacks and High School Musical to watch.  I know this is going to be so much fun for these girls and I get an opportunity to see what it would be like with a little girl in the house! 

Another day we have the opportunity to go to Tortuga.  If you are not familiar with Tortuga, it is an island north of Haiti.  We will actually be able to see the island from where we will be staying.  This island became famous by the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.  While it is a small island, there are still people living there who do not know God.  While there for the day, we will be doing crafts with some of the children that live there and really just praying over the island.

The rest of the time will be spent mainly helping out where needed.  There are several construction type things that need work and lots of children that need love.  The workers are tired and need a much deserved break.  We hope to come in and ease some of their workload for the week and show them love and appreciation as well. 

I continue to ask for prayers for our team and the people of Haiti.  We will be leaving the afternoon of the 21st and will be landing in Haiti 8:00 am on the 22nd.  I am currently praying that we will be a blessing to these people we are going to minister to and for the safety of our entire team. 

Blackberry Cobbler

-2 1/2 cups blackberries
-1 cup sugar
-1 cup all-purpose flour
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 cup milk
-1/2 cup butter, melted

1.) In a medium bowl, mix the blackberries and sugar.  Let this sit for about 20 minutes or until a syrup forms.  Heat oven to 375.

2.) In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and milk.  Stir in the melted butter until blended.  Spread in ungreased 8-inch square dish.  Spoon blackberry mixture over batter.

3.) Bake 45-55 minutes or until dough rises and is golden. 

Conversations with a 4 Year Old!

Landon humors me every day with some of the things that he says.  For example:

L: Mommy, can we grow some tomahhhhhtoes?

Me: You mean tomatoes (with a long a)?

L: No, I mean tomahhhhhtoes!

Me: They are the same thing sweetie.

L: No they aren't! 

UGH!