Update

If there was one word to sum up the last several months it might be-----> loooooong.

Our journey in Haiti took a different route starting in January of this year.  Our faith has been stretched and flexed and we've definitely been Challenged and Inspired.  The last several months have been full of twists and turns, dead-ends and detours, and no doubt some growing experiences we won't soon forget.

Packed in our truck like sardines, we visited 9 different places and bunked at 5 of them over the course of the first 30 days.  When we needed it most, we landed in a place that's set up to serve those who serve and without planning it, we've been here since.  Maybe you saw our post called Lately describing some of our time here at Heartline Ministries Guest House.
  

While bunking in one room with our 4 children for an extended period of time has you (and me) thinking "oh wow, thanks but...NO!", we have managed to heal a little since being here.  Being in a safe place has allowed us to catch our breath as we continued to look for new ministry opportunities for our family and we've met and connected with some pretty cool families that love the Lord, too!

A little over a month ago, the Guest House had an opening for the Manager/Host position. Several of the people that we met during our time here suggested us as possible candidates to fill the position. Towards the end of May, leaders of Heartline Ministries approached us and officially asked us to consider the position.

We prayed and shared the possibility with our children and then we prayed some more.  We were honored to be offered this position but more than anything we wanted to be sure that we answered according to what God was leading us to do.  We agreed to accept the position on a temporary/trial basis and we hit the ground running.

We've hosted 142 people over the last 5 weeks and I'll be the first to tell you that we have been ministered to as much if not more than we've ministered.  God's incredible like that, isn't He?!?  You just can't out-give Him!

So, if there were 3 words to sum up the last several months they might be-----> loooooong but good!

I've been burdened since coming to Haiti about the great and ever growing need for servers that serve servers.  I recently felt that familiar God tap on my shoulder as if He were saying, "so what are you willing to do about it?"  I squirmed claiming 'burn-out' and argued that I didn't have anything else to give.  I was spent and broken and bare but I agreed to take His challenge to let Him show me His strength in my weakness once again.

I've felt alive again in serving and we have met some really amazing people who are doing incredible work with great organizations in this area.  One of those organizations is Heartline.

So as we are diving head first into this new adventure, we are asking you to pray with us and partner with us if you feel led as we take on the permanent role of managing this place that exists to serve those who serve here in Haiti.

Heartline Ministries is involved with many 

humanitarian, educational and faith-based activities.  

You can read more about the organization here and be sure to check back with us to see how you can personally get involved.

Following to Lead...

A couple of months ago, before Chikungunya visited, the kids and I went to the "soccer field" in the village to get out of the guest house and play.  There's a little walking track there...and by little walking track, I mean a small path in the overgrown grass that goes around the perimeter of the said soccer field.  (smile)

The girls and I talked about walking/running a few laps while the boys played ball.  I started out and the girls fussed about who would be second and who would be last.  I pointed out that we could all take turns regarding order and then Kylie said,

"Mama, you follow Jesus and we'll follow you." 

I've stumbled a lot this year.  I've fallen a few times and debated on whether or not to get up.  I've complained and cried and been so tempted to give up.  I haven't had the strength to lead and sometimes felt I didn't even have the strength to follow.

Many days I felt like I just couldn't get anything right but praise God that even in my failings He's proving Himself faithful to me........and our crew.

I'm encouraged that Kylie gets it...that she recognizes and yet challenges me to continually claim Christ as the head leader.



We've learned a lot through the trials this year but one thing I'm most grateful for is the fact that our children have seen first-hand that....
     we don't hold their future,
   we don't always have the answers,
  and while we want only the best for them.....
   sometimes what is best is not easy at all.


"When we pray for what we most wish to happen, we can trust with absolute assurance that He will either act accordingly to our prayer...or do something better.  He will either bless us with what we want, or He'll bless us with what we really need and change our hearts to desire what He's given.  He alone knows what will get us most prepared for our next stage of abundant living, what will draw us nearest to Him in fellowship and intimacy, what will cause His glory to burst upon the stage of our lives with weighty significance, where everybody who wants to can see it.  We can totally rely on Him to take us exactly where we need to go...if we'll only be willing to follow." 
(One In A Million, Priscilla Shirer)

Do you feel like dancing?

I love to dance and sing and travel and go dining!  After being 'in country' for 15+ months I received an incredible birthday surprise and got to meet a friend for a week long get-away.  It was a wonderful break from reality.  It was so refreshing to enjoy a few days without the constant stresses of our day to day life in Haiti.

Today's Jesus Calling devotional, by Sarah Young, (which has spoken repeatedly to my soul lately) made me think about my trip verses my everyday life.

I am the firm foundation on which you can dance and sing and celebrate My Presence.  This is My high and holy calling for you; receive it as a precious gift.  Glorifying and enjoying Me is a higher priority than maintaining a tidy, structured life.  Give up your striving to keep everything under control--an impossible task and a waste of precious energy.
My guidance for each of My children is unique.  That's why listening to Me is so vital for your well-being.  Let Me prepare you for the day that awaits you and point you in the right direction.  I am with you continually, so don't be intimidated by fear.  Though it stalks you, it cannot harm you, as long as you cling to My hand.  Keep your eyes on Me, enjoying Peace in My Presence.

I'll be the first to tell you that it was easy to praise my King when I was relishing in my short vaca away.  I danced, I sang, I laughed, I smiled...

I relished in girl time and quiet quiet time!  I rested in a plush, comfy, white covered bed without mosquitoes swarming overhead and there was even a thermostat for our room!  It was FAB..U..LOUS!!  It was a precious gift!

But what about when there's no vacation with a sweet friend you haven't seen in over a year while enjoying lavish meals and being treated like an heir of the royal family?

What, then?

Do you still dance?  Do you still sing?  Do you still laugh and smile and portray a joyous life?

When you have to clean up after the party and go back to work.... When you have to replace the brakes in your vehicle or clean up after a sick child.... When your illness sends you to the hospital and your parties are entertaining pity more than actual guests.... When you can't find your keys and you're already running late, who feels like dancing and singing, then?

If we allow circumstances to be our foundation 
on which we can enjoy a 'good life' brimming over with joy, 

we are setting ourselves up for very little dance time, my friends.  

It's in the midst of hard circumstances that we have to press into what we know to be true even when we don't feel it.  The truth is that we really are children of a King... The KING!  
"God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords" ~ I Timothy 
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!" ~ I John 3:1

Sometimes we argue and say that's just not enough.  I've argued that very thing lately.  I've fought to wear a smile and I've certainly not felt like dancing.  I've spent some time questioning what we're supposed to be doing while we continue to find ourselves in a mode of transition.

We were supposed to be settled by now.
We were supposed to be over the transition phase by this time.
We were supposed to be knee deep in our life overseas and even swimming every now and then.

When our circumstances and everyday stresses are difficult to walk through, much less dance through, I don't feel much like I'm part of a royal family.  Instead of celebrating that the "Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us" is with us every step of the way, I've wondered if maybe He stepped on over to another path that I wasn't privy to.

Can you relate where you are?
Are you on a joy hunt, hoping you run into it sooner than later?
Do you ever just feel like you missed the memo about your flight until after the plane was in the air... and someone else is enjoying the comfort of their seat and yours?

Sometimes "the road God chooses to lead us on as we travel into a life of abundance is often more challenging, more tedious, more lonely, more indirect, and more costly than we ever expected".  But when we stop fighting against our circumstances and cry out to that same King that we were praising when life was jolly good, we see that He might just be taking us deeper into our journey so we can truly experience Him as our foundation for everything good and right in our lives.

I'm not asking you to make light of your current trials any more than I'm pretending mine haven't been the last thing I've wanted to embrace lately.  But what if we give up on trying to keep everything under control and just bust out in song or dance when it least makes sense.  God inhabits the praise of His people, you know?  And it worked wonders for Paul and Silas when they were stuck in prison, not to mention the jailer and his family!  (Acts 16:25-40)

I won't be wearing long sleeves with my shorts anytime soon and I probably won't let my hair down all that often but I am going to look for opportunities to dance and bust out in song more!
Won't you join me?

"But let all who take refuge in You be glad; let them ever sing for joy.  Spread Your protection over them, that those who love Your name may rejoice IN YOU." ~Psalm 5:11