tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91609987454865547462024-03-14T07:52:12.435-07:00"All Things to All" "I have made myself a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible" 1Cor 9: 19Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14253475683832975839noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160998745486554746.post-49646165800370428712018-07-31T13:24:00.000-07:002018-07-31T13:24:53.208-07:00Second Chances2 days after our return to Haiti, Bibi showed up. I couldn’t
go see him. I wanted nothing to do with him. I let my husband handle it. Bibi
had been in a horrible motorcycle accident while driving under the influence. The
entire right side of his face was torn open as well as his mouth and large
spots on his arm and shoulder. He came to us in severe pain and in need of help
purchasing the antibiotics the hospital had prescribed him.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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My friend and fellow missionary and nurse, Sarah, was
visiting for a couple weeks. We could see that Bibi’s face was severely
infected and we knew we had to help him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I realized that I still had not forgiven Bibi so the idea of allowing
him back into my life seemed impossible.<o:p></o:p></div>
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You see, Bibi used to be a very close friend. But over the
course of last year he stole from us, lied to us, used us, and threatened
someone in our home with a machete. We also found out that he had been drinking
and smoking marijuana daily. His life had spun out of control. After a couple
months we quit seeing Bibi altogether and heard that he was continuing to live
the same lifestyle.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Nevertheless, Sarah and I spent 2-3 hours every day over the
course of the next week scrubbing, cleaning, and dressing his wounds. By the
end of that week we were seeing no improvement and began to see signs of the
infection spreading into the bones of the face. We knew that he must be sent to
the hospital run by the Missionaries of Charity. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We sat Bibi down and explained to him that due to hospital
rules he must find someone to go with him and that if he didn’t find someone
IMMEDIATELY, he would die. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“It doesn’t matter if
I die. I have nothing to live for.”</i> Those words hit me like a ton of
bricks. Sure, I was angry and he had hurt us, but this was not okay. We told
him that he had a reason to live and that God had a purpose for him and loved
him.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Bibi went and searched for someone for the entire afternoon
and could not find a single person. I couldn’t imagine what it must have felt
like to be totally alone; not a single person in your life willing to help you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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With some persuasion the sisters still accepted him but I
was sure he’d leave the hospital and disappear from our lives once again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 weeks later we got the call that he was released and coming
back home. He sat my husband and I down and told us how his time with the Sisters
had changed his life and he desired sobriety. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I knew he was just trying to manipulate us again. I had to
protect my heart. I couldn’t possibly endure that pain and hurt again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My husband thought he deserved a second
chance. I didn’t. But after A LOT of praying, I reluctantly agreed. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We started by beginning the 12 step program(based on our
internet research and NO experience).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Dave got extremely busy and I had to start meeting with Bibi
alone. Each day I pushed through as quickly as possible just to get it over
with. Tired of working through our “list” of things, one evening I had an
inspiration to just ask him about his life. I realized that I knew very few
things about him. For o<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">ver an hour, h</span>e poured out his heart, sharing the
devastating details of neglect, abandonment, abuse, and his 10 year imprisonment
from the age of 15.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For the next week, he continued to share his life with me. I
started to look forward to our time together and felt my heart beginning to
change. I realized that I didn’t see him anymore as the guy who stole from,
lied to, and used us. I started to see him as the sad, scared and hurt person
he was; a boy who never felt loved and who was never cared for as he should
have been. My heart hurt for him. And through that hurt, it began to heal. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Bibi and I now meet together every day working through a
program called Celebrate Recovery (a biblical based 12 step program). Bibi is a
different man and I am a different woman. Through Bibi’s transformation, the
Lord has transformed me. He has helped me open my heart again and shown me the
beauty of forgiveness. He has given me exactly what I needed when I needed it;
a second chance. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Please pray for Bibi and his continued sobriety! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23AxcKM8OopxiBFWmwQQMN-QmUSDNnxBgDj953p06vsn7Gc2a0f1S7qxIuTKaur85Q1w8vf2uScOLdnvNclJsQQMeTo5g_6YyK2PiWdvu1kWZOdjitA2VgT_ONSzzGXz9xBYLTGWSaw3X/s1600/BIBI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1224" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23AxcKM8OopxiBFWmwQQMN-QmUSDNnxBgDj953p06vsn7Gc2a0f1S7qxIuTKaur85Q1w8vf2uScOLdnvNclJsQQMeTo5g_6YyK2PiWdvu1kWZOdjitA2VgT_ONSzzGXz9xBYLTGWSaw3X/s320/BIBI.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14253475683832975839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160998745486554746.post-58296939647731578282017-03-30T09:11:00.000-07:002017-03-30T09:11:11.616-07:00New Beginnings Change is never easy. Especially not for me. But it can be so good and so necessary.<br />
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Returning to Haiti, starting a new ministry, and welcoming a new missionary family at the same time is difficult.<br />
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Of course all of these things are an incredible blessing. What a gift it is to have another family here with us. An addition to our community. More people to share our mission and to love on the people we have spent the past 2 years growing to love. More people to spread the love of Christ that is so desperately needed here.</div>
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And being able to start the Ezekiel Home; this ministry that we have dreamed of. Seeing the smiling faces on the kids who we get to hug, play with, share the love of Christ with is indescribable.</div>
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So what makes it so difficult? Change takes everything that we know, everything that's is comfortable and "normal", and rattles it. It shakes everything up. It takes us out of our comfort zone. Most of the time its exactly what we need because really we can only be doing 1 of two things. Either we are moving forward and changing. Or we are settling and staying the same old person. </div>
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I hate change. I like to be comfortable. I like to know whats coming tomorrow; to know exactly what to expect. Who I'm going to see, what we're going to do etc. It's easy. It's nice. But Lord knows that I need the change. I need the Lord to tell me to wake up and actively decide to continue moving forward; toward Him. </div>
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I need a new family to present new ideas and bring new gifts to the table. I need a new ministry that is difficult and crazy and beautiful and yet nothing like I thought it would be. I need change because the last thing I want is to be stuck where I am and not moving toward the one I love.</div>
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The beginnings of the Ezekiel Home. I've never seen kids so excited to play!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14253475683832975839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160998745486554746.post-28843049309771128532016-10-02T16:57:00.000-07:002016-10-02T16:57:22.236-07:00St. Mary's School Helps StudentsLast fall a teacher, Jeff Gordon, contacted us about wanting to do a fund raiser with his 7th grade class at St. Mary's school in Greenville, South Carolina. The goal was to have students in America helping students in Haiti. <br />
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The class did an amazing job and sent way more money than we expected! <br />
<br />
We were able to help 31 students attend school this year! We purchased, books, back packs, uniforms, and general supplies as well as paid for the tuition expenses. With the remaining funds, we will also be helping the local parish school with some administration expenses and helping to fund the after school programs we hope to start in January. Praise God for the generosity of Mr. Gordon's 7th grade class! I pray that God will reward them for their hard work in raising these funds! <br />
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<br />
Check out all these smiling faces!!!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxB2eZpmH5JlJ4gvsKdvuDJFs59m6AQEgyeDC0CA7JqnQX4a-G4kKA8ahOuygmStJZiPLG3MViLlySc1zraPsMYMZPTTWLtdBTFB-42gum_vk2f7vrBY7qMy7xtulcsoTfVY7qlxR2K91L/s1600/Abigail%252C+Megnan+C.%252C+Megnan+G.%252C+Colas%252C+Megnan+L.%252C+Joana%252C+Reno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxB2eZpmH5JlJ4gvsKdvuDJFs59m6AQEgyeDC0CA7JqnQX4a-G4kKA8ahOuygmStJZiPLG3MViLlySc1zraPsMYMZPTTWLtdBTFB-42gum_vk2f7vrBY7qMy7xtulcsoTfVY7qlxR2K91L/s320/Abigail%252C+Megnan+C.%252C+Megnan+G.%252C+Colas%252C+Megnan+L.%252C+Joana%252C+Reno.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abigail, Megnan C., Megnan G., Colas, Megnan L., Joana</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ2-DxDe_bf940b9w6gkRfyvk2v5hKAKtBoYdgpIrX9HhrlBcn3_7XOuVe47RbfpI_NN5X3p63u2EU3Gk6B1XEVirWGxfbME0P6j3kBQXAmVgh6o13lfalYwvYXP1PSq3Vr7VoOQ8dmHw5/s1600/Ari.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ2-DxDe_bf940b9w6gkRfyvk2v5hKAKtBoYdgpIrX9HhrlBcn3_7XOuVe47RbfpI_NN5X3p63u2EU3Gk6B1XEVirWGxfbME0P6j3kBQXAmVgh6o13lfalYwvYXP1PSq3Vr7VoOQ8dmHw5/s320/Ari.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ari</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiAQZJHPBk6XMgm3DUfEC8XfLvOL7zqDlzGyRdrVLOzOZOgnbN56ss3FuphIZS4eYhRG3Z8oWfZUn5D5FQtH4VSnX-lKhyphenhyphen_7cccmDr4HQQ6U0wF-GuwfJR-HWcFhAaMhCC82NJARx36j7l/s1600/Cadenson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiAQZJHPBk6XMgm3DUfEC8XfLvOL7zqDlzGyRdrVLOzOZOgnbN56ss3FuphIZS4eYhRG3Z8oWfZUn5D5FQtH4VSnX-lKhyphenhyphen_7cccmDr4HQQ6U0wF-GuwfJR-HWcFhAaMhCC82NJARx36j7l/s320/Cadenson.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cadenson</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR2xBu4fYHdNg_agggcnEYXH3GnXM5c2yw-u1JhCAOkfc0oOBk9mu9WclrrNOXYpVLmBCG4ICju5KdyL7T-LNn9QJvJSdmw3dR_DCdEfs41MBrSlSva_sp0LcCNMyuSxgPHlHIFLONkHCQ/s1600/Daphelin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR2xBu4fYHdNg_agggcnEYXH3GnXM5c2yw-u1JhCAOkfc0oOBk9mu9WclrrNOXYpVLmBCG4ICju5KdyL7T-LNn9QJvJSdmw3dR_DCdEfs41MBrSlSva_sp0LcCNMyuSxgPHlHIFLONkHCQ/s320/Daphelin.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daphlin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwfv3H5FAJ_uaK9zE8tKHt65PDWeVGgStHLGK-K2qscQ1M966LaEky4RxWg5PGmSDGWTyiCFiKKHY5Pd9RqwVzqKgl94A9pvTktpZmkZ4y8P0qRKxDkiZm7pbamntDhrUy56aojqL4s5r/s1600/David%252C+Jivelord%252C+Enock%252C+Jide%252C+Gerland%252C+Ester%252C+Jimmy%252C+Mackenson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwfv3H5FAJ_uaK9zE8tKHt65PDWeVGgStHLGK-K2qscQ1M966LaEky4RxWg5PGmSDGWTyiCFiKKHY5Pd9RqwVzqKgl94A9pvTktpZmkZ4y8P0qRKxDkiZm7pbamntDhrUy56aojqL4s5r/s320/David%252C+Jivelord%252C+Enock%252C+Jide%252C+Gerland%252C+Ester%252C+Jimmy%252C+Mackenson.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David, Jivelord, Enock, Jide, Gerland, Ester, Jimmy, Mackenson</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS8Yo_nIB71o0AsiMYTCk5BWBGwQjn9yMe7TmhdvKHNU47Tr7u1MCwvwbQo2t0B-nWhD6jxbXNH9-RzNGwHs4t9OwS4qFtRo0WT4W34ff58P788i_tuuZGLF_sJYQwrdMyXZHdFF3iCWnT/s1600/Gael+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS8Yo_nIB71o0AsiMYTCk5BWBGwQjn9yMe7TmhdvKHNU47Tr7u1MCwvwbQo2t0B-nWhD6jxbXNH9-RzNGwHs4t9OwS4qFtRo0WT4W34ff58P788i_tuuZGLF_sJYQwrdMyXZHdFF3iCWnT/s320/Gael+.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gael</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6XZH3uETbQ_5oiiOj5CHSIKciIJy38IE6WOpqEaEZQAN38AvCFgARgceRKsBoVu6Sf_TIJnKzfWe0UU_rLy5PYesKoXp0OlmqWsz7FCM0o2nGTtulw2M_NsFqG0qiSKZCXGoqxIgk-qfb/s1600/Kendy%252C+Judith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6XZH3uETbQ_5oiiOj5CHSIKciIJy38IE6WOpqEaEZQAN38AvCFgARgceRKsBoVu6Sf_TIJnKzfWe0UU_rLy5PYesKoXp0OlmqWsz7FCM0o2nGTtulw2M_NsFqG0qiSKZCXGoqxIgk-qfb/s320/Kendy%252C+Judith.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kendy, Judith</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSDqSPjUctZMVm76-c-3vMvRUzZhAt09kaa653g3VsrR9wl12iKP5w_1PIulE-35gpDPPJJ8newZOXpXRdLCifZ_8_jY_jyNsqJ0mWSJP3etKbmqokQQgpchsvGFR2C6ifK0pVRXaBO0u8/s1600/Michael.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSDqSPjUctZMVm76-c-3vMvRUzZhAt09kaa653g3VsrR9wl12iKP5w_1PIulE-35gpDPPJJ8newZOXpXRdLCifZ_8_jY_jyNsqJ0mWSJP3etKbmqokQQgpchsvGFR2C6ifK0pVRXaBO0u8/s320/Michael.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DMNqgb-NM-TaGzIjNO8HViFyUHfVrgA6MPlg1TD2Ez1WXqZxr6Xvt2jxIFUTluaHuiNsZ6NfBvkefzv8HWFo84jZ4QP05w5ny0_vD7RnzcgB6_-p2Qx281aIgIz0KBJPX7vCm-z3eY3W/s1600/Miriam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DMNqgb-NM-TaGzIjNO8HViFyUHfVrgA6MPlg1TD2Ez1WXqZxr6Xvt2jxIFUTluaHuiNsZ6NfBvkefzv8HWFo84jZ4QP05w5ny0_vD7RnzcgB6_-p2Qx281aIgIz0KBJPX7vCm-z3eY3W/s320/Miriam.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miriam</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm93Pry2FkIlHgZ-gNmUx68OiIUnhXPqOQ5hpHYIoz4qiuH5Ifn8k9SXv1NH5Blgr6DOZQ2tvl0aaxOdnIKHRS7v7t5TLujVBK4kWwXzmJXAF67l-fl27ygI2lpy5OtELP209Xi3sn7UZ2/s1600/Mistafan%252C+Woodson%252C+Belson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm93Pry2FkIlHgZ-gNmUx68OiIUnhXPqOQ5hpHYIoz4qiuH5Ifn8k9SXv1NH5Blgr6DOZQ2tvl0aaxOdnIKHRS7v7t5TLujVBK4kWwXzmJXAF67l-fl27ygI2lpy5OtELP209Xi3sn7UZ2/s320/Mistafan%252C+Woodson%252C+Belson.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Estafa, Woodson, Berlson</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS6R8Yyfvmmsc6xyGjbQBXSfBVtC7nlazN9alQPsXa5wtdQ8QU6BRUaOowYQ3JapzBfCX5jiEowvVcxXJ34xR2VLQMU4v9LJ0wusy31ydoHFCAsx52GXA31lgnNMStCbQto9MNMHXHEKE3/s1600/Nathalie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS6R8Yyfvmmsc6xyGjbQBXSfBVtC7nlazN9alQPsXa5wtdQ8QU6BRUaOowYQ3JapzBfCX5jiEowvVcxXJ34xR2VLQMU4v9LJ0wusy31ydoHFCAsx52GXA31lgnNMStCbQto9MNMHXHEKE3/s320/Nathalie.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nathalie </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIG9jL3CtPi3bVB-OzJLxkbsmlyaI-CL-uhA6yTnJOctTgavJS_MFmp54v6fGROTbyvKesGstD__ccmVAyO-mER0oGkgA63VFkHvtkFfx-q4XJCqMcj_HJENle-ThiGvDF82xLSjeibOr/s1600/Peterli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIG9jL3CtPi3bVB-OzJLxkbsmlyaI-CL-uhA6yTnJOctTgavJS_MFmp54v6fGROTbyvKesGstD__ccmVAyO-mER0oGkgA63VFkHvtkFfx-q4XJCqMcj_HJENle-ThiGvDF82xLSjeibOr/s320/Peterli.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peterli</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEN74iyfTtSjzc_RCQKkigh0kQi26fqHqCwXXx2myAwY0Duzt3gQH2XoM0Ce7OR5ZFzFjESDeBUmCjJjG1xgZaqV1mlOgZlDTzxPZBRxq77Xltb_ULEn-JAB3YdMYU80cbzrBntwvGB5c/s1600/Woodle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEN74iyfTtSjzc_RCQKkigh0kQi26fqHqCwXXx2myAwY0Duzt3gQH2XoM0Ce7OR5ZFzFjESDeBUmCjJjG1xgZaqV1mlOgZlDTzxPZBRxq77Xltb_ULEn-JAB3YdMYU80cbzrBntwvGB5c/s320/Woodle.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woodly</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14253475683832975839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160998745486554746.post-62644428576790885842016-09-08T18:25:00.000-07:002016-09-08T18:25:14.833-07:00Thought Log 4: More Mary and MeAs I have pursued a relationship with our Blessed Mother over the past few years I have found myself patiently waiting for her to help me discover her true significance. I remember at the beginning while I was in Mexico not understanding fully why so much emphasis seemed to be placed on Mary, and the temptation was to leave her on the side while I pursue Jesus. What could be wrong with that? I mean I would still be pursuing Jesus so what would the problem be? I do not mean to discredit her at all, or push her out entirely, but to just leave her comfortably on the side and acknowledge her from time to time and I would be fine. <br />
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However, one day I had this thought: "if Mary is the Queen of heaven and earth, as we say in the 5th glorious mystery, would not a queen wield some form of authority?" It was this thought which would put Mary back in the front right next to Jesus where she ultimately belongs. I had no idea if this thought was correct or not, but I felt it bore some more thought and research. <br />
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I had a conversation with my dear friend, Jonathan, one day, in which he educated me about the history of the queen mother in Jewish history. You can read all about this in the book of Kings. You see, in there, they give a litany of the kings of Israel and with each king they list his mother as well. The point of this was, since polygamy was accepted, it was impossible to decide who the queen was based on the kings spouse. Therefore, it was settled that his mother would be the queen. The image then foreshadowed in the old testament is that Jesus as the King would have his mother as the Queen. This insight really blew me away! <br />
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I have heard a response many times by Catholic theologians in response to the question of, "why do Catholics pray to Mary?" The answers given though always left me a little short handed, like there is more to the answer then is usually told. I will not judge if this is the intention of the apologist, and will err on the side that it is not, but usually they boil the answer down to we don't pray to Mary, we ask Mary to pray for us to her Son, Jesus. Much like we do to any of the other saints. And because she is the mother of God, her petition bears more weight. I am not denying any of that statement, but wondering if there isn't more to it. <br />
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St. Thomas explained that God alone do we adore. And to man we give honor which he called dulia, but to Mary he said we give "hyper dulia." She is honored more than any other creature made by God. And precisely because God has honored her more than any other because she bore His Son, Jesus. She faithfully followed the will of God everyday of her life as the Catechism of the Catholic Church states. No other creature can make that same claim. <br />
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St. Maximilian Kolbe said that the union between the Holy Spirit was so close that we can't understand it. The only thing that comes close to an equivalent union is the hypostatic union itself (the mystery that Jesus was both fully God and fully man at the same time). They are of course two entirely different things, but sheds light on the closeness of the Mary to the Holy Spirit. It's an incredible statement to be sure!<br />
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I picked up this quote the other day while reading the encyclical letter "Ad Caeli Reginam" by Pope Pius XII, "Let all Christians, therefore, rejoice in being subjects of the Virgin Mother of God, who, while wielding royal power, is on fire with a mother's love." There it was in the letter: "wielding royal power." She must carry some authority granted to her by God. Her place is not just a mere petitioner, not meant to be on the sidelines of our faith life, but right up there with Jesus side by side!<br />
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Today we celebrate the Blessed Virgin's birthday, and I have never been so joyful to celebrate it as I have been today. This morning in the liturgy of the hours, during morning prayer, the second antiphon really blew me away. "When the most holy Virgin was born, the whole world was made radiant; blessed is the branch and blessed is the stem that bore such holy fruit." Again such a strong statement that the whole world was made radiant at Mary's birth!<br />
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And finally, when I read the reading today in morning prayer, I read it as if the prophet Isaiah was prophesying the words of Mary herself and found it very profound:<br />
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Isaiah 61:10;<br />
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"I rejoice heartily in the Lord,</div>
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in my God is the joy of my soul.</div>
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For He has clothed me with a robe of salvation,</div>
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and wrapped me in a mantle of justice,</div>
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like a bride bedecked with her jewels."</div>
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Happy Birthday to our Blessed Mother Mary! May she ever guide us to her Son and protect us from all harm. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14253475683832975839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160998745486554746.post-72968709659073099452016-03-15T12:22:00.000-07:002016-03-15T12:22:47.363-07:00Tinom's Chair<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Last week I went to visit my Godson, Tinom. I have written about him before, but for those who don't know, he is an elderly man who we met last year. He is blind and unable to walk and spends all of his days lying on a mat in a dark room. Just seeing his living conditions alone are enough to break your heart. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">During our visit, I decided that I really wanted to get him sitting up in a chair. Praise God, my friend Sarah and I were able to lift him with ease.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Words cannot express the joy that came across his face as he sat up in that chair. Let me repeat that. This man was filled with joy because he was able to SIT IN A CHAIR. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He sat in that chair as we sang and prayed together. He smiled and reminded me how happy he was to see me. In that moment my heart filled to the brim with joy. It broke at the same time as I thought about how long it could have been since he had been up out of that bed. What a bittersweet moment. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Everyday I complain about something. The bread for breakfast is stale. Lucy is making her 1 millionth mess of the day that I'm going to have to clean up. The shower water is too cold. 2 1/2 hrs of Mass is too long. I'm hot. I'm tired. The list goes on and on. How ashamed I felt when I thought of my laundry list of daily complaints as I looked at Tinom. As I thought about the life he lives and the misery he must feel spending every single moment of every day lying on that mat in darkness. Yet, he has joy. He still finds joy in what should be complete misery. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's so easy to get caught up in our own misery. In our own discomforts. Yet, in these times, the Lord presents to us a choice. We can chose to complain; to be upset and angry. Or we can choose joy. The choice is ours. Today, I choose Joy!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-gbI2dkbJe5Izi-8Clb0IJGdkbeqUJ5M-iPDRcv22D54xoY5B5VQA0GBrIVQBv5gekDjzdN4qk6G8pzPhALkabVyf_j5hKInhiz_FgTY9IbzT-HRAuFAnUGsKb0akHFtGLsIJQNGybX_n/s1600/12026612_10153493308836864_2142026663_n+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-gbI2dkbJe5Izi-8Clb0IJGdkbeqUJ5M-iPDRcv22D54xoY5B5VQA0GBrIVQBv5gekDjzdN4qk6G8pzPhALkabVyf_j5hKInhiz_FgTY9IbzT-HRAuFAnUGsKb0akHFtGLsIJQNGybX_n/s400/12026612_10153493308836864_2142026663_n+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I LIVE for moments with this man and for all the incredible things he has taught me through his example of Joy and Love for the Lord.</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14253475683832975839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160998745486554746.post-14027214622704080782016-02-06T14:52:00.002-08:002016-02-06T14:52:59.672-08:00Return to Haiti and Thought Log 3: "5 Loaves and 2 Fish"The Lord has called us back to Haiti to serve for another year! We are excited to be back, and feeling very blessed! Since we can work our way around in Creole now and have and now know how things are done in this country it is exciting to see what God will do with us! <br />
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We started off our time here on a 3 day retreat at a monastery that is about 2 hours from here right on top of a mountain. We spent time in prayer asking the Lord what He desires from us this year. It was so beautiful and peaceful there! There is also an orphanage attached to the monastery where we found a large AT-AT Star Wars toy that Eliza could play with with the children.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhutPy5dE9vcDhwVj49nhoeU0cRHbEFYrtqGX_nwX4aevh2lDBHIu-6wVXZSWMlXG_sdV1q5fg-i2AmWHC9Sau_YkII-ffT3S0JRljRflFIUTb5me4Sa59g0bf32wOg1E6ncCAqo7Ijuiq8/s1600/IMG_0148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhutPy5dE9vcDhwVj49nhoeU0cRHbEFYrtqGX_nwX4aevh2lDBHIu-6wVXZSWMlXG_sdV1q5fg-i2AmWHC9Sau_YkII-ffT3S0JRljRflFIUTb5me4Sa59g0bf32wOg1E6ncCAqo7Ijuiq8/s320/IMG_0148.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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While at the retreat I really felt like the Lord spoke to me and was richly blessed by the presence of God there. I had one reflection that was very profound for me that I would like to share with you all, if you would bear with me for a few moments:</div>
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I was reading John chapter 6 which starts with the story "The feeding of the 5000." As I was reading, I began to think of us as the 5 loaves and the 2 fish that the boy brought and offered to the disciples to feed the people. The loaves and fish are minuscule in comparison to the crowd, and no reasonable mind would ever think this could ever feed so many. So when we look at Haiti, and see how massive the predicament the people here are in, both in poverty of faith and poverty of material goods, it isn't too much of a stretch to feel like the smallness of the loaves and the fish. We ask, "what can we do amongst all these problems?" Then reading on in the story, Jesus gives thanks for the gifts and then goes to work. He multiplies the loaves and the fish to feed all the people and then when all is done they still pick up 12 baskets worth of bread. So, continuing with the analogy God was showing me, He will use us, break us apart, stretch us thin, multiply our efforts, and so on and so forth. And better yet, when all the work is done, we will be so much more than the 5 loaves we started with. Even though all the resources are spent, we are left with an abundance of life we never knew we could have! </div>
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At the end of the story when the people saw this great work, they say, "This indeed is the prophet who is to come into the world!" What the Lord spoke to me through this is that, it is because we are small, it is because we are few, it is because it doesn't make sense to send so little into such a great problem, that people will come to believe. They believe because they have no choice but to see the hand of God work in and through us and multiply our efforts. All this can happen provided we allow the Lord to break us apart and use us, mold us as He sees fit. And in the end, give Him all the glory, as is His due! Thank you Lord for teaching me through this story I have read and heard so many times, but you continue to speak through it in new ways! </div>
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Please pray for us as we begin this new year!</div>
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As an added bonus I have attached a few interesting pictures for you enjoyment!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Uu492rGJK4SsV2Izbh448A8ZIP_tSybU_tA_7q05LW9VQWPxRYFkWrDAFzFX6O2qg0ECgfoMjOKei2sT6IxTk1BfCvZBerH8u4myZZcsw2XrRLYk4KtUTScvwIZwnLR_cpyAdf_Wt4xC/s1600/IMG_2225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Uu492rGJK4SsV2Izbh448A8ZIP_tSybU_tA_7q05LW9VQWPxRYFkWrDAFzFX6O2qg0ECgfoMjOKei2sT6IxTk1BfCvZBerH8u4myZZcsw2XrRLYk4KtUTScvwIZwnLR_cpyAdf_Wt4xC/s320/IMG_2225.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucy can fall asleep anywhere!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJqXDV8T7vYOSW7Rrmrc5db-8Ix-cSaKsR6W9PSmkOcNsCscwoN-25bXV1LzgKgC5zM-xMsuTzL2Dq79J2LtI5yUPzex_wFDfj3AC-nOXCRxlYF5Jd2OWpvz2cR7uv8OEoINkoGETpLiSU/s1600/IMG_0166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJqXDV8T7vYOSW7Rrmrc5db-8Ix-cSaKsR6W9PSmkOcNsCscwoN-25bXV1LzgKgC5zM-xMsuTzL2Dq79J2LtI5yUPzex_wFDfj3AC-nOXCRxlYF5Jd2OWpvz2cR7uv8OEoINkoGETpLiSU/s320/IMG_0166.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from Marakwaf, a village that is two hours up a mountain by foot. I have started visiting there with a fellow missionary to pray with the people.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">-DAVID</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14253475683832975839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160998745486554746.post-61419993862274548662015-11-02T20:13:00.000-08:002015-11-03T04:47:56.105-08:00A taste of the old life: Medical Missions<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This past week, we hosted our first ever mission trip to Haiti and it just so happened to be a Medical Mission trip. It was extremely exhausting but totally blessed! With the help of 3 Doctors, 2 Dentists and a group of about 15 other medical and non medical personnel, we were able to hold 5 days of medical clinics and saw around 650 people all together! Sharing the love of Jesus with the poorest of the poor is a truly rewarding experience!</div>
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It was a blessing to be able to spend my days as a nurse again; but, it was also very difficult. It made me remember my past nursing career and co-workers. It made me long for my "old life". In the midst of this, I was talking with my sister one evening and she shared a story with me. She had just been to confession and the priest said something very profound. He spoke of his "past life" as a doctor and how his favorite thing to do was to remove cancerous tumors. But, he said, that was nothing compared to what he could do now, removing spiritual "tumors" in confession. How true and how beautiful! Even though there are times I long for the life I lived before, for a "normal" life, it was NOTHING compared to the life I live now. Even in all the difficult moments, and the times I miss everything I once knew, I praise God that He has called me here and thank Him for the opportunity to live among and serve my brothers and sisters in Haiti!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimJ5P9-PX0Y203MWPpji5mAGF-uTN-G8m_BjqE4NKXvqrc2_Q_0yO0kQQss1TAGg8G6hEM1mjtX_0dvkxZvJ8yC0zi_xqnK0Cmz5qb1Frgsvfxvi0ds8NpCZUZDvBarmBe1MML5hCYsNYp/s1600/IMG_0125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimJ5P9-PX0Y203MWPpji5mAGF-uTN-G8m_BjqE4NKXvqrc2_Q_0yO0kQQss1TAGg8G6hEM1mjtX_0dvkxZvJ8yC0zi_xqnK0Cmz5qb1Frgsvfxvi0ds8NpCZUZDvBarmBe1MML5hCYsNYp/s400/IMG_0125.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "waiting area"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjczXDfwAAaUZdcIJME7J-6hX9w_ZK4LZYHqQ7Z7kSsKP9fT9caK1DTZmhNbcS3yk7jHq2bz2THQZRLxp8tzOeBltXwj8IzhxQk1t-8cBF2LMgUhp02TKq2uuczeVnmd2OnUUcBnoPmGGt1/s1600/image1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjczXDfwAAaUZdcIJME7J-6hX9w_ZK4LZYHqQ7Z7kSsKP9fT9caK1DTZmhNbcS3yk7jHq2bz2THQZRLxp8tzOeBltXwj8IzhxQk1t-8cBF2LMgUhp02TKq2uuczeVnmd2OnUUcBnoPmGGt1/s400/image1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loved being back in action! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ7zeNNC88J7pWus04JVCZZ2pVEvlufo15fkJLSfE8AVnBCMJntvWq3VSsOASduj9O9jm7Qe65uWaUx8lpkaj0RFItvHIysUHjyAycxFQPxn9ekYQEc44JmJ33Ek5UV5uIk3BysCwudts1/s1600/image3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ7zeNNC88J7pWus04JVCZZ2pVEvlufo15fkJLSfE8AVnBCMJntvWq3VSsOASduj9O9jm7Qe65uWaUx8lpkaj0RFItvHIysUHjyAycxFQPxn9ekYQEc44JmJ33Ek5UV5uIk3BysCwudts1/s400/image3.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing like Mission Dentistry! Dental needs here are HUGE and Dr. Ogas worked so hard to see as many patients as possible each day.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHAZgDEyIs8gMojNVXMRgNnXjW3NT9eIbtSfSy3zF6-7aBY2N7E7QgnKdEV5jelrRu1f38BE6DRE_T7BQQClm-XC-Jdvgbztz0exwF0woZcjb6wDW7zjaZAVtywvrjZSeJMtUuHDJhw6x/s1600/IMG_0043+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHAZgDEyIs8gMojNVXMRgNnXjW3NT9eIbtSfSy3zF6-7aBY2N7E7QgnKdEV5jelrRu1f38BE6DRE_T7BQQClm-XC-Jdvgbztz0exwF0woZcjb6wDW7zjaZAVtywvrjZSeJMtUuHDJhw6x/s400/IMG_0043+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Ernie</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj06cupHkqO8jHwNb04SQkITjQw-4M3q-LWbQYkBvKEvk6bo4fwpyVCjxO3lfsme6jyR0d0i7LW8Y2tLr4jq5ivC8X5k9dC1JXt0xu9ksyr4zdTcHQPwpavXeJYabD5fxMVIlTCZMhb2E_Y/s1600/image4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj06cupHkqO8jHwNb04SQkITjQw-4M3q-LWbQYkBvKEvk6bo4fwpyVCjxO3lfsme6jyR0d0i7LW8Y2tLr4jq5ivC8X5k9dC1JXt0xu9ksyr4zdTcHQPwpavXeJYabD5fxMVIlTCZMhb2E_Y/s400/image4.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Glass and Dr. Kroeger hard at work</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It always helps when the priest is also a nurse!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVE5tMaHj5H_ylI9xCca7rPAOMAf1YT5W5z1lKBCpo9XJRH9jOnRUwbu3Opl83eCC9U0q7gbwWRKq05JVLck0Fe7LGRSjtc4vCAVFfo4PTYCY9MR1QUSHI50nKcZ-1vLAehZanccoCUKY7/s1600/IMG_0216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVE5tMaHj5H_ylI9xCca7rPAOMAf1YT5W5z1lKBCpo9XJRH9jOnRUwbu3Opl83eCC9U0q7gbwWRKq05JVLck0Fe7LGRSjtc4vCAVFfo4PTYCY9MR1QUSHI50nKcZ-1vLAehZanccoCUKY7/s400/IMG_0216.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matthew doing the most important job at the clinic-Praying with the people!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BVezT8ruZnvCVseAyVBss_6C48j5QXPAbUzdfRcxT-qb8W73ptJkMFe9jX1Bv7LwbuAx25BWks9j6fa3hFk_eGSvdb2pgT66IIGGaXs-oJrJa3kAG2EmwEgLzYjqTRfn6B5UFpek3QYc/s1600/busy+place.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BVezT8ruZnvCVseAyVBss_6C48j5QXPAbUzdfRcxT-qb8W73ptJkMFe9jX1Bv7LwbuAx25BWks9j6fa3hFk_eGSvdb2pgT66IIGGaXs-oJrJa3kAG2EmwEgLzYjqTRfn6B5UFpek3QYc/s320/busy+place.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Busy Place!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHiLdXG5SegBFmFhcKRlZ4c-Ii6hrQb9M6QjHCLdpRCckg14a0E4RmQ5twV2JjSvjwPEw2TEAYacDyvt0261rY8X5zDvBuxjPV1Z7Jyhd1vbqM7FdgD3_7vHfceToj9K3W2joxl2LhCttI/s1600/pharmacy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHiLdXG5SegBFmFhcKRlZ4c-Ii6hrQb9M6QjHCLdpRCckg14a0E4RmQ5twV2JjSvjwPEw2TEAYacDyvt0261rY8X5zDvBuxjPV1Z7Jyhd1vbqM7FdgD3_7vHfceToj9K3W2joxl2LhCttI/s320/pharmacy.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pharmacy hard at work</td></tr>
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One of the chapels we were going to have a clinic in did not have a concrete floor yet, so a couple missionaries put forward the money to purchase the materials to install one. We were able to help with the work on Tuesday so we could have a clinic there on Friday. It was amazing to see! The whole community came together to provide extra hands to mix and then bucket the concrete inside. I mean everyone, from the men to the women and from the young to the aged! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieelRLDiylWbIL1kPWToMAy6sjbou66VnDEs2hg1lOwdF9Z5lliDhGrJ3HjDNMNasK6jyp-ztGgR6V2lCXJM6JPaaHJ_iWofYZDJ1K7Eo9toEwwv1ifd4mXw8_XZuCRIK4YicX7fETsTvT/s1600/greg+shovel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieelRLDiylWbIL1kPWToMAy6sjbou66VnDEs2hg1lOwdF9Z5lliDhGrJ3HjDNMNasK6jyp-ztGgR6V2lCXJM6JPaaHJ_iWofYZDJ1K7Eo9toEwwv1ifd4mXw8_XZuCRIK4YicX7fETsTvT/s320/greg+shovel.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greg Glass helping scoop concrete into buckets.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even Lucy pitched in!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun at the beach on the day of rest and prayer!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioaM31rRnHB1uua5kXvKCrSQfRrWVsF6vwzk6ku1Ypbh87veLHVBbrItkomGrkBZVDYzNmziRDWBA9_0VB1QNZ1uCuG7Ugjq2kuCdg_W89tcDbx22f__-VYGaUTntVIKvzMmrxDcWJYct2/s1600/coconut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioaM31rRnHB1uua5kXvKCrSQfRrWVsF6vwzk6ku1Ypbh87veLHVBbrItkomGrkBZVDYzNmziRDWBA9_0VB1QNZ1uCuG7Ugjq2kuCdg_W89tcDbx22f__-VYGaUTntVIKvzMmrxDcWJYct2/s400/coconut.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bonus shot: Haitians be crazy pickin' coconuts!</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14253475683832975839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160998745486554746.post-28235330112885567362015-10-06T05:12:00.000-07:002015-10-06T05:12:02.392-07:00Bondye Bon: Baptism and Blessings in HaitiLife has been full and blessed here. We have been busy with new ministries and preparing for the Medical Mission trip which will be coming on October 16th. Here is a little update of what we've been up to.<br />
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Last Saturday, Thomas (one of the single missionaries here) went to visit a sick man in his home named Tinom. After talking with him and hearing that he was raised Catholic(but never baptized) Thomas asked if he would like to be baptized, and he said yes! We returned with our priest, and Tinom was baptized. The best part is, Thomas and I (Andrea) are the Godparents! Please pray for this dear, sweet man. He is unable to see or walk and cannot leave his bed. Pray that through his suffering he may be more deeply united with Christ!<br />
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Dave and I, along with our mission partner Joanna, have been running a youth group in a local village. We meet once a week to pray, sing, and play games, visit the sick, do crafts etc. It has been a tremendous blessing to us.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and the Youth Group with the cards we made for the sick</td></tr>
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Eliza is going to school and LOVES IT! She cannot wait to go every day. What a blessing to hear her speaking so much Creole!<br />
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Also just want to share this picture. Everyday Dave, like a bus driver, brings home a truck full(20-30 total) of kids home from school. There is hardly enough room. In fact, the other day, we had our entire team to take home, plus the kids, and 2 of the guys had to sit on the front. Haha. We could never get away with that in the states.<br />
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Pray for us and the people here! Especially for our preparations for the Medical Mission trip where we will be providing Medical Clinics for 6 small villages, along with evangelization in the evenings.<br />
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Love and prayers from Haiti!<br />
The Quinns<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14253475683832975839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160998745486554746.post-36500541309184751702015-08-05T06:57:00.000-07:002015-08-05T06:59:04.427-07:00The Blessing of Being "Blan"Being "blan"(white) in Haiti is an experience unlike any other. Everywhere you go, EVERYONE stares(for a very long and awkward amount of time), or shouts "Blan!" You are never able to go anywhere without causing a scene(especially because of the 2 girls). Every Sunday after Church, getting gas, walking down the road. You name it, we are surrounded. It feels very similar to what I would imagine a famous person feels like with the paparazzi. There is no "blending in" or going somewhere un noticed.<br />
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If I'm being honest, many times I find myself frustrated and annoyed and one these thoughts run through my mind "How rude! I don't look at them and yell out "Haitian!" And I surely don't stare at them. Is it so hard to look away? Have they never really seen a white person before?"</div>
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This past Sunday during my prayer time, I was reflecting on the Gospel reading of Mark 6: 30-34</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 0; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">31</span> And he said to the apostles, 'Come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while'; for there were so many coming and going that there was no time for them even to eat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 0; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">32</span> So they went off in the boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 0; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">33</span> But people saw them going, and many recognised them; and from every town they all hurried to the place on foot and reached it before them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 0; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">34</span> <u>So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length.</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This verse is so fitting for a missionary. Many times we are like the apostles and Jesus. We cant go anywhere un noticed. We can't do anything alone. We have to escape to another place to find any peace or solace. People are always looking for us. Always wanting to talk, or visit. This can be incredibly hard. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">But what struck me to the core was this line "Jesus took pity on the crowd because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">He took pity on them. TOOK PITY ON THEM. Have I taken pity on these people? These "sheep without a shepherd"? Or have I let my own feelings of "discomfort" interfere?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And I finally realized (Who am I kidding, God made me realize) that being the only white people is the biggest blessing we could have. Why? Because the people are COMING TO US! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I feel like God told me "Hello! I am practically hand delivering these people to you! And you're annoyed?!" We are living every missionaries dream here!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Yeah. Insert foot in mouth. </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If there is one thing the Lord is good at, it is teaching humility!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Thank you Lord for the blessing it is to be a "Blan!"</span><br />
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~Andrea</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14253475683832975839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160998745486554746.post-55967416107943260662015-07-18T05:39:00.001-07:002015-07-18T05:39:20.209-07:00Cha Che Epi W'ap JwennThis past week, we helped to put on a 4 night retreat for over 45 high school students! Our theme was Cha Che Epi W'ap Jwenn (Which means "Seek and you will find"). We even had our own theme song written and recorded by a friend. They loved it!<br />
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Our team worked so incredibly hard to make it all work and I feel so blessed to be part of such an amazing team. Being the first retreat, there were definitely some difficulties, but overall the Lord worked through our imperfections and touched many hearts!</div>
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Due to the language barrier, Dave and I did mostly behind the scenes work. This was incredibly difficult for me as I wanted to be in the middle of everything. I wanted to feel like I was part of it all. I felt like I wasn't doing anything important just because I wasn't leading a small group. Praise the Lord, God works through our selfishness and desires to be noticed/feel wanted and speaks to us in everything we do.<br />
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It was such a humbling and wonderful experience. It reminded me that humility is a virtue. A virtue that I need to work on! It also showed me that it's okay to take things slow. It's okay to not know everything(the entire Creole language), or to know every person in the town of L'asile in the span of 2 months. Things like learning new languages and building relationships take time. Everything in Haiti is slow. It is so American of me to come in and expect everything to happen so quickly. Thank you Lord for telling me its okay to go slow and that being behind the scenes is just as an important place to be as any!<br />
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Please pray for the youth here and that Christ will continue to work in their hearts! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thomas rockin' the microphone!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haitians LOVE to sing!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">E and her best friend Joanna(one of the single missionaries here)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These guys brought Lucy up on stage with them as they performed their song. As you can see, she just hates attention:)</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14253475683832975839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160998745486554746.post-70595911910986674892015-06-23T09:30:00.000-07:002015-06-23T09:30:26.964-07:00The Miracle of the Sheets!Just had to share this beautiful little miracle that happened last week with our family.<br />
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Since we've been to Haiti, we have moved 3 times. With our most recent move, I got to thinking that maybe it would be nice for Eliza to be able to pick out some bed sheets so that she would have some type of familiarity wherever we go. And we were going to be buying beds and didn't have any sheets so it worked out perfectly!<br />
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So, I asked Eliza what kind of bed sheets she would want. Her response-"Pocahontas!" Pocahontas? Really?!? I mean, they don't even make sheets like that anymore. I found a set on eBay but I knew there was no way we would be able to depend upon getting them in time. (We planned to send sheets with some people coming down at the end of June). So we settled on some Hello Kitty sheets.<br />
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We found out that a group was coming to the orphanage. Perfect! I could just ask them to pick up some sheets for us. Awhile after I asked, I thought "Oh no. I should have told them to get special sheets for Eliza. Oh well, I will just let God take care of it"<br />
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A couple days later the group arrives. They had brought several suitcases of donations for the orphanage. Out of the corner of my eye I see something familiar in one of the suitcases. Could it be?! I walk over, pull it out and could not believe my eyes! Inside of that suitcase was a POCAHONTAS BED SHEET!!!!! (I happened to recognise the pattern from what I had just seen before on eBay)<br />
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Eliza was elated! I know it may seem like such a small thing, but to us, it was a true, beautiful, miracle. It is amazing to me that we have a God who cares enough about us that He would do something so little to show how much He loves us. He gave a little gift to Eliza that we weren't able to.<br />
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Praise God! So blessed to have such a Loving Father who provides everything we need and blesses us beyond belief!!!!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14253475683832975839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160998745486554746.post-49294955489656884472015-06-20T05:47:00.000-07:002015-06-20T05:48:17.443-07:00Falling in love with Haiti<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">We have officially made it through our first month in Haiti! Praise God! (Sorry for such a late update, but our internet access has been very poor.) </span></div>
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<span class="s1">A lot has happened in the past month! </span></div>
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<span class="s1">After being called to Haiti, we felt very unsure as to where God wanted us to serve; in L’asile with the FMC boys and girls team, or at Kay Mari(the Catholic orphanage). So we decided to spend time in both places and take our time really seeking God’s will and discerning. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">We spent our first 3 weeks in L’asile and 2 weeks ago, we traveled to Kay Mari, a Catholic orphanage just 2 hours from the city of L’asile. </span><br />
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<span class="s1">Before this, I had never been to an orphanage. But I had my thoughts about what it may be like(of course something like Annie, right?)</span></div>
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<span class="s1">As we pulled up Thursday night, we saw kids. Everywhere. There are currently 31 kids living at Kay Mari. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The second thing I noticed was the JOY. They laughed, played, smiled. It was nothing like I thought it would be. You could feel the peace that resided in this place. It is so noticeable that even as you walk out the gate to the village, you can feel the difference. The lack of peace.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">There are 4 “house mothers” who help care for the children, 2 cooks, a housekeeper, a moto driver, a director and spiritual director and Katie. She’s originally from Steubenville, Ohio. She has been here since they accepted the 1st orphan 5 years ago(jus</span>t 6 days before the tragic 2010 earthquake). She has given her life to stay here with these kids and her love and dedication are truly an inspiration. </div>
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<span class="s1">My thought on day 2-“I could live here forever”. This place is a fulfilment my dreams. See, as a young girl, I always thought someday I would move to “Africa” or somewhere, and care for the poor and abandoned children. Of course that was a dream that lasted probably about as long as my others (grocery store checker, marine biologist)but it still lay dormant in my heart. In the 1st day here, I felt a fulfilment of some sort. And I felt just certain that God created this perfect place just for me.</span><br />
Not to mention the girls were having the time of their lives! Eliza loved all the friends she had made and Lucy of course loved all the attention she got from everyone! This place was perfect for them!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eliza and her friend Kamud</td></tr>
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CRAFT TIME!</div>
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By the end of the day, I could feel myself thinking about L’asile. Thinking about the lack of peace there. Thinking about the children. I felt in my heart that God was calling us back there but I didn't want it. This place was perfect. Why give it up? Dave pulled me aside and confirmed my fears. “We need to create a place like this in L’asile”.<br />
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I knew right as he said it that this was true. This was the same thing God was speaking to me but I didn't want to hear. I mean, I did ask God to “Be clear with us as quickly as possible” with regards to where He wanted us. 2 days is pretty quick. But sometimes listening to what He wants is really hard to do!</div>
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<span class="s1">In the past week or so, my heart has grown more content with God’s plan. In fact, we both find ourselves excited for the future and we desire to give many years of our lives to this country. Now just to clarify, we do not plan to start our own orphanage. At this time, we really aren’t 100% sure what God wants but we do know that He is calling us to start something for the children and have a couple ideas in mind.</span><br />
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Please pray that we can find a house soon! We have returned back to L'asile and are currently living with the guys team.(Poor guys)<br />
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<span class="s1">Please also pray for whatever it is God is calling us to create for the children. Just that our hearts and minds will be totally open to HIS will and not our own:) </span></div>
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<span class="s1">God Bless you all!</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Love and prayers from BEAUTIFUL Haiti!</span></div>
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Andrea, Dave, Eliza, and Lucy</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These girls LOVE to dance!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Got my hair done...several times</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It usually turned out something like this haha</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dave helping sort coffee beans</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eliza learned how to play</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14253475683832975839noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160998745486554746.post-84913910753287907382015-05-31T23:22:00.000-07:002015-05-31T23:22:20.418-07:00Thought Log 2: Mary and meOver 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. <br />
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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: "<span style="background-color: white;">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!" </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">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."</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14253475683832975839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160998745486554746.post-53714882744665822152015-05-25T11:34:00.000-07:002015-05-25T11:34:06.634-07:00Haiti!Praise God, we are FINALLY here!<br />
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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.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our mosquito tent village :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our "dresser"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost fully functional bathroom (bucket flush toilet and bucket baths)</td></tr>
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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.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I need to learn how to do this! </td></tr>
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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."<br />
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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!<br />
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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.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our 1st day here. This was after about 1/2 the kids cleared out</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Story of our lives here. Us+10 or more kids. Always.</td></tr>
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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.<br />
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Thank you for your prayers, love, and support! Can't wait to see what this year has in store!<br />
Much love from Haiti!<br />
The Quinns<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14253475683832975839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160998745486554746.post-70343900993290968442015-04-17T16:26:00.001-07:002015-04-17T16:26:24.275-07:00UpdateSo much has changed over the past few months and we wanted to update you on what we are doing.<br />
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We spent the months of February and March in Louisiana at the Mission Base. Dave was making some money working on various projects there while I stayed home and took care of the girls. We were waiting and waiting for some movement on Japan. We had decided that Dave would take a course to teach English as a way for us to get into the country. Through many conversations with the course teacher, we discovered it was very difficult to find a way for our whole family to obtain Visas. </div>
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We waited, and prayed. Still, nothing happened. We began to pray and ask the Lord what he wanted. Our director had just returned from a trip to Haiti and as he spoke of it, we both became excited.<br />
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We prayed about it and feel like during this time, we are being called to Haiti. On May 9th, we will head to Haiti. For a couple weeks we will spend time with the other FMC missionaries in the area, and then we will spend the rest of our time at the Haiti 180 orphanage. If you want to know more, you can visit <a href="http://www.haiti180.com/">www.haiti180.com</a>. Please pray that we will have a blessed time on our trip there and that God will make His will known for us. <br />
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We are back in Nebraska for Easter and have been blessed to spend the rest of our time in the states with our families.<br />
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Thank you all for your love, prayers, and support.<br />
<br />
The Quinns<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14253475683832975839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160998745486554746.post-13184995747611928792015-02-07T17:41:00.000-08:002015-02-07T17:41:21.148-08:00What's up with the Quinns?Hello All!<br />
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We wanted to write and give a long overdue update as to what is going on with the mission. <br />
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As many of you already know, Andrea and I feel we are being called to serve in Japan. With Family Missions Company, the location of your first year in missions is determined by the leadership of FMC. The second and all subsequent years are determined by ourselves under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. <br />
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Early last year, while we were on a team retreat in Mexico City, we were having lunch with a local priest. When we were discussing what FMC and it's missionaries do, he told us not to forget about Japan! He went on to tell us how their suicide rate is one of the highest in the world and how they are in desperate need of the gospel. Upon hearing this priest speak of Japan and his 8 years of service there, Andrea thought God might be calling us there. We tabled the idea, wanting to dedicate ourselves to the General Cepeda post for the rest of the year, until August when traditionally missionaries seek the Lord once again to find direction. We went on a family retreat and felt that God was indeed calling us to bring people to Him in Japan. <br />
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The path to Japan is fraught with difficulties, not the least of which is that FMC has never been to Japan and we have no known contacts there. Andrea and I spent a few weeks in January trying to bolster some much needed financial support in order to afford the higher cost of living in Japan and are now in Louisiana researching possibilities of serving there. <br />
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The latest idea we have is to teach English. Turns out the country uses native English speakers all the time to teach the English language. Through some of our research I can get certified to teach in a 1 - 3 months and hopefully find employment there under a workers visa. This option offers several advantages. First we will be able to learn about the culture through visiting with the students we teach. We will be able to evangelize to the students through normal conversation and being interested in each others lives. We will be able to stay in Japan for an extended period of time (under a workers visa) and have ample opportunity to make connections with the Church's pastors and bishops. <br />
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All of this takes some time. In the mean time I am working here at Big Woods finishing some of the ongoing projects and repairing some things in need of a carpenter's touch. Andrea and I would like to be headed back into the field, Lord permitting, inside of 3 months. If nothing shakes loose and opens up for us in Japan, we have some other location options available to us. Please pray for us as we push forward and ask the Lord to give us clarity and guidance!<br />
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We love you all and continue to pray for all our family, friends and benefactors! <br />
God Bless,<br />
-The QuinnsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14253475683832975839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160998745486554746.post-18311339623926867412014-12-22T19:27:00.002-08:002014-12-22T19:27:41.285-08:00Merry Christmas and Thank You!Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all! We pray that God blesses all you this Christmas season and the coming year!<br />
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It has been the most incredible year for our family! God has blessed us in more ways than we can count or remember. We are continually humbled by all the prayer and financial support we have received from all of you. During our time in Mexico we were able to do many things, and I have tried to summarize them into a list to share with all of you. <br />
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We helped prepare children in our two ejidos for the sacraments they were eligible to receive. Some of them have been waiting for Confirmation and Communion for years!<br />
16 - First Communion / First Confession<br />
8 - Confirmation<br />
1 - Baptism<br />
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We encouraged and helped prepare 2 couples to receive the sacrament of marriage. In Mexico, a big problem is people getting married civilly and never getting married in the Church. Through witness and encouragement (and financial support) we were able to see these two couples receive the grace of the sacrament!<br />
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We bought many bibles for people who requested them so they could start reading and building a relationship with Jesus.<br />
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We were able to provide financial assistance for a 3 year old girl to go to kindergarten.<br />
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For the work projects our team was able to perform $30,104 worth of work. This includes the money we put forth, as well as the other family stationed with us and the short term mission trips that came down.<br />
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<ul>
<li>Rewire 7 homes</li>
<li>Install 10 new roofs</li>
<li>Repair 2 roofs</li>
<li>Install 3 concrete floors</li>
<li>Install 1 new sewer line</li>
<li>Construct 3 complete rooms</li>
<li>Repair fire damage on the house of an elderly couple</li>
<li>Construct 1 new bathroom</li>
<li>Construct 1 new chapel </li>
<li>Repair 1 chapel which had a wall falling and install new window and door</li>
<li>Place a tile floor in a chapel and install new electrical</li>
<li>Provided full-time employment to three local men for almost the entire year</li>
<li>Misc. small projects</li>
</ul>
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We served people who came to the door by providing them with medications they needed or other financial assistance. The total amount of this came to: $2,486</div>
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The Quinn Family was able to give a total amount of: $9,704</div>
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Beyond the monetary aid we gave, it is so hard to describe the value of God sending us to the people of the Ejidos to minister to their spiritual need. The two ejidos we ministered to all year were so very appreciative of our teaching them "many good things" about the faith, visiting them, and getting to know them. Through our time together we were able to make so many valuable and long lasting friendships. It was very hard to leave the people and see the tears run down their faces. Please keep these communities in your prayers as well that they may continue in their walk with the Lord and that we may all be together in eternity!<br />
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We want to say THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts for all the ways in which you have supported us this year!</div>
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Click <a href="http://www.fmcmissions.com/thank-you-2014/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=thankyou.familymissionscompany.com&utm_campaign=EOY14">here</a> to watch a thank you video put together by Family Missions Company with pictures from around the world in our mission locations.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14253475683832975839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160998745486554746.post-34648408712106443622014-10-29T10:37:00.004-07:002014-10-29T10:37:30.867-07:00Generosity: What it's really all about<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Being a missionary can be hard.
Some days it seems nearly impossible to continually be called to give all of
yourself. Not only are we called to give of ourselves, but also our things. Sometimes
I feel that as Americans we have this selfishness ingrained in us. We have this
“mine” mentality. I have tried to spend this year undoing that mentality. And I
have failed miserably over and over again. But the other day, I witnessed
something that inspired and challenged me in a whole new way; something that
has changed my outlook on generosity, forever.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was giving my friend Francisca
a ride home. She had just been grocery shopping (which needless to say is a
treat for her.) Her husband has never held a steady job so they rarely if ever
have money. Their family usually lives week to week from “dispensas”(a bag of
groceries we give to the people here with just basic food items). But this
week, she had sold some earrings and earned $100 pesos(about $8USD) and was
able to go grocery shopping! She was very excited and came home with one bag
full of food. As we were driving home, Lucy, who is perpetually hungry, kept
trying to dig in the bag and steal some food. We laughed about it and I even
joked that Lucy was trying to rob her. As we got out of the van, Francisca
started to dig around in her grocery sack. I of course thought “Oh no, she’s
checking to see if Lucy got into something” and went on to think about how I
was going to apologize to this woman for my daughter stealing her food. She
continued to dig, I began to sweat and feel terrible, and then she pulled out a
banana. She handed it to Lucy. I was blown away.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here this woman is who rarely has
enough food to feed her family, and she just hands a banana to my daughter (who
obviously isn’t going hungry) out of her precious bag of groceries. She could
have easily thought “l am not going to give these people anything. They could
go buy food anytime they wanted and I hardly have enough.” But no, she didn’t
think anything of it. Here, one of the poorest of the poor gave away her own
food to my baby. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<strong><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; border: 1pt windowtext; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">“</span></i></strong><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing
how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were
putting in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins,
which amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in
more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of
their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had
to live on.”</b></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Mark 12:41-44<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the past, I read this bible verse and knew that I have always given out of my excess, and at that, barely given. But Francisca showed me what Generosity truly is. It is opening your heart to every single person in every single situation. It is giving when it hurts and not thinking anything of it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am so grateful for these moments where God slaps me in the face and gives me a wakeup call. Today He is calling every one of us to give whether it is of our time, our finances, or our prayers. He is calling us to give ESPECIALLY when it hurts and we feel we have no more to give; to give out of our poverty, not our surplus. My prayer is that each of us will open our hearts to give everything for He who gave it all for us.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14253475683832975839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160998745486554746.post-10466073445116576932014-10-17T20:12:00.000-07:002014-10-17T20:12:04.776-07:00Authentic LOVE<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Last Thursday, after 83 years of life, my Grandpa passed
away. Thanks be to God, we were able to come back from Mexico for the funeral.
Seeing my Grandma was heartbreaking. I
cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like to lose your husband, let
alone a man who you have been married to for 63 years. As she spoke to my sister the other night,
she shared with tears streaming down her face, “I loved him. I really loved
him.”</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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I am 100% certain that they were in fact, the love of each
other’s lives. I remember growing up, always seeing them together and thinking
“Wow, they really are in love”. My Grandpa would look at my Grandma like a
young man looking at his bride on their wedding day. They would always laugh and smile together.
There was a “oneness” between them. You could see that they thought as one,
lived as one, loved as one. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Seeing her sadness caused me to reflect on what marital love really
is. What does a couple really vow to one another in marriage? When they married, they vowed “for <b>better</b>, for <b>worse</b>, for <b>richer</b>, for <b>poorer</b>, in <b>sickness</b> and in <b>health</b>, <b>until death do us part</b>.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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I know that they had hard times. Having 4 kids aged 4,3,2,
and 1 and later the addition of 3 more children, was beautiful and blessed. But
I can also imagine sometimes that it was extremely difficult and maybe felt “for
<b>worse</b>.” With only Grandpa working
and many mouths to feed, I can guarantee that wasn't a time of “<b>richer</b>.” Over the years, both of them
spent many times in a state of “<b>sickness”;
</b>Grandma with breast cancer, and Grandpa with many heart surgeries, times in
ICU, and his stroke. <o:p></o:p></div>
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To me, my Grandma is a heroine. She is an example of what
love really is. Because during what was most likely the most difficult times in
their lives, she didn't give up. She continued to sacrifice and love her
husband. You see, for the past few years
my Grandpa had been in the nursing home suffering from dementia following a
stroke. Every day she went and sat with my Grandpa from breakfast to bed time.
They laughed, talked, read the paper, watched TV. She didn't just put him in
the nursing home and “move on”. She spent almost every moment of every day at
his side. I know some days it was very difficult for her. The beauty of their
relationship is that through all of these difficulties, they persevered. They
continued to love. They continued to push forward and support one another; even
when it seemed impossible. Even up until the last moment as Grandma held his
hand and declared one last time, “I love you Bernard” he smiled, and
breathed his last; “<b>until death do us part</b>”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Their love is a love that inspires me. In a time when the
world tells us to take the easy way out, or do what feels right, a time where people
believe that commitments and vows are null and void; it is in times like these
that we should look to a love like theirs to understand and aspire to what
loving another really means. It is a life full of many sacrifices and
difficulties to authentically love another; but is most definitely possible and truly
one of the most beautiful things a person can do. I love the quote from the
movie Frozen, “Love is putting someone else’s needs before yours.” Let us remember this and pray that we can
learn to love in the same authentic way as my awesome grandparents!<o:p></o:p></div>
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-Andrea</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBH82mvkYY0JyRF9zLf_qQL__rsH4csHn2_Xf4Fbgek0BNhJq4yL8qmEvRiFOkac09LTAaLeVoBn5X1lgqAyWMTOWDDQ_T4A_00eh58C95kmA6XhBZqRXpLeFu0kP8QNKN2AkaOzQvOwC/s1600/IMG_93880155701330.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBH82mvkYY0JyRF9zLf_qQL__rsH4csHn2_Xf4Fbgek0BNhJq4yL8qmEvRiFOkac09LTAaLeVoBn5X1lgqAyWMTOWDDQ_T4A_00eh58C95kmA6XhBZqRXpLeFu0kP8QNKN2AkaOzQvOwC/s1600/IMG_93880155701330.jpeg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We love you Grandpa!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14253475683832975839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160998745486554746.post-35468449593811321322014-10-04T15:26:00.000-07:002014-10-04T15:26:58.821-07:00Chapel Update #2The chapel is coming along fantastic! We have painted the ceiling, primed the walls, installed the lights and windows, and finished all the stucco. We have gone as far as the money will take us for now, but with a little help from some donors we can put in floor tile, tile the altar, install some sidewalk outside, and paint the walls. <br />
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This is the tabernacle door that Gallo (one of the Mexican missionaries) and I made.</div>
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It was an honor as well to have the bishop at the Casa de Misiones for breakfast today. He is in town for a couple days to help celebrate the feast of St. Francis (the patron of our parish). He visited the chapel as well and blessed it. It had to be a preliminary blessing because it isn't finished, but he still seemed pleased with what we had done. <br />
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Bonus Photo: Another fun project I had this week was trying to repair this statue that was donated by the Schmidt family (new missionaries this year). This statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus will be taken to Cuchilla del Indio where their chapel has the same patron. The hand was damaged in transport. Plaster of paris is a common building product here, so I used some to re-fashion the hand.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14253475683832975839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160998745486554746.post-66491170290438169682014-09-15T18:54:00.001-07:002014-09-15T18:54:44.377-07:00Seeing Christ in the face of tragedyAs many of you may already know, last Monday our dear friends, The Kiehl's, lost their 18 month old little boy, Ezekiel. All week, we have been heartbroken. We can not believe what happened. We have prayed for our friends and begged the Lord to send them comfort and peace.<br />
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Praise the Lord we are able to travel back to Mississippi to support our friends and attend Ezekiel's funeral. Tonight, the Kiehl's invited us over to Teresa's parents house for supper. On the drive over, I was so nervous. I kept imagining the sorrow and sadness we were going to walk into. I kept trying to think of what I should and should not say. I kept telling myself not to lose it the moment we saw them.<br />
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But to my surprise, I saw something I never expected. We didn't walk into a home full of sadness and sorrow. We walked into a home full of laughter, joy, and hope. Yes, Teresa cried, as we all did, when she walked us over to Ezekiel's urn on the mantel; and as she told us how hard today has been preparing for the funeral. But then her and Jonathan smiled. They shared that they literally could feel the prayers of everyone "lifting them up and holding them".<br />
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Jonathan shared about the beautiful things he witnessed. About how he ran with Ezekiel in his arms, barefoot, to the hospital and there a woman offered him her sandals. He talked about how a man who had been full of nothing but anger and some animosity toward them had sobbed and begged for forgiveness and offered his condolences. About the 100's of Mexican people who attended Ezekiel's prayer service and how beautiful that was. He shared that while they initially feared this could ruin their marriage, that it in fact has brought them closer together than ever.<br />
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Teresa shared that Christ is strengthening them and how now more than ever before she wants EVERY SINGLE PERSON she encounters to journey with her to heaven. About how all the things she used to think were important, in fact are not and she realizes now the things that are.<br />
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Today I learned what true hope is. I saw it in the faces of my two friends. Thank You Lord for the beautiful witness of the Kiehl family! I pray that someday I can be filled with the same hope and faith of this incredible family. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">St. Ezekiel, Pray for Us! </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14253475683832975839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160998745486554746.post-51485058305308819502014-09-04T13:03:00.000-07:002014-09-04T13:03:31.419-07:00Chapel Update!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I can't believe it has already been three weeks since I last updated you all on the progress of the Divine Mercy Chapel! It has been so eventful and the chapel is coming along nicely! The roof structure is on and the bell tower is installed. Also, we are finishing the walls on the inside with really fine stucco. </div>
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We had to form and pour two large concrete beams across the center part of the cross to support the roof. </div>
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We decided, for both strength and beauty to install wood beams that measure 3" x 8"</div>
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The inside is really starting to pick up the final feel!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWGe3hXTg5SPgXW15tpwS4EaY0vtRLFrUxOaI_2XGqo_OLprj02eYUndHABNfS5JHKxjnHoY1MSWbYUoXom5IMHAwK2D1QTh3ytOQZsrKZNtUoYYpwY79jtOA5rv9Fuf3pc12u1LQHVD-r/s1600/IMG_9141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWGe3hXTg5SPgXW15tpwS4EaY0vtRLFrUxOaI_2XGqo_OLprj02eYUndHABNfS5JHKxjnHoY1MSWbYUoXom5IMHAwK2D1QTh3ytOQZsrKZNtUoYYpwY79jtOA5rv9Fuf3pc12u1LQHVD-r/s1600/IMG_9141.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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While the guys were starting the stucco on the inside a couple of us went up with the bell tower. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxF1Gk8or3WXGPM1dBe2_jYjTqzZpRtsRCpGLuNPRI1rq7vespC7mY0XTppG0LTyP6uS3fqUPlxEn5UAfVwI90M5uX9v5SjnMUzD5VK38TW8h_QZbKhwXyCd2x-mPtUDCgCgXzAzvr-0TQ/s1600/IMG_9145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxF1Gk8or3WXGPM1dBe2_jYjTqzZpRtsRCpGLuNPRI1rq7vespC7mY0XTppG0LTyP6uS3fqUPlxEn5UAfVwI90M5uX9v5SjnMUzD5VK38TW8h_QZbKhwXyCd2x-mPtUDCgCgXzAzvr-0TQ/s1600/IMG_9145.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Gonzalo, the master at stucco, is putting on the finish of the inside walls.</div>
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The parapet wall is going on around the perimeter of the roof and the bell tower structure is finished.</div>
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This project has been extremely rewarding for me to be a part of. I pray that God will use this building to draw many people into his ocean of mercy. While building this, I have become very interested in the devotion to the divine mercy and have started reading St. Faustina's diary. It is an incredible book/devotion and hope many will read it and draw close to Jesus. </div>
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Praise you Lord for drawing us to this life! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14253475683832975839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160998745486554746.post-82872958831195079642014-08-14T13:00:00.000-07:002014-08-14T13:00:15.885-07:00Divine Mercy ChapelAs I promised, I have photos of the Divine Mercy Chapel we are currently building. We are on the 3rd week of construction and the walls will be finished soon...probably early next week!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkzlD0-HNAR34j6hza-R6f1NkiVsCqbJlsQjhSR_oiuGzmd6JKOACTl-i0ognRgZCzeDyXQvPJJY1ZxepFl1pUBdJ8y6a_XHeeRY6UwzLA2x3nPFdDphoJs6ih0w2jERT1H19BzCFGnmH/s1600/IMG_8969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkzlD0-HNAR34j6hza-R6f1NkiVsCqbJlsQjhSR_oiuGzmd6JKOACTl-i0ognRgZCzeDyXQvPJJY1ZxepFl1pUBdJ8y6a_XHeeRY6UwzLA2x3nPFdDphoJs6ih0w2jERT1H19BzCFGnmH/s1600/IMG_8969.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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The footings are complete and we are ready to start the walls</div>
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We installed the floor now to make is easier to work on top of since the walls will be tall.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZsBjmQZElT-CONyRLTHgJ4EIzK-oDxWiY093uEf8VEz0Eke_kiGORqqPju1_hg85qZ87robbkoxZivPxmoGGOQtrS4XmZpEImemzDUvYHrRf3vPpY32xz1o3uvzSepJ5Zaoif_Z06NIb/s1600/IMG_9001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZsBjmQZElT-CONyRLTHgJ4EIzK-oDxWiY093uEf8VEz0Eke_kiGORqqPju1_hg85qZ87robbkoxZivPxmoGGOQtrS4XmZpEImemzDUvYHrRf3vPpY32xz1o3uvzSepJ5Zaoif_Z06NIb/s1600/IMG_9001.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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The first of two concrete beams that will help support the wall and bridge the windows and doors.</div>
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The second concrete beam is being formed that will support the roof joists.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0i8XJNUGbvgUtWuylNnwp69itnw7t8chd2NtNpVr_ybipCVaYzpaE38E4MoX22cXCgKO6bK-pGz0izsXcc9s4xRNrIMvWDatEqSoGfHh6qt-iIXi9kIkpY5HkmLsi31j04KlR4_r7Ntls/s1600/IMG_8996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0i8XJNUGbvgUtWuylNnwp69itnw7t8chd2NtNpVr_ybipCVaYzpaE38E4MoX22cXCgKO6bK-pGz0izsXcc9s4xRNrIMvWDatEqSoGfHh6qt-iIXi9kIkpY5HkmLsi31j04KlR4_r7Ntls/s1600/IMG_8996.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Interesting: These ants must have had a hole below our floor; and when we poured it, they dug a new hole through the soft concrete. We found them about a week later!</div>
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Sergio Ruiz started working for us for this project as well. Happy Guy!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhup60fiBBAVKT1EiZ6GlfYqLa_vlXO3mR1fHSJIqv7xgZJVGRRRkPW8VQ1ROQI_DdC9GAuo3761P0MXd_RLNL6Nl1SFclG8Cohfjf1WdYxkxhOidtS31pXez8_0XKt13kLFMeuBhRoE2fi/s1600/IMG_9006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhup60fiBBAVKT1EiZ6GlfYqLa_vlXO3mR1fHSJIqv7xgZJVGRRRkPW8VQ1ROQI_DdC9GAuo3761P0MXd_RLNL6Nl1SFclG8Cohfjf1WdYxkxhOidtS31pXez8_0XKt13kLFMeuBhRoE2fi/s1600/IMG_9006.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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Part of the structure will be two large concrete beams to support to roof in the center. To reinforce these we have to make these rebar rings. They will make a cage of rebar that sits inside the beams.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1qOV6KgljBquPmEPVIpUSAeLM6nAfOfGAv_4RFDCQvTET9MPTGPGO7bqmuJhSP9tm9rbQZkt8i2okbwHGgRO_05fg0b9LyWo1zsWz9qr8Z_amfS0JxZDhupL-r5BvOD9TTP0DmGxOuGQ/s1600/IMG_9008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1qOV6KgljBquPmEPVIpUSAeLM6nAfOfGAv_4RFDCQvTET9MPTGPGO7bqmuJhSP9tm9rbQZkt8i2okbwHGgRO_05fg0b9LyWo1zsWz9qr8Z_amfS0JxZDhupL-r5BvOD9TTP0DmGxOuGQ/s1600/IMG_9008.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Bonus Photo: A family that lives in one of our ejidos had a baby boy recently. When we asked him what they named him they hadn't yet. So I suggested "David" was a good name...on a couple occasions :-). I discovered a week later that they had decided to go with David! So here is a picture of me and my namesake:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-G4Q8i_S5Fmw2UPCjfOkgaWasqiyRqsPzTBWRdZdcwNI-OaM34U_Pxbf6m5eGT5ydgf6wN2Ba0DETu_M5rXjCCdmAUzqNxh5px-3mFjxpBFxDSqnE47u9wlZAaKTXZ937HjXk5mMQsh_z/s1600/IMG_8981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-G4Q8i_S5Fmw2UPCjfOkgaWasqiyRqsPzTBWRdZdcwNI-OaM34U_Pxbf6m5eGT5ydgf6wN2Ba0DETu_M5rXjCCdmAUzqNxh5px-3mFjxpBFxDSqnE47u9wlZAaKTXZ937HjXk5mMQsh_z/s1600/IMG_8981.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
David in Spanish is pronounced "Daveeth".</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14253475683832975839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160998745486554746.post-38056133138868566502014-08-08T19:55:00.000-07:002014-08-08T19:55:24.640-07:00Happy Birthday Dave!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Happy Birthday to an incredible father and
husband. Everyday you bring so much happiness and joy into the lives of us 3
girls. You are our rock, our joy, our love. You are a perfect example of the
love of Christ. Thank you for always taking care of us, loving us, and making
us smile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I had to share what Eliza and I made for Dave
for his birthday. The most beautiful thing about it to me was how often she
mentioned how happy her Dad is. How true that is! And how incredibly blessed
are we? Thank you Dave for always putting us before yourself and serving the
people here in such a beautiful way. Happy 31st, old man! We love you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC"; font-size: 13.0pt;">HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWv__3eSaRIHZF94H4VXNcotxflIVQvoOd6EPQ_6llBtA8mjkNCg08IkR0TB2ueygKV3gnvbM87lZdZtfbqtbuDSIGugRYtovpcYBxFPDCNiIYIyuAlqpC1PLGt8NhP6fm9F9LAdxkkU7/s1600/coo+dude.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWv__3eSaRIHZF94H4VXNcotxflIVQvoOd6EPQ_6llBtA8mjkNCg08IkR0TB2ueygKV3gnvbM87lZdZtfbqtbuDSIGugRYtovpcYBxFPDCNiIYIyuAlqpC1PLGt8NhP6fm9F9LAdxkkU7/s1600/coo+dude.jpg" height="200" width="160" /></a></div>
<span style="height: 269px; margin-left: 399px; margin-top: 27px; mso-ignore: vglayout; position: absolute; width: 215px; z-index: 251661300;"></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC"; font-size: 10.5pt;">My Dad is <u>20</u> years old<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC"; font-size: 10.5pt;">His
hair is <u>huge</u> and his eyes are <u>blue</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC"; font-size: 10.5pt;">My
Daddy weighs <u>6</u> pounds<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC"; font-size: 10.5pt;">My
Dad makes me laugh when <u>he giggles</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC"; font-size: 10.5pt;">I
know that my daddy loves me because <u>he’s special<o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC"; font-size: 10.5pt;">It
makes Daddy laugh when <u>I smile</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC"; font-size: 10.5pt;">My
Dad likes to wear <u>pants<o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC"; font-size: 10.5pt;">He
loves to eat <u>sandwiches</u></span></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Daddy’s
favorite food is <u>macaroni and cheese</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC"; font-size: 10.5pt;">The
special thing that Daddy does for Mommy is <u>kiss her</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Daddy’s
favorite thing to do is <u>to play soccer</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC"; font-size: 10.5pt;">He
is smart because <u>he knows everything</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC"; font-size: 10.5pt;">My
Dad works hard at <u>the work project</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Daddy
always tells me <u>I love you</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC"; font-size: 10.5pt;">It
makes Dad happy when <u>it’s Easter Time</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC"; font-size: 10.5pt;">If
Daddy could go on a trip he would go to <u>the zoo</u> and he would bring <u>the
pack &play</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC"; font-size: 10.5pt;">I
really love it when my Daddy <u>works</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Dad’s
best friend is <u>me</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Daddy’s
favorite movie is <u>Despicable Me 2<o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC"; font-size: 10.5pt;">My
favorite thing to do with Daddy is <u>play tent</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC"; font-size: 10.5pt;">I
have the best Daddy in the world because <u>he’s my special Dad</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC"; font-size: 10.5pt;">If
I could give my Daddy anything it would be <u>me</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
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happy</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14253475683832975839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160998745486554746.post-53360438487580930212014-08-07T20:06:00.001-07:002014-08-07T20:06:36.734-07:00Just For YouLast night, I was reading one of my favorite childhood books to Eliza. Mercer Mayer's "Just For You". The first time I reread it was about 6 months ago; I was in tears. Last night as I read it to Eliza, I was struck with so many thoughts and inspired to write a blog. So bear with me as I share what God spoke to me through my favorite children's book.<br />
The book is about Little Critter. Throughout the book, he is trying to do all these nice things for his mom, but everything seems to fail miserably, until the end. The book reads like this:<br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmEENLTSBFDxPgHkAJLq-PfHXSFNxmF7kEVwj-ozuvGx-lRWccc2tuTBLkt3kbIcncUu9Saq6TXPKjpHy4RDcn4Hv7Tr92EH48kx3i-djKbFcPq_11EpLXM38UDOJ9D1wJm0YLJFbxLV2d/s1600/little-critter-makes-eggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmEENLTSBFDxPgHkAJLq-PfHXSFNxmF7kEVwj-ozuvGx-lRWccc2tuTBLkt3kbIcncUu9Saq6TXPKjpHy4RDcn4Hv7Tr92EH48kx3i-djKbFcPq_11EpLXM38UDOJ9D1wJm0YLJFbxLV2d/s1600/little-critter-makes-eggs.jpg" /> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmEENLTSBFDxPgHkAJLq-PfHXSFNxmF7kEVwj-ozuvGx-lRWccc2tuTBLkt3kbIcncUu9Saq6TXPKjpHy4RDcn4Hv7Tr92EH48kx3i-djKbFcPq_11EpLXM38UDOJ9D1wJm0YLJFbxLV2d/s1600/little-critter-makes-eggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><b>.</b></i></a><br />
<i><b>This morning I wanted to make breakfast just for you, but the eggs were too slippery.</b></i><br />
<i><b>I wanted to wash the floor just for you, but the soap was too bubbly.</b></i><br />
<i><b>I wanted to put away the dishes just for you, but the floor was too wet.</b></i><br />
<i><b>I wanted to carry the groceries just for you, but the bag broke.</b></i><br />
<i><b>I ate my sandwich just for you, but not my crusts.</b></i><br />
<i><b>I wanted to take a nap just for you, but the bed was too bouncy.</b></i><br />
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<i><b><i><b> I wanted to mow the lawn just for you, but I but I was too little.</b></i></b></i></div>
<i><b>I picked an apple just for you, but on the way home I got hungry.</b></i><br />
<i><b>I wanted to set the table just for you, but the TV was too loud.</b></i><br />
<i><b>I wanted to not splash in my bath just for you, but there was a storm.</b></i><br />
<i><b>I wanted to do something very special,just for you.(As he hugs his Mom)</b></i><br />
<i><b>And I did it! </b></i><br />
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The first time I read this to Eliza, after many years, I literally cried. As a Mother, I couldn't help but think of Eliza and how many times she tries to do nice things for me; like wash the dishes, fix her own lunch, give Lucy a snack. All of which end up being a bigger mess than we started with. Sometimes I get frustrated and think I should have just done it myself. But when I read this book, I was taken aback just thinking about the innocence of children. It's amazing how much they simply want to please us, and how hard that can be for them sometimes. That no matter how many times they mess that up, they still keep trying. If only to see us smile and tell them "Good job!" What a blessing it is to be a mother and to be a part of these little moments; at times messy and frustrating, but truly beautiful.<br />
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Yesterday as I read, I was struck in a different way. I thought of us, being like Little Critter. Always trying to do these little things to please God, Our Father. And usually failing miserably. And how many times, unlike Little Critter, we want to just give up. How we don't have the faith and perseverance of a child. How at times, we can be selfish <i><b>I picked an apple just for you, but on the way home I got hungry</b></i>. How God must be frustrated with us so many times a day, but (like a parent with a child) loves us through it all. The greatest and most humbling part of this book is the very end where after several failed attempts at serving his mother, he does the simplest and greatest thing he can do. Love her. It's so simple! We will try to serve God in hundreds of ways. And most likely there will be times we will fail miserably. (If you're anything like me, several times a day!) But in the end, the greatest and most important thing we can do, is to give Him our Love! ~Andrea<br />
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