Below are posts from Facebook this month…
12-hour Movie Marathon
– October 22nd
Tonight is our 12-Hour Movie Marathon! That’s right…we’ve completely lost our minds!
For the past 2 months, all of the kids on campus (including our staff’s children) have been earning points for cleaning, good behavior, and random acts of kindness. Tonight, those with the most points were rewarded!
SO…we have 48 children in the classroom ready for food, films, and fun! We have several games to play in between films as well.
Sadly, this is the first party where the snacks aren’t up to par. We cannot find popcorn, chips, cookies, candy, chiccos, or soda in town.
BUT –
Momma gigi made her version of donuts – which are honestly better than ANYTHING you could buy downtown! Gabriel made oatmeal cookies as well. AND we also have those good ole peanut butter sandwiches on standby!
We started the party at 7pm and it will end at 7am. Even if the children fall asleep, they will stay until the morning.
Sigora only offers power from 8pm-10pm. BUT nearly all of our party decorations are battery powered! We have several ryobi fans that should last 6 hours – to help with the heat. We also have a back-up “battery box” that should be able to hold the projector & phone for the whole night.
Though we don’t have our typical snacks for the party….we did manage to find the cutest UK cheerleaders to help us keep this party going! 🙂
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Laughing Even When It Hurts
– October 21st
I spend the mornings teaching my kids in school. Our staff love that I’m in the classroom because I’m easy to find on any given day.
Pierre, Momma Gigi, Mme Nene, Elirose, Bena and various other staff often get into random & “somewhat deep” conversations at my desk – while the kids are doing their school work.
Things are looking bleak in the Mole, as we cannot find rice locally now. We always use a lot of analogies when we speak about life. It’s just an easy way for our cultures to connect.
I started talking about how SOMETIMES it can feel like God has left me on “read”. I know He hears my prayers – but it feels like I’m continually waiting for HIM to respond. I just keep seeing the “bubbles” – (where it looks like He’s writing) – but then nothing comes through.
Momma Gigi & some of the other staff have had some of those same feelings. They said it’s like sending someone mail & never knowing if the person received it. It’s just difficult right now to see & know if God is really “moving”.
**
SO – – – LEVI is sitting quietly at his desk. In fact, we totally forgot he was here.
Out of nowhere he pipes in (while still looking down at his textbook), “Well maybe God’s not getting your messages because He forgot to leave His forwarding address!”
We laughed so hard at how nonchalantly he joined our conversation with the most random comment. He is definitely one of a kind! (Just a few years ago, this kid thought MLK day was MILK day and wondered if people could choose any flavor of milk or it had to be “regular”).
It was nice to leave our heavy conversation with some much needed laughter….
**
At the end of the day…I have no doubt that God is on the move – EVEN if it feels like our prayers are getting lost in the mail.
And if you ever have those same feelings…. just keep holding on! There’s no such thing as “return to sender” when you’re communicating with our God Almighty!
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I’ve fallen and I can’t get up
– October 13th
I know for some of you, this post is gonna seem like shocking news…so out of my norm. (Note sarcasm)
This past Saturday, while carrying an armful of books up “exactly 2 steps” – my sandal got caught and I fell full-force on my left shoulder. Since my hands were full, I couldn’t brace myself.
No, this is not the shoulder I had surgery on before. BUT according to my orthopedic surgeon – it will likely be the shoulder I have surgery on next week.
I have it in a sling and I’m using an ice machine (from my last shoulder surgery) to help with the swelling. Because of my esophagus issues – I’m not allowed to take steroids/IB-prophin normally. However, I was given permission to take those for a few days.
I’m unable to move my left arm in ANY direction without excruciating pain. My doctor said if it doesn’t loosen up in the next few days- I’ll have to fly out to avoid having a“frozen shoulder”. He also said he’d put me on the surgery schedule right away to avoid extra time away. #NEVERADULLMOMENT
In the midst of all the political uncertainty and drama – there are still SO MANY great things happening with our ministry. Our campus school started back this week. We are flying up another plane of food!
Children’s Church is so much fun and everyone LOVES the new format. Momma Gigi, Mme Nene, Abbey, & Pierre are all participating with the “therapy” side of the group discussions. ALSO – I’m finally in a groove as I teach school every morning with my kids. ***This is NOT the time to fly out.
We continue to dig-up curses buried all around our home. Everyone thinks all of my medical drama is a result of those curses working against me. In Haiti, there’s no such thing as me simply having “bad luck”. Instead, they’re giving all the credit to those who wish to prove satan is more powerful than the God we serve.
SO…I appreciate your prayers for healing right now! Between my left shoulder and my right hand – I’m quite the mess aren’t I!?! I keep it interesting that’s for sure!
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CHILDREN’S CHURCH
– October 1st
Jose and I were up until 2am decorating the cafeteria for tonight’s big Children’s Church Kickoff. THIS IS WHEN I REALLY MISS MALAYA!
Momma Gigi and Pierre both came over and asked if they could help, knowing that Malaya is usually with me. I said, “Sure. Take this suitcase and decide how to decorate the tables”.
We all laughed because they had no clue what to do – me either! Lol! They did help move tables and such… but Malaya is the master at taking my ideas and making it look right!
This series is all about emotions and a COMPLETELY different format than anything we’ve ever done.
The 2.5-hour weekly service will be all about naming, expressing, processing, and sharing our feelings. It’s 13 weeks long.
Joan (my therapist) and I have worked tirelessly together as we “made-up” this curriculum all on our own.
The kids will be divided into 7 teams. Each table will have a leader who can read and write so that everything that’s shared is documented. The kids will be building a bracelet throughout the series as each week they add a different bead (facial expression) to their string.
They will each have an individual compact mirror to learn how to make the facial expression.
We have a Mr Potato Head that has velcro on the facial pieces – so the kids can change up the expressions.
They will each have a dry-erase “blank face” – so they can draw that feeling too.
Each table will have a sand tray full of toys that they can use to express “their” world as it relates to the lesson.
My children are each assigned a table as well to help the leader. The idea is that anything revealed about a child’s “home life” can then be followed up by me privately in my therapy room.
There’s still SO MUCH left to do… but at least the lighting and stage area is ready for tonight’s Emoji Movie.
(Here are some pictures from the kick-off. I will post a full blog soon with updated pictures & more information about how great everything is going!)
