Saturday, January 28, 2017

Christmas parties, birthday parties, and more!


Blogging is not something I necessarily enjoy, but something I am striving to get better at doing.  Sometimes I feel like if I don’t have a big story there is nothing to blog about.  However, I am slowly realizing that’s not true.  For example, there hasn’t necessarily been a big story these past couple of weeks, but many exciting things have happened.  Here are a few of my favorites:

I came back into Haiti after a month stateside for the holidays.  I am very thankful for my time in Kentucky with friends and family.  It also gave Liam and I some time to work through wedding planning.  However, after a few weeks away I was very ready to be back home in Haiti.  I may not have had the best trip here and had some unpleasant surprises to welcome me back (hello black mold everywhere), but I am very thankful to be here.   

The day after I got back we had our staff Christmas party.  It was so fun to see everyone all dressed up.  Most people also came with their spouses, so it was so enjoyable to meet them.  It is very common for couples (and whole families!) to wear matching outfits to events like this.  I told Liam we will have to find something that matches!  We also did a secret santa.  Let me tell you, they take secret santa to the extreme.  Music is going and you dance until you find who you had and then dance together.  My secret santa gave me a beautiful vase with fake flowers.  The whole night was a lot of fun!

Another highlight of my first week back was Benji’s birthday!  He officially turned three years old.  We had a celebration with his family and a couple neighbors and friends.  He got all dressed up and was the life of the party.  The very next day he started preschool. It has been quite an adjustment, but everyday seems to be getting a little better. 


We also had a mini Christmas party for the nutrition program.  Daybreak Community Church helped me collect items and each child received a new church outfit, a pair of socks, underwear, and a hair bow (for the girls).  On top of that, each mom received a care package.  The packages had nail polish, nail clippers, deodorant, a wash cloth, a mini soap, a mini shampoo, a mini lotion, toothpaste, dental floss, a toothbrush, and some pads.  They were so surprised and excited to receive a gift themselves.  There is more to this story though.  A lot of the families use the excuse “we don’t have clothes for our kids, so we cannot go to church.”  That was the main reason why I wanted to get church clothes for all of them.  Last Sunday we had eight nutrition program kids (and guardians) at church who are not usually there!  What an answer to prayer!!

One of the girls in her new outfit with her mom!
ALSO, our surgery wing and clinic have been getting a facelift!  This week we have replaced eight air conditioners, two washers, two dryers, a toilet, and several lights.  I am so excited to see how this makes surgery weeks move more smoothly.  The medical staff is excited about the changes that are being made.  We still have a long way to go, but I am excited about each little step that gets us closer to being where we want to be. 

I am so thankful for everyone that prays me through each transition.  It is a bit difficult coming back without the part of me who’s in Australia.  However, we are very excited about our future together and in Haiti.  I promise to try to be better at blogging as we continue looking towards the future! 

To help look towards the future.. we started building our house!!