Waiting with Believing!

 

 "Unto us this day is born a Savior...whose name is Jesus!"  These words would change a world! Who was to know?

  

Mary did...she had been delivered the message of this precious King months before by the angel Gabriel! 

Joseph, also, had been visited by a angel in a dream that he was to become the earthly father of this Savior! 

There were those that were looking for the birth of this Messiah...many actually,

but very few recognized Him for who He was! 

There was the Faith of Simeon and Anna! 

They spent their whole lives in or around the temple waiting and waiting for the what Simeon called the "consolation of Israel" ! 

In the Autumn of their life the Spirit of God enabled them to see this Jesus! 

They were rewarded for their faithful waiting! 

The shepherds from the nearby fields were summoned to the birthplace of Jesus! 

They were undoubtedly scared by the visiting from the Heavenly Host...but in the end they obediently went to see this babe in the manger and rejoice! 

Many months later the wise men studied out the place of this King and in Faith traveled a very long distance to seek Him! 

But the majority of souls in Jesus' day completely missed this special time and birth...because He came quietly...peacefully...without reference or loud clamor! 

He came as a breath of air in the night! 

Many sought Him but few saw Him!  

                                                                                 

As we depart once more from the Christmas season of Joy and usher in a New Year...


 May we all be found in the heart action of  "Waiting with Believing"
...by rejoicing in His next coming as Mary and Joseph did in His first coming....

"at that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory!" Matthew 24:30

May we be found in the steadfast enduring faith of Simeon and Anna...always patient, never doubting! 

"She (Anna) did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day..." Luke 2:37

"Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon and this man was righteous and devout before the Lord waiting for the consolation of Israel..." Matthew 2:25

May we be in obedience to the Lord even when life gets terrifying and we can't see what lies ahead, 

walking forward in Faith because we know that Jesus is there...just as the shepherds did! 

"An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were afraid.  But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for ALL the people."  Luke 2:9

And lastly let us study the scriptures for the coming of our Lord,
 looking to the east up into the Heavens in constant Worship...reading daily...praying intensely with boldness and fervency in Spirit...doing His will even when it is hard... 
never taking our eyes off of the Goal as the Wise men of long ago did! 

"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His Star in the East, and are come to Worship Him."

Let us bring the "Good News of Great Joy...which is for All people" to everyone that we meet in our daily walk, wherever it may be...so that NO one misses out on the second coming of our Precious Savior! 

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, And behold, I am with you always, 
to the end of the age."  Matthew 28:19,20 

"Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him.  So shall it be! Amen.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, "says the Lord God, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." Rev 1:7 


In His Glorious Name we REJOICE~ The Shellabargers 


Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

On Bended Knee I come...

I love it when I can feel the presence of God working in such a great way that it stops me in my day by day activities and draws me to my knees in praise!  Such has been the case as of late.  Plagued with a worry that kept me from sleep and brought to me a anxiety that I rarely have was the nagging feeling that something was not right with my Haitian daughter, Rebecca.  I found myself constantly on my knees or bowing my head among the hustle of life and at night sleep was so often interrupted that I was beginning to worry that I  might have some sort of a health issue involving not being able to sleep. 

As we parent our children, communication is the tool that we most use to keep our family on the road.  It has been a challenge as we try to parent over 2000 miles away, through a every other week skype call, occasional phone call, and a every three month visit for a week at a time our two Haitian daughters.  Both of them are teenagers now and the need has arose immensely!

I would awake at night and not be able to sleep ever since our last skype call.  Something was not right with Rebecca during the communication and no matter how hard we would try she would not open up.  Rebe has had much sadness in her life by losing both parents and then going through the Earthquake as well as being pushed into the voodoo life by a relative.  She has a somewhat rebellious spirit and it is this that I most worry about.  The orphanage she is at must instill strong discipline so that the children when they come home to their adoptive families will have been taught obedience.  If a child can not abide by the rules at the orphanage and continues to transgress they will sometimes need to be put out temporarily or permanently.  With Rebe's spirit this was what was worrying me!

And by and large this was what was the case! A email from Chris who runs the orphanage told of a disobedient act from Rebecca that caused her and another young women to have to return to the streets and any family that they might have!  According to Chris after the before mentioned skype call...Rebecca was sent to live for a week with a aunt.  The plaguing unrest and urgency to pray was indeed a call from the Lord to be on my knees the entire two weeks without us knowing anything at all of the situation.  This then resulted, once I had found out the WHY, in a just as urgent need to fall to my KNEEs, once more in repentance for my lack of faith that He would take care of whatever the case was and in awe of the way that Christ is constantly working and prodding us to prayer and trust in Him, even when we do no know the WHY! My prayer is that the next time I am called to this sort of urgent petition that I will not  worry the entire time, but instead trust and believe that whatever the situation...It is being dealt with by our Wonderful Savior who Knows ALL THINGS at ALL TIMES and ALL that I need to do is Kneel!  

"In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning

                               I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation."
                                                            (Psalm 5:3)

A Strong Tower

    Sunday, September 11, 2011...10 year anniversary of one the most heinous acts that was possible against all of America.  Each individual person can recount for themselves what they were doing on this fateful day...where they were, how they felt, and what others said that were around them at the time.

   It is safe to say that time stood still for all of the people of the Land of the Free.

Church service for our family this past Sunday revolved around this event and many prayers and thoughts went up to those who lost family members and the many brave saints that risked their life to save others.

The twin towers were built in 1966.  They were magnificent structures that would seem impossible to destroy except by God alone.  But as time has told through events of history, nothing is indestructable and these "Strong Towers" were of no difference.  The first tower once it was hit by the moving jetliner took exactly 102 minutes to tumble to the ground...the second was less than that 96 minutes.  Something that was built by man was destroyed  in less than two hours.

  Scripture talks of trusting in chariots and horses...could there have been some somewhere that were trusting in these Strong Towers? To keep them safe surely in times of trial. Definately many people were involved in business dealing on that fateful day...deals that perhaps were worth millions of dollars.  Perhaps a job security...working in these buildings could not be any small feat and perhaps took many years to climb up to the business ladder of this degree.  In the end, however, the only Strong Tower that mattered was the only Strong Tower that will ever matter and that was a relationship with Jesus Christ.

  In our lives we can have many "Towers".  Is there something that you are trusting in that could be a tower in your life.  Having named already, a job or money,how about your spouse or your children.  This one is more personal to me, as family means everything in my life right now!.   The Bible talks about one very strong tower that was being built in Genesis 11:4 & 5.  This reason for this tower was as the people put it..."to  make a name for themselves."  As you know the Lord was not pleased and it was at this time that He confounded their languages and they could no longer communicate in the building plans.  The reason that the Lord did this was that He could see the heart of man and realized that if they accomplished this Strong Tower, "then nothing they planned to do would be impossible for them."  Other towers in your life could be sports, church denomination, social status to name a few more.

  Let us examine the strong towers that we have built in our lives and begin tearing them down until all that is left standing is the name of the Lord!

  " The name of the Lord is a strong tower from the enemy" Pslm 61:3

  " The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it and is safe" Prov. 18:10

The Gift of the Teenager

“Don’t laugh at a teen for his affectations- he is only trying on one face after another to find a face of his own”

A beautiful gift in my life right now is the presence of many teenagers.  Crazy you say…. Not so to me.  Always worried by the reality of having one or more of these strange creatures bounding about our home out of control, I have found a very pleasant blessing in the three that now reside within our family abode.   As our children were born and entered the different stages of their lives from infant, toddler, adolescents, and beyond I had always had a quiet dread for what might lie ahead in this rapidly approaching era.  As it became closer and closer and each one went from being 12 to 13 I held my breath.  I may be eating my words but the seven years of parenting these teens has been a fabulous, out of control, heart wrenching, God praising time.

Not only have we been blessed by our own children, but we have also been blessed by an abundance of teens that were not ours.  Through church groups, outreach activities, and school, the blessing of these individuals continue.  Not one, while very diverse and sometimes quite raw, has ever been unreachable or intentional in character.

The one thing that we have come to realize is that no matter what walk of life they come from a teenager wants three things- for you to give them hope and respect, provide some structure, and to meet them where they are and not where you think they should be.

A young man of 13, Bobby, was the oldest of several children and a child of a single mother.  His dad had been abusive to mom and the children, so he was not able to trust anyone.  Put in the responsibility of being his mentors, we would go to pick him up for a day and he would hide in a closet until we could coax him out with promises of ice cream or that he could ride our horses.  The day was usually spent with us trying to communicate with him and him avoiding most of our questions.  Bobby was best dealt with by meeting the person that he was, where he was and not expecting anything else.

When it comes to Faith in God, teens have much insight.  The Bible talks about the Faith of a Little Child… how about the faith of these pre adults. I think of a beautiful group of young ladies that spent substantial time in our home over the teenage years. They dealt with the issues that ensue such as boys, friends, parents, and of course what or who was God!  Not once did they question if there was a God or that He was their friend.  They would pray in groups for hours and sing songs that had to set the angels in Heaven on their seats.





Many times we hear that teens are disrespectful! While this can be true… more than not, it is not… especially if you get to the heart.  A group of teenage juvenile boys have visited us on our farm for the last two summers.  They are from the Bronx in New York City…but their backgrounds are all different. Their language is a combination of  Spanish and street slang. They deal with situations and family issues that are much more serious than the average teen… drug dealers who are family members, drive by shootings on a daily basis, and sexual situations that are out of their control. There language can be severe and they certainly look the part of the street kid…. but the respect that they have for their elders and for each other is amazing.  Lots of Thanks yous and pleases” and if ask to do something they are quite willing to assist each other. They have a certain tenderness with the horses, dogs, and other animals that they interact with while they are here which gives a glimpse of their human soul.  Its seems that God's creatures have been given the gift of bringing out the gentle spirit of the hardest of individuals.

Most recently we have had the opportunity to travel to Haiti and meet a young woman who has lost everything in her life… her parents, her home, her school….   She has been exposed to the dark side of life where evil lurks and lives.  A new convert to the Christian faith, she desires to please her Jesus, but still has the darkness pressing in around her.  What she needs and desires is hope… hope that there is a tomorrow that will be better, hope that someone will love her and protect her.

In America the youth desire no less than this… they just, so many times, have no one to give them this hope.  Two girls have blessed us with their smiles as of late and we find in them a desire for structure or normality.  One has a mentally ill mother who abuses her and humiliates her in ways that are unacceptable.  The other has an alcoholic father and a mother that is not present in her life.  These youth want foundation… parents that hug each other… a family that eats together…someone who is interested in them!   Once more the beauty of these creatures wants to be released and shaped into what they have the potential of becoming.  Yes, they have a very raw personality…some times more than is appropriate.  In word they speak things that are not acceptable….they have actions that must be changed before they can lead a life that is morally complete.  But they do desire to have guidance.

So this brings us once more to teens in general…yes, there is emotions, lots and lots!  They tend to react to things differently at different times and one can never be sure of where they will stand on something. Certain independence becomes very apparent during these years and they can tend to hurt others, especially their parents and friends. They can be loud, rude, and uncaring.  But on the inside there are a lot of insecurities, questions, dreams, and worries, and very, very, beautiful spirits trying to unfold into the adults that they will become.  Those of us privileged to know them and be a part of their lives have choices to make.  We can condemn, ignore, or humor them, or we can join in with them in reaching their hearts and talking to them about the feelings that they have.  No, we do not need to agree with how they are, but we certainly can meet them in the moment and then nurture and guide them as they continue on their way with a spirit of hope.

Besides, if it were not for the teens in our life how would we ever get to enjoy all the funky ring tones on our phones and to learn to text eloquently if we want to communicate with them. Don’t forget the fact that thru them we learn all about fashion and style…. Before that we were clueless!  I praise God for teenagers and I guess it is good to feel this way as my youngest, she is nine, just came into the kitchen and stated quite loudly that “I was ruining her life”. Not sure how… but it looks like the fun is only beginning!



Next time you want to holler, just hug

Next time you want to condemn, just love

Next time you want to walk down a different aisle in the store, choose theirs and smile and say Hi!   Only God knows what might result!




Written for the teenagers in my life:  Abagail (for two weeks anyway), Alexander, Cassandra, Rebecca, Francesca, Sydney and last but certainly not least  Fausto...each one of you are continually opening our eyes more and more!  Thank you!

Aim a Little Higher

He is Elohim Creator, the Omnipotent who rules.
He's the Sovereign King of Glory and earth is His footstool.
He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.
He sends forth lightening that later checks back in with Him.
He speaks worlds into existence and spins them out in space.
He gives orders to the morning and shows the dawn its place.
He prophesies the future then orders it fulfilled.
He bears fruit from a landscape that man has never tilled.
He feeds the beast of the field from the palm of His hand.
He watches while they bear their young and teaches them to stand.
He gives the seas their boundaries and hides His creatures deep.
He teaches eagles how to fly and nest upon the steep.
He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on wings of wind.
He champions the victim and brings proud men to end.
He is Emanuel, God with us, come to earth through Christ.
He is the Kinsman Redeemer who paid the slave man's price.
He is the King of Kings, Lord of Lords and worthy is the Lamb.
He holds the keys to life eternal where the dead in Christ now stand.
He is enthroned between the Cherubim and great is his reward.
The devil, His defeated foe, the weapon, His swift sword.
The story has a moral so I'll hasten lest you tire.
Whoever you perceived He is...you might aim a little higher.

By Beth Moore-Believing God biblestudy

Every Knee Shall Bow

As I began this post the emotion that I am feeling is quite abstract...so if it doesn't appear to be of quality writing technique than please "pardone" me.  Our family of 7 has spent the last 5 days in the country of Haiti, primarily in the city of Port Au Prince! Our adoptive daughters, Rebecca Gabriella and Francesca Elizabeth, live here in a orphanage called His Home for Children.  This is family week and we along with 13 other families are visiting our children and staying at a hotel together.  I have attempted to attempt to write all week but each time I begin I feel so overwhelmed with thoughts, feelings, and emotion that I find it impossible to do. As a friend who is staying with us posted on her facebook "it would be good for all to have a dose of this global reality." 

When she says "global reality" I do believe that she is meaning the conditions of this country and so many others in this world that we live in.  The disease, the malnutrition, the poverty, the conditions...of not just some of these beautiful Haitian people, but most of them.  We are enclosed in a cement block wall in the Hotel but this does not keep out the realities of the outside.  From the constant cries of the children that can look through the gate at the back of the property begging us every time we step out of our room for food, to the young man that somehow managed to get into the hotel gate and spent two whole days with us until we caught on that he was posing as a missionaries' friend. We fed him, we played with him and we talked Bible with him.  His favorite verse that he could quote from heart was Romans 14:10-12. Once the truth came out, we found that he to was a street urchin who spent his time trying to gather food for his mother and his family of nine children. Through the time we spent with Smith Jean, we learned much about faith...faith that God would provide, faith that God would forgive him for the deceptions of twisting the truth to bring food to his siblings, and faith that someday things would be different...how, he does not know...but the Bible speaks this clearly to him.

I have not even begun to talk about the sites that we have seen and the people that we met outside the walls as we traveled to a local public beach and the baptist mission in the mountains.  These sights and stories, I suppose, will be for another post if it is possible.  Depends on the conditions of my heart I guess.

Today some of the visiting families are leaving and so the tears began among all of us...not just those departing.  It is a painful time...it is a beautiful time...it is a God filled time and we praise Him who knows all things for allowing us to experience it.  Is it easy...?  Not even close! In fact the pain is so great that you feel you could burst with the emotion of the heart and bleed for the rest of your lifetime.  However, there must be strength... so that the children do not see...so that the mind does not break down as well as the heart... and so that you can come again!  If you allow the pain and the moment to overcome you, it is to much!  As I am typing this I overhear one mother say to another, "If we do not wait... we can not learn and we are not being obedient."

So that is the way it will be...among this grief stricken country and a city in desperation and sin we will leave our children.  To go back to the lives that they lead among cholera, cockroaches, and concrete rubble.  But lives that are still much better off than most human beings in the city.  We will go back to our lives of luxury, leisure, and laughter, but situations that ensue stress that most Haitian cannot even imagine!  We will pray for our children, we as adoptive families will pray for each other, we will pray for Hal and Chris who run the orphanage and we will pray for a great revival to come over the country of Haiti.  And of course....we will pray for our children to come HOME!  Until then we will follow the scripture of Smith..."Why do you pass judgment on your brother? or why do you despise your brother; for we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, "As I live , says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God."

"So then each of us will give an account of himself to God."

In the words of a Haitian Prayer~

"Sentespri a se chef nou.
Nou konnen kese selman li menm
ki sonje chemen Jesi te fe a.
Donk, nou konnen se selman li menm
ki ka montre nou menm cheman sa a."

"The Holy Spirit is our boss.
We know that He alone remembers the route that Jesus walked.
So we know that only He can show us the same way."

Written with love in dedication to Natasha, Marc Eley, Fritzner, Kerlundi, Juvens, Wadley, Johnneau, Derline, Roselove, Sophie, Jamie, Kelly, Bethiana, Ashley, Jeffery, Bethany, Rebecca, and Francesca!

Mwen renmen ou- we love you!

North Point Community Church :: Messages

North Point Community Church :: Messages

The above link to the message of "Separation of Church and Hate" spoke to our hearts and we felt to share this message.  May we all live in obedience to the word of God as we wait for His return.  Lord Jesus come quickly!

Guilty Until Proven Innocent

I find myself reflecting in the last couple of days on a court case that had become forefront in the media over the last 3 years or so. And even more so in the last month.  Not one to be to interested in the affairs of the world around us, without newspaper or television, I found myself in the throng of thousands of other Americans drawn into the drama of a little girl that was murdered and her mother accused of the crime.  Mesmerized by CNN's live stream media coverage, I more often than not, found myself in front of the computer screen watching as witness after witness was called to the front of the courtroom to testify to all kinds of information.  There was the mother's own parents and friends testifying to what kind of parent she was.  There were the experts testifying in their field of expertise on the subject of DNA, forensic science, psychiatric issues, and a number of  other specialties.   There were the police officers and detectives that worked so hard to figure out the whereabouts of this little girl and what or what not had happened.  And then there were the lawyers... both prosecuting and defense who plead their cases on behalf of this mother and her child...one saying that she was guilty of the murder of her child and the other saying she was a victim of her own childhood.  

In the end and after hours and hours of time and taxpayers money, a verdict was finally reached by a jury of twelve men and women. 

As the verdict was read, I found myself praying to God that this mother would be found guilty of this horrible crime...a action that not many can even think about very long without becoming ill...let alone commit. It would bring some sort of justice to this sweet little girl.  I know that we live in a country that it must prove "beyond a reasonable doubt" of the guilt of a human life, but in my heart it was already decided. 

As the outcome was called out: Not Guilty

                Not Guilty 

Not Guilty 

I shuddered to think of what this means in this country.  The perfect murder had just been committed and a jury had condoned it.  

After feelings of anger, sadness, frustration, to name a few had passed... I found myself contemplating the reality of this Guilty/ Not Guilty verdict in my own life. 

Jesus died for my own sinful self...and until I was covered in His blood I was a very, very guilty person.  His blood and His blood alone has proved my innocence and has proved it "beyond a reasonable doubt"! It is finished! 

How was I (or you)  in my sin before this saving blood of our Savior covered me, any different than Miss Casey  Anthony?  

Answer: No difference! 

But I didn't more than likely kill someone?! 

Ahhh....but I did! Some 2000 years + ago on a place called Calvary!

But that is different we didn't really kill Him! 

No...not in the physical form, we left that to His enemies of the day.  Our sin is what killed Him and He had to die...why....because He loved us!  

So than who am I to cast a stone....(my arm just can't quite send it spinning into the air,thank goodness)!  

Do I think that this mother killed her precious baby girl?

Yes, my mama's heart is sure of it! 

Do I think that Jesus loves this mother and could save her from this sin? 

My answer has to be "Yes". 

If He forgave me  mine....than He to can forgive Casey Anthony! 

Do I think she deserve this grace? 

No! 

Do I?

No! 

Father, forgive me if have judged to harshly and remind me that I am free....only because of Your Love! 

In the words of a contemporary music artist:

"One day, God will pour out justice on Casey Anthony. Or Christ will bear it for her. And so it is with all of us." 

Until then may we all strive to live more like Jesus, not casting stones or calling names, but loving like He does! 

Rest in Peace, Sweet Angel Baby!

A Quiet Mind

GIVE ME A QUIET MIND

When winds are blowing, waves are rising, falling
And all the air is full of dust and spray;
When voices, like to sea birds’ plaintive calling,
Confuse my day;

Then, then I know Thee, Lord of highest heaven
In newborn need discover Thee, and find
Nought can discomfort him to whom is given
A quiet mind.

When hopes have failed, and heavy sadness crusheth,
And doubt and fear would weave their deadly spell,
Then thought of Thee my troubled spirit husheth;
And all is well.

In midnight hours when weariness ignoreth
Heaven’s starry host, and battle wounds are mine,
Then Thy right hand uplifteth and outpoureth
Love’s oil and wine.

O Blessed Lord, beyond the moment’s sorrow
I see above, beaneath, before, behind–
Eternal Love. Give me today, tomorrow,
A quiet mind.

(From the collected poems of Amy Carmichael)

Hi, I am Francesca!

Hi! I am Francesca!  Today is my 13th birthday!  I was hoping to be home with my forever family by now but God seen it differently so...I will be celebrating my birthday in the big "O" where I live with 109 other children. 

I was born in Port Au Prince, Haiti, and I am one of the oldest of five children.  I remember living with my Haitian Mama and Dad a little bit.  I remember a big fire that my Mama would cook over. I also remember the way that my house looked on the inside.  There were two rooms...one for eating and one for sleeping.  When I was five my Mama brought me to Miss Chris at the orphanage to live because she could not take care of me anymore.

I love living at the "O".  Miss Chris is so kind to me and she is like another Momma.  I love Pastor Hal to, but sometimes he scares me because he is so big and loud!  I think he has to be because some of the boys don't listen to him very well.  I think that he loves me, though!

When God made me he made me a little different than you.  My Forever Mom says that He was planning on making me a angel and then changed His mind at the last moment and made me a little girl instead.  I think that was a good idea on His part because I am certainly NO angel!  At least that is what my big brother, Al says!

Some of my favorite things to do are to string beads and make beautiful necklaces for the people that I love.  I also like to read and my big sister Rebecca is helping me to do this while I am in Haiti waiting. The words are so hard for me sometimes but I will learn them!  I don't like being 13 and not able to read.

I lived with my forever family for a while when I was in America and I met some wonderful friends.  That is another thing that I like to do... make new friends.  In fact everywhere I go i make new friends. 

I was born Francesca... but I have alot of nicknames.  In the "O" I am Frankie.  In Ohio I am Fran, Francece (my momma), and Francula (aunt Holly).  But my favorite name is Frannie, because my teacher Mrs. Porter gave it to me. Dad told me to pick a middle name... we don't have middle names in Haiti and I chose Elizabeth because it is my oldest forever sister Abbey's middle name.  So I am Francesca (Frannie) Elizabeth Dorilas Shellabarger.... wow that is a mouthful! :)

I guess my birthday will be a little different than I had hoped.  Miss Kelliegh, Fritzner's forever mama, has come to the orphanage because Fritzner has the sickness that is all over Haiti.  We thought we might not get it here at the "O" but it has arrived.  Bethiana was taken to the hospital this morning too and some of the other toddlers are sick. One baby has died. My forever family was going to skype me tonight on Pastor's computer but Miss Chris says that because of all that we are going thru here at His Home they will not bother Pastor.

 Before I left to come back to Haiti from living in America, my mom and I planned what my 13th birthday party would be like.  We decided that we would have it with my older sister Rebecca who turned 16 on June 9 together and invite lots and lots of people and have hats, and tooters, and play games and do crafts.  But since I am not there, Miss Kelliegh says they are making spaghetti, that is my favorite food...except for Ramen Noodles, to celebrate my birthday.  I am  sure that they will be praying for me.  My family prays all of the time!  Sometimes I get kinda bored with this. Sorry Jesus, Sorry Jesus, I love you. It is just hard to sit still with my eyes closed that's all.  I am kinda mad about them not skyping, but my sister Rebe tells me to be quiet and be thankful I am not the sick one!...so I will listen to her. My Haitian birth mama works here at the Orphanage and does laundry, but because of the sickness she will not come on my birthday either.  Oh, well I will still be 13 and a teenager and no one can take that away from me. 

I do hope that I can go home soon to live with my forever family.  Mama says that once I get there I will never have to leave again unless I want to.  My parents talk to me about living in America and getting a good education and then maybe coming back to Haiti and helping my people.  Sometimes I think this is a good idea...but first I want to have fun in the United States of America.  Hey, I think I will wear my red shirt with the American flag on it today! 

Well, I hope you have enjoyed getting to know me and will pray for me on my Birthday! 

In Sharp Contrast- It is Summertime!

School is out, School is out

The hearts of the Children wants to run and Shout!

What a blessed sight to see the joy and smiles on the faces of my niece and youngest daughter as they step off of the school bus one last day!  Chatters of excitement tell me that they got the teacher that they want for next year and the plans for the summer are in full swing. 

My 13 year old is on the diving board ready to jump off with my older niece, already having begun the fun at hand! 

Our fifteen year old son is cutting the lawn with the ipod and headphones in place. Probably shoot some baskets when he gets done.  He has practice tonight.

It is a beautiful day with a clear blue sky and the scent of the Mock Orange in bloom.  The farmers are planting their crops and you can hear the hum of the tractor engines.  There is a smell of fresh cut hay in the air and the birds are in delight as worms are being unturned for their consumption. 

"The Heaven declare the glory of God

And the skies proclaim the work of His Hand"

The Garden is beginning to produce as we picked several quarts of strawberries today, as well as asparagus in abundance.

I am thinking that strawberry smoothies or a fresh strawberry pie is in the making for the evening!

Our oldest daughter and a bevy of helpers are preparing for the first night of her horse ministry which she calls "Unbridled Hope".  There are twenty something girls, ages 8-16 planning to attend this weekly camp in which they learn to ride, bond with the horses, as well as have a worship and devotional time with God.

So the smell of equine mixed with leather is also added to the menagerie of smells of the summertime.

It makes the heart light and the spirit praise filled! The children will be close to God's beauty all summer long and this in turn is the way He draws their spirits unto Him!

The daddy of this place is doing what he does best and that is keeping everything looking nice from the fruit trees to the road island red chickens that are now roaming all over our front yard!

This is what life is about... Summertime and the heart of a child!

Here is the contrast....

Let's now travel over 2000 miles south and another 2 hours of air time to the city of Port au Prince, Haiti where our two additional daughters live.  They reside at "His Home for Children" which houses 110 children who need forever families.  Some are waiting, some of being considered, and some will never leave this place. 

School in Port does not leave out for the summer.  It is a year round education.  The girls begin their day with a five thirty wake up.  No electricity is usually available at this time of the morning but in Haiti daylight is about 4:30. They dress, eat breakfast, and head to school on foot of course.  There are no gardens or swimming facilities close by just lots and lots of people with lots and lots of dust, and lots and lots of smells.

  Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere.  Eighty percent of the population lives in extreme poverty.  Our girls are very blessed to attend school, as 65 % of children never finish elementary and 80 % will never attend high school.

Over half of the adult population is illiterate.

The smells that they have to endure include charcoal smoke ( most people cook with this), sewage, and rotting animals from the streets.

The food they eat consists of rice and beans, oatmeal..!?
Most of the water is not fit to drink for Americans and according to Hal who runs the orphanage... not for the Haitians either.

There is alot of noise... crying babies, shouting neighbors, cursing on the street out front and just a overall drone of human beings, as the city population is around 3.5 million, nearly half of the whole countries population.
Disease is rampant and words such as cholera, malaria, and HIV fill many fearful conversations.  Nothing is taken for granted and tomorrow nothing may be the same. 

The summertime doesn't change much from the winter time, or the fall and spring as well.  The routine is the same each day of the week... Monday- Friday is school....Saturday they get to take a cold shower and wash their hair and re braid it. Sunday is church and grilled cheese and hot dogs, a specialty that they love to look forward to.  They have chores, especially our 16 year old. She does the laundry for a group of children by hand in a pan in the backyard and then carries the clothes up a 6 foot ladder to a flat roof of metal where she lays them out to dry.

Their bedroom is shared with 10 other girls and every bed is made and the room is spotless.  They work very hard to keep it this way.

"I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and justice for the poor."

Pslm 140:12

On a recent visit we ask our daughters on their birthday celebration what they wanted to do in their 16th and 13th years.  I do believe we could have ask them if it snows in Haiti, by the looks on their faces!  Dreams, hopes, and future are not words that are understood.  The only answer that we got from them was to "Come Home" ,and we pray every day that this wish will be granted.

Why then we ask, are some of us placed in lives that are so full of blessing and hope and so many others have been put in situations that will never change or prosper? 
The Word of God says that there will always be the poor and the afflicted. 
Does this excuse us then in anyway from helping or reaching out??  I think not!

Perhaps we are seeing it through the wrong glasses... while out blessings are abundant, we are so busy with the blessings that sometimes I think we forget what it is to "be still and now that I am God".  With our prosperous churches and business'  we have learned to take everything for granted and do not appreciate anything that we have or are.  Attending church in Haiti in comparison to America is like a rushing water fall in contrast to a small stream of water in a dried up creek bed.  When our business is doing well we horde are increase and desire for more.  In Haiti if someone has something of value they share with anyone who does not have the same blessings.

Some of the things that our two sets of children have the same are that they can look up and see the same moon every night.  They each have the ability to choose right from wrong.  Each child has five senses and hands and feet to use and walk upon.  They each have the love of A Everlasting Father in Heaven who when they cry out to Him, He will always answer them. 




And they have two parents...a Dad and a Mom who love them and will never give up on getting them home to enjoy all the beauty and blessing that we, their families have been given only by the gracious hand of God!

So until then.... we will pick those strawberries and make those summer plans and get excited about life and the hopes for the future and most of all we will continue to follow the Lord Jesus Christ and pray each and every morning and night that our family be united together under one roof... and with the most certainty we know that our God is faithful and that this to will come to pass.....! Praises to Him on High!