I can’t believe our time in Haiti is almost over … 2 months living in the mountainous village of Pignon has been the adventure of a lifetime. God sold our home, when we said yes to serving in Haiti. We survived the crazy bugs and critters and lived in a one-room cement masion, with four bunk-beds (my back has definitely counted every single night) and enjoyed the crazy life of living at an orphanage.
Pray for our family as we pack up and fly home on January 16tht to rest & relax, and take off for our next adventure in Nicaragua early February, ministering with Project Hope, a Springfield, MO based organization. Roger and I want to thank ALL of you who have supported Simply Love with prayer and financial support to help us serve and love big on the mission field the past eight months. We have reached 40% of our funding goal and praying that God will continue to provide mission-hearted people to join us on our mission adventure – we appreciate your generosity. OPERATION: HAITI is our PayPal donation option- just click on the special button on the right side of blog. (donations are tax-refundable)
We have a few special projects coming up (hint hint … BIG MISSION-GIVEAWAY!!!!!) and new simply love and Man Up gear. The store will open soon on My Crazy Adoption to continue to spread the message of Simply Love. Also, we will prayerfully lead “on the ground” mission trips with Project Hope during our time Nicaragua- teams that will go and help us serve together with the community, feeding projects, orphan care, discipleship, VBS, serving widows, and trash dump ministry. Please leave a comment if you are interested in joining us in Nicaragua- spring & summer. The trip will cost $1,800 to $2,000 all inclusive: covers flights, food, and accommodations. Dates TBA.
Today, I visited with Roger and the Campbell’s a very sick man, dying of AIDS & TB. Ranauld was wrapped in a blanket with his (wicked) wife and precious daughter standing in the corner of the house. The wife has been waiting fervently for him to die, so she can move on and start a new life without a sick man holding her down. She practices voodoo, but he accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior over two years ago. He has MDR TB (drug resistant), 
and most likely hasn’t had anyone touch or hug him in a long time. It meant so much to me to watch, Jennifer put her hand lovingly on his head and let him know how much we loved him. She told him not to worry about the care of his daughter, they would care for her when he was gone at Haiti Home of Hope. Renauld was weeping and saying he didn’t want to die and leave his daughter. It broke my heart, and I started crying, too. Life is so hard. I started to think about my friend, Sisay in Korah and remembered how important it was for me to be with him on his last extraordinary day … no one should have to die alone. I’m thankful we were able to bring some peace to this daddy’s heart.
Jesus wants us to walk in love. I think I understand more now living in Haiti and serving at an orphanage what this means in my life. We can walk through life with fear, worry, anxiety, and stress. If we’re not careful we can miss the opportunities He gives us to walk lavishly in love. “and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Eph 5:2) In my own life, I have walked right on by people who really needed a friend or hug or time spent or an encouraging word. It’s my own loss. I’m grateful for the times I did stop and love big. It’s been my prayer during our time in Ethiopia and Haiti, to constantly ask the Lord to open my eyes to action. He gave me the special gift of encouragement, and I love using my passion, gifts, and talents to lift others up and be their biggest cheerleader. I want His heart to grow in me more and more. I love the four challenges from missionary, Natalie Overturf (Sudan) in Live Dead Journal:
- Do I find that I am inconvenienced by unexpected things that come my way, or do I see them as something God may be orchestrating and seek to join Him in what He is doing?
- Do I see my home as a powerful place to affect a life for God?
- What is the attitude of my heart in regard to the value of people?
- Am I impatient with the “smallness” of serving?
What’s next? I can’t wait to share the 28 amazing stories YOU have sent me and inspire readers to open their hearts big to live James 1:27 in a radical way. If you have a story to share – parenting, missions, and adoption, please email me your ready-to-go post & photos. Keep changing the world in a crazy-extraordinary way!!! My Life Is Crazy Too is a series of reader submissions. This is your opportunity to share stories about life, love, and mommyhood to provide understanding, hope, and compassion in the unique situations each of us face every day.
