I've been back from Haiti for a little over a week now. It's been a smooth transition coming home. I took the first week or so to rest and recover from being under the weather. I've had a great time visiting with family and friends. I checked out our new movie theater, went on a beautiful hike, and even spent a day at Dollywood. East Tennessee is a wonderful place to call home!

I still have a few more photos and stories to share from my last several days in Haiti. So let's get to it!

I made my rounds during my last week to say bye to all my special friends. Of course I had to get a couple more play times in with NeNe's family. The three amigos, Naiday, Jobens, and Krystelle were all there.

Bath time with Jeff, Naiday and Jobens. I was amazed they could all fit in that tub.

I had told Josien I would visit her church before I left Haiti. That's Josien in the pink on the left. Many Haitian women wear a head covering when they attend church.

I took this photo with my camera phone while riding a motorcycle through the outdoor market. This photo doesn't even do justice in showing how crazy packed it is. Riding a motorcycle through the market is one thing I definitely will not miss!

One of Haiti's cemeteries. This one is right by where we buy eggs at the market.

On the way to the beach you pass by these mountains with thousands of tiny houses strewn throughout. It reminds me so much of Katutura, Namibia. Anyone who has been to Katutura can see the resemblance I'm sure.

If you're driving around Haiti, you will see little stands like this on the side of the road. As a visitor, you'd probably pass them by without hesitation. I've learned that they are home to some of the most delicious meals you'll find! This is NiNi's food hut. She makes some of the best rice and beans dishes I've ever had. I can't tell you how many times NeNe and I bought our lunch here. $1.25 will get you a huge plate including a yummy fried chicken leg.

Here's another feast. This one was prepared for us by the crew at the Eyes Wide Open construction site. Greg and his team hosted us one night for dinner and it was delicious!

I spent my last week in Haiti at Sarah's orphanage. I always love spending time with her kids. Here's Jimmy and Gerlanda playing Angry Birds on my Kindle.

Right before I left, Sarah received a HUGE donation! Christ's Community Church in middle TN donated this van filled with all kinds of goodies. It was quite a process getting the van out of the port, but it will be a wonderful blessing to Sarah's ministry.

I set NeNe up with a Facebook account a couple weeks ago. Now he can keep in touch with me and all of the other friends he's made through the volunteer teams that have come down. He was so excited! He's still taking his English classes and learning a little more every day.

Of course I'd have to slide in a couple photos of Fibi. :) Here she is giving a silent protest to my leaving... sleeping in my suitcase. I will say, leaving her behind was very difficult. She and I were big buds!

But I'm thankful that Sarah was willing to take her in. She and Gracie were fast friends. They spend 99% of the time acting like they are in a WWF ring, but I think that means they like each other!?

My schedule at home is a lot more relaxed than when I was waking up before the sun to prepare breakfast and spending the evenings cooking dinner for 15-25 people! It was a challenge and a crazy schedule, but I enjoyed it!

Wednesday night, March 7th, Haiti had a 4.6 earthquake. I was already asleep and didn't even feel it! Everyone who was awake said it shook the entire house. The community was revved up for the rest of the night. NeNe said, "Every Haitian will sleep outside tonight." He slept in the bread truck. The photo above shows damage in the guest house from the January 2010 earthquake that rocked the whole country.

Speaking of guest houses... this is the Georgia House in Leogane. It's run by an organization called Baptists 4 Haiti. In a previous blog entry I mentioned meeting a missionary named Roland who serves with Baptists 4 Haiti. It was definitely a divine appointment while I was visiting House of Hope orphanage. There is a chance that I may have the opportunity to partner with Baptists 4 Haiti in the near future. Please pray with me as decisions are made to determine whether or not this could be my next home!

Let me close with a story that inspired the title for this entry. On my departure day, I left Sarah's for the airport around 9:30am. Yves' car wasn't working so we called his friend David who has a taptap (Haitian taxi truck). NeNe and I set off for the airport and soon found ourselves in some of the worst traffic I'd seen my entire time in Haiti. After about 45 minutes of going maybe 2 miles, I asked NeNe if we needed to take a motorcycle taxi in order to make it to the airport on time. I didn't really love the idea of having to take motorcycles with my suitcase and bags, but we didn't really have another choice! He flagged down a couple motorcycles. He hopped on one with the driver and my suitcase. I hopped on another and sandwiched myself between the driver and a random man who was already on it. I guess that driver really wanted the extra money because we had planned to take one without a passenger already on it! Truth was, we were doing all of this in the middle of all the traffic so it's not like we had a lot of time or options! I held my laptop bag and camera bag and we were off! We made it to the airport with time to spare and probably a full hour before we would have made it otherwise.

Though I don't have a photo from that event, or all the other times I took a moto taxi with NeNe to the store or market, here's a pic of NeNe and Lee to give you an idea of what we would've looked like. And for the record, I've seen as many as 6 people on a moto taxi!

Thank you all for praying throughout my time in Haiti. I am thankful for God's provision and protection. Even with the challenges that come with living in and operating a ministry in a third-world country, it was a wonderful experience and I'd do it all again in a heartbeat! I made many new friends and enjoyed getting to know even better the ones I met last year. It was great meeting all of the volunteers and seeing how God used them in all of the projects they were involved in. I hope you'll continue to follow along with my journey as I seek out whatever God has next for me. And I look forward to seeing many of you during my time back home. :)
Check out this unique fundraiser April 13-14 in Knoxville:

Knox Area Rescue Ministries (KARM) presents the First Annual "KARM Camp Out", a unique fund-raiser event designed to visibly raise awareness about homelessness in the Knox area. Event participants will spend the night outside in tents or boxes to raise awareness and money for KARM. The KARM Camp Out will include food, music and many more activities designed to open your eyes and open your heart to the homeless in our community.

Through the collection of pledges for spending one night outside the comfort of their own home, participants will help support KARM's mission and many life-saving programs that help the homeless.

Click here to register.

Are you crafty and want to craft for a cause?

How about making some of these adorable pillowcase dresses for me to take down next time I go to Haiti? They are perfect for the hot climate and the girls look adorable in them!


If you or someone you know would like to make some dresses, you can make any size, amount, and color from baby to young teen. I have a relationship with several orphanages in Haiti and other families with young girls, so every dress made will find the perfect home.

Currently, my tentative plans are to return to Haiti the beginning of May, so I would just need them by then if you wanted to send them along with me on that trip. You can Google "pillowcase dress" for instructions. I've seen them made with different variations. Some with pockets or a trim at the top. All are cute!

Email me if you have any questions or if you need my address for mailing the dresses.

(Photo from One-Hip-Mom)
Last Sunday while I was in Leogane, my friend Kalebe (the director of The Lamb Center) wanted to take me to a nearby orphanage and meet the pastor who runs it. Kalebe had already informed me that this orphanage was facing some desperate circumstances, so I was a little prepared to see harsh conditions. I still find, however, when you are walking among places like I am about to describe, nothing can fully prepare you.

Pastor Jeannot and his wife have 18 children at their orphanage called House of Hope. Three of those children are their own biological kids. The story I heard from someone else was that Pastor Jeannot had had a 16 room building in a different location that the earthquake destroyed in January 2010. Thankfully the children were outside playing when the earthquake occurred. None of them were hurt but two employees died who were inside.

The spot of land where the orphanage is now is small. Scattered about are several tents for sleeping and one larger tent shared by Pastor Jeannot's church and the school for the children. Pastor Jeannot led me around to show me how they live. While I could sense a deep hurt as this man is struggling to put the pieces back together, I could also see joy and pride in him for all he is trying to do to serve God and care for these kids.

Maybe it's best for you to take a "virtual tour" with me around the property through the photos I took...

This is looking towards the back of the property. To the left are a couple of the tents for sleeping. I think the building under construction will be a new dorm.

Pastor Jeannot showed me their current well. It has already been dug very deep but needs some repairs and a proper system for bringing the water up. Obviously water is vital to health and survival. The well will be their source of water for cleaning, bathing, cooking, and probably even drinking. The water would not be safe for us to drink but someone who has been "raised" on it can typically handle it, though it is obviously not the best option.

This is their cooking area. You will see most Haitians cooking in a similar fashion, using charcoal. I hope one day they can have an even better setup. And I can already see they could use some bigger pots.

This is their clothes washing station but under the piece of plywood is a huge pit for a future latrine.

Graciously their neighbor is letting them use this latrine area for the bathroom and bathing. Obviously they need to build their own area soon as this isn't best suited for their needs.

This is where the 8 girls sleep. Those are the only two mattresses. The ground is hard and rocky and I would not want to be the ones who couldn't fit on the mattress. The 10 boys share a similar tent.

This is the tent for church and school. Most of the tents on the property were given to The Lamb Center after the earthquake. Their orphanage had also collapsed. Once Kalebe was able to put his children in temporary homes, he gave the tents to House of Hope.

As I was walking around this orphanage I was gripped by many thoughts and emotions. Probably the main thought or question was, "God, what am I to do?" What am I to do? When I walk around a place like this. Where children are living in tents in a hot climate with the rainy season not far away. They don't have great water access. The pastor is doing all he can but is obviously sending a loud plea for help without even having to use words. Kalebe, who has 68 children of his own is concerned and taking time out of his busy schedule to raise awareness about these children and their needs. And again... what am I to do? I knew I needed to take photos, gather information, and be prepared to share with all of you about House of Hope and the needs that they have. And while I do want you all to be aware and think and pray for yourselves as to what you can do to make a difference in the lives of these children or children like them through a ministry somewhere you may already have a connection with, this story does not end here and I have good news to report as you continue to scroll through the remaining photographs.

After the tour, Pastor Jeannot and his wife gathered the children around to welcome me with singing. Always a special honor! (Notice, there is a white face in the background. When I arrived, I was the only American there. After about 10 minutes, this changed... scroll down to read more.)

While the children were singing, three tap taps (truck taxis) arrived with a big group of blancs (slang for white people). A bunch of college students and their leaders jumped out. I observed pretty quickly that some of them had been here before. Just as my initial steps inside this orphanage began a flood of thoughts and emotions, seeing these Americans come out of nowhere set off yet another stream of thoughts and emotions. Who are these people? How crazy is it that they showed up right after I did! So they've been here before? How long ago were they here? I found myself most concerned about what the answer was to that last question. I was thinking, if the last time they had come was like a year ago, I was going to be frustrated. I would not be able to reconcile how a group could come a year or even just months ago and yet this place still looks like it does now with pathetic tents, no working well, and half-finished construction. I engaged in conversation with one of them. I found out they were from Georgia, and some of them had been there the previous week. Good! So this was a group who was
currently working in this area. That was a positive revelation because that meant that good things were probably going to be happening soon and I dropped the expectation of thinking this group should have already done more than they had so far. I also breathed a little relief personally knowing that I now shared the burden I had picked up just ten minutes before, feeling like the whole weight of helping this orphanage was on my shoulders.

There is another story to be told from this day at House of Hope. It involves meeting a missionary named Roland who was in charge of sending this team to the orphanage. And it opens up an exciting door for me to possibly return to Haiti for ministry in the near future. But for now, I want to keep the focus on House of Hope and I will share more details about that "chance" encounter in a future blog entry.

The college group was from Crossroads Baptist Church, most attend Valdosta State, and they had given their cherished Spring Break to come and serve the people in Haiti. They had a range of medical, construction, evangelism and other experience and skill levels. They weren't afraid to jump in and serve where needed. I headed back to the orphanage on Monday and got a firsthand look at some of what they were up to throughout the week.

The medical team had a clinic that morning. Some of the children at the orphanage were already sick. Measles was going around. And of course people from the nearby community came to get checked out, receive medicines, and prayer. They also shared Bible stories with the kids and led them in some fun activities.

I took the next two photos off of Roland's Facebook page since they were taken after I left...

This is the dorm you saw in the first picture. It's coming along! If they haven't completed it yet I'm sure it will be done soon.

They finished the well!! This is a HUGE accomplishment and blessing! Thank you, Crossroads!

This is my new friend Suzie. Suzie came two weeks in a row and has been to Haiti and Africa several times. She is a neat lady and I know our friendship will continue! :)
My last weekend in Haiti I made a trip to Leogane. This is where I served on my first trip to Haiti in August last year. I came with Samaritan's Purse for one month and helped out at The Lamb Center orphanage. I fell in love with the 60+ kids there and got to visit them on my second trip to Haiti in November.

Even though these last two and a half months in Haiti were very busy, I knew I couldn't head home without making another stop in Leogane to visit my special friends there. Kalebe and Kerlo, two brothers who run The Lamb Center, met me near Leogane and took me to see their kids. Due to the scheduling of my transportation to and from Leogane, I needed to stay overnight. Kalebe graciously offered a bed at the girls' house, and I accepted with excitement. Staying overnight at an orphanage with 68 kids would definitely be an adventure! :)

The children welcomed me with open arms as usual! It's a bit overwhelming when you are alone and not with a team of people. There is no one else to divide the children's excitement, so they all flock to you. If you have issues with personal space you might have a problem! Ha! They all want to touch you, hold your hand, and walk beside you, or in front, or behind. I took short and careful steps as far as I could into the complex before having to ask some of them to step aside so we didn't all fall over like dominoes! But I was so happy to see each of them so I really didn't mind the crazy attention. They always want me to say their name. I can only imagine how special an orphaned child would feel to have someone know and remember his name. I did the best I could and when I couldn't remember I simply asked them to remind me and told them that I would remember for next time. They seemed content enough with that.

The boys' home and the girls' home are only a short distance away. I took a short tour through each, noticing some of the changes and improvements. For one, they have a big generator with power 24/7. That's almost unheard of in Haiti, but a big thanks to Samaritan's Purse for that provision! It's a wonderful blessing! They also had some temporary showers built behind the boys' home and their privacy fence repaired.

After I put my stuff in the girls' house it was time for dinner. Nothing fancy, just corn flakes and milk. Haitians typically eat their biggest meals at breakfast and lunch. It was already getting dark by the time we finished. I hung out with the girls for a bit. They all wanted to know which room I was sleeping in. Kalebe had already assigned me to the first room. We played around a bit and to start settling them down I asked if one of the girls, Rose-Andre, wanted to read us some stories. I knew my pronunciation wouldn't be too great in French or Creole. She was shy at first, but I encouraged her. She read several stories and then I remembered I had a Creole book of Bible stories. I brought that out and she read the story of baby Moses. Several of the girls crowded around her to listen. Reading is so good for kids of any age. We enjoyed hearing the stories, and it was definitely good practice for her as she continues in school.

I was thankful that many of the girls already started to fall asleep around 8:00pm. With the intense schedule I've had the last couple of months, I never seemed to mind going to bed early. The girls started to put a couple mattresses together on the floor for me. I didn't want them to go to any trouble. I told them I could sleep like them on the bunks if two of the girls wanted to bunk together in order to give me their bed. Rose-Andre immediately volunteered. It was hot, as usual, and a bit difficult to go to sleep at first, but I eventually managed and slept most the night. I had asked the girls to wake me up when they got up in the morning. When they did my phone said 4:30am. I said groggily in Creole, "Why do you all get up so early?" "To bathe and get ready," Rose-Andre replied. "You go do that and I will go back to sleep," I responded. I ended up getting out of bed about 30 minutes later. (Around 7am, I found out that it was actually now 8am. Haiti all of a sudden decided to start having Daylight Savings Time. Nobody told me... or half of Haiti!)

We had breakfast... delicious eggs more like an omelet. Then the children lined up and raised the Haitian flag. The teachers had already arrived and after the flag ceremony all the children went to their respective classes. There are five "classrooms", three outside the boys' home and two inside the girls' home. I went around to check them all out and take some photos.

I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to see the children at The Lamb Center and the special treat of spending the night there! I came back that afternoon to say my goodbyes and I look forward to the chance to go back again for a visit! I also went down the road to the construction site for the new home and school for The Lamb Center. Great progress is being made and I can't wait until the children are able to move in later this year!

A joyful welcome and reunion!

Hanging out with some of the girls at their home

Andre and Jeff, two little adorable trouble-makers at The Lamb Center

Bible story time with Rose-Andre before bedtime

Waiting patiently for breakfast

Flag ceremony

The classrooms outside the boys' home

Inside the classrooms

Two teachers and classes share this space

The classroom for the youngest kids

Busy solving their math problems

The blessing of the generator!

Cute little Lucheva. You can especially see how much the kids have grown by looking at the littlest ones!


Today we all loaded up in the bread truck and headed to the beach!

Here was the guest list:

Grant and the 5 others from his crew
Sarah, Yves, 5 of their kids, and Sarah's friend Amy
Me, NeNe, and Josien

Wahoo Bay is about an hour and a half from the guest house. It's also the spot where Sarah and Yves got married. :) When we arrived, the pool had no water in it. It was a bit of a disappointing start to the day, but it didn't seem to stop everyone from having a wonderful time. Instead of spending the time in the pool, we simply headed to the ocean. That wouldn't have been the first choice for all since the children (and a couple of the adults) can't swim. But the water is shallow enough in most parts to still have fun playing in the ocean. We had a delicious lunch. I had a cheeseburger and fries. Yummy! I was especially blessed because our cook/cleaning lady Josien came along. I wasn't sure at first if she would accept the invitation but she finally did and was so excited about it! :)

Thank you Grant and crew for giving us this special day!!

On the way we happened upon the remains of an accident from this morning. Thankfully, no one was injured.

As we started to move on from the accident site, our own truck had problems.

This "quick repair" would probably make many Americans cringe. In Haiti, it's a job well done and we were back on the road!!

Jeff was teaching Jimmy some bad habits. Jimmy's so cute though!

Kendra, Gerlanda, Mirlanda, and Josien on the way to the beach

Gerlanda was afraid of the water at first, but warmed up to the idea quickly. For most, if not all, of Sarah's kids... this trip is a first for them!

NeNe and Regina weren't deterred at all from the pool disappointment. They instantly started lounging and playing on the comfy chairs. :)

What is a trip to the beach without someone getting buried in the sand?! Yves happily volunteered!

Cute little Regina was not shy at all.

This guy offered to fix us some fresh crab. I bet it would have been delicious! Next time...

You can pay these guys to take you for a "spin" in their boat. Here's NeNe getting a free break from the water.

Jimmy and Mirlanda cooling off

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