Our New Digs

After seven months of living inside the schoolyard with children everywhere, all the time, no privacy, constant noise, it's a dream-come-true to have a room with a breeze and open space at the beach property.

It's a whole new way of life with the whole team here. Dee's been looking out for me, letting everyone know to let me be when I sneak away for some desperately overdo time alone. I've tossed rocks at the ocean all by myself, not a soul within fifty yards of me. For months I've had people at my side, which can be good or bad, depending on your personality. For me, it just added to the infecting loneliness I'd been feeling for so long. I wanted companionship, but at the same time I wanted solitary confinement. I think what it all came down to was detaching and taking time to pray out loud knowing that only my Father could hear me. That one little thing turns out to have more value to me than I ever knew.

I value that time now for what it should have been to me all along- necessary. That time is necessary for mental sanity, emotional bearing, spiritual renewal. I have never known that more than I do at this very moment.

So now I relish. I relish in shutting my door and not being disturbed, in reading and napping without constant perusal, in working, eating, drinking and sleeping on my own schedule, and in speaking English and having those in my presence understand every word.

I am enjoying this new life. It's still adventurous. It's still challenging. It's still wonderfully complex. But it's become something now that's never been before- more than bearable, less than spoiling- it's become comfortable. I know that in spiritual terms that word may carry negative connotations. But at this point, I'll take comfortable over what it previously was any day.

Much love,
C

Preview: I believe I owe you a "Joy of Giving: Part 2". Be on the lookout.

That Look

Now that Lonia is in our midst again, I have had countless opportunities to look in those eyes that are too big for the body that holds them. Dee has spoken over and over of the fire in that little girl's eyes. But it's different to hear about it and now to see it for myself.

It's no matter what kind of look I give her, whether it is stern or gentle, full of panic or laced with joy, she always answers back with that same mysterious look, like she's got wisdom behind those eyes that I'll never touch.

Granted, there are those comical moments when she tries to imitate my features before I realize which ones I'm wearing. But when it's just her watching, looking, observing, searching, even silently replying to a statement I've made, she's got that look- that awesome, innocent, deep little look.

Gives me goosebumps everytime.

Dee can't quit repeating that this little fireball is especially special. She's known it for awhile. I'm just catching on. And for the both of us, it feels like God's working a little momentum into play. Care to join in the fun?

Much love,
C

Team of Friends

The team that visited last week is the same team that I have lead the last two years. Talk about a switch in role-play! I knew all but two of the girls that came personally so, after five months of fairly lonely circumstances, you can imagine how ecstatic I was to have a group of friends around.

It started out as the normal airport chaos. But this time I got to run the other end of it. Before, all I had to do was usher the girls around and wait for Dee's orders. This time I was negotiating and arguing and giving orders in Creole and driving and, well, you get the idea. I'm sure they were slightly taken aback.

And what better way to end a day of chaos than with a little more chaos? To say it simply, the truck broke down. Not only did it break down, it broke way down. The head gasket. It broke. Big time. So we pulled the little truck home by way of the big truck, which was just recently fixed. Did I mention that we had just replaced the clutch in the little truck THE DAY BEFORE all this happened? All I have to say is, Dorce Ministries will think twice before putting on the team someone who's very aura makes vehicles' entrails crumble.

Nonetheless, the team of the ladies from Hannibal-LaGrange College was more than happy to join us for the adventure. The week was spent telling stories and laughing and travelling and laughing. We made visits to four of our main locations- Carries, Cupois, Verrette and Montrouis. About four hundred kids got gifts of toys, food, candy, pencils, etc. The week was wonderful in every way I could have expected.

One of my favorite things to share was the testimony that this is not supernatural work for supernatural people. I know that most short-term student missionaries think that only special people are qualified for the work. I know that sometimes missionaries are put on a pedastal. But I got to tell them and prove to them that they're all candidates by saying that a year ago I was in their seat. I was a student leading a week-long mission trip. I was a college girl. A year ago. I'm a 23-year-old single gal. My qualifications are not exceptional. I have barely passed the stage they're in now.

That's what makes this whole situation so extraordinary. I have no idea why God chose me for this position at this time instead of someone else. But I guarantee that if He's done it with me, He can and will do it with whichever person in whichever place for whichever reason He wants to. If this has proved anything to me so far, it's that God doesn't need me.

The whole week was overwhelming and wonderful. And now we're back down to business.

Thanks for being with me for all this. It's a very big deal.

Much love,
C

No More Jokes

Question: How many Haitians does it takes to get a dump truck stuck in a ravine?
Answer: Usually just one, but this time it was two.

Question: How many Haitians does it take to attempt to pull a dump truck out of a ravine?
Answer: 56...on the first day.

Question: How many days does it take to pull a dump truck out of a ravine in Haiti?
Answer: 2

Question: How many Haitians does it take to actually pull a dump truck out of a ravine?
Answer: 27 on the second day.

Question: How many Haitians refused to listen to Crash throughout the entire ordeal?
Answer: 56+27=83

Question: How many 1/2-inch steel cables does it take to pull a dump truck out of a ravine in Haiti?
Answer: 1/2-inch steel cables aren't strong enough.

Question: How many times does a 1/2 steel cable need to break in half before 56 Haitians and one American finally realize that 1/2-inch steel cables aren't strong enough?
Answer: 6

Question:How many friggin-huge chains does it take to pull a dump truck out of a ravine in Haiti?
Answer: Only one, praise God.

Question: How many times when the camera malfunctions and misses the best part of trying to pull a dump truck out of a ravine in Haiti does it take to really tick Crash off?
Answer: Only a few.

Question: How many times did Crash praise God after He kept the truck from tipping over?
Answer: stopped counting after 18.

Questions: How many people think that if they'd done it their way in the first place the dump truck would have pulled out of the ravine before lunch on the first day?
Answer: 83 Haitians and one American named Crash.

Either way, it's out and I can breathe again.

Hope you enjoyed that.

Love.
-C

Book Quotations I Love

A vision without a task makes a visionary.
A task without a vision is drudgery.
A vision with a task makes a missionary.
-Dunning
As quoted in "Spiritual Leadership" by J. Oswald Sanders


Through prayer you can accmpany any missionary to remote parts of the earth. Through prayer you can walk through crowded bazaars, minister in steaming jungles, feed millions of starving men, women and children, hungry for bread for their bodies and for the Bread of Life.
-Wesley Duewel
"Touch the World Through Prayer"


The person accepting the Lord's call into the ministry is agreeing to live in a world of unfinished tasks. You are literally being sentenced to live beyond yourself. It is by its very nature impossible to live this life and do this work in your own strength. You will develop a strong prayer life or you will not survive. It's as simple as that.
-Joe McKeever
As quoted in "Prayer: The Timeless Secret of High-Impact Leaders" by Dave Earley


All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds awake to find it was vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, that they may act their dreams with open eyes to make it possible.
-T.E. Lawrence
As quoted in "The Leadership Genius of Jesus" by William Bausay III


I wonder why it is that everywhere the apostle Paul went they had revolution, and everywhere I go they serve a cup of tea.
-some Anglican bishop
As quoted in "The Winning Attitude" by John Maxwell


(In the context of speeding up a learning process...)
When God wants to make an oak tree, He takes a hundred years. When He wants to make a squash, He requires only two months.
-James Garfield
As quoted by Maxwell


Let's discipline ourselves so that words are few and full.
-Richard Foster
"Celebration of Discipline"


Parents hold steady through the teen years, knowing that their children will emerge at the other end human once again!
-Richard Foster
same book...this one makes me laugh every time

I made up a joke

Question: How many Haitians does it take to change a lightbulb?

Punchline: How would I know?

A Haitian Wedding

4 am...woke up

5 am...packed my red dress and hit the road

6 am...drove as far as possible 'til we hit a ravine and had to hike from there

7 am...couldn't see a trail ahead, but saw a man leading a donkey which was carrying a pig, all being chased by a dog, so I figured we were headed somewhere towards civilization

8:30 am...arrived for the wedding and changed into the red dress

9 am...wedding at which I turned out to be the only photographer so people pushed me towards the bride and groom during all the important parts and made me sit in a chair on the stage...in the red dress

11 am...3o minute hike farther up the mountain to the newlyweds' new home

11:01 am...all the children of that and all other surrounding mountains spotted the white girl (me) and latched on for the hike, petting my arm hair and telling me I'm pretty

12:30 pm...arrived at the house drawing more attention than the couple because of the mob attached to me

1 pm...Wilckly started his toast as the best man

2 pm...Wilckly finished his toast (that's a joke)

2 pm for real...sat down to eat the wedding feast which consisted of rice and beans, pickley, pork, beet salad and all the other Haitian delicacies with exotic fruit like papaya, mango, pinapple and oranges- all decorated beautifully with cheese curls stuck to the end of toothpicks (that's not a joke). They made the shape of a heart with the cheese curls- how romantic.

2:30 pm...looked on as the whole place was attacked by people trying to get to the food. I saw rice and beans and cheese curls all flying in the air over a group f people crowding the table. I thought that if that was my wedding I would've cried, but the bride and groom just sat calmly nibbling their cheese curls.

3 pm...started the hike down the mountian in the red dress

5 pm...arrived at the truck which was waiting for us at the infamous ravine

5:01...the boys laughed at me because I was wearing a red dress...with my soccer shorts hanging lower than the hem of the dress.

5:30...chugged a coke

6 pm...bucket bath

7 pm...went to sleep and had nightmares about cheese curls