His Hands, His Feet, His Love

Hi all!

It's hard to believe I've been in Haiti for almost 2 weeks! Everyday I look forward to seeing what God has in store for me, and of course getting to spend time with my "sweet six." Here's a glimpse at what's been going on since my last update.

On Saturday we had a pool party at the toddler house, they had a BLAST. I wasn't feeling the best that day, so I sat on the sidelines and acted as a heater for the kiddos that were cold. :)

Unfortunately, on Monday I got sick and wasn't able to paint at Fort Jacques, which is where the future GLA will be. On Tuesday, we decorated the balcony and made cupcakes for two girlies. Every month they have a party for the kids who had a birthday that month. It was such a blessing and joy to celebrate their first birthday with them!

I had a 10 month old from the middle nursery that was here temporarily for medical assistance, and earlier this week she went home with her biological mother! So, I got a new fella from the NICU who is 5 months old. He is a little behind developmentally, but I'm excited to spend time with him and hopefully see some improvement. My 9 month old also moved from the NICU to the middle nursery this week. That leaves me with two girls and four boys total. My two youngest are five months old. I also work with an 8 and 9 month old, 1 1/2 year old, and 4 1/2 year old.

The two youngest from the NICU are working on sitting up. They both like to lay on their tummy and think it's hilarious when I give them kisses. We also love to cuddle in the rocking chair.

My 8 month old can sit up on his own and is starting to scoot around on his belly, soon he will be crawling! His smile is contagious!

The sweet 9 month old I've been spending time with is a crawler. I turn my back for one second and she's halfway across the balcony under the bench!

My 1 1/2 year has learned to pull himself up using a bench. He's also starting to walk with my help!

Finally, my 4 1/2 year old and I have been working on walking. On Wednesday, we went on a walk and she walked the entire way, I was so proud of her!

I continue to be amazed by God and his wondrous ways. He has shown me a totally different perspective here in Haiti. These kids are amazing. It's hard for me to put into words how much they've impacted me in such a short amount of time. For those of you who have seen The Blind Side, here's the best way I can put my feelings into words. There's a scene where Leigh Anne Tuohy is telling her friends about bringing Michael Oher into the family, and her friend says, "You're changing that boys life." She replies, "No, he's changing mine."

I'll leave you with a little alphabet singing by me and "my little tank" at the toddler house. Until next time, love from Haiti!

|All Glory to God|

Welcome to Haiti

Port-Au-Prince to Petionville

This sweet boy loves to cuddle

Learning to blow bubbles

He is a bundle of joy!

My view from the balcony 

 This little dude has so much love to give

All smiles! 

Bonjour from Haiti! I arrived safely in Port-Au-Prince on Monday afternoon. Navigating the airport and customs wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. The first picture up above is me in our "taxi" that picked us up from the airport. It's about an hour drive up the mountains from Port-Au-Prince to Petionville. I loved observing the beautiful people and their culture. A lot of people hangout on the side of the road. If they're not selling goods, they're usually just chilling. There is definitely a lot of poverty here, but there is so much of God's beauty that shines through.

We have a pretty structured schedule everyday. From 8-9am we go to the toddler house where kids 2 1/2 years and older live. These kids LOVE to be held. I usually have a child in my arms within the first minute of arriving, and another one on my leg also wanting to be held. If you try and put them down, they cling to your waist. The last two photos are just two of my precious buddies from the toddler house. Aren't they beautiful?!  

After 9am we walk down to the main house, where all the babies live. Most of the kids here are younger than 2 1/2. There are three nurseries: the NICU, the middle, and the main. Babies who are born premature, need special attention, or are not ready to go into the middle nursery stay in the NICU. In the middle nursery, babies are usually crawling and learning to walk. The main nursery is the biggest out of the three, and majority of the kids in this nursery can walk.

On Tuesday, I was assigned six wonderful babies. I call them my 'sweet six' :). Every hour I switch babies, which makes the day fly by. I have two from the NICU, three from the middle nursery, and one from the main nursery. My youngest is 5 months and my oldest is 4 1/2 years old. The middle three photos up above are a few of the smiles I get to see everyday. I can't wait to watch them develop over the next three months! A few of my children are behind developmentally, so I ask that you keep them in your prayers, and that over the next few months they would thrive! I'm so thankful to be pouring God's unconditional love into these little children. 

Overall, I am adjusting well! There's a few things that are going to require some repetition to break my habits from home, such as brushing my teeth with a water bottle, "navy style" showers, and of course not flushing the toilet every time. Oh, and the casual cockroach in the bathroom. Besides that, I'm adjusting better than I thought I would. 

If you have any questions, please ask! Thank you everyone for your amazing encouragement and support! Sending love from Haiti!

|All Glory to God|
   

There are No Orphans of God

This video is from 2010, but here is a look inside GLA. 9 days and counting!

"God's Littlest Angels orphanage located in Thomassin 32, Petion-ville, Haiti is the home to abandoned, malnourished, and premature infants. Since the earthquake that destroyed much of Port-au-Prince and surround area in January 2010, GLA has taken in children for short term care when their home situation is not safe or they are ill. GLA is a registered 501c3 in th USA and is registered with charitable Canada. GLA is also authorized to function in Haiti by IBESR, Haitian Social Services."

How did I get Here?

I often catch myself thinking, "Am I really taking a semester off from school? And in that time, am I actually going to Haiti? For three months? What am I doing with my life?!" Before I knew I was going to Haiti, I spent a lot of time wrestling with God and His plans for me. I had everything laid out how I wanted, but little did I know, God would win. In this post, I want to share with you how this opportunity came about.

Around Thanksgiving time, I began to have a feeling that something just wasn't right. I wasn't happy with where I was at, but I wasn't exactly unhappy either. I started to blame this feeling on the college I attend, Iowa State. I've had a hard time reaching out and making friends at such a large university, so I used this to justify my feelings. My second excuse was pointed more towards the psychology program, and the fact that it is more research based, rather than clinical.

By Christmas time, I had strongly considered transferring to a different college. I had family members tell me that Iowa State wasn't the problem. They explained to me that no matter what college I attend, there's going to be struggles. What's important is our attitude and how we handle these situations. At the time, this concept was not clicking with me and I continued to dislike Iowa State. Although I thought about transferring, I never ended up applying to any other schools.

I started to consider other options that didn't include changing schools. One day during Christmas break, I was listening to Pandora radio and a commercial for the Peace Corps came on. I thought, "Alright, maybe this is a sign from God. I'll check it out." After researching both the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps, I decided taking a year off from school would be too long for me. I also wanted a more faith-based program, where I was able to openly share the Gospel. So, I continued to pray.
     
It's interesting for me to reread my journal entries from November to the beginning of January. The number one thing I wrote/prayed about was not knowing what I was doing, curious if Iowa State was the place for me. I consider myself a bit of a perfectionist, so when I don't have things planned out it's easy for me to get worked up. I became frustrated with the Lord. I was continuously praying, but nothing was happening. I knew my feeling of doubt was there for a reason, but I didn't know why. I felt a desire to serve the Lord, but I had no idea where He wanted me to go, or what He wanted me to do. On January 9th, everything became clear when I read my devotional from Ransomed Heart. Here is a glance at what the devotion was for that day:

“The choice before us is not to make it happen. An adventure is by its nature, a thing that comes to us. It is a thing that chooses us, not a thing we choose. Abraham wasn’t wandering about looking for the one true God; He showed up with an extraordinary invitation. But having had his encounter, he could have chosen otherwise.”

It finally hit me. I have to stop searching and forcing these things. I realized in that moment, I was supposed to be at Iowa State, but I was also supposed to stop doubting God. I figured if He wanted me somewhere else, He would send me an invitation. Three weeks after I read that devotional, I met with a good friend for lunch. I explained my situation to her, and how I had no idea what I was doing. She asked if I considered going to Haiti to serve at an orphanage (where she had previously served). From that point on, everything slowly fell into place. Prior to this, I can honestly say my expectations for what an "invitation from God" would look like, were a bit high. I expected to encounter something huge, with a flash of lightning and He would tell me what to do. Turns out my invitation came while I was eating a Subway sandwich.
   
Even though this trip is not through Iowa State, I'm able to receive 9 credits for a psychology fieldwork practicum course. This will allow me to still graduate on time, which I am so thankful for! It's been tough for me to push aside my plans, and let God take the lead, but He knows what's best. Once again, I want to thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and love as I take this leap of faith!