Six Weeks

Six weeks ago today, I was sitting in the airport about to embark on a journey that would forever change my life. I was extremely excited but nervous beyond belief. In six short weeks, this country has become my home. The people, the interns, the missionaries have become my family. These six weeks have not always been easy, but they have been the most rewarding six weeks of my life. I have learned so much about myself, my Savior, and about His calling for my life.

As today marked six weeks, I did a lot of reflecting. I spent a lot of time with the boys outside. The boys that typically drive everyone crazy, including myself sometimes. I was able to talk to them, and a couple of them opened up about their lives. The fact that I have been able to build relationships like that with these boys, makes every challenging thing from these six weeks worth it. 

This week my mom brought me notes from a lot of the kids at church. She also brought me notes from my nursery babies. I miss them like crazy, but today I realized how much I am going to miss my kids here when I leave. It made me think of the Haitian proverb "timoun ki kriye nan kay ak sa ki kriye nan pot se menm.". This translates to "the child who cries in the house and the one who cries at the door are the same." It is easy to see the differences, but truly there are similarities between my nursery babies and the kids here. They all want love, they all have a Father who loves very much, and they all mean the world to me. 

I'm sure everyone is very interested in how things are going with my mother, Mrs. Tolliver, and Cameron here. I love that they are here. It is so cool to watch them find their niche but also watch them step out of their comfort zone. Cameron has fallen in live with the Miriam Center, Mom has seen more patients than I can count, and Mrs. Tolliver has sewn up more wounds and cuts than I would care to see in a lifetime.  I love being able to share a piece of my home with them. When they got here, I was so excited to show them everything. I was excited for them to meet my friends, and I was excited to watch them fall in love. All of these women have supported me the whole time, but I think now they truly realize why I am here. 

I can't believe six weeks have already gone by. I have five short weeks left, and I am starting to feel like eleven weeks was nowhere near long enough. Here the days feel like weeks, but the weeks feel like days. God has really challenged me today to take advantage of these next five weeks. I do not want to go home with any regrets. I am excited to see how He is going to use me, and I am excited to share that with my mom, Mrs. Tolliver, and Cameron this week. Please pray for them as they are being stretched to their max. I can't wait to see how God is going to change them.