Two Haiti Videos

Here are two videos from our Haiti Trip:
Orphans of God
By Our Love
Enjoy.

Haiti #2

Would I come back?
Yes.
Of course yes.
Without a doubt.
I would come back.

How can I explain this when I get back?
I don't even know what to tell my family on skype.
I really haven't told them much.
You'd have to be here to know.
But I sat down to attempt words this evening.
This is what came out:
Amazing.
Mornings crawl sweaty out of bed, dress sloppy and run to roof. Heave up and snap pictures of sunrise and moon--it's only visible in the morning because of the clouds in the evening.
Open Mollie's card, read random Bible passages.
Breakfast --man, these meals are good.
Tennis shoes, fill water bottle, grab bag--gate opens and we step out onto the rocky, muddy road.
"Salu" I greet them.
"Salu"
We pass concrete walls lined with barbed wire and trimmed with wild bush-flowers.
This land is full of paradox.
Gate opens--boys home.
Luc tackle-hugs.
Yvendi smiles.
Wadington sits sad on my lap--won't let go.
Guys kick soccer ball in court yard, girls file in for school and we trek to the back room carrying children. They carry chairs.
Meerton introduces the day and we begin.
They sing in a lower register, but their voices are strong. They sing of heaven, of trust in an awesome God. It almost brings me to tears. Always.
Eventually, our team files out and they start school.
We load into the box truck and bump down the road laughing.
Geoff throws water at Athuila [this time I know how to spell her name] and Megan dumps water on him. "Sorry--such a big bump in the road--it was totally an accident" she laughs.
None of you guys has any concept of a bumpy ride. Haiti riding is airborn-bumpy.
We stop at the main home and hold babies while they load stuff for the new special needs home.
Climb back into the truck and bump through tent city to the new home. Kids move in today.
Touch up murals with a sharpie and chew gum to sooth sore throat. (I'm getting a cold.)
Chris passes out dolls to the new arrivals. Laurie loves her doll. Benita pretends to drink her baby's bottle.
Lunch time we bump back to the main home and then out to the soccer field.
Origami on the picnic table.
Children love the camera, the books, the candy.
I stick close to Marquise (12) and Martine (10)--sweet, sweet sisters.

When I leave them at the orphanage in the evening, I whisper to Marquise, "Love you, girl."
"I love you too, she tells me."
Almighty God loved her enough to shed his blood on her behalf.
It's what I remember when I look into all their eyes, when I hold the urine soaked babies, when I cuddle boy with sad eyes.
Almighty God loved them enough to shed his blood on their behalf.
Marquise and Martine were on the brink of adoption when it fell though. "It was devastating for them." Judy tells me when I ask about them on the ride home.
We bump back to the gate, throw off our tennis shoes and socks and file in for dinner.
I thought I'd starve here, but the food is incredible. I have liked everything I've tried.
After dinner we talk, exchange stories.
I shower--we take military showers here--everything has to be conserved.
Not five minutes later, I'm sweaty again, but hey--Michelle calls it a clean layer of sweat.
I run to the roof for God's evening show--lightning every night while the sun sets. Rain falls.
Hallelujah grace like rain.
Hear stories of kids --tragedy and joy.
The generator kicks in, people skype.
Ten o'clock we head to bed.
When I first got here, I wondered why there were no blankets on the beds. Then I laid down and wondered why they even bothered with sheets. Apparently the weather is a little more bearable during the dry season.
How will I leave this hot, bumpy, inconvenient, unsafe place?
How do I leave the kids?
I think about the Vanberkels and they have to say goodbye to 2 kids who they can't take home till 2014.
How do you do that?
I don't know.

I just know I'm about to leave another piece of heart in Haiti and God is good.

Haiti

Hey everyone, thanks for praying for us. Haiti is amazing. I don't have much time, but here are some pictures. Haiti is an incredibly beautiful land, but also incredibly broken. Pray that we will pour God's love into all these little lives. He loves them so much...

She's wearing my glasses...

 This is in the playground area at the main orphanage site--where the babies and toddlers live.

If we're not walking, we travel in  the back of a truck--the roads are really bad and the ride is incredibly bumpy, but we have fun. The girl in the picture is Atulia, the Vanberkyls are adopting Atulia and her brother, Donalson. He is in the picture below.

 These are people's homes in the tent villages. The smell is terrible and the conditions are very sad.

 This is the view from the roof of the guest house that we are staying in. Our hosts are amazing.

 The roof next door.

 Our roof

 Bringing kids up to take sponsorship photos.

 We assembled a bunch of wheelchairs and cleaned the new special needs house today.

 More to come...

Zip Lines and Haiti

Some people thrive on adventure.  I don’t even like to watch it in the movies.  My idea of a desirable adrenaline rush is a day at the beach catching the waves with my inner tube or planting perennials in my garden then watching them come into bloom year after year.  I’ve tasted risk in dainty, bite sized portions when I was “young” but I lost my appetite for it when I became a parent.  My mother bird instinct congealed with my fundamental sense of caution and I’ve been focused on protecting my fledgings ever since.  Ask me what I want in this life and I’d tell you a craftsman bungalow on a couple of acres complete with a porch swing and a golden doodle (along with the rest of my family) in west Michigan.  I’m attracted to familiarity and security like a magnet.  Ironically, God’s agenda rarely intersects with my natural inclinations and if you know my lifestyle, you know that God hasn’t been constrained by my wonderful plan for my life.  God and I have had moments where unity of purpose prevailed but routinely I feel like He’s taking me on a one way divided highway leading directly away from my destinations of choice.  I opt for detours but he persists and in the end I concede that all roads just keep leading back to His highway.  

This past weekend, our family got out of dodge and went to an all church retreat.  When we checked in at the camp, we were required to sign a waiver releasing the owners from liability if we lost life or limb on their zip line.  Everybody weighed in on whether or not they planned to ride this “main attraction”.  Suprisingly, I said “No thanks.”

The following day, it pelted down chilly rain, steady and unrelenting.  Adverse conditions for an adventure ride.  Nevertheless, Robyn squared her chin soberly and determinedly harnessed up and climbed the 45 ft. tower only to plunge into the abyss at the mercy of a rope. Robyn’s not inherently a thrill seeker but she is determined to face her fears and not afraid to shed a few tears in the process.

I watched her from a distance sitting on the edge of the platform WAY up high waiting to be released.  Her “take off” was delayed because the tandem rider got cold feet at the top (which I totally empathize with).  That left Robyn looking over the precipice for 5 extra minutes while the other child cut and ran.  Then, I heard an “All Clear” from the staff and saw Robyn edge her way off the platform with resolve.

At the bottom, I met her.  Her legs were shaking either from a thorough chill or the physical let down after a fight/flight response.  I asked her what she thought and she responded, “Well, it was pretty scary.  I’m not sure I’d do it again but I’m glad I did it.”

As I approach my departure for Haiti, I keep seeing Robyn in my mind’s eye.

Many years ago, God gave me the conviction to both teach my children about the world in need and to go with them beyond their borders for a “birds eye view” of the uttermost parts of the earth. Angela caught my vision at age 12 after reading thirty missionary biographies in a single month.  Recently, God opened a door of opportunity for us to serve in Haiti--to work with orphans, who need to know that a Father loves them, and to glimpse that love through this mother and daughter.

So, like Robyn, I’m climbing my own platform and the pelting rain of fear is drenching me.

  

I Fear almost everything; flying, safety, shots, medicines, immunizations, illness, disease, lice, heat, dehydration.  I fret about the family staying stateside; sibling conflict, school, meals, logistics, potential accidents.  

My self-talk says: You’re not physically strong enough. Your contribution to this team will be insufficient.  Your kingdom contribution with be inferior.

I have questions I can’t answer like, What if we don’t meet up with our driver at the airport? What if I can’t protect Angela from harm? What if I see my sister in the eyes of one of those children and come back having given my heart to an orphan?

And on a lighter note, how I will cope with looking at myself in the mirror for a week with no blowdryer or hair straightener?:)

I’m looking over the precipice, and soon, God willing, I’ll scoot to the end of the platform, lean forward and try my wings.  Time to fly--for Angela and for me.  I’m reluctant but resolved that with my own harness securely attached to Someone who is stronger than any rope, my landing is secure.  And, who knows, I might even enjoy the view.

Thank you Robyn for your example.

“And a child shall lead them.” Isaiah 11:6

August 2011

Our end of summer adventures--

(Double click on the photos to see them full screen.)

July 2011

Sentimental and nostalgic describe me (Hope) well. Therefore, it is no surprise that I cherish our summer traditions. Traditions old--like the Ada 4th of July parade, cherry picking at Robinette's, Worship Arts Camp and Total Impact missions trip. Traditions new--like fireworks on the beach at Maranatha, Friday night ballroom dance lessons downtown at the ampitheater and cousins camp with Mercedes and Rochelle. Maybe, Brian's sister's visit will become a tradition next year too...

KWAC with Mercedes and Rochelle

This past week our cousins were over for the week and participated with Starla and Robyn in Kids Worship Arts Camp (KWAC). KWAC is a weeklong camp where kids learn music and drama for a production at the end of the week. They choose an elective like cooking, crafts, dance, drama, sign language, photography, set painting, etc. This year the theme was "Happily Forever After". The storyline was that an ordinary girl gets transported back to medieval times. There, she and a group of knights and princesses lead by "the carpenter" evacuate their castle which is built upon sand and cannot withstand the approaching storm. They must find their way to the Shinning Kingdom to be saved. The carpenter represented Jesus in the allegorical story. Starla and Rochelle were in crafts together and had a blast. Robyn and Mercedes had two electives. They were together in sign language. Robyn also had photography while Mercedes had dance. I (Lily)was gone on a church missions trip that week but I was home in time to see the performance. I will tell about my trip in another post. Have a happy end of July!

Snapshots of June

This year, we'll try the photo journal method to share snapshots from our "northern" life. As the years go by, gratitude comes more naturally for God's blessings in both lives--midwest and southwest. The melding back into the culture and landscape of West Michigan happens so effortlessly for me because it's "home". I imagine it's that way for natives of anyplace. We're loving it all--friends, family, neighbors, critters (including pet chipmunks and deer), Lake Michigan, our favorite restaurants, church...

We'll try to post pics monthly that give you a taste of our days. If you double click on the photo, it will enlarge to fill the screen.

Our Summer Summary :)

Hello!!! This is a brief summary of our summer. We started out visiting mommy's college roommate and her family in Alabama. We stayed in a house on a lake. They had a pontoon boat, a speed boat and a paddle boat. We fished, water skied, knee boarded and walked up and down 6 flights of stairs. One morning Robyn said, "I'm going to get my blood moving by going down and up the stairs!" Then we went to Gatlinburg, TN for our annual Webster family reunion. We played games, celebrated my 12th birthday, went to an aquarium, hiked (and found a chimney in the woods with the name Webster on one of the bricks), went swimming and took a lot of pictures. After the reunion we went to Ohio to celebrate my Grandma and Pop-pop's 50th Wedding Anniversary Party. Grandma sisters came to the party from Illinois and Minnesota but she didn't know it and she was really surprised! After that we went and toured two colleges Bryan and Covenant Collage. (I personally liked Bryan Collage better.) Then we finally went to Michigan. We had a lovely time as usual. We swam at Lake Michigan. I got baptized. Angela's friends Hope and Grace visited us from Texas and Mommy had her birthday. We also went to Virgina for my cousin Jared's wedding. Then back to MI and more beach days and that kind of thing. And then Daddy and I went on a really awesome trip called Total Impact with our church youth group. It was so much fun. And then it was sadly time to come back to TX... And back to school, ending another glorious summer.

Hope, Grace and Angela in Lake Michigan.

A sand lighthouse that I built. Though the sea gulls seemed to think of it as a resting place.

Me and my friend Savannah on my Total Impact trip.

This is of our family at Grandma and Pop-pop have their 50th Wedding Anniversary Party.

This is me just before I am baptized.

This is when Angela's friends from TX visited us in Michigan.

This is Mommy and Mrs. Peden on the Seadoo.

This is Robyn jumping into the lake in Alabama.

This is a picture of Jared's wedding.