Well, I didn't think we would ever actually get here but we have finally made it to our last stop on our trip! Last Saturday, we made our last move from 7 Miles to Santa Elana, Belize. Which even though both are in Belize, they are very different because Santa Elana is a city and we haven't lived in a city for a while. It is kind of weird to be around so much traffic and so close to so many stores. And this isn't even that big of a city! Further proof of how going home is going to be a major adjustment.
Our last few weeks in 7 Miles were ones filled with lots of adventure hikes and even more peanuts. But Rachel and I did manage to get all of them done! Our family obviously did most of the work because apparently we are not very fast. Our last day, our family took us to the river for one last day of swimming. We got to play around in the water with our siblings and even started teaching them how to swim! The thing that was so amazing about our 7 Miles family is how much they felt like family. We have lived with several different families throughout our trip and although I have never felt like I didn't belong in a house or questioned their hospitality, this family made me feel like one of their own. Like our parents really became our parents and took care of us when we were sick and our siblings really became our siblings and we all laughed like siblings and sometimes even got on each other's nerves like real brothers and sisters. There were lots of tears and hugs when we left. But hopefully, God will let me come back to visit my 7 Miles family.
In my Santa Elana family, I have my parents and then 2 teenage sisters and a 12 year old brother, which it is fun having siblings closer to my age. Our dad is a brick mason and our mom keeps herself busy selling kitchen products and helping make food for all of the parties that we attend. Which with all of the graduations and stuff going on right now is a lot. Plus, we go to church like all the time. Like if people got doughnuts every time they went to church, the whole country would have diabetes. And one of our sisters is having her quinceanera next Sunday!! So we have been helping get all of the decorations together and our sisters are helping us go shopping for the perfect party dress. It is actually very helpful to be so busy because it helps distract from the fact we are so close to being home!! (as of 6/4 we are 28 days away from being home!)
So I have been reading through 1 and 2 Kings because I don't really even know when I have read those through all the way and I came across this story that just blew my mind! It's found in 2 Kings 6 and Elisha is in a sticky situation because a king wants him dead and has surrounded the city he is in with an army. So naturally, Elisha's friend that is with him starts freaking out because there doesn't really seem to be a way out. Then Elisha prays that God will open his friend's eyes and his friend looks again and the Bible says he saw "the hills full of horses and chariots of fire". Like what?! Can you imagine how cool that must have been to see?? And the thing is that God has us surrounded by His army all the time, keeping us safe from all that is after us. Like that song by Chris Tomlin! God's angel army is by our side!
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Kids, Carrots, and Cake
Hello from Belize! I cannot believe we have finally made it to our last stop on our six month adventure. We are actually going to be staying in two different areas while we are here which will make time go even faster! All of us are definitely loving it here, but it's also hard not to be excited about going home since we are so close. (May 16th marks 47 days until we get to go home.) Right now, we are in a little town called 7 Miles. You can try looking it up but you will be lucky to find anything about it. It's very small! But we are kind of enjoying isolation for a moment. A lot of the families here are farmers so our days are filled with different agricultural activities. I've become a professional peanut picker!
Currently I am living with Raymon, his wife, and 5 out of their 10 children (everyone has very big families here). From day one, I have definitely felt welcomed as family. We got to our new home on May 4th, which was a day before my birthday. So while we were talking with our family, they asked how old we were and the fact that the next day was going to be my birthday was brought up. My mom instantly got super excited and told me she was going to make a very nice dinner for me. On my birthday morning, I woke up to the sound of all my new siblings walking past my door saying "Audrey. Hey Audrey. Happy birthday!" Then later, we went carrot picking with our dad and a couple of our brothers. I have a whole new appreciation for salads. I also got a very weird sunburn on my back from bending over to pick the carrots. Just my luck! I got to eat my yummy delicious dinner and was very satisfied with how my day had been. Then, one of my older brothers came back in our truck and pulled out a birthday cake!! I was so shocked and happy! These people had only known me for a day and went out of their way to make sure I had a wonderful birthday. And our family's kindness and generosity has not stopped since then!
Our host family has a little truck so we get to go on field trips all the time. Sometimes it is to go visit family, sometimes it's to get groceries. So this last Wednesday, Rachel and I were picking peanuts and our dad came and asked if we wanted to go into town with him and his wife. We said sure thinking we were going to one of the little towns only a few minutes away. But an hour and a half and a car ferry later, we reached the town of Spanish Lookout. The first thing we did was get some food from a restaurant called "Dis da fi wi chicken". (If you figure out what that means, can you let us know?) But they had barbecue sauce! It's the little things like get us really excited. Then we went in and out of various farming necessities stores. Rachel and I would walk around in amazement at all these stores had. It's funny how small stores and little towns have become our norm. I'm just trying to imagine how overwhelming a mall is going to feel when we get back!
So since this is our third and final stop, here is a list of some things I have done in every country:
- I've had fresh coconut in every country! Belize coconuts have the best tasting coconut water but I liked the inside part of the coconut best in Haiti
- I've held baby animals (baby bunny in Haiti, puppies in Jamaica, and kittens in Belize)
- I've had a bagged drink in every place. In Haiti, all our water came in bags. Jamaica had very tasty and sugary bag juice. In Belize, they pour the soda out of the glass bottle into bags with straws so that the bottles can be recycled
-I've also had a coke in every country! They really did taste slightly different but that may have just been in my head
- Our team has celebrated a birthday in every country!
- I've had an outside shower in all but one of my host homes. It does make you feel rather vulnerable but I am going to kind of miss bathing in nature
- I've tripped and scraped my knee in every country. Those of you that really know me will not find that unbelievable at all
- I have been very spoiled by my host families :) In Haiti, I would get my own little bowl of hot dogs when she made fish because she found out I didn't really like seafood. In Jamaica, we got a deliciously big fruit plate every morning with breakfast. Here in Belize, we get cookies or a little snack every time we go on a road trip which has happened a lot
One Bible story I read recently that has really stuck out to me is found in 1 Kings 17. It begins by introducing Elijah and his message to King Ahab that it would not rain from quite a while. So first, God told Elijah he needed to go hide for a bit but not to worry because God was going to send ravens to bring Elijah food to eat. I have never been instructed by God to put my faith in a bunch of birds but I imagine that took great confidence that they would continue to come back. Then, God told Elijah to move to a town where someone would take of him. Elijah met a widow and her son with not a lot of ingredients to make bread. Definitely not enough to feed 3 people for an extended period of time. But she believed that God would continue to provide. But she must have had some doubt because God allowed her son to become sick almost to the point of death. Elijah cried out to God to heal her son and He did! Then the widow said she really believed Elijah was who he said he was. But I got to thinking, who needed God to show up the most? Did the widow need to be reminded that God will provide food even when it seems like she has nothing left? Did her son need to be tested to literally the point of death so that he would remain faithful to God for the rest of his life? Was it a test for Elijah for God to see if he was someone He could depend on to do His work? I don't think there is just one answer. I think God places people in our path because we need to learn something from each other. He pushes us so that we have unshakable evidence that even when it seems all hope is lost, He has been and will always be there.
Currently I am living with Raymon, his wife, and 5 out of their 10 children (everyone has very big families here). From day one, I have definitely felt welcomed as family. We got to our new home on May 4th, which was a day before my birthday. So while we were talking with our family, they asked how old we were and the fact that the next day was going to be my birthday was brought up. My mom instantly got super excited and told me she was going to make a very nice dinner for me. On my birthday morning, I woke up to the sound of all my new siblings walking past my door saying "Audrey. Hey Audrey. Happy birthday!" Then later, we went carrot picking with our dad and a couple of our brothers. I have a whole new appreciation for salads. I also got a very weird sunburn on my back from bending over to pick the carrots. Just my luck! I got to eat my yummy delicious dinner and was very satisfied with how my day had been. Then, one of my older brothers came back in our truck and pulled out a birthday cake!! I was so shocked and happy! These people had only known me for a day and went out of their way to make sure I had a wonderful birthday. And our family's kindness and generosity has not stopped since then!
Our host family has a little truck so we get to go on field trips all the time. Sometimes it is to go visit family, sometimes it's to get groceries. So this last Wednesday, Rachel and I were picking peanuts and our dad came and asked if we wanted to go into town with him and his wife. We said sure thinking we were going to one of the little towns only a few minutes away. But an hour and a half and a car ferry later, we reached the town of Spanish Lookout. The first thing we did was get some food from a restaurant called "Dis da fi wi chicken". (If you figure out what that means, can you let us know?) But they had barbecue sauce! It's the little things like get us really excited. Then we went in and out of various farming necessities stores. Rachel and I would walk around in amazement at all these stores had. It's funny how small stores and little towns have become our norm. I'm just trying to imagine how overwhelming a mall is going to feel when we get back!
So since this is our third and final stop, here is a list of some things I have done in every country:
- I've had fresh coconut in every country! Belize coconuts have the best tasting coconut water but I liked the inside part of the coconut best in Haiti
- I've held baby animals (baby bunny in Haiti, puppies in Jamaica, and kittens in Belize)
- I've had a bagged drink in every place. In Haiti, all our water came in bags. Jamaica had very tasty and sugary bag juice. In Belize, they pour the soda out of the glass bottle into bags with straws so that the bottles can be recycled
-I've also had a coke in every country! They really did taste slightly different but that may have just been in my head
- Our team has celebrated a birthday in every country!
- I've had an outside shower in all but one of my host homes. It does make you feel rather vulnerable but I am going to kind of miss bathing in nature
- I've tripped and scraped my knee in every country. Those of you that really know me will not find that unbelievable at all
- I have been very spoiled by my host families :) In Haiti, I would get my own little bowl of hot dogs when she made fish because she found out I didn't really like seafood. In Jamaica, we got a deliciously big fruit plate every morning with breakfast. Here in Belize, we get cookies or a little snack every time we go on a road trip which has happened a lot
One Bible story I read recently that has really stuck out to me is found in 1 Kings 17. It begins by introducing Elijah and his message to King Ahab that it would not rain from quite a while. So first, God told Elijah he needed to go hide for a bit but not to worry because God was going to send ravens to bring Elijah food to eat. I have never been instructed by God to put my faith in a bunch of birds but I imagine that took great confidence that they would continue to come back. Then, God told Elijah to move to a town where someone would take of him. Elijah met a widow and her son with not a lot of ingredients to make bread. Definitely not enough to feed 3 people for an extended period of time. But she believed that God would continue to provide. But she must have had some doubt because God allowed her son to become sick almost to the point of death. Elijah cried out to God to heal her son and He did! Then the widow said she really believed Elijah was who he said he was. But I got to thinking, who needed God to show up the most? Did the widow need to be reminded that God will provide food even when it seems like she has nothing left? Did her son need to be tested to literally the point of death so that he would remain faithful to God for the rest of his life? Was it a test for Elijah for God to see if he was someone He could depend on to do His work? I don't think there is just one answer. I think God places people in our path because we need to learn something from each other. He pushes us so that we have unshakable evidence that even when it seems all hope is lost, He has been and will always be there.
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Final Thoughts About Jamaica
We left Jamaica yesterday to begin our journey to Belize! We are all very excited for Belize and all of the newness and unknown it brings with it. But how do you leave the place that has been your home for 8 weeks? How do you say goodbye to a community that has welcomed you with open arms and treated you like one of their own? How long do you have to look outside at the scenery to guarantee you will never forget what every tree looks like? The memories I have made from Catadupa, Jamaica are ones I hope to carry with me for the rest of my life. And if God blesses me so, I have been promised a bed and meals from several new friends if I ever return to Jamaica.
One real cool thing that happened this week occurred at our last Tuesday night church service. I felt the presence of God there stronger than I had since we had been there. The church we were a part of has a Pentecostal background and they just seem to understand more about the power of the Spirit than any other church I have attended. At first it was pretty intimidating not because it was weird but because I didn't really understand it. But that last night, we all opened ourselves up to the Spirit. Our group showed a new vulnerability in our worship that we hadn't really let ourselves express yet. We were singing and praising and praying harder and more genuinely than I had seen us do so far. But my favorite part was when Pastor Gordan invited us to the front so the church could pray over us. The craziest thing was it didn't feel like we were a visiting group that they were praying for before we left. It felt like our church was sending us off. It was then I really realized. We were more than just visitors. We were truly family. A family not defined by DNA, but one designed by God.
Our last week in Jamaica was full of assisting another group with one of their projects. It was fun because it gave us a chance to interact with the other group and share our experiences with them but it also caused our last week to slip away faster than we were expecting. Our last night there, some of our host moms hosted a party for us with cake and other yummy treats! My current host mom surprised us also with a last dinner of fried chicken, french fries, and pepsi. It was a little funny how American our last dinner in Jamaica was but she really was so happy to make it for us. It was too cute!
So recently I have been reading through Psalm because let's be for real, it's a pretty awesome book of the Bible. The one that has stuck out to me most recently is Psalm 19:1-6 which I won't quote but you should totally grab your Bible and look it up. Spoiler alert: it's about creation. The way the author describes it is so beautifully poetic. The same wonder and awe he feels looking out at the world is very similar to how I am starting to feel about it. I haven't ever really been a huge outdoorsy person, but this trip is starting to change that. God didn't just give us things we need to survive. He gave us things to enjoy! He gave us a world full of mystery and wonder. And the coolest part is, we don't have to do anything to maintain it. We just get to sit back and give God praise for the beautiful world we have around us.
One real cool thing that happened this week occurred at our last Tuesday night church service. I felt the presence of God there stronger than I had since we had been there. The church we were a part of has a Pentecostal background and they just seem to understand more about the power of the Spirit than any other church I have attended. At first it was pretty intimidating not because it was weird but because I didn't really understand it. But that last night, we all opened ourselves up to the Spirit. Our group showed a new vulnerability in our worship that we hadn't really let ourselves express yet. We were singing and praising and praying harder and more genuinely than I had seen us do so far. But my favorite part was when Pastor Gordan invited us to the front so the church could pray over us. The craziest thing was it didn't feel like we were a visiting group that they were praying for before we left. It felt like our church was sending us off. It was then I really realized. We were more than just visitors. We were truly family. A family not defined by DNA, but one designed by God.
Our last week in Jamaica was full of assisting another group with one of their projects. It was fun because it gave us a chance to interact with the other group and share our experiences with them but it also caused our last week to slip away faster than we were expecting. Our last night there, some of our host moms hosted a party for us with cake and other yummy treats! My current host mom surprised us also with a last dinner of fried chicken, french fries, and pepsi. It was a little funny how American our last dinner in Jamaica was but she really was so happy to make it for us. It was too cute!
So recently I have been reading through Psalm because let's be for real, it's a pretty awesome book of the Bible. The one that has stuck out to me most recently is Psalm 19:1-6 which I won't quote but you should totally grab your Bible and look it up. Spoiler alert: it's about creation. The way the author describes it is so beautifully poetic. The same wonder and awe he feels looking out at the world is very similar to how I am starting to feel about it. I haven't ever really been a huge outdoorsy person, but this trip is starting to change that. God didn't just give us things we need to survive. He gave us things to enjoy! He gave us a world full of mystery and wonder. And the coolest part is, we don't have to do anything to maintain it. We just get to sit back and give God praise for the beautiful world we have around us.
Monday, April 20, 2015
Three Months In
So here's a thought a lot of us have been struggling with this past week: we have officially been away from home for 3 months. That means 3 months since I have been able to play games and hang out with my family. 3 months since I have had lunch or coffee with any of my friends. 3 months since I have been able to praise and worship with my wonderful church family. 3 months since I have been able to drive my car. 3 months since I have had constant cell service (that one I don't mind so much). 3 months since I have slept in a bed that was actually mine. 3 months since I have been able to look at a closet or go shopping. 3 months since I have had Chick-fil-a (if you knew how many dreams I have had about waffle fries and sweet tea, you would feel so bad you would try to send me some internationally). 3 months is a long time to be separated from everything that is familiar to you!
But it also has brought it's really awesome things too. It's been 3 months since I really cared or worried about how I looked or what I wore. 3 months since I sat on the couch and watched Grey's Anatomy all day. 3 months of intentionally reading my Bible and surrounding myself with God. 3 months of meeting new people and being challenged in new and excited ways. 3 months of having to eat new foods that I may not really like but I eat them because it makes my host moms so happy when I do. 3 months of choosing to think about other people before I think of myself. 3 months of worshipping God on Sundays with awesome people that are crazy about Him. 3 months of trying to be a servant. These 3 months have definitely not come without their fair share of challenges and struggles but I have learned that I have to be dependent on God first. I can't call my mom or my friends when something goes wrong or when I am having a bad day. God has shown that He really is the source of my strength and someone I can depend on in my time of need. And for those of you that wrote me notes or gave me letters of any kind leading up to this trip, just know I really do love having those. They have helped on many homesick days. And if I have learned so much these first 3 months, I can't wait for all of the amazing things these next 3 months have in store for me.
We are also finishing up our time in Jamaica! May 2nd we are leaving Jamaica, spending another night in Miami (Yay America!), and heading out to Belize on May 3rd. As much as I have loved my time here in Jamaica and have loved becoming a part of this community, I am super excited for Belize. This is their first time having an Immersion team and from what I have heard, they are almost as excited as we are about going there! It may or may not be obvious but I really love traveling. So getting to fly for 2 days and going to a new place is something I am really looking forward to. Belize's national language is officially English which hopefully means we will have the ability to get to know people on the same personal level that we have here in Jamaica which I really do appreciate. At this moment, that is all I know about what is ahead of us in Belize but I can't wait to share all of my awesome stories with you!
Recent highlights from Jamaica:
- There is an ice cream man that rides around on a motorcycle! A cone is about 50 cents
- My house I am at right now has a little porch with an incredible view of the mountain! Definitely have taken full advantage of that
- We got to watch Pirates of the Caribbean 2 the other night!
- We got help dig a hole this week for a project at the church. I'm glad we don't get that dirty every day but it was kind of fun
- It's the rainy season in Jamaica so it literally rains every day. I love it!
- My current host family has a boy that reminds me of my little sister Riza and if you know her, you can understand how entertaining our house is
- It's cool enough for me to wear my sweatpants at night! I don't really need to but it makes me happy that I can without melting so I wear them just because I can
- I am finally getting really good at washing my clothes by hand
- Our host mom gave us Jamaican chocolate bars the other day! Yum!
Recently I have been thinking a lot about Abraham. In case you need a refresher (you can check out Genesis 12 for the full story), God came to Abraham (formally Abram) and told him "Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father's house to the land that I will show you" -Genesis 12:1. Before this, all we know about Abraham is that his dad's name is Terah and he was married. That's it. We don't know anything about his childhood or really anything about who Abraham was. But apparently God thought he was a stand up guy. God looked down from heaven and decided Abraham would be a great person to begin His nation of Israel. That kind of seems like a crazy huge responsibility to me! And all the Bible says about his response is "So Abram went.." He just went! He didn't say "You know what God, I'm not really sure You know what You're talking about. See I have a family here. And a nice house. And a good job. I will follow You wherever You send me... as long as it's under my terms." No! He just went. And where God was taking him didn't have directions on a GPS he could follow so he knew he was heading the right way. I'm pretty sure there wasn't even a map. Abraham trusted God so much that he was willing to just get up and go. I'm trying to figure out where God is telling me I need to get up and go, but I hope to have faith like Abraham and just follow.
PS One of our team members had to leave last week because of some serious health issues her dad is experiencing. From what I have heard, her dad might have a possibility of a very successful recovery but I would ask you to please please keep her and her family in your prayers!
But it also has brought it's really awesome things too. It's been 3 months since I really cared or worried about how I looked or what I wore. 3 months since I sat on the couch and watched Grey's Anatomy all day. 3 months of intentionally reading my Bible and surrounding myself with God. 3 months of meeting new people and being challenged in new and excited ways. 3 months of having to eat new foods that I may not really like but I eat them because it makes my host moms so happy when I do. 3 months of choosing to think about other people before I think of myself. 3 months of worshipping God on Sundays with awesome people that are crazy about Him. 3 months of trying to be a servant. These 3 months have definitely not come without their fair share of challenges and struggles but I have learned that I have to be dependent on God first. I can't call my mom or my friends when something goes wrong or when I am having a bad day. God has shown that He really is the source of my strength and someone I can depend on in my time of need. And for those of you that wrote me notes or gave me letters of any kind leading up to this trip, just know I really do love having those. They have helped on many homesick days. And if I have learned so much these first 3 months, I can't wait for all of the amazing things these next 3 months have in store for me.
We are also finishing up our time in Jamaica! May 2nd we are leaving Jamaica, spending another night in Miami (Yay America!), and heading out to Belize on May 3rd. As much as I have loved my time here in Jamaica and have loved becoming a part of this community, I am super excited for Belize. This is their first time having an Immersion team and from what I have heard, they are almost as excited as we are about going there! It may or may not be obvious but I really love traveling. So getting to fly for 2 days and going to a new place is something I am really looking forward to. Belize's national language is officially English which hopefully means we will have the ability to get to know people on the same personal level that we have here in Jamaica which I really do appreciate. At this moment, that is all I know about what is ahead of us in Belize but I can't wait to share all of my awesome stories with you!
Recent highlights from Jamaica:
- There is an ice cream man that rides around on a motorcycle! A cone is about 50 cents
- My house I am at right now has a little porch with an incredible view of the mountain! Definitely have taken full advantage of that
- We got to watch Pirates of the Caribbean 2 the other night!
- We got help dig a hole this week for a project at the church. I'm glad we don't get that dirty every day but it was kind of fun
- It's the rainy season in Jamaica so it literally rains every day. I love it!
- My current host family has a boy that reminds me of my little sister Riza and if you know her, you can understand how entertaining our house is
- It's cool enough for me to wear my sweatpants at night! I don't really need to but it makes me happy that I can without melting so I wear them just because I can
- I am finally getting really good at washing my clothes by hand
- Our host mom gave us Jamaican chocolate bars the other day! Yum!
Recently I have been thinking a lot about Abraham. In case you need a refresher (you can check out Genesis 12 for the full story), God came to Abraham (formally Abram) and told him "Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father's house to the land that I will show you" -Genesis 12:1. Before this, all we know about Abraham is that his dad's name is Terah and he was married. That's it. We don't know anything about his childhood or really anything about who Abraham was. But apparently God thought he was a stand up guy. God looked down from heaven and decided Abraham would be a great person to begin His nation of Israel. That kind of seems like a crazy huge responsibility to me! And all the Bible says about his response is "So Abram went.." He just went! He didn't say "You know what God, I'm not really sure You know what You're talking about. See I have a family here. And a nice house. And a good job. I will follow You wherever You send me... as long as it's under my terms." No! He just went. And where God was taking him didn't have directions on a GPS he could follow so he knew he was heading the right way. I'm pretty sure there wasn't even a map. Abraham trusted God so much that he was willing to just get up and go. I'm trying to figure out where God is telling me I need to get up and go, but I hope to have faith like Abraham and just follow.
PS One of our team members had to leave last week because of some serious health issues her dad is experiencing. From what I have heard, her dad might have a possibility of a very successful recovery but I would ask you to please please keep her and her family in your prayers!
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Waiting On God
This past Saturday concluded our time with our first host families in Jamaica. It was actually kind of sad to leave Annette and her family. They have all been so sweet to us: cooking for us, making sure we have everything that we need, and treating us like family. Annette has five of her own children and a couple grandchildren so adopting two extra girls for a couple weeks was easy for her. She took care of me when I was sick by making me special tea and was constantly giving Tiff and I anything she could. She would have literally done anything for us! And that giving spirit didn't stop at us either.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Week 2 Jamaica Update
So first of all, I would like to say thank you for every prayer prayed for me while I was healing from my unfortunate head injury. I do honestly feel 100% back to normal, minus the little patch of hair that is missing from where my stitches were. I had my stitches removed Wednesday and all of my soreness was pretty much gone by then as well. The biggest thing I ask is that the credit for my quick recovery not be given to me. While yes, I am a pretty stellar person, I did not just will myself to get better. God knew that I would not be patient enough if it took much longer than it did so He allowed for my body to heal itself so I could go back to my new life asap. He also has helped me see all of the blessings that came from this experience. I would also like to thank (and she's going to be really embarrassed I'm putting this in here) my roommate and friend Tiffany. She has been the best and sweetest nurse. She washed my hair for me when I couldn't because of my stitches. She has cleaned my cut for me to make sure it is healing as best as it can. She's also given me neck messages to help loosen up the tense muscles. There are not many people that would be continuously selfless like she is and I am so thankful for her. If you can't think of a friend that would clean out your head wound for you, you need to get yourself a Tiffany in your life!
This was our first week with host families in Jamaica. Tiff and I live with this lady Annette and her husband Manny. Annette sells like beach cover-ups and other vacation clothes to tourists staying in villas near Montego Bay. She said she just goes as often as there are people to sell to but since right now is the busy season for her, she has gone into the city almost every day. She also runs around Montego Bay picking up new material for her clothes and buying groceries and other necessities for us and her children and grandchildren that live nearby. Tiff and I have been able to go with her a couple days and even though she does most of it on her own, it's fun to get to travel around Montego Bay with her. She spoils us like crazy too, making sure we are always full with plenty of snacks on reserve. She just does so much to make sure her family has everything they could ever wish for.
We do have a church that we have become a part of here in Catadupa and I have loved getting to meet the pastor and all of the members. They are so sweet and greet us with such big smiles every time we come to church. Church services here run about 3 hours which does seem like a marathon compared to what I am used to. I am definitely ready for lunch when church is over but I really enjoy being there. Different members are invited to come up and share something God has shown them either with a story from the week, Bible verses, or a song. You can tell so much of the service is Spirit led. We do have a planned worship session but those few songs are just the beginning of all of the singing, praising, dancing, praying, and worshipping that go on for the rest of the service. I love seeing the joy on everyone's face while they worship. You can tell that they really get it!
Highlights from this week:
-We have become frequent visitors to this frozen yogurt place in Montego Bay. It conveniently has wifi and I would much rather pay for delicious yogurt with free wifi than just pay at an internet cafe.
-There is this plantation next to our house that we are allowed to go in and out of as we wish. It's kind of cool to see all of these exotic fruits growing on trees. It's an excursion destination for cruise ships so we see tourist buses pass through every once in a while. You can tell they are confused when they see us walking around like we live here.
-We get a fruit plate with breakfast every day! This really is a huge deal because we really didn't get a lot of fruits and vegetables in Haiti so fruit here feels like a luxury. Plus it's all so fresh and delicious!!
-Tiff brought her eno hammock with her so we've been able to put it up a couple times on our patio area. It's super relaxing to be out there when it's raining because there is a roof over our head so we don't get wet but we can listen to it.
-One of our team members had a birthday this week so we got cake and ice cream and danced all night long.
-Saturday we got to go to one of the beaches in Montego Bay. It was nice being at a beach with real sand and the water was so calm and pretty! It reminded me of Florida beaches
On Sunday, we sang this song and part of it said something along the lines of "the devil is under my feet and he doesn't like there". So naturally I had this visual of me standing on the devil which is kind of a weird thought. But if you think about it, if you were just standing on a person it would be easy for them to wiggle out from underneath you and knock you over. However, as Christians we are supposed to place our faith on the solid rock and foundation of Jesus Christ. So then I visualized me standing on this giant boulder that was on top of Satan. It is impossible to knock someone over when you are being crushed by a boulder. Even though those are maybe weird visuals it totally makes sense. If we decide we are strong enough on our own and walk away from Christ the solid rock, it's easy for the devil to knock us off our feet. But when we place our feet and our lives on Jesus, Satan does not have the power to knock us down. We can be victorious over evil if we constantly choose to place ourselves on the solid foundation of Jesus.
This was our first week with host families in Jamaica. Tiff and I live with this lady Annette and her husband Manny. Annette sells like beach cover-ups and other vacation clothes to tourists staying in villas near Montego Bay. She said she just goes as often as there are people to sell to but since right now is the busy season for her, she has gone into the city almost every day. She also runs around Montego Bay picking up new material for her clothes and buying groceries and other necessities for us and her children and grandchildren that live nearby. Tiff and I have been able to go with her a couple days and even though she does most of it on her own, it's fun to get to travel around Montego Bay with her. She spoils us like crazy too, making sure we are always full with plenty of snacks on reserve. She just does so much to make sure her family has everything they could ever wish for.
We do have a church that we have become a part of here in Catadupa and I have loved getting to meet the pastor and all of the members. They are so sweet and greet us with such big smiles every time we come to church. Church services here run about 3 hours which does seem like a marathon compared to what I am used to. I am definitely ready for lunch when church is over but I really enjoy being there. Different members are invited to come up and share something God has shown them either with a story from the week, Bible verses, or a song. You can tell so much of the service is Spirit led. We do have a planned worship session but those few songs are just the beginning of all of the singing, praising, dancing, praying, and worshipping that go on for the rest of the service. I love seeing the joy on everyone's face while they worship. You can tell that they really get it!
Highlights from this week:
-We have become frequent visitors to this frozen yogurt place in Montego Bay. It conveniently has wifi and I would much rather pay for delicious yogurt with free wifi than just pay at an internet cafe.
-There is this plantation next to our house that we are allowed to go in and out of as we wish. It's kind of cool to see all of these exotic fruits growing on trees. It's an excursion destination for cruise ships so we see tourist buses pass through every once in a while. You can tell they are confused when they see us walking around like we live here.
-We get a fruit plate with breakfast every day! This really is a huge deal because we really didn't get a lot of fruits and vegetables in Haiti so fruit here feels like a luxury. Plus it's all so fresh and delicious!!
-Tiff brought her eno hammock with her so we've been able to put it up a couple times on our patio area. It's super relaxing to be out there when it's raining because there is a roof over our head so we don't get wet but we can listen to it.
-One of our team members had a birthday this week so we got cake and ice cream and danced all night long.
-Saturday we got to go to one of the beaches in Montego Bay. It was nice being at a beach with real sand and the water was so calm and pretty! It reminded me of Florida beaches
On Sunday, we sang this song and part of it said something along the lines of "the devil is under my feet and he doesn't like there". So naturally I had this visual of me standing on the devil which is kind of a weird thought. But if you think about it, if you were just standing on a person it would be easy for them to wiggle out from underneath you and knock you over. However, as Christians we are supposed to place our faith on the solid rock and foundation of Jesus Christ. So then I visualized me standing on this giant boulder that was on top of Satan. It is impossible to knock someone over when you are being crushed by a boulder. Even though those are maybe weird visuals it totally makes sense. If we decide we are strong enough on our own and walk away from Christ the solid rock, it's easy for the devil to knock us off our feet. But when we place our feet and our lives on Jesus, Satan does not have the power to knock us down. We can be victorious over evil if we constantly choose to place ourselves on the solid foundation of Jesus.
Monday, March 16, 2015
Struck Down but Not Destroyed
Before reading this blog post there is something you need to understand: this is not a post intended to scare you or beg for your sympathy. It's just my life and what has happened to me and I want to share it with you because I think it's really cool. So here's my story:
Quick back story. I am in Jamaica in a city called Catadupa. It's about an hour drive up the mountain from Montego Bay. The church we are staying at is part of a group of churches all throughout the island. They have been having tent revivals recently so Thursday (3/12) they were having a ladies group in the tent. We were playing one of those cheesy cute ice breaker games to get introduced to everyone. Then I just remember seeing the faces of everyone across the group look up in slight terror and gasp. Then I saw this bright flash of light and had the sensation of being hit in the head by a giant frying pan. One of the posts of the tent had fallen and landed on my head.
The next few minutes are kind of a blur. I fell back onto the bench and was just grabbing my head crying, still trying to figure out what had happened. As quickly as I had the energy, I was taken to a car and driven to the hospital in Montego Bay. When I am hurt, I like to try to make people laugh because it just puts everyone, especially me, at ease that everything is going to be okay. So I started making jokes on the way down about how out of all people this would happen to me. When we got to the hospital, I was given medicine for the pain and was ushered to get x-rays. At that point, all I knew was that I had a cut on my head, my neck was sore which was to be expected, and I knew I had definitely suffered a concussion but other than that I felt pretty good. After I had gotten my x-rays done, I went to see one of the ER doctors to find out the results. Before looking at the x-rays, the doctor asked me what had happened, checked my reflexes, and checked for any signs of pain anywhere else in my body. Of course, I continued to make jokes the whole time because why not?! Plus, you could tell he needed someone to brighten his day so that's what I was going to do. So when he pulled out the x-rays, he held the first picture up to the light, flashed me a face of confusion, and put it back. Then he grabbed the next picture, looking at it and me with the same confusion. After he had studied all the them, he took two of them out again and said he had to look at something and that he would be right back and ran out of the door.
It was at this point I started to get concerned. I looked at Amy who was with me and couldn't help but laugh because we were so confused. When the doctor came back he said he wanted to show me something on my x-rays. He held the first one up to the light. It was a side view of my skull and at the top you could plainly see that there were 2 little cracks in my skull. Then he held up the second picture and showed me one of my vertebrae was slightly crooked. Then he just looked at me and all he could say was "How are you in such a good mood? You should be in so much pain. I don't understand!" It was then I realized that the joy and peace I was feeling was not just the drugs. It was God! I explained that I was thankful I was so lucky because it could be looking and feeling much worse than it was. I was laughing because the fact I had the ability to laugh was a blessing. He told me I needed to go see an orthopedic doctor and by the time we left, he was making jokes of his own. I think having someone look at such a bad situation in such a good way really confused him but he liked hearing Amy and I talk with such assurance and peace about what was going on.
I ended up having to say 2 nights in the hospital because of delays in finding out some test results. I couldn't have visitors most of the time so it gave me lots of time to think. I was asking God why had this happened to me. Not in a mad way. I just knew there had to be a reason, there always is. (Normally I put my Bible encouragement at the end of my blog but it really fits in best here.) I thought of the story of Job. In Job chapter one, it tells of a conversation between God and Satan where Satan asks God's permission to do all these awful things to Job in order to test him. I just pictured the same kind of conversation happening about me. I imagine Satan walking up to God and being like "look this Audrey girl has had no reason to doubt her reason for this trip she's on so I'd like to make this tent pole fall on her head and see how she reacts." And God in response saying "okay you can because I never give my children more than they can handle and she can handle this but I'm going to make the wind blow in such a way where it will keep most of her safe so she can return to doing My work as soon as possible." And honestly, when you think about the size of the pole and how hard it fell, I shouldn't be okay. I should have been knocked unconscious. I should have been in the hospital longer than 2 days because the damage could have been so bad but I wasn't. I should be terrified and sad and scared but I'm not. I know God protected me. And though I definitely do not wish to have this happen again, I am not angry that it did.
As far as the physical damage, I did have a concussion, I have 2 skull fractures, got 5 stitches, and have a very sore but not broken neck. I am wearing a soft collar for a couple weeks just to give my neck time to heal. But here's the cool part, if I were to tell you all the ways I saw and experienced God during my time in the hospital this would be the longest blog post ever. Yes there were times I didn't enjoy being there. Hospital food here is no better than hospital food anywhere else. I missed being able to talk to my teammates. I didn't have a phone so my family didn't even know it had happened until the day after. Plus I got super bored. But the amount of peace and love I felt from God was amazing!
Jamaica really is beautiful. The weather right now is perfectly sunny during the day and slightly chilly at night. The people here are so wonderful too! Especially coming from Haiti where we couldn't talk to anyone, it's so great to be able to walk around outside and talk to the people we meet on the street. We are also going to be here when 2 short term teams are coming to the church so I'm totally excited to get to meet all of them and welcome them. Obviously, prayers for a quick recovery would be greatly appreciated. But even more than that, prayers of thanks to God for His protection and power in your and my life. He really does have a plan for us!
Quick back story. I am in Jamaica in a city called Catadupa. It's about an hour drive up the mountain from Montego Bay. The church we are staying at is part of a group of churches all throughout the island. They have been having tent revivals recently so Thursday (3/12) they were having a ladies group in the tent. We were playing one of those cheesy cute ice breaker games to get introduced to everyone. Then I just remember seeing the faces of everyone across the group look up in slight terror and gasp. Then I saw this bright flash of light and had the sensation of being hit in the head by a giant frying pan. One of the posts of the tent had fallen and landed on my head.
The next few minutes are kind of a blur. I fell back onto the bench and was just grabbing my head crying, still trying to figure out what had happened. As quickly as I had the energy, I was taken to a car and driven to the hospital in Montego Bay. When I am hurt, I like to try to make people laugh because it just puts everyone, especially me, at ease that everything is going to be okay. So I started making jokes on the way down about how out of all people this would happen to me. When we got to the hospital, I was given medicine for the pain and was ushered to get x-rays. At that point, all I knew was that I had a cut on my head, my neck was sore which was to be expected, and I knew I had definitely suffered a concussion but other than that I felt pretty good. After I had gotten my x-rays done, I went to see one of the ER doctors to find out the results. Before looking at the x-rays, the doctor asked me what had happened, checked my reflexes, and checked for any signs of pain anywhere else in my body. Of course, I continued to make jokes the whole time because why not?! Plus, you could tell he needed someone to brighten his day so that's what I was going to do. So when he pulled out the x-rays, he held the first picture up to the light, flashed me a face of confusion, and put it back. Then he grabbed the next picture, looking at it and me with the same confusion. After he had studied all the them, he took two of them out again and said he had to look at something and that he would be right back and ran out of the door.
It was at this point I started to get concerned. I looked at Amy who was with me and couldn't help but laugh because we were so confused. When the doctor came back he said he wanted to show me something on my x-rays. He held the first one up to the light. It was a side view of my skull and at the top you could plainly see that there were 2 little cracks in my skull. Then he held up the second picture and showed me one of my vertebrae was slightly crooked. Then he just looked at me and all he could say was "How are you in such a good mood? You should be in so much pain. I don't understand!" It was then I realized that the joy and peace I was feeling was not just the drugs. It was God! I explained that I was thankful I was so lucky because it could be looking and feeling much worse than it was. I was laughing because the fact I had the ability to laugh was a blessing. He told me I needed to go see an orthopedic doctor and by the time we left, he was making jokes of his own. I think having someone look at such a bad situation in such a good way really confused him but he liked hearing Amy and I talk with such assurance and peace about what was going on.
I ended up having to say 2 nights in the hospital because of delays in finding out some test results. I couldn't have visitors most of the time so it gave me lots of time to think. I was asking God why had this happened to me. Not in a mad way. I just knew there had to be a reason, there always is. (Normally I put my Bible encouragement at the end of my blog but it really fits in best here.) I thought of the story of Job. In Job chapter one, it tells of a conversation between God and Satan where Satan asks God's permission to do all these awful things to Job in order to test him. I just pictured the same kind of conversation happening about me. I imagine Satan walking up to God and being like "look this Audrey girl has had no reason to doubt her reason for this trip she's on so I'd like to make this tent pole fall on her head and see how she reacts." And God in response saying "okay you can because I never give my children more than they can handle and she can handle this but I'm going to make the wind blow in such a way where it will keep most of her safe so she can return to doing My work as soon as possible." And honestly, when you think about the size of the pole and how hard it fell, I shouldn't be okay. I should have been knocked unconscious. I should have been in the hospital longer than 2 days because the damage could have been so bad but I wasn't. I should be terrified and sad and scared but I'm not. I know God protected me. And though I definitely do not wish to have this happen again, I am not angry that it did.
As far as the physical damage, I did have a concussion, I have 2 skull fractures, got 5 stitches, and have a very sore but not broken neck. I am wearing a soft collar for a couple weeks just to give my neck time to heal. But here's the cool part, if I were to tell you all the ways I saw and experienced God during my time in the hospital this would be the longest blog post ever. Yes there were times I didn't enjoy being there. Hospital food here is no better than hospital food anywhere else. I missed being able to talk to my teammates. I didn't have a phone so my family didn't even know it had happened until the day after. Plus I got super bored. But the amount of peace and love I felt from God was amazing!
Jamaica really is beautiful. The weather right now is perfectly sunny during the day and slightly chilly at night. The people here are so wonderful too! Especially coming from Haiti where we couldn't talk to anyone, it's so great to be able to walk around outside and talk to the people we meet on the street. We are also going to be here when 2 short term teams are coming to the church so I'm totally excited to get to meet all of them and welcome them. Obviously, prayers for a quick recovery would be greatly appreciated. But even more than that, prayers of thanks to God for His protection and power in your and my life. He really does have a plan for us!
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