Coffee dates are refreshing to the soul

What am I doing to serve God?

How am I actively furthering the Kingdom?

Why am I more concerned about what others see that what God sees?

What am I elevating about the Lord?

These are some hard questions that I must answer truthfully as I look at my heart and life. 

Summer Vacation in the States

I have been in the States a little over a week. In that time I have visited my grandma in FL, bought a road bike and have become obsessed with riding it, learned how to build scaffolding to help my dad paint the house, and enjoyed many diet dr peppers. 

I was in the middle of the mall (overwhelmed by all the flashy signs, colorful lights, and bright colors) and I thought to myself "It is so much easier to live and love God in Haiti."

Truth is... it is hard to love God regardless of where I am living. Both Haiti and America have their own set of challenges. 

I must choose to allow God to saturate all areas of my life and be enough. Will I trust that God is able? 

Back to the States for the summer

I arrived in Florida this afternoon! I am spending a few days with my Grandma Padera before heading to Hershey. 

It is nice to be in the land of air conditioning, smooth roads, and good food. It was nice for about 30 minutes... dare I say I miss Haiti already? 

Haiti became my home this year. A place where I saw the Lord move in marvelous ways. I place where I experienced love through community. A place where God broke my heart for His kingdom. A place where I experienced growth like never before. A place where I realized all I need is Jesus. 

I have left one home for another. I cling to the Truth that wherever I am God is with me!

 ^"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9 

its hot!

This is written by a fellow teacher/friend/neighbor. I  couldn't say it more perfectly! Check out their blog! 


Heat. 
You know what I wish I could bottle from Haiti and send to all of you in developed countries?
The heat. The hot, sticky, inescapable, oppressive. The heat that desiccates your body, saps your strength, and leads to irritability. I want you to experience this heat the way I do.

I want you to sit in a concrete box and at the hottest part of the day I want you to shut off all your power. The school is having generator issues and it always- always- happens after lunch, when the sun is most on my classroom windows, when the students are most ready to go home, and when I have the least strength to fight back. I want you to experience sweat every.where. I want you come home from your hot classroom, walk across the hot street and into your hot apartment. Peel off your sweat-soaked clothes and hang them up to air dry before you put them into the dirty clothes because you do not want them to mildew. I want you to coordinate fans around you to circulate air and dry the sweat on your body. Then I want you to get a restless night of sleep because wherever your body lays it is sweating into the sheets. To willfully avoid touching your spouse because they are a heat generator and it is already hot. So hot that even brushing ankles in the night feels like your legs might spontaneously combust from the added heat.

It Is All in Your Head.
There is a woman who helps out at my school who has been in Haiti for around 30 years. She said that every May people will wipe sweat off of them and say, "I do not remember it being this hot last May." She will tell you it was this hot last May. It is hot every May, June, July, August, and September. She told me this not knowing about the above rant. She has had nearly 30 Mays in Haiti... but really, was it this hot last year?

change

You can tell that I am done with school because my blog activity is up!

Over this past year I have changed alot. Not all the change has been good, but I would like to believe that most of it has been for the better. My surroundings have changed, my friends have changed, my job has changed, and my heart has changed in alot of ways. 

Change is inevitable. It is bound to happen. But truth is, I hate it. I absolutely hate change. 

It is silly that I drag my feet, kick, and scream when change is taking place. Why is the automatic mode of my heart not to trust God? Why do I not believe in his goodness and faithfulness when He has shown it time and time again? 

I must put my hope in Christ alone. 

Tonight I go to bed mediating on this Truth found in scripture. 

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.                                Psalm 43:5

Last day of School!

Today was our last day of school. There were many days that I thought I wouldn't survive the year, but God proved Himself faithful. Looking back I am amazed at God's goodness and grace.

Here are just a few of the things my 2nd graders have taught me: 

It is not possible to control others. 

God desires a heart that is broken over sin.  

Life is simple.

A hug can help make a bad day better. 

White people eat mangos with a fork and knife. 

Words are powerful. 

Attitudes affect others. 

We all were shown grace and need to extend it to others. 

We are not perfect.
I speak Creole with too much of an American accent. 

God loves us despite our imperfections. 

There are never too many questions. 

There are consequences for our actions. 

There were days that my 2nd graders made me want to pull my hair out. There were days when I lost my patience too quickly. There were days I got teary eyed when I saw glimpes of my students tender hearts. There were days when my students were perfectly well behaved. There were days when my students said exactly what was on their mind no matter how blunt it was. There were days when everything I taught made perfect sense. There were days when my students did not learn a thing.


Each day was different. Each day was special.

More important that anything this year, my 2nd graders have pointed me toward Jesus. What a wonderful, wonderful blessing they have been!