ivy and orchid

For the first time in my life, I am a minority. It’s a weird feeling that, no matter what I do, I cannot “blend in.” I can learn Kreyol, learn to cook Haitian food or walk like the Haitians (ok, I might not ever be able to carry huge amounts of weight on my head), but I will never be able to hide the fact that I am white.   Furthermore, I am a minority, but I still have white privilege.  What I am having a hard time with is, being a foreign minority figure with privilege, it takes time to build relationships. I am learning how my neighbors “do life.” In America, we have ‘Game Night’ and ‘Movie Night’ and outdoor yard games galore. However, when you are in a country that doesn’t dwell on material possessions, the best thing to share is each other’s company. During this time, I must accept that this is a slow journey and that is why we would like to be here for the long haul.  On the other hand, kids are able to just jump in and start relationships instantly. I ...

Hello everyone! We have officially been in Haiti for five days, and a lot has happened. First off, this week has been made possible  by Melissa and Steve Gross, who have been missionaries in Haiti for 6 years. They have given up a week of their time in the States, apart from their children to help us get ready. We will stay in their house until our house is livable. They have fed us, introduced us to other missionaries [who are doing amazing things], translated for us and helped us get what we need to live here. They are pretty amazing! Let me start with our house: We live on a Habitation which basically is a large property with many homes on it. It is an extremely beautiful property with an amazing view of the mountains and the Citadelle in distance. It has mango, avocado and cashew trees, peacocks (which sound like loud cats) and the Grosses have a turtle pond which has occupied much of Abigail and Keenen's time. Our home Our bathroom has everything we need to use i...

Last year, we were driving in Michigan at night and there was a terrible snow storm. The snow was so bad that all we could see was blinding white snow on the windshield. We couldn't see anything in front of us or even which part of the road we were on. Sometimes being a Christian feels like this. At times, God is so clear about what he is doing in our lives and other times, he is as clear as the snow on your windshield in Michigan. However, we do not have to worry because God has made promises to us: Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you . (Matthew 5:12)  We have the promise of our reward in heaven. We know that on the other side of the storm is the prize. So how do we get through the storm? . . .let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfec...

Throughout Lent, I thought a lot about what life would have been like when Jesus was on earth. Great multitudes came to see him and hear him talk, but how did they find him? It’s not like Jesus hopped on Facebook and created an event and he didn’t check in with Mary on the phone to let her know he was in Jerusalem for the month.  Thousands of people sought after Jesus to hear his stories and learn from his lessons. And today, we can do the same. Although Jesus now resides in heaven, we are still able to seek him and find him.  But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.   ( Deuteronomy 4: 29) A week ago, I was not actively seeking God, but I found him. I was on my way to Aldi’s to do some shopping and as I turned onto one of the busy roads in town, I passed a colorfully painted school bus in the parking lot of Walmart. Now this may not be exciting to you, but I dream about...

Last year, our family had the opportunity to spend a week in Cap-Haitien, Haiti as part of our "Vision Trip." The purpose of a Vision Trip is to give our family an idea of the culture we will live in, the people we will work with, the school we will teach in etc. One of the best parts of the trip was having dinner with a different missionary each night. This gave us a chance to get to know the missionaries and ask any questions we had. At this point, we had not begun raising support and were still apprehensive when it came to doing THE ASK. I remember one missionary telling us that he enjoyed meeting with people to ask for support and I thought he was crazy! I am an introvert through and through, so the idea alone of talking with people exhausted me, let alone asking for help. We have been raising support for almost a year now and let me tell you, it truly is a rewarding and fulfilling process. It is more than "begging for money" than I ever could imagine. Someti...

Last week was a hard week. If you couldn't tell by my last blog post, I was stressed out. I was overwhelmed by all I had to do. This bible verse just kept echoing in my mind: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.   For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30) I felt weary and burdened. I felt tired and mentally drained, yet I had so much to do in such a little time that I had to keep going                                                            but                ...

Recently, I was talking with my friend Cheryl about writing. You see, she is in the process of finishing a novel which is so impressive to me. The reason I do not write in this space more often is because I do not have anything interesting to say or I have too much to say and do not know how to organize my thoughts well. There has been a lot on my mind lately: 1. We are about three months away from the date we choose to leave. Do you know what that means? That means major de-cluttering, selling our house, finding our replacement at church, filling out all the paperwork that is necessary to move out of the country and saying goodbye. That is a lot so today, I decided the best way to tackle all of that was to do nothing. 2. The United Methodist Church chose the Traditional Plan. Let me tell you what the UMC means to me: People who are intelligent and funny and welcoming and accepting and compassionate no matter who walks through the doors. They have made us laugh and made us cry and...