It's like scrolling through a silent movie reel. Dozens of patients I have touched and who have forever impacted my life. Their faces are burned into my memory. The little girl on my first night at the field hospital who cried out for hours. Tortured by memories and horrors I can't even imagine. Another little girl days later who was so scared and in pain and just wanted her mommy. For days her mother fought for her life in the ICU. At one point when her mother woke up, they were able to be reunited for a couple of hours. I remember walking by and seeing them both asleep in the mother's bed. There were a few intense times throughout the mom's stay where she almost died—and by any medical standard should have died. But God miraculously intervened each time and our staff was able to eventually walk her out of the hospital, finally reunited with her family. She left our hospital having experienced the love of God in amazing ways through our team. I cannot forget the faces of the young boys I sat with who shortly after breathed their last breath on Earth. And I'll always remember the sweet face of a new friend who came in a few days ago. He was an older man who had shrapnel in his back after a drone attack. He had lost six of his eight pints of blood and I stood at his feet that night praying hard for him. The next morning I heard the good news that he survived the night. I also learned that he is a French professor in Mosul, so I've been visiting him each day and speaking to him in French. Spending time with him has been one of many highlights of my time here.

An update on the toddler who lost both of her legs. She has been able to come in for follow-ups (a miracle in itself!) and Frank our orthopedic surgeon has been straightening out her knee so that as her body continues to grow and adjust she will be able to use prosthetics. Praise God! Thank you for praying for her and please continue!

Prayer Requests

Thank you for every prayer lifted up for us and the team. The days are often long and intense and we depend on God to renew our strength each morning. Thank you for praying for God's protection for the hospital and for our team members as some travel back and forth. Please pray also for the details of the hospital itself. Pray that the generators keep running well. And for all of the behind-the-scenes operations that allow us to do what we're doing.

Thank you for praying for our patients and for peace in Iraq. Yesterday's press release from the UN states, "People, right now, are in trouble. We are hearing reports of parents struggling to feed their children and to heat their homes. Children and their families are starting to face critical shortages of safe drinking water. [As the military campaign begins] tens of thousands of people may flee or be forced to leave the city. Hundreds of thousands of civilians might be trapped— maybe for weeks, maybe for months." Truly the people in Mosul are facing a humanitarian crisis. Thankfully we are in a position to respond to some of the medical needs, but that is only a small part of a huge crisis. Thank you for continuing to pray for these families as they are constantly living in fear, struggling to have enough food, and suffering in the cold as temperatures are still often below freezing at night.

The more I travel the smaller the world seems sometimes. Bill Ragon walked into the EFH proudly wearing his Tennessee ball cap. We became fast friends. And it turns out his brother and sister-in-law go to my aunt's church in Milan, TN. I could brag on each person on our team, but I was especially encouraged by Bill's tender heart and gentle spirit no matter how difficult the day might have been.

I can never say it enough... Thank you! We appreciate your prayers and encouraging messages so much!

"The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him." Nahum 1:7

Today marks our second week at the field hospital. Time has been quite a fuzzy thing here. It feels like we've been here so much longer. I suppose that's due to the intensity of what we've seen and experienced here so far. I want to thank you again for your prayers and encouragement. I know the last update was hard to read, but I think it's important for people to remember that war isn't just two sides fighting against each other. War means homes are destroyed, families are separated, children have no safe place to play, and the people affected will never ever be the same. It's the ugliest, most heartwrenching thing I've ever seen. And yet I have been so encouraged to see God working here. How He will make a way for something that seems impossible. How He sustains and strengthens us when we're at the end of our own abilities. And how He has brought this incredible team together from across the globe to minister to the hurting, the broken, and the dying. Despite the physical and emotional toll of serving in a place like this, I am so humbled and honored to be here.

This little girl is perhaps our most popular patient right now. She is a little over one year old and came in with her cousin as victims of an explosion. This baby's legs were so badly injured that they had to amputate both of them below the knee. Looking at her cherub face and rosy cheeks you would hardly know anything was wrong. Several of us have enjoyed the task of rocking her to sleep each day. Please pray for her and her family as they face the challenges ahead.

I have loved getting to know everyone on our team. During the slower moments I get the chance to hear a bit of their stories and what God has been teaching them here. Vicky was one of my bunkmates who recently left. It was cool hearing how God brought her to the field hospital. And a special coincidence with my family... her daughters' names are Rebekah, Elisabeth, and Hannah. :) Please continue to pray for our team here, and also those who have already headed home. As you can imagine, transitioning back to "normal" life after experiencing something like this is a difficult task. Thank you for lifting us up!!

This is been the most intense assignment I've ever had. My job title is Emergency Field Hospital Admin, but my daily tasks have included holding the hands of dying children, praying with nurses who are at the end of their own strength (Thank you Jesus for Yours!), and rushing around during our busy times to bring patients warm sheets and towels as they come off non-heated ambulances in nearly freezing temperatures. These are on top of my actual admin tasks of keeping up with the comings and goings of our staff, providing orientation for newcomers, and answering a dozen emails. I'm constantly amazed by our team and how they are able to do what they do again and again and again. When I mention how appreciative I am for your prayers, I mean it more than I can explain. We are depending on God every hour and we know your prayers are being heard and answered.

1S1S is hunting children

These are the words I heard out of the mouth of one of our head security guys. We have seen a high volume of children coming into our hospital. Yesterday five children were taken to the morgue. Two had already died before the ambulance reached us. The other three died in the hospital. Some of these casualties are the result of weaponized drones 1S1S has created. Many are like the ones some of you fly around in your backyard. Others look like tiny planes. When they send these drones up, often they have a camera on them to show who they're about to attack. Whoever is watching that footage can see whether they are about to drop a grenade on a soldier or on a child. So when we get a group of children admitted due to a drone attack, they weren't just victims of an explosion nearby—they were the intentional targets. This is an evil I absolutely cannot understand.

I recently read an article that said, "1S1S is using snipers, suicide car bombs and drones to attack Iraqi forces." Yes, that is true. And they are also using all of these things to attack children... in case you never hear that on the news.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers and your encouraging emails! While this experience is difficult and impossible to wrap your mind around, we are so honored to be here and pray that what we are doing here will transform lives long after we're gone.

"Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Hebrews 4:16

It's hard to believe that we've not even been in Iraq a full three days. We are learning our new roles as quickly as we can. I'm sure Mark already has a great handle on things here at the base/field hospital. It will be a very busy and important role, but I know he'll do an amazing job. With every new task I learn, I'm taking work and stress off of the small admin team here. I'm sure within a few more days my daily list of duties will be quite lengthy. We have new people coming to serve at the hospital every day and others who are heading back home. We also have an large amount of national staff who rotate in and out every few days. There are a lot of people to keep up with but the team here is wonderful and it's been incredible to see how God has handpicked each one of us to be here. Thank you for your continued prayers that we will serve well and as a caring and unified team.

War is horrific

I don't think anyone can be fully prepared to enter a warzone. Not mentally anyway. We received a thorough security training upon arrival in addition to some online training we had to do before we got here. I started to get a decent picture in my head of what it might be like, but nothing prepares you for seeing it with your own eyes. Our first night at the field hospital we received an influx of nearly 20 patients... the biggest load that had been seen here in days. It was all hands on deck and very intense. I'm sure serving in a hospital after a natural disaster is also difficult, but we've all remarked about how seeing the trauma and casualties of war is perhaps even more disheartening. These are victims of hatred and evil. Villages that were deserted by those fleeing the fighting have been heavily booby-trapped by the enemy and now many families trying to return are being killed when they step on their doormat or lift up the coffee kettle.

Please continue to pray for all of us here. Our medical team is working long hours and sometimes right when they think they'll get a break, a new wave of patients comes in. We can only do so much in our own strength, so we are relying on God to provide everything we need for this great task. Thank you for lifting us up whenever you can.

It's been quite cold here in Iraq. We packed accordingly but it's still a bit of a shock after being spoiled in warm Gulfport the past few weeks.

I was recruited on our first night here to be a hand holder in the women and children's ward. For nearly six hours I tried to console this little girl. I can't imagine what these precious children have already seen and experienced. As I am typing this, two little children are dying in the emergency room. They are being rocked and sung to by our loving team. We cannot explain how much we appreciate your prayers for us and these families.

2016 sure ended with an exciting bang! The last few months have been a whirlwind... from getting engaged right after my summer in Belgium, to planning our special day, and then heading to Haiti together a week after getting back from our honeymoon in Colorado. All of this beautiful craziness just makes us more excited for what God has in store for us in 2017!

Highlights from Haiti

Hurricane Matthew made landfall in Haiti on October 4th killing over 1,000 people and leaving nearly 1.5 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Mark deployed to Haiti just days later to help deliver aid to some of the hardest hit areas. He returned the week before our wedding and then we left for Haiti together shortly after our honeymoon. We served with Samaritan's Purse in Les Cayes, Haiti. I was the base manager for our team there and Mark was the area coordinator. It was an incredibly busy and full time. We were both glad to be back in Haiti where we could use our Creole and experience from living there before.

As the base manager I supervised 14 ladies who cooked and cleaned for our base. We became fast friends and I did my best during our busy days to get to know them and love on them. I wanted to leave them with a gift and the only resource I had for that was my camera. We had fun on several occasions taking silly pictures together. They loved it! I put all of the photos on one of their laptops so they can eventually print some of them out. It was a tearful goodbye even after only knowing them for three weeks. Mark stayed an extra two weeks to wrap up some of the important tasks and then we enjoyed the holidays together in Tennessee.

Although we were serving in a different part of Haiti than where I used to live, I did get to make a brief visit to the precious kiddos at Hope For Life Children's Home. They're doing well and still loving their new dorm. :)

What's next?!

We are leaving tomorrow on a new assignment with Samaritan's Purse. We will spend six weeks in Iraq helping the team provide emergency relief to Iraqi citizens fleeing the conflict in Mosul. Samaritan's Purse is distributing food and supplies to those living in evacuee camps and has set up an emergency field hospital for those in need. We appreciate your prayers for us and the team as we serve those who have left everything behind in search of refuge. Pray for us that we will have the opportunity to share about the One who promises to be our refuge and strength and a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1) Thank you for your love, encouragement, and support. We look forward to keeping you all updated as we follow after God's plans for us in the weeks and months to come.

I am so thankful for the compassion and generosity of others when a disaster strikes. I often receive comments and messages asking how people can help. Hurricane Matthew's devastation of Haiti has been no exception.

Let me try to write out a concise explanation that covers the basics for those of you interested in helping out. And this is not just limited to Haiti. It applies to disaster relief anywhere in the world.

Here are two common messages I receive:

I would like to make a financial contribution. What organizations do you recommend?

When possible, support local organizations that were on the ground before the disaster and have long-term efforts already established. They have the best understanding of the needs and how to respond most effectively. They also have long-term development in mind and aren't only looking at short-term relief.

Here's one great example of an initiative taking place in Haiti right now to provide relief where it's needed most.

HURRICANE MATTHEW EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN: This is a collaborative effort of several grassroots organization in the Gressier and Leogane areas to make a well-measured response. We are combining our efforts and resources to make both long-term and short-term positive impacts in some of the worst hit areas in Haiti. We are performing a needs analysis based on current needs and supplies already being sent by other relief groups. Our relief efforts will focus solely on the gap between what is needed and what is already being provided. We prioritize buying locally to support Haiti. If you feel called to help with this relief effort, you can contribute finanicially through the following link: www.amoveogroup.org/hurricane-matthew-response.

Photo credit: Michael Broyles

What I love about this is that it is a combined effort of several organizations working together for maximum impact. Not only are they working together within themselves, but they are making it a priority to find out what other efforts are taking place so that relief is not duplicated and more people in need can be reached. I know these people personally and that they are doing everything they can to do things well. They are putting into practice important lessons that they learned after the 2010 earthquake. So again, if you would like to give to a reputable effort to help where it's needed most, click here to make a donation.

I am also heading up a smaller scale fundraising campaign for Hope For Life Children's Home and a few families I know in the Leogane area. If you would like to support either of those causes click here. It will automatically go towards the children's home, or if you'd like to support one of the families I mentioned on Facebook yesterday, write "families" in the "add a note" section. I can assure you that 100% of your donation will go towards those needs.

I would like to travel to Haiti to help with disaster relief. Do you know any organizations needing volunteers?

I commend your desire to want to go and serve. If you don't already have personal contacts on the ground, it's generally not easy to quickly jump on board with relief efforts. From time to time I may hear of an organization needing volunteers with specific skill sets. I try to post those needs when I learn of them. But my general answer is this... If you find your heart pounding to get involved on the ground when a disaster happens, you should look into becoming a registered volunteer with organizations that deploy volunteers. This is something you can do ahead of time and possibly get your name on a list to serve with future disaster relief efforts. If you are in the medical profession I recommend Heart To Heart International, www.hearttoheart.org/volunteer. Samaritan's Purse also has opportunities in the U.S. and abroad. Occasionally they have an international DART position opportunity listed on their employment page where you can apply to get trained as a DART member. Otherwise check out their volunteer page where they'll have a list of current volunteer needs, www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/volunteer. These won't always be immediate opportunities after a disaster (unless it's in the U.S.), but if you have an interest in relief and development work in general, that's a great place to start.

I just want to say thank you to all of you who have been praying for Haiti. I have personally been encouraged knowing that so many people have been lifting up a nation so dear to my heart. And my friends in Haiti have told me how much they appreciate your prayers and concern. Please continue to pray for them as they face a long recovery. I was devastated to hear that one of my friends lost his home, as just six years ago he lost his mother, father, and two sisters in the earthquake. This disaster is reopening wounds from that terrible time, and for many people it has only piled more debris on top of the huge mountain they've already been climbing since 2010.

But there is hope and together we can make a difference. I'm reminded again of the Haitian proverb "Men anpil, chay pa lou." Many hands make light work. Let's continue to work together to help build back a stronger Haiti!

I don't want to start counting down the days, but I can definitely sense that our time here is running short. The second half of my summer is looking much different than the first. The first several weeks were spent getting used to a new place and a new routine. We were meeting people constantly and getting into the groove of what our ministry would look like here. Now we are all meeting up with people individually and in groups on a consistent basis. I've made several new friends who are all at different places in their spiritual journey.

There's one friend who I met just days after arriving here who told me during our first conversation that she is "very hungry for spiritual food." I've been trying to connect her with the local church community here. It has been interesting to see how the timing of events in her life have lined up with us meeting and me being able to encourage her during some of those challenges.

And another new friend who I volunteered with recently. She's several years older than me, but it was the first time she had experienced anything like the refugee center where we were serving. She walked away that day disappointed in humanity and how refugees are being treated around the world. I tried to share what God has taught me about loving people and being a voice for those who need someone to speak up for them. She ended the day by telling me, "Knowing that noble people like you do exist makes me process better all I have thought and felt today." Such kind words, but I'm just thankful that God allowed me to share that experience with her and offer some encouragement. I'll be seeing her again this week and I hope to have more opportunities to share how Jesus has changed my life and given me a mission to share His message of love.

And then there's Stela and Alaa who I will mention shortly...

In my last update one of the prayer requests was for our team to have more access to the refugee centers. God heard our prayers! Doors have opened wider for us in the two main centers where we were working. And new doors have opened at other centers where we've recently made contact. The big center we've been serving in is allowing us to come in 3-4 times a week for the next three weeks for several hours at a time! That's a huge increase from only having a 1.5 hour slot once a week. We are so thankful for the relationships we have made with the children and the parents. Some from our team have also befriended several teenagers, many of whom came to Belgium alone. And just today I met a young lady who has been living at the center for six months. Three months ago she gave birth to a little boy. She is not married and has no other family here. All she can do is sit and wait for her papers to be approved so she can begin a new life for her and her son. I'm reminded every day that refugees are real people with real stories of loss, heartache, and desperation. They need love. They need hope. They need someone who will take time to sit with them and listen.

It's a girl!

In my last update I asked for you to pray for my new friend Stela. If we're connected on Facebook you've also seen updates about this special family. On July 1st (two weeks ahead of her due date) baby Alexandra came into the world. I've been visiting with Stela regularly over the past several weeks. If you remember, I met Stela on her birthday, June 6th. I've never seen a face so lost and desperate on what should be a happy occasion, but I'm so thankful for the transformation I'm already seeing in Stela's life. Joy and hope are being restored as she is realizing God's abundant love for her. Her boyfriend Nicolas called me minutes after Alexandra was born. I went to visit them that day in the hospital and sat on the hospital bed with Stela for an hour, watching her cuddle with her newborn baby. Smiling as she looked at each finger, whispering to herself about Alexandra's tiny hands and the miracle of birth.

While this small family is excited about their new addition, there are still many challenges ahead. Thankfully they haven't been evicted yet, but when I visited last week there was a sign on their front door that the building would be demolished August 1st. The clock is ticking! Please pray that a door would open soon for a housing option for them. Without a legal address they cannot continue with the residency process. The second prayer request is for a permanent job for Nicolas so that they can have a steady income. Having a full-time job is also a requirement to continue his permanent residency application.

I would love to help this family in a few tangible ways while I'm still here. I'm reminded of the words of Jesus to help those in need. And while I don't believe that Stela and Nicolas are just sitting around waiting for a handout, I do feel that now more than ever they could use a little jumpstart to get them on their feet. I plan to raise some money for diapers and a stroller and anything extra I will put towards their first month's rent on a new place.

Prayer for a friend

And finally pray for a friend of mine who works at my favorite restaurant. She is a Mus1im from the Middle East. She came to Belgium one year ago. We have enjoyed getting to know each other throughout the summer. She recently hung out for a couple hours. We talked about the similarities and differences between Islam and Christianity. Every chance I had I talked about God's love, the power of Jesus' sacrifice, and how following Him has forever transformed my life. When she told me that she tries to be a good person in hopes that maybe Allah will let her enter Heaven when she dies, I told her that I believe God loves us so much that He doesn't wait to see if we'll one day be "good enough". That He loves us so much He came to us through Jesus and made a way for anyone who believes to spend eternity in Heaven. And that He doesn't just wait until we die to give us good things, but when we believe in Jesus we get to experience hope and peace and love throughout our time on earth. I'm so thankful for my sweet friend and her friendship. I'm excited for more conversations and the opportunity to answer any further questions she has about my relationship with Jesus. Please pray for her as she starts a new life on her own in Belgium.

Please pray also that refugees would experience the goodness of God in the midst of their pain. And pray for refreshment and increased energy for our team as we are in our final weeks in Belgium. Thank you all for your prayers, support, and encouragement! I'm so thankful for you!

War is horrific

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