Where He leads...: A weekend with friends

A weekend with friends

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It's crazy to think that this month marks the two year anniversary of my first trip to Haiti. Since that trip, God has continually opened doors for me to serve in Haiti and I'm now on my 6th trip... though this stint isn't really considered a "trip" since I'm here all year.

I have so many fond memories from all of my various activities and assignments in Haiti. One place that is particularly special to me is Croix des Bouquets, where I first went for 10 days in November 2011 and then ran a guest house for God's Planet from January to March 2012. Through those experiences I became good friends with a missionary named Sarah Dorismar, ironically also from Maryville, TN! (We had never met before meeting in Haiti!) Sarah and her husband Yves were a huge help to me--teaching me about Haitian culture, helping me learn Creole, sharing the behind-the-scenes of missionary life in Haiti, and mostly just making me feel like part of the family. When I first met Sarah she had recently started a children's home and had five sweet kids. Now she has 17 children--19 if you count staff children who also live there with their parents. And on top of all those adorable kiddos, Sarah has one other sweet gal whom I dearly love, "my" dog Fibi! Sarah brought Fibi to me when she was a tiny puppy in January 2012. I told her then that she was pretty clever, giving me a puppy so I'd want to stay in Haiti forever! Sarah assured me she would take care of Fibi after my time in Haiti ended. Well, obviously my time in Haiti hasn't ended, but I'm now serving two hours away and have yet to live somewhere I can have a dog. So Fibi has stayed with Sarah and her huge family and though she was thrilled to see me (the feeling was mutual of course) she seems happy and healthy there.

Here are some photos with captions to give you a peek at my visit to Croix des Bouquets this weekend...

Love her!!!

The kids of Living Water Haiti

Regina was one of the original five children when I first stayed with Sarah in 2011. Now she's a rambunctious four year old!

Belanda is also four and absolutely adorable! Look at those eyes!

Wilson is the the youngest child there. He's got some spunk but is also so cuddly! He will not turn down an invitation to be picked up and loved on!

I got to see Amanda and little Ellie, other friends of mine from Maryville also serving as missionaries in Haiti. It's always great to see familiar faces!

Josien was my cook and cleaning lady when I managed the God's Planet guest house. She became a dear friend and her boys are so adorable! I was able to find sponsors to pay for their schooling this year. Unfortunately Josien has not found a steady job since we closed down the guest house over a year ago. The school sponsorships mean a lot to this family! I also gave them one of several Creole children's Bibles donated by New Creations S.S. class at Fairview Methodist. Her oldest boy Verley was in a serious accident a few months ago. It's a miracle he is still alive!

A national highway cuts through the outskirts of Croix des Bouquets and it is very dangerous. Like many families, Josien lives right off that road. Verley was hit by a truck and was severely injured. He lost a toe and nearly lost his foot altogether. His time in the hospital reduced him to skin and bones. Sarah is going to show him exercises he can do to build some muscle back in his left leg. Continue to pray for Verley as he heals and starts the new school year.

Me with Dave, Samuel, and sweet Rose--their neighbor who I first met as a tiny infant months ago.

Fibi is so huge! Crazy to think how tiny she was just a year and a half ago!

Living Water has goats that come in to sleep at night. The dogs like to chase them to the back. You'd think they were going to kill them the way they carry on. I think the goats think that too!

This is Rocky, one of the four Living Water Haiti dogs. They were newborn pups that had been left in a box outside another mission and were barely crawling when I met them earlier this year.

And this is Biko. Further proof that my heart always has room to expand and let another life jump right in! I instantly fell in love with this little guy. He is an absolute sweetheart and just melted in my arms when I picked him up, head on my shoulder and everything.

Sarah and Yves graciously gave me a ride back to Leogane. We stopped by Hope For Life Children's Home so they could meet the kids who have stolen my heart. They brought brand new hats and several pairs of shoes thanks to a generous organization called Love A Child.