The Day After Thanksgiving

I woke up the day after thanksgiving this year, not knowing what to expect, not knowing what to feel. But having the distinct memory of last year, on this day sitting with my dad for the last time, and knowing that even though his body was finally at peace, I did not know what to do without him. This year, I woke up and my emotions were everywhere, but before I even got out of bed, someone was passing the walkway below my house singing a song. The chorus of the song repeats, I am a child of God. We had so many fun things planned for the day and I wanted to enjoy them all with my Haiti family, just needed reminded that I am a child of God, I have a heavenly Father who loves me deeply. The whole day was a gift, I handed out the morning medicine to the kids and it was just fun. It was my Friday to have an activity for the Haitian staff at morning devotions. We sat around and talked about what we are all thankful for and praised God for what He had done this last year for us. From there.......Well, we kind of make up our thanksgiving traditions since it is not a Haitian holiday. So we went and played with our turkeys and then sent them to the kitchen. In the classroom, the kids made thank you cards for the staff and their parents. We also had an outreach activity for the families in the community. So just a crazy busy day, which of course ended with a family meal of everyone at the center. Haitian style, so it was in the dark, by flashlight. But I love that the kids and the staff know that thanksgiving is our thank you day and we take the time to appreciate each other. I could not be more thankful this year, God has been so good to me and on the days that are just crazy hard and I miss my dad so much, God takes the time to remind me, that I am His, and that is all I need.

Challenged and Inspired

There are days that you meet people that just challenge and inspire you to grow. I met one of these people last week. The surgery team was here last week, I got called in to help with a consult. They wanted a patient to get a ct scan. Since there is not a ct machine in our area, they asked if I could coordinate and get this for him. I had a contact call around and find a working ct machine in Port au Prince and we sent the patient on the bus to go to Port at Prince for his scan.
When he got to Port au Prince, the place that we sent him to for a scan, their machine was down. So they ended up going all over Port au Prince until they found a working ct scan. They got the scan and the patient then took a 10 hour bus ride back to our town.
The patient got back late that night, so we made him a bed and the doctor said he would look at the scan and talk to him in the morning. That morning, I went with the doctor to talk to this patient. One of my friends was his niece and she was with him. The doctor kindly and gently explained to the man that he had cancer and it was very advanced, too advanced for surgery. His niece, who was beside me started to cry and I looked at the man and he was not sad. The doctor asked if he understood what he had told him and the man said yes. But why would I be sad, God is with me. He thanked the doctor for finally giving him an answer, he had been having pain so long and he did not know what it was, so he was happy for an answer. He went on to say, that God is with me, God can do what He wants, that he had no reason to be sad, when he knew that God has a plan for him and wont leave him.
He took his niece and would not let her cry anymore, because God has a plan and will take care of them. It was just one of those moments, that I felt blessed to witness. But more than that, it has challenged my heart, and inspired me about what I think about God. The faith of his man has challenged me to dig deeper into the Word and get to know my God better, so that when bad news comes, the first thing that comes to my mind is that God is good and has a plan for me.

More than a medical team

My first year in Haiti I met the seizure team. Their goal was to bring seizure care to the kids at the Miriam Center. We did not know what this would look like or how it would all come together. But they made a medical record and evaluated each child. They knew that God had called them to the Miriam Center to do this, so everything would come together and work out.

It has been 7 years since they first started working with the Miriam Center. In more ways than they know, we have seen God work through their program. For the Miriam Center, it is amazing for the staff and the nurses to know that the children have a group advocating for them in this way. It is also amazing for the families in the outreach program to have this resource, which is sadly scarce in Haiti.

We have seen God work in amazing ways through this program, because the seizure team does more than just medical. Although medical is their primary goal, there is so much more that they do. When a patient comes for a consultation, it is not just about seizures. They check in on the family and see how everyone is doing. They listen and are genuinely glad to how the child is progressing in development. They also listen and mourn with the parents, whose child is not progressing. God is in these small moments and His Spirit is at work. When the seizure team in not in Haiti, these families are always asking about them and praying for them, because they know the seizure team is also praying for them.

The last couple of years, the seizure team has even taken their work a step further. There are children in the outreach program that are not able to come for their evaluation. So if a child needs to be seen, they have been going to the child's home to visit them. Which is a huge deal for these families, not just because a medical person came to their house, but they also know that their houses are not easy to get to. These families know that it takes time and energy to get to their houses. 

The importance and value that they put on each child, on each family is what makes them more than just a medical team. They know it is not enough to just help the physical problems, but that we have a Savior that can heal the heart. The value they put on the individual is what makes the difference for the Kingdom. These families and children know that they are loved and prayed for. Although they are categorized as a medical team, we are so thankful that they are so much more. 

A Place to Belong

When we started the classroom at the Miriam Center, that first year we realized that it was going to be so much more to the students than just a place of learning and education. Although learning and education are important aspects of the classroom, these kids need so much more. First and most important we knew that they needed to know that they have a Savior that loves them and wants a relationship with them. Then education was a priority. But we also are continually searching for ways for the students to be able to express themselves and enjoy who God made them to be. The classroom is that safe place that is free from judgement and criticism, but it takes more for the students to make friends, have fun and just be kids.

For the last couple of years, when it was time to think about getting ready for the start of school, the teacher would ask about school uniforms. We would always give her the same answer, we don't have the money for it and it would just be too hard for the kids at the Miriam Center. But last semester, we were talking and it seemed like it was time to take the classroom to the next level and think about uniforms. We decided to do a tshirt fundraiser and start by having tshirts for the kids for Fun Friday. Almost as a practice to see if uniforms would be a possibility for the students. 

During the fundraiser, I was contacted by Stephanie Boyce. She was curious why we were not doing full uniforms for the students. She also said that she would be willing to do fundraising to get each student a school uniform. She had been planning on coming and bringing a group in November and thought she could have them by then. As an extra bonus gift to the Miriam Center, she made a logo for the shirts.

So on the first day of school after break in January, each student received a uniform. The students were so surprised and excited. It was such an amazing morning, it was so fun kind of measuring out the kids and going and getting them, their uniform. We had a couple students, who almost did not take theirs because they thought they would have to pay for it. But it was great to watch the other students, kind of talk the hesitant ones into it. The students let them know they have some friends that wanted them to have the uniforms and got them for them.

So it is May now, I have loved watching the students this semester. I had no idea the difference uniforms would make. The students walk in the front gate with a sense of pride. They know that this is their school and they don't have to explain it, because they have the uniform. They still come in and show everyone the logo. The students come into the classroom and are ready to learn. Some of the students walk home together and keep an eye on each other as they go. They know that they all have a place to belong and that they are a part of something.