God is Great

God is great. I remind myself of this often when second guessing myself on His plan to move us back to Canada. Since coming back we have moved to a new house, the kids have all started new schools, I have started a new practice, Laurens well Laurens has jumped back into the same job he had before and the dog finds any piece on sunshine on the floor to lie in on his lazy afternoons. Teagan has had a close friend pass away as have I.

Our family all has different thoughts on our life over the past year and a half and it is a strange thing to integrate into a materialistic culture after living among such poverty. It is a difficult thing to see such loss, trauma and destruction and then be among those who will never know such pain.

It is tough to gather your empathy for patients with 1st world problems and to understand that to them it is indeed a big deal. It is hard to be in a workplace where some complain about the government they work for, that they do not make enough money or do not understand the value of hard work. It is hard to walk amongst the high school halls of kids that do not "get" our inner selves and it is hard not to miss catching spiders and lizards or running barefoot over the dusty rocks.

I am surprised at how long it takes to feel "normal" in 1st world culture again on the other hand I am infinitely grateful that I do not feel "normal" yet. I hope I never do. We are still working through how God wants to use us in Canada. We have so much more to give and are praying through how to do that. We are trusting in His greatness, His wisdom, His grace and His direction. We have become in tune to those moments where He speaks to us and those moments He nudges us.

We have had so many successes over the past year and a half and we are so grateful for our kids. We love following their lives. We have been told from all teachers each one of them are good role models for peers, they have received top marks and have won so many medals and ribbons we can't keep track.  God is great. We know that as our kids progress, they will have low points and high points but we pray that they know that God will get them through them all.

We are looking forward to great years ahead. We are so blessed. Please pray that God continues to go before us and we keep our eyes fixed on Him

Prayers lifted up

Life has a way of passing you by when immersed in so much change. This past 6 months we have been meaning to blog about our life back in Canada, how much we miss Haiti, the trips we have taken back to Haiti since moving back to Canada but we have been busy enjoying life in the moment day by day.

Do you ever notice how independent you get from God when things are going good? Maybe you find yourself reading your bible less, praying a little less earnestly or sharing God's life changing power less often.. This week our daughter Teagan's friend Kenton tragically drowned while swimming at his cottage......Life has a way of putting things in perspective from time to time. There is nothing is like a young 15 year old full of life and opportunity losing his life so young. Having your child loose someone close to them is something we have not experienced before and it is tough to see them suffer.

Kenton was a young man who at first meeting filled the room with life. He was one of the young teens that was inspired by the stories Teagan brought back from Haiti and one of those that went on her mission trip to Mission of Hope with her in March. Even though Kenton's life was cut short, we praise God for His infinite wisdom and we praise God for giving Kenton the life changing experience he had in Haiti. We praise God for who Teagan is and how he gave her the strength to share her experiences that lead to such great things.

Read about their experiences including Kenton's thoughts and Teagan's last blog at Stop and Think

Hug your kids, enjoy all moments, lift up your prayers and trust in God always...

Two years later

Today marks two years since that terrible day. Since the day that the ground shook and we all lost faith in it’s solid foundation. The day the earth’s crust moved a bit too much in a place a bit too poor with buildings a bit too weak in a city with a bit too many people. It is still a day we as a family will never forget. The Haiti earthquake of 2010 is something we wish never to relive yet those days hold a special bonding in our hearts to a country we love dearly. 

On this day we remember the fear, we remember the blood, we remember the death, we remember the stench, we remember the dust, we remember the screams and we remember the sobbing. We remember the mass graves, the collapsed buildings, the stories of deaths, the smell of decomposing bodies, counselling mothers after their babies die, the little boy with a crushed body that took his last breath 13 hours later, reducing and repositioning countless broken bones, the open wounds, the stitches, the burns, the broken pelvises, the scalps torn off, the disfigured faces, the missing limbs. 

But between all this horror, we remember the songs of redemption, we remember the singing voices, we remember the prayers answered, we remember the life change, we remember the strength, we remember the resolve, we remember the courageous stories, the extreme human benevolence, the superhuman successes, the dependance on a higher power, the will for survival, the heart to never give up and the power or God.

Please join us in remembering those that perished as well as those both physically and emotionally scarred forever by the Haiti earthquake. Please pray for continued strength in the Lord and redemption for the people in Haiti. Join us in being thankful for our lives and pray that we never take our moments here for granted. Each day is another that God has decided we need to be here on this earth. We pray that we will all search for the purpose of why He has decided we need to be here while others are gone and then charge full force in fulfilling that purpose.  

We are in Canada today but our hearts are in Haiti. Nou pap janm bliye.

Mass graves close to our home in Haiti - where we are in spirit today...

P.S.  With all the media negative on "where did the money go?" Please watch the video below to see the exciting things going on right now at Mission of Hope. Mission of Hope is a Haitian NGO that employs over 250 Haitians and works in relationship with the government and local area for all it's programs. The Haitian people are all involved in the decisions of MOH and the money gets to the people.
For specific stats on programs advanced in 2011, please follow this link to see MOH's updated progress.


MOH Visual Summary from Lespwa Means Hope on Vimeo.

Reflecting on 2011

I (Cheryl) was recently in Haiti. It was my first time back after moving to Canada full time. It was fantastic and surreal at the same time. I missed my family a lot while there as it did not seem the same without them however the reception you get with Haitian friends and co-workers is like none other. I completed the next section of Mission of Hope's community health program and everything went as planned. Now those of you that know Haiti well, that in itself is a huge thing! As planned?!?!?! It was such a fruitful trip and things are progressing well. Praise God!

As we think back to 2011, it has been another year of tears and joy. A year of tough decisions and a year of scary steps. A year of loss and a year of successes. A year of endings and a year of beginnings, a year of sorrow and a year of happiness. A year of yearning and a year of questions. A year of following where the Lord is leading us.....

Things we will miss about 2011.
Waking up to sunshine and warm temps every single day. Period.
Seeing smiling brown faces everywhere we go
Hearing the laughter of orphanage kids playing nearby
Speaking a different language every day
Teaching and training
Adventure and drama
Challenges that continually push you to your limits
The beach
Jolibris
Our tropical gardens
Bare feet
Sandals
Lizards
Driving like a maniac

Things we will not miss about 2011
Packing and Unpacking
Incurring debt
Kidnapping and murder of friends
Leaving Haiti
Acclimatizing to the cold
Rats, tarantulas, mice, scorpions
bad plumbing
cold water
power issues

Of the above, two major events stand out to us for 2011. First making the tough decision to move back to Canada full time and second the murder of our gardener and friend Jolibris. Jolibris was the sweetest old man you could ever imagine. He loved the Lord with all his heart and soul. He came to work each and every day with a smile on his face and love in his heart. He watched out for our kids and our dog if he escaped. He kept our gardens watered and cared for. He was father to our Pastor and friend to all. He was kidnapped and murdered this fall. Senseless. We will miss him greatly. May he rest with the Lord in all His splendor. We love you Jolibris.

Although we remember 2011, it is with joy and anticipation that we look forward to 2012. We savour the road that God leads us on and look forward to what adventures He will put in front of us.

We wish you and your families a blessed 2012. May you follow the path set out for you with all of your heart and all of your soul for it is the Lord our God that we work for.