Look at My Boy!!!- Spelling his name!!!

What I am Thankful For!

Hearing with the Heart

So, in my organizational frenzy before I leave I have a growing pile of things that needed to be walked over to the Deaf School that recently became in partnership with the Miriam Center. So, I thought a quick trip across the street would not disturb my organizational groove. I figured I would just sneak in, place things in the corner and be on my way.

Who ever thought it was easy task to sneak into a class room of deaf children and adults was wrong, I forgot that these amazing children hear with their hearts. I got ambushed with touch and squeals, I had to give hugs and received far more then I could offer. I got to sit as they so proudly showed off the amazing changes that were happening in their classroom and lives. They showed me there new individual desk, brightly colored walls, murals, and their ability to communicate. As I was turning the corner to leave I was dragged back in by a little girl and the teacher went over to my children and ask them what their name were and each one of my children could hand spell their names! As I left, it hit me that I might still have a mountain of stuff to do before I leave Sunday but now I am just reminded of why I do the dance I do.

Little Thomas

Yesterday early morning Thomas our little guy that have been in lots of prayer the last couple months passed away from the pain of this world into the arms of our Maker. He got spend about 7 months on this earth and a good portion of that time in the arms of the Miriam Center in Rou's Corner. He got to for the last 3 months spend them in love, when his eyesight started to slip and things became black he got to see another world of touch. When his body started to shut down he got to spend that time in the arms of patience while the one's around him fed him by eye droppers, soothed his cries of pain and sang songs of peace. For the last 3 months I don't think there was much time that was not spent over his small body in touch in some way. Yesterday there were many tears shed for little boy here in Haiti and in the states. There was a beautiful small funeral for him yesterday, where the Mission staff and workers got to say good bye. He will missed always but is now able to actually see the face of Jesus in detail, feel with out pain and rock out in that Hammock with my name on it with my other children that went before him. Thank you for all that loved on this child through touch and prayer. Thank you for dancing with me this Haiti Dance.

From the Inside Out

A thousand times I've failed

Still your mercy remains

And should I stumble again

Still I'm caught in your grace

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades

Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame

my heart and my soul, Lord I give you control

Consume me from the inside out Lord

Let justice and praise become my embrace

To love You from the inside out

Your will above all else, my purpose remains

The art of losing myself in bringing you praise

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades

Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame

In my heart, in my soul, Lord I give you control

Consume me from the inside out Lord

Let justice and praise become my embrace

To love You from the inside out

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades

Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame

And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise

From the inside out Lord, my soul cries out

- Hullsong United-

The Walls Came Tumbling Down

Time spent here in Haiti looks different for each person, as soon as their toes hit the gravel. As for me, the Miriam Center Director, my days usually consist of paperwork, organizations, dreams and, of course, smiles from the little ones who experience a world of opportunities outside of their disabilities on a daily basis. Now that list pretty much kidnaps my time for the most part; however, for the last couple days a new player has come to town, and it has taken priority: it is simply me staring at walls and dreaming. No, they are not metaphorical walls but are actually 8-inch thick concrete walls.

I have been dreaming big about the new space the birthing center move gave to the Miriam Center and all the walls that can come tumbling down to make space for playrooms, a dining room, bedrooms and the joy that will fill it. So, as I stared for the last couple days, I calculated that it would be months ahead before I would actually smell the concrete dust and feel the vibration of the sledge hammer. As I stared, I dreamed big and waited.

This morning came, and with it I really thought the excitement in my life would be limited to the fact that I got to add an armadillo to the puppets coming in next months. I was very wrong, and I realized it when I felt the first vibration come from downstairs and saw the cloud of dust that followed. Who knew that rain days before would limit a trip for the team here and open the door to the ability to pick up a sledge hammer and just go to town on my walls? As the walls came tumbling down over the hours, a new hope grew, not just in my heart, but in the team, the workers and in the kids. In my kids, there grew an acknowledgment, as they watched sweat pour down the faces, the dust fly and doors appear that they were loved, loved in such a way that in a culture that hid these kids behind walls we worked on bringing those walls down, in gigantic concrete pieces.

During this time, I was in and out in giddy joy as they moved from room to room creating hallways, doorways and dust. I stepped over enthralled children playing with assortment of educational toys, and there sat Den Den in utter stillness, and it made me wonder. I wondered why this beautiful little boy with Spastic Cerebral Palsy was holding a small toy hammer, staring at the team members going after the walls. At first, I thought he had misplaced the rest of the toy that went to the hammer, but as I gathered the pieces for him to play with, I realized there was a greater meaning to this stillness: he was helping. In his mind, even as his crippled hands could barely grasped the hammer and his twisted frame was never in control, he too was knocking down those walls. The look on his face was the look of one freed from a disability, one that found JOY through others, and just for one moment he, too, was free from those walls in his life. So, today as those walls came tumbling down, what was built in their place was hope, joy and self confidence, especially for a little boy holding a hammer.

BIGGEST SPOON!

The secret to stress my friend is the biggest spoon and how you use it. What you need to do is find the biggest spoon in the kitchen, a snack pudding and then the ability to just go town with it. I had my moment today where stress just seemed there, it was there when I woke with a headache, there over a spilled litter box, paper work, and deadlines all before 10 in the morning. So, me and my cloud of stress that was just there made our way to the big box of food hoping that would help with the eternal growling at the world and rummage through till we found the last pudding and then off to find a committed spoon. Stress was there when the only spoon available was the biggest serving spoon in the world and then my brain went “why not.” So, by the time I was done carefully getting ALL the pudding onto the big spoon then eating it in ONE bite, stress was gone because I was laughing so hard with the fact that getting the big spoon into the pudding was hard but getting it ALL into your mouth on the big spoon took everything to the next level of challenges When you drool that much and am covered in pudding you get no right to cling to stress. So, I challenge you the next time life get too much with stress beat it away with the biggest spoon you can find.

For Such a Time as This

In such a time as this in Haiti it is more common then not that waking up with a hungry belly means learning to sleep with it, the best answer to the question “when is the last time your child was fed?” is “when I can,” and little boxes holding little bodies are being wept over at an unnerving rate. At such a time as this is when we need to remember truly that we have a BIG God. A BIG God that does not distant Himself from the pain of His people but allows His comfort through able bodies to be broken and poured out over the endless tears. A BIG God that allows for the able bodies to cry out in frustration but gather enough strength to rise up through the pain of starvation, neglect and unnecessary death and continue to have stubborn compassion. A BIG God that allows able bodies to love whether it is taking one more child off the street into their own growing family, holding one more mom through the pain of a still or premature birth, fighting to get medicine into the hands of those in need, holding cripple bodies or opening up a safe place for 62 more orphans. For such a time as this God allows for the able bodies to dream big about getting pregnant moms to have enough food to allow them to deliver full term, consistent meals for the little ones crippled, blind and deaf in the community, proceeding to the borders of the Northwest zone of Haiti with food and the ability to get 12 containers of food donated that will take away all worry of trying to provide for the needs we have and the ones we dream up. For such a time as this God has placed His will into the hearts of this Mission to provide comfort, stubborn compassion, love, and the ability to dream big in order to reach out and hold tight to the people of Haiti and provide the understanding to all that we serve a BIG God.