Your Pain Has Changed Me

I saw what I saw and I can't forget it
I heard what I heard and I can't go back
I know what I know and I can't deny it

Something on the road

Cut me to the soul

Your pain has changed me

Your dream inspires

Your face a memory

Your hope a fire

Your courage asks me what I'm afraid of
And what I know of love

We've done what we've done and we can't erase it
We are what we are and it's more than enough
We have what we have but it's no substitution

I say what I say with no hesitation
I have what I have and I'm giving it up
I do what I do with deep conviction

Your pain has changed me

Your courage asks me what I am afraid of
And what I know of God.

"I Saw What I Saw"
by Sara Groves
                         

Packed and Ready

 Last night was our team's "packing party".

We arrived with suitcases, mountains of donations,
butterflies in our stomachs and high expectations.
We packed, we weighed and we repacked.

22 packed suitcases later, we are ready to go. 

Ready to be changed.

Ready to serve.

Ready to pray.

Ready to hug. 

Ready to paint.

Ready to teach.

Ready to have our hearts filled.

Ready to have our hearts emptied.

Ready to teach English.

Ready to sing.

Ready to love.

Ready to play.

Ready.

Will you pray? 

Our prayer requests and itinerary are listed in the side column. 

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:
to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

James 1:27

Immeasurably More

Why is it that we so quickly forget how God provides? 
We've all seen Him provide in so many times in our past,
and have seen Him be in the details. 
Still, our minds and hearts doubt His provision
when each new situation comes our way.   
Oh, how short our memories are.   

We leave for Haiti on Saturday

 and God has provided.
He's been in the details in the biggest and littlest of ways.

How has he provided?
Through...

a special "granny" and her "Single Sisters" who mailed a giant box of shoes

KCRG kids and families who donated school supplies and dry erase boards during VBS

the daughters who prayed for the kids in Haiti

friends who dropped off stacks of DVDs

friends and family who sent checks

friends who brought bags of shoes

the daughter who donated a favorite Barbie "for the kids"

a big-hearted adoptive momma who dropped off 7 bags of shoes, clothes, balls and crafts

friends who wrote encouraging notes and emails

the sons and daughters who colored pictures for the kids

The Thoms who donated their beautiful lake home for our retreat

a neighbor/friend who found a donor of a large box of new soccer balls

a creative, servant-hearted mentor and her daughter who threw an amazing donation party

a friend of a family member who donated a $2,800 LCD projector
(The head of the orphanage had asked for us to bring a projector to show the kids their first movie.  We'd hoped to borrow one. Nope.  We have one to donate,

to bless these kids EXTRAVAGANTLY with.)

the sister and brother and law who donated a sound board

a former Zimbabwe mission tripper who donated a big bag of new movies, including Tom and Jerry episodes

(We had discussed T&J being perfect for the non-English speaking kids there, but just hadn't had a chance to look for it.  Did she know this?  Nope.  God did though.)

the niece who mailed a box of shoes

the employer who donated candy

the friend who donated a new

DVD player after reading of the request on FB

the doctor who donated a medical kit

the friend who donated 50 t-shirts

the mentor who has agreed to pray us off at 5:00AM

the church connection which resulted in the party bus that we'll be transported to the airport in

the daughter who suggested giving the kids in Haiti some of her dress up clothes

the parents who will watch grandchildren

the babysitters who babysat so we could meet

the friends and the family members who prayed and will pray

GOD IS IN THE DETAILS. 

We are blown away, humbled, grateful, teary-eyed, and in awe.  Again.

When will we learn to carry around this awe? 

To expect perfect provision?

To not forget?

He's lavished us, and most importantly has lavished
those kids with love in abundance. 

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.
Ephesians 3:20

Thank you, friends and family, for loving on us and the kids.

Retreat

Retreats are a time of talking about
packing, planning, and team policy making.

No doubt these things are important.

Bigger than those things though

was the deepening of new and old friendships.

We ate together, laughed together and celebrated together.

We did team-building activities that

reminded us how to work and serve together.   

The highlight of our time away together though
was the sharing of stories. 

Each person is evidence of the fact that

God pursues us all in creative ways. 

After each sharing,

we prayed, and thanked God for
what He has done in each life. 

Our hope is that He will use is in the stories of each
child at the Gift of God orphanage in Port au Prince.

Joy

One of our heart's desires for the kids in Haiti is to give them some moments of joy.  Some childhood.  Some giggles and some silliness.

At our retreat this past weekend,

we spent some time team-building and
practicing activities that we'll be doing with the kids. 

We'll be doing some crazy, fun "Minute to Win It" games.

There were some serious laughs as we tried to:

get five penne noodles onto a piece of spaghetti,

stack chap sticks with chopsticks,

make stack of six die on a popsicle stick,

and get a cookie from our foreheads into our mouths. 

All done in one crazy minute.

Can't wait to see the kids try these. 
Can't wait to hear them laugh. 

Thanks to Jay and Angela for the game ideas and supplies. 
Thanks to the team for being such good sports,
and STRONG "Minute to Win It" competitors!

Together

We are a team.   

Though most of us are just getting to know each other,

bonds are already forming.

We have been training, praying, and planning together.

We've done a personality assessment,

and then were taught how that might play out both with our team and in the culture that we'll travel to. 

We've sampled some "Haitian National Rice"

and plantain chips. 

We've met in homes, at church and in coffee shops.  

We've researched Haiti and

prayed against the "giants" of our fears.   

We are team. 

God designed us,

placing each person into our group with great intention. 

We are learning, growing and being stretched.  

God is at work on this Haiti team. 

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had.

Romans 15:5