obey, walk, and remember

Yesterday started out normal:

Woke up at 5:30am,
noticed there was no power,
mentally prepared my body for no coffee,
got dressed,
walked next door to the mission,
did devotions with the kids,
did my devotions while they ate breakfast,
administered medicines,
got the mission kids off to school...

About 1 hour after that, things got interesting:

Jeremiah got pulled over by the Haitian police, was threatened with arrest...with Zoe in the backseat. For NO reason other than the fact that he is white and they wanted money.

One of our mission kids, JU, became very ill and lost the majority of the control over the lower half of his body. Insert a crazy hospital run that involved being send to three different hospitals because:

#1 - The hospital was full.
#2 - The hospital didn't have a doctor there.
#3 - The hospital doesn't treat children.

Please note that after viewing 3 hospitals...I NEVER want to have to go back to a Haitian hospital. Ever. And I don't think I will get over the sights I saw at some of them. Ever.

All the while, Ezra has come down with the virus that went through the mission last week, which has triggered major asthma attacks and coughing spells...and sleep has been very slim ...

Thankfully, the saga of yesterday had a good ending.

JU was diagnosed with cerebrellitis (not really sure if that is how you spell it?) a condition that can result after a virus that causes temporary neurological issues (like loss of control over extremities, headaches, nausea, etc.). There is no treatment for it, other than time allowing the swelling of the cerebellum to return to normal and the symptoms to go away. He is showing improvement this morning and we are very thankful!

Jeremiah wasn't arrested by the police.
He didn't pay them any money.
And Zoe was completely un-traumatized by the whole incident.

I wish I could say the same for her mother.

I don't write any of this to complain.
I knew there would be days like yesterday.
But knowing and experiencing are two completely different things.

Today my flesh just wants to curl up in a ball, order dinner out, go to starbucks, have friends over, go to a movie...anything that would feel normal again.

A very "normal" street here in Port-au-Prince

I was reminded of the words I have written in my journal, taken from the words of Rachel Jankovic's Fit to Burst:

When you need encouragement, obey.
When you are tired, walk.
When you feel lost, remember.

And so today, when I don't feel like it...I will obey, I will keep walking, and I will remember.

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