Alive and Well

Well it has now been a few months since I have last written.  Mostly because every time I sit down to write, I don't feel inspired or have things to write about.  Then today I realized that it isn't just I don't have anything to write about, but the overwhelming feeling of how do I possible inform people about what has all been going on in my life?!  The last few months have been packed with learning/ teaching/ growing moments.

In January I started taking a couple classes.  I was reminded again how much I really love to learn!! If people would pay me to go to school.....I am not sure I would ever finish college..:)...but then again maybe not. One of the classes is a Psych class at the college in Fort Wayne, the other class is Perspectives On The World Christian Movement and is offered at a church in Grabill.  This second class has totally sucked me in! I can't even begin to explain how much I have grown and learned already!! Seriously, so so so good!  I would highly recommend it to anyone!

The first weekend in January was the wedding of one of my close friends, Alyssa Eisenmann to Ned Troxel.  I was honored to be able to share the special day with her as one of her bridesmaids!  It was a great weekend, and Alyssa was a radiant and beautiful bride!

Then, as many of you know, at the end of January my dad died.  It is astounding how one moment can completely change everything!  It makes you realize how fragile time is.  The last few weeks have been pretty rough at points, but hearing people talk about the huge change they saw in my dad the last week he was alive, and knowing that he had surrendered himself completely over to God, gives me great comfort and peace!  I get to see him in heaven someday!!!

A HUGE thank you to all of you who have been lifting my family up in your prayers!  Prayer is the most powerful thing you can ever do!  Also for all of you who have sent cards, flowers, gifts, encouragement, given of your time, and given hugs:); they are greatly appreciated!!

We are not called to live comfortable lives.  We are called to suffer for Christ's sake, so that God's name will be worshiped and praised!  Christ told us to pick up our cross and follow Him.  The cross is the sign of suffering.  Christ's suffering isn't completed yet and we must follow Him in His suffering. Why? So that God's name will be praised and His kingdom glorified!  For the advancement of the gospel of Christ.  There are a few verses in Philippians that I really appreciate:

"I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ." vs 12-13

"For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him, but also suffer for his sake,"

It isn't easy losing a parent or anyone close to you.  Or to handle an enormous list of other hard things that happen to people.  Paul said that because of his imprisonment many others were reached.  I echo his statement.  My pain/hurt/struggles, God uses it for the advancement of His kingdom.  So even though it is hard and it hurts, I praise God; because it isn' about me and my feelings, it is about God and for the advancement of His kingdom.  So that His name will be praised and worshiped!

Picture time.....:)

Mom came to visit me in January, and this was our project!:)

My awesome siblings

Abby & I at our family Christmas:)

Erin & I

The three musketeers are finally together again!

Amanda & I

On New Year's Eve a group of us went to Chicago and watched the Newsies!! It was incredible!

Amanda, Lindsey, Kristi, Jess, and I

Jenna and I after getting our hair done

Wedding Party:)

Love You Dad!!

Just for kicks and giggles.  I saw this the other day and couldn't stop laughing...

Vwayaj Nou An Nan Ayiti!!!

The last week in October, I had the amazing opportunity to return to Bonne Fin, Haiti for a short trip.  I got to take a few friends with me too!  There were six of us that went....Kristi Baran, Lindsey Kieser, Amanda Winn, Charla Leman, and Terry Zollinger(Charla's mom). All of which work at Gateway....except Terry.  We flew out of Fort Wayne last Friday, spent the night in Miami, then arrived in Haiti on Saturday.  Amanda and I spent half of the week teaching the Geckoes (which is the name of the missionary school there), since the Klopfenstein's were back in the states for part of the time we were there.  Kristi and Lindsey spent those days painting an apartment for a hospital employee and her daughter.  Charla and Terry spent the entire week with their sister/daughter's family....the Hartzlers.  Then on Thursday, we worked on cleaning up the house for the new missionary couple (the Plattners from Goodfield)....who moved down the week after we went!  So please keep them in your prayers as they adjust to a different style of living!  Sunday we had the great opportunity to go to the Bonne Fin church, then to Port Salute...which is a great beach!!:)

I took the girls on a few different hikes...some of them they were not so fond of.....but we all survived it and no one was seriously injured! Minor incidents...weellll...yah...but like I said, we are all still living!:)  As one so stated in a moment prior to terror...."Argh, these stupid leaves are in my face."  A few moments there it became..."I am really glad all the green foliage was in my face!"  What happened in-between, you might ask?  Well first you need to know that we were climbing back down from the side of a waterfall and instead of jumping into the water, we decided we didn't really want to get completely soaked...so we were scaling the side to reach dry land. Lindsey was taking the lead and she made the comment...right after which she grabbed hold of a rock that was unstable and fell back(while screaming)...in these brief milliseconds, I looked down to see that were she would fall would really damage her....she would have hit her head/neck on a rock jutted out below, then rolled into the water. But she stopped after falling back so far! I looked back at her to see that she was hanging on to some foliage!! They weren't that big or strong...but somehow they managed to hold her and she pulled herself back up!  Then came the after statement.  A real life example of give thanks in all things and hard eucharisteo.

To talk about and explain everything on our trip would take paragraphs upon paragraphs....so I will refrain my ever blabbering fingers and spare your weary eyes.:)  Overall it was a great trip! I loved being back there!  And it was way harder than I expected to return to the states after the trip.  A huge chunk of my heart will forever be in Haiti.  And it gave me all the more confirmation of what my passion is though!!  Below are just a few of the pictures....:)

Our incredible group:)

The Bag Watcher...

Kristi & I  (For those who don't know.....Kristi was my roommate for my first 6 months at Gateway)

Kristi playing the piano at Charlotte airport!!

The volunteer pianist had some business to take care of, so she let us take turns playing!! We even got some tips!!!:)

Charla, Lindsey, Amanda, Me, and Kristi

We went to Port Salute on Sunday after church.

Krae & Conrad during recess

Leah & Mara

Conrad

Amanda & Grace

Charla with all the kiddos...:) (Leah, Grace, Conrad, Quincy, Gideon)

Overlook farther up the Bonne Fin road

The market.....here is your Joanne Fabrics

A fish we bought at the market..!!!

Lindsey & Kenny

Simply adorable...

Kenny....:)

Spelunking with Jimmy & Bazlais

On the guest house roof...we played some Bananagrams

Before our hike to the hydro

Climbing the side of the waterfall

Cleaning Plattner's new home

Insouciant Moments

My life is far from insouciant.....but amid all the craziness I am learning to find those moments, the ones to hang onto and allow myself to get lost in.....

October has pretty much flown by!  Speaking of flying......I am headed to Haiti on Friday!!!!!! Yah, words cannot even begin to express how excited I am!!  Everyday this week is crazy busy for me trying to get things done before I leave, working, etc.  Last night for supper I made my residents a Haitian meal!!:)  It was fun!  I made rice, beef, potato/beet/carrot salad, coleslaw, and fried plantains. Then for snack I made Haitian coconut cookies.....oh my...they were amazing! I always loved when Mona would make them!!:)  I kinda hope she makes them sometime when I am down there!

Other than Haiti....I don't feel like I have done anything super exciting or crazy....wait.....I did go skydiving a few weeks ago.  Not that that is exciting at all.....pretty dull.   Haha...jk....it was EPIC!  I would totally go again in a heartbeat! I would highly recommend it!  The view is absolutely incredible!!!

Here is a poem that was read during a talk recently.  I really liked it and feel like I can really relate to it.  Not only that, but a good reminder that whenever I start to think that what God wants me to do is crazy, or that we could take a better route.....that I just need to shut up and pedal!

A Tandem Ride With God 

I used to think of God as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the things I did wrong, so as to know whether I merited heaven or hell when I die. He was out there, sort of like a president. I recognized His picture when I saw it, but I didn't really know Him.

But later on, when I met Jesus, it seemed as though life was rather like a bike, but it was a tandem bike, and I noticed that Jesus was in the back helping me pedal. I didn't know just when it was He suggested we change, but life has not been the same since I took the back-seat to Jesus, my Lord. He makes life exciting. When I had control, I thought I knew the way. It was rather boring, but predictable. It was the shortest distance between two points. 

But when He took the lead, He knew delightful long cuts, up mountains, and through rocky places and at break-through speeds; it was all I could do to hang on! Even though it often looked like madness, He said, "Pedal!" I was worried and anxious and asked, "Where are you taking me?" He laughed and didn't answer and I started to learn to trust. I forgot my boring life and entered into adventure. And when I'd say, "I'm scared", He'd lean back and touch my hand. 

He took me to people with gifts that I needed, gifts of healing, acceptance and joy. They gave me their gifts to take on my journey, our journey, my Lord's and mine. And we were off again. He said, "Give the gifts away; they're extra baggage, too much weight." So I did, to the people we met, and I found in giving I received, and still our burden was light. 

I did not trust Him, at first, in control of my life. I thought He'd wreck it, but He knows bike secrets, knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners, jump to clear high rocks, fly to shorten scary passages. And I am learning to shut up and pedal in the strangest places, and I'm beginning to enjoy the view and the cool breeze on my face with my delightful constant companion, Jesus. 

And when I'm sure I just can't do any more, He just smiles and says... "Pedal." 

(Author unknown)

I am doing a Bible study with several other houseparent ladies on the book One Thousand Gifts.  Some of you may have heard about it or read it.  But it talks a lot about giving thanks for all things and that everything is a gift from God.  So I started a gratitude journal, where I write down gifts/things I am thankful for.  Also, I started taking more pictures of some of those things.  So in case your wondering why I post certain pictures....or even took a picture of something....most likely it probably relates to that.  Well and the fact that I am just weird at times....but that's information you don't need to be reaffirmed on....so just go with the first reason.  :)

God's beauty!!

Sparklers that someone left in a drawer in my apartment......so I had a little fun one night:)

God's vibrant promise stretched across the sky

Lunar Eclipse.......yes, I actually got up at 6AM to see this!

Not a very good pic....but the moon had an incredible ring around it one night....not sure what causes it....but it was pretty awesome!!!

A Deeds of Kindness group from Gateway school made this for the Assistants!:)

An amazing date....at a really cool "hole-in-the-wall" place:)

So I found this Haitian cookbook at the Fort Wayne Library.....so what am I gonna do??

Obviously check it out and use it!:)  I made a Haitian meal for my residents yesterday and had them put together some care packages for me to take down.  Some foods were liked more than others, but everyone was a great sport and tried some of everything!

Diri & Bef

Potato, beet, carrot salad

Coleslaw

Fried Plaintains

Haitian coconut cookies!!!!!!!  I was stoked that I found this recipe!!!!

 Another awesome date!!!:)  We tried out Trionfale on Dupont.  (She might not be too happy about me posting this pic....but since she wouldn't smile for a normal picture......I guess she knows what happens now....:P)

My Carmel Macchiato :) It was delightful!!