Oh...just livin' the life!

Ok, prepare yourself for this post...it's about to be all over the place and possibily quite long as I try to recap the past week.

Where to begin...

Well I guess the best place would be to start on the 19th.  That was a wonderful yet crazily busy day around here.  Jeremiah came over to install the inverter, I picked up Emily and her dad from the airport, and attempted to make a late night run to the grocery store.  So basically what that means is:

1. We have an inverter now!! Aka power 24/7 (or at least close to that)!!
2. I have an American roommate now, who is fabulous!
3. I learned late night runs make me anxious.

Let me first say how nice it is to have power!  Oh I can't even put it into words.  I didn't know what to do with myself the first night.  I was able to cook, clean, and shower all WITH light!! Amazing I tell ya, A-MA-ZING!  Not only that, but my groceries now stay fresh, we can pump water even if we lose city power, and it's pretty awesome getting to sleep with a fan at night.  Simply wonderful.

Our inverter!! Thank you SOOO much Jeremiah for installing it!!

Second, I love, love, LOVE having Emily here!  Things were definitely getting lonely around the house and I was beginning to feel pretty lost on this journey.  It is so nice having another American my age here to laugh, joke, and talk with each day.  She also has incredible ministry ideas and dreams which gave me a new passion for this ministry.  Plus, we are learning that our strengths and weaknesses really balance each other out, so it's gonna be amazing working and living with her this next year.  Thank you Lord for providing a friend and ministry partner for this journey!

Emily and Me with Frosty at the Christmas Bazaar last week.

Third, I'm learning more and more that some things make me down right anxious here (and in the States as well if I'm being honest).  This seems to develop more as I get older, but I've learned a lot about myself over the past few weeks.  I learned that I don't like crowds, tight spaces, or sitting in a car on a street surrounded by 100s of people and cars waiting in line to go nowhere.  Pretty silly I know, but on more than one occasion I have had to give myself a pep talk to get through an uncomfortable situation.  I'm also learning that I'm not nearly as adventurous as I thought I was.  Trying new things is hard for me and really does take some major pep-talking most days!  I'm working on it though!

A little dose of perspective the other day.  This couple lives and works on the rock pile you see, which is right outside of our gate.  They were washing clothes that day and laid them out to dry on top of the dusty pile.  It reminded me to always be grateful life's blessings!

Other than that, things have just been busy around here.  Emily and I have gotten full force into ministry duties, getting everything typed up for teams, dreaming up ministry ideas, and trying to put things into action.  We've also been working out the kinks in some areas and have gotten this house really looking nice. There are some things we'd like to do to make it even nicer for when teams come, but that will come in time (and when the budget is available!).  Please keep us in your prayers as we work through all the details, try to discern God's will, and depend on Him for our continuing source of peace and joy.

I also wanted to update you all on the lady in the hospital I wrote about last week.  Emily and I went to see her on the 20th, to check in on her progress and provide the hospital with some resources for long-term care.  She said she was feeling pretty good, but from talking with the doctors it is becoming clear that she may have early signs of dementia.   They are still working on determining her true state of mind, but they are pretty sure she's not fully there mentally.  They also told us that she refuses to have her leg amputated.  The wound care doctor at Bernard Mevs (the hospital she's at) is going to try and save the leg, but it will take a long time and a lot of prayer.  The best part of our visit was praying over her and we finally learned her name.  Meet Ifanya (or Efanya - not sure of the proper spelling).  Please keep her in your prayers as she has a long journey of recovery awaiting her.  Please also pray that the hospital will be able to find a long-term care facility for her soon.

Ifanya.

So yeah, that's basically the gist of life here right now.  Add in a trip to the local market, Creole lessons, a few 100 ants, lots of laughs, and a little bit of frustration, and that pretty much sums up life right now!

 From our trip to the local market today!  Lots of fruits and veggies to choose from and it's just around the corner!

 I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty excited about our Christmas decorations!  The reindeer will somehow find its way back to the States with me eventually!

I really do love being here and am finding more and more peace each day about this calling.  God is teaching me some pretty big and hard lessons about myself, but I've grown closer in my walk with him than ever before.  Thank you for your continued love, support, and prayers!! We really do appreciate them all!

Ps.  Keep a look out here, on Facebook, and via email for an upcoming Christmas Catalog for HFMS.  This is a great and easy way to help get involved with missions while also supporting our ministry here in Haiti over the Christmas season!

Ok, I think this post is long enough.  Bonnwit (goodnight)!

The View from Here: Picture Dump

For those of you who don't follow me on facebook or instagram, here are some pictures from the past two weeks of my life!

 Packing up my life.

 I had the honor of sharing my testimony at Church with all of my family there.

 Saying goodbye at the airport

 Nap time in Miami :)

 The first team to stay and work at HFMS.

 These beautiful ladies cooked and cleaned for us all last week.

 The team built 4 sets of bunk beds for the big room at the end of the hall!

 This is Danielle, the land-lady's daughter.

 This is my new dear friend Esther who helped up tremendously over the last two weeks.  More to come on her soon!

 

Dad made some new friends.

 Mom and I trying to organize all of my stuff.

 The guys built this shelving unit for my bathroom

 Dad hanging curtains in my bedroom

 Kofael meeting that took place last Saturday.  This was the first outreach women's ministry to happen here at HFMS.

 The upstairs kitchen - took me 5 hours to get it clean and organized!

 Other end of the kitchen.  Please take note of the cooler aka our fridge when there's no power.

 My bedroom.  The guys built this bed and the nightstand.

 Sunset from our balcony.

 Driving around Haiti.

 For all of you who asked, here is one of the grocery stores I shop at. It's just like an American store, just more expensive!

 They even have Kirkland (Costco) brand stuff!! This made me laugh out loud and miss my dad.

My second purchase of groceries was 3,612 goudes which is a little more than $80.

The View From Here: Spring Cleaning

While moving out is bittersweet this year, I absolutely love going through everything and cleaning out the things I don't need anymore.  For the last few hours I've been going through my closet, drawers, and supplies to de-clutter and cut out items I never use.  I've got the window open, fresh air coming in, some great music from my childhood playing, and stuff everywhere!!! However, I am done and feel 100% better!  The real packing process will begin tomorrow :)

 The basic necessity for any proper Spring cleaning.  Fresh air :)

 All of my design supplies/materials I don't need anymore.  I'll let Jessica shop before throwing them out.  Oh the perks of living with all upperclassmen! :)

The load of trash I was able to get rid of!

What's not seen (because I forgot to take a picture), is the tub of clothes I took downstairs to the donate pile.  I feel much more organized and clutter free now!!   

The View From Here: Happy Birthday to Me!

I love my roommates!

The View from Here

I think my roommates love me! :)  

The View from Here: Problem solved

Yes ladies and gentlemen, we have found a solution to the problem in my last post.  No High Point did not come seal our windows (even though I wish they would), and our room still reads 68 degrees, but thank God for Jessica and her heater! I've got a lot of studying to do for my Sociology test tomorrow which means I'll be sitting at my desk for an unreasonable amount of time today.  Seeing as how my window is right beside me, this temperature issue is quickly becoming a problem. But Jess came to my rescue and now I can be nice and toasty while studying.  I'm still wearing multiple layers and covered in a blanket, but it feels so much nicer in here now :)!  Thanks for the heater Jess!

The View from Here

What's wrong with this picture....?

I know it's a little blurry so let me help you out.  You see that number on the right, the 74?  That is what we want the temperature in our room to be.  That other number, the 67...that's what the temperature actually is in here!  It is FREEZING!!  The windows in our room are so drafty, and with the low temperature outside, and the crazy wind that's been blowing all day, we cannot seem to get our room to warm up.  Thank you very much HPU for putting in cheap windows that are not sealed correctly.  That is simply not extraordinary! 

I'm going to bundle up with a blanket or two now and go to bed. 

The View from Here

It's Super Bowl time!  We had some of our bible study girls over for the game and provided a feast for all.  The picture above was only half the food; the rest was on the coffee table.  It's been a really fun night and a great time to hang out. 

The View from Here

I'm copying this idea from a friend's blog.  I love the idea of giving a quick little snapshot of your day.

Yes people, that's a microwave and we are very excited about it.  When we moved in there was no microwave over the stove.  They said one would arrive within a few weeks and well...it never did.  We contacted HPU three times about this issue and finally today it arrives!  Yes we only have a few months left but I cannot tell you how excited we are!  I'm glad we'll finally have ventilation for when we're cooking, but I'm most excited about not having to stare at the hideous bracket on the wall anymore.  Simple pleasures I tell you. Simple pleasures.

On another note, this is the view from my window today.  It is 65 degrees and gorgeous outside.  Bright blue sky with a few clouds and the wonderful fountain we all enjoy so much.  Please also notice that the window is open.  It may be February but when it's this nice out, I can't help but to open up the windows!

What a beautiful and wonderful day!
Happy Thursday (Friday for me)!  Cassie comes tomorrow!