“You will never be completely at
home again because part of your heart always will be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of
loving and knowing people in more than one place.”
A few years ago I never would have
guessed that this quote would so accurately describe my life. I certainly would not have guessed that I
would have three homes! Kentucky will
always be my home. I love Kentucky, and
I love being surrounded by my friends and family. However, Haiti has also become my home. Everyday it becomes more like home to me as I
continue learning the language and culture and growing in my relationships with
my friends there. Three years ago I
gained another home: Australia! The
truth is, my home is wherever Liam is, but right now that happens to be
Australia. (I do love his family as
well!) While I love having three different homes, it is hard that they are never all together. I am always missing something.
The beginning of July I got as
close as I could to being completely home.
My three worlds collided in an absolutely beautiful way. My church (a big part of my Kentucky family),
my mom, Chris, and Liam all got off a tap-tap at my Haiti home. While my heart was overjoyed to see them, my
body was not feeling so good. I had been
up sick most of the night prior. This
sickness (which ended up being typhoid and pneumonia) got worse throughout
their trip, which made things so difficult for me.
I had spent so long helping them plan their trip, but I could not participate
in most of what they did.
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| The Daybreak Team |
Though I was sidelined for the
majority of their week, it did not stop me from seeing the relationships they
built and the wonderful work they accomplished.
The focus of their time in Haiti was the boys in the orphanage. They had many activities planned with them
including a two-day boot camp run by an army colonel, a beach trip, hiking,
devotions, and medical exams on all of the boys. It was so funny watching the boys doing push
ups and tying knots. Mingua Beef Jerky donated jerky for the boot camp. One of my favorite moments came when the boys were eating it. One of them said, "Tore, I don't know what this stuff is, but it is too good!!!" All of them thoroughly enjoyed the jerky! While the boys
loved the boot camp, it also gave them an opportunity to see what appropriate
male role models look like. The men in
the group led them, taught them, and loved them. In a country with a lack of male Christian
leaders, it was an amazing sight to see. Here are some of my favorite pictures.  |
| Liam and his boot camp team |
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| Learning the perfect push up |
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| Their home |
The hardest part of their trip for me was when we went to La Baie. The group bought bags of groceries and Creole Bibles to do a grocery ministry in the community. We split in two groups and let God lead them to homes who needed to hear His message. At each home we were able to share some scripture with the families, pray for them, and give them a bag of groceries and a Bible. This has always been one of my favorite things to do. My group went to some homes that we have been visiting for the last several years. In 2013, God led us to a house with a very sick mother. We prayed desperately for her healing, but God had other plans and she died a few months later. We visited this family every year after and tried to help the father and his children deal with their grief. In March, I unexpectedly found myself at this man's house again. I had been hiking with a group and they stopped at his house. They shared their faith with him. Afterwards I stayed back to talk to him for a little. He shared how much of an impact the Blue Grass team made in his life by returning to his house year after year and how he felt our prayers. I was excited to bring the team back to see him this summer. However, he was not there when we got to his home. His daughter informed us he passed away very unexpectedly not long after my visit. While my heart is sad over this loss of a friend, I am thankful that I was able to share with him one last time. I pray he took the words to heart and that we will meet again one day. I also pray we were able to bring a little comfort to his children who now have now lost both of their parents.
While some parts of their trip were hard, so many parts were full of so much joy. My favorite part of the whole trip
was the awards ceremony that they hosted for the boys at the end of the
week. We had a VBS, juice and cake, and
then a devotion. Each boy was recognized
for participating in boot camp. They
were called up one by one where they got a certificate, a new outfit, AND a
brand new pair of tennis shoes. (a HUGE thank you to everyone who donated money or bought shoes
for them!) The boys were so incredibly
excited to be individually recognized and get their surprises. We closed out the night with singing and
dancing. It was such a beautiful night. Everyone went to bed with full hearts.
After nine packed days the group went home, but Liam
stayed for another week. Even though I
was still sick, it was so much fun to explore Haiti with Liam and watch him
fall in love with the people I love. He spent a lot of time
with the boys and tried to teach them to say “g’day mate.” It was quite the sight to see. We spent quite a bit of time with Wadley and
Benji. It did not take Liam long to see
how they had captured my heart. Liam was
able to spend some time in the aquaponics system to see what his future could look
like in Haiti. We also took a quick trip
to the Mole so he could see our other campus as well as meet Jody, Jose, and
Susan. His time in Haiti was busy and
full of many adventures, but I think he went home ready to come back
again.
When Liam left Haiti, I made the
difficult decision to come back with him.
I had not intended to come back to the States until November, but I
needed some time to rest, recover, and gain some weight back. While I am missing my Haitian family so much,
I know I needed this time in my Kentucky home.
I am thankful for the support and prayers that I received both in Haiti and
since I have returned. During my last
week in Haiti, the boys held prayer services for me three times a day. They would pray healing over me, sing
worship, and share scripture. I am so
thankful that these boys are being raised to fear God in a way that they can
offer their lives in true dependence on Him.
What a beautiful sight.
My plan is to return to Haiti in the next couple of weeks. I ask for your prayers as I continue to recover and prepare for my journey back. I cannot wait to hug these boys again!
