Beyond the face: Marc

Name: Marc (although I fondly refer to him as sweet cheeks in my head...)

Age: 4 years old today!

Favorite color: Green

Favorite food: Any and all! Did you see those cheeks?! Sidenote: This boy eats sloooow and relishes every bite. 

Likes: Playing with cars, Causing mischief at bedtime, music and dancing, and playing with the big boys.

Dislikes: He is TERRIFIED of a cute little stuffed monkey we have at the mission. (Its almost cute...only if I were twisted and mean. Which I'm not. So its not cute at all. Ahem...) Going to bed. Having to sit still or share his toys. 

He was thrilled to sit still for this picture, if you can't tell.

Marc is the youngest boy at our mission and loved by all. He has a very shy smile that will melt your heart...but don't let him fool you, he can turn four year old boy like nobodys business! He is masterfull at the limp noodle move. He loves loves loves to be included with the big boys and lights up when they give him attention. One of my favorite memories thus far in my life includes watching him dance one night...oh, he has got some moves!

And his smile...

We love you sweet cheeks Marc!

give thanks

Thanksgiving.

Our first holiday away from home.

It's not even a holiday here in Haiti, so life went on as normal at the mission as the kids still had school, normal meals, etc.  

And our household was down for the count with the nasty stomach bug that took all 6 of us with it. We feasted on saltines and chased them down with gatorade!

And yet, I have never been more thankful. 

Never more aware of the enormous blessings in my life. 

Our holiday was simple, quiet, and slightly green around the gills...

But we did manage to have lots of cuddle time, read books, decorate a Christmas tree, listen to Christmas music, facetime family back home, and laugh together.

Gotta love a picture of a blurry 2 year old. And shirtless boys. And a pj clad Ella. 

I haven't looked at one black Friday ad or watched one commercial. 

I read the words of Paul in Romans, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." and was reduced to tears during my quiet time yesterday...

This is my reason for giving thanks. 

My greatest blessing.

Which fuels all the other blessings in my life.

Saltines and gatorade, 

surrounded by family, 

secure in the love of my God, 

and humbly aware of how much I have...

This first holiday in Haiti was worthy of giving thanks over.

tile floors, homemade handcuffs, and hope...always hope

I was really hoping that we would avoid the whole stomach bug thing while living in Haiti...

Yeah, that didn't happen.

4 out of the 6 of us have had some fun times the last few days. The other 2 of us have been cleaning machines. Thank goodness for tile floors. And a washing machine.

This has also meant that we have pretty much quarantined ourselves to our house (our house is about 20 feet down the road from the mission) in the hopes (Oh, please please please God!) that we avoid spreading this bug to the mission kids.

Can you imagine?!

Anyways...the walls are closing in on me. I'm not gonna lie. Jeremiah and I have had our first twinges of true homesickness this week as we know of all the family holiday togetherness that is happening with Thanksgiving.

Nevertheless, we gotta keep it together for the kids.

I made a quick run over to the mission early this morning to put up a birthday banner, as two of our girls, Gina and Enolica, have birthdays today when I noticed an extra large amount of people gathered in the street around the gate to the mission.

And then I saw the man, sitting knees to the ground and face to the wall, with his hands handcuffed in a crude homemade version of police handcuffs. And I noticed the brand new electric wire dangling from the pole...cut off...and just dangling...and then I knew...

This man was caught stealing our brand new electric cord that we just had hooked up to our mission transformer.

The man was eventually taken to the police station...but who knows what will happen.

Never, ever, boring.

There is so much we are learning about Haitian culture. Like most things, the more I learn, the more I realize I have to learn. There is no easy fix to the issues we are faced with everyday.

But, there is hope.

Always hope.

Found in the kids who snuggle up around me as I read to them from the Bible every single morning. Found in Bianca's honesty upon finding a toy that wasn't hers. Found in Appoloste's questions about sin nature. Or Gina's pleasure in learning all her colors. Or Baboo's cheesy grin.



I hold onto that hope.

Especially on days where mountains of laundry pile up, sick kids surround, and I just want to go home for the holiday.

Be joyful in hope,

patient in affliction, 

faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:12

swiftly fly the years: Ella McKay turns 8

I first started this blog as a way to document Ella's growing up and this crazy mothering journey. And as an easy way for our long distance grandparents to see pictures and keep updated...

She wasn't even two at the time.

And today she turns 8.

Gone is the pudgy crazy haired two year old (party on one side, business on the other!)
She is all legs and arms and toothless grins these days.



Yes, people...the girl finally lost a tooth the regular way!
Only after months and months of wiggling....

Ella loves and is thriving in school! She is my bookworm and has spent all my money buying new books for the kindle. I kid not. (Amazon gift cards are a good gift idea for this one, ha!)

She loves to create "environments" in her play...spending hour upon hour turning old cereal boxes into houses for her polly pockets or animals. She loves card games, board games, or any kind of game. She loves pizza and cream cheese and crackers and still doesn't have much of a sweet tooth. She loves movies. She loves to stay up late and sleep in. She gets highly annoyed by her little brothers. She loves her Zooble. She doesn't like when our plans change last minute. She has a very clear idea of the way things should be done. She loves to help out in the kitchen and has taken on more and more responsibility on helping out around the house. She loves to play with the girls at the mission and is doing a good job at picking up the Kreyol language.

To say that I am proud of this not so little girl is an understatement. I have moments where I watch her and see her compassion and exuberance for life and genuine love for her Jesus and I just want to burst.

Of all of our kids, Ella had the most to "sacrifice" by our move to Haiti. She was just hitting that age where friends and peers were starting to become more important in her life and she has felt the loss of her close friends and family keenly at times. But she has allowed the Lord to fill in those gaps. I have seen her at her lonely moments and she has cried out to God...and he has faithfully turned her mourning into joy in the mornings.

As a mommy, it is always hard to watch your child struggle and to not want to run in and just fix it all for them. But so many times over these last 10 weeks I have felt the Holy Spirit tell me to just listen to her and allow Him to comfort her...

And he has.

Ella McKay,

You are something special. I love being your Mommy and watching you grow up into this beautiful young lady. I can see how you have allowed the Lord to work in your life and I am so incredibly proud of you. I enjoy you and love playing games with you...even if you beat me most of the time! I know that this big move to Haiti hasn't been easy for you all the time, but I am so proud to see how you have worked through those tough moments and what you are learning on this great big adventure. Oh, the stories you will tell! Keep pressing into Jesus and sharing his love with whomever he puts in your path. 

You are loved deeply and fiercely and forever...to the great big moon and back.

Happy 8th Birthday!

Love always,

Momma

Thursday Thoughts

Our school director has been back in the states since last week. This means that Jeremiah and I have gotten to juggle the school duties all week alongside everything else going on...which has made this week just one big blur. It's been a great week though and everything has gone smooth.

Except for the fire incident and near explosion and the nothing-short-of-a-miracle-miracle.

Yeah...except for that, it's all been good.

Ella turns 8 years old this Saturday!
(HOWINTHEWORLD?!!)

Zoe has decided that since she is the baby of the family and the last chance for us to experience the full depth of the tenacity of a two year olds terribleness...that she'd show us.

Fun times.

Too bad there is not a craigs list here in Haiti.
Or perhaps it is a good thing?

Good for her.

Ahem...moving on.

So about that fire incident...

I had walked over to the mission in the afternoon and noticed a lot of smoke billowing over by our school bathrooms. Now, here in Haiti everybody burns their trash and there is nothing special about seeing smoke...usually. This was A LOT of smoke. And it was in the very near vicinity of our mission generator and gallons of diesel and gasoline.

I walked over and noticed that not only was there a lot of smoke, but that the coconut tree was completely engulfed in flames. The coconut tree that has several branches hanging over the wall...right over the diesel and gasoline.

There is no 911 here in Haiti, so I did the next best thing. I called Jeremiah.

The sexiest first responder I know =)

At this point all our staff was gathering to try to put out the fire. We moved all the containers of fuel and got hoses run to put on it.

We also had the pipe that runs water to our bathrooms completely burst from the heat of the flames...in the exact spot that made it shoot water right onto the fire. Without that extra burst of water, it could have been a very bad thing. It was truly nothing short of a miracle.

Fun times.

I told you things are never boring!

I had to google when Thanksgiving was this year. I realized what the date was yesterday and then panicked because I thought Thanksgiving was today...and then calmed down when I saw that it is next Thursday. I tell you my sense of time and seasons is completely warped here.

We actually had a day last week where we only made it to 89 degrees. Positively chilly, I tell you.

Happy Thursday!

photojournal: baptist mission

About two weeks ago we took the morning to do what we had been promising our kids we'd do since before we came to Haiti...climb a mountain!

We didn't actually hike a mountain, but our trusty rusty old Chevy Venture got us safely up the mountain. Despite the narrow roads, hairpin turns, and passing water tanker trucks.

**Random Geography Fact: There are five mountain ranges in Haiti.**

I am not exaggerating at all when I say that when we rounded a bend and saw our first true view of the mountain, it was literally breathtaking...

Where we live is smack dab in the middle of the city.
Diesel fumes, loud noises, cars, motorcycles, and more fumes are what we are surrounded by all the time. All. the. time.

It was so refreshing to see the mountain, the countryside, and take a deep breath of cool, clean(er) air.

Our destination was the Baptist Mission, where they have a bakery, restaurant, playground, small history museum of Haiti, hospital, gift shop of local goods, and much to my children's delight...a petting zoo.

A rather pathetic run down one, but they didn't care!

Zoe loved the bunnies!

Our kids were so excited to play on a real playground again!

"Look, Mom...I'm a bat!"

She thinks she is so big.

Ella was still getting over that nasty virus (you can see it in her eyes) but she was a trooper and still had fun!

Thanks Allyson for taking a family picture =)

We'd love to take all our mission kids up to the mountain...and are working out all the logistics of getting them there. They would love it! 

The next promise we have to make good on with our kids...finding a waterfall!

beyond the face, an introduction, and Josue

I grew up in a big family, which has many upsides. However, one of the downfalls was feeling like I was seen as just "one of the crowd" by others. 

Just another cookie cutter kid...

I know my parents and family didn't view things that way, but I often felt like "others" did. A big part of my personal testimony was coming to the knowledge that God loved ME on an individual level. He knew me and was interested in me and cared about the uniqueness in me that he had created.

While I'm here working with this great big group of kids, one of my personal goals is to really get to know their unique sensitivities, like, and dislikes. I want them to feel like they are known and loved by us. Which opens up the pathway to talk about how much they are known and loved by their Heavenly Father. 

Not just another cookie cutter Haitian orphan...

Meet Josue:

Name: Josue (jo-see-yay)

Age: 6 years old today!

Likes: Jumping rope, being cute, swinging, making things, and pretending he is a ninja.

Doesn't like: The dark, waiting his turn for jump rope

Favorite food(s): Rice and beans, cake, and any kind of food I label a "snack"

What he wants to be when he grows up: A doctor

Favorite book: Where The Wild Things Are (he knows almost every word when we read it together)

Favorite color: Blue and yellow

For you created my inward being, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I will praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:13-14

actual words spoken (only in Haiti)

Why hit one bump when you can hit all the bumps?

You are such a sucker for amputee's.

Just pretend you are smelling hard boiled eggs.

Don't step in the water - One of Zoe's very first complete sentences.

Just punch him in the face as hard as you can and he will stop bothering you.

I slept with a lizard last night.

Just ignore the ants in your food.

I'm starting to not even notice the bleach taste.

You have to wear underwear to keep the mosquitoes from biting your booty at night.

**For my marriages anonymity's sake, I will not reveal who exactly said each phrase or the context in which it was said**

Because pictures where we all smile and look at the camera are so boring.

in the morning when i rise (and every second of every day)

I like the early morning here in Haiti.

It's cooler.
It's a little bit quieter.
And, its one of the only times of the day that I am able to find some time alone.

I often find myself just sitting in the semi-darkness calling out to Christ within my spirit.
Sitting in His presence.

I struggled with being able to do this back at home. There was always something I needed to think about, a chapter I needed to finish, a list I needed to make, mark off, or get started on.

Not here.

The moment I get alone with God here I almost always forget everything but crying out to Him.

I am still in the Word daily, but the majority of my time with the Lord is just sitting in His presence.

If there is one word that sums up the difference between my times spent with the Lord in America and my times spent with him here in Hait it would be "desperate."

I feel so desperate for Him.

I believe this is born out of my feelings of being...

dependent,
weak,
powerless,
selfish,
unworthy,
and utterly incapable of making it through the day without His help and presence.

Scary adjectives, but they put me in a beautiful place. A place where I can't go one day without Him.

My dependence on Him is a slap in the face to the American ideal of independence. Yet, apart from Him I can do nothing. My dependence is my strength because He is strong.

I think this is why so many people remark on the "joy" they see in the lives and faces of people living in dire circumstances...whether that be in Haiti, Uganda, or all over the world. When everything else is stripped away and all you have is Him...

He fulfills, sustains, and brings joy and contentment regardless of any circumstance.

He is enough.

Like a deer longs for water, so my soul longs for you, O God. 
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. 
Psalm 42:1

thursday thoughts

I woke up with 5 mosquito bites on my left hand this morning. I took great satisfaction finding and squishing that low flying pest. His satisfaction over his full belly was short lived.

Back in October I wrote about our visit from the Detroit Muscle Crew. We had a crew from Fox news travel with them and they did a story on our mission, which just aired last night. You can watch part 1 of the story by going here. Part 2 comes out tonight. Kinda cool, huh.

Jeremiah and I are going on a date tonight. Words cannot even express how crazy excited I am. (thank you thank you thank you Allyson for making this possible for us!)

Eli read his first book all by himself this week! I have written on how many hurdles he has crossed academically on so many occasions so I know you will understand that this milestone was HUGE! I was so so so so proud of him!

This little guy is my hero.

I also think it is great to note that so far, all three of my children's first book has been in the Bob Books series. I love those books and have really found them to be great confidence builders for new readers.

I ate some of the best sushi I have ever had this week here in Haiti.

I know...sushi in Haiti?
That's what I thought when I heard about it!

But seriously, it was delicious and fresh and I didn't get sick from it, ha!

Now, if only I could find a way to get our favorite Mexican restaurant to relocate to Haiti, I'd be set.

And broke.
So, its probably a good thing.

Cooking dinner here has been a real challenge, because 9 out of 10 days I am cooking dinner without any power. And thanks to daylight savings time, I am now cooking by candlelight as there isn't any natural light left by the time I can make dinner. The crock pot would be a great option...if power didn't go off by 3 pm or I had a way to keep it warm...

I have started to cook more and more of a dinner meal at lunch time, and we just do something simple like sandwiches or cereal for our evening meal.

I'm learning and adapting...week by week.

Ok, I'm off to start the day.

Did I mention that I have a date tonight?!
I might even wear my hair down for the first time ever since we stepped off the plane 7 weeks ago.

Happy Thursday!

7 Weeks In and What Are We Really Doing

**I just read through this and realized how long it is. My apologies. And kudo's for anyone who actually makes it all the way to the end!**

Today marks 7 weeks that we have called Haiti home.

It has flown by and lasted forever, all at the same time. It is sort of like those newborn baby days, where the days and nights are so incredibly long and yet, one day you wake up out of your fog and you have a one year old...and it all seemed to go by so fast...in retrospect.

Yep, that's it.

Some people have recently asked what it is that we are actually doing...

Good question, people.

I finally feel like I have an accurate answer for you, now that we have some weeks tucked under our belts.

We have no official title.
However, I think the term "field directors" seems a fitting one.
So, we shall go with that...

We are the field directors at Have Faith Haiti Mission here in Delmas 33, Port au Prince, Haiti. Our mission provides housing, food, clothes, health care, education, and Christian discipleship for (currently) 30 children, ranging in ages from 4 to 17.

Cinlove, one of our middle-aged girls.

Our mission employs all Haitian nannies, teachers, cooks, janitors, etc. We also work with a night time director, a school director, and an operations director. We all work together as a team, although we oversee certain aspects of the mission...namely the health care, discipline, discipleship, and fulfilling a parental role model for the kids.

This means that our days are filled with everything from changing out toothbrushes for all the kids, making sure all the toilets are working properly, doing daily devotions, leading a bible study with the older kids, reading stories, making snacks, having nanny meetings, dealing with numerous maintenance issues, checking fevers, making emergency runs to the hospital, celebrating birthdays, playing games, and on and on and on.

No day is ever the same and we are busy, busy, busy!

It is a good thing that Jeremiah and I are a good team, because we both have to work hard at this to make sure all the bases are covered...at the mission and on the home front. We have really had to switch and share some roles that we haven't in the past. That part has (mostly) gone smooth as we are adjusting to life here, and what is required from both of us. There is NO one else on earth I could imagine doing this with than him.

Our mission kids came to Have Faith because of a variety of circumstances.
All of them tragic and heart wrenching.
All of them have experienced loss.

Because of our own adoption and all our reading and research (and the daily reality of dealing with the consequences of Eli's early years) on the impact that institutional living has on a child - We feel a unique responsibility to stand in the gap for these kids. To address the circumstances that lead to most of the tragic impacts of institutional living.

We are very well aware that God's best plan for all kids is to live a life in a secure position within a family.

However, that will not be a reality for these kids...due to circumstances way outside our control. And so, while we are here, while we have been allowed influence in their lives, we are going to make sure that this is the best environment possible for them and share the great big love of their Heavenly Father with them.

A Father who will never die or abandon them.
A Father who delights in them.

Don't be fooled by her sweet smile here...this girl is capable of major spunkiness!  

Some specific ways you can pray for us as we settle into a slightly more seasoned time of ministry here in Haiti:

- Pray for health - Both for our family and our mission family. We have had 2+ intense weeks of health issues and I am ready for good health to return to all!

- Pray for us to stay motivated, encouraged, and focused - I am learning that mission life can be very isolating, especially when there is so much to do within the walls of my house and mission. Every text or email sent to us is cherished and read and re-read during those moments of discouragement.

- Pray for us to have wisdom - Oh my goodness, if I thought parenting my 4 kiddo's was hard...tacking on caring for the needs of the 30 others has been challenging and overwhelming to say the least! We desperately need wisdom in dealing with every issue that arises!

- Pray for our marriage - We are working hard together, but have VERY little face to face time here. Pray for us to find ways to connect and stay strong in this very busy season of life.

- Pray for our kids - They are doing so well, but their days are not without their own struggles of missing friends and family and familiarity. Zoe has asked on numerous occasions to "go see Abby" (our dog) and it breaks my heart that she doesn't understand why we can't go see her. Pray for their little hearts in this time.

- Pray for fruitfulness in our ministry - Pray we make the most of every opportunity. Pray our words fall on healthy soil. Pray our actions speak louder than our words. Pray for the hearts of the kids in our mission.

- Pray for continued provision - The Lord has been so faithful in providing for us, through so many of you! I am continually blown away, week by week, for how He is taking care of us...down to our smallest needs.

 Lastly, thank you to everyone who has prayed for us, sent us an email or text, supported us financially, or encouraged us! We absolutely could not be here without you and we are so thankful!

halloweeen in haiti, tom selleck, Jeremiah really loves me, and a par-tay

I know there are a lot of strong feelings about the celebration of Halloween. And while I respect others opinions, we have always embraced the holiday as a wonderful way to have innocent fun with our kids, carve pumpkins, eat candy, enjoy each other and love on neighbors that we otherwise wouldn't meet. 

However, living in Haiti has shown us a much different perspective on the holiday. Halloween is celebrated here...in fact it is a 2 day holiday known as the "Day of the Dead" or Fete des Morts. Everything, including schools and the government shut down for this voodou celebration that includes a lot of dark things. 

It is easy to say that it is a harmless holiday. I'd even agree for the times we celebrated in America within our family and neighborhood. 

However, when you have a Haitian friend who grew up without a mother because she was sacrificed in a voodou ceremony....it changes your perspective. It made us realize that we have to be much (much) more aware and cautious. We do not live in fear, but we cling to Jesus. 

With all that said, we also know that while we may not be able to "redeem" the holiday here in Haiti...we are redeemed. We have the freedom in Christ to live like it.

And so, we celebrated the day with some simple crafts...

We call this one Tom Selleck.

We also celebrated with a bonafide real pumpkin! We've carved a pumpkin together every year since we got married and I was so sad over the thought of not getting to carve one this year. Jeremiah knew this and somehow, somewhere, for some outrageous amount of money I'm sure...brought me home a pumpkin to carve. That is what you call love, people. 

We also got an invitation to join in The Apparent Projects halloween party...for some trick or treating in the artisans shops and a time of fellowship with other missionaries and their families. The kids got to go apple bobbing, have their faces painted, trick or treat, and paint a gourd.

If you've never heard of the Apparent Project, go now and check out their website. I love their ministry and what they are doing here in Haiti.

I may be a few days late, but from our family to yours...Happy Halloween!