I began reviewing travel notes from each trip I have made to Haiti. The following notes were written in November, 2014 on my sixth trip to Haiti. I have learned an immeasurable amount since that time. My heart has not changed. With total transparency & vulnerability, I share below the exact words I wrote: 11-5-14 […]
Because You Look Different
I had been visiting &/or working alongside Haitians, in Haiti, for several years. The people we love and worked alongside were my people and I was their people. I felt as though I belonged, so to speak. I very vividly remember the first time it happened. A Haitian friend and I were walking down a […]
Stopped In My Tracks
I was hiking a state park in Oregon this week, a park filled with stunning, powerful waterfalls; a rain forest, in fact. I was steeped in an intense sense of awe and splendor when suddenly it felt as though I had been punched in the gut. The intensity stopped me in my tracks. Gallons of […]
A Volunteer Christmas
Hope revealed through a man and his rescue dog.
It Began With A Song
I used to play piano with the children before Sunday School, when my kids were young. My favorite song book became worn, losing its cover over time as it was carried back and forth. It all started there, really. There were two songs I flipped past on Sunday mornings but played through when home at […]
Love Hurts
The video call came. Their big exam was complete and a much welcome break from school was about to begin. Sensing their excitement made my heart leap. Each of the five described how they would spend their vacation time. One would be leaving in a few moments to visit his aunt in another village for […]
The Sea Was Angry
Daily life in Haiti had been tumultuous to say the least. As we rounded the curve toward the beach one of the boys said, The Sea Is Angry today. The normally gently rolling waves were crashing onto shore. The sea seemed to be reflecting the social climate of recent weeks. The sea WAS angry. We […]
Burdened By The Stress Engulfing Me Yet Remaining In Prayer
One late night this week I was feeling burdened by the stress engulfing me and I laid a very specific need down as I told God, “I know you know our need. I know you already have a plan to meet it.” I pleaded for patience as I waited for provision. The next morning I […]
Window to A Soul
Eyes, eye contact, windows to a soul. We reveal a lot when we share that window, allowing a peek into our very being. I was riding along a street in Haiti years ago when it struck me how many souls, adult and child alike, were peering into mine. This openness creates vulnerability. The willingness to […]
Please Tell Me You Are Ready
Imagine with me a Sunday morning, you arrive to get your 5 boys for church and one of them almost always has an excuse as to why they cannot be ready for church today: “I don’t have a belt”, “My clothes aren’t clean”, “I always have to wear the same thing”, “My shoes aren’t good […]