Bonswa!
I am writing you drenched in sweat and surrounded by flies and mosquitoes! It is a miserably hot day in Haiti! I turned on a battery powered fan for a little bit but the warm air it was blowing at my face was only making me hotter. The girls are passed out in pools of sweat in the playroom and Jivenson is rolling around on the tile floor trying to keep cool.
Speaking of little Jeeves, he has 2 teeth now and 2 more on the way! He is a rolling machine and he is sitting up for 20 minutes at a time! These are remarkable improvements over the past few weeks. Pierreline is learning new words and enjoys repeating everything we say. She makes a point to do everything she is told NOT to do and not to do everything she is TOLD to do. This morning she was putting something dirty in her mouth and I said, "Don't lick that. It's very dirty. If you put it in your mouth you can't play with it anymore." So she stared at me and as soon as she THOUGHT I wasn't looking, she licked it and gave me a look like, "I'll lick it if I want to." Is she adorable? Yes! Is she an angel? Far from it! But we are happy to love her here at HOPE House and teach her the right way to behave. Please pray for her future as it is very uncertain. Her abusive father still wants her back and returning her could very well result in her death.
Kelancia's paperwork for traveling to Michigan is COMPLETE! Everything is READY! All we have to do is pack our bags and board the plane! Thank you for all of your prayers over the past months! This process began last October and the Lord has been so faithful to answer in His perfect timing.
Our last team left on Thursday morning. The house has been pretty well cleared out! One team member, Deb, stayed behind to help me pack and clean the house before we leave for the States. She has been a tremendous help the last few days making sure things were getting accomplished as I was ill.
Friday around noon I started feeling really nauseous and I threw up 6 times in the next 7 hours. I couldn't even keep water down. Something hit me like a ton of bricks and I found myself lying on the tile floor shaking and dizzy. By 8:00 pm I could hardly keep my eyes open or respond to anyone's questions. Frentz and Deb began calling anyone we knew to come over and help. When we ran out of options, Frentz took the truck down Delmas 75 looking for a nurse. About 9:00 pm he came home with a Haitian nurse who works at an international church around the corner from us. She started an IV and gave me a shot for nausea. By Saturday morning, I was feeling better, but still very week. I took a day of rest and drank a lot of fluids! This morning I had enough energy to shower and go to church. I have never felt that sick before in my life! Praise the Lord for IVs and Haitian nurses willing to work any hour of the day.
Tomorrow, Frentz has an appointment to work on the papers for our new truck! We were able to get it out of customs this past week! It was a truly joyous occasion after waiting for an extra month because of "bad papers." The statement rings true that NOTHING is easy in Haiti. We were thankful to receive the truck with all it's parts and a full tank of gas! I drove it home from St. Marc and enjoyed the air conditioning and the comfortable ride!
Tuesday will be my last day at the school for a while. Deb and I have lots of treats to give to the students and we will have a food distribution in the afternoon for our tent city families! Wednesday morning Deb leaves and Frentz and I will go out to the new property to pay the workers and hire someone to come smooth out the craters before the containers arrive in early August!
Thursday Frentz, Kelancia, and I will be heading to the US of A! Keke has already picked out her princess backpack for her carry-on. Please pray for safe travels and that customs and immigration will go smoothly! We only have 1 1/2 hours from landing time until our plane leaves for Detroit! When I brought RoseMichelle back for surgery, I was held up in boarder patrol for 2 hours and almost missed our flight to MI! Please pray for short lines and an on time flight from Haiti! (We land at 6:30 pm and take off for Detroit at 8:00 pm on Thursday, July 15th)
Also, please pray for Kelancia's baby sister, Jinia, who is in a hospital in Cite Soleil. She was born 2 months early on April 5th weighing only 2 lbs. She is about 5 lbs now and for the past week she has been having seizures and a very high fever. Please pray for Christela as she goes through a very hard time as a mother. She is only 17 years old, still a child herself. One of her children is leaving for heart surgery and the other is in critical condition in the hospital. Pray for the Lord to comfort her and heal little Jinia.
There is so much to pray for, and so much to be thankful for! The Lord is working in my heart and in the hearts of those we serve. He is restoring hope despite the desperate circumstances. He is restoring joy despite our sorrows. I am so amazed at the strength and perseverance of the Haitian people. I often wonder what good I can do for these people when I am so weak and small compared to them. I've come to realize I can do no good. It is only through Christ who gives us strength that we can do anything good at all! He uses the weak to lead the strong.
It you truly know me, "strong" and "courageous" are not words you would use to describe me, but as I strive to live in obedience to His calling, I find myself taking steps of faith towards Him. He continues to fill me with the strength and courage I need to keep stepping. I am a wuss. A big baby. Afraid of millions of things like: spiders, tornadoes, fish, snakes, and the dark. Since moving to Haiti, I have more to add to that list: earthquakes, car accidents, rats, cockroaches, and scabies.
I don't live here because I am fearless. I live here because God gives me His strength. Truly, I was quite comfortable with my life in Grand Rapids when the Lord said, "Go." At that time I didn't know there would be an earthquake. I didn't know the devastation and disease I would be facing. I would have never signed myself up for this job in a million years....I'm not brave enough, or strong enough, or smart enough...... (and the list goes on.) But I think that's why I am here. Because, beyond a shadow of a doubt, this is HIS doing. He supplies everything I lack. Each day he renews my strength and my joy like a breath of fresh air (which is hard to come by in the middle of Port-au-Prince!)
You are my Strength when I am weak
You are the treasure that I seek
You are my All in All
When I fall down you pick me up
When I am dry you fill my cup
You are my All in All
Jesus, Precious Lamb of God. Worthy is Your Name!
Jesus, Precious Lamb of God. Worthy is Your Name!
You are good to hear our prayers, O Lord! Good to comfort in times of heartache. Good to provide in times of need. Good to strengthen in times of weakness. Thank you Father!
Hope to see you all in Michigan in the coming weeks!
Blessings,
Mallery
