This weekend I realized that I'm a Haitian country girl, minus the fact that I have running water and electricity 24/7. I traded cows, chickens, and sugar cane fields, for fast food, street dance clubs, and honking horns. I had the privilege of visiting some childhood friends in Port-Au-Prince this weekend. Ben & Katie and I grew up in the same church, went to the same camps, and Katie and I actually both went to Baylor. They moved to Haiti to be teachers at an awesome private christian school in Pap literally 5 days before the earthquake. Not after, before. They were here when it happened and their school opened themselves up as a center for relief teams. I myself slept on one of their elementary class rooms last march on my relief trip. That was a crazy time.
This weekend was fun for many reasons. I went to the grocery store, I went two 2 restaurants in one day, and I had meat multiple times. These are all things that I rarely get to experience. Every time I get to go to a grocery store it's like Christmas and it feels like Christmas when someone returns to Leogane with all of the goodies. I'm talking chocolate chips, soy sauce, cereal, and tortilla chips. It's so normal to you, but so wonderful for us.
The best part of the weekend, by far was how rich our conversation was. We kind of just talked for 2 1/2 days. We talked about growing up in our church, our current relationships with so many FBCR alumni, and we talked about the goodness of God. I don't think any of the the three of us ever thought we'd end up in Haiti, but bizarrely enough we are here and at the exact same time. As we were walking to the grocery store Katie was sharing a funny analogy that so fits what God has done in our lives. She was saying that in college she and her friends watched multiple seasons of television shows. Once she had seen the entire seasons of these shows she would re-watch them and because she knew the endings she would try to encourage the characters that it would all work out in the end and to stop being so fussy. She then shared how much God is probably like that, and was that way for us in the 5th & 6th grades at church camp. "Girls, just wait, I know what's coming. I'm actually going to take you to the same nation at the same time to be a part of its healing after a horrible natural disaster. The boy who doesn't like you is just a trivial thing for the moment. Katie you'll actually marry that crazy Ben in the 7th grade. Today seems like a mountain, but just wait for what I have for you later." It is so true. He is sovereign and he's not surprised by what tomorrow brings. In fact he planned it and it's absolutely the most beautiful thing ever.
It was also so sweet to share about our love for this nation. How it's shaped us. How it's changed our view of the world and poverty. How it will change the way we love our spouses, how it will change the way we parent our children, and how it will change the way we live our lives in the abundance of the states. I will get to visit them in my latter years and we will share Haiti. It's frustrations, it's beauty, and how it molded us into the adults we will be.
Oh how sweet is his ever loving kindness and how beautiful his body.
This weekend was fun for many reasons. I went to the grocery store, I went two 2 restaurants in one day, and I had meat multiple times. These are all things that I rarely get to experience. Every time I get to go to a grocery store it's like Christmas and it feels like Christmas when someone returns to Leogane with all of the goodies. I'm talking chocolate chips, soy sauce, cereal, and tortilla chips. It's so normal to you, but so wonderful for us.
The best part of the weekend, by far was how rich our conversation was. We kind of just talked for 2 1/2 days. We talked about growing up in our church, our current relationships with so many FBCR alumni, and we talked about the goodness of God. I don't think any of the the three of us ever thought we'd end up in Haiti, but bizarrely enough we are here and at the exact same time. As we were walking to the grocery store Katie was sharing a funny analogy that so fits what God has done in our lives. She was saying that in college she and her friends watched multiple seasons of television shows. Once she had seen the entire seasons of these shows she would re-watch them and because she knew the endings she would try to encourage the characters that it would all work out in the end and to stop being so fussy. She then shared how much God is probably like that, and was that way for us in the 5th & 6th grades at church camp. "Girls, just wait, I know what's coming. I'm actually going to take you to the same nation at the same time to be a part of its healing after a horrible natural disaster. The boy who doesn't like you is just a trivial thing for the moment. Katie you'll actually marry that crazy Ben in the 7th grade. Today seems like a mountain, but just wait for what I have for you later." It is so true. He is sovereign and he's not surprised by what tomorrow brings. In fact he planned it and it's absolutely the most beautiful thing ever.
It was also so sweet to share about our love for this nation. How it's shaped us. How it's changed our view of the world and poverty. How it will change the way we love our spouses, how it will change the way we parent our children, and how it will change the way we live our lives in the abundance of the states. I will get to visit them in my latter years and we will share Haiti. It's frustrations, it's beauty, and how it molded us into the adults we will be.
Oh how sweet is his ever loving kindness and how beautiful his body.
Love this post, Amanda, and love you too. I always knew you'd do something wonderful--even when you were just a little 9th grader in my SS class :)
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