Almost three weeks in..

 The view from our balcony last night.

I've been asked a lot recently how I'm really doing.  Since I'm about to hit the three week mark, I thought I'd try to answer that question for you.

How am I really doing..? 

Well, I'd say that varies on a day to day basis.  Some days I really enjoy living here.  Some days every thing goes right, ministry is good, and I feel like I'm getting things accomplished.  There are also days where I'm ready to pack up and leave.  Days where anything that can go wrong seems to go wrong, and I just can't find my way out from under the pile.  Those days are hard and filled with emotions.   And then there are days in between, where I don't necessarily love it here, but I'm not eager to go home either.   I'd say most of my days are spent somewhere in the middle.  It's been a balancing act of emotions. 

I'm also finding that I can't trust my emotions as easily as I do while at home.  There are times where even the silliest of things can bring me to tears; like rain.  I've never been much of a crier but I'm pretty sure I've cried more here over the last three weeks than I have in years.  They haven't all been sad tears; some are from overwhelming joy, like getting a call from a friend or an encouraging email. Nonetheless, I have cried more than I expected, and usually about things I never expected to cry over :).

I'm coming to accept that some things are just part of life here in Haiti, and there is very little you can do about it.  Some of these things include:  mosquitoes, itchy legs/feet/arms because of mosquito bites, limited power, water issues, and more.  I am learning to live with these new realities.  I have found myself much more aware and grateful for life's blessings here.  We take so much for granted at home.  I don't want to ever lose this mindset of gratitude.

There are a couple of things that would make life a little easier, such as a car, inverter, and a washing machine. Top of my list right now is getting an inverter.  We haven't had city power for two days and without a backup power source, it is very hard to keep groceries fresh.  Warm refrigerators just don't quite do the job effectively :).  No power also equals no water.  We have to pump our water from the cistern to a tank on the roof, but unfortunately the pump requires power.  Thus no power = no water.  I don't say this to complain, just to explain how important power is here.  Please join me in praying for the funding of an inverter, and that we could get one installed soon.

Some other specific ways you can pray for me:

Pray for good health.  I have been fighting a cold the last couple of days, and while I think it's finally turning a corner, prayers are much appreciated!  My energy has been very low the last couple of days so I really appreciate your prayers!

Pray for my emotional well-being.  As I mentioned, my emotions can be so hard to trust here.  A couple of things have made that even harder.  Please pray for my strength, patience, and ability to love as Christ loves.  Please also pray for my ability to work with those God has placed in my life.  One of the hardest parts of being on the mission field is learning to work with those you wouldn't normally choose to work with.  I'm learning continually that patience with others and their work methods is a must for a successful ministry.  This can be easier said than done sometimes.

Pray for God's financial provision. God has truly blessed my ministry financially over the last few months.  Right now I've got enough funding to cover the next 6 months.  That said, there are some unforeseen expenses that have arisen, like the inverter.   Please pray that God would continue to provide the finances needed to cover my time here in Haiti.  If you would like to donate to my ministry, simply click the "how to give" button above.  Thank you so much to everyone who has already donated to support my time here.  Your generosity has been such a blessing and encouragement to me!

Pray for wisdom and discernment. My days and weeks have been filled with searching for wisdom and the discernment needed to help this ministry.  Please pray that God would continue to show me what it is he'd have me do here and how to carry out that calling.

Pray for my new relationships here. Over the last three weeks, I have met a lot of people and made some good friends.  As I mentioned though, it can be hard at times working with so many new people.  Please pray for my patience in those instances.  Please also pray for Emily, Julienne, and me as we will all be living under the same roof in a few days.  Pray that we would get along, that we would be gracious to forgive each others faults, and that we would find a balance of life and friendship in the house.

Thank you again for all of your prayers.  I really do feel the power of them every single day. Also, thank you to everyone who has sent encouraging notes, emails, and calls.  Those connections with home bring such joy to me!