The Real Me...

A wise woman gave me a book to read and ponder.  In that book it says this:

“What if you unmask your emotions and can’t control them? What if you tell your secrets and are rejected? What if someone glimpses the real you under the mask of perfection and finds a flawed human being?”

                        {BUT}

“What if you unmask your emotions and actually deal with them? What if you tell your secrets and they no longer suffocate you in the hidden places of your heart? What if you live in authenticity and discover new and lasting relationships (even with those in your own home)? What if you face your fears and overcome them? What if along the way you discover who you are and what you can do?”

The Real Me  (http://youtu.be/u3kr9eqxwCo)

Foolish heart… looks like we’re here again,

Same old game of plastic smile - don’t let anybody in.

Hiding my heartache- will this glass house break???

How much will they take before I’m empty?

Do I let it show – does anybody know?

But you [Jesus], see the REAL me!

Hiding in my skin, broken from within,

Unveil me… completely…I’m loosening my grasp.

There’s no need to mask MY FRAILTY

Cause you see the REAL me.

Painted on, life is behind a mask…. Self-inflicted circus clown

I’m tired of the song and dance – living a charade, always on parade

What a mess I’ve made of my existence

But you love me even NOW and still I see somehow

That you see the REAL me!

Hiding in my skin, broken from within,

Unveil me… completely…I’m loosening my grasp.

There’s no need to mask MY FRAILTY

Cause you see the REAL me.

Wonderful, beautiful is what YOU see when you look at me

You’re turning the TATTERED FABRIC of my life into

A PERFECT TAPESTRY…….

I just wanna be me…. I wanna be me….

But you see the REAL me

Hiding in my skin, broken from within,

Unveil me… COMPLETELY…I’m loosening my grasp.

There’s no need to mask MY FRAILTY

Cause you see the REAL me,

Yes, the real ME…..

And you LOVE ME just as I am………..

(Lyrics by Natalie Grant)

Linked... by faith!

I snapped this picture of Caleb & John while we were watching one of the mini-skits at Caleb's 'Medieval Celebration' at MSE in May.  (Maybe you saw the other pictures on FaceBook J)

I love this picture for many reasons...  1) even though they are guys who are rough and tough- they aren't afraid to hold hands in public, 2) Caleb loves his Dad and his Dad loves him, 3) they are wearing bracelets that our friend, Eli, made - Caleb told Eli about us moving to Haiti a couple of months ago at church (LifeBridge Church, to be exact... the coolest church in the land) and he asked him to make some for our family... notice the colors.... while we are not Ole Miss fans (we pull for the MSU Dawgs all the way!), Caleb asked Eli to make his and John's bracelets in red & blue cause he liked the colors...  against their skin they're red, 'white', and blue!  I think it's really cool that while we are in Haiti we will have lots of reminders of home but awesome to have USA colors that remind us that people are praying for us in the states!  And guess what?!?  Eli since decided to make "By Faith" prayer bracelets to sell....

...and that's not all...... he wants to donate his earnings to the Chappelear Haiti Fund!  How cool is that?!?!?  We are so honored to have friends that are using their talents to help us follow our call.  Thanks, Eli, for giving so sacrificially!

If you'd like one of these cool bracelets, Eli will be selling them throughout the summer for $7 each.  He will have some at the Barbeque Benefit, as well!  (For information on the BBQ, see We love our T-shirts.)

We love our T-shirts!!!

Thank you to everyone who has purchased BBQ benefit t-shirts to help fund our move!  If you haven't gotten one, they're available until July 15th.  They are available in blue or gray for $15 ea.

The actual Barbeque Benefit will be held on August 18th from 11-4pm.Tickets go on sale starting July 1st.  You can order Chicken, Pulled Pork or Rib plates for $10 or you can pre-order Racks of Ribs... For more information, contact us or call 601.506.3603 or 601.559.9041.  We can't wait!!!!!  :)

Doing Laundry... stretching or shrinking?

I’m all about encouraging our kids to help when it comes to doing household chores.  We don’t do allowances at our house because we think that part of being a family means helping each other out, even with chores, without expecting something in return.  (Before anyone gets loud, I will say we don’t think that the way we run our house has to be the way you run your house… there’s nothing wrong with allowances and we know that there are a number of teaching tools that work and work well… what matters is that you’re doing what aligns with God’s will & fits your family best! J) …so anyway, as I was saying… I love to have help with day to day jobs around here and my girls love to help with laundry.  Kinley loves to help transfer clothes from the washing machine to the dryer (she says thank-you every time I hand her an item w/out my prompting which makes me smile every time, after EVERY piece) and Kylie loves to help fold the clothes when they come out of the dryer.  Depending on the item she’s folded, most of the time I’ll go behind her (when she’s not looking, of course) and re-fold the piece so that it’s folded “right”.  I mean, who wants to wear a t-shirt that has 12 creases instead of 4?  You understand, right??  Wellllll….. today we were folding linens and I started to correct her and then I stopped… "the linens will fit in the closet so much better if they are folded 'correctly'… they’ll look prettier when I open the door if they’re stacked neatly on the shelf… things just work better when they are as they’ve always been, right?" ran through my mind.  And then this:  "Um, isn’t that pillow case going to do it’s job even if I put it in the linen closet with a few extra wrinkles?"  (I’ll wait while some of you gasp when I tell you that I do not iron my bed linens so they really will go on my pillows with those extra wrinkles when I change them out again…pause…pause… smile!)  What’s it going to hurt if I put it away just as she folded it, without re-doing it?  What’s it going to help?  She is such a sweet spirited child and whether she takes note of my action or not, the last thing I want to do is break that spirit.  I know how hard it is to recover from a broken spirit.  I’m sure you could share here, too.  Being in relationship with people everyday lends to all kinds of stories...  anyway, I started thinking about things on a grander scale… How many times throughout the day do I re-do or attempt to re-do something that’s being done because I want it done the way I want it done?  

When we’re serving with others (be it strangers or even family), we always seem to think that we have a way that works better… a plan that flows better… a picture that looks better, etc. but God has seen fit to show me over the years that:  NEWSFLASH: not everything is about Dawn Chappelear…  I know... I was shocked, too!  I mean a lot of times when giving in to someone else’s ideas, we still get where we need to go and sometimes we even learn better routes. J   I will probably always vote for the easiest route to get from one place to another but it seems that I’m either allergic or oblivious to the easy route. Only God knows which route will be best for me.  I’m learning to trust, I’m learning to release my grip of control (sometimes never having it in my grasp in the first place) and I’m learning that even on the uneasy/hard routes, He has me on the “right” route every time & that “right” route will bring about the life that I am to live.  James 1:4 says, “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature, and COMPLETE, not lacking anything.”  Not lacking anything.... sounds good to me!

A couple of months ago, my devotion said this, “We all have a tendency to cling to the ‘tried & true’.  The trouble with that is when we are no longer being stretched we begin to shrink – we become complacent, we think we can handle things on our own & we stop growing.  If you feel restless at heart today & believe that God has more for you than you've been settling for, then it’s time to confront your fears, walk through them and launch out into a new experience with Him.”

I’ve had some time lately to reflect on how much emphasis I put on things that really won’t matter at all in a few months.  (soon, I won’t have a washing machine or a dryerJ)

So what about you?  Are you stretching or shrinking? 

Tuesday's Journey...

The day arrived!!!  I was so excited to meet my Haitian family!!!  After waiting almost 3 years I was only hours away from embracing my new homeland.  We got up and had a little bit of breakfast before our friend, Roosgaul, picked us up.  We headed to the airport…  we had a 11:35am flight so we arrived at the airport about 10:05am.  We bid farewell to our friend and checked in… no problems… We waited an hour and noticed that people who had been seated with us were moving about so we gathered our things, getting ready to board our “large” 19 passenger seat plane.  We approached the counter so we could get our boarding pass (as the guy had instructed earlier) but were told, “not yet”.  We waited and then it was 11:25, 11:30, 11:45, 11:50…. Ahhh, our plane was getting ready to leave but it was the scheduled 9:30am flight that would be going at this time…. We were to wait until 1:30 for our 11:30 flight to leave.  Joy…. 

Sigh… we were ready… ready to go… ready to arrive in Cap Haitien and meet Pastor Frank and ready to start our journey towards Camp Coq.  I kept telling myself, “God knows best, God knows best, don’t question-just pray...”.  We did find joy in the fact that the small airport had air conditioning.  While it wasn’t cold, it was cool and I had packed pb & j sandwiches from breakfast so we ate and stayed cool.  I journaled and John played (thank the good Lord for games on our phones!).  It was pleasant.

The time finally arrived for us to leave and we boarded first, picking seats together since none were assigned.  It was like entering a sauna… one hole for entrance and no airflow til after take-off… 19 people filled the plane and we sat… we sat… we sat… thankful we were sitting so close to each other for lots of reasons but especially since we were clean and wearing deodorant.  There were no restrictions regarding electronics so I geared up with my fuel (my music) and chewed my gum.  I prayed and praised and smiled at the other passengers.  Thoughts of arriving in my new hometown were dancing in my head as I focused on the One who would be my Savior in so many new ways today….  We took off – felt like we were riding in a bubble… I prayed for the people in the area below us, not being able to fathom how this one couple could make a difference in such a huge place of severe devastation.  I’ve never seen such horrible sights in the midst of such beauty.  God has not forgotten this place but He is waiting/calling people like us to get up and do what we can.  More thoughts of our new home flooded my mind. 

John and I discussed things we saw and once we were in the clouds (literally), we discussed making this trip with our children -something that’s been heavy on our minds the entire trip.  Flying will be new to each of them since only Caleb has flown before (though he won’t remember it since he was a baby).  Flying in itself is an experience but when you can see/hear/ and almost touch every passenger from where you are sitting… yes, that is an experience.  {A side note: John & I spent a good bit of time praying over this trip but John, especially, regarding the details of when we would be where and how we would get there, taking most cost efficient route, etc.  That’s one of the things he does best… money crunching and planning… :)..} So, back to our conversation…we were discussing the bus option vs the small plane option. There is a bus that goes from Port-au-Prince to Cap Haitien but we were unsure of the length of time that trip takes.  Our flight was 25 minutes – not too shabby, but we wondered if the bus ride would be better for our children. 

We started to descend, rather roughly and then we landed, rather roughly… we made it!

We exited the plane, walked to the little building ahead of us, waited for our luggage and found Pastor Frank.  We loaded up and headed out via truck to ride to Camp Coq.  Good thing I took Bonine since the road was more bumps & holes than not.  I am all for a good 4-wheeler ride in the dry dirt fields of MS but you could lose a person in these potholes, people… I am not kidding…  and we were not on a 4-wheeler with “give” in the seat… we were in an old Land Rover that had seen it’s better days and once had shocks.  I bounced from roof to seat several times.  It was all good cause I was headed to see my home!  I was high on adrenaline!  I waved to the strangers on the street and smiled.  Some smiled back and some just looked at me like I had lost it.  I think I have by now, BTW. :)  Finally, we made it the ~20-25 miles to Camp Coq in 1.5 hrs.  I held back the tears as we drove in the gate.  I had seen pictures over that last couple of years from the Mission House but the pictures had not done justice.  It was beautiful!!!  Palm trees, tropical bushes, greenery and bright flowers all over the place!  New portions of wall had been put in place around the property and additions were being added upstairs.  Oh my goodness, it was breathtaking!  I kid you NOT!  We were greeted by chickens & a rooster- ha!- and then we met the crew.  I was busting to meet the orphans so after I got the tour, we crossed the street to meet the orphans!  They greeted us with hugs and smiles and they clung to John like leeches.  I was jealous at how comfortable they were with John but hopeful that soon they would see past my newness.  I loved seeing John with them.  I have dreamed about this moment for SO LONG!!!  It was surreal….  Thank you, Jesus, for giving me this perfect moment.  Thank you for setting the stage, for preparing my heart, for making a way!!!

((I could go on and on but I have to get ready soon to leave for the airport so I’ll try to wrap this up))  We had a wonderful time looking around – they showed me the river, the bridge, the community – we walked for about an hour before dinner was ready and then they hung out with us on the porch until after 10pm when we went to bed.  This…bedtime…. I welcomed but was not prepared for.  My head was pounding and my body ached from such a long day and there was not even so much as a breath of air in the room where we were staying.  We didn’t pack the portable fans/batteries that the mission team usually takes with them (not sure why John didn’t think of this when planning – smiles) so we had nothing… nada… NO AIR FLOW…. I took some medicine for my headache and laid down on the bed – I felt as though I was baking from the inside out.  First, my kidneys… poof… fried… then my liver… shriveled… ugh… ‘Dear God, how was I supposed to sleep?’ and my recurring thought:  “how in the world could I expect my CHILDREN to ever sleep in this!?!?!”  The night was anything but restful.  We got up early the next morning and John said, waking in his own pool of sweat, that HE HAD NEVER experienced such a horrible night there and was quite sure the mosquitos lifted him in attempt to carry him off a few hours prior.  (He'd been there at least 6 times before... Wow, thanks God… were you saving this once-in-a-lifetime-uncomfortable -experience just for me or what?)  I can’t believe that the little 12” fans the team usually takes with them make that much of a difference but I am willing to give it a try in July!!! I will come back prepared with my batteries and fan!  I fought feelings of defeat as my mind kept repeating, “there is no way that this is going to work, Dawn…can you imagine 3 hot, cranky, whiny, tired children fussing and arguing and complaining EVERY night in this heat trying to sleep?!?!?!?!?…this is not going to work…I know you are God and all but how, how, how???”  and I remember, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”-Genesis 18:14… I think, “No, but it IS too hard for me!”…“Let us run..the race marked out for us.”-Heb 12:1… “I can’t run anywhere in this, God!”… “neither are your ways my ways”-Isaiah 55:8…

I draw strength from: “Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act!  Keep traveling steadily along his pathway and in due season He will honor you with every blessing.” Ps 37:34

    LORD, “I desire to do your will, O God.”  Psalm 40:8,  "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" Mark 9:24

No way, Jose'...

Well, after 8 days in Haiti, I can tell you 2 things with great assurance…

1) There is NO WAY I would EVER pick up with the man I love and the 3 children I adore most in this world and leave my extended family & pets behind to move here WITHOUT knowing that God has called me to do so

2) I have never been more sure about anything & I can now say that I believe all the more, “we know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? NO, in ALL these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Romans 8: 28,31,33,35,37

I am frail but still confident!  “Whether or not storms come, we cannot choose.  But where we stare during a storm, THAT we can.” -Max Lucado

My heart cries~

“God in my living, there in my breathing… God in my waking, God in my sleeping,

God in my resting, there in my working… God in my thinking, God in my speaking,

Be my everything, be my everything, be my everything…

God in my hoping, there in my dreaming… God in my watching, God in my waiting,

You’re God in my laughing, there in my weeping, God in my hurting, God in my healing,

Be my everything, be my everything, be my everything, be my everything!

Christ in me, Christ in me, Christ in me!  The HOPE of glory – YOU are everything.. Christ in me, Christ in me, Christ in me, the HOPE of glory – be my everything! 

Be my everything, be my everything, be my everything, be MY everything!

Be my everything, be my everything, be my everything, be my EVERYTHING!"

God, that you would be my EVERYTHING!  Oh, be my everything, ABBA!  Be my everything, be my everything!  YOU ARE EVERYTHING, YOU ARE EVERYTHING, JESUS…EVERYTHING!”

Our trip to the market & other thoughts...

We were able to go to the market yesterday to get an idea about local pricing (not an outside street market but an indoor grocery).  We were surprised to see lots of name brand items.  Some of the items had a huge mark-up while some items were comparable to those at home. 

Here is what we found:  (ea. price is an approximate based on $8 Haitian/$1 American)

Can of Pepsi - $1.00

2L Coca-Cola - $3.00

1 Gal Jug of Apple Juice - $12.00

1 Gal Jug of Lemon berry Hawaiian Punch  - $7.00

Single 16oz bottle of Gatorade: $2.00

8qts of Kool-aid mix in a tub - $4.50                                     Betty Crocker boxed cake mix - $3.00

6qts Tang - $6.50                                                                     (1) box of Pop-tarts - $5.00

Broom - $6.00                                                                          1 lb of brown sugar - $2.50

(3) Paper towels Rolls - $9.00                                                 4 lb of sugar - $5.00

Package of (100) wet wipes - $3.50                                         32 oz jar of Grape Jelly - $6.00

(24) rolls (regular sized rolls) of toilet paper - $17.75           4 lb Skippy peanut butter - $16.50.... 1 lb, 12 oz - $7.00

Box of (200) 13 gal kitchen garbage bags - $39.00                2.59 lb frozen salmon - $55.00

Box of (50) 39 gal bags - $27.00                                             Pre-packaged (4) individually wrapped Snapper - $25.00

Clorox wet wipes (110 count) - $9.50                                    18” pedestal fan - $67.00

1.4 gal Clorox Bleach - $10.00                                                3 lb tub of Country Crock Butter - $8.50

1 gal off-brand bleach - $4.50                                                 1 dozen eggs - $3.50

32 oz Clorox cleaning spray with bleach - $6.00                   32 oz Almond Milk - $3.80

2 qt refill (64oz) - $8.50                                           8oz block of mozzarella cheese - $5.50

24 oz bottle of Dawn dishwashing liquid - $5.50                (8) frozen hamburgers - $18.00

32 oz bottle of Ajax dishwashing liquid - $5.00                   2 lb bag of frozen chicken nuggets - $12.00

(12) 3 ½ x2 ½” sponges - $1.50                                            (1) DiGiorno Frozen Pizza - $16.00

12 oz box of RiceKrispies - $6.50                                          Fresh Carrots - $1/lb

26 oz box of Frosted Flakes - $11.00                                     Granny Smith apples - $2.50/lb

12 oz box of Fruit Loops - $7.00

KitKat candy bar - $1.50

Twix candy bar - $1.20

(1) can of Pringles Stax - $2.25

6.5 oz bag of Lays potato chips - $4.00 SunChips - $3.75 Cheetos - $4

1 lb bag of SuperBubble gum - $5.00

(1) box of 10 Kool-aid Jammers (like CapriSun) -$5.50

Box of (100) tea bags - $6.00

(20) bags of Spiced Chai Tea - $3.50

(6) individual applesauce - $4.50

5 lb bag of rice - $8.00, 10 lb bag - $14.50, 25 lb bag - $24.00

We are still hoping to gather information regarding vehicles and furniture.  We were hopeful that we’d be able to do that today but we haven’t heard from our friend so we aren’t sure if we will get to go before leaving for Cap Haitien tomorrow. A big concern has been what we need to plan to purchase here vs what we need to try & ship from home.  We know that God already knows… we are just trying to be prepared. With that said, I’m remembering that I never did post our itemized prayer list like I said I would… oops…  I WILL try to do that later… We know that our friend is busy with his everyday responsibilities so while we have this ‘time on our hands’ we are seeking to absorb Ps 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God…” & Matt 6:25, “I tell you not to worry about everyday life-whether you have enough.”

For weeks now, God has been dealing with me(Dawn) regarding daily needs/provisions.  In Max Lucado’s book, Fearless, he says this: “God meets daily needs DAILY.  Not weekly or annually.  He will give you what you need when it is needed." 

“Let us therefore boldly approach the throne of our gracious God, where we may receive mercy and in his grace find timely help.” (Heb 4:16)

Safe Arrival!

We made it to Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Saturday without any issues. Both of our flights were good and we had no issues with luggage, customs or immigration - those that have been here know what a HUGE blessing that is to travelers. Our pastor friend met us at the airport and brought us to a Mission House that was built by the Florida Baptist Convention. It operates as a hostel for missions groups coming into Haiti for work throughout the country. Once we arrived, they showed us to our room and we settled in for the next couple of days.

We are blessed to have 'air conditioning' in our room here, but we try to run it sparingly in order to conserve electricity. They have water tanks on the roof so we do have water for showers, but it is a little cooler than we are accustomed to having at home. Although it is not safe for brushing our teeth a cool shower on a hot day is very refreshing! We are the only guests here right now so it is very peaceful and quiet. It has given us time to gather our thoughts, process everything that we see and discuss how we think it might impact us in Camp Coq.

We are trying to learn from everything we experience even if we think that it will not relate to where we will be in Camp Coq. The Mission house has given us lots to think about - housing, security, food preparation, water, electricity options, employment of locals and more. 

Thank you for your continued support through prayer! Please continue to pray for us as we explore the resources available here, our travel and our interaction with the people of Haiti.

Headed to Haiti

Dawn and I started out this morning on a ten day exploratory trip to Haiti. We will be visiting Port-au-Prince (the capital) , Cap Haitien and Camp Coq (our future home).  Our goal is to discover what resources are available in different areas of the country.  This will help us know what we can get in Haiti and what are must haves from the states. Communication in getting things lined out so far has been rough, so while we are excited about the journey, we (mainly just me) are apprehensive about the details. We know God  goes before us and prepares the way so we know it is going to be an amazing journey.We ask that you pray for us on our trip and for our children as we are away. We have some amazing friends and family that will be caring for them while we are gone. 

We are not sure how well the internet coverage will be while we are gone, but we will update all of you as we can.

John