Thought Log 2: Mary and me

Over the past couple years I have been seeking and seeking a deeper relationship with my Heavenly mother Mary.  We visited the shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Wisconsin, and one good fruit that has come from that trip is that I have said a rosary everyday since: about 4 months.  Considering in the past I couldn't carry this commitment past a week or so I would say that is an achievement.  Part of the reason I couldn't make it many days in a row is that I didn't want to say the rosary out of mere repetition or for the sake of saying the rosary, I wanted it to be out of a desire to grow closer to Jesus and closer to Mary.

All this being said I had a particularly comforting revelation in my rosary earlier this evening.  We were praying the glorious mysteries and we came to the 5th glorious mystery: the coronation of Mary queen of Heaven and Earth.  I pondered for a second on the crown Mary wears and how it must be more glorious and radiant than any crown in heaven apart from Jesus himself, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit.  Greater than St. Francis, St. Padre Pio, St. Francis Xavier, and all the others.  This I accepted without question considering she is the Mother of God.  The really curious thought though is that the seemingly awesome things that we see in the lives of many of the great saints in terms of miracles we don't see in the life of Mary.  We don't hear of Mary raising anyone from the dead,  bearing the stigmata, bi-locating, reading hearts, and on and on.  I am not saying that Mary could not have done any of these acts, but we don't hear of them.  I remembered then something I read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, that saint Augustine said of Mary: "Mary is more blessed because she embraces faith in Christ than because she conceives the flesh of Christ" - CCC 509.  This was inspiring to me when I read it,  and even more so thinking about her crown of glory now in heaven.  Mary's great act was to say, "yes," to God everyday of her life.  She didn't need more than that.  She didn't need great miracles and spectacles to bring about faith in her Son.  She just needed her simple, "Yes!"  

This speaks to me and brings me peace because sometimes I think we can get caught up in what we are doing and how are we seeing God move in the lives of those whom I encounter today.  Or, what great things am I doing for the Lord today.  But the reality is, the only thing I need to do today is to say, "Yes."  God will take care of the rest in his perfect plan.  Sometimes that could mean great miracles, but most likely it will follow the great line of St. Mother Teresa: "We can't all do great things, but we can all do small things with great love."

Haiti!

Praise God, we are FINALLY here!

The last 2 weeks have flown by. We have been using this time to adjust to our new surroundings. We are currently staying at the rectory. There is no running water and the electricity is run by solar power.

Our mosquito tent village :)

Our "dresser"

Almost fully functional bathroom (bucket flush toilet and bucket baths)

It's been really interesting to see how they do things here. Everything is cooked over a coal fire. We even saw a guy ironing his shirt the other night with an iron run by coal! Clothes are washed in the river. The water is actually unbelievably clear. The women carry everything on their heads. It's incredible the size and weight that they are able to carry. The food is good. We usually have bread and spaghetti(their version), eggs, or fruit for breakfast, some type of meat and rice for lunch, and then a simple supper like Labouyi, which is basically like oatmeal with the consistancy of cream of wheat.

I need to learn how to do this! 

The first few days I was sitting around and feeling sorry for myself. Here we are, living in one little room with no furniture. Stuff everywhere. No running water. Then, we went on a home visit. As I walked into her house, I saw simplicity. I saw her daughter washing dishes in a bucket out the back door. I saw clothes scattered everywhere. Hardly any furniture. A house that could fall apart at any moment. I saw poverty. And when I went home, I realized how selfish and spoiled I had been. Where and how we are living is a gift. Thank you Lord for simplicity.

The poverty here is shocking and devastating. There have been times I look around and think "Is it even possible to fix this?" I can't help but in those moments remember that Christ has called us to bring hope to the hopeless. He has called us to this place and desires our perseverance through all the difficulties.

Isaiah 61:1 "He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and release the prisoners, To announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God to comfort all who mourn."

We have been spending our time with the single guys/girls team in the town of L'asile trying to learn the language and meeting the people. It has been a blessed time as they have been very helpful and so much fun to be around!

The people here are wonderful. They are joyful and kind. And they LOVE the girls. Everywhere we go we are stopped...more like mobbed. Everyone wants to touch their hair, hold them, play with them. Almost like I would imagine being famous and being surrounded by the paparazzi EVERYWHERE you go. Haha. That being said, having the girls makes the transition here MUCH easier. They can bring a smile to almost anyones face, opening people up and inviting them to engage with our family.

Our 1st day here. This was after about 1/2 the kids cleared out

Story of our lives here. Us+10 or more kids. Always.

This Friday, we will be heading to Kay Mari, the children's orphanage. We are not sure if God wants us to stay in the town of L'asile with the team here or if He wants us to be at the orphanage. Please pray for us and our proper discernment.

Thank you for your prayers, love, and support! Can't wait to see what this year has in store!
Much love from Haiti!
The Quinns